Warm drizzles of rain greeted me the next morning as I prepared for school.  I told Sean, Alistair, and Necavi that they might as well go back to sleep, as there was no way they were accompanying me today.  Sean, who still seemed stressed from the previous day’s events, agreed with little resistance.  Alistair and Necavi sulked.

“T-try not to k-kill each other,” I said as I was leaving.  I paused on the threshold of my door and then added, “or anything else.”

The drive to school was quiet, and I spent it with a thought that had escaped my mind until that moment.  What if I arrived at school and Lucius was there again?  I told myself that this was unlikely, but I was learning very quickly the truth of the phrase ‘anything is possible.’  Worry poisoned the back of my mind, and my muscles were taut with apprehension as I stepped into my homeroom.  Something else I found often to be true was that whatever I dreaded usually happened.  This reasoning was proved when I saw Lucius sitting in the desk next to mine, his wide eyes taking in everything around him, as if he hadn’t even been there the day before.

“Hii!” Lucius jumped up when he caught sight of me, grinning wildly.  A fresh bruise marked the skin around his right eye, black and blue and painfully obvious.  His left cheek boasted a band-aid, its center stained with dried blood.  Healing lacerations and faded red slashes populated his neck.

“Uh…what happened to you?” I asked faintly, feeling ill.

“I was beaten,” he said, touching his face lightly. “I said I would be.”

“I…I thought.. none of that w-was re-real,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip.

“Oh, it wasn’t,” Lucius answered, bright as always.  “Not really.”

“Did you do it?” I blinked.

“Oh, no,” Lucius shook his head vehemently. “I haven’t got that kind of ability.”

“So…who?”

Lucius changed the subject.

“Where are your friends?”

“Oh, they st-stayed home today…” I answered, wondering why he was skirting the question.  Lucius threw an arm around me.  I decided not to push it.

“Guess it’s just us then.”

“L-lovely,” I mumbled.  Lucius seemed to have managed to get himself into all of my classes, and he took every seat next to me, regardless of whether or not it belonged to someone else.  For the most part no one minded having to move, but when the bell for English class rang, Kai was adamant.

“This is my seat.  Find your own damn seat, you psycho,” she said stubbornly, glaring at him.  I think it was more the principle of ownership rather than the joy of sitting next to me that she was defending, but it pleased me all the same.  Lucius relented for a vacant seat behind Kai, and he spent the bulk of the hour prodding her long, straight hair in an annoying fashion.

“Who is this guy?” Kai hissed to me.  I swallowed thickly.

“A n-new friend,” I whispered.  She swatted Lucius’s hands, her dark brown eyes slit in annoyance.

“Meanie,” Lucius sulked.

“No one touches the hair,” she said importantly.

“But it’s so pretty,” Lucius’s expression was catlike.

“I know,” Kai said, petting it down appreciatively. “But no touching.”

I saw Lucius playing with a pair of scissors.

“Of course, I won’t touch it..” he said quietly, after she’d turned back around. “Can’t say the same for my friend here though…”

“L-Lucius,” I snapped, grabbing the scissors from his hands.  Surprised, he frowned at me, his tiny fangs bared.

“I wasn’t doin’ nothing,” he muttered.

“The h-hell you weren’t,” I grumbled, dropping the scissors into my bag. “If you do anything w-wrong, I’ll be the one blamed.”

The end of class was nearing, and Kai was sufficiently distracted by the boy on the other side of her to notice the exchange between Lucius and myself.  The bell rang and the little room exploded with noise as everyone began talking and shoving books into their backpacks.  In the hall, they swarmed to their lockers for their lunches, and I walked to the cafeteria flanked by Kai and Lucius.  As we were sitting down at our usual table I noticed an unfamiliar boy at the table’s edge.  He was wearing dark sunglasses and holding a book.  His sandy blond hair was drawn into a long, thin ponytail that spilled down the front of his light gray jacket.  It took me a moment to realize that he wasn’t actually reading the book; instead he was running his hands over the pages, feeling the words formed by dots of Braille.

“Don’t stare at blind people,” Kai admonished. “It’s rude.” She leaned over and tapped the boy on the shoulder.  He started, his sunglasses slipping.  Hastily, he put the book down and pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose, but he did not speak.  I could tell even without seeing his eyes that he was afraid.

“Are you new?” she asked kindly.  He nodded slowly, keeping his face obscured with the book and his hair. “What’s your name?”

The boy fidgeted.  I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that Lucius was giving the boy something akin to a death glare.

“Can you talk?” Kai said.  He shook his head ‘no.’ He bit his lip, and then withdrew a notepad from his pocket.  Pausing, as if he were acting against his better judgement, he at length took out a pencil and wrote carefully: CALL ME META.

“Meta?” Kai shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

“Don’t talk to him,” Lucius hissed, grabbing the edge of my shirt.

“We-well, we’re not really talking…” I said, eyeing Lucius.

“He’s bad.  Very bad.  Dangerous,” Lucius said, with utmost seriousness.  It was almost unnerving, considering the lightness of his general demeanor.

“He looks okay to me,” I said.  Lucius rose from his seat and stood behind Meta. Meta began to visibly tremble as he turned, a hand on his throat.  Lucius tore Meta’s glasses from his face, exposing his black, hollow eye sockets.  A thin, deep scar, still an angry red, was also visible.  It ran downwards in a curve from his forehead to the edge of his lips.  Repulsed, Kai drew back, covering her mouth as she gaped.  Meta clapped his book shut and reached for his glasses, trembling furiously.  A voice cried in my head.

Give them back… please…

Disgusted, Lucius threw down the glasses.  They bounced against the table, clicking as their cheap plastic frames hit hard wood.

“God’s monster,” he spat.  Meta’s fingers quivered as he returned his glasses to his face.  Meanwhile, I tried to figure out the voice that had spoken.  Kai’s disgruntled expression told me that she had heard it also.

“Wh..what the hell is going on?” I said, massaging a temple.  “What happened to your e-eyes?”

Meta, thoroughly terrified, huddled in his seat, almost burying his face in the Braille book.  He did not respond.

“Look at how frightened he is,” I said disapprovingly.

“He’s evil,” Lucius said promptly, looking as if it would not unruffle him in the slightest if Meta suddenly dropped dead.

“He is not,” Kai said, frowning at Lucius. “It’s not his fault he’s…handicapped..”
She seemed to have gotten over Meta’s lack of eyes.  I saw that he was still hiding his face with the book, his whole body shuddering violently.  It took a lot for me to resist standing and hugging him, but I supposed that such an act would only serve to frighten him further.   He remained silent after hearing Kai’s words, but the tips of his ears had begun to redden.  The bell rang then, signaling the end of lunch.  Meta rose quickly and disappeared into the rushing crowd of people that suddenly surged up around us.  I lost sight of his face in seconds.

“Now you’ve scared him off,” Kai said, glaring across the table as she slung her bag onto her back.  “What if we never see him again?”

“Consider yourself lucky,” he retorted as we left the cafeteria.  The last two periods of the day passed without event—Lucius refused to speak of Meta, and Kai and I had separated.  As I was leaving the school with my brother, I saw that Lucius was following us.  I stopped short before we reached my mother’s car.

“Can I h-help you?” I asked, whirling to face him.

“Nope,” he said.  His voice has regained its cheerful energy.  He pushed past me and opened the car door, climbing nonchalantly into the back seat.  Mother’s face was shocked at first, but he patted her hand and smiled into her eyes, and suddenly she was docile and smiling.  Hissing, I threw my bags into the trunk of the car and clambered in beside Lucius.  Brandon (who also did not seem perturbed by Lucius’s presence) struck up a conversation with Mom while I glowered at Lucius.

“Wh-what did you d-do to my mother?” I snapped, feeling the urge to inflict bodily harm to his person throbbing in my head.

“Nothing,” he replied, grinning happily. “Nothing permanent, anyways.”

“You little—“ I reached for him.  He scuttled back against the seat, his legs up on the car seat.

“You know, that’s no way to treat a guest.  You might be glad I came along when we get back to your house,” he smirked toothily.  My stomach lurched as I remembered that Sean, Necavi, and Alistair had been left to their own devices in my house sans supervision all day.  What if, instead of my house, we pulled up to a smoldering pile of ash?  I didn’t have a long wait before I found out.  My house came into view as we drove down my street, and I was relieved to find it still very much intact.  Exhaling, I took my things from the car’s trunk and opened the back door, holding it open for Brandon.  Lucius was close at my heels, and mother had already driven off again, presumably to work.  I called for Sean nervously as I walked into the kitchen, setting my bag into a chair.

“Why don’t you check the back yard,” Lucius said lightly.  I turned, looking through the glass windows behind my kitchen table and into the expanse of lawn behind my house.  I could almost feel my pupils dilating as I gripped the top of the chair, my knuckles white from the pressure.  Only three words came to mind.

“Oh my God…”

Although Sean and the others were nowhere to be found, an enormous crater had formed just beyond the pool.

“Well, Mom’s not going to like that, is she,” Brandon said calmly, pressing his face against the window.  “Wonder if a meteor hit while we were at school.”

“I d-doubt it,” I said, glowering at Lucius, who was smiling innocently.  I opened the back door and strode across the deck, Lucius bouncing along behind.  The crater’s diameter extended across almost to the edges of the yard, stopping inches from the fence.  Its width stretched at the base of the huge oak in the very back of our property and cut off at the edge of the cement surrounding our pool.  The grass crunched beneath my shoes as I walked to the crater’s edge and peered into it to determine its depth.  Its sides shone, slick with wet mud, and I found that it was so deep that I could not see its bottom, only a pool of inky darkness.

“Do you r-realize th-that none of this makes any s-sense at all?” I asked Lucius, still staring into the crater’s black depths.

“Sure,” he said, standing next to me.

“Okay.  J-just checking,” I mumbled, kneeling.  Being the oblivious person that I am, I didn’t notice until too late that Lucius had relocated behind me.  Just as I was realizing this, his hand pushed against my back roughly, and I slipped off the crater’s edge, screaming as I skidded down the wet, muddy walls.

“Bye bye!” Lucius called, waving furiously.  Although I would later accept that I should have expected this, I was currently too busy clawing at the walls and screaming to think about my idiocy.  Sticky, moist clumps of mud caked on my skin and clothes as I fell.  It was not long before my body slammed against solid ground, causing me to choke slightly from the force.  I stopped screaming and attempted to catch my breath, inhaling and exhaling desperately.  I sputtered curse words as I clutched my chest, trembling with perspiration.  My anger and exhaustion were pushed aside by a fresh wave of fear, however, when I felt a hand grip my upper arm.

“Relax, it’s me,” Sean said gruffly.

“Se-sean?”

He leaned in close, and I could only just barely make out the lines of his features.

“Do you know anyone else with a face as sexy as this?” he grinned sharply.

“U-uh,” I stuttered, deciding not to remark on the fact that I could hardly see him at all. “Wh-where are we?”

“Excellent question,” Necavi said, appearing next to Sean suddenly, a fire alit in his hands.  The ball of flame provided a small amount of light, but it was better than nothing.  The earth beneath me was smooth and packed, as though it had been paved, and it sloped downwards into the crater like a natural stairwell.  Although I had never been particularly perturbed by heights, I felt distinctly ill as I peered down, seeing the long path spiral into nothingness.

“I…I think we’re in Nonluna,” Alistair ventured.  He had been hiding behind Necavi, apparently, as I was just now noticing him.  I recalled Nonluna as a place in the game—unfortunately, its name was about all I could remember.

“So this is Nonluna,” Necavi muttered.

“Uh, what?” Sean said, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“Well…” Alistair began, scratching his head, “our planet, Septerra, has seven moons, y’see.  That’s, uh, why it’s called Septerra.  Septerra Celinae.  The…uh..legends say that the gods of our planet originated here—deep within our earth, so far down that even the light of all our moons can’t reach.  After being born they burrowed their way to the surface by carving a great staircase out of the walls of the planet’s insides.  When they reached the top soil, the moonlight touched them and they became powerful and beautiful…
“In honor of their birthplace, though, they made it into sort of a shrine.  At the bottom is supposed to be this great, magnificent temple, and they placed pieces of themselves inside to guard against intruders or to welcome anyone lucky enough to find it on a pilgrimage.”

“But I thought Nonluna could only be reached by a true believer in that faith,” Necavi said slowly.

“Well…uh…stuff happens, I guess,” Alistair said sheepishly. “I’m just sayin’ what I remember from the history books I read.”

“So wh-what do we do?” I said, gulping.

“Well I’ll guess we’ll have to see if the legend’s true,” Necavi said wearily, and he began to descend.

“W-wait,” I spoke without thinking, and Necavi stopped.

“What?  Have you got another plan?” he asked icily, and he stood, waiting.

“N-no…but..” My stomach wrenched.  By now, both Alistair and Sean were looking at me expectantly as well.

“N…nevermind,” I said quietly.  Necavi rolled his eyes and continued walking.  I crept along behind Alistair and Sean, feeling dirty, frightened, and miserable.  We moved in silence, though my fear grew ever more intense as our descent continued.  The sphere of light in Necavi’s hand had been engorged; he looked like it was taking him a great deal of concentration to keep it up.  It provided a comfortable amount of light, and speaking as one who still sleeps with her lamp on, I found it very soothing indeed.

“So..uh.. nice weather we’re having,” Sean remarked, squinting ahead of him.  Necavi grunted.  His eyes were shut tightly, and he walked slowly, as if he were feeling out the path ahead of him.

“Isn’t it hard to see with your eyes closed?” Alistair asked.

“It helps me to concentrate,” Necavi’s teeth were grit.  The light flickered a moment, and he breathed shallowly.  I wondered, fearfully, if he were going to faint.

“N-necavi…?” I whispered.  He didn’t reply, but before he could take another step, the sound of someone screaming stopped us all.  My head snapped upwards, taking in the sight of a small, rapidly falling body.  The high pitched scream at first led me to believe it was female, but when the body hit the ground and groaned, I realized that it was Lucius.  His body was glowing.
He was also bleeding copiously, but it was mostly the glowing thing that was holding my attention.  Lines of blood streamed over his lips and down his throat as he coughed, his fingers digging into his own chest.  His spectacles were askew, and his eyes were wide and shimmering, even in the darkness.

“It’s you!” Sean cried, leaping at him.  “You little bastard—“

I grabbed Sean’s waist in a sudden show of bravery, and he glared at me angrily.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“He’s hurt,” I insisted, frowning.

“So beating the crap out of him will be that much easier!” Sean said, struggling. “Release me at once!”

“Calm d-down,” I said, releasing him quickly and running to Lucius’s side.  Even though he had pushed me to my doom, I did find Sean and the others and he did look grievously injured.  And I just can’t ignore the grievously injured.

“Hi,” he said weakly, though still cheerful. “What’s up?”

“What happened?”

“I.. uh..” he coughed, adjusting his spectacles.  The glass stained with blood.  “I made a mistake…”

“Why are you glowing?” Alistair said, staring at him with interest.

“Oh.. it just happens sometimes..when I’m in the dark.. don’t really like the dark very much…” he mumbled.

“Di-did you fall in?” I helped him sit up, and let him lean against me, ignoring the hiss I heard from Sean’s throat.

“N..no..” he muttered, laying his head on my chest.  Sean coughed.

“Um.. Donovan pushed me in…” Lucius mumbled. “Donovan doesn’t like me much, I don’t think.” He did not sound depressed or afraid at all; he spoke as if he were reciting simple truths.

“Who’s that?” I pressed.

“Can’t say.. um.. can I sleep now..” he yawned, wiping the drying blood from his mouth. “I’m kind of tired.”

I panicked, and looked at Necavi, imploring.  He let the light in his hand extinguish.  The glow surrounding Lucius’s body more than made up for its absence.  Sighing, he knelt next to Lucius.

“You know, logically, I should be attempting to kill the lot of you,” he said, sounding tired.

“But you love us too much,” Sean said brightly.

“No,” Necavi grumbled. “I just can’t get back home without you.”

“Aw.  Denial,” Sean said.  Necavi did not dignify him with a response, instead, he placed a hand on Lucius’s cheek.  He muttered something, and suddenly Lucius’s eyes opened wide.  He pushed away from me, on his feet in his seconds.

“Wow, thanks!” he said exuberantly, attaching himself to Necavi’s arm. “I feel great!”

“Yes,” Necavi said, glaring at him as though he was some sort of vicious leech. “Get off me.”

“Sure!” Lucius said, stepping back.  His glow had brightened; it was now lighting up the entire cavern, making the path downwards remarkably clear. “Well, guess we’d better get going, then.”

“You are a freak,” Sean muttered, but did not dispute his addition to the party.  The rest of the walk was monotonous, although Sean did occasionally harass Lucius about his glow.  Lucius either ignored the comments or just shook his head cheerfully.  His lack of regard infuriated Sean.

“Can I kill him when we leave?” Sean muttered.

“No,” I hissed, poking him in the ribs.

“No fun,” he sulked.  “No fun at all.”

I sighed.

“Look!” Lucius said, stopping short and pointing wildly.  We had, quite suddenly, reached the bottom of the crater.

“It was true,” Alistair whispered.  The ground tapered downwards, leading into a shallow pool of water.  This pool covered the entire floor of the cavern, and in its center was an enormous temple.  A wide flight of marble stairs led up to the temple’s entrance, which consisted of carved, jeweled, double doors flanked by Corinthian style pillars.  Water lilies floated in the water around us, and I winced when I saw that Lucius was splashing around and putting them in his hair.

“Wee!” he cried as he bound through the water as though it were an oversized puddle. “Anyone want a lily?”

“Cut th-that out,” I grumbled, wading to the foot of the stairs.

“This…this is a holy place,” Alistair squeaked, appalled by Lucius’s disrespect.

“It is?” Lucius stood still, and a water lily slid off his head, splashing back into the water. “Sorry!”

“Kids,” Necavi muttered.  He and Sean were already halfway up the steps.  Blinking, I rushed up after them, followed closely by Lucius and Alistair.

“U-um..” I mumbled, staring at the doors dumbly. “How do we open these?”

The doors lacked knobs, and did not sway when pushed.  I examined the decorations that adorned them--seven jewels were encrusted in each door’s black metal, all of them different colors.  Similarly, runes were written beneath each stone.

“M-maybe th-these have s-something to do with it,” I said timidly, touching the purple stone.  It alit beneath my fingers, and I skittered back nervously, like one of those hamsters they use in electricity experiments.  Sparks burst from the stone’s surface, crackling as they spilled to the floor.  The doors still refused entrance, but the stone was humming as it shone, and I felt a light breeze whenever my hand drew close.  Seeing this, Sean and the others began running their hands over the other jewels, until each hummed and sparked with its own light.  The red stone seemed to smolder; the blue was moist to the touch.  The others behaved much the same, each one adopting a trait of the element it represented.  Just as Alistair was pulling his hand from the brown stone, the doors swung inward.

“I… I think we’ve woken them up,” he whispered.

“Let’s hope we get along,” Lucius purred, bouncing inside the temple’s foyer.  Its floor was marble black tile, and the ceiling rose high, angling to a point at its top, like the nave of a church.

“Whee!” Lucius yelled maniacally, his voice resonating throughout the room.

“Stop it,” Alistair said severely, his eyes wide.

“Sorry,” Lucius said, obviously not.  “I like echoes.”

At the back of the foyer, standing in front of a huge, stained glass painting, was an altar.  A rainbow stone, cut like a diamond, jutted out of the altar’s silver finish.  A myriad of colors swirled beneath the jewel’s facets, glimmering and shimmering vividly.  Alistair ran his fingers over its surface, and an image materialized over the altar; it was faded, like a hologram.  The picture it presented was of a beautiful woman, with long, flowing, green hair and sheer, white robes.

“Welcome,” her voice was warm and soft, and it seemed to fill the room, contrary to Lucius’s earlier echo.  Alistair bowed, trembling.

"Great Goddess, I--"

"Welcome to the Temple of Nonluna.  I am the Goddess of Life, or, at least, a fragment of her existence," the hologram continued, though her head had turned to look down on Alistair.  "Believers welcome."

"G-goddess," Alsitair said again, stammering helplessly.

"Yes?" she said, her gaze fixed on him.

"How..how do we return to the surface?"

"Why don't you ask the God of Wind?" she said, waving a slender hand to the right.  "His room is down that way..."

"Th-thank you," he whispered, and she knelt, petting him on the head.

"Aren't you cute."

Necavi rolled his eyes and grabbed Alistair roughly, pulling him to his feet.

"Come on, boy," he growled. The hologram fizzled out, and Alistair nodded his head numbly. I could see a strange kind of ache in his eyes.  Frowning, I wrung my hands as I followed behind everyone, my eyes on Alistair.  Necavi at last released him, and I trotted up beside him, speaking gently.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said stiffly.

"S-sure?"

"I dunno," he said finally.  "This is a religion I've believed in all my life.  Now I finally have solid proof that it exists...and..I... I just thought I'd be happier about it.  That's all."

"You didn't have proof before?" I asked.  We were walking several feet behind the others, none of whom took note of our conversation.

"Even people who aren't religious can do magic," he explained. "Magic comes from the elements themselves, not their gods."

"Oh," I said, adjusting my glasses nervously. "Like Necavi?"

"He's a very good example," Alistair sighed heavily.

"Hey, hate to break up this deep conversation," Sean interrupted suddenly, "but I believe we've reached our destination."

We were gathered in front of the threshold of a wide, empty room.  Gusts of wind whistled through the veiny cracks in the walls, but other than that it appeared deserted.  The floor, like the walls, was made of desecrated marble that had the same criscross pattern as the foyer, though it was colored purple.

"Hello?!" Sean called obnoxiously, only to have his voice drowned by the wind.  There was no answer for almost a full minute, and then the winds converged, coalescing into the body of a young boy with short, purple hair and bright, lavender eyes.

"What's up," he said, leaning against the wall.  His voice was light and relaxed, as if our intrusion did not perturb him in the slightest.  He smiled at us jauntily. "You can come in, ya know.  Not like the ground's gonna give way beneath you."

None of us moved to enter.

"Uh..could you  possibly take us up top?" Sean asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Me?  Man, that's not my bag..." he said, rolling his eyes. "I bet Mana sent you here just to bother me.  Go bother Adimitri.  His room is on the left side."

"That's the God of Earth," Alistair whispered to me.  The little boy then began to fade, and I realized as I heard the walls whistle that he was changing back into the wind.  I expected that this was his way of telling us that we were dismissed.  The others, each with varying degrees of annoyance on their faces, began the trek back across the temple grounds.  I found this experience to be among the most surreal of those I had yet endured.  As I walked, I remembered rainy days curled up in bed with a paperback in my hand, reading about ancient, magical structures like the one I was currently exploring.  The air tasted mild on my lips and against my cheeks, and the soft knocking of our feet against the water-stained floor soothed me, but it didn't change the fact that these places weren't supposed to really exist.  Of course, I was sure that crumbling, beautiful temples littered the forests of Brazil, the landscapes of Greece and Rome, and the deserts of Egypt, but despite what I saw in Indiana Jones, I knew that none of these had any magic or monsters dwelling inside them.  I wished for magic in my heart when I was alone with those books, I ached for it as I sat in my bed, listening to the rain.  I thought sometimes that this was one reason why I took all that Sean could dish out, even on his horrible days.  He was magic, I had known it since he first spoke to me. He was just like Nonluna--something that was not meant to exist in this world, strange and wonderful and foreign.  Everything that was happening somehow related back to him; it was a simple fact that I had accepted the moment Necavi entered my house.  The only things I still wondered were, first, how, and second, why had it taken so long to begin?

Lucius, meanwhile, was truly enthralled by his surroundings.  He ran his fingers over the walls and dipped his hands in the water that filled the area around the platforms we walked across, breathing in deeply, as though he were trying to absorb the very atmosphere.

"This is a wonderful place," he proclaimed, smiling. "I like it."

"Good to know it meets with your approval," Necavi said gruffly.  We had arrived at Admitri's room; it  resembled a cave, with brown floors and stalactites hanging from the ceiling like great, sharp cones.  A boy with his long, chocolate brown hair and soft, emerald eyes was sculpting something on the ground, his slight frame half-hidden by by a rock formation jutting out of the cave's wall.

"Great Earth God Adimitri...?" Alistair whispered faintly.  The boy glanced up, his hands still prodding the sculpture gently.

"Hello," he said evenly. "Come in."

We did, cautiously.

"Woud you like to see my sculpture?" his voice was deep and gentle, but I could tell from the way he spoke that it would be best to answer with a yes.  I nodded, and the others did, too--even Sean seemed strangely intimidated.  Admitiri held it out for us to see, and I almost choked when I saw that it was of--

"Claris?" Sean said, his eyes narrowing darkly.  Admitri glanced from me to his work.

"Indeed.  So that's your name," he set the piece down.  It was me, down to the glsses on my nose and the unruly hair on my shoulders, captured delicately in a prison of clay.

"Wh-why?" I blinked.

"I saw you all here and decided to sculpt one," he replied. "Women give me less.. difficulty."

"Oh," I said.  That made sense.  Admitri rose, and I saw that the clay on his hands had disappeared.  He took my hand in his and kissed it gently.

"It was a pleasure sculpting you."

I reddened.

"Hey, none of that," Sean growled, pushing between us.  Adimitri smiled and easily side-stepped Sean so that he was once again in front of me.  If anyone could be described as ethereal, it was him.  His feet were bare and his clothes were clean, though frayed and tattered at the edges.  His skin was a warm, olive color, and he had a relaxed, amicable face.  Being a god, he was no doubt as ancient as the dirt in his cave, but he physically appeared to be only about eighteen.

"May I help you?" he asked, the emerald irises of his eyes glowing slightly as he stared at me.

"W...we would like t-to go back to the s-surface," I said scarcely.  He touched my face.

"Certainly."

Sean hissed through his teeth, and I saw through my peripheral vision that he was biting his tongue.

"I must warn you, though.." Adimitri said slowly. "There's someone up there that looks..unsavory."

"Does he have gold eyes?" Lucius said suddenly. Admitri's calm flickered for half a moment at the sound of Lucius's voice.

"Yes.."

"Brown hair?"

"Yes..."

"Oh, it must be Donovan," Lucius nodded.

"Didn't he beat you up?" Sean asked.  Luicus bobbed his head. "Well, then he can't be that bad."

"Sean," I grumbled.  Admitri did not comment on our exchange; he seemed to be talking to himself, muttering in arcane language.

"He's casting the spell," Alistair said knowingly.  I liked Alistair well enough, but he did have a very keen grasp of the blatantly obvious.  In a moment I realized our skin had turned iridescent; we were disappearing.  My conscious was weakening, and I made a little cry as Admitri quieted, smiling his intimidating smile, and then the world faded to black.  When I could hear my thoughts again, I was lying on the grass of my backyard.  A boy with a long claw attached to his hand knelt over me, grinning.  His hair was the same chocolate brown as Admitri's, but his eyes (one of which was lighter than the other) were a tawny gold.  He wore a dark crismon jacket and baggy, deep-pocketed black pants.

"Hi," he said, and a weight pushed against my chest as he set his boot into my ribs.

"H-hello," I coughed fearfully. "I... b-believe you're crushing my spleen."

"Really?  I was aiming for your lungs," he said, stepping back.  I exhaled, sitting up hastily.  Sean and the rest were lying around me, still unconscious.

"Wh..what's your name?" I asked, staring in bewilderment at everyone's prostrate bodies.  Although it had been temperate in Nonluna, the actual weather was considerably warmer, and I was perspiring both from the heat and from my own fear.

"I expect you can call me Donovan," he said, prodding Lucius's side with the heel of his boot.

"Y...you did those horrible things to Lucius," I blinked.

"Yep," Donovan answered nonchalantly.

"Why?"

He glared at me suddenly, and I felt my insides tremble.

"Don't really suppose that's any of your business, is it?"

"Well..wh-what do you want?"

"Also none of your business," Donovan answered.  He was now poking Lucius's arms with the claw on his hand.

"What are you g-gonna do?" I was trading in my fear for frustration.

"Wait for Lucius to wake up," he answered.

"And then?"

"Then I'll leave," he shrugged.  I blinked, and then remembered something as I stared at the gleaming claws on his hand.

"It...it was you, wasn't it," the words spilled out of my mouth as I remembered that glittering claw from the episode at school.  "You made th-that t-terrible il-illusion."

"Your deductive powers astound me," he said dryly.  "But yes.  I am Donovan, the world's greatest master of illusion."

He bowed his head mockingly.  "Pleased to make your acquaintance, though I believe you and my claw have already met."

I glowered at him.

"Th-that was a horrible thing to do."

"I'm told I'm a horrible person," he shrugged, as if the thought didn't bother him at all.  Taken aback by this response, I was silent for a few minutes until I saw that Donovan was staring at me, scrutinizing my face.

"Wh-what?" I sputtered, cheeks flaming.

"I like you," he said flatly, his expression unchanging.  "So I'll help you out."

I blinked again, but said nothing.  Donovan motioned towards Sean's still body.

"That one.  He sleeps in those two sheds, right?" he gestured twoards the one next door and the one hiding behind my house, its roof barely visible over the thick line of foliage.

"Y-yeah.." I answered slowly.

"Well, let me just give you a piece of advice.  Don't let him sleep that one tonight," He was pointing to the one next door.

"Why?" I asked.

"Don't push your luck," Donovan warned, his tone gaining a sudden edge.  "You should be flattered that I find you so tolerable as to tell you about it."

I gulped down a wave of anxiety.  Ordinarily I would not let anyone get away with addressing me in such a manner, but I found that Donovan's mere presence inspired terror in my heart.  But then the sneer on his face dissolved abruptly, and I looked around, wondering what could possibly frighten him.  Then I saw.  Standing against the trunk of my huge oak was Meta, with a violent, infuriated expression on his face.

Stop.

The thought, simple, angry, and full of restrained power, entered my mind.

Now.

"Why, hello, Metatron," Donovan said. "Having a nice day?"

Stop, Ireul.

Donovan's jeer returned at the mention of this name.  Metatron's telepathy rumbled through my mind, the meek voice of earlier today squelched beneath his fury.

Please leave, Ireul.

"What're you going to do?  Kill me?" Donovan said the last with a chuckle.

I may.

"Oh, I tremble," Donovan said. "Though I admit you have some skill, to be able to penetrate my illusion."

Illusion?!

"What?!" I said frantically.

"That's correct," Donovan yawned. "This is an illusion."

"Wh-what were you going to d-do?"

"Well, I suppose you'll find out once I get rid of this guy," Donovan leapt to his feet and rushed Meta, his claw swiping for Meta's face.  Meta disappeared and then reappeared behind Donovan, the fury drained from his features and replaced with a resigned weariness.

You and I both know that this is useless. Meta's thoughts were quiet and pleading.

"Yeah," Donovan said. "Worth a shot, though."

Meta sighed heavily and moved so that he was beside me.

Now, Claris... it's time for you to wake up.

He touched my cheeks with the tips of his thin fingers, and I felt myself fading again.  The last image I saw was Donovan's face, dark with vehemence.

I awoke in my bed, Sean hanging over me, the ends of his hair touching my throat and forehead.

"Sean?" I said groggily, and then he was on me, squeezing me with unimaginable force.  "Kk!"

"You're alive!" he wailed, hugging me, ignoring the choking sound I was making.

"Not for much longer, if you keep that up," Necavi was at the foot of my bed.  Sean relaxed his grip reluctantly.

"I'm so glad you're alright." The sincerity in his voice startled me.

Alistair launched into an explanation before I could ask.

"We all got back, but you weren't conscious and stuff.. so we brought you upstairs and have been hanging out for about twenty minutes."

"Where's Lucius?" I had propped myself up against my pillows.

"As much as I'd love to tell you that I shredded his body into millions of tiny pieces," Sean began, his expression hardening, "he disappeared."

"Oh," I said, falling silent.

"Something wrong?" he asked, concerned.

I was debating on whether or not to tell them about my meeting with Meta and Donovan.  I knew that if I did it would anger Sean, but unneccessarily--they were both gone now, what could he do?

"Nothing," I said, both to him and to myself.  So I pushed the incident out of my mind.

"L-look.." I began, standing uneasily. "I do have sch-schoolwork to do, you know... and it's already six thirty.  So I w-would appreciate it if y-you would all f-find something non-violent to do for a wh-while."

Sean shrugged and exchanged glances with Necavi and Alistair.

"Wanna watch TV?"

They started filing out of my room, both nodding in a 'sure, why not' sort of way.

"I think 'When Poodles Attack' is on Fox tonight," Sean said, holding the door open.

"Se-sean, that show doesn't exist," I said, unzipping my backpack.

"Well, it ought to," he said, though he was grinning. "Have fun."

He left, and I pulled what I needed from my bag.  I had been fortunate enough to have not been assigned a great deal of homework this week, but I had an Algebra test tomorrow and a rather lengthy review sheet to wade through.  It was strange to lie in my bed and do homework like usual, as if nothing at all was happening.  I heard a mew and one of my cats jumped onto my bed.  She pushed her head against my arm and purred, demanding attention.

"Hey, Patches," I cooed.  I noticed that most of my cats had been in hiding since Necavi arrived, as though they feared his presence.  I ran my hand along Patches's spine and hugged her, holding her with one hand and working the problems with the other.  For now, at least, everything was normal.  Unfortunately (and I never thought finishing math homework would be unfortunate) I finished the sheet quickly, and I knew then that I had to face reality, or what seemed to be a lack thereof.  I held my fluffy cat in my arms and carried her down the corridor.  I realized that other people--like Delilah--might embrace this dangerous dream that my life had suddenly become.  But as much as I hate to admit it, I am a reactionary at heart.  I enjoyed the magic I could find in life, but I couldn't handle abrupt, violent change.  It unsettled something in my mind.  The worst of it was that I was actually becoming accustomed to Necavi and Alistair.  A part of me did not want them to leave, for the simple reason that if they did it would be a drastic change.  Petty, yes, but I couldn't help it.  My thoughts were cut short by a sharp pain in my hand, and I looked down to discover that Patches was clawing at me and hissing.  I was standing in front of the entrance to the playroom, where Sean and the others were sprawled on my couches, watching television.  I let Patches free and she scrambled from my arms, almost careening down the steps.

"Damn cats," Sean said placidly.  Although it was true that Sean was always plotting ways to kill my pets, they usually flocked to him, as cats tend to do to people whom they know dislike them.  I sat down next to him.  They were not actually watching anything; Necavi had the remote control and was flipping through every channel available.

"Pick something," Alistair whined.

"It's not my fault everything is drivel," Necavi sniffed. "I'm just looking for tolerable drivel."

He stopped when the remote hit a program on video games.  The Legend of Septerra was being reviewed.

"Well," he said, putting the remote down. "This is interesting."

"Maybe for you," Sean said, standing up and stretching. "But I think I'm going to bed."

"But it's e-early," I said. "Only s-seven..."

"I'm tired," he said shortly, and he left the room.  As I listened to his footsteps, I remembered something Donovan had said to me earlier, about not letting Sean sleep in his shed...

"Oh, God," I gasped, stumbling after him. "Sean!  Sean!"

He was already out the door and walking across the lawn.

"Sean, wait!" I cried.

"It's warm tonight, Claris, I don't need to sleep inside," he waved me away and kept walking.

"N-no," I panted. "Th-that's not it!  You can't--s-stop--"

Too late--he was already inside the shed Donovan had spoken of.  I held my breath, stuck to my spot on the lawn with fear.  Then the shed exploded.  The noise was deafening; debris and fire burst into the air, lighting up the dark sky and streaking it briefly with bloody red sparks.  I screamed when I saw Sean's body flung through the air, looking almost comically macabre.  The splash following his descent told me that he had landed in the lake.  Necavi and Alistair, along with my mother, brother, and the neighbors, were all outside now, staring open-mouthed at the shed's smoldering remains.

"S-sean!" I cried, running through the gap in the foliage that separated the lake from our house.  However, my worries were unjustified--Sean had already pulled himself from the lake, and he stood on its bank, dripping wet and furious.

"Oh my G-god.." I whispered.  No human being could have survived that kind of explosion.  It just was not possible, and even if it were, the person would have at least had to be unconscious. "I..I'm s-so sorry.." I managed, covering my mouth with my hands.

"Sorry for what?" he said dangerously, starting towards me.  I moved back, frightened.

"I.. sh..sh-should have told you.." I stammered, wringing my hands.

"Told me what?" he grabbed my shoulders, his wet fingers pressing into my night shirt, his soaking hair sopping onto my neck.  "Do you know who did this?"

"I..." I said, trembling.  His grip was painful.  He dug his nails into the bone of my shoulder, his teeth grit as he spoke.

"Tell me," he hissed, and there was such ferocity in his voice that I quivered.

"Pl-please don't hurt me," I squeaked, closing my eyes.

"Just answer me," he growled.

"It..it was the guy Lucius was talking about.. y..you know, Donovan..I.. he had me unconscious, I mean, when I was unconscious I was in his illusion and he talked to me there and he s-said s-something a-about your sh-shed and I just forgot--" I babbled, doing my best to avoid his gaze.

"That's enough," he said, touching my mouth with his hands gently. He seemed to have relaxed somewhat.  "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"We..well, like I s-said, I forgot wh-what he told me about your sh-sheds s-so I thought s-saying anything would cause fruitless a-anger," I gulped.

"Mrm," Sean wrung the water out of his hair. "Goddamn shockwaves... I wish I knew what kind of bomb that was, it just went off the moment I stepped in--"

"I'm s-sorry," I said again, pathetically.

"It's not your fault," he said. "My back is killing me, though..I expect I will sleep inside tonight."

I was floored by his calm.  He acted as though exploding buildings were a natural part of life.

"Aren't you a bit.." I began, and bit my lip.  "I mean, we sh-should get you to a d-doctor.."

"Nonsense," he said, rubbing his shoulder.  He gave me a painful smile.  "I'm fine. Just a little backache."

I was having difficulty forming coherent thought at this point.  The utter unreality of the evening had crept up on me and seized me, and I was throttling it mentally, yelling,

"WHY DOESN'T ANYTHING MAKE SENSE?!"

Apparently I had also exclaimed this, because Sean was petting my hair affectionately, watching me with a look of semi-concern.

"Relax," he said.

"I don't bloody well know how you expect I should do that!" I cried.  "None of this should be happening!  None of it!"

He stared quizzically, massaging what he could of his back with one hand.

"Look," I said vehemently, "It was bad enough that I'm currently sheltering characters from my video game in my house.  It was bad enough that I thought my whole school, including my best friends had be mercilessly slaughtered.  It was BAD ENOUGH that I GOT PUSHED into a place from my video game and then made to endure a meeting with that bomb happy violent psychopath friend of Lucius's.  But now, seeing you, the victim of a point blank range explosion, come out of it like it was no big deal..that is WAY MORE THAN I CAN TAKE."

I could feel my face burning and the anger of my tirade stinging in my ears.  I could not recall that last time I was so livid.

"What, do you want me to be dead or horribly disfigured or something?" Sean was bemused.  The fact that I had not reached him only served to augment my fury, but I was now too tired to yell.

"No, of c-course n-not," I mumbled.

"Well, there you go," he said, and he went back into my yard.  Feeling defeated, I followed meekly.  Necavi and Alistair, along with my family and the neighbors, were waiting.

"Good to see your little friend is alright, Claris," Dad said briskly.  Brandon was picking around the debris.

"Well, we were going to tear it down anyway.." I heard my neighbor say to Mom.  "Build a barn."

I couldn't even begin to comprehend their reactions.  I decided that, for my health, I shouldn't try.  Instead, I trudged back to my house and climbed the steps to the rec room.  Sean, Alistair, and Necavi were not far behind.  Once there, Sean laid down gingerly on the couch.

"Suppose now would be a good time to relate your little encounter to us."

"L-lucius was at s-school again today," I began, and Sean cut me off impatiently.

"Yes, I gathered that."

"Oh," I said.  "R-right.  Anyway, at l-lunch there was th-this g-guy...he didn't h-have any eyes, and he couldn't talk, and Lucius r-really hated him."

"Any enemy of that freak is a friend of mine," Sean said acidly.

"Quit interrupting," Necavi said, irritated.  He was sitting primly next to Alistair.  The two of them made me think of the odd couple, what with Alistair's bright demeanor and Necavi's ice cold seriousness.  It would have been amusing, had I not been so stressed at the moment.  I cleared my throat and pushed up my glasses.

"His name was M-meta.  He left after lunch a-and and I d-didn't see him again 'till just a wh-while ago, wh-when I was in Donovan's illusion.  Donovan s-said he was only waiting for Lucius to wake up, and th-then he was g-going to le-leave...but..that doesn't make any sense now, does it.." I nearly mumbled the last bit to myself, thinking.  Why would he have done that?  I didn't have time to ponder the question, as everyone was still listening patiently.  I swallowed again.

"Then he warned me about your sh-shed, Se-sean.." I said, "And then Meta showed up and they had a little s-scuffle..and Meta said--or he thought, rather--'it's time for you to wake up' and I was up in my room with you g-guys.  And th-that's all."

"How very strange," Necavi remarked.  "I'm rather certain that none of these people come from Septerra, but really, you never know."

"Didn't Lucius say he was from the same place as _you_?" Alistair said to Sean. "Where are you from, anyway?"

"Seventh level of Hell," Necavi said under his breath. "Or thereabouts."

"Har," Sean said, "If I knew, I'd tell you."

"No, you wouldn't," I said.

"Probly so. Oh well.  I don't know, anyway.  Afraid that from 14 past it's all a blur."

"That's a long blur," Alistair said doubtfully.

"Well, that's how it is," Sean said, suddenly defensive.  Alistair fell silent.

"It's been nearly a week since I got here," Necavi said suddenly. "And I don't recall any progress made on remedying that situation."

"C-can I f-figure it out tomorrow?  I've got sc-school again... I n-need to sleep.."

Necavi looked for a moment as though he were about get scary-psycho on me, but he pursed his lips and nodded curtly.

"Fine," he said, his voice tart. "I'll do that too."

Alistair trailed after him.

"Night," he said sheepishly. "Sorry he's so rude."

"Shut up," Necavi grabbed Alistair's wrist. "Or I'll finish you right now."

He dragged an eeping Alistair down the steps.  I glanced back at Sean.

"I'll stay on the couch," he said calmly. "I can't move, you see."

"Oh my," I said, flustered.

"I'll be fine in the morning," he said. "Goodnight, Claris."

"But--"

"Goodnight," he said with finality, and closed his eyes.  I gave up, and went on to bed.  My throbbing head welcomed my soft, down-filled pillow.  I entangled myself in the sheets and lay, staring up at the shadows on the ceiling.  Tonight's proved it, I thought suddenly.  Sean was magic.  Only someone of supernatural caliber could have survived that.  The revelation produced ambivalent feelings.  I was unnerved, of course, but also comforted.  Maybe he really could protect me.  I slept with this feeling in my mind.

One more chapter to go.. x__x; This one was kind of long, I think, but everything happened that needed to happen.  I don't know whether or not I'll use the eccentric Elemental Gods later, I think the Angels might be enough..but I guess we'll see if they pop up.  They're all nice people..just a little odd.. :B;

I can't really think of anything else to say. x__x;; I hope you liked it, please tell me how it was. :B