Chapter 1 - A Fall From Disgrace

A young girl fights her way out of a fray of enemies. She parries and counters the foes who attempt to attack her from all sides. She had neck length red hair and a pair of thick glasses on. Despite her being outnumbered she continued to trample her foes one by one. Soon it was all over. The red haired girl stood alone victorious, a big grin grew across her face as she jumped in the air in celebration shouting "I won!"

As her face smiled the world around her cracked and shattered along with her to the sound of a rampant alarm clock.

TJ: Guh.. -He flops his half awake arm onto the clock silencing it- Ughh....

It read 7:00 A.M. as Trayden Jameson tried his best to roll out of his bed. Tray could be described as a scrawny teenager, he had black hair and brown eyes. Unkempt hair that arguably needed a cut. He reached around his dresser with his face still in the pillow searching for his glasses. Realizing his sloth was bearing no fruit, he finally surrendered to effort and pushed up off the bed and grabbed his glasses off of the dresser. He put them on over his face and yawned loudly.

He heard his mother shout from below, "TJ get ready!"

Tray grumbled to himself, and looked over his clothes. "I totally am already.." he retorted to his Mom, under his breath. It was a habit for Tray to sleep in his school clothes to cut time in the morning. He slowly got up and headed for the bathroom. Afterwards he began packing his backpack and putting on his beanie. He walked downstairs and greeted his Mom as she was looking ready to leave for work. She was fairly small woman. She had shoulder length brown hair tied in a low ponytail. Her green eyes emitted a radiant glow as she greeted her son with a warm smile.

Mom: Okay I'm off! There's breakfast in the microwave, eat it all, all right.

TJ: Yeah..

Mom: When did you get to sleep?

TJ: Like.. three hours ago.

Mom: -Sigh- TJ, you're going to work yourself sick! Maybe you should stay home and sleep instead of going to school.

TJ: For real?

Mom: Hah!! As if! You gotta reap what you sow! But hey doze off in your easy classes okay.

TJ: Okay..

Mom: Have a good day okay. -She kisses his forehead- Bye!

TJ: Bye.. Don't work too hard.

His mother leaves, and TJ makes his way to the kitchen where he indulged in the home made breakfast. He ate everything that was left and headed out for school. He locked the door behind him and caught the bus. So far it was just another day for TJ. After a few school periods TJ was sitting in a classroom with his friends during lunch. His friend Jodie, who they called Jo for short was there along with his other friend Zack. Jodie was a very short girl barely making the five feet mark for height. She often wore a bright orange beanie over her wild black hair that covered half of her face. Zack was much bigger than both TJ and Jodie. Over six feet, had spiked black hair and was built tough from years of playing various sports. He was usually the friend that would bail TJ out of trouble whenever he was around. Zack continued to press TJ about his home made video game project.

Zack: So bro, how's the Last Hero coming along?

Jo: Oh yeah! How's the game?

TJ: Pretty good! I think the beta is just about finished, So I'll put it on a flash drive for you guys to test it out!

Jo: Ohhh really!? I can't wait dude!

Zack: How long's the beta?

TJ: I think about... 30-45 minutes of game play depending on if you have grinding habits or not.

Zack: You know I gotta be over leveled bro!

Jo: Tch! There's no challenge in that you jackass...

TJ: At least I know I'm getting a test from two very different gamers, haha!

Jo: Ehh.. Well the bell's gonna ring soon, and I have quite the walk to class from here... -She grabs her bag and stands up out of her chair-

Zack: Haha, sucks for you.

Jo: Yeah, yeah... I'm out..

TJ: Later..

Just as Jo proclaimed, the bell for class rung not too long after she left. TJ grabbed his bag and headed to class. He took his time and before he knew it the tardy bell had already rung. he didn't really care, he just continued onward with his headphones blasting music. As he passed through the main court yard he heard faint shouts through his loud music. Confused, he took them off and listened again. Sure enough he heard what sounded like a girl trying to yell but being muffled halfway every time she screamed. Disregarding his cowardly heart he followed it. The halls and court yard were empty and he couldn't find a security guard. He slowly crept toward the sound. The farther he ventured into the school's halls he realized it was coming from the boy's restroom. He peeked through the doorway and he saw four big guys holding down a girl over one of the restroom sinks, and one guy with a camera. Her shoes were on the ground and it looked like they were trying to get her skirt off. TJ quickly hid behind the door's edge in shock.

He usually tried anything to avoid confrontations like this. He thought to himself that he'd run away, it wasn't his business, he should find a teacher quick he thought. He had planned out an elaborate scheme to sneak off and get help. It was perfect in his mind, but his body had other plans. Somehow he stepped out from the doorway and despite his cowardice shouted as loud as he could.

"Hey!" he shouted in the lowest tone his voice could muster, trying to sound tough.

He quickly covered his mouth with his hands, his eyes widened in complete shock. "What the hell did I just do" he said to himself in his mind.

The four big guys stop for a moment. All four of these big angry students are now locked in on the wimpy teenager. TJ stepped back slowly.

Bully: The hell is this?

TJ: Y, you should... at least.. pick on someone.. your own gender..

Bully: What's that now?

sweat was building up and rolling down TJ's face. He could feel the nervous perspiration seeping out of his neck and chest, his shirt started to get soggy in seconds. His glasses fogged up from the nervous heat that built within him. He took a step back, and like a signal to kill all five big students ran at him. TJ managed to get a few steps away from the restroom door before the closest student grabbed TJ by the collar and pulled him back.

The bully punched him right in his stomach. TJ spit out all his air and before he could even groan in pain, he was punched again and again. The bully then kneed him in his face while he was hunched over in pain. TJ was destined to hit the floor, but his attacker would not let him, he held him up and continued beating him up. He grabbed his face and locked his neck in his arm. TJ's glasses fell off and hit the ground. One of the other aggressors stepped on them and smashed it with his shoe.

The bully began mocking him, shouting words of profanity. "Who do you think you are you piece of shit!? Huh!?" He tightened the hold on his neck.

TJ felt like his neck was gonna snap, and that his face would pop off like a cork off a whine bottle. Just then one of the other bullies started talking.

"Bro.. the girl's gone!"

They all looked around, and searched both restrooms and all around the hall. In the midst of all the torture, the girl they were harassing had managed to escape. The leader got even angrier and threw TJ to the ground. All five students then began taking turns kicking him and stomping. With absolutely no help, they simply just continued beating up Tray until they finally just got bored of it. All five kids eventually just walked away leaving the broken student lying on the pavement.

TJ blinked slowly and just gazed at the floor, and the walls. He moved his hand and attempted to push up, but he was in too much pain. The boy had his share of nerd beat downs, but he easily elected this one to be the worst. He could already self diagnose a broken nose, and was questioning his ribs. Like insult to injury, he crawled to the wall and tried to hold himself up, blood all over one of his favorite shirts, his beanie on the ground covered in dirt and shoe prints, another hundred dollars gone from broken glasses. The phone in his pocket, now with a spider web design for a screen, he couldn't call anyone there. He attempted to yell for help, but his voice cracked under the pressure of his pain, like he could feel his throat collapsing every time he tried making a sound.

He was on the verge of tears, not even from the physical stress, just the build up of one bad thing to another. He eventually just gave up. With his back against the wall and depression building the painful throat scratching feeling. His eyes got misty and he just closed them and decided to sleep.

The next time TJ was aware of himself, he was blinded by bright lights. He looked around dazed. He heard familiar voices. Zack and Jodie were sitting on chairs beside the bed in the nurse's office.

Zack: Dude... How you feelin'?

TJ:... Horrible...

Jo: Here you go dude, -She hands him a sturdy looking case-

TJ: -He opens it up and puts on his spare pair of glasses- Oh.. glad this wasn't broken too..

Zack: Man.. We really gotta' use a buddy system..

TJ couldn't help but chuckle at the remark. His two friends smiled as they were relieved their friend could still make light of the severe beating he took. At that point the school nurse noticed TJ had awoken. He was a tall man, who you wouldn't think was a nurse, were you judging him on looks alone. He wore casual clothes, and a backwards cap with the school logo on it. He had sort of messy blonde hair, and brown eyes. He walked over to the bedside and began his examination.

Nurse: -Sigh- Man kid you took a pounding out there..

TJ:...Yeah..

Nurse: Word of mouth is you're a hero though.. The girl you saved ratted out all the guys. They only got suspended for now though.. They could be expelled but, eh the system may not see it that way..

Zack: Expelled!? Those dudes should go to jail!

TJ: -He snickers at Zack's remark- Is the girl okay?

Nurse: Huh? Yeah she's fine. Her mother picked her up and they went home. She's a bit traumatized though.. She may take a week off school or somethin'. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if she never comes back.

TJ:...Well at least this beating amounted to something...

Nurse: She visited you while you were out of it... She seemed really eager to thank you but, you can piece the rest up.

TJ: Yeah..

Jo: You're Mom's here TJ. She's giving the VP and everyone in the office a huge tongue lashing.

Zack: Yeah their being picked apart. It's pretty awesome. Two of the security guards were smoking a joint in the bathroom on the other floor with one of the janitors while it went down.

Nurse: Indeed, one beating seems to have changed quite a bit of the landscape around here, cause I'm pretty sure those three are as good as fired..

TJ's Mom eventually came storming into the nurse's office, and hardly wasted any time making small talk with the nurse or his friends. In mere minutes she virtually dragged TJ out of the office and out of school. She was intent on driving him home. While driving home she talked his ear off. Like an angry mother bear she couldn't stop fantasizing about the brutal revenge on the students. TJ kept speaking quietly trying to calm his mother down.

Mom: Seriously Tray.. You're like a saint sometimes.. I mean.. Part of me is so proud about how mature you are about things like this.. then another part worries that you're too passive and you'll end up taking a gun to school or something.. Then the other parts just pissed off.. Urgh!! I swear when I get my hands on those stupid brats and their no good parents I am gonna' unleash the friggin' hounds of hell. You hear me!?

TJ:.. Yeah, I hear ya..

Mom: -Sigh- TJ.. Don't you ever... get tired of being treated this way?

TJ: Nothing I can really do.. I was designed to be a stepping stone for people like them..

Mom: How dare you! Don't you ever say that again!

TJ: It's true though..

Mom: Shut up Dammit! Just shut up! I'm not gonna sit here and listen to my son put himself down like that. You're not a loser God dammit!

TJ: -He mutters under his breath- I think you just proved my point..

Mom:.... -Sigh- Look TJ,.. I'm sorry. It's just that I know your gonna' be so great, and it frustrates me so much that people treat you that way. I understand.. that continuing to just be you, is your way of laughing in their faces. I just don't have the fortitude to condone the way you carry yourself in these situations, and it just.. ARGH!!..

TJ: Thanks.. I know I'm not-

Mom: Shhhh I don't wanna hear that nonsense. Tell you what. I'll cook your favorite dinner tonight.

TJ: Oh yeah?

Mom: Mmhmm. I'll head to the super market right now!

TJ: In that case, could you drop me off by the mall? I wanna check out the software store again.

Mom: Your little slice of paradise? Aww but I was hoping you'd come and go shopping with me, and you'd push the cart for me like back when you were little. Haha!

TJ: Eheh...

Mom: Fine..

The car stops by the shopping outlet, and TJ exits the vehicle.

Mom: Kay, I'll come get you in like an hour.

TJ: Kay.. I don't have a phone, so I'll just be waiting on one of these benches.

Mom: They broke your damn phone too? Someone's gonna pay for all this shit, I swear.

TJ: Bye Mom..

Mom: -Sigh- Bye..

TJ shuts his door and his mother drives away. He thinks to himself, "An hour in Mom time is about three to four hours to regular people, so I should have plenty of time to scope out some of the new things I need."

He enters the mall and he is entangled in the usual after school hour crowds of people. Students, adults, families, couples, all you'd expect.

TJ made his way towards the software store that he usually goes to. Despite his rough day while he was strolling through the aisles, taking in the scent of new plastic and air conditioning, he felt relaxed. His mind filled with bliss as he couldn't wait to get home and continue working on his video game project. He had been working on it for the better part of six years now. Starting it as a kid with pencil and paper and eventually getting the tech and know how, to slowly piece together the data needed for digital life. He was looking at the external hard drives and writing down notes in his book.

Suddenly a hand crept up on his shoulder. A huge chill shot down his back. It felt like a claw that exuded strong heat was digging into his shoulder, but at the same time ice cold sensations crept into the veins of his arm and grasped his spine. He looked back and saw a tall lanky looking man wearing the store uniform. He had long dark hair that seemed to go a bit wild at the ends. His eyes were only half open and the grin across his face was wide and some what creepy. He looked like a scrawny man shark with the way he smiled.

"Looking for something in particular?" He said playfully.

TJ replied, "Oh uh.. Well yes, I'm actually in need of a lot of things. I just don't have enough money so I'm noting all the things I want." He dared not tell the truth, that he was merely writing down prices so that he could compare them to anything he found online before he made any final purchases.

Man: I see, so you must have a lot to back up if your looking into one of these big ol' hard drives here.

TJ: Yeah, I'm actually working on a video game project.

Man: Oh!? That sounds exciting.. and a bit tedious.

TJ: Haha, yeah. I wish I had a crew. Doing it all by myself is like you said, tedious, and very stressful, but it's a weird kind of stress that I really like getting at the end of the day and into the early mornings.

Man: Sounds amazing kid. I'm sorry to take up so much of your time, please be sure to ask me for help if you have any questions on our inventory.

TJ placed his hand on his shoulder, he felt it again. For a split second the hot and chill blasted through him. Sweat built at his forehead, but his neck felt frozen. He placed his hand over his face and wiped the sweat. He grew short of breath. His heart beat got faster, it felt like it was being pricked with a needle, he thought his chest was going to burst. Ominously enough as quick as the sensation attacked him, it seemed to vanish just as quickly. He dropped to his knees and was panting frantically.

"What in the hell!?" he thought to himself.

He slowly rose up to his feet and walked out the door, almost as slow as a man gimping in pain. He walked to a vending machine, he leaned against it and dug in his pocket for loose change. The sweats came back, his heart was on fire. His throat felt like it was swelling. He pushed quarters in the machine and smashed against the entire drink buttons, not caring what he got at this point. The machine made it's loud dropping noise and TJ yanked the bottle from the machine. He twisted the cap off and downed nearly half the drink.

He knew if this was medical, that this most likely wouldn't help, but in this state of mind all he wanted was to cool down. To his disappointment the drink didn't seem to work. He took two deep breaths and the sensation seemed to to finally die down. With a sigh of relief, he stood tall again and took another sip of his drink. He decided he would just go out and wait for his Mom already. Though it seemed fortune was just not to be at TJ's side on this day.

Once again he felt a hand on his shoulder. He grew scared, this time however no super shocks of any sort, just a firm grip from a big hand. He turned around, and his eyes widened in pure shock and fear. His mouth slowly gaped and his body shivered. It was the same bully from school with his hand placed firmly on his shoulder. Behind him was the exact same posse off thugs that delivered his newly voted beating of a lifetime.

"Well I'll be damned" said the bully.

TJ was speechless. He was about ready to curse anyone's name. Wondering why he was about to undergo a severe beating twice in one day. He could tell the only reason he wasn't flattened yet was because of all the people walking around the mall. He didn't want to rely on this crowd for protection though, he wanted out and away from these guys.

Bully: Hey guy! -He slaps his face playfully- You got us all suspended and what's worse, we spent all that time trying to get that chick's clothes off and we didn't even get any photos.

TJ: ....

Bully: So you must fancy yourself a hero now huh?

TJ: N, No..

Bully: C'Mon, -He puts his arm around him- Why don't we take a cruise to the back and finish the business from earlier..

TJ: No.. Just! I don't want any more of this.. Please just leave me alone..

Bully: Oh, so you "can" talk! Here I was thinking we accidentally beat the voice out of you too early on in the game.

TJ: I'll yell.. Someone will help.

Bully: Hey you'll do no such thing.. -He squeezes his arm around the back of his neck tighter and like tugging a leash he force walks him towards the direction he wants to go-

TJ: Get off me! -He pulls himself under the bully's arm and gets free-

Some of the mall goers hear the shout and glance over. The bully quickly turns around and locks onto to TJ. Like an animal instinct TJ snaps and throws his strongest punt kick right square in the groin area of his bully.

The bully lets out a quick yelp of pain and falls over to his knees. His posse looks over to TJ and their faces tell the story. They dawned a "Oh now you done it" sort of look and without another thought TJ turned tail and ran. He was still hurting all over from before, It did not stop him from sprinting at his full speed through mall goers. The bullies chased him with great haste. All bigger, faster, and stronger than him they were catching up quickly. TJ's only saving grace were random mall goers being hit by them, or other bigger guys trying to stop them.

One of the chasers grabbed his back pack, but TJ quickly slipped his arms out and kept running. He turned a corner and ran right back into the software store. The leader limped in after him along with the two remaining cronies he had. He looked around and couldn't find him. They split up and searched for TJ.

The young geek was now playing the software mouse hiding from the hungry cats. He felt a tug on his collar he turned around fearing the worst, he had his fists up like he was gonna fight. To his surprise it was another employee of the store. He was tall and a bit lanky like the first man he met. His hair was short and black. He had brown eyes with dark rings around them, he looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Are you all right?" he asked in a concerned voice.

TJ panted and before he could say anything his bully came around the corner shouting.

"I found you, you little bastard!!"

He approached the two. TJ quickly hid behind the lanky man, even though he though he might only be dragging him into a beating.

"Can I help you?" the worker said.

"You can get the hell outta my way, that kid there is cheap shottin' bitch, that needs to be dragged through the parking lot, after getting a good slapping!" the bully shouted. His shouts alerted his other friends and soon all of them gathered, two on one side of the aisle and the leader facing them on the other.

"Gentlemen, I'm sure you can see, this is a computer software and accessories store. It's not an arena. Unless you're here to buy something, I'm going to have to ask you to leave and if you don't comply then I'll have to call security."

"Shut up ass-hole!" The leader said as he walked casually over to the two.

"Okay... How about this? I am warning you to leave or else you may be hurt." the worker said.

"Is that a threat!?" the bully replied.

"No, It was a warning. Maybe if you opened your ears, you'd hear. What are you deaf, "and" stupid?" the employee said.

"That's it asshole!" the bully shouted as he threw a right punch at his face.

The worker grabbed his fist tightly and squeezed down. It felt like his hand was gonna break in his grip. The bully yelled in pain as the man then proceeded to bend his arm back. One of the other bullies charged from the opposite side. The worker twisted the leader's arm and threw him into his oncoming friend. The two bullies tumbled over onto the floor.

The last bully stood there a bit surprised. He kept a tough guy demeanor and put his hands up in fists. The worker started to slowly walk towards him and his true colors showed. The last bully dropped his hands and ran. The worker stood by the two downed bullies and said in a low voice, "Get out of this store".

The two bullies crawled up to their feet and ran out of the door and right into mall security. The boys were dragged away by the security guards. TJ sighed in relief, it seemed something lucky finally happened to him. The worker looked over to him and asked if he was okay.

TJ: Yes.. thanks a lot uhh.. -He looks at his name tag- Lance..

Lance: Punks like them have it too easy..

TJ: You're not the typical software store employee are you?

Lance: Not quite.. Did you just run in here to hide, or are you an actual customer?

TJ: Oh.. well.. I sort of.. I mean.. Yeah I love this place.. I'm just short on money right now.. So I was just window shopping today until I save up some more.

Lance: What are you looking into?

TJ: A new external.. and eventually just a whole new computer. I'm running an ancient relic right now.

Lance: I see... Anything in particular that causes you to use up so much data? You don't have to answer if it's.. ya know..

TJ: Huh!? No.. I'm actually an amateur game developer right now.. I've been trying to make a game for years now.

Lance: A game huh? Interesting... What kind?

TJ: An RPG.

Lance: Oh.. not my favorite genre, but they can be pretty good, if the story has a good hook and it doesn't revolve around just grinding to beat the bad guy.

TJ: Oh, I hear ya, I'm trying to keep it ol' school, but somewhat fresh.. Ehh.. but anything that's fresh now will be old by the time I finish so.. eh.. But I do want more strategy based boss fights rather than your typical just a recommended level, tank and spank sort of scenario.

Lance: Huh... Sounds amazing Uhh.. what's your name?

TJ: It's TJ.

Lance: TJ. Well ya know oddly enough I was also trying to make a game way back in the day.

TJ: Really?

Lance: Yeah so I can relate sort of.. Sounds like your plans are way more complex though.

TJ: What stopped you?

Lance: Life...

TJ: Ohh..

Lance: Don't let my short comings get you down kid. Hey if you want I've kept the demo of my game on a disc all these years. You can check it out if you want. Maybe you can do something with it.

TJ: Really? That would be awesome!!

Lance: Fine. Hold on a minute It's in my back pack.

TJ: -He waits anxiously at the check out counter for Lance to return-

Lance: I found it.. -He returns and hands him a case with the disc in it-

TJ: -He glances through the see through case and reads the title on the disc- ..Cyber Devil.. Whoa.. So what kind of game was this?

Lance: Well my brother and I were trying to make it in the 80's... It's an old school platformer.

TJ: Whoa.. 8-bit?

Lance: You know it.

TJ: Wow... This is super awesome cool man!! I'm gonna check it out tonight!

Lance: Knock yourself out kid, it's yours.

TJ: Oh! I gotta' get my bag back from the ground... I hope it's still there.. and my mom's probably waiting for me.

Lance: See ya later kid.

TJ: Yeah! Yeah you will!! I'll be back tomorrow for sure!

TJ left the store with a whole new strut. It was almost like he didn't get beaten up earlier on. He back tracked and found someone had picked his bag up off the ground. The mall goer returned it to him and he only grew happier. TJ exited the mall and sat down on a bench. He looked around but couldn't see his mother's car anywhere.

As expected, his mom took a little longer than she said she would, but he didn't mind. He was driven home, and like she promised TJ's mom spent the next hour cooking his favorite meal. TJ feeling he had nothing better to do decided to help her out. It led to a good amount of conversation while food was being made. He knew his Mom loved talking to him so he figured he'd at least do that much.

The two ate dinner and continued enjoying the family time. TJ ate till he was beyond full. The only reason he didn't devour everything to the sin of max gluttony was due to the fact that his Father didn't come home yet. He didn't want his tired dad to come home to no food after working construction all day. With a cat like expression on his face and his hand over his stomach he waddled over to the sink and tossed his dishes in. He would usually wash them right there, but he felt so stuffed that he figured he'd shirk it off till morning.

He waddled down the hallway and was heading to his room. He heard the front door open and figured his Dad just got home. TJ figured he'd be talking to him in a bit, but until then he was going to shower and prepare for his evening of work. Or at least what was considered work to him.

With minutes passed he exited his shower leaving behind a trail of steam. Now that he was clean, all the bruises were much easier to see on his face. He looked over himself in the mirror for a moment and felt his face. He let out a sigh and put his glasses on. He got himself dressed in a normal getup, pants and a sweater, socks on ready to go to school in the morning already.

TJ then turned on his computer and rolled his chair over to his desk. It was a routine drill already. He went to the mini-fridge he had in the corner of his room and pulled out two energy drinks placing them on a small fold out coffee table he kept by the right side of his chair. He pulled a huge folder from his desk drawer and started sorting out the documents. He was about to get started but he heard the door knock.

"Hey, Is it okay to open?" his father's voice asked.

"Yes!" TJ replied.

TJ's dad opened the door and walked into the room. His father had unkempt black hair and brown eyes much like his son. Much unlike his son however, TJ's father was built like a pro wrestling heavyweight champion. The difference in build was astounding. It was a wonder to everyone how a man of his size had a son as tiny as TJ.

Dad: Hey! How ya feelin'?

TJ: Pretty good.

Dad: Hmm.. -He walks up closer and grabs his face by the chin and starts looking over him- Boy.. you got rocked..

TJ: -His face turns sour as he forces his face away from his Dad's grasp-

Dad: So what? Do I gotta' drop some punks? Do I gotta call up their parents and whoop their whole damn fam bam?

TJ: No Dad.. It's all okay.

Dad: Tch.. -Sigh- Scrubs like those kids need to catch some kind of beating of their own sometime ya know. Pickin' on kids like you cause you're all scrawny and what not..

TJ: Thanks for the compliment..

Dad: Hey It ain't my fault your a giant chicken bone.

TJ: -He chuckles a bit-

Dad: You still laugh at that.. Most kids your age would get all moody after they got insulted.

TJ: Yeah.. but I'm a weirdo remember.

Dad: Hmph.. Hey listen.. Trayden.

TJ: Yeah?

Dad: ...I'm happy that you are.... uhh.. you I guess.

TJ: Are you?.. Are you trying to create a mushy dad-son moment?

Dad: Yeah I guess... I mean.. Ever since I got the construction work, and you got that computer.. We hardly get to do any of that ya know.. But I know.. that when things like this happen to you. You get doubtful and things like that. So I guess I'm just trying to positively reinforce your pride.. or somthin'.

TJ: Gee Dad your a regular class rep with those speeches.

Dad: Ahh shaddup.. All I'm sayin' is.. Though most guys round my age talk about their sons, being on the football team, or garage band, and this other "normal" stuff. I'm just fine with you, being a smarty computer guy and stuff. You're a fine young man, level headed, a good sense of what's right and wrong. Thoughtful and considerate. In the long run, I'm glad your that kind of man, and I'm proud to be the one you call Dad.

TJ: -He gives a somewhat crooked grin- Heh, well you're an awesome Dad.

Dad: That's good to hear. When you make a bunch of money off your game thing, I'll be sure to play it, and finish it.

TJ: Finish it you say? That's a tough order for you.

Dad: Nobody likes a quitter. -He grins and starts walking out the door-

TJ: Indeed...

Dad: Don't stay up too late.. Ahh who am I kidding?.. -He closes his door-

TJ smiles behind his closed door and takes a moment to appreciate what he has. He plops down in his spinning chair and does a couple turns, almost like a sort of ritual before working on his project.

He sits at his desk, and works on his computer for hours on end. Every now and then taking sips of his drinks. He would sit, typing, dragging, pasting, copying, and even now and again taking notes the old school way with a pen and a journal. The hours seemed like minutes to him in an entirety. He would look at the clock and say, thirty more minutes and I'll quit for the day. A couple sessions of thirty minutes and another can of energy later, TJ was still at it.

He got up to use the bathroom and when he came back he looked at his clock and noticed it was almost four in the morning. "Ugh" he rubbed his face and thought maybe it was time to call it.

He had to wake up for school at seven. He thought maybe he'd just pull an all-nighter and try to beg for an off day after taking a beating. He then realized he wanted to hang out with his friends a lot, so he decided he would get a couple hour nap in. He saved his work and backed up everything on both a disc and a flash drive. With how much data he was piling up he knew he had to upgrade soon. He glanced over at his bag and saw the CD case hanging out of the small pocket.

"That's right" he thought to himself. He had forgot about the game that Lance had given him. He really wanted to try it out and maybe see him again today and converse more about software and games in general. He saw Lance as he new hero and didn't want to shirk off the demo disc.

Only an 8-bit old platformer, shouldn't take me too long to test, he thought. He figured he might even pass it. He pulled the case out of his bag and opened it up. He opened his disc tray and placed the disc inside. He anxiously closed it waiting for the menu to pop up.

Everything was there, from the game engine program to the finished demo itself. There were all sorts of "README" files in the folder, but TJ felt he'd just jump right in. He double clicked the icon and soon another window popped up. It was pitch black and soon two big pixelated evil red eyes appeared and a flash of bright red. It was an old school intro. The title screen was up. In a big sharp bladed looking font it read "Cyber Devil", below read copyright, Castor Bros. 1984.

TJ got all giddy like a nerd meeting his favorite author. Thinking about the date of creation, this game already looked a bit ahead of it's time. The select cursor was shaped like a crude pixel knife of sorts. He clicked start and waited anxiously. His face had a huge smile across it. After working on his own game for so long, there was something fun about trying someone else's work for once. Though soon his smile turned straight, then eventually faded. He's been waiting for awhile he thought.

Outside he could hear rain drops starting to hit his house. TJ started pressing all sorts of keyboard escape patterns. None of which were going. He tried ejecting the disc, but his disc tray just blinked over and over again. In a grunt of frustration he realized that his computer had crashed. He forces a shut down and waits for a few moments. It was late, and the rain was picking up. The smart thing to do would be to go to bed and deal with it tomorrow. TJ however just could not, he had to be sure that his computer was okay. The computer was like his child and right now it was sick. He booted it up again, and now TJ's eyes grew huge, he almost wanted to cry. A blue screen, a blinking cursor, and absolutely no message for the state of his computer. He was a bit puzzled, this didn't seem like the typical blue screen of death. He tried turning it off and on over and over, but like a fool in denial he wouldn't accept it. Finally in an act of frustration he pulled the plugs out of the wall then kicked his chair.

He dragged his feet over to his bed and plopped down on it. Tired and angry he didn't even bother taking off his glasses. He simply laid and let the sound of the rain soothe his brain as he slipped out of consciousness.

Thunder crashed down and shook the house. TJ sprung up in surprise. He looked around and saw his clock. It was a little passed 5:30 am. TJ had barely gotten any sleep and the thunder storm was already getting on his nerves. He grabbed his face and rubbed his forehead. He just remembered his computer situation and got angry again. He then noticed a strange light from the corner of his eye. He lowered his hand and adjusted his glasses. The light was the screen of his computer. He grew a bit concerned. He swore he unplugged it. He slowly stood up off his bed and approached his screen. As he got closer he couldn't believe his eyes. Not only was the monitor on but there appeared to be a young girl's face on the screen.

TJ got closer and observed her. She looked confused she was looking in all such directions until it seemed as her eyes locked on TJ's. Her expression changed and she waved and gestured him to come closer. TJ couldn't believe this. This wasn't just any girl. Her neck length red hair, her thick glasses and bright green eyes. Her charming smile. This was Hiromi. Hiromi the very character he had created for his game Last Hero. From crummy sketches on line paper to a real girl on the screen. TJ's mind melted. However this was too surreal not to investigate. He pushed his chair aside and peered at the screen. She looked back at TJ and dawned a relieved smile. The keys on his keyboard began to clack slowly by themselves. TJ shuttered and backed away. When he calmed down he looked at the screen. The message at the top left of the screen read, "Help..."

TJ gasped lightly in concern. He typed back on the board. "How?"

Hiromi placed her hand against the screen like a palm on a camera. TJ placed his hand over hers, and she smiled. Then a strange black aura began covering the screen from both ends. Hiromi's expression turned scared as the black aura slowly covered her and the screen. TJ could read her desperate lips as they shouted help. Her hand pressed on the screen vanished into black followed by her face and the screen all together. TJ shouted in confused anger.

The black aura bursts out of the screen and gabbed TJ by his collar. He screamed out in fear as the force seemed to be dragging him into the screen. He grabbed his desk and tried to pull himself free. He looked down and saw a pair of sinister red eyes glow on the screen. They erupted in a violent flash and in that Instant TJ blacked out.

The next time TJ would be aware of his sense again he smelled the aroma of grass. He then felt the blades against his face. He opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself off the ground. He took a moment to try and remember what was happening. When he finally remembered everything he started to panic and tried pinching himself. Then punched his own stomach. No matter how much self abuse he inflicted it seemed it wasn't a dream.

He got to his feet and looked around. It was unlike anything back in his home town. Nothing but greenery in every direction he looked. Beautiful grass plains and tall trees in all directions. Huge mountains and a clear sky in the horizon. The scent of clean air filled his lungs. He released a sigh of amazement. He took a step forward and heard a crunch. He looked down and saw his glasses broken. He pulled his hair and made grunts of frustration until it hit him. He then realized he just took in this magnificent scenery with his bare eyes. He held his hands to his face in disbelief. He began looking all around him again. It was amazing he couldn't remember a time in his life when he could see so clearly without his glasses. He saw a bright blue lake only about ten meters from him. He began running towards it.

When he reached the edge of the water he knelt down and looked at his reflection. He noticed a portion of his bangs were blue and his eyes were now a bright violet hue. He observed himself in amazement touching his face and trying to make sense of his situation. He turned around and began pacing slowly while he got lost in thought. He walked until he reached what seemed to be a dirt road. He figured it'd have to lead somewhere and decided to walk along it.

Eventually in the distance he noticed three figures slowly headed in his direction. He continued until they got closer. He didn't even stop to ponder the chance of them being dangerous he was simply looking for answers. Their paths eventually crossed. There was a man mounted on a large horse like creature. It's body mostly resembled a horse, it had stripes and it had paws instead of hooves. It's tail was like a lion, it's face had whiskers like a cat. TJ recognized this creature immediately. It was known as a Ligersteed. He knew this because it was a creation he had made for his project, Last Hero.

Thoughts rushed through his mind as to what was happening. With this knowledge he easily deduced that the man sitting atop the steed was non other than General Wade of The Paradise Kingdom. A major villain in his game. He dawned magnificent silver armor adorned with purple gems and embroidery. He had long silver hair and eyes that were black like the abyss. He was with two lowly soldiers dressed in bronze armor. Wade looked down on TJ and began to inspect him.

Wade: You there! What is your business on this road?

TJ: Um.. (Is this really happening!? This is General Wade! Am I somehow.. in my own world? I need to say something... before he kills me...) I'm simply a wanderer.. a traveling writer..

Wade: A writer you say. You are quite far from the nearest town.. and you hardly look as though you're packed for travel.

TJ: I uhh.. My camp... is actually in the forest there. I was simply enjoying the view and finding some inspiration is all.

Wade: Is that so? Your clothes.. they are quite strange. From where is it do you originate?

TJ: I'm actually... from the Southern Cross..

Soldier: Haha!! Well that explains that! You guys have the strangest fashion I tell ya..

Wade: Hmm.. We are currently on the hunt for a strange creature. It's a fairy unlike any that has been recorded.

TJ:...(A fairy? This has nothing to do with my plot line...) A fairy, you say?

Wade: Yes.. it was unlike any other sprites I've seen. Those creatures are known to have ties to legendary artifacts it's only natural we'd try and find the treasure it hides.

TJ: I see.. well then. If I see anything like that I'll be sure to notify the Paradise Army at once!

Wade: Hmph.. much appreciated.. traveling writer.. Ah.. before we depart, would you care to give us a sample of your work? I love a good poem.

TJ: ...(He's even more cynical than I imagined him up to be! If I don't prove I'm some kind of writer... he's gonna kill me where I stand!) Uh.. Ahem.. I'm a bit nervous.. please excuse me sir.. It's not everyday you have to be judged by a man of your stature..

Wade: Take your time..

TJ: ....Destine suppression. A champion unwilling. Heroic rebirth.

Wade: -He grins- Hahahaha.. what a remarkable choice of words.. bravo traveling writer.. If you ever cross paths with me again I'd love to purchase some words from you. -He and his men slowly start to walk away-

TJ:...(What the hell... is going on? I saw Hiromi on screen.. she asked me for help. Then I was dragged in here by whatever covered the screen. There's really no reason to be skeptical about it.. I saw Wade with my own eyes. If I follow the story I should find Hiromi. Then I'll know for sure that somehow I've entered my own game. The good part about that is that I'll know exactly how to get through here. Though if I had entered in here as if this was a new game.. I'm nowhere near the beginning point.. Is it because I'm not Hiromi? Have I been entered in here as some kind of lame NPC? That's not right.. in any case, Hiromi is going to go search for Victoria soon, and Wade is supposed to try and stop her. So If I follow the same path as Wade, I'll end up in the Forest Of Grand Dreams. The place where Victoria sleeps. All right I have my plan!)

TJ began walking in the same direction as Wade and his troops. He convinced himself that this whole thing had to be some sort of lucid dream he was having and decided that he might as well have all the fun he could get out of it. Though he had never experienced such real sensations in any sort of dreams. The part of his brain that wanted logic just refused to believe that any of this was real. He eventually reached the edge of the said Forest Of Grand Dreams. He began venturing in.

The forest was indeed grand. The trees so high and lush that eventually the branches would block out the sunlight. It started to get darker and darker as TJ ventured deeper. A trio of big Green Bears passed by him mere yards away. He chuckled at the sight of such weird creatures. It grew darker with each step and the air felt colder. It looked as though a strange fog was surrounding his feet. It was getting harder for him to breath. His lungs felt as if they were being grabbed from the inside. He took a few steps back and walked to an area that was brighter. The air felt clean again and TJ decided to sit against a tree and ponder what was happening. Before he could circulate the air properly within him again he heard a high voice greet him.

TJ looked up and saw a cute girl, no taller than about three inches. She was floating with a strange purple glow and pair of gray wings fluttering. She wore a hat that looked like a giant sock, her bright pink hair drooping down her face. A pair of bright green eyes that could entrance anyone. She waddled back in forth in the air in front of TJ's face and waved playfully.

TJ: Uh.. Hello..

?: Hi!

TJ: Can I help you?

?: Yes! You probably can actually, Mister!

TJ: How so?

?: I sensed you from waaaaaay deep in the forest! Your mana pretty much drew me to you. You and me are compatible!

TJ: Compatible how exactly?

?: Well... you see.. I'm usually traveling with my friend.. but somehow we ended up getting separated from each other. I sort of need him around otherwise I'll eventually run out of mana and die!

TJ: What?

?: Yes.. you see I sort of feed off the mana of humans who will allow me, but to even form a pact they need to be compatible with me. Your heartbeat, the motion of your aura, you're perfect for me and I'm perfect for you! I wouldn't tell Cat this but, you might even be a better match for me than him.

TJ: Cat? Is that your friend?

?: Mmhmm! Oh.. My I was so excited to meet you I completely forgot to tell you my name.. I'm Neimi! I'm a Greywing!

TJ: I'm TJ.

Neimi: Eeee! TJ I'm so happy to meet you! Or.. maybe.. You haven't really agreed to make a pact with me yet. The mana I would take from you is so minuscule you won't even notice.. well unless we use some of my powerful techniques.

TJ: Okay sure I'll do it.

Neimi: You will? I didn't even finish pitching all the benefits to you.

TJ: You can tell me later, You'll die if you don't sync with someone right?

Neimi: Wow... you're so nice.. I knew I could trust you!

TJ: Eheheh... (What a weird dream... Ya know.. this must be the fairy that Wade was searching for. She's certainly not a character I created. Maybe it's a good idea though.)

Neimi: Simply hold out your hand! I'll get the pact done!

TJ: Oh.. all right. -He holds his out an open palm-

Neimi: -She floats onto his hand. Her finger lights up in aura and she simply draws a symbol on his hand- There's the old Neimi seal of approval! -She flies up and turns smiling at TJ- It's done!

TJ: Just like that huh?

Neimi: Yup! -She stretches out her body- Ahh I'm already feeling better! Here! -Her hands glow and she lightly presses against TJ's chest. The light erupts in a brilliant flash-

TJ: What was that?

Neimi: Oh! That fog stuff you breathed in earlier was poisonous. You would have died in a few hours. I sensed you from deep within the forest struggling in the fog. I cast a spell to purge the poison from your body.

TJ: You were in deeper? So the poison doesn't affect you?

Neimi: Nope, I'm not a human. I'm actually immune to a whole mess of poisons. This poison in particular is pure evil though.

TJ: How so?

Neimi: It's not natural.. it's made by the corruption left behind by the Cyber Devil.

TJ: Wha?! (The Cyber Devil!? Back up.. Suppose.. for a moment that this is not a dream. That disc crashed my system, the last thing I remember were those sinister red eyes. That weird black aura that engulfed Hiromi, was that corruption? Suppose.. somehow I really am in my world. Maybe that Cyber Devil disc somehow pulled me into my computer. This is all too crazy. Then Neimi is possibly a character from the Cyber Devil game. She must be! She mentioned it, and that would explain the weird hunt for this unknown character by Wade.) So this corruption you mentioned. That's what's causing this poison fog.. Is there anyway around it?

Neimi: Yes actually.. It's my sole purpose to extinguish the corruption left behind by the Cyber Devil. Cat and me have been trying to defeat the Cyber Devil for a long time. Cat pretty much does all the fighting, then he loans me the mana I need to purge the corruption from place to place.

TJ: So now that we have a pact could you purge the poison from this forest?

Neimi: Yeah! It'll be a few minutes before I charge up again. Also if I do, this will be one of my super techniques I mentioned earlier. You might feel a bit taxed.

TJ: I'm willing to let you take as much mana as you need. I really wanna see the shrine that lies in the middle of the forest.

Neimi: Okay. -She begins flying around TJ the trail of light she leaves in the air descends around his body like some sort of veil of glitter-

TJ: What's this?

Neimi: It's a purification veil. It'll keep you safe from the fog, so that we can go farther in the forest. It's gonna be dangerous, TJ. I need to get to the focused point of the corruption and there's usually a corruption beast waiting there. That's where Cat usually comes in to kill em' off.

TJ: I see.. I have a feeling.. that if we head there someone much stronger than me will show up and fell the beast for us. (If We head to the shrine of Victoria, Hiromi will arrive, and I'm sure she'll be able to fell the beast. She also needs to obtain the sword.)

Neimi: What makes you so sure?

TJ: Call a gut feeling. Let's go. -He begins walking back towards the darker side of the forest-

Neimi then begins to float above TJ's shoulder and accompany him into the dark forest. As they advance the thick fog was no longer affecting TJ. He could breath normally and the super cold aura no longer covered his body. The deeper they went the darker it got. He began to notice strange black sludge like material on the ground and on different parts of the trees. They all drew a purple glow around it and upon closer inspection TJ could see what looked to be zeros and ones. Binary code embedded in all the traces of black sludge. The poison fog would be at it's thickest around areas with the sludge.

"That stuff is the corruption" Said Neimi with cautious tone.

As they continued walking the trees opened up and there was a large open patch of field. TJ and Neimi had reached what they thought was the middle of the forest. There were four statues around the area of the open patch and in the very middle what seemed to be a huge altar. TJ's eyes lit up with excitement as he already knew what laid atop the structure. He ran up to it and hopped right up the steps. He looked down in shock and disgust as what he imagined did not come to fruition.

The sword he wanted to see was indeed planted in the center, however the blade looked petrified, the handle corroded, various areas of the blade covered in the corruption sludge.

TJ: This corruption stuff.. is terrible. Neimi, I don't see that beast anywhere. Do you think you could do the purification thing?

Neimi: I.. I probably could. I'm just not certain we should be so quick to act without killing the beast first.

TJ: I don't see it anywhere. Don't you have a sense for them?

Neimi: No.. I can sense heart beats and mana flows. Corruption beasts have neither of those things within them.

TJ: Well just stay close to me then, Neimi. If something comes out while you try to do your spell I'll protect you.

Neimi: Are you sure? If something attacks us.. you'll be vulnerable as well.

TJ: Don't worry... I'm good at getting beat up.

Neimi: Okay..

Neimi begins to focus her mind. She begins floating over TJ's head and the aura around her body intensifies. TJ watched in awe as the little fairy began to emit a huge flare of light. He could feel the mana actually being pulled from his body. From the glimmering light erupted a huge beacon of light that stretched to the sky. The light around Neimi emitted like waves crashing on a shoreline. The light gushed through the trees. The fog began to vanish into air. The sludge of corruption shattered and broke away into little glimmers of light. Within seconds the forest looked clean and free of the dark fog.

Neimi slowly floated downward. TJ held out his hands and let her fall onto his palms. She seemed a bit tired as she gave him a cliche thumbs up. Just as TJ was about to smile and praise her he heard some violent steps within the trees to his left. He focused his attention and he saw a monstrous hand reach out from the trees and grab a firm hold of the a trunk.

TJ's eyes widened in terror. The hand was covered in the same binary code as the sludgy corruption from before. He saw the hand tense up and the next second a vicious beast lunged out of the tress and headed straight for TJ and Neimi. Four eyes, two tails, six legs all with these clawed up hands. It opened it's maw and black sludge drooped from it's giant under-jaw.

TJ fell flat on his back and the beast flew mere inches over him. The beast crashed into the trees on the other side and quickly stumbled back to it's stance. It snarled at TJ and he was now shivering in fear. He realized just how badly he underestimated the true ferocity of a corruption beast. The vile monster tightened it's hind legs and TJ saw it was going to lunge again. In a desperate panic he grabbed the petrified sword Victoria by it's dull blade and pulled it right from it's spot shattering the blade. The remainder of the sword crumbled to dust in his hand and hit the ground as useless dirt. He was about to piss his pants he was staring death in it's face. He placed Neimi behind him as he tried to get the beast's full attention. Neimi too weak to react couldn't try to stop him. The beast lunged in at TJ looking to nail him with a direct hit. As soon as the monster reached the edge of the altar a huge wall of light blasted it away. The beast rolled across the ground whining. It shook it off and took it's attack stance again.

TJ was in disbelief. The wall of light encircled the whole altar it seemed as though he and Neimi were safe. The dust on the ground and on TJ's hand began to shine and soon looked as though it swirled around him. All the light converged into a sword shaped figure and in the final burst revealed itself to be a beautiful blade. The sword Victoria was reborn as the legend it was meant to be. It's golden handle, embroidered with gems across the guard. The double edged blade gleamed like it was made of light itself. Three crystals branded into the base of the blade it gave off a regal aura. TJ stared blankly at the glorious sword and his only reaction was to try and grab it. The lightest touch caused the sword to react by shattering into hundreds of shards of light. TJ was again dumbstruck and in the next second all the shards flew straight into his body.

It felt like ice was running through his skin and melting inside his body. The feeling was neither painful or euphoric. He dropped to his knees gasping for air. The wall of light dropped down. He and Neimi were again in the sights of the beast.

Like a signal to start, the beast instantly pounced with killing intent towards TJ. Neimi called out to him at as loud as she could. For TJ it was as if time froze at the very moment. The sound of Neimi's voice, the beast rushing through the air. His focus was unlike anything he ever felt in his whole life. He opened his right hand and the blade Victoria appeared from a flash of light. He got to one knee and grasped the blade with both hands. His eyes glowed a pale white hue. He quickly stepped up up with his left foot. He swung his sword and yelled out a cry of desperate rebellion. His blade traveled right through the beast's maw and ran through it's whole body.

Sliced in half the beast fell apart on the other side of the altar. Both halves of it's body flopped around as if it was trying to keep hold of it's life. It eventually stopped and soon the beast began to turn into the foggy substance and eventually nothing.

TJ dropped the sword and it vanished when it touched the ground. He fell backwards to a seated position and gasped for air. He felt like his whole body was microwaved. He was sweating from head to toe, but inside he felt like he was frozen. Neimi floated towards him and sat on his shoulder.

Neimi: Amazing TJ! You killed the beast with one attack!

TJ: I don't.. know how that happened. It was like I was watching myself swing that sword. Almost like the sword used my body rather than the other way around.

Neimi: Whatever happened between you and that sword.. It made your mana reserves jump higher than any human I've ever met. You're probably feeling sick because of how your body needs to adjust to housing so much mana. It will probably take a while for you to feel better.

TJ: I see.. Ugh.. Is there anything I can do to.. not feel so bad?

?: You could start with an explanation to all of this madness..

TJ and Neimi look in the direction of the voice. It is General Wade and his two soldiers standing at the edge of the field. He slowly approaches them. His two soldiers have crossbows at the ready.

Wade: So, Writer.. It appears you would choose to make a fool of the Empire.

TJ: (Great..) General Wade.. -Coughs- I think you're being a bit hasty with your judgement.

Wade: Silence wretch. So this is the Shrine Of Victory. Does the legend not say.. that Victoria would be in slumber here?

Soldier: I believe that's how it goes sir.

Wade: A blade reserved for that of Lord Leviathan. Humph.. so that Fairy was the key to finding the blade, Victoria.

TJ: You're wrong..

Soldier: -He shoots TJ in the left shoulder-

TJ: -He yells out in pain and falls back having never felt something so intense-

Wade: When did I say you could do that?

Soldier: My finger slipped sir. My apologies.. On the bright side General, mayhaps He'll speak with more clarity.

Wade: Hmph! Speak boy! On what grounds was I wrong!?

TJ: The fairy has nothing to do with Victoria. In fact.. after my study of her. I've concluded that she will be of no use to the Paradise Kingdom.

Wade: So you would keep both the fairy and Victoria from Lord Leviathan.. a shame, Writer. Here I thought you to be much smarter.

TJ: I know where the sword is.. I can lead you to it. You just have to leave the fairy alone.

Wade: Nonsense... that fairy is unrecorded. It must be important and as far as the sword is concerned I'm sure there's a mess of individuals who could lead us to it. I've concluded that your existence has lost it's purpose.

Neimi: Wait! If I go with you.. will you let TJ live?

Wade: Ahahahahahaa! What are you two going on about. There is no bargain to be made here! However.. the writer does seem strange. TJ was it? I've decided to take you alive. I'll have you tortured so you can reveal all the secrets you hide. I'm not sure why.. but I feel that you are a threat to my Lord.

TJ: Neimi get away from here.

Neimi: What?

TJ: I won't let them get you. I promise. You need to get away! -He sits up slowly-

Neimi: But.. TJ. What about you?

TJ: Forget me.. You have to get rid of all that corruption stuff right? You're more important to this world than they or I can even imagine. You have to go.

Neimi: No! I can't!

TJ: Just go!! -He summons Victoria to his right hand and points the blade Wade and his men-

Neimi: -Frightened by TJ's yell she quickly turns and flies as fast as she can into the trees behind them-

Soldier: General... that sword..

Wade: It is indeed the legendary sword... That sword.. belongs to our Lord!! You! Follow the fairy!

Soldier 2: Yes sir! -He quickly begins running in the direction Neimi went-

TJ: Like hell!

TJ quickly hopped to his feet and chased the soldier down. Wade then signaled his other soldier. He fired another arrow straight into TJ's right leg above the knee. TJ fell forward. The impact of the fall pushed the arrow deeper and snapped the tail off. He groveled in pain with his face in the grass. The sword fell from his hand and vanished into air. Wade's face grew angrier he seemed to twitch with frustration and disgust. He walked up to TJ and kicked him in the ribs. TJ rolled away in pain. Wade continued to pursue him and would kick or stomp at his body every time he stopped moving. His face dawned a sinister smile. He continued to mock TJ begging him to crawl and cry.

At the same time Neimi was jetting through the trees yanking on her hair trying to find a way to save her friend. She paused for a moment and tried to clear her mind. To her surprise she could feel it. Several more heartbeats were sensed throughout the perimeter of the forest. She had little time to act. She knew she had to risk it and try to hope one of these heartbeats belonged to someone who would be willing to help her and TJ out. Before she could decide an arrow passed by and grazed her back. It stuck the tree she floated by. She was shocked that the soldier was already catching up to her. She began to fly as fast as she could towards the closest heartbeat she could hear.

As the pursuit of Neimi continued, the brutal beat down of TJ to Wade's delight proceeded. Wade was still kicking at him and stomping him every now and then. However it seemed like TJ was finally too damaged to even flail in pain. Wade used his foot to roll him to his back. He then planted his boot firmly on his chest and proceeded grind his heel.

"This is starting to bore me.."

TJ coughed and looked up with his swollen eyes. He saw the arrogant General Wade looking down on him. He felt as though he was going to die at any second. He stopped thinking, he simply acted. His hand twitched and the sword formed once more. He gripped it tight and swung upward trying to take off Wade's leg.

The hardened General saw this quick strike coming and hopped back. He stumbled and ended up falling to the ground. His sinister grin returned. His eyes twitched in excitement again. He was unsure whether he was angry or embarrassed. He rose to his feet and walked slowly towards the bloody, beaten youth.

"That sword... belongs to my Lord. You have the audacity to swing that weapon.. and at me of all people! Forget what I said earlier. I shall rip your limbs from your body. I will pull the the information I want from you directly. Then I will kill you here and pike your remains on the Altar of Victoria!" He then began to laugh maniacally as he got closer.

TJ swung the sword in any which direction like he was swatting bugs. He could barely keep his eyes open much less his focus. Wade easily dodged his sword and kicked his wrist. The sword fell and vanished again. Wade pressed TJ's wrist down with his boot and dropped to a knee. He grabbed TJ by the throat and began to strangle the life out of him. Tears rolling down TJ's face as he could not get any air. Every blink his vision got shakier and foggier.

It seemed as if Wade was going to skip right to the killing, when suddenly his grip loosened. Wade stopped for a moment. He shifted his attention over to the trees. He then slowly stood up and backed away from TJ's body. Wade's expression now turned to caution and intrigue. Wade's soldier then came flying out of the darkness of the trees and crashed right into the altar. Wade glanced over to see his soldier knocked out. He then focused back to the trees. A man slowly walked out. He was monstrous, well over six feet tall and built like a golem. A bandanna over his dark greenish hair. His eyes an intimidating blood red. His age appeared to be somewhere in his thirties perhaps. He was wearing some sort of mask connected to a tank of air. He slowly removed the breathing gear and dropped it on the ground. The huge man then approached TJ and dropped to a knee. Wade's face changed to shock and anger as he saw the Fairy, Neimi floating beside the huge man.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Wade uttered.

?: What? Are you going to tell me that the Forest Of Grand Dreams is Leviathan's property now as well?

Wade: You know.. damn well!! That all the soil, oceans, and sky belong to our Lord!

?: Why did you attack this kid, Wade?

Wade: I've no intention of answering your questions! -He backs away-

?: Fine... Then simply leave this forest, don't forget your man here.

Wade: Urgh.. You. Grab him..

Soldier: Uh.. Sir! -He cautiously approaches his soldier comrade and picks him up over his shoulders. He then stares down at the big man with fear and caution in his eyes-

?: Go on.. take him to your medic.

Soldier: Uh.. Yes Sir..

Wade: We're done here. Let's head back. -He helps load his soldier on his steed and begins walking away-

Soldier: G..General.. was that really?

Wade: Yes.. -He clenches his fist tightly- Literally the one person not among our ranks.. who induces fear in my heart... You sick twisted bastard..

Neimi: TJ?

?: He'll be okay.. He looks bad but lucky enough nothing's broken. I'll start with the arrow wound. If you know any healing magic feel free to help me out.

Neimi: Oh okay.. It's not that strong.

?: Any help is good. Just start from his face and work your way down.

Neimi: Okay..

The man pulls the arrow from TJ's Shoulder. He yells out in pain and tries to move. Neimi rubs his forehead and tries to console him. The man holds him down while he pulls the other arrow from his leg. Once again TJ is screaming in agony. When he finally calms down enough, the man then places his hands together as if he were praying. A gentle aura covers his hands. He then seperates his hands and lays what looks to be a blanket of light over TJ's body. He then presses both hands gently over his shoulder wound and a wave of aura washes over TJ's body. [Mercy Wave]

In mere seconds the cuts and bruises all over TJ start to disappear. TJ feels the pain going away and he lays back and relaxes. Neimi continued to brush his bangs and pat his head. The man then did his prayer like pose once more and placed his hands over the leg arrow wound. Once more the big wound started to close up and all the remaining wounds on his body started to heal up as well. After he seemed finished he took his prayer like form once more as conclusion to his ritual.

TJ opened his eyes and saw the face of the man who saved his life. His eyes lit up in amazement. He squealed like a fan girl and started to shower him in praise.

TJ: Y.. You're.. Ace Blitzkrieg!

Ace: Eh?

TJ: Oh my goodness! You're even more manly then I imagined you to be! -He starts bowing down- Thank you for saving my life!

Ace: No problem kid.. You really should thank your friend here. She found me and was pretty much crying and begging me to help. I saw that soldier and I just wanted no part of it. The doctor in me couldn't not help a dying person though. By the way that will be 1000.5 TC.

TJ&Neimi: Wha!?!

Ace: Hmm.. I understand if you don't have anything at the moment. So I'll write you a bill that you owe me. I'll need to keep tabs on you too.

TJ: (You're also.. less noble than I imagined as well...)

Ace: Kid... How did you know my name? -His look turns serious-

TJ: Uhh.. Everyone knows you Sir Blitzkrieg..

Ace: Real answer!

TJ: Ahh ahh.. I'm a huge nut for stuff like history. You see I'm a traveling writer. I like to write war novels and what not! I find a lot inspiration from stories of war throughout the years. I go to all kinds of saloons and dig up info from tons of sketchy guys so I know all kinds of things about you and the Warlords and everything ya know! Heheh..

Ace: Hmmm.... -His smile returns- All right. I'll believe you for now. Sorry kid. I gotta' be extra cautious, I have a family ya know. Don't need them getting caught up in this war nonsense.

TJ: (A family!? I've never written you a family at all... other than your brothers..) Sir Blitzkrieg.. what brought you to this forest?

Ace: Kid, just call me, Ace. I don't care for the "Sir" crap...

TJ: Sorry.. Umm Ace. Why are you in the forest anyway?

Ace: I was actually doing research.. -He pulls out a glass box with what appears to be corruption- This crap.. it's wiped out a whole town up north. I was trying to get a sample. Maybe I could find a cure for it.

TJ: Ah, the corruption..

Ace: Corruption?

TJ: Neimi knows all about it. Just ask her.

Ace: Do you little fairy?

Neimi: I do.. but... It'll have to wait.

TJ: Huh!?

Neimi: There's two more heartbeats... heading towards us.

TJ: What?

Neimi: Yes.. the heartbeats of Wade and the others are leaving in a southern direction... these two new ones are headed towards us from the east..

TJ: (It's gotta be..)

TJ, Ace, And Neimi intently watch the trees on the eastern side and wait for the approaching party. In minutes they could hear footsteps. The grass rustles and from the darkness of the trees exits a woman. She was slender and tall. Her iris was red and her pupils pitch black. She had long purple hair and a pair of horns growing from her skull. Her face dawned strange symbols and her ears were pointy. She was clearly not a human woman. She stared at TJ and the others with a cautious glare. The others stared back at her with a similar look. Before anyone could make a move or sound a voice spoke through the trees.

"Is something there, Endra?"

TJ gasped in disbelief. The next figure to enter the field from the trees. It was the very girl from his computer screen. The girl who fought bad guys in his dreams. The character he created for his project. She brushed some dust off her skirt and looked at TJ and the others. She simply smiled at everyone and waved.

Hiromi: Hello!

TJ: ...(It's actually... Hiromi.)

[A BOY HAS MET HIS HERO!!, IS SHE EVERYTHING HE CREATED?]