The crunch of boots on the dry autmn leaves was almost as loud as a cannon on that windy brisk day. Meera stepped carefully into the ruins eyes in awe and mouth slightly agape. She glanced down occaisionally at Akira. Whos soft fox pads hardly made the faintest sound on the fallen dead leaves. Meera had to check and see if she was still there. She didn't have to look for Venorik, his squirrel nails made tiny skittering sounds as he ran all over on top of the ruins. Marqee she had left back with Enzo, so if something happened, he would be able to contact her as soon as possible. Meera glanced back ahead of her and at the old, broken down place that she had first set foot on today.

When she had first left her parents, she had not known the secret that she later knew of. The secret was well hidden and obviously meant for her to find out when her parents felt that the time was right. Sadly, they never had time to give it to her. Instead, Meera accidentally found it on her elvish dagger, grafted to it. Sadly, she couldn't read it all so she only read the part about some ancient ruin. That was why she was here today. These were the only ruins that she knew of. She hoped that she could find what she needed.

Thomas knew that he would be struggling to regain his powers. He did not think, however, that it would be this costly. He knew that he had to learn techniques now from the ground up - he had little other choice - so he started training here, in these withered grounds, using his fists as they were the only weapon that would always remain his. He hadn't thought of hitting anything, so he was simply striking the air, pretending to be fighting someone who was drunk or something similar.

His imagination had also withered, but not because of he hasn't been thinking. Rather because for so long he hasn't had reason to imagine. When he wanted to train everything was there for him to be able to train. Strength was important back in them days, he recalled, and now he had nothing left. Not even his will.

As this thought crossed his mind he sat himself upon the remnants of a pillar, sitting himself upon it seeing that it was only the thick post that remained of it. He wanted to cry - the havens knew he wanted to - but he could not even find it within himself to do that any longer. So he sat there, silent, barely remembering to breathe as he looked at the broken terra before him, feeling that this was a reflection of him inside. He did not even want himself to bring out the sapphire jewel from his pocket because he knew that he would force himself to weep at the sight of it despite the fact that his eyes were now aflame with pain.

Her fingers ran over the rough patterns on the side of the stone as she attempted to decipher the ancient message. She did not know any of the characters that were used in whatever the writer was trying to get across. No matter how hard she searched the edges of her memory, no rememberence or knowledge came up that would help her decipher this. She sighed, this just wasn't her day. Even though she had found the place allright and knew that it was the correct place, she couldn't find anything that could possibly give her clues towards her past. She finally gave up all hope on those scribes and turned back towards the end of the ruins which she had not yet looked at. So far, she also hadn't seen anyone else which was very weird. Someone had told her that the ruins were always crowded with people trying to find their true heritage and the meaning of the ruins.

Today, she hadn't seen anyone. Just then, something caught her eye. She saw movement. She knew it wasn't Venorik for she had just seen him examining a shiny rock. It also wasn't brown. She turned her head to look at the figure, and saw that it was a man. She walked closer saying to herself -I wonder why he's here?- and said a cautious "hello" to him, she didn't want to startle him too much and you never knew if he was evil or not.

Lost in his wandering thoughts, Thomas almost did not hear the cautious greeting that was sent towards him. He had encountered one person before and, seeing as how she was cautions also, he began to wonder what was so scary about him. He had no strength, no powers, not even a jewel in his hand to reflect what powers he once had. Yet people were afraid of him. He simply sighed in a partial response, wishing that he would not be feared by those who mean no harm. The silence around him, however, made him a little fearful for he knew that if he could not distract himself he will end up weeping again.

Turning to the feminine figure, he sighed again, this time more politely. "You have no need to be cautious, miss. You are looking upon someone who once had enough power to be feared. Now I have nothing left save a memory." At this, he turned his gaze back to the ground. "I have nothing left anymore. Not my strength, not my powers, not even my will to fight. All I once had is meaningless to me now until I 'regain my power', which I do not know how to do." He turned to the sky. "Especially since I am in this unknown land. I have only crossed one figure in my travels and she said she knew little about this place herself. She knew more than I did, so I listened."

Turning his gaze to her, he allowed the indent in his forehead to show for a moment before a tuft of black-like hair covered it. His deep brown pupils gazed upon the figure with interest for a few moments before nodding and sighing, turning back to the stone floor. Lifting his gaze to the horizon, he began to wonder if this new female had anything to speak of about this land. To him, she appeared to know a little more than his previous companion, so he decided to put his thoughts into a question.

"What do you know about these lands, then, miss?"

Meera was greatly relieved to hear that this man meant no harm. She shook off the large cloud of caution that hovered over her, and immedietly smiled at the man. The smile became a half frown as she heard the cause of his weakness. She said "I'm very sorry to hear that sir. If I can help you in any way to bring back your powers, ask me and I will see if it can be made possible." she smiled at him then took a few steps closer. She listened to his question with eagerness. She always loved to help out people when she could. This was something that she knew fairly well and she could probably answer it. Though she wanted to help as much as she could, the question was too general. It wouldn't have been a problem if her knowledge of this lands hadn't been so expansive. But in this case it was and to specify the question would be better.

As her eyebrows creased in the center questioningly she asked "what do you mean specifically? Of what lands? I am happy to say that I can help you but the question is much to general. It would go on forevor if I named all of the facts that I knew of this whole land of Imythess. It could help me greatly for you to tell me the place in particular that you are wanting to learn more about. I have been to almost all of the places in Imythess so it shouldn't be too much of a problem" after that was said she smiled. She truly hoped that he could specify it because then it would cause her to speak of all the places insted of just to specialize in just one.

"No need for your apologies," Thomas spoke kindly to her," for it was not your fault I lost them. And if you can help me regain my powers then I would be more than surprised." He meant no offence in the words, but he remembered his powers well enough and it was this knowledge, perhaps, that made him doubt her, for she seemed to be different to what he was.

"Imythess?" Thomas almost interrupted with as she was speaking, silencing himself as she continued on with her response, only speaking again at her conclusion. "So this realm is called Imythess?" He looked about, realising at last that this was far from his homeland. He had never heard of Imythess before, even in the tales of lore he kept in his library.

"Have you ever heard of Livarencia, miss?" Thomas questioned on, hoping that she knew. "It is my home realm and I am hoping to find a way back there. I have a feeling that I will need more than my hope to get back but if it means staying here for a while longer then so be it. As long as I return home."

-Now you're starting to sound like a homesick wimp...- Thomas shouted to himself in his mind as he sat back down after leaping at the mention of Imythess being the name of this realm. -To think I would be this desperate to return home...heh...I would never have believed it if someone told me.- He then began to laugh at this ironic outcome - the fact that he could not go home even if he wanted to.

Meera gave him a half smile, she wasn't sure what he meant. She didn't know wether she should feel annoyed with him or if she should smile. So instead, she reached a good comprimise and quirked an eyebrow up at him. Though she was still confused, she listened eagerly. As he commented on the name Imythess, she nodded her head and said "yes, this land is dubbed Imythess" then quieted on that subject, listening to the rest of his speech. Meera was excited that she was somewhat helpful. As he began to ask another question, she walked a tad closer to hear him better. She didn't want to mishear anything. Maybe she was being a bit too eager to help but to her that was just being nice. As soon as she heard the full question, her smile became a frown. She had never heard of the land Livarencia. The name sounded unfarmilliar on her tongue. She couldn't have heard it from someone else's mouth either for it sounded unfarmilliar too.

She finally spoke and said "I'm sorry sir, I have never heard of the land you speak about, Livarencia. I'm also sorry to say that I haven't heard any one of my friends speak of that foreign land either." she shrugged at him, then suddenly had a bright thought. She said "if you like, I could help you find your way back...." then trailed off and said "If you want, you don't have to have me following you around. I mean, if you want to do it alone that's fine with me, just tell me, I don't mind......." and she looked away for a second.

Thomas sighed as she mentioned that she did not know about the lands of Livarencia. He was far from his home realm. If none knew of it how could he get back? If the land was so far away that it was in another place away from the map this planet represented then how could he get back without aid? The cause seemed lost, the reason for his will distant. Perhaps all he could do now was become strong again and build up on his lore of spells, seeing as how it is now the only chance he has of getting back home.

Seeing that she felt pity for him, he sighed with a smile flushing upon his face. "Don't worry about Livarencia. It seems that I am further from there than I first thought." Looking to the skies, he sighed once more. "The stars are unfamiliar to me. I cannot tell which way to go." Looking back to the female figure he smiled, his hand reaching back for the staff he left leaning against the pillar's base. "By rights, it should be me asking you if I am able to travel along with you. Perhaps by gaining my strength in these lands I can grant my own passage back to the lands I call home. Do you accept me as a companion?"

The question lingered in the air as Thomas awaited patiently for the answer, the night seeming to bear no heed to the presences around as a chill wind blew through the ruins and sent a shiver sparking up Thomas' spine. The sudden chill subsiding, Thomas once more focused upon the feminine figure before him.

Meera stood patiently as he pondered among himself. She had nothing planned today and had all the time in the world. While she waited, she looked around in the immense ruins. Occaisionally, she spotted Venorik's bushy tail popping in and out among some of the columns then smiled. When he started to talk again, her attention immedietly returned to him. When he asked her if she would accept him as a companion, she laughed and said "if I did not want you as a companion, I wouldn't have asked you..." then paused for a second. She continued "of course I would enjoy helping you out.............................that is if you don't mind my animal companions tagging along either." she slowed down at that part, her smile curved downwards but only slightly. If he said no, she was afraid of what she would do. She really wanted to help him but her animal friends went everywhere with her. Instead of thinking on the negative side, she began to think positively.

She began to think of how much fun they would have. She could picture it now, her and the man becoming great friends and learning a lot along the way. Suddenly, she stopped. She had just realized something, he didn't know her name and she didn't know his either! To quickly mend that she said "I'm sorry for my rudeness, I didn't even introduce myself, I'm Meera. May I ask who you are" and she stuck out her hand for a shake with a smile on her face.

Thomas could only blink at the girl as she expressed her exaggerated concerns once more, this time afraid that he would not go with her because of her pets. It had taken a while to sink in that she was ridiculously nervous but when it did, just after she asked about his name, he laughed. He could not resist the temptation of laughing at her fear of him. It felt too ironic not to laugh - a powerless battle mage has made a woman afraid of him by doing absolutely nothing! Shaking his head in an attempt to recover, he wondered as to what could have scared her. Think that she was merely afraid of rejection, he shrugged off the thought, turning his undisturbed gaze to the female that called herself Meera.

"A pleasure to meet you, Meera." Thomas responded, finally accepting the handshake she offered. "I am Thomas, someone who would be happy to accompany you, no matter what other company you hold. As long as they don't try to bite me." Thomas grinned at this, as if he meant it jokingly. "Yet I must ask you: Why are you so afraid? Or doubtful, if not fearful." He questioned at the thought of doubt being mistaken for fear. "You act as if you have seen an unseen ghost...or a horse that has not had feet to walk on. It's as if you're afraid of falling from pebbles in the sand. It's amusing but...it is curiously unusual for a traveller to be like this."

Wondering if he's said enough, he lingers in silence once more, his breath taking itself in and out of the lungs in synch with the wind blowing through, a calmness resonating within. A technique, he recalls, learned from when he travelled to Valud back in the place the people called the Land of Mystics. The inner calming of the spirit when all had seemed strange and distorted, when balance could not be achieved within by strength and will alone. Why he remembered this or why he did this now he could not begin to consider but he was now and it was causing him to reflect upon his journeys once more.

Meera closed her eyes and took a deep breath for a second. She opened her eyes as she heard the laugh, a lopsided smile set partially on her face because she was happy that he was laughing but she didn't know what he was laughing out. She shrugged and thought to herself that she would find out later probably when he finished. While waiting for a reply, her eyes traveled to Venorik while he peeped in and out of the ruins. She could only hope that he somehow knew what she was looking for, even though she had no way of contacting him. She rolled her eyes at herself and thought -why would you think that Meera, of course he doesn't know. He's only a squirrel and he probably has much better things to do than help you look for your silly stone!- Finally, she heard the man speak again and she turned back to him.

Meera said happily "a joy to meet you as well." and added with a smile on her face "I assure you that my companions will not bite, let alone they may not even notice you." Then laughed, it was true, most of the time, a few of her companions noticed company. When she heard his next comment, a sense of realization came to her. Now she knew why he was laughing and as she looked back on her previous actions she realized how nervous she did look. Some would be offended, but Meera was able to laugh at herself as she said "Oh, I don't know. I tend to do that often. I guess it's just that I don't like seing anyone unhappy and I wanted to make sure that I did not dissapoint you in any way." She smiled with a small chuckle. "I assure you that I am not nervous in the wilderness, only when I am trying to please somebody as kind and open as you. Now would you like to meet my many companions?" and motioned to the side where most of them were.

-'I wanted to make sure that I did not disappoint you in any way'? That sounds like the sort of words Nikita would say.- Thomas thought to himself, wondering how - if not why - she would think in such a way. She had no reason to please him. She wasn't with him, per se. She was only going to be a travelling companion. -Or- Thomas thought to correct himself, -more like I'm to be her travelling companion. I guess she was afraid of starting off on the wrong foot. She shouldn't be so afraid...but I wonder if something - some incident - has forced her into this way...?- Thomas decided to not ask his question as it would obviously be too intrusive and this was something he was not willing to do. He wondered for a moment if he was the one who was afraid but he shook off the thought after several moments of deliberation.

Thomas picked up on Meera's earlier comment and smirked. "They may not even notice me? In all my bright blue glory? You're kidding me, right?" He could not help but laugh at this, finding it hard to believe that he could not be seen by anyone - unless they were a bat or something. "Well maybe I don't have that same glimmer I used to have." He concluded, moving on. "You say that you do not want to disappoint me." He looked to her as he asked this query. "Why do you feel so willing to please me? You do not have to, you know, and it is something that I've not got used to, even with my previous lover. She always wanted to see me happy and I found it odd as it was often all I wanted for her." Thomas turned a glance to the side as he concluded. "You haven't known me for an hour but you feel so open. How can you ever feel so free and caring for all people, even when you know so little about them?"

He was unsure if he had caused offence but he had to ask. His years of solitude has not only caused him to forget his magic lore but it also forced him to forget all ways of mortal life. Concern, pity, fear, anger, hatred, love, hope, strength, all those aspects and more he had to rediscover from both his restudying of the mortal people and his struggles in the places that were available to him. Now, in this new place, he has had to change everything he had known into reforged knowledge and has had to try and tap into the new realm's resources in order to regain his status as the Battle Mage of Light. What made him think, though, is his last memory of Livarencia before he was shifted into this realm, words which would stick with him as long as he was here instead of home, words that would remind him of what would happen were he to fall into solace once more, words that would keep him going on for as long as he could survive.

"Regain your power to regain your home."