Rebirth

[DragonSphere]

I guess I had to start my fic over afterall, like everyone else has been doing. As compensation for not introducing my earlier chapters before posting Chapter 8, chapters 1-6 will be almost completely redone; with never-before-released information that will hopefully make the storyline flow more smoothly, not make it really complicated, and more entertaining. And of course, correcting as much grammar errors as possible, as seen with my earliest chapters. Well here is a new prologue that I have written with FF:CW that I hope all will enjoy.


Ura, a world plagued with many wars and violence. Throughout its life of over 20 million years, the planet has been disrespected and ignored by its life forms, the Humans and the Mages. All the humans ever cared for were destruction, gluttony, power, and their own selfish pride. Meanwhile, the Mages were at peace, satisfied with what little they have due to power-hungry humans. But one day, a ruthless and foul dictator of the human species rised to great power and created a deadly faction to overcome the rest of the Mages. Soon a Great War erupted, dubbed "Clash of the Species", lasting for about 7 gruesome years. For the aftermath Ura was filled with barren lands, city ruins, and innumerable corpses of fallen warriors. Many now regretted the cause of war and vowed to not repeat it.

As a sign of true peace, the two species sent representatives to sign a pact that will forbid both military and personal relations with each other. This resulted in both good news and bad, but the majority felt it was for the best. So to make this agreement into action, hundreds of workers were sent to build a great structure called the "Gauntlet" that would forever separate the two regions of Humans and Mages. Once completed, all contact between the species stopped. For the next 12,000 years, Ura ceased to experience wars and violence. While the human region grew with technology, the Mages decided to stick to their simple lives of medieval times. It became a period of eternal peace.

But now that peace bond has broken. A new leader of the humans revived age-old grudges against Mages, causing an unbalance in the world. He is the very essence of evil. He wishes to conquer the Mages once more and condemn them to eternal punishment. His catastrophic supremacy will live on if he is not stopped. In response, Ura has chosen a select few that have that ability, along with the "key" to banish this evil from the planet forever. Here then is a story of legend and prophecy. A story of love, friendship, dreams, adventure, life and death. The story of Final Fantasy: Cross World….

Hopefully, this will attract new readers as well.
:)

[Faile]

Thats a great start, and it certainly made me want to read the next part .

[Pu the Owl]

Oh yes, that's a very good start!
I'm happy you decided to post your work again!

[Ryoga]

I think this beginning is really good man!
What's your story about?
I'm curious.

[Soul Angel]

Hey great Intro DragonSphere :)
Can't wait to read the next chapter of your story ;)

[DragonSphere]

Thanks everyone for your positive comments. It's good to see that some people still remember it.

Originally posted by Ryoga
I think this beginning is really good man!
What's your story about?
I'm curious.
As you can see, it is not based on any FF game. For the rest, you'll just have to find out yourself. ;)

Well, here's Chapter One which I hope all will enjoy. And since it's so long, the chapter is split up into two parts.

Chapter I: Departure (Part 1)

A young woman, obscured by a bright light, appears. "Drake…Drake!" she yells," Your destiny awaits you! The prophecy filled with thousands of years of hope and wishes is to now be fulfilled in your life. Do not worry, I shall guide you…Prepare to face your FATE!"

"Stop! Stop! Stop saying that!" a young man yells to himself. He slowly rode his sweaty hand through his hair and climbs out of bed. "Damn that voice!" It was the beginning of a cool and windy morning. Nothing could be heard except the whisper of the wind. The room was still a bit dark and gloomy, but a small streak of sunlight desperately peeked out a window. Suddenly, the telephone rings. He answers: "Uh…Hello?"
"What the hell are you doing?" a deep voice yelled. "Huh, who are..." but before he could respond, he was interrupted. "Didn't you realize its 7 am? You were supposed to have been here at 5 for flight testing!"
"Oh Mr.Kajisho I am so sorry for not showing up!"
"Dammit Drake! The HORIS has to launch today in 1 hour! There's already dozens of reporters and newscasters here to record the event!"
"Yes sir, I understand, I'll be there ASAP!"
"Hurry up because we need at least a half hour to inspect the ship!"
Drake hung up the phone. Feeling a bit tired he did not want to come in to work today. "I'll have your head if you do not come in for flight testing!" he mocked, reminiscent of Kajisho's strict orders. "He acts like as if he's my father, not that I remember him. Anyway, I should at least do it for Jane." Quickly undressing of his sleeping attire, he hops into the shower and takes a bath.

"Where is that boy?" Kajisho muttered to himself. A voice from behind replied, "I'm sure he'll be here General Kajisho."
"Jane I know he's your brother but I can't seem to rely on him anymore. I'm starting to doubt his chances of actually becoming a professional pilot."
"Don't worry, I'll have a quick talk with him before the flight. He can get quite lazy you know."
But he didn't show the faintest sign of a smile; clearly thinking Drake's laziness is not at all funny. Jane walks away from his office and makes her way down a long hall. "Oh Drake, you were always like this when you were little too." she says to herself, "Ever since mom and dad found you in that awful burnt-down village, they knew you had to be something special. I think they are right, I'm glad you became my younger brother."

"I feel much more awake now." Drake said in relief after stepping out of the shower. He dried himself thoroughly with his towel while thinking of the day's activities. "Maybe after the debut of the ship, I could probably visit Grandpa Cid to see what he's up to. But then again, Kajisho might punish me for being so late. I guess it will just be another boring day." He grabbed his traditional clothing, put it on, grabbed his helmet, and sped off in his motorcycle. "Man, there must be hordes of people waiting at the space center. Oh well, better late than never I suppose."

Once Drake reached his destination, he parked his bike besides the building and ran towards the launch pad. "Hey Brother!" a voice yelled, immediately stopping Drake in his tracks. "Oh, hey Jane! Listen, I can't afford to talk right now. But I'll make it up to ya after all this is over. See ya!"
"Wait-" but he was already out of earshot range. "Might as well tell the General that he's here." she muttered. She slowly approached Kajisho's office and knocked on his door. No answer. She knocked a second time but there was still no answer. "General…Ahhh!" A man had quickly covered her mouth with his hand and drugged her to sleep. "Sleep well my pretty, your brother will be on the ride of his life!" the stranger said as he hid her in a closet.

The HORIS was a gigantic spacecraft consisting of only the most up-to-date and powerful technology. Its structure was in the shape of a dragon's body. Instead of a tail, it had small wing flaps on the end, like that of a jet plane. And it's wings were actually billions of electric molecules molded together, creating a light blue aura. In the rear of the ship were a half dozen small machine guns, hiding under an emergency hatch. But its main weapon, a large beam cannon, was stationed under the front head.

By now, Drake was in the cockpit area. As he was strapping himself up, someone yelled from above. "Yo Drake! You a little late aren't ya?"
"Very funny. How's it going up there in the control tower Jauc?"
"It's my job to make sure that you know what you are doing once the ship leaves the ground. So that means we will have to do the controlling for ya!"
"You still don't think I can fly this thing? What a friend you are!"
"You know I'm kidding, but seriously, watch what you're doing, OK?
"No problem! Well I'll talk to ya in 5 minutes then"
After that, he closed all doors on the HORIS and looked at his map of the surrounding region. "WELCOME!" the computer said in a loud tone, "I AM ANUBIS, COMPUTER SYSTEM OF THE HORIS."
"Okay Anubis. Please tell me where I'm headed."
"FOR THE FIRST FLIGHT OF HORIS YOU ARE TO TAKE IT TO ORBIT AND REPORT THAT YOU HAVE MADE IT SUCCESSFULLY. THEN RENDEVOUS WITH THE FUEL SUPPLY SHIP BY THE SPACE STATION."
"And make sure your communication device is on at all times!" Jauc added via microphone.
"Okay I got it."
"Drake, the General and the reporters are anxiously waiting! The countdown will now begin. 10, 9, 8, 7…3, 2, 1, we have liftoff!"

The giant twin-engines in the back of the ship erupted furiously with waves of flames. A thick amount of exhaust from the engines immediately flooded the back of the station. Kajisho, along with the press, looked on with awe. "So far so good Drake. Maybe you won't mess this up after all." he muttered to himself. Hundreds of cameras started flashing, recording this historic event. Many cameramen directed their attention toward the HORIS, making sure to catch every second of the launch. Throughout the city, most of the population stopped their daily activities to witness the mechanical dragon break into the atmosphere.

Once it reached an altitude of over 80,000 feet, it released its magnificent wings, which still could be seen from miles around on the ground. Its speed continued to climb until it broke past the atmosphere. In space, the ship's positioned changed from vertical to horizontal, quickly adapting into its new environment. "I WILL TAKE OVER NOW." Anubis ordered.
"Thanks Anubis. Honestly, I don't see what's so hard about becoming a pilot." And with that thought, Drake fell asleep. "Space travel…I can handle it…no problem."

The stranger that had drugged Jane watched the ship launch from a window. "So the boy has left. Time for me to do what I was sent for." He made his way through a wide corridor, carefully watching if anyone was around. To his advantage, almost every employee was still outside talking to the public along with the General. "Hmm…perfect." He continued down in an elevator and arrived in the HORIS main control room. Nobody was there. "Let's see," he started as he was inspecting the terminals and computers, "If master wants a sabotage, so be it!" The man took out a scythe-like weapon and slashed everything he could see, thus causing each computer's function to cease. "Hehe, seems now we'll be paid a little visit in Circa Dor." After his job was done, he disappeared into thin air.

"WARNING! WARNING!" Anubis yelled, which suddenly woke up Drake. "Huh...What happened?" he said tiredly. "CONTROLS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.... ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS DECREASING...SHIP HAS CHANGED COURSE...CODE: GL454FSD HAS BEEN DIS...RUP....TED." An emergency alarm now started to sound off, signifying that most parts of the ship has been either shutdown or destroyed. "Dammit! Something must have happened in the control room back in Chryo!" Both engines stopped and the main computer shut down all its functions. "What's going to happen now, Anubis? I mean, we can't fall down since there isn't any gravity in space." But there was no answer.

The HORIS floated lifeless in space, like it was a ghost ship. There was no sound at all, just complete quietness. Suddenly, a powerful force was drawing the ship closer to the planet. Following behind it was a giant meteor going at a great speed towards the ship, ready for collision. "That meteor is gonna crush us! And we can't change course, damn!" He desperately tried to think of something, but came up empty. All he could do now was to helplessly watch his life come to an end.

I'll post Part 2 to Chapter 1 a little later.

[Uchiha Sasuke]

Ok thats really good

[DragonSphere]

Thanks for the comment. :)
And here's part 2 to Chapter I:

Meanwhile, back at the control room, General Kajisho walks in. "How's the ship..." he pauses, "what the h*ll has happened here!" He wipes his hands over his face and kicks the broken terminal. "Arghh…How am I going to tell this to the press?" The general quickly heads back to the awaiting crowd and tells them of the current situation. "My fellow people of Chryo, it seems a disaster is at hand." Everyone gasped. "We have lost all contact with the HORIS. The control room has been completely torn inside out, to the point where the computer systems cannot be repaired. I assure you that my team of analysts is now looking into the case, with aid from the military as well. We will try, no, do our best to ensure the life of Drake Jishad on board the spacecraft. That is all." And he left them. The large crowd was shocked, especially Jane, "Brother I hope you are all right." she whispered to herself.



A large chunk of metal fell upon Drake's head, causing a slight scratch to appear . "Ughh…Where am I?" he said groggily.
"WE… ARE...IN....UKNOWN...TERRITORY." Anubis replied.
"How the hell did we get here?"
"HORIS…SEEMS…TO…HAVE…CRASH…LANDED."
"And we're still kickin' eh? So what do we do now?"
"THERE.... IS...ACTIVITY.... OUT...SIDE"
"Can you bring it up on the monitor?"
"NO...THIS…REGION…IS…FOREIGN…TO…MY…SYST EM."
"Guess I'll have to check it out myself then."
Once outside, he took a look around and from what seemed like a half-mile away was a battle. Large and tall oaks blocked further viewing of the great conflict. "Hey aren't those Chryo soldiers?" he thought to himself as he examined a soldier's outfit as best as he could. But suddenly a group of medieval-like sentinels surrounded him. "It's one of those damn Chryo people!" one of them yelled. Another shouted, "Yes, yes he is! Just look at his ship!"
"Capture him!" another cried. "Wait guys I'm not what you..." but before Drake could finish his sentence, the soldiers threw a net over him and quickly knocked him out with the scabbard of one of their swords.

They grabbed the unconscious Chryonian and stacked him onto a wooden cart that was pulled by a strange, yellow bird. "We must bring him to Commander Cain. He will surely reward us for our catch!" The troops continued their ride, conversing to themselves about the battle along the way.


Chapter 2: Circa Dor, should be done in a week or so.

[Spirit]

amazing..... I'm speechless.... it was really good, I really enjoyed that, and I like your work DS, very nice and yet original =P Keep improving though, make the writing a bit more smoother, but all and all it's great =P

[DragonSphere]

Here's the long overdue Chapter 2, Part I:

(Sorry for the dialogue being all crunched up together. I just can't seem to space them apart in this post.)


The long path ahead was scattered with both the dead and the living. Lethal fumes left by the weapons of Chryo enveloped the area, making it almost impossible to breathe. The soldiers of the opposing side had to tie pieces of cloth around their mouth and nose as to prevent the inhaling of the poison. But even with this strategy, they were still no match for the impressive technology of their enemy. If they had possessed such military power, their chances of winning the war might have increased. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

The wooden cart squeaked and rattled as it moved across the battlefield. Its old, worn out wheels were richly crafted with both the barks and thick branches of oak trees; but due to its extensive use, the wheels tarnished at an exhilarating speed. Its rotation would often stop after encountering gravel on the ground, causing manual labor to get it going again; with the help of two restrained yellow birds dubbed "chocobos". Other than the wheels though, the vehicle was in decent condition, despite its decade-old age.

After the two-hour journey, the cart pulled to a stop in front of a dimly lit cavern. The three conductors got off their seats and carefully carried their prisoner to a door hidden with shrubs. They knocked. "The bird flies above the graves of fallen kings…"one of them said; obviously hinting at a password of some sort. The entrance opened with a squeaky sound, but before they came in, the soldiers hid their cart with many leaves and branches to conceal its whereabouts. After closing the door, they came upon an empty space. "Good evening gentlemen." said a voice hidden by the darkness; "The Commander has been anxiously waiting for your arrival." The populace nodded.

Positioned above their heads was a torch lit with radiant flames. They grabbed it and started to walk down a narrow corridor, using their torch as a guide. The unconscious Drake was being carried by two of the three, with the third one leading the way. Each step was taken to caution for the walkway was littered with little nooks and cracks that one could trip over, often leading into careless mistakes and perhaps even alerting the outside world of their presence underground. Once the officers reached the end of the pathway, another door stood in their presence. The one bearing the torch knocked 4 times.

"Enter." cried a loud and roaring voice. The trio came inside and locked the door. " 'Tis good to see you again Commander Cain." they greeted. "Enough with the reception," Cain answered, "Biggs, Wedge, Dyne, what do you have to report?"
"Well Commander, we have caught a rare find indeed. We believe it to be from the enemy, sir." Biggs reported.
"Yes, we found him during our daily rounds within the Grand Forest." added Wedge.
"We considered him hostile, sir. So we bagged him and thought that this catch would help us get more information on Chryo." followed Dyne.
"Hmm…I see. Bring the prisoner to me."

Biggs and Wedge unscrambled the net around Drake and laid him on the floor. Cain crouched down and examined him. He carefully thought about his clothes and features. "He does not appear to be a soldier, but nevertheless I shall question him later. But for now, bring him to the dungeon." The trio got up and escorted Drake down a long staircase, which was the only way to continue down the hideout except for the door. Cain soon followed.

At the end of the descent, they came upon 3 pathways. The one in front of them led to the Circa Dor castle, the left to the main living quarters of soldiers and officers, and the right to the prison cells. "If you need me, I shall be in my room. And alert me if you discover any new information on this lad." Cain commented as he departed to the leftward trail. "Understood." Biggs replied, "Wedge, Dyne, let's stick him with the other of his kind." They nodded in unison and headed for the dungeon.

The trio encountered a lengthy hall filled with prison units on each side. They walked on and immediately halted in front of a dark and chilly cell. "Here, with the other one." Drake was shoved in. Biggs locked the cell door and left, with Wedge and Dyne following.


"Hey kid…wake up!" A foot nudged on Drake's back. "Come on, you've been lying there for the past hour." An exhausted Drake slowly lifted himself up. "Oh man, where am I? Last I remember, some idiot hit me in the head from behind, and I was knocked out cold." He feels his forehead with his right palm. "Well at least they treated you better than me when I first arrived here." The stranger lifted up his garment; a massive wound had been afflicted onto the lower half of his chest, still bleeding. "Man, what happened to you?" Drake queried.

"Well, I was with my infantry in an ambush operation which took place just outside the main castle. Turned out to be a failure, so many of us split up and ran. But I unfortunately was not as fast as them. I was caught by the soldiers here and they decided to make an example of me by nearly beating me to death."
"That's pretty harsh, but what about your other comrades?"
"Heh…those damn bastards could care less, they never came back for me. Even after being stranded here for 3 weeks… By the way, name's Rick."
"Drake, Drake Jishad."
"Seems like we'll have to be prison mates for a while Drake. The war looks as if it's not going to stop anytime soon…Quiet, I hear someone coming."

A soldier walked down the hall, humming at a certain tune. He came into Drake and Rick's sight as he slid two, wrapped up trays under their cell. "Eat up you pesticides, your gonna need it once we get through with you!" he remarked as he left the dungeon. "What did he mean by that Rick?" asked Drake. "Don't worry about that, just eat your meal. They only feed prisoners once a day, you know." As they feasted unto their less-elaborate meals, a spark of curiosity lit up in Drake's mind.

"I was wondering, how did this great conflict come about?"
"Yes, good question. I heard back in Chryo that the Militia Alliance is trying to cover up these battles since day one. Due to the fact that the High Council thinks will enrage the citizens. Such a pity that less than 5% of the population actually know what is going on."
"Enrage, why?"
"Well, for one thing is the isolation of this ancient kingdom, along with its many wonders. For thousands of years, the main ruling kingdom, Circa Dor, this realm, has separated from all contact with our own continent, Chryosia. Along with our home, Circa Dor is the only other super-continent on this planet, respectfully called Ura. The reason for doing so was because of some 'Species' war our ancestors fought against them. And, if the present situations continue, history would seem to have repeat itself."
"Hmm…I see. But then, who started it?"
"Whoa, slow down there buddy, one question at a time. So anyway, as damn-luck would have it, our President, Triton Roen, was assassinated; which I'm sure you heard of. His vice-president, Septa Gotashi, was then sworn into office. There have been rumors on how he and Triton have had occasional contradictions between their ideals of society and government, leading onto many vigorous arguments. It may be a speculation, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out Septa's true intentions: putting his previous rejected ideas to action. Thus began this invasion."
"What about the High Council? How did they approve of such a treacherous act? And, why does Septa want these lands?"
"I'm sorry, I don't really know the answers to those questions. I, myself, would like to be knowledgeable of the answers. I told you everything I ever knew Drake."
"Then just answer one more inquiry: Why do you continue to fight for Septa if you resent him so much?"
"That my friend, is a paradox that I can't even understand. Fighting for evil, yet having faith in the goodness of mankind's heart, I'll leave it to you to figure it out…Now then, the clock strikes midnight, 'tis best for us to get some sleep."



Part II will be posted a bit later.

[Mana]

Wow! That's an amazing story you're working on!
I really envy your invention and your way of writing!

[DragonSphere]

Part II:
In the morning, the main commander of the troops, Cain, woke Drake up with a vigorous tug at his foot. "My superior officer wishes to see you boy. Now, come with me!" Without alerting the sleeping Rick of Cain's presence, Drake obeyed his orders and followed him out of the dungeon. Once again, they encountered the tri-split hallway; but this time, going through the middle pathway, towards the castle. "What was with you back there, waking me up like that? I mean, come on, it's probably only like 6 in the morning!" Drake complained.

"Hush! My orders are to be carried out with strict responsibility! And if a child like you can't handle it, I'll force you to come along my self!" Cain roared.

"Fine, I'll stay quiet. But who exactly wants to see me?"

"Why, none other than the king himself! He gave me crucial regulations to bring you to him on schedule. I am also to escort you to the premises with critical protection…and to make sure you don't get lost."

"Heh…going soft on me already big guy? I never knew you had it in ya after all your stern practices with the soldiers. So why the change of heart?"

"Don't hold your breath. I am firm with my subordinates at all times. Heed my word, after your meeting with the sovereign I shall show you the true meaning of why I took the job of Commander of the Circa Dor army, and how much hatred I have for your kind!"

"Whoa, don't take it too seriously. I was only joking."

"Give ear to what I'm about to say boy since I'll only say it once: I am NOT a man of humor."
From then on, Drake stood quiet the rest of the way.

The duo continued to cross the pathway until they met up with a dwarf-sized door. Drake was a bit puzzled by this finding, but Cain soon showed the resolution. He bent down on his knees and spread his hand across the object and turned it at a 180-degree angle. It immediately sank into the cavern wall, setting off another device; which uncovered a large, hidden door that was previously in the semblance of hard rock. As it opened, a new trail appeared in their midst; but this time, spanning over dozens of different circular platforms, each marked with its own insignia.

"Man, this place seems like just one huge labyrinth. It'd probably take me days to just find a way to get out of here." Drake said curiously.

"That it is. For your information, these platforms are automatic lifting devices, or as you call it 'elevators'-one of the very few technologies that we accepted from your kind. Each of these instruments that you see here lead into different rooms of the castle, all 50 of them, and act as both escaping and daily routes to and from the castle itself. There are about 10 feet in length and 12 in width. The emblems that are inscribed on each platform act as labels to all the different rooms so that one won't get lost down here. But of course, only a select few know about these underground passages; something that you should be proud of having the privilege of knowing." Cain answered.

"Gee…Thanks."

"Now then, follow me. The one marked with a sword overshadowed by a bright crown is our destination."

Once they were both standing upon the selected symbol, a few mechanical noises could be heard from the background, and the platform shook and rattled its way up out of the castle's depths. Drake observed that 2 pieces of rope were attached to certain positions on the circle, thus indicating that these 'lifting devices' ran from a pulley system from somewhere in the palace. He also noticed two small, wood-made levers that stood at the end of the platform and assumed that it must have been some fail-safe device that would require manual labor for going either up or down if the elevator ever got stuck or broken during operation.

Suddenly, Drake and Cain's dark surroundings disappeared and were replaced with a great flash of white light as the elevator came to a stop. This new environment blinded Drake's eyes for a second, but upon opening saw many wonderful structures and paintings. He stood in awe as a soldier, noticing Drake's inquisitive look on his face, told him about the room that they were in.

"This grand chamber," he started, "is the throne room of His Royal Majesty, Ured Raidus. Built over 200 years ago along with the castle, this room has been retained and furnished as it looked the first time someone stepped foot on its glassy surface. The ground here is made up of a fine mineral called 'Ether Stone'-which I think is the counter part of 'marble' in your land- that were excavated from the nearby mountains. The paintings that decorate the wall depict Circa Dor's great kings and queens over the past few centuries. And the-" but was interrupted by Cain.

"Stand aside Lieutenant Rufus, this Chryonian is to be brought to the king upon his request. Until His Majesty or I declare him a friend to our humble kingdom, I highly suggest that you eradicate all communication between him and you or I will be forced to degrade you back to a simple soldier." he commanded.

"Yes Commander, I understand completely. I shall now report back to my post at the outer gate. If any new developments of the Chryo army whereabouts arise, I shall consult with both you and the king as fast as I can."
At once the soldier left their presence, scared stiff of Cain's strict warning.

"Now that all distractions are gone, let us proceed to the thrones up ahead. The king has been awaiting your arrival." Cain continued.

At this time, Drake noticed something he had not seen upon entering the room. Two magnificent thrones were positioned at the very end of the chamber on top of a small flight of stairs, carved with regal symbols and elegant decor. The throne on the left was empty and seemed like it hadn't been sat on for quite a long time, but the one on the right was occupied by a tall and somewhat strong looking man for his age.

Cain bowed down and spoke, "Your Majesty, may I present to you the rebel we caught in the forest." He jabbed Drake in the leg, signaling him to bow down. Once he did, he introduced himself to the leading Viceroy of Circa Dor. "Drake, Drake Jishad your Majesty."

After a moment of silence, the king rose from his royal seat. "Please stand; the both of you." he said, " I am King Ured Raidus of Circa Dor. I have been the sovereign of this land for quite some time and will celebrate my 50th year of rule this month. But a certain and crucial issue has arise within the past few weeks that involves your homeland young Drake. A nation that we haven't had contact with for over 10 millenias. Your leader has led a grand invasion upon my peaceful lands, killing hundreds and slaughtering thousands of innocents. This of course has come to my attention and was forced to declare war upon the enemy. That alone was not an easy task."

"With all due respect your Majesty, I assure you that I have nothing to do with the recent eruption in violence. I crash-landed here on the cause of system failures from my ship. I am in no way in direct relations to the President of Chryo nor involved in their resistance." Drake nervously said.

"Or so it seems King Ured. It is my humble opinion that this boy is hiding something from us…something that we need to know about. The information we can gather from him and many other of our prisoners can turn the tables in this war and thus gain the leading advantage. So I propose a proper interrogation of Drake Jishad to be scheduled as soon as possible. For all we know, he could be a spy that made an unfortunate timing." Cain answered.

Surprised by this harsh accusation Drake sneered and yelled, "I don't know anything. I'm telling you, I am NOT a solider or a spy! You're making an unfair decision just based on your opinions and not facts."

"I may be doing so young one but I know your kind. All ruthless with no heart; your all the same! Nothing but parasites and pests greedy for power! You do not deserve the same rights as us and should forever be punished!"

Filled with rage, Drake unleashed his anger upon Cain and started to strike him.

"Hmm…foolish. You wish to challenge me? Then so be it." Cain cried as Drake successfully landed a fist full of knuckles in his face. The commander quickly thrust his right elbow into Drake's stomach, immediately knocking him to the ground. "My family was killed because of the war you started; my brothers, sister, mother and father! All killed by the hands of your people!" Cain continued to kick Drake in the ribs and chest. "This is only the beginning boy! If you continue to resist, you will receive a much greater punishment!" Drake then faced another powerful kick into his body.

"AGHHHHHH!" he screamed as he spat out drops of blood, "You…damn…bas…tard!"

"Unrespectful little shi-" Cain roared but was interrupted by yet another, more stern voice than his.

"Commander Cain! Cease your crude and unjust actions at once! Drake is but a boy, he knows not of what he is doing; control your anger! I can relate to losing one's family but what good will it do if you unleash your hatred to this young lad? You're no better than our enemy themselves!" King Ured scolded.

Finally coming to his senses, Cain realized what he had done and deeply apologized for his attacks on Drake. "Your Majesty....I really am sorry for my unusual behavior. I have no idea what came over me…I shall be in my quarters if you need me." He fled the throne room in embarrassment.

"Guards!" the king ordered, "Treat the boy and let him rest in the one of the guest rooms for the remainder of this day and night. I shall question him tomorrow morning." Two soldiers arrived and followed the king's command. "Cain just doesn't understand. This boy could be the one prophesied to bring everlasting peace on Ura. It may be just a hunch, but he does fit the descriptions quite accurately. I guess only time will tell….." he muttered to himself.