“You better not mess this up” She warned, then turned away to continue sharpening her dagger. Void found a sword on the table she was sitting on. It was Void’s sword in a leather sheath, the same leather as his bag. The sword belonged to Void, and he had forged it himself. Void unsheathed his sword, it’s blade was a light gray, with a light blue streak shaped like lightning in the middle of the blade. The handle was a polished dark gray stone wrapped in cloth for a better grip. Void felt a surge of power pushing against his will, pulsing through him and the sword in unison, making Void stagger. No! Not now. Please, he thought desperately. Spirit was watching Void with suspicion etched across her fade. Void put back the sword and slung the sheath over his shoulder, without any sign of what happened. He is very good at that. After a while, Nathan and Selene walked into the hall. Nathan instantly whispered to Selene, but Selene waved him away.

As Void watched his mentor walk off, a sinking feeling washed over him, knowing that that was probably the last time he would see his mentor. Void turned to look at Selene, trying not to show his dread of spending what could be his death with Spirit. “I see you’ve found your weapons. Good. You’ve met each other. Good luck you two.” Selene said absently, watching for their reactions. Void good at hiding his emotions. He has plenty of practice. “ Spirit, Void, you two are going on a quest that has been failed for generations. We all wish you well. You two would make a good team, you just have to put the past behind you.” Is she insane? Void thought, his hand tightening into fist. Selene seemed to notice this, and she said “Void, this is the sort of stuff you’ll probably be doing the rest of your life. It is the honor of being a hero.” Selene said, as she re-pinned the dragonet badge onto his bag so it was straight. “I know.” Void said gruffly. “I’ll be fine.” Spirit flashed a glare his way.

Void met her gaze steadily. Selene smiled. Selene must know what she is doing. She must. Void stood on the edge of the forest, his back to the strong sturdy walls of Nimrod. Nimrod, all he has ever known. Now he faced a forest. An unknown space. Something that Void had no experience in. Yet. Spirit scoffed, and pivoted sharply to face Void. “Now. Don’t you dare mess this up.” She said sharply. “Me mess this up?! What about you?” He snapped back, offended. “Don’t you dare get in my way!” Spirit shouted, then stormed off into the undergrowth. “She’s going to get killed.” Void muttered, and he started walking in the opposite direction. Not even a minute later, the air was pierced by a scream. On impulse, Void sprinted to the location of the noise. That was his job, after all.

Spirit stood in a clearing, holding her dagger, her chest heaving, and her eyes wide. On the other side of the clearing stood a small blond haired boy. He wore a white baseball shirt and that had yellow sleeves, and jean shorts. He was barefoot, his feet were more like paws then actual feet. His eyes were green, and his pale skin was blanketed with freckles, making it look like he had more of a tan. “Who are you?” he screamed, holding a small rock with a smile painted on it tightly. Spirit stiffened and wrinkled her nose. Neither of them noticed Void standing there watching, deciding what to do about the situation, like usual. “Who are you, and why are you here?” Spirit snapped at the young boy, who looked like he might be 6 years old. “I’m not going to answer you until you answer me!” The kid said, surprisingly loud, but playful, like he thought life was a game. Spirit launched herself at the child, who clumsily, but quickly dodged her.

Then, he launched himself at Spirit, kicking her in the back of the legs. She was enraged, and leaped to strangle the poor thing. Void sighed, and grabbed the collar of her vest, holding his arms at full extent, so she couldn’t hurt the child. The child leaned on a tree, his chest heaving, eyes wide, not letting his gaze leave Void. Void tried not to show his discomfort, as he turned his head towards Spirit. “Not even one minute, and you get into a fight.” He scolded Spirit flatly. Spirit turned red in frustration. “I don’t need your help.” “Really? You just attacked a random kid in the forest, and he almost beat you.” Void turned to the kid. “Sorry about that.” The kid smiled like Void had just given him a cake. “You’re fine! That was the most entertaining event that had happened in 3 years!” He bowed his head quickly. “My name is Croy, by the way.” Void smiled softly. “I’m Void and this psychopath is Spirit.” “I can introduce myself, thanks.” She snapped, finally escaping from my grip.

“Wow, she’s moody.” Remarked Croy, tilting his head, revealing remarkably large, pointed ears. Void stared at Croy’s ears, a theory instantly forming in his head. Croy shuffled uncomfortably. “Are you an elf?” Void asked, breaking the silence. Croy nodded. Void relaxed. “If you don’t mind, how old are you? You look six, but your voice sounds older.” Now Croy laughed. “No! Not even close!” “Really?” “Nay. I’m eleven.” Void froze, then nodded. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions? You are a very strange specimen.” Croy asked with a goofy smile. Void raised his eyebrows, but said yes. After all, what's the worst he could ask? “ Okay yay. First, what is up with your eyes? They are so cool!” Void stared, surprised. “ I- well, um. No one has called this cool before. It’s more of a curse. A curse I had since the day I was born.” he replied somewhat bitterly.

“Yeah, because you're a demon.” Spirit snorted. Void spun to face her, pure rage engraved on his face. “Why, why do you think I’m a demon?” Void asked, his tone loaded with venom. Spirit smirked at Void, not of joy or playfulness, but pure loathing. “Wow. She hates you.” Croy pointed out, looking at them, their faces red, like they were a reality show. “Okay. so let's move on to a different question?” he said nervously. “That would probably be best,” Void replied, his teeth gritted. Spirit “harrumphed”, but to both of their relief, didn’t argue. “Why is your hair so long?” Croy asked. Void sighed. He asked the question that Void did not want to anser. Not yet. But he did. “It was long originally because I wouldn't cut it because of my mother. My father killed her, and was exiled. All of my sibling's hair grew, but none quite as quickly as mine. Probably because I was young. I was going to cut it when I became apprenticed to Nathan, the hero of Nimrod. He told me not to care what people thought about

That's kinda hard.” Void finished, glaring at Spirit. Spirit didn’t flinch. Insead, she held her head up high like he had insulted her. Well, technically he did. “Wow okay.” Croy said softly, staring wide-eyed at Void, clearly shaken by his response. “Um, well… Why are you guys here? I’ve seen a lot of people coming here, but I haven't seen them again. I’m not surprised though, because they make it clear they want to destroy the empire. I don’t want to associate with any of that. At least, I didn’t. I am kinda tired of waiting for it to fall.” Void looked up, hope pulsing through his veins. Maybe, just maybe this kid was the key to success. “I am one of those people. I don’t want to be, mind you, but it is-” “A tradition for a squire to complete a quest before they become full citizens of the town they were from. Yeah, I’ve talked to people before. Haven’t been randomly attacked, so that’s new.” Finished Croy with a mischievous smile.

“Who have you talked to?” Void asked, suddenly showing actual interest in the elf, to his surprise, and to Spirit’s. “ I have talked to someone named Finn, someone named Yosemite, and someone named Orca,” Croy replied with a shrug. Void gasped, overwhelmed, almost falling over, but caught himself, and leaned on a tree on the edge of the clearing, not trusting himself to stand. “Orca… do you know where she is? Is she alright?” Void asked desperately, looking Croy in the eyes. “I told you, I haven't seen them again. Why? Do you know her?” Void’s face fell. “Know her? Of course I do! She’s my sister!” Croy blinked in surprise. “You’re kidding.” “She really is my sister. Have you seen someone named Ashton?” “Orca asked that too. She said he had been taken by the empire. No one who goes in comes out. I’m sorry.” Croy replied, shaking his head sympathetically. Void slowly sank to the ground, greif weighing him down. Oh please, please don’t let Ashton be dead. He thought. Please. Don’t let me be too late

{and thats four}