Chapter 1

Garland awoke with a startled gasp.

He was lying upon his back, facing the warmth of the sunlight as it streamed down upon him. In the Warded Glade.

The boy stretched slowly, rubbing the slumber from his eyes.

Genomes like himself weren't gifted with magic. Not like the Mages were.

The boy sighed, then pushed himself to his feet.

There was something sharp on the ground. Garland lifted his foot with a minor curse.

He kicked it and watched it scamper across the ground. Right up to the base of the strangely marked stone.

Garland took a hissing step back.

The stone lay, severed into three pieces. A quiet mist rose from the middle of the rubble, casting slowly towards the warmth of the sky.

A guilty pang vibrated through him.

He backed away from the destruction.

He took another step back.

He stumbled over something in his third attempt. He landed roughly upon the ground, tail twitching furiously.

The boy scrambled once again to his feet.

He was darting off between the trees before he could draw in the next breath.

But his feet refused to stop.. sliding through the undergrowth, leaping woodland obstacles, dodging the looming trunks as they materialized not but feet in front of him.

In order to dispute that idea, Garland caught a hold of a passing limb, pulling himself to a stop. A sheen of cold sweat misted his bare skin, black hair dripping into his eyes. His hands felt sticky and stained. He rubbed them together desperately.

Just the disappointment in his voice would be enough to make Garland cry. He didn't give a damn about anyone else in the world… except for Mr. 44.

The boy swallowed, then turned to glance back the way he had come.

A pressure invaded his thoughts, tickling the back of his mind.

He could feel them. Garland managed to swallow the lump rising in his throat. One hand hovered near the hilt of his blade, his thin fingers still slightly trembling.

Like a silent shadow, the boy melded into the tree's side. He hoisted himself up, scrabbling for handholds on the trunk while keeping his motions known only to himself.

His ragged breath was loud inside his ears, slowly being drowned out by the thunder of his own heartbeat. Something out there… the feeling it gave him… was far from a good feeling. He cringed inwardly, fear pumping hard through his limbs.

What had Mr. 44 said lived in the forest…?

That's what he had said.

Garland wrapped his slender arms around the trunk, pulling his chest tightly to the rough bark. He wanted to make himself as small as possible.

The boy bit down hard on his bottom lip to keep from whimpering in fear. He had never seen evil before…

The sound of numerous large creatures lumbering through the underbrush surrounded him, crackling brush pushing in on him from all sides. Tail curling tightly around the sheath of his blade, Garland clutched the tree for safety, clamping his eyes shut so that the evils would not find him.

If I can't see it.. can it see me? So close.. It's goin' to find me…

Then… another sound came through the mangled tatters of his thoughts. Voices. Someone… or something… was speaking. Just below him.

"Am I hearing that you wish to back out of this?" It was a quipping, rough voice.

"U-uh um-um… That's n-not what I'm saying.. but.. I-I just d-don't think it's right."

"Think what isn't right? That we search for a way to live? Is that not right? Is that not natural?" The voice snapped in return.

The speech patterns churned around him. Garland forced his eyes open at once, peering down in a huge wave of relief. It was a group of Black Mages.. from the Village. From home.

He shivered.

The boy bit down on his lip once again, holding his breath for silence. The mages were so close, he was certain they would feel his eyes watching them from above.

"N-no. That's not what I meant, s-sir…"

Sir? Garland blinked. What's with that?

"Then tell me what it is that is on your mind."

"U-um. Just that.. shouldn't we be telling everyone else about this? I mean.. if it's going to help us… then.. w-we should share it, right?"

The rough voice laughed. It wasn't a kind sound.

Garland felt his hair stand on end.

"They'll all know about it soon enough. Don't you worry." The rough-voiced mage turned, a more fluid motion that his Mage brothers could attempt. "You.. you are all my chosen ones.. and for now we work in silence. But, when the time comes, all will know our secret."

A low growl escaped the boy's lips. I don't like this guy one bit. Who does he think he is?

"U-uh…" The other Mages simply shook their heads and looked at each other in confusion.

"None-the-less, we should be heading back. Our absence will be noticed if we do not arrive soon."

"D-don't you think.. they'll n-notice that we don't b-bring back food though we s-said we was gonna buy some?"

The rough voice attempted a smooth tone. It didn't work very well. "When it comes to that, let me take care of it. Understood?"

"Y-yes… sir.."

"Good."

Garland was certain it happened. His heart stopped, a frozen second in time. The rough-voiced Mage turned his head. Slitted glowing eyes focused upon the boy from the darkness under the wide-brimmed hat. Then the Mage turned to the others.

"Let's go."

And so the procession began again, like a storm moving through the forest, kicking up underbrush and loose dirt in all directions. Garland watched the Mages lumber away, the tip of his tail twitching.

He hung in the tree for only a moment, then slid down to a jarring drop on his toes.

He gave the Mages a five-minute head start before he began to jog in a diagonal the same general direction.

A shadow swept across the forest floor, unnoticed.

Garland.

He could never understand why the Genomes stared at him in horror and anger when he had said that his name was Garland. He had not actually been sure if that was his name. But it was all he had to hold on to.

And because of his name, they hated him.

The Mages didn't really hold him in too high a regard either. They liked keeping things as least complicated and troublesome as possible. They didn't like conflict. But ever since Garland could remember, there was a heavy tension between himself and the other Genomes.

He'd laugh. But it wasn't funny. Not really.

It didn't feel good to be unwanted.

The shadow cast itself upon the boy. Still unnoticed.

The large Black Mage had saved his life, quite literally nursing him back from the edge of death. Mr. 44 was always so very patient and kind to him… even when Garland did things that he didn't approve of. Mr. 44 never yelled at him. He didn't have to. To see Mr. 44 unhappy with him was punishment enough for Garland.

Garland had been told time and time again not to venture into the forbidden glade.

His senses kicked in all at once, a rushing sensation moving him.. his mind screaming: Above you!! Watch it!!

Garland managed to roll out of the way as the warning shot through his mind. All he could see was a huge blurry shadow descending from above, a heavy musky odor filling his nostrils. He tucked his tail for safety, and slipped behind the nearest tree.

The tree shattered.

Splinters showered down upon him as the boy threw up his arms to cover his face.

A screech split the air, the only warning before a huge taloned claw gouged the earth in the spot that Garland had been crouching just a second before.

The creature snaked back its feathered head, filling the air with its frustration.

This time it leapt for him, a huge vice-like beak snapping at him, ten-foot wings kicking up hurricanes of leaves and loose sand, stinging eyes and bear skin. Garland's hand slipped back to his dagger. He felt his footing go only a moment before he crashed to the ground. Then the winds enveloped him, dragging him along, his fingers digging into the soft earth uselessly.

The talon crashed upon him, pinning him down on all sides, splaying him out broken, like a rag doll.

Garland worked at prying his blade from under the weight of the beast. Seeing this, the huge creature began mercilessly pressing down, driving all the breath from his body.

Colors swam before his eyes in a dizzy haze. The darkness pulsed from within.

Garland squirmed under the crushing weight.

He could hear his own cry. It sounded small... a wild snarl of rage and frustration rather than of fear and humility.

The lights began to dance, a pattern, shifting to a brilliant golden sheen. A warmth drew around him. Then, as his the last of his breath was wrenched from his chest, a sharp hissing crackled across his vision. Dim shapes flickered in a golden light.

He could breathe!

The creature shrieked a sharp trill of pain and fear. The air turned static, the crack of lightning shook the ground at his back, dancing over the earth and through the limbs of the trees. In the midst of the pyro-symphony stood a large, yet familiar figure, conducting the massive power of the heavens as easily as anyone else might blink.

The monster buckled backward, its defeated cry following, as the great wings beat frantically away from ground. Just for good measure, a huge fireball leapt from the Mage's upraised palms, speeding the beast in its flight upward.

Garland struggled to his knees, attempting to find his voice. He had never seen Mr. 44 use magic like that before. For that matter, had never see any of the Mages use magic before.. period.

The shattered light still played before his eyes. Garland could feel his entire body shaking.

"G-Garland!" Mr. 44 was there. "Are y-you okay?"

The boy blinked up, still dazzled. He could only trace the outline of the Mage's bulky features…

"Garland? D-did you get hurt?" Mr. 44 carefully drew the boy up into his arms, lifting him from the ground.

"G-Garland?"

The boy blinked twice, finally realizing he was being addressed. Uncontrollable relief washed over his body in a shiver, and he buried his head in the front of Mr. 44's robe.

"I thought I was gonna die…"

"Y-you're okay now.. don't worry.. it-it.. won't come back. At least, it better not!" The Mage assured him.

"How did you find me?"

"I-I heard you.. uh… shouting." Mr. 44 answered, pushing his way through the bushes as if they didn't exist. "You sure shout loud."

Garland cracked a smile. "It's a good thing I do, hun?"

"Y-yeah."

The boy was beginning to feel dizzy, mind churning with everything that had happened. The Mages… the weird monster attack.. the stone…

Garland sat rod straight, "Oh shit!"

Mr. 44 nearly dropped him in surprise. "W-what?"

"The stone…" A guilty flush crept into the boy's cheeks. He turned to the big Mage. " I have to make a confession!" His tail was twitching wildly now. "I know you'll be mad.. but.."

The Mage shook his head in reply. "I-I don't care. Just so long as y-you're not hurt." It was as if he already knew.

"No.. This is serious!"

The Mage looked off into the distance. Then he slowly set the boy on his feet. There was a sad sort of silence behind the glow of his eyes. "You came out here to.. um…find the Warded Glade? Even after you were told not to."

Garland stared at the ground, taking in a deep breath. "Something… bad happened. I don't know what… but the stone that was there… it… broke..."

"Stone? B-broke?"

There was a slight shift as Mr. 44 knelt down to him, placing one big hand on each of Garland's thin shoulders. The Mage's voice was just as disappointed as the boy had imagined it would be.

"Garland… why?"

"I-I.. didn't mean it to be a bad thing, really!" The boy motioned widely with his hands. "It- it- it… was an accident! I promise!"

Mr. 44 took a deep breath. "A stone, is that what you said?"

Garland nodded slowly.

Mr. 44 didn't seem mad. He never got mad at Garland.

"Um… let's g-go.. home…"

The boy stood up suddenly, eyes blazing. "And what? Pretend it didn't happen?"

Mr. 44 rose as well, towering over the child. He said nothing. Just stood there watching.

"I did wrong. I broke the rules. It was an accident but I'm not gonna lie about it. We have to… tell someone…"

"B-but.. I-I… don't want you to get in trouble…"

"Mr. 44, it's okay. Thanks for lookin' out for me. But… I think I'll pay the price this time." Garland gave a broken grin up at his friend. "If that's okay with you?"

For a moment, the Mage said nothing. Then he extended his big hand to the boy. Garland laced his own safely within it.

"If that's what you w-want… um.. That's okay with m-me."

Garland turned, holding on tightly. Mr. 44 let him lead the way back to the Warded Grove.

~Chapter 2~