FicWad

Hello once again. This chapter is dedicated to 'SpiritGirl of japan'. This story is far from over... I'm so excited! I have exactly 11 chapters left excluding this one. But I keep changing the story line... and I've already written chapter twenty-nine and twenty-eight... there might be more. I've started doing a drama camp. We have a lot to do in only five days. Five hours a day too... pheff! So I'm trying to type really fast. Plus my dad rented the whole first season of 'Smallville'... we have to watch it all in five more days. But here's another chapter. Sorry about the cliffhanger, I'll tie it together in this chapter and the next. Bye. -Nuuoa Eclaire

"Yes I left you without answers... and in seeing your friends predicament... I am truly sorry." -Annabelle Windlow (Who is she??? Read to find out.)

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The fighting was getting fierce. All the muscles in Atlanta's slim and muscular body, burned with the lava of a volcano. The many shadow wolves kept coming back against their will. If they had, had any sense they would have screamed at their injuries. But with Cronos controlling them they felt none of it.

"If they keep going at this rate, they'll kill themselves!" Atlanta hissed into Archie's ear.
"Well," Archie spoke back, "Isn't that what we want?" Atlanta threw a light punch to his shoulder.
"Not if it's not even their own doing. I kill animals to eat... or if they are truly evil and want to kill me. These animals'... creatures... aren't really trying to kill us. And if we break the spell, they should come to our side..."

"Watch out!" Archie pushed her to the side, but it was to late. The looming frame of a big shadow wolf knocked itself into Atlanta. She went hurdling into the next room.

The opening was barely even visible. It was by pure Neil luck that Archie found where she had been pushed. He squeezed into the small crack. He could already tell, even through the gapping darkness, that this entrance was man made. He felt around blindly for Atlanta. And felt he hard small hand. In embarrassment he jerked away. Then he lifted her up gently and sighed. She wasn't moving, but he could hear her heart beat.

As he leaned against the cold dank wall and slipped down with a thud. He placed Atlanta gently down in front of him and rubbed his sore backside. What had that been? He pulled himself up and felt around. His pale hands came to rest on a firm broken seal. Broken?

Atlanta began to stir and he rushed to her side. Nothing was broken... but he just 'had' to help her up. After he felt the presence in the small little chamber change, he knew her twilight gray eyes had opened.
"Atlanta?" He whispered. She nodded.
"Atlanta, can I use your laser cross bow for a minute?" He felt her large beautiful eyes question him, and then out of trust she handed them to him.

Archie began to charge them, as he leaned forward. The purple light, like his hair, gave him enough light to see what the broken lock was.
"Archie?" Atlanta's voice seemed intrigued, "Did you know there's some sort of weird writing here on the ground? I think its instructions to something."
"Really?"
"Yeah. And I also found a burnt out torch... it has been recently lit..."

Atlanta grunted and got up, "Archie? What are you doing?" Archie kept the faint steady light on the wall, "This seal. It's broken. All it leads to is an empty stand were some sort of jewelry was once placed..." Then he broke off, his voice cracked.
"Archie was is it? Archie?" Atlanta's calm voice rose to a state of panic. No more words were needed, as Archie let the glow rest on the broken seal.

Across it were two large scythe marks.

"Cronos..."

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"Where are we exactly?" Khalil questioned Jay quietly. Jay turned calmly, he normally didn't get along with the stubborn shadow wolf... but for Theresa... just today he would make an exception. They had made a silent pact between themselves.

Ever since yesterday Theresa had been silent and shivering with an unknown cold. She would lag behind or dart ahead. Or Jay would see and feel her out of the corner of his warm chocolate brown eyes, clinging to his yellow and purple polo shirt.

At night he lay restless. He could still hear her unshed tears through out the day.

She was as silent as death.

Jay had kept himself awake all last night to protect her. But from what? Was it another one of those vultures? Or maybe the unknown enemy itself? Death. Did he really fear her dying? Of course, it was only natural. But still... he wouldn't allow himself to lose her again. Never again... he had mad to many broken promises... he wouldn't break another.

Another thing that was bothering Jay, was what had happened to him just the night before.

Flashback:

Jay lay down next to the dancing flames. He took a glance at Theresa's frail and fragile form only ten paces away from him. She was tossing and turning, her light shinning red hair splayed out with sweat. She took ragged breaths.

Odie had made sure that Jay had brought two sleeping bags for the journey. How Odie managed to stuff everything into the little yellow bag he had no idea.

As the night passed on Jay found no comfort in the sandman's arms. And it wasn't just because of the shadow wolf's snoring... he needed to stay awake for Theresa. Besides he couldn't fall asleep with the constant pain she felt within her soul.

When Theresa had first begun to fade it was a shock to all of them. But it wasn't just Theresa. It was Khalil too. He had found that out when Khalil had tried to bite him. The teeth made no contact. Then Jay mocked him and Khalil tried again... his arm still throbbed.

But he found Theresa and Khalil could still make contact. There were the few moments where Jay could still feel Theresa under his hands... then there were the times he would pass through her. As time progressed those times increased.

It had been hard for him, but eventually he stopped trying to touch her. He found when he passed through her, that her soul burst apart in sorrow. But why couldn't he touch Theresa or Khalil. He didn't mind about Khalil... but Theresa...

And the more he thought about passing through, Jay began to understand. Of course he couldn't fully, because the figure in black had left so soon. He still needed answers. But he soon began to realize that Theresa and Khalil could still touch the other dream creatures. Because he wasn't really from the dream world. He still had a body and wasn't only a soul... or dream.

Did that mean that they would keep fading until they were nothing? Is that why there were no people in the dream world? Or did they become the many different creatures? But there weren't that many... what really happened. And then his questioning on the fact that Theresa and Khalil couldn't touch things from the real world was confirmed.

Theresa rolled out of her sleeping bag. No through it. She rolled to the left and passed through the fuzzy red material. Jay gasped and reached for her arm. He went through and pulled back silently in despair.

He began to cry silently, 'I love her. I love her.' He thought.
"Hey?" Khalil stirred, moving his dark bristly body to face Jay, "Are you bleeding? I smell blood."

Jay touched his tanned face. And looked at a tear that had landed on his finger in the firelight. It wasn't a tear. It was blood! He whipped every sigh of his tears away.
"No! Nothing! Just... get back to sleep."

Khalil shrugged. And his snoring persisted.

End of flash back.

He had told Theresa everything the next day... about his theory... not the bloody tears... and defiantly NOT about the fact he had admitted to loving her! Then they had started wondering and passed though the dust to this strange place.
"Hey! I said where are we?" Khalil tossed his abnormally large black paws against the dead ground.
"We're in the place where the gray vultures first attacked me. I remember this black sky clearly..."
"It's more of dead dark gray..." Khalil observed. Jay made a hard fist and thought, 'I need to stay calm for Theresa... don't lash out at Khalil.'

Theresa gasped behind him, and he whipped around. A short woman around twenty, stood next to the gapping Theresa. She had slender shoulders and wavy ebony hair that flowed down to her shoulders. Her extremely light blue eyes lit up the dead area. She had classic features and extremely pale skin... but she held an air of power around her. She seemed very tired. Then Jay noticed it... she had a black cloak on.

"You're the voice of the stars, aren't you!" Khalil's four eyes made contact with those around him.
"You left without giving us any answers last time!" Jay piped up angrily.
"Yes I left you without answers... and in seeing your friends predicament... I am truly sorry." The girl said in a high society manner, but it held true compassion.
"My name is Annabelle. Annabelle Windlow. I have come to explain a few things... I just hope I'm not too late..."
"Well you better not be! Now here's my first question, "What are you?" Jay paced next to Theresa. Surprisingly Theresa was smiling.
"I will tell you... just follow me? Don't worry, trust me."

Theresa willingly accompanied her, Khalil followed. Jay looked around wide-eyed. Then realizing he was all alone raced to catch up.

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Cronos stood once again at the mouth of the cave containing the beast. The sickly trees that blew around him crashed around even more fiercely. They were no doubt reacting to the object he had brought here.

Cronos pulled out a large necklace. The one he had 'borrowed' from the cave on the island. Gold etched its way around a large aqua stone. He moved to the side and approached a small alter. He placed the necklace there and laughed. The alter magically spit out a key in the necklaces place. He took it in his hands eagerly and rushed for the entrance. He placed the key in the small opening he had previously created. The key turned magically and moved so slowly it seemed like time was standing still. It would be another hour or two.
"Those cave instructions really helped." He laughed at the lightning sky.

Behind that entrance of stone... the beast was waiting for him. He felt his freedom getting closer. And closer. Soon he would be able to reek havoc once more. And he would start with the very people that had locked him in here for thousands of years.

The gods.

And he was sure the man on the other side would show him how to find them.
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You really didn't think I would go through the whole story without actually releasing the beast did you? Hope you liked it. I'll update soon. Probably once every two days. Yeah! The next story I'm going to write is either "The Cold Side of her Heart" (Better then it sounds) or "Just Like Eurydice". YOU decided. SO vote people. Both are Jay and Theresa, and Archie and Atlanta stories. -Nuuoa Eclaire.