FAITH Chapter 1, 2

Hope... Strength... Faith. These are the makings of Courage. Every hundred years a great darkness creeps over the Earth; covering the past, present, and future. Three siblings, all born in an alternate dimension are placed in different time periods to save everything. They will train until they are fourteen, and will then begin their quests to stop the darkness. They will meet up, along with other friends, and vanquish the darkness. Thus says the prophecy of old. Few believe in the prophecy anymore. Three siblings are now fourteen, but have not begun their quest; and the darkness... approaches again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter One
The Shadow's Secret

Zleet did a backflip, dodging several knives that were thrown at him. He landed and exhaled calmly. "Excellent, Zleet! You have done well." Spoke his trainer, and guardian. Zleet smiled and asked, "Master... I am ready to take on live opponents. Something tough."

His master thought for a second, frowning, until eventually he agreed, "Very well. I will shut the gate and put up a magical barrier to stop the creature from entering into the mortal realm." "Wait. What? You're locking me in here with some creature?" Asked Zleet.

His master nodded. Then a gate Zleet couldn't find opened. He turned around to face it, and suddenly everything turned black and turned into a large forest of thorns. Zleet turned back around and his master, the gate, and the magical barrier were replaced by a wall of thorns.

Suddenly he heard a voice in his head. "Zleet? Zleet can you hear me? The creature is called a Shadow. They will confuse you with images of places you've been, or have yet to go to. Usually if you haven't been there, it means that it plans to kill you much more than if you have. Follow the path. At the end you will find, and kill the Shadow. Good luck Zleet."

"This is NOT what I meant by tough opponent." Complained Zleet.

He began walking through the thorn like forest until he came to a fork in the path. He heard another voice in his head, but it was dark, deep and evil. "You have guts, young elf. But you are very foolish." Laughed the voice maniacally. "What are you?" Asked Zleet.

The voice laughed again, and said, "I am not the Shadow if that is what you wonder. You will die!" Zleet turned to the left fork in the path, and the voice said Die even louder. He turned to the right and the voice said it quieter. He redid both turns again, the voice saying the same thing each time.

The voice cackled at this and said, "Like I said, you are a fool! Seize the elf!" Small black creatures that looked like soot crawled out of holes in the thorns. They bonded together and became one large one.

Zleet sliced it with his sword, and it disappeared. "Foolish elf. You believe all you hear. That was an illusion." Spoke the deep voice. "Leave my head... NOW!" Yelled Zleet.

"No!" Screamed the frustrated voice. Suddenly the scenery changed and Zleet was in a hot, molten lava filled cavern. More soot creatures came out of the ground. Zleet ignored them and walked along the path. Then he collapsed as one attached to his foot. He realized these ones were real.

He began running until the scenery changed again. This time it was a plain white room. In front of him was the Shadow. It looked like a giant soot ball on stilts. He slashed the legs off and ran the opposite way. The legs grew back, and the evil voice cackled at Zleet.

Eventually, Zleet fell and was knocked out...

"Zleet! No!" Screamed his master. He opened the gate and ran for Zleet. "Foolish old man! You cannot resist the Shadow."

"Get out of my head, and get out of Zleet's head, fowl creature!" Yelled Zleet's master. The voice said its name was Zhlaun and that the Shadow was only an illusion he had created. Zhlaun left both heads, and Zleet's master was more confused than ever.

He realized that it was time for Zleet to leave. The darkness is on its way. It was time for him to seek out the Dragonmaster.

Chapter 2
City of Wish and the Vampire

"Zleet! Get up! You must leave immediately!" Zleet woke to his master's voice. "What?" He said, dazed from sleep. "Leave the village! You must get to the City and meet the Dragonmaster! You will go through the Forest of Thorns. But first you must go to the city of Wish." Explained his master.

Finally awake, Zleet asked why he had to. "Zleet, I cannot explain everything. Go to the City of Wish. You will find the Well of Wish. It will give you one wish for an ability you need. It cannot be too powerful, or the Well will destroy you. Now! Go! They're coming for you!"

An hour later Zleet was finally on the road and in the forest of secrets. It was quiet, but strangely he could still see daylight. He looked up into the sky ahead and saw smoke, most likely from a fire. Surely not a wildfire.

"You're not taking this city!" Said Soulrender. The airship floated high above him, dropping bombs on the city below. He intercepted each bomb, and then suddenly it stopped, and its speed increased as it flew towards the Forest of Secrets. "Oh no. It's going for the Elven Village."

Eventually Zleet grew tired of walking along the path, and he sat down to take a break. It was a good thing too since he had gotten bitten by a Wild Forest Hog earlier. He took out some meat, hog meat, out of his pack and began eating it.
"Who knew wild hog tasted so good." He said.

He looked up once more to see a big, green and blue airship heading straight into the direction of his village. "Oh no."

Zleet got up and started running, but didn't get far when he was knocked off his feet by a tree branch. He lay there, unconscious.

Soulrender was now in the Forest of Secrets; following the airship. He hid behind a bush when he decided to act. He hesitated, "I should probably check to see if someone is around. If they are, I could wind up getting them killed when those things come out to fight."

He looked into the opening and saw a body; an elf, laying in the clearing. It was Zleet. He ran over to him and shook him. Zleet opened his eyes and stood up abruptly. "A Demon! Stand back or I'll-" "I'm not here to hurt you, elf. Nor am I a Demon. I'm trying to stop that airship." Spoke Soulrender.

Zleet examined the strange creature before him, his sword still ready to strike. Soulrender did look like a demon. He had wings, dark green eyes, large black horns on his head, and his feet looked like hooves. His skin was gray, and his hands had long black, needle-like claws.

Zleet lowered his sword. "What exactly are you?" He asked. Soulrender lifted his finger, which made Zleet lift his sword again. He raked his claw down the side of a tree, which made a large open wound in the foliage. He reached his hand inside and pulled out a green sphere. As he did, the tree slowly dissipated.

"See this?" He asked. "This... is the soul of that tree. All life has one." Soulrender then opened his mouth and swallowed the soul whole. The tree from which it came suddenly disappeared. "I am a Soul Vampire. My name is Soulrender. I gain power from lives of others. When I take Souls from Nature, I become more... one, with Nature, some may call it." With that he turned into a bear, and suddenly back to his original form.

"I know you're the first brother of the prophecy, Zleet. I can help you in your journey, but-" Soulrender was knocked off his feet. A tree branch suddenly lifted him in the air, and dropped him. He landed with a CRUNCH! "Blast! We will meet again, Hero. But it is my time of judgement. Destroy the airship. You must." And then Soulrender disappeared.

Zleet heard a loud thumping behind him. He turned around to see a giant tree walking! "Why has thee taken the life of one of Old Secret's trees? Explain thyself, mortal! Or your entrails will belong to the soil." It spoke.

"Please, great tree... thing. The Vampire took it. Not me. But do you see that airship up there?" Said Zleet. "I did not ask thee to talk of the airship. But yes I did. But it is not my-" the Tree God was going to say problem, but stopped when the airship dropped bombs all over the forest; burning trees.

The god suddenly threw its arm at the airship and lifted it even higher into the air and threw it down to the ground. The ship exploded in a giant flurry of flames.

"You're the first brother of the prophecy, yes? Unless my old ears deceive what I heard." It asked. "Yes. I am. Thank you for destroying that ship." Said Zleet.

"It was nothing, mortal. Now leave my forest, and NEVER return!" The Tree God turned, and walked away the way it had came.

Not long after, Zleet came upon the City of Wish. He walked over to the Well of Wish and asked this, "Great Well of Wish. Grant me the power to end the Shadow. Allow me to distort time."

A voice spoke, "Your wish... is granted, elf."

With that, Zleet headed towards the Forest of Thorns...

Soulrender was in Zhlaun's Palace, awaiting the Demon King's response. "You are going to betray your Master? You DARE defy me by aiding the enemy? Fool! I- CREATED you! Made you powerful!" He yelled.

"I was already powerful, Zhlaun! I don't need YOUR help in that department. You're a fool. I'm going to join him. And you, Zhlaun, it's YOUR time for judgement." Explained Soulrender.

"You..." began Zhlaun, lifting into the air with dark green and black orbs at his hands. "Will learn obedience!"

He cast the orbs at Soulrender who jumped out of the way. "Is that how this is going to work, Zhlaun? You cowering in the air shooting orbs of DEATH at me? Come down here and face me!" Defied Soulrender.

Then Zhlaun plummeted towards Soulrender, with his fist pointed at the Vampire. Soulrender had no time to react. Suddenly time slowed down, and a golden figure pushed Soulrender out of the way. Time became normal again, and Zhlaun crashed into the stone floor.

"Gold Ninja?" Asked Soulrender. "Time Ninja, if you would. Now then. I have much to attend to." Time Ninja kicked the large stone doors open and made a fist. At the same time, some ceiling above Zhlaun crashed onto him.

Soulrender asked himself as he left, "Why did Time Ninja betray Zhlaun as well?"

He opened up a dark portal and stepped through.