Chapter Two.

ALLITERATION.

CHAPTER TWO.

RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT_ _ _| SURFACE YEAR 2003_ _ _|

The boy and his twin sister were sitting on their mother's lap as she showed them an old photo album.

"Who's that?" the girl with blond hair and blue eyes points to a slightly faded photo.

"That was your great, great grandfather, serving during the war." The woman smiles as she explains the picture her daughter had just chosen.

The boy notes an older looking picture in the album, next to the one his sister had just chosen, and points to it. "Who are they?"

The twin's mother smiles sadly at the boy smiling to the camera. "That was your...let's see now...great, great, great... Great... great, great, great uncle. The twin brother of your Great, great..." She sighs and skips the remaining greats. "...Great grandmother. "His name was Callam."

"But what about the other guy?" The girl asks, referencing the slightly older teenager, obscuring his face from the camera with his wide rimed hat, tipped in a salute.

"Your Great Grandmother never knew his real name." Their mother sighs. "A Shame really. When she and her brother were growing up- maybe ten or so?- their settlement was raided by wild animals." She laughs lightly. "Mister tall dark and mysterious jumped into the middle of the stampede, with this strange, glowing sword." The woman closes her eyes as she recalls the story told to her by her own mother. "'Be gone, Demons of The Night!' he called, swinging his sword, and sending the animals running away as bolt after bolt of lightning chased them out of town from his blade." She glances down at her children. "He saved our great grandmother from certain death."

The two twins had awe and amazement in their eyes.

"When I grow up." Her son starts. "I want to learn how to do that! Just so I can protect people too!"

TAY_ _ _| SURFACE YEAR 1825_ _ _|

The explorer sighs as he looks at the picture in his hand, torn and faded just as it was when he took it out of the photo album.

"Well, I guess there's no denying it." he sighs, then puts the picture back inside the pocket it came from before turning to leave the room. The boy, who would have been turning seventeen in two weeks but was now resigned to keep his current age due to the confusion of time travel, stops at the doorway to pick up his backpack, a gift kindly given to him by the Rivenese people.

FLASH BACK: A FEW DAYS EARLIAR_ _ _|

"I'm not going to use my real name" The explorer starts as he adjusts the wide brimmed hat he had been given before exiting the room. "When I intro myself, I'm not going to use my real name. So don't act surprised."

Tomoki looks up. "How come?"

"Fresh start and all that." The explorer pauses briefly. "I'm thinking of going with Daisuke."

"Nice name." The bahro then inquires. "Isn't that from an anime?"

The explorer stops in his tracks. "N-No! Whatever would give you that idea?"

Tomoki laughed. Long and loud.

END FLASHBACK_ _ _|

The explorer walks down the stone like hallways in main structure of the Age called Tay in amusement. "If this is all a dream, it's the dream of everyone, I'll bet."

As he walks, he notes the inhabitants giving him strange looks. 'Well, it's not everyday they see a time traveler, I suppose.'

He wanted to relto away, not go through the trouble of saying goodbyes and such. But Tomoki couldn't link at will anymore for some odd reason. So they had to go through the whole "Share Book" routine.

Where was the bahro anyways? The explorer wondered. 'Probably getting more oranges for the road, I'll bet.'

FLASH BACK_ _ _|

The Explorer enters a room with a single table in it. One man sits at the table, writing in a journal; Atrus.

The explorer coughs, to let himself known to the room.

"Oh! Hello." The man smiles as he looks up from his writing.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" The explorer asks.

"Yes, yes, Come in. Come in." Atrus beckons the explorer further into the room. The Explorer takes a seat across from the man, letting him start. "As I understand it, you want your personal linking book back?"

"Yes, sir. Yes I do." The explorer nods. "It's something rather important to me and Tomoki."

"I've taken a look at it." Atrus then pulls the small green book out of a pile of other books. "But I can't tell if it's stable or not because I can't seem to open it past the main panel."

The explorer sighs. "Considering where I'm from, that doesn't surprise me."

"Where are you from, exactly?" Atrus asks as he turns the book over in his hands. "It has Yeesha's name on it, and I'm curious as to why."

The explorer sighs. "That's a long story, Sir. A really long story."

"I've got time."

"Time." The explorer huffs. "I've always been running out of it." He glances to the Relto book. "Now I've got more than I need." Then he looks Atrus in the eye. "I was going to die."

Atrus's only inquiry was a low "hmm?"

END FLASHBACK_ _ _|

As he entered a common room, he spots Yeesha talking to a girl who looked a few years older than her. More around his age.

Politely coughing, The explorer lets himself known to the room. "Have either of you seen Tomoki?"

Yeesha turns around to face him, a grin on her face. "There you are! I was just talking about you!"

The explorer sighs. 'I can only imagine.'

Yeesha grabs her friend's arm. "Come on Kaiyumi! Let's go say Hi!"

"Yeesha!" The girl yelps as she's dragged from her chair. "Wait just one second!"

"Dysk, this is Kaiyumi! Kaiyumi, This is Dysk!" Yeesha grins.

The explorer sighs. That was the trouble of creating a fake alias.

Kaiyumi, as the girl was identified, looks him in the eye, and he looks her right back.

A moment of silence occurs between the two.

Yeesha frowns.

"Well, anyways. Have you two seen Tomoki?" the Explorer inquires again.

Kaiyumi shakes her head. "Sorry, No, I haven't even met the little guy yet."

The explorer sighs. "Well, it was worth a try." He turns to leave. "Ja Mata Ne. See ya around."

He barely got three inches out of the door when Yeesha started chasing after him, Dragging her friend by the arm.

"WAIT!"

The explorer turns to face the girl. "Yes?"

"We can help you look!" Yeesha smiles. Kaiyumi looks to The explorer, shaking her head "no."

He sighs. "As much as I appreciate it, I don't want to mess up your time line as much as I already have."

Yeesha rolls her eyes with a grin. "But what if you messing it up is part of my time line?"

The explorer kneels down, and looks the future Grower in the eye. "If it is, I've already done my part." He stood up, and continued back down the hallway. "I'm leaving."

"Pleaseeeee!!?" Yeesha then abandons dragging her friend down the hallway for wrapping her arms around his legs. "Please, Dysk? Please stay?"

The explorer blinks rapidly. "I...But I... I can't!"

"Why not?!" The girl asks, attempting to give a set of Puppy dog eyes.

"I Just Can't!" He was tempted to relto right then and there, with or without Tomoki. In fact, his hand was reaching down for the book at that moment.

Yeesha noticed this, and was about to act towards snatching the book away from him when Kaiyumi put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeesha, let him go." Kaiyumi sighs. "He's made up his mind on this."

Yeesha frowns. "But he and Tomoki HAVE to stay!"

PRESENT DAY_ _ _| GAHREESEN_ _ _|

The rip in space time was clear. The world literally was shattered in that spot.

Adale, the daughter of the leader of the Nekisahl, smirked. "Soon, my prey, soon we shall be reunited. And soon you shall be dead."

The female warrior turns to her gathered army. "I will return momentarily." Then she connects to the network in order to open the portal once more.

Her Guardian spirit greets her immediately. "Welcome Adale, what a pleasant surprise! I haven't seen you in a year!"

Adale frowns. "Save the greetings for later. I need to travel after that traitor."

"You Wish to go back in time? To alter events more than they have already?" Her guardian asks, surprised. "With things in flux already as they are, This is surprising from you!"

"Yes." Adale answers immediately. "A thousand times yes!"

"I will grant you the power, but only under my supervision." The Guardian notes.

Adale grimaces, knowing how these spirits love to keep the universe in check. A being as powerful as herself shouldn't need "supervision." But, in this case, Adale knows nothing of forging portals. "I agree to the terms of service."

"Good. Before we begin, I would like to mention this one thing: When you travel back in time, you will not be able to access the network as you currently do." her Guardian notes. "Your powers surpass those of normal beings, As you do not even need to connect to do things others must. When you travel back, you will be at slightly normal power levels."

Adale raises an eyebrow. "In that case the traitor can't link at will. He's a sitting duck!"

"Such Human terms from a supposed Human hater! I'm impressed!" Her guardian laughs.

"Oh, Save it for the Pigs." Adale growls. "Tell me how to re-open the portal."

Her Guardian spirit's laughter dies out. "All right. Hold out your right hand, towards the rupture."

Adale does so.

"Then intone the Rhymes of the Ancient Time Lords." Her guardian informs. "Verses Ten through Twenty-Eight."

"Ten to Twenty-Eight?!" Adale grimaces. "You know, I'm starting to think you're just toying with me."

"I might be, I might not." The guardian chuckles. "Following this procedure, create a temporal Link shift on a time locked cycle."

Adale sighs. "A lot of stuff to do here."

"Yes, well, Even Gods have to follow the rules sometimes." Her guardian notes with a chuckle. "But this step is IMPERATIVE, or else you will not be able to return." a pause. "And You DO Want to return, right?"

Adale mimics "you do want to return, right?" in a low, barely hearable tone.

"What was that?"

"I said, 'yes, I do want to return, all right?'" Adale replies sharply.

"I thought so..."

"Look, can we hurry this up?" Adale frowns.

"Why hurry? Time in this world is nearly nonexistent, compared to your universe." Her guardian notes.

"I'm impatient. Didn't you know that?" Adale asks sarcastically

"No, No I did not." Her guardian laughs.

-----

To the gathered forces of the Nekisahl, Adale had closed her eyes only a second ago.

To Adale, She had been reciting enchantments, spells, and biblical verses for a little over two hours.

"Okay, You are done." her Guardian's form smiles.

Adale grimaces. "About time."

"Now, before I return you to your world, I want you to understand one thing." The Guardian starts. "And it is a VERY important thing that you should not dismiss under ANY Circumstance."

"All right, what is it?" Adale sighs, tired of her guardian's continuous talking.

"Be warned, Adale, If you do not succeed in your self imposed mission, you WILL be banished." Her guide intones. "The banishment of all banishments." a pause. "And you know what that is."

Adale gulps. "Y-You're serious?"

"Time Travel is bound by thousands upon hundreds of laws." The guardian reminds. "One Such Law is that 'If you are using your own power to promote your own ends, and you Fail, you will bear the punishment to it's fullest.' Keep that in Mind, Adale."

"I will." The female warrior bows her head. "I thank you for your guidance, My guardian."

"I will miss you, Adale." her guide smiles warmly. "For, even if you succeed in your plan, the world you will return to will not be this one. Such are the risks of time travel."

Adale has nothing to say to this.

AGE OF EDER GIRA_ _ _| THE JUNGLE SWAMPS_ _ _| 1825_ _ _|

Two forms swiftly move through the foliage away from their village, laughing all the way.

One is a female, the other male, both are in their teenage years.

"Come on Jal! We're going to be late!" The Girl, who was dragging the boy through the maze of trees, grins. "Do you want Thalnar to call you a 'lazy rhuk' again?!"

The boy rolls his eyes. "Kalhm, you're the one who said the party was half an hour later than it was!"

"Yeah well..." The girl trails off as they exit the maze, entering the clearing (with a rather nice koi pond taking up half of the space) where the party had been held.

The clearing was deserted, save for the seemingly abandoned party equipment. Not a fellow teenaged child of the local village was present.

"What..." The boy starts. "What happened here?!"

The girl had no verbal answer, for she was gone.

"Kalhm?" The boy looks around, frantic. How had she vanished when she was holding his hand, standing right next to him?! "Kalhm, this isn't funny! Come on, where are you?!"

A shadow moved behind the boy...

"Kalhm?!"

...And then he was gone as well.

AGE OF TAY_ _ _|

Yeesha watched with a grin as Daisuke, as that was the name the explorer had introduced himself as, walked back towards her and Kaiyumi not ten minutes later, Tomoki shuffling his feet behind the explorer.

Well, technically, he was walking towards the book room where Yeesha and Kaiyumi (rather reluctantly, though) were waiting for him.

"You didn't think you were going to leave without a proper good bye, right?!" Yeesha asks.

"We said goodbye earlier, didn't we?" The explorer asks.

"That wasn't a proper good bye!" Yeesha points out. "And besides, Kaiyumi still hasn't met Tomoki!" Kaiyumi went to say something to the contrary but stopped when Yeesha continued. "You two are staying here and I'm not going to let you leave!" You had to hand it to the girl, she was persistent.

"Look, I've already told you that I'm not...." The explorer cut himself off with a sigh. "We're not staying."

Tomoki looked up to his friend. "What if I wanted to stay?"

Daisuke sighs, again. He seems to like doing that allot, doesn't he? "Then you can stay. I'm not."

Tomoki's saddened mood immediately brightens. "Really?! I can!?"

"Sure, I don't see why not." Daisuke starts. "As far as I'm concerned, you can do whatever you want." He shrugs. "I just went to the trouble to hunt you down and take you along just because I thought you wanted to come along."

Tomoki frowns for a moment. "Well, if I could go back and forth..."

At this, Yeesha has no hesitation in rushing over, grabbing Tomoki by his left arm, and dragging him down the hall. "Come on! Let's go tell Mom and Dad you're staying with us! Maybe they'll let you stay in my room!" Tomoki's eyes widen at this.

"No! Wait! I changed my mind!" He cries out, throwing his right arm out in a frantic gesture, trying to tell Daisuke grab it. "I want to leave! I want to leave!"

Yeesha, however, just hums a merry tune. "Na la la, Na la la..."

"HELP!! ME!!" Tomoki cries out as he's dragged around a corner.

Daisuke and Kaiyumi look down the now empty hallway for a few moments before looking at each other and asking simultaneously "What just happened here?"

An awkward silence fills the room.

"So, ah..." The boy enters the book room, and turns towards the requested linking book. "I'm just going to go then."

"Right, right." The girl nods, and turns to leave, but stops short. "Ah, Yeesha can be a bit crazy some times, so, I'll keep an eye on your friend, okay?"

"Thanks." He smiles. "I'd appreciate it."

With that, he opens the book, presses his hand to the page, and links away.

Kaiyumi always found linking a strange thing. Your body would vanish into thin air here, and reappear elsewhere. She always hesitated upon touching those strange pictures- portals to another world- and yet this new comer used them regularly.

For a brief moment, Kaiyumi considered following him through the green bound book, for no apparent reason at all.

Well, she was free from all major duties for the next--- Kaiyumi crushed the thought immediately.

EDER KEMO_ _ _| EXPLORER'S/DAISUKE'S POV_ _ _|

When I linked into the Garden age of Eder Kemo, I was expecting something less like what I already knew it by.

When I linked into the Garden age of Eder Kemo, I wasn't expecting it to be exactly the same way I already knew it by.

The bahro glyphs painted on the walls were exactly the same, only newer, Fresher.

After all, D'ni had only fallen- what? Thirty? Forty years ago?

But the main thing that caught my attention was the fact that the Bahro door was still here, even if the cloths to open it were missing.

I was curious as to what would happen if I tried to open the door.

I didn't take the risk though. The bahro door wasn't my goal here.

The Nexus book in Gira was.

I Did notice that one Minor change to the age was that the statue wasn't spinning. I didn't want to stick around to see if that was what was causing the rain, however.

And so, I went to the Gira linking book, barely noting that it went to the main area and not the back. Well, That would make it easier on me. With that, I pressed my hand to the window.

AGE OF EDER GIRA_ _ _| STEAM VENT AREA_ _ _|

Linking is a strange thing. In the games, the world would fade to black. I think the reason for this is because of the fact that people instinctively close their eyes when they link. To the outside person, it appears as if you're vanishing into thin air. But, if you keep your eyes open, it's truly remarkable. The Linking panels are literally windows to another world. Literally, they are doors. You pass through them.

When I link through a normal book, I keep my eyes open. The world begins to distort, and the Linking book seems to grow, or, do I begin to shrink? Regardless, the Linking panel literally becomes a door, and I pass through. The world beyond comes closer with a single step, and there I am. It's definitely disorientating as my line of sight seems to twist and turn until I reach my own eyes again, Which is probably why we instinctively close our eyes.

"Artistic License" be banned! The real reason flybys exist in the Myst games was because the Stranger never closed his eyes! That's my theory!

But wait, you ask, why do I specify "Normal Linking books"? Because, I once tried linking through an abnormal link (it was Negilahn's portal, if you must know) and I wound up on my head in relto because I blindly stumbled off the ledge! That's why!

NORMAL POV_ _ _|

Daisuke linked into the pit during night time hours.

"Why is it I always land on the night side?" He asked to himself as he walked towards the nexus book stand, only to stop as he spots said stand knocked onto it's side. "Well well...What have we here?" The explorer gets down onto his knees to inspect the stand. It seemed to have been knocked down a few years earlier, as indicated by the amount of dirt burying it. An animal, perhaps? But then where was the linking book to the nexus?

Getting to his feet, Daisuke 'hmm'd and looked out towards the waterfall area and beyond. "Maybe the natives are still around then..." So, he went through the motions of closing the pressure vents to launch himself over the rubble blocking the path to the back area.

He wondered about what the villagers looked like. Were they humanoid? Were they like the Bahro? How did they get to and from the village from and to the Steam vent area? Did they have wings? How advanced were they technologically? What would they think of him? And did they have his Nexus book?

When the explorer catapulted himself over the rubble, he wasn't expecting ANYONE or ANYTHING to be waiting for him on the other side. Let alone anyone with dart gun-crossbow and Dart gun-rifle hybrids.

Daisuke barely registered the fact that there were angry tribal warriors in the age shooting at him before he collapsed to the ground.

JUNGLE/SWAMP AREA_ _ _| SOME TIME LATER_ _ _|

Daisuke barely registered the fact that he was conscious before a bag was removed rather violently from his head.

The first thing he noticed was that it was day time. The second was that he was in side one of the structures seen at afar from the water fall area. The third was that he was before the village elders. And the fourth was that they were all cat-girls. Not in the literal sense that they were really feline-human hybrids, nor that they were all female, but that they all were wearing cat ears and had cat tails and had (what he assumed were) Cat fur clothes, and they had Cat styled Masks. Daisuke assumed they within their late twenties.

After he had realized all of this, he then realized that they were talking to him.

In Japanese.

He was sure there was some sort of temporal miss-hap going on here, or else they wouldn't be speaking his second learned language. So Daisuke's reaction to this deduction was a simple phrase, Repeated thrice.

"You are the first outsider to arrive in thirty years!"

"What?"

"Who are you!?"

"What!?"

"Are you an idiot or something?! Answer them!"

"WHAT!!?"

END CHAPTER TWO.