What Happened After - The Story of Sperrit

[Sperrit]

Part 1:
The Journey


The moment that Sperrit’s foot touched the bottom of the ship he could feel his power give way like a bad ankle. He fell to his knees, Gira chirping at him alarmingly. Sperrit shook his head, still kneeling in the bottom of the boat.

“No Gira. The second you change they’ll sense you. You’ve already changed back once today. A second time would bring them down upon us like rain, and I can’t afford to lose you.” He smiled weakly at her. “I’ll be alright, but you’re going to have to get us across the sea. My strength won’t last. I’ll get the sail as soon as I get a little adjusted, and then we can leave. We’re getting very close to him, love. I can feel it.”

Sperrit stood up. He cast his senses around for a few minutes until he found a strong hold on the Earth. He drew as much strength and energy as he could from it and “tethered” himself to it. Sperrit then reached up and, with some difficultly, unfurled the sail. Sitting down hard on the floor of the ship he nodded to Gira.

“Do you think you could help us out here, love?”

At once a powerful, yet gentle wind filled the sail and the ship began to skim toward the terrible sea. The moment that no part of the ship was touching land Sperrit gritted his teeth and concentrated on the link he had already established on the shore. It was beginning to strain already. Sperrit knew that he could keep his touch all the way across the ocean. The little distance that they had already gone was making him sweat as it was. He needed to think of something else, and fast. His whole body was taught with the strain to stay connected. If he broke it now he wouldn’t survive. So Sperrit reached with all his might and began to slide his connection down towards the beach, until it touched the line where land met water. For a moment Sperrit thought that his connection wouldn’t be able to penetrate the water, but after a second the link slid under the water, connecting him to the ocean floor as it slid into the dark depths. Straining with all his might Sperrit brought the link towards him until it was centered directly underneath him, moving across the algae covered rock with the ship. Sperrit breathed easy for a moment. And then he felt the core of the Earth sliding away from him as the ocean floor lowered, but he was suspended above, and getting farther away every moment. Panic entered into Sperrit’s mind, but through it all he knew one thing: He could not let go of the Earth. Drawn to exhaustion, Sperrit bent his whole mind toward keeping the connection with the Earth. Soon it was as bad as it had been trying to stay connected to the land. Then it was worse. The Earth kept getting farther and farther away. It was like being ripped in two. Pain coursed through his whole body like he was on fire. He mind cried out for mercy. But he did not let go. Ever farther he was separated from the Earth, but his whole being was consumed, focused on keeping in touch with the Earth. The outside world slowly faded into the background. He became less and less aware of the waves and the water and more and more aware of the remote Earth and he connection to it. Time passed. He knew not how long he lay in the ship, motionless, almost lifeless, almost mindless. Time did not mean anything anymore. He knew only his struggle, to stay connected and to stay alive. For he knew now what he had dared not think on the shore. He would die without the Earth. The moment that his connection was severed he would die, and he did not want to die. Images flashed through his head: Gira, the Old Forest Temple, Cobi, Sakura, Shino, Doot, Chibi Knight, Musashi, Aindriahhn, Reverend, his training, his master, old friends long gone, those who had been destroyed by the one that he sought. For a while it was the thought of the man that he was chasing that drove him, thinking about finding him and restoring honor to his friends. But soon even that was driven out. Old memories floated through his head. His first meeting with Alerea, whom he would fall in love with and give the power to change into a bird. His first pet. His first plant. It was like his life was a video being played in reverse and the further back he went the more that he lost of himself. He soon didn’t even know who he was, or where he was going or why. He knew only that he needed to stay connected to the Earth. And then, just as he was about to lose all traces of identity and though a curious thing happened. Something that made him blink in surprise. The floor of the ocean was rising. Sperrit’s mind burst with relief and he began to get a better hold and to draw back in some of the strength he had lost. And the moment that he was energized and knew that his connection with the Earth would not fail he fell instantly into a dreamless sleep.

***

Sperrit’s first conscious sensation was feeling the ship lurch and then come to a stop. For a few moments Sperrit lay in the bottom of the ship, almost unbelieving that the journey was over. He slowly got up, every muscle sore, and looked over the side of the ship. Water stretched before him on all sides. Confused by this Sperrit stood up and looked over the side. There, clearly visible through the water was sand and rock, only a few inches deep. Sperrit contemplated this for a few moments and then turned around.

His first impression was one of shock. About a hundred yards from the beach there was a line of neat houses, the likes of which he had never seen before. And beyond that he could see vast tall structures of what looked like metal and glass, rising up into the sky. He had landed on the outskirts of a coastal city. Sperrit shuddered.

For as long as he could remember Sperrit’s people had hated and feared the cities as the strongest and most terrible monument of mankind’s disregard to nature. They were large, noisy, crowded, with little to no plant or nonhuman animal life. They spat pollution into the oceans and skies and dumped chemical wastes upon the ground. The City was the epitome of Hell to almost all the Elementals. Fire and Lightning were the only ones that loved the cities, Light and Dark tolerating them.

Sperrit gave another shudder and then turned back to the boat, and quickly knelt down, cursing his stupidity. There, in the bottom of the ship, was Gira, who had fallen unconscious with exhaustion. Sperrit quickly scooped her up and cradled her to his chest. He quickly grasped some Earth energy and started to heal her, looking with his eyes and his talent for a place that they could shelter. As safe as the ship might have been Sperrit didn’t like the idea of sleeping on a craft that could take him back out to sea again. Sperrit soon sensed a small grove not too far off and hopped out of the boat, trudging along the sand towards the only place that he could feel any kind of natural vibe from for miles.

Night settled in. Sperrit kept both him and Gira warm through small transfers of Earth energy. He stayed up the whole night, slowly healing the over worked Gira, until the sun came up the next day. The second that it did, her eyes opened and she chirped warmly at him. He smiled back.

“It’s the least I could do for making you be alone the whole way out here. How long were we at sea, anyway?”

Gira chirped at him for a few moments. Sperrit’s eyes widened.
“A week? I’m so sorry! I should have tried some other way to make it across! I can’t believe that you were alone all that time!”

Gira chirped consolingly. Then a strange expression came over her face and suddenly she changed back into a woman.

“Alerea! What are you doing? You can’t let them catch you!” Sperrit stood up quickly, trying to sense any approaching Elementals.
Alerea shook her head. “Don’t be silly. It’s been days since I last changed. They’d have no idea where I was. Besides, I don’t think that they can sense me here. There's some kind of… haze over this place. It’s almost interfering with my senses. And I can’t sense any Cloud Dwellings, either.”

Sperrit gave Alerea a grave look. “It’s a city. We landed on the outskirts. This was the best shelter I could find. The city’s huge. Larger than any I’ve ever seen, and it looks old, and polluted.”

Alerea nodded. “This is probably one of the forbidden sectors of the sky, places too dirty and tainted to be healthy to us anymore.”

Sperrit nodded. “Sounds like the perfect description for it. And it also sounds like the perfect place to hide after killing Elementals.” Sperrit clenched his fists in anger. “He must be here. I can almost feel him.”

Alerea gave Sperrit a look that was half condescension and half worry. “Well, if you’re done beating your chest we can get on with this.” She stood up and walked to the edge of the grove. With a yelp, Sperrit ran up and grabbed her arm.

“Wait a sec! You’re not going to change?” he said.

Alerea smiled meaningfully at him. “You would rather I be a bird?”

Sperrit laughed. “I would rather you not get caught!”

Alerea smiled at him. “Don’t worry. I can’t sense any of my people near here, and if I can’t sense them then they certainly can’t sense me. Now let’s go find this guy and so we can go back home.”

Sperrit nodded and they walked out into view of the city once again. Alerea was startled by the dark view at first, but was soon resolute. They would find the man that they had searched for in here. They would. If only there wasn’t that nagging sensation at the back of Sperrit’s head that said that it wouldn’t be as easy as he thought.

[Akira]

thats cool...i wanna see if he finds this dude that killed the elementals or somtin but i hope you write more sperrit....

[Sperrit]

Part 2: Something Gained, Something Lost

After a few hours walking the two found themselves in the heart of the city, surrounded by the tall alien buildings of metal and glass. The people who inhabited this city were just as alien as the buildings they lived it, wearing odd clothes that didn’t seem at all functional, and jewelry in odd places. Sperrit and Alerea drew some odd looks as well as they walked down the streets, bumping into the massive amounts of people as they hurried from one strange task to the next, never seeming to stop.

Sperrit looked around at all these people and gave them all a strange look of pity. “Alerea, these people seem so sad and empty here. Why do they do this?”

Alerea shrugged. “My people have cities in the sky, but none of them are like this. There’s a feeling of despair here that floats through everything.”

Sperrit nodded. “Perhaps after all this is done I will finally be able to see those cities.” He smiled at Alerea.

She smiled back warmly and took his hand in hers. “You’d love it there, I know it.”

Sperrit opened his mouth to reply, but his eyes suddenly narrowed and his mouth closed into a thin line. His eyes flashed. “That’s him.”

Sperrit bent down to the ground, causing people to look at him even more than they were before. He reached out and touched the ground with his fingertips, his senses flaring. “He was here, Alerea. Not two hours ago.” He concentrated. “And he went that way.”

Sperrit pointed to the northeast where the city was darkest and the cloud of despair hung low over the time battered buildings.
Alerea shuddered. “That place… it is… there’s something wrong about it, more so than any other place in this city. It’s almost as if all the negative energy is emanating from that one spot.”

Sperrit stood up. “It probably is where it’s all coming from. That’s the oldest part of the city, all the materials used in the construction feel old and worn. That is the place where the city began. And it’s where our quarry has decided to hide from us. We’ll find him, though.”

Sperrit and Alerea started to make their way to the Dark city, seeing the buildings becoming more and more decayed, run down and damaged. The people also became darker and dirtier, moving in the pitch-black shadows and keeping out of the light. A perpetual twilight hung over this place, marking it for all to see, blocking out the light of day and night. No sun or stars were ever seen here, the inhabitants knew only electric light, and that was seldom.

Sperrit kept his senses extended, keeping the man’s trail fresh in his mind. It soon led to some stairs going down into what looked like a small basement club and did not come out. Sperrit turned to Alerea with a determined look upon his face.

“He might be down there, love. I want you to stay up here and make sure that he doesn’t duck out. You know his energy signature. If he takes off, follow him and contact me.” He paused, his eyes avoiding hers. “I’ll… see you shortly.” He turned to go.

“Wait!” Alerea spun him around and kissed him. “Make sure that he feels the pain that he caused the others, Sperrie. Make sure that he pays for this.”

Sperrit embraced her and then hurried down the stairs, trying to keep the thought out of his mind that if this man could have killed all his brothers and masters, then his chances of success were about and thick as a leaf. Sperrit came to the door. There were words written on it in phosphorescent paint.

The Black Hole Club

Sperrit pushed on the door. It remained closed. Sperrit pulled on the handle and it swung open.

“Welcome, Sperrit, Friend of the Forest.”

Sperrit closed the door behind him, staring across an empty room at a man who seethed with evil energy. Sperrit’s every sense cried out, every nerve shouted, his heart was beating a mile a minute in rage as he stared at the man that matched the energy signature he had found among the ruins of his people, the man who had killed his brothers, slaughtered a whole race, ancient and proud.

And he was smiling.

The man was about Sperrit’s height and had short-cropped black hair and what looked like purple eyes. He wasn’t a large man, but he radiated power and strength. And he was smiling. Sperrit was speachless with rage.

“I’ve been expecting you, Sperrit, ever since that day that I’m sure we both remember very well. You’ve been on my trail for some time, which, I must say, is no odd feat. Most lose me in a matter of days, but you… you have shown persistence and determination far beyond anything that I have seen earlier. What a shame that your little chase has to end now. My master was content with letting you run around trying to catch me, but you’re a lose end that needs to be tied up. Our plans will be coming to fruitation soon, and it will be most annoying to have to deal with you then. So I guess this is goodbye, Terramyrdarkenenvar. See you on the other side.”

And the man threw up his hand and a beam of energy flew towards Sperrit. Sperrit gaped. The energy that was coming at him was like nothing he had ever felt before. It was terrible and wrong and every cell in Sperrit’s being cried out against the existence of something so awful. It was lifeless. Like looking out onto a glacier in the middle of the ocean, but without the cold, or the ice, or the ocean. It was like pure nothingness come to life. Sperrit tried to put up some defenses, but it was like trying to put up a net to keep the wind at bay. Sperrit fell to his knees.

“Valose!”

Suddenly the energy vanished and Sperrit felt strength return to him immediately. He looked up and saw a skinny man with medium length brown hair shooting fire from his hands towards the dark man, who has defending against the fire and retreating towards the back. When his back touched the door, the skinny man smiled.

“You won’t get away this time, Valose!”

The dark man, Valose, sneered. “There’s nothing you can do to stop me, Ryanel. It’s already too late for you and the Earth elemental. The time has come.”

The man with the fire turned around. “Earth elemental?”

It was as quick as lighting. The man with the fire turned around, Valose shot him with energy and was gone through the back door before the guy could hit the ground. The man with the fire slid across the room and stopped next to Sperrit, moaning.

“Damit!” The man got up. “And now he’ll have disappeared AGAIN!”
The man with the fire took out his frustration on a wall that ended up quite singed.

“I don’t BELIEVE this! How could I have been so stupid!?”

Sperrit stood up slowly, not wanting to startle the man. He coughed and the man spun around, seeming to see him for the first time. He frowned a little as he looked at him.

“Who are you?” he asked.

Sperrit looked him in the eye, and noticed his irises were bright red. “Sperrit Terramyrdarkenenvar, Earth elemental.”

The man’s frown lessened. “Well, at least there actually WAS an Earth elemental for him to distract me with.” The man rubbed his chin in thought. “I’m Ryanel, Fire elemental. Now,” Ryanel raised his hands. “What business do you have with Valose, Earth Elemental? Are you an associate of his? Or just another flunky?”

Sperrit’s eyes flashed. “That man, Valose, owes me his very life, and I plan to take it.”

Ryanel lowered his hands. “So, there are others after this jerk. I thought that I was the only one.”

Sperrit smiled meanly. “Not hardly.”

Ryanel smiled as well. “Good to know I’m not alone. You know… since we’re after the same goal, perhaps we could help each other out here. I’m not so proud that I won’t let anyone kill him but me, and I’m sure you have a fair claim.”

Sperrit frowned a little. “I’d agree to that.” He smiled. “Sounds like a good plan to me. I just wish we hadn’t let him get away. Maybe we can still track him. He can’t have gone far.”

Ryanel chuckled. “Don’t be too sure. This guy can move when he wants to. If we’re going to get him, we better get going. Now.”

Sperrit nodded. “I agree. I left someone outside to watch for anyone leaving. She might have sensed him coming out. Let’s get her and go.”

Ryanel nodded and the two of them walked out the front door and up the steps into the dark street. But Alerea wasn’t there.

“Alerea!” Sperrit called into the shadows. He waited.

“I can’t sense anyone around here, Sperrit,” said Ryanel. “Maybe she went off on a lead.”

Sperrit nodded. “You might be right, hold on.”

Sperrit reached out with all his senses tuned towards Alerea. Sperrit knew for a fact that he could have located her anywhere within ten miles with the smallest touch of his mind. He reached and reached, but there was nothing. He could not feel her, the woman whom he had been with always, whos presence was as familiar as the very Earth itself. She was gone.

Sperrit stood in shock a few moments, only to be shaken back to life by Ryanel.

"Sperrit? Are you alright? What's going on?" Concern and confusion was writen on his face. Sperrit could only stare at him in shock.

"She’s not here, Ryanel. She’s not here.”

[Sperrit]

The City of the Wind

“Do you think that something might have happened to her?” Ryanel asked.

Sperrit was still stunned. What could have happened to her? Where could she have gone, and with such speed? No one could have taken her so far and so fast that he could not sense her. Unless they had taken her someplace where his senses did not reach. Sperrit looked up into the dark sky.

“I think I know where she is Ryanel,” Sperrit said. “And it is someplace far away from here and far away from our quarry. I cannot ask you to help me. You have your own quest to follow. I’m sorry to have wasted your time. I hope that he does not get away.”

Sperrit turned and shook hands with Ryanel. “Don’t worry, man. You’ll find her. And I won’t let Valose get away that easy. Good luck.” And Ryanel ran off into the shadows.

Sperrit sighed. It had been a long time since he had ever been alone before. Alerea had been with him as Gira for a long time, and even when she wasn’t there were always the animals of the forest to keep him company. This place was desolate and the only two people that could have given him any kind of welcome company were now gone.

Sperrit headed out of the city, away from the coast. He walked for many hours until he came to a small wooded area where the Earth power wasn’t completely tainted by the corrupting city. He needed to think. He sat down and closed his eyes. In his mind’s eye he pictured a gold and brown hawk, focusing on each talon, each feather, creating a perfect image in his mind, an image so real that it looked like it would start to breathe and fly over his head. Then Sperrit let the Earth power flow into him. And then the image did come to life.

Sperrit opened his eyes everything seemed exceptionally clear, and he could hear the small rustlings of a mouse many yards away. Sperrit instantly became hungry with the thought of the small prey, but he knew that he had more important things to do. Sperrit spread his wings and began to fly upwards, coming out over the trees and soaring up higher with every wing beat. It was one of the most exhilarating feelings he had ever experienced. It was as if he had been born to do this but had only now come to his full potential. He flew ever higher, higher than any normal hawk would go and into the area of the sky that all birds knew. The area where the Wind Elements kept their cities.

Sperrit flew over the smaller settlements of the Wind Elementals, watching them go about their work, talking and laughing and living. Sperrit felt a stab of pain in his chest. His people would never see such days again.

Sperrit eventually came to the outskirts of the main city, Lyliah, and landed on one of the many perches that people placed around the city. The air was full of birds in Lyliah, for this was the home of the birds as the patron animal of the Wind. Sperrit settled his feathers a little and then hopped down to the ground and walked into an empty courtyard. Within moments he had changed back into his normal form and promptly thrown up over the memories of flying. Sperrit kneeled on the floor of the courtyard, weak from the effort of being another animal and from being so far from land. Thankfully there were enough remnants of the Earth in the walls and tiles and gardens that people kept for him to remain in touch with the Earth, even if he was weakened.

Sperrit stood up and walked out of the courtyard, and started to walk along the main thoroughfare of the city.

After a few minutes Sperrit began to think that he had acted rashly. The Wind Elementals normally dressed very drably and plainly, and Sperrit’s loud Hawaiian shirt stood out in sharp contrast to the simple garments. The Wind Elementals also had light hair and eyes, and Sperrit’s dark brown hair and dark green eyes were like a leaf floating in a clear pond, and he was certainly causing ripples. Smiling uneasily at all the people staring at him Sperrit quickly ducked into an empty alley to get out of sight.

“This is not going at all well,” he said. He looked out at the street and saw that everyone who had taken notice to him had moved on. He looked down at his shirt. “Guess this has got to go.” Sperrit took off his shirt, folded it up and put it into his pocket. Then he pulled his ponytail. “Guess this ought to get fixed too.” Sperrit concentrated for a few moments. Within seconds his hair started to lighten until it was the color of flax. Sperrit nodded. “That ought to do me.”

Sperrit walked out into the street again, looking around. No one seemed to be noticing him now. He breathed easier.

“Now all I gotta do is find the Palace.”

Sperrit walked along the wide boulevard, eyeing strange shops and odd-looking people as he walked towards what he sensed was the city center. The whole city was strange and alien to him, but very familiar at the same time. While it reminded him nothing of his old home the more that he saw the more that his heart became heavy with homesickness. It took him a while to nail down why he felt like this, but then it hit him: These people belonged together. They were a society, a culture and they fit into this place like pieces in a puzzle, bound together by history, love and magic. And that was the way that his home had felt. Before Valose had come and taken that all away.

Sperrit expected to feel rage at the thought of the man that had killed his people. He was used to it accompanying him wherever he went. But it was not there. Instead he felt a great sadness and loneliness deep inside himself. He missed Alerea more than he could say right now. And up here among all the common joy of these people he could only feel sad that he would never know this kind of comfort and familiarity again.

Sperrit walked in a haze of sadness as he neared the center of the city. So bad was it that, at first, he did not see the Palace rising before him. It did not take long, however. It wasn’t a Palace for nothing.

Sperrit stared up in awe at the elegant, feathery structure that rose before him. It looked like it was made of pearl and ivory and it looked like a wisp of cloud flowing into the sky. It defied architecture, defied gravity and the ideas of weight and how they dictated mater. Sperrit, who had never been a good historian could only remember that the palace had been created in the days before the great falling out of the elemental peoples, and that it had been made with all of them working together, blending their talents into this dream-like building. Sperrit could feel the power of the place, a great channel of Wind energy. This was a place of great power and strength for the Wind elementals, like the Forest Temple had been to his people. Anyone that happened to want to stop his entry into this place was going to be at their peak power, and he would be at his weakest.

Sperrit set his shoulders. There was only one way to get Alerea back. And it involved going in there. Into the lion’s mouth.

Sperrit walked up to the gates of ivory. There were two guards who stood in front of the open doors, each wearing a dark blue robe and holding spears carefully in their hands. They both stared at him as he approached, not sure what the person wanted, or who he was, but deciding that there was something odd about him and not liking it.

Sperrit’s mind raced furiously as he stopped in front of the two guards. He knew that he would never be able to bluff himself inside the gates. He had never been good at lying. After a few moments of not knowing what to do he pulled out his Hawaiian shirt, and brought his hair back to his normal color. Immediately both guards jumped back and leveled their spears at him. Sperrit looked coolly into their eyes.

“My name is Sperrit Terramyrdarkenenvar, and I am the last member of the clan of Earth Elementals. I must speak with the Regis.”

The guards, held their ground, bewildered at this sudden turn of events. How could a foreigner have gotten up to the Sky city? And an Earth elemental no less? They were thinking about attacking when a voice called out behind them.

“Let him pass. He has the right.”

Sperrit peered over the guards and saw a man in a blue cape with long blond hair standing in the doorway. He did not look happy.
The guards put up their spears and Sperrit walked towards the man that had helped him gain entrance. He had silver eyes. Sperrit bowed as soon as he was close. He had a good guess as to who this was.

“You must be Sryius, the Warlord of Wind,” Sperrit said, smiling.
The man did not smile back. “I am. And you are the Darkenenvar of Earth, are you not?”

“I was one of the Order, yes. But my brothers were all killed. This is why I have come. I must see the Regis. Your people might be in great danger.” Sperrit hoped against hope that this guy would buy the story. He had just thought of it five seconds ago. It didn’t sound too bad when he was saying it, too. But it looked like Sryius wasn’t about to believe anything that Sperrit said right now.

Sryius nodded. “Then come.”

Sperrit was led down the corridor and up some stairs and then up six flights of long, twisting staircases until the two of them reached the highest tower. Sperrit could feel some strain on his connection to the Earth. He suddenly wished that the Wind people could have lived on the ground.

Sperrit entered a small, elegant room surrounded on all sides by windows. It wasn’t until Sperrit felt a strong breeze that he realized that none of the windows had glass in them. Sperrit was beginning to feel very acrophobic.

On the other side of the room there was a simple chair that looked like it was made of sapphire. In it sat a large, imposing man with a silver beard and bright blue eyes. He was reading a book and did not look up when Sperrit and Sryius approached. Sperrit thought that he did not notice them, but was surprised when the man began to talk to them, never taking his eyes of the book.

“Sryius, is this the man that we were waiting for?” The man had a deep, sonorous voice.

Sryius simply nodded.

“The leave us, please. I will call you in a few moments.”

Sryius bowed and left.

The man looked up from his book after Sryius had gone, looking at Sperrit’s shirt and hair. There was no judgment in his gaze, just a gentle searching. Sperrit was impressed. Any other Wind elemental would have turned up their nose at the sight of a man so brightly dressed. This was a wise king.

He stood up and Sperrit bowed. “I am Sperrit Terramyrdarkenenvar, your Majesty, and I come to you with dark tidings.”

The Regis waved his hand dismissively. “You need not bow, and you can drop the formal tone, Terramyr. In this place and, I suspect, all other places, you and I are equals.”

Sperrit frowned. “What do you mean, Regis?”

The Regis shook his head. “My name is Kilyan Elywon, Sperrit. You may call me by either of those names.”

Still puzzled, Sperrit nodded. “Alright. Elywon, I have come to tell you that my clan, the People of Earth, have been murdered. I am the last of my kind, Elywon, and I fear that whoever has done this crime did not start with our blood, nor will that blood sate him. I have been tracking him since the day I found my brothers all murdered, and I have seen him leave a path of destruction and death everywhere that he went. I just recently caught up with him, and something leads me to believe that his attack on my people was not random violence. I did not talk with him long, but he said that there was a plan, and that he had a master dictating that plan to him. I fear for all the Earth’s people, and those of the Water and Sky as well. All are in danger.”

The Regis stared fiercely into Sperrit’s eyes as if daring him to say that he had lied about any part of that. But beyond that fierceness Sperrit could see fear. Fear that what he had said might be true. His eyes drilled into Sperrit’s and one question escaped his lips:

“What color were his eyes?”

Sperrit didn’t need to think long. He had never seen eyes that color ever before in his life, and would have thought to have never seen their like. “Purple. A dark purple.”

The Regis sat down in his chair and buried his face in his hands. He sighed. “These are grave tidings, Sperrit. The gravest you could ever imagine.”

“Why? What does this all mean?”

The Regis smiled sadly. “It means that the Universe is about to come to an end."

[Sperrit]

Part 4: The Burden

“What?” Sperrit’s eyes were wide with shock.

The Regis nodded gravely. “It has long been the fear of all the Elder Elementals. No doubt, if your Elder had lived he would have told you about all this. About the legend, and the signs.”

The Regis stood up and searched Sperrit’s eyes, binding him with his gaze. “What I am about to tell you is a legend that has been handed down from Elder to Elder, keeping this single secret from all the peoples for a thousand generations. I would normally hesitate to tell you this, but I am sure that one day you too would have been asked to keep this secret by your Elder. He had great faith in you.”

Sperrit blinked. “You spoke with the Elder?”

The Regis smiled. “We may be opposing elements, and our peoples may not always understand each other, but your Elder and I talked often. Another long held custom of our predecessors. While we didn’t always see eye to eye he was a good leader and a good man.”

Sperrit nodded. “He was. He and my brothers did not deserve to die.”

The Regis nodded, but his eyes were wandering the room, his mind somewhere else. After a moment the Regis began to talk, his voice grave, his gaze weary.

“I am sure you know about the creation of the universe. It’s something that we all teach our students. How the Eight Dragons, each endowed with a single Element, were taught by the Elder Dragon how to use their powers, and how to combine them to create whole universes, spinning the Elements out of the pure Void and weaving them together. This was the Age of Creation. A multitude of worlds were created and the Elder races came into being. To some of these peoples one of the Dragons would grant mastery and power over their Element. These races were first known as The Children, but soon came to be known only as Elementals. But, as you know, with power comes responsibility, and once there were eight of these Elemental races, one for each Element, a prophesy came to the Elders of each people, a prophesy that frightened them so that they feared ever sharing it with their people, knowing what panic it would bring. There are many different versions of this prophesy, and it has been corrupted over time and the original collaborative text was lost in one of the Great Wars, but the Elders always passed down the prophesy orally, endowing it to every Elder after them. You see, the life of the Universe is divided into three Ages: The Age of Creation, The Age of Rest and The Age of Unmaking.”

“The Age of UN-Making?”

The Regis smiled sadly. “You can understand why this is not common knowledge. Every Elder since the begging of time has feared the day when they could feel the end coming. There are said to be signs. Most of them are fairly generic omens of doom. Death, strife, pestilence. Things that happen as part of the regular up and down course of history. But there is one sign that has never been fulfilled, never been seen. And we looked for it. All the Elders spent most of their lives keeping an eye out for the last sign, because we all knew that it was that sign that truly meant the time of our test had come. You see, Sperrit, we’ve had millennia to train, strengthen and prepare our peoples for this moment. That is the responsibility that comes with our power. We are the last vanguard against the onset of Unbeing. The only thing between us and the Void. The Void that feels it was so wrongfully stolen from. For that is what we face. We face the onslaught of Nothingness, the Nothingness from which the Universe was spun. For all Time it has waited for the day when it might emerge, for the time it was strong enough and it’s enemies weak enough, that it might take back what was taken from it. The pure Void.”

The Regis sighed. “And the last sign is a vision of the one that the Void will choose to lead it’s campaign of Unbeing.

“The silhouette of a man with purple eyes.”

Sperrit sat perfectly still, not sure what to feel. Rage, fear and worry all ran around his mind, vying for prominence.

The Regis smiled, but his eyes were cold. “And so it is the last, and perhaps the strongest of all the Earth Elementals that finds the sign that so many before him have searched their whole lives for.” The Regis slammed his fist into the wall. “And now we can’t even count on the Earth Elementals in the coming battle!”

Sperrit’s eyes narrowed to slits, his mouth became a thin line. “He and his… master have had this planned since the beginning.”

The Regis clenched his fists. “The Void has been waiting for this for millennia, watching our every move, memorizing our weaknesses and planning when to strike and how. Taking out the Earth Elementals in one sweep before the battle’s even begun! They knew we would depend heavily on them. Now we are without our main relief fighters. This is not a good omen. We’ll need to start mobilizing, of course. We’ll need every hand we can get.”

This was too good of a moment to pass up. “Elywon, I heard that you have a daughter, and that she is quite gifted in power and strategy. Perhaps it might be good if we consulted her as well.”

The Regis looked strait at Sperrit and raised one eyebrow. “Do not take me for a fool, Terramyr. I know that you and Alerea have been traveling together for some time now, and have had interactions for a long time before that. You can’t rule the skies without seeing some things, especially when they concern your own child.”

The secret was out. Sperrit stared boldly back at the Regis. “If you know what has been going on then you know why I am here and that I will not leave until I at least get to see her.”

The Regis nodded, stood up and walked to the door. “If that is true then I have no choice but to grant your request. Come.”

Bewildered, Sperrit walked to the door and followed the Regis down and through the many flights of stair and corridors, always keeping his eyes on the Regis’ back as they strolled through the light, cloudy halls.

“You must be wondering why I’m not refusing you to see her.”

Sperrit scratched the back of his head. “The thought did cross my mind once or twice.”

The Regis motioned for Sperrit to come walk next to him, and when Sperrit drew along side of him he could see that the Regis was smiling.

“You see, Sperrit, when I first heard about your and Alerea’s meeting many years ago I was furious. The first thing that I did was to call upon your Elder, enraged, and demand that he command you to stop meeting her. And do you know what he did? He laughed. He told me that he had known about you two the second that Alerea had set foot upon the soil. And then he explained to me why he had done nothing about it. He asked me why we should stop two people who would end up in important positions in our societies from developing a friendship. It could only strengthen the weak bond between our peoples. So neither of us said anything. However…”

Sperrit fought the urge to gulp.

“You two really had me worried when her energy signal suddenly disappeared. I posted The Four Sky Guards on permanent assignment to search for her. Those few times that she would reappear they would fly off towards the source, only to find faint traces of you and a small bird.” The Regis gave Sperrit a strange look. “I notice that you don’t have that bird with you now.”

Sperrit’s mind raced. “Gira. It went to the palace roost to see some of its friends. It should be back soon.”

The Regis nodded, but there was still a small smile at the edges of his lips. “In any case, it was a stroke of luck that we found her when we did, though I can’t even imagine how she got there, and how it is that you weren’t there either.”

Sperrit nodded. “I had left her there to keep watch as I faced Valose, the purple eyed man. It is rather shocking that you found her, though. She told me that no Wind Elemental’s senses could have penetrated the stink surrounding the city.”

The Regis frowned. “City? We did not find her in a city. We found her in a deep sleep upon the shore of the Pocket Otaku Continent. There was no sign of you. We brought her back here because we thought she might be hurt.”

Sperrit’s eyebrows knitted together. “That doesn’t make any sense. I left her right outside the door.”

The Regis shrugged. “She hasn’t said anything to me about it. I suspect that she’s still trying to keep your secret and has not yet had time to think of a good story as to where she has been.” The Regis chuckled. “She’s as clever as they come, but she was never good at making up stories. And here we are.”

They had stopped in front of a large, ornate door, delicately carved to show images of people with wings and birds and clouds. Sperrit started to feel nervous. He had always known that Alerea was a Princess, but it had never really hit home until now. He took a deep breath and knocked.

[Akira]

SPERRIT DUDE!!!!

your back!
arent you? well if your not...it was good to see ya man, glad to see that there IS still a active sperrit. anyways, your story is awesome...keep writin dude, keep writin.

[Sperrit]

Part 4: The Future

Sperrit pushed the door open and stepped inside the room. He was immeadiatly amazed. Sperrit could not remember ever seeing a room more ornate and elgant. There was a light blue couch with silk pillows in yellow and white. Small tables with sculptures that were so provoking that one could not look at them for long. Bright vases on tall, thin tables that looked as if they would break at any moment due to their fineness. There was a balcony off to the left with curtains as light as cloud and the doors were made with the purest, cleanest glass and were open to let in the fresh breeze. Across the room there was another door, made from ivory. Sperrit had never been in a place so fancy. He was used to the Earth Clan and it's simple houses and simple manners and where there were no signs of rank. This was totally out of his legue. He was so taken aback that it took him a few moments to realize that the Regis had not followed him in. He spun around just to see the Regis winking at him before closing the door behind him. Sperrit felt a twinge of panic. He wasn't sure why. Alerea was his oldest and deepest friend. More than a friend. He had always felt comfortable with her. He had been to the brink of death and back again with her. He loved her more than anything. So why was his heart beating so fast? Why did he feel like he'd rather face Valose again than to have to face her coming out of that door? He was just about to leave when a voice came from the next room.

"Hold on a second. I'll be with you shortly." Alerea's sweet soprano voice came floating towards him.

Sperrit froze in midstep and the next moment Alerea came through the door.

Despite his best efforts Sperrit was completely unable to remember a time when she had looked more beautiful than she did at that exact moment. It wasn't that she ws dressed differently, or anything so obvious as that. It had more to do with the way the light from the open balcony shined on her hair and the way that she smiled so openly and freely. Sperrit recalled the first time he had seen that smile, ten years ago on the day they had first met. Sperrit always remembered that moment as the moment he had fallen in love with her.

Alerea paused in the door, suspended with amazment at seeing Sperrit here. A small frown of worry crossed her face. She knew that he woulc have felt awkward here. But, for some reason all of Sperrit's fears and worries had used his previous escape plan and jumped out the window. For the first time since his quest had begun Sperrit smiled truly. He shook his head at Alerea, still smiling.

"No matter how hard you try, you aren't going to get rid of me. Not even if I have to follow you to the ends of the Universe."

All of Alerea's tension followed Sperrit's and she laughed and ran at Sperrit, who caught her in a spinning hug. The two laughed and kissed and sat down on the couch. Sperrit took her hand.

"You had me worried, love," he said. "When I came out from the building to see that you were gone I feared the worst. Ryanel said that you were probably following a lead or something like that, but I can't imagine why you'd go back to the Pocket Otaku Continent, or how you got there so quickly."

Alerea's eyes widened slightly, like she was afraid. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "It wasn't by choice, let me tell you. The moment that you went into the building a strange.... portal of energy opened up. It was like a great vacuum and it sucked me into it. Inside was...." Alerea shuddered. Sperrit was amazed. Alerea was one of the bravest people he knew. She was never shaken easily. "I'll never forget the feeling of wrongness that came from that place, surrounding me, engulfing me. I blacked out, thankfully. When I woke up I was here in my room. They told me that they found me on the beach where we had launched to boat."

Sperrit's eyes narrowed. "Valose. The man we were chasing. No other man has that kind of power. He knew that we were coming. It was nothing more than a trap." Sperrit stood up and went to the balcony. "I should have known," he said bitterly.

Alerea got up and put o hand on his shoulder. "How cuold you have possibly known? We knew nothing about who he was or what he was capable of. Now we know. Now we can finish him!"

Sperrit's hands knotted together in front of him. "It's a little more complicated than we first thought, love."

Alerea gave Sperrit a questioning look.

"He has purple eyes," Sperrit said.

Alerea nodded. "The last sign."

Sperrit was shocked. "You knew about the legends?"

Alerea smiled at him. "Im the sucessor to the Throne. I've been taught many things and have heard many secrets."

Sperrit laughed. "You've been keeping things from me!"

Alerea smiled coyly. "I wasn't one hundred percent sure that he was the Chosen of Void. It seemed pretty sure, though. WHo else would have taken on the entire Earth Clan in their own territory? Who else would have had the power to win in the kind of situation? Only the Chosen of Void. And only the Void would have wanted to see the Earth Elementals destroyed anyway. It will make his purpose much easier."

Sperrit nodded. "Your father said that same thing."

Alerea gave him an expectant look. "You talked to my father?"

Sperrit nodded, watching her squirm. "Yes."

Alerea glared at him for a while and then hit his arm, causing Sperrit to laugh. "Come on! Did you two get along? What do you think of him? Give me some details here, jeez!"

Sperrit kept laughing. "You should have seen the look on your face!"

Alerea punched him in the arm a few more times until Sperrit stopped laughing. "Seriously, though," he said. "Your father is a good man, I can tell that much. We didn't really chit chat. It was mostly serious stuff. He knows ahout us, did you know that?"

Alerea nodded thoughtfully. "I guessed as much. If he hadn't known he would have been much more careful about me."

"He doesn't know about Gira, though," Sperrit said softly.

Alerea's eyes widened for just s second and then she nodded. "Right."

Sperrit nodded. "Anyway, I was very surprised that your father let me see you and all. He doesn't seem to thrilled about our relationship."

Alerea smiled. "Obviously. His daughter and a filthy Earth boy? How uncouth!" She laughed. "Of course, he couldn't really refuse you, could he?"

Sperrit's eye brows knitted together. "He kept saying things like that. Why? Why couldn't he refuse me?"

Alerea got serious very suddenly. "I guess it wouldn't have occured to you. The Earth Elementals never placed emphasis on rank. You see, love, since all of your people are dead that makes you the Earth Elder. You're father's equal at least."

Sperrit didn't know what to say. He hadn't thought about it. Why should he? Even if he had cared about being Elder it wasn't much use being Elder of a nonexistant people.

"And you see," Alerea continued. "Since you're the last of the Earth Elementals...." she stopped, looking worried for a second. "Chances are good that you're.... the Chosen of Earth."

Sperrit knew exactly what to say to that. "The Chosen? Those are just fairy tales! Stories told by adults to entertain children. There is no Chosen!"

Alerea looked at Sperrit very seriously.
"When the Time has Come
When the Winds Blow Change
When the Fires of War Burn
When the Waters of Life are threatened
When the Earth Trembles
When the Holy light darkens
When the Darkness fears
The Chosen will Come
The Seven will Come
To Protect Life."

Sperrit gave Alerea a strange look. She touched his face in sympathy. "What my father always leaves out the the prophesy is what the Wind Elder heard in his heart on the Day of Rest, when the Dragons stopped their Creations. The Wind Dragon, the Dragon of Poetry and Song gave him this verse to be passed down to every Elder after him. The Universe will not be saved by armies, Sperrit. You saw what Valose did to your people. And they were all turned against him. There are only Seven people who can save us. But my father hates legends and supersitions and wants all the Elementals to unite against The Void. But it will all come to naught. There are only Seven that can defeat Valose and repell the Void. The Chosen of Darkness, the Chosen of Holy, The Chosen of Water, The Chosen of Fire, The Chosen of Wind and the Chosen of Earth. You are the last of your people. You must be the Chosen of Earth."

Sperrit stood up and began pacing. "That's ridiculus! I faced him once before! And I failed! He threw me like a rag doll! Seven people could not stand a chance!"

Alerea stood up and stopped Sperrit, looking deeply into his eyes. "You are the Chosen. Listen. Remember Musashi? He told us that his quest was the awaken all the Dragons from their enprisonment. But there is more to that quest than meets the eye. You see, the Seven, in order to defeat the Void had to recieve the Dragon's Gift, each from their own Dragon. Only the Seven could recieve these gifts and only they could use them. This too was in the prophesy. But the Dragons went into their slumber and were imprisoned and the legend was forgotten. People thought that it could not be fullfiled and that it was nothing but bunk. But it's not. Don't you remember? You said it yourself when we left. The Rune Mage could not have taken control of the Dragon alone! There was more to it than that! It was the Void. It thought that with the Dragons imprisoned that they prophesy could never be fullfilled and that it would be free to destroy all. But we saw Musashi free the Wind Dragon. There is still hope. And you are part of that, I know it! I know what father wants. He wants you to stay here and rally the peoples to him so that they can begin their attack. But you must know there is no hope in that! You must go and help Musashi! You must find the Dragons and wake them again! You must find the Earth Dragon!"

Sperrit looked into Alerea's eyes for a long time after she finished. He stood there, gazing, searching. After a few moments his eyes cleared and he smiled. "You're right," he said. "I don't know how I know it, but you're right. This is not the place. We must go find the Eart-"

Sperrit started to teeter on his feet, his eyes unfocusing. He started to fall. He thought he could feel Alerea's hand on his arm, could hear her screaming, but it was all so faint. He passed out.

[shadokastur]

Sperrit,
the new sig pic is awesome. The story is good too.
Keep fighting the good fight (or whatever).


Shadokastur


Yes the elephant God was dancing! Dirty Dancing!
:elephant: :elephant: :elephant: :elephant:

[Musashi]

Yes Sperrit, awesome new Sig! *Gives Doot a point* Heh, I have no idea what the score is now though.

I know I haven't posted yet, but I've been reading this story since you first posted it. I must say, this is some of the best writing I've ever read. Please do continue. This is making for a great introduction to...well, Sperrit knows what I'm talking about so I'll leave it at that. :p

[Sperrit]

Part 6: The Past

Sperrit woke quickly considering that he felt like he'd been bashed on the head with a rock. The pain throbbing in his skull subsided as quickly as his unconcsiousness, however, leaving him to contemplate whether or not he had sustained irrepairable brain damage. Sperrit was lying face down. He could feel his face on the floor, smashing his nose. But he did not see the floor. Instead he saw an eternity of stars stretching away before him. Sperrit got to his feet and looked around. The same sight met his eyes. Stars for as far as he could see.

Sperrit blinked a few times, bu the vision did not fade. Sperrit held his hands out in front of him and started to move tenatively forward. He felt around, sure that he must still be in Alerea's room, even if he couldn't see it, and that he would eventually run into a table or a wall. After walking for waht felt like several room lengths without hitting anything he dropped his arms. Could it be? Sperrit extended his senses, stretched them as far as they could go. He could feel the invisable road beneath him, apparently made of solid Earth energy and he could just barely feel a faint glimmering of power off in the distance, further down the road. Other than that there was nothing. Sperrit's senses settled on the glimmering source of energy. He felt drawn to it.

Sperrit continued to walk towards the glimmer of energy. He walked for hours, his legs getting stiff and tired with no Earth energy to rejuvinate them. Exhausted, he sat down on the invisable road. Immeadiately he felt strength and healing energy rushing into his body. Bewildered, he got up and started walking again.

After what felt like days of walking Sperrit could see something off in the distance. Sperrit strained his eyes. At first it had looked like just another star, one of the billion points of light surrounding him. But the further he went the larger the light became, gaining shape and form. Sperrit started to run. He ran as fast as he could, the form getting clearer and clearer until he was close enough to see what it was. Sperrit's jaw dropped. He came forward as quickly as he could and fell to his knees, pressing his face hard into the invisable floor.

"Master."

Towering in front of Sperrit was a dragon with skin of emerald, teeth of pearl and claws of obsidian. It was huge and fearsome, until you looked into it's eyes, which were kind and gentle and a deep liquid brown. The dragon's form shimmered and shrank and where the dragon had been standing there was now a middle aged man with a long mane of granite grey hair, a beard of the same color and powerful arms. The eyes, however, were the same. He walked towards Sperrit and held out his hand.

"Rise Sperrit Terramyr Darkenenvar, the most beloved of all my children."

Sperrit got to his feet and bowed as low as he could. "My lord Eidon."

Eidon, the Dragon of Earth, laughed as Sperrit rose. "Please drop the formalitites. My brothers and sisters may love to be praised and feared by their children, but I do not. Why should I alienate those who are dearest to me?" He shook his head. "I do not understand them.

"Sperrit, I have called you here for two reasons, and both of those reasons have to do with knowledge. Will you listen to an old dragon tell his tale?"

Sperrit's eyes shone. "I would hang on your every word." Sperrit hesitated, a question plaguing him. "But please, where are we? And how can we survive so far from the Earth?"

The dragon smiled sadly. "You see before you the cage of my imprisionment, my son. I am trapped in this space, suspended between the stars and the planets close enough to live, but too far to draw upon my true power, and greatly weakened. I am kept here by a stone that drains all my strength away and restricts my movements. The stone is in the care of an evil man who lives in a tower in the remote regions of the sky. However, I have been able to save some energy, gathering what little strength I have so that I could bring you here. I'm sorry about the walk, it was the closest I could get you, my power being limited. My power is also keeping you alive here, so far from the Earth, so we must be fairly quick."

Eidon sat down cross legged and so did Sperrit, facing him, love and admiration shining in his eyes. Eidon smiled and placed his hand on Sperrit's shoulder.

"Now, I must ask you something, my son. Did you ever wonder why it was that the Elder raised you, even though he had no mate?"

Sperrit nodded. "I often thought about it when I was young. I wondered who my real parents were and why they had left me. After many years, however, I came to realize that no matter who had given birth to me the Elder was my true father, and I was happy that way."

Eidon nodded. "You were always very thoughtful, young one. But I am here to tell you both where you are going and where you come from." He sighed. "Sperrit, have you ever heard of the Clan of Dor?" Sperrit shook his head. "They were and ancient and noble as old as the Elemental Races. They were great warriors, and they dedicated their lives to fighting for good and justice for all people. Now, it came to pass that there great people came under attack from a terrible evil that had been sealed deep within their home world and had been released by a traitorous man. The Dor fought this evil for generations and did not give up until the last of the evil warriors had been destroyed. Their victory, however, had come at a terrible price. Nine out of every ten of their clan, women and children as well, were dead, and their homeworld was ravaged and poisoned beyond healing. The Dragons, already imprisoned, wept, for we could do nothing to save this great race. Fate had taken them. Those who were left of the clan fled their ancient home. They settled elsewhere, trying to preserve their customs and their history. Through time their bloodline was lost, and soon only a handful of people could claim to be their decendents. 50 years ago the last of the pure bloodline, The Last of Dor, was born. He was named Dorin, and he was, perhaps, the greatest of them all. He was a powerful warrior, unmatched by any man, but young and unsure. He led the last group of Chosen against the Void, and suceeded."

Sperrit blinked. "The last group of the Chosen?"

Eidon nodded. "A common misperception by most of the Elders is that there will be and there has been, only one group of Chosen, but this is not true. We wage constant war against the Void and there have been many Chosen that have fought back the Void. Most suceed. Some fail.

"Dorin led the Seven against the Void and won. The Chosen of Earth at that time was Dai."

Sperrit's eyes widened with shock. "Dai? The Mistress of the Hunt? I thought she was only a legend, a story we told our children."

Eidon smiled sadly. "She was as real as you and I, Sperrit. She was a powerful Elemental, and very strong. I miss her. Never the less, Dorin and Dai, through all that happened to them and their companions, grew to love each other truly. It was that love that defeated the Void. After their quest was over they settled down in an ancient forest known only to a few Earth Elementals and led a peacful life. They would go and meet the Elder of the Earth Elementals and see their old companions and they were happy. Soon, they had a child, and it brightened their days. But Fate was not done. A rumor started to spread of a great evil building in a far land. Dorin and Dai went with others to go investigate. They left their child in the care of the newly appointed Elder, a childhood friend of Dai's. The Elder cared for the child expecting their return. Months passed and turned into years. But they did not return. The Elder was left with raising this small boy. But the Elder knew that this was no ordinary boy. He could feel great power and great goodness in him. He knew that the boy was destined for something great. He gave the boy a flower amulet, one of the last artifacts of Gaia, the greatest of all Earth Elementals, as a sign of the boy's fate. He trained the boy in all the ways of the Earth Elementals, taught him all the histories, all the secrets, all the powers for he knew. He knew that the time was coming. He could feel it in the turning of the Earth. The time of the greatest Trial was coming, the deciding battle between the Void and existence. He knew that the boy was The Chosen of Earth, Sperrit, The Pillar of Life, Terramyr, the one that they had been waiting for. They had been waiting for you."

Sperrit dried his eyes. Eidon patted Sperrit's shoulder. "I know, Sperrit. I miss them too. Not a moment goes by when I don't feel their loss. in every movement of every muscle."

Eidon stood up, and Sperrit followed suit. "We don't have much time, my son, so please listen carefully. The greatest of all the battles is to come. It will be hard, but I know that you are up to it. I have faith in you. The Seven are unknown, obscured by time and distance. You must go and help Musashi to release the Dragons. Only they can reveal their Chosen, and there isn't much time. You must be quick. Now, take me, take The Earth's Gift, most beloved, and find your brothers and sisters."

Eidon reached out and touched Sperrit's chest. He could feel a warm glow coursing throughout his body, he could feel strength depth and power like he had never felt before. He looked at the Dragon of Earth, grinning. "Thank you. I promise you, I will not let you down. I will not let the world and all its beauty disappear. I will guard life."

Eidon smiled at him. "Then your honor is restored, Terramyr, even though it was never gone from you. Go! Find the Dragons! And remember that I love you."

Sperrit smiled as everything started to fade around him. His vision became blurry and dark and soon he was drifting off into unconsciousness.