Fan Fiction ❯ The Mana Knights ❯ Two-Way Legacy ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

THE MANA KNIGHTS
By Ultimanium and Eric Cloud/SyphlidKnight







He comes.

They speak of him. No mortal, no person, no sage, no living being. Instead, the trees sway. The ground shudders. The wind howls. The elements gather in one giant consensus, one great dance. Great things will awaken in this day and age. Depressions, liberations, evolutions. But there is one thing that no element can shake, and that is time. Both present and past guide the elements of today - canals, conduits, fissures, all forged by the elements themselves and the hand of time. And if time is ever spoken of, it should always be noted...

...history has a bad habit of repeating itself.



--------



Waves crashed upon the jagged shores. Ahead, past the maelstrom of dust and sand, a great stone stood from the land like a natural skyscraper. Shattered obelisks laid scattered across the landscape, all subdued to the elements, save for the single spire ahead of them. The elements had no say in what was occuring. They tried, they weathered down the foundations, but in the end it was futile. Time, as it had always done, was running short.

A pebble crumbled from the top of the pillar. For what seemed like an eternity the small stone tumbled down the face of the monolith, eventually hitting the ground. All at once, the harsh weather ceased. A short moment passed, followed as the storm above the ruin returned tenfold, a thunderbolt arcing as a small shaft of dark blue light rose from the top of the pillar. Another pebble fell. Followed by a basketball-sized rock. As a gigantic bolt crashed in the background, the monolith exploded in a vicious wave of energy, distending the ground underneath it. A shockwave travelled, instantly shattering and disintegrating anything around it. As the dust rose in a whirlwind, it stopped again, spreading itself out with a loud, electronic thrum.

Deep within the cloud, a man's figure began to take shape. A moment passed before he stepped forward, the dust seeming to bend right around him. Out stepped the man, borne in an overflowing grey robe. He stretched his arms from the confinement, lifting his hood back. His long, pale white hair flowed out behind him, and his dull grey eyes were in sight. He stanced himself, stretching. In the process, the remaining dust was blown away, left to settle on what little was left of the ruin. He straightened himself, cracking his neck as he held out his hand. With a loud rumble, and a brief but noticeable howl of a small falling object, a large katana plummeted out of the sky, just narrowly missing him and locking itself in the ground inches from his feet. Unfazed, he reached over, pulling the greatsword from the ground with little effort.

Frowning, he glanced up, surveying his surroundings. It was finally time... that this world should pay tribute.



--------



"WATCH... WHERE YOU STEP!!"

"Sorr-" Alan started to make a comment, but regressed as he realized he was too far away for the old man to hear. He ran his hand through his brown hair, gritting his teeth. Maybe he just should've headed back, offered a formal apology? Running up and completely over his car and leaving giant offcolor mudtracks in his wake. It was a small price to pay to get around that roadwork. Alan rounded another street corner, starting on a downhill stretch of road, the same one he traversed every weekday. The trees stood out, sheltering the houses on the left side, and a thicket stretched all the way down the steep incline on the other side, down to a small ravine. Alan was already at the end of the stretch and he would have to make his decision.

Alan glanced to the side, tracing his eyes down the dirt path that lead through a less-steep section of the decline. The dirt seemed plenty beat in. "...bah, too slow..." Alan stopped, stepping to his side away from the ridge, before suddenly turning around and bolting straight for the gap, leaping completely off the edge. Alan plummeted down through grove upon grove, suddenly spotting a pine in his way. Within a second he had already adjusted his trajectory, latching his right hand onto the trunk and sliding down. He leapt down to an adjacent tree, and another. He was still falling fairly fast, but bounded off and landed on a lower part of the trail. Kneeling as he landed with a thud, he quickly stood up, dusting himself off. He started into a run again, winding his way down the intricately carved trail. The bushes gave way, coralling Alan towards the mouth of the town river. He slowed to a stop in front of it. "...aw.. man.. it's been a while since I went THIS route... how did I get over again...?"

He glanced around, trying to find some sort of aid to get him up and over the shallow waterway. The only thing that particularly caught his eye was a great, thick-trunked tree that loomed far over him. None of its branches even pointed towards the river, though.

"...man... alright, time to wing it..." Alan backed up, rubbing spit in his hands. He set himself up at an angle pointing at both the tree and the river. After a short pause, Alan launched himself at the tree in a full-out sprint. As he neared, he suddenly launched into the air, flipping horizontally and planting his feet on the tree itself for a brief moment, and with a great push launched himself off in a triangle-jump across the river, performing a complete flip in the process. He landed with room to spare on the other side, rolling to a stop. Hopping back up, he gave his jacket another brushing. He smirked to himself, looking back over to the other side of the river. He began to turn, but stopped. The trail turned to follow the side of the river he was on, but that wasn't the matter.

There was a girl, sitting on the side of the river, her blonde hair again reflecting the morning sunlight refracted by the water. She seemed to hold her jacket over her arm. Nearby a bicycle laid toppled on the ground. What was more on Alan's mind, though, was the way she stared at him, her face twitching.

Alan shrugged. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"...actually, I believe I saw someone wall jump over the ENTIRE RIVER." she shook her head. "...t-that was weird. How the hell do you that?..."

Alan chuckled again, scratching his back. "When you have to follow the same route to school every single day, sometimes you want to try new things. I know this ravine like the back of my hand. And it's a great place to practice these kinda things..."

"You've got experience."

"Thanks." Alan prepared to run down the path adjacent to the girl, but slowed at the last second. "...hey, what're you hiding?"

"...oh.. oh, that's nothing."

"C'mon." Alan jokingly ordered.

The girl slowly removed her arm from her jacket, unveiling her arm and one sleeve of her shirt. There was a large gash down the side, still bleeding a small bit. "...oooh." Alan winced. "When'd you get that?"

"I was trying to bike to school," she sighed. "I learned at least one thing, this certainly isn't a mountain bike I'm using...hey?"

Alan loomed over top of her. He removed his jacket, tossing it into the dirt. He stretched out, beginning to remove his shirt. The young woman just stared as he coiled the top. "Hold on." he knelt down, stretching it out. He tied it around the wound, giving an extra tug to secure it. "...there you go." Before the girl could react, Alan was already up, jogging away. "Watch out around these parts, the trail for the most part is pretty bumpy."

She only watched as Alan jogged over the hill. "...that was... odd... that was certainly nice... I don't think I've seen him around here before..." she stood up, starting to feel the pain in her arm dampen slightly. She stood her bike back up and prepared to climb onto it, but thought for a second and instead walked it along, following the stranger's advice.


********


Alan, meanwhile, began to reach the edge of the forest, and appropriately slowed his descent. The path curved along a long ridge leading out to a giant body of water, with at least a mile between him and the other side of the bay. And, nonetheless, a very long drop. Fortunately the ridge was shielded by a chain-link fence. But it wasn't the crashing waves, or the wide view of the forest on the other side of the inlet that kept his interest.

It would have been the giant stone temple embedded into the island inbetween.

Alan had no idea how long the ancient structure stood, he simply grew up walking the long way around it ever since his early school days. The structure itself was deemed a World Heritage Site for reasons he couldn't fathom, it just kind of sat there and did nothing and no man or woman could clearly define its origins and secrets. For the most part, most people knew it as the building that people rowed to 30-some years ago, slapped a security ring around and forgot about for the remainder of time.

No matter, it was still an aweing thing to stare at. And that's exactly what Alan did as he ran facefirst into the fence.

WHAP

"...ow." Alan pushed himself back to his feet, shaking his jacket and creating a small dust cloud. "...why do I still have this thing on? I'm boili-oh, yeah." He could only hope no teacher would order him to remove his jacket - he was still sans a shirt, and for one thing it took a lot longer to climb the ravine then it took to rush down it and he would have little to no time to get to school, period. Alan just shrugged, and followed the path as it straightened out and pierced through another grove to the main district of town, where the school lied in plain sight.

It was in plain sight of more than one person.


********


The cloaked figure hovered in the air, still keeping himself hidden. Was he in the right place? Everything looked as it had... the vast mountain range, the boreal barrier, the great plateau.. everything was in order. Except the nagging detail that some sort of settlement had sprung over the seal. The flux of Mana was great, but still had ceased over time. Defense of the seal had diminished over the past millenia. Things were working out better than he could have hoped for. Children and teenagers moped around the complex, still oblivious to the invader from the sky.

"Very little Mana. Oh, how the mighty have fallen." with a bright flash of light, his physical form took shape, the brief flash garnering the attention of those on the ground. They all looked at the floating man oddly, as any person would look upon a man hovering a mile up in the air.

"I give you a chance," he held his palm up in the air, a bright sphere of purple energy growing in it. "to remove yourself from these premises and make way for the rebirth of the generals of Vinsfeld... and a legacy."

They complied. Almost instantaneously a tidal wave of shocked, screaming students poured out of the main door, having seen and heard the grim announcment via the lobby's skyroof.

"...I'm waiting." Vinsfeld glared down at the quaint school, watching as people poured out of every orifice of the building. He growled as the sphere in his hand grew larger. As the tide tapered off, he reeled with his hand back, ready to swing the ball of death down at the ground.

"H-HEY!!"

Vinsfeld groaned. He turned back to the ground - where Alan stood, staring upwards at the deathly-looking avatar. "...hmm... who is this boy... YOU!" he suddenly shouted, stabbing a finger down at him. "If you know what's good for you you'll leave, NOW!!"

A large, tan-skinned boy fell out of a nearby tree, making a painful thud as he hit the ground. Alan immediately spun around, watching as the bulky teen quickly threw himself back onto his feet. "Alan!"

"Bruce?!" Alan shrieked. "What's going on here?!"

"I was planning on skipping class."

"You know what I mean."

"...I can't tell you... I was on my way here... when this guy swooped down from the sky... and he's holding the school in a deathgrip!" Bruce pointed up at Vinsfeld, who was certainly beginning to show some disgust from the delay. "I don't know what the hell is going on here, but it looks like he's getting set for some freaky-DBZ attack here any second now!"

"I don't care what he's got up his sleeve," Alan growled. "Just STOP!" he focused his shout up into the air, Vinsfeld brushing off the valiant accusation. Alan remained dug into the ground... as Vinsfeld let the ball of energy slide out of his grip. Both teens went pale... but instead, the attack simply hovered in the air. Everybody nearby took a step back as Vinsfeld suddenly began to drop in altitude, floating down slowly before he gently touched the ground.

Vinsfeld drooped his head towards the ground, before raising it slightly and eminating a morbid chuckle. He finally looked up, giving a cold stare to his aggressor. "...you, my friend, do not seem to understand what is going on here. I have come to secure this world as my own, and this time your Mana Knights are nowhere in sight. What do you plan to do? Attack me with your feeble steel?"

"I'll attack you with my feeble wood!!" Alan roared. He dashed straight at Vinsfeld, scooping up a thick branch from the ground. He lunged straight at the pale man, thrusting forward with a jagged end. The weapon hit an invisible barrier, the air glowing as it did so. The branch was smashed into splinters, leaving Alan to fly forward and hit the dirt. He quickly flipped back onto his feet, but before he could get away he could feel himself being lifted up by the collar of his jacket. Vinsfeld threw the boy away, Alan still keeping his balance and staying upright.

"Feeble indeed. Feeble in many respects." Vinsfeld turned away, his arms folded. "I don't have time for this." he reached over his shoulder, snapping his finger. Alan watched in horror as the comet of energy suddenly plummeted out of the sky, slamming finto the central hub of the school. The structure inverted for a brief second before the flux of energy exploded violently, sending a shockwave across the grounds of the school. Alan and Bruce struggled to stay upright as the connected hallways of the compound shattered in an immense explosion. As the dust cleared, what was once Alan/Bruce's utopian high school was in shambles. Very little of even the debris was left around, replaced by a large, disturbingly even plot of dirt.

"Now!!" Vinsfeld chanted. "Awaken, my servants, and make the world tremble!"

Alan and Bruce paused, waiting through the silence that followed afterwards. Alan blinked as, suddenly, a faint shimmer could be seen at the epicentre of the explosion. It soon turned into an outright tremor, as the dirt seperated from the ground in a standing wave. Vinsfeld smirked, finally twisting his wrist. What topsoil remained suddenly blasted out in all directions as a cryptic seal, taking up nearly the entire late school grounds, pulsed a steady purple. Vinsfeld raised his arm again, chanting. He finally forced his finger ahead. "...come."

All at once, the wind stopped. From the ground a ripple rose, and through it rose what looked like... a man. He was borne in a light leather vest, blackened and burnt. His skin shone a faint tan, and his pupil-less eyes showed from underneath a face wrapping. In one gloved hand, he held what looked like an aged antique rifle.

Vinsfeld shuddered. "Well. You've certainly put watching the ages to good use. That weapon possesses great power, though I must say I haven't heard of it."

"Watching the ages!" Alan shouted. "What are you talking about?!"

"It's none of your concern, boy." Vinsfeld suddenly snapped. "I'm getting just about tired of your nagging." he turned back to the earth-born man, nodding and pivoting away again. "Carlos. Deal with this delinquent, I will concern myself with awakening the other generals in due time."

"Yes... master." Carlos shuddered as he watched his master rise into the air once again, rocketing up into the sky and out of sight.

"Bruce! Let's-" Alan turned to find himself alone. "...leave?" Alan quickly dove to the side as a shot rang out, a large shell lodging itself into the tree behind where he just stood. He leapt and rolled behind a parking barricade, narrowly missing another shot. "..t-this is crazy!" he ducked, narrowly dodging another attack.

"Consider yourself lucky," Carlos muttered. "Most people don't even get to the first shot." he raised his rifle in one hand, firing several more shots at the metal barrier. Alan rolled over as the bullets pierced through the tough metal, whizzing inches away from his head. He glanced down - the barrier was the only thing seperating the road from the long drop into the inlet. He sat within feet of the unsurvivable fall.

Alan stood, ready to make a dash. What he didn't know was that he stood in perfect line with the darkened temple in the background. Carlos glared at the teen. There was something wrong. It was as if... his life force jumped slightly in line with the ancient foundation. He didn't know what it was, but it made his trigger finger jump.

"MAGNUM LASER!" Carlos reeled as a ruby-red laser erupted from the tip of his gun, much to Alan's shock. The beam tore through the air, slamming straight into Alan's chest. His pupils shrank as he felt the massive energy blast tear straight through his chest, igniting him from the inside. Alan began to feel himself start to go unconscious as he flew back from the blast - completely off the edge. Alan stretched his arm out, his mouth opening in a breathless scream as he arced downwards and plummeted down the cliff to the accepting tides below.

Carlos remained where he was, the tip of his rifle beginning to lose its glow. He took a deep breath, standing and holding the crude rifle to his side. He waited, the howling wind of the shores picking up. He glanced out over the obliterated compound, the activated seal brightening with added energy. He gave the edge one last look before hopping up into a hover, taking off in pursuit of his master.

At the top of a great hill, and the edge of the wide grove, a shirt-bandaged girl stood, with her bicycle in tow.

"...n-no.."


********





The crowd consisting of many of the same escapees tore down a street nearby, much to the shock of the general populace. A barber continued shaving right down a person's scalp as he stared blankly at the stampeding crowd of school attendees and faculty and nearby homeowners alike.

It was when most people got their first look of the wasteland that had replaced their most advanced facility, one of the largest/most advanced/highest attendance schools in the entire district, that they truly began to acknowledge what was occuring.

Someone, or something, had insane power, and had laid waste to their school. But who would want anything to destroy a school for? That was the part that perplexed most surveyors. And, two days later, the FBI. Of course, no one made out the ancient magicks surrounding where the campus had once stood.

Alan, however, did.

But that was moot. Alan was reported missing, as were several other students who apparently were still in the school at the time of the explosion that morning. Later, as the girl he had helped made apparant, Alan was blasted clean off the edge into the inlet of the small town. Too long a fall, they said. Alan was marked as deceased.

But what both the common world, and Carlos, and Vinsfeld marked down as an ending, actually in fact marked a whole new beginning...



********
















Alan's head reeled back, relishing in the same scream he made moments before... except this time a piercing noise came out as intended. This still shocked Alan, causing him to wobble backwards and crash onto his back. Alan's eyes closed... and opened again. That, too, was cause of controversy. Pain still coursed all over Alan's fritzing network, still imposing the feeling of having been smashed with a truckload of flaming bricks. Still, he was surprised to run his hand across his chest and feel no cavity.

Alan rolled over onto his side, pausing before coughing out a mouthful of sand. That was enough of a clue for him. As he opened his eyes, he could see the great cliffs of the inlet off in the distance. It stung Alan deeply just thinking that he had apparently fell from that sort of height. Alan rested his head in the moist sand again, shivering as the tide crept around him again and receded moments from washing him out into the deep water. He was on an island. And from the looks of the horizon, it was the center island in the inlet. That would also explain the sudden darkness - the great temple, less than 50 feet from him, loomed over him like the foreboding monolith it appeared to be.

Shoveling the dirt away with his face, he straightened himself and glanced up. Alan blinked. Straight ahead of him, the chain link fence around the temple was gone. It didn't appear to be torn out or otherwise destroyed, but instead cut cleanly, a wide opening into the courtyard. It was certainly inviting.

Alan squinted as the face of the temple opened, letting out a bright shaft of light.

"Come forth."

Alan looked up at the source of the voice, but was only blinded. Struggling, he slammed his palm down on the wet sand, trying desperately to gain a grip. As he tried to push himself up, he suddenly wobbled, falling facefirst into the clay. He let out one last cough before falling unconscious.


********


"ALAN!"

Alan suddenly opened his eyes, the flash paining his eyes again. What was he doing awake? What was he doing standing? And why did he seem completely refreshed?

Alan stuck out his arms, examining himself. All the burns and holes on his clothes were gone, and nearly all of the cuts and bruises from the near-fatal fall were completely dissiapated. Also, he seemed to be wearing a different shirt underneath his jacket. "..wh-what?!"

"Good to see you're alright."

Alan glanced over, stumbling back. Ahead of him stood a bald, fair-height man, draped in drab rust-brown robes. He held his arms within baggy outstretches of cloth vaguely resembling sleeves, nodding as he acknowledged Alan's awareness. But Alan was more interested in his surroundings. He was standing within a great hall, fairly plain but constructed of fine marble - polished floors, several gigantic, finely cut pillars on both sides of him, and a great statue of a woman at the far end, behind a small pool of dark blue water.

Alan stumbled back, the only thing keeping him from flying off his feet being the pillar behind him. "..w-who are you? Where am I??"

The man's shoulders lifted as he chuckled. "Hmm, no thanks? That's odd... I welcome you to this place. I am Ryuen."

"You didn't answer me!" Alan scrunched up against the support.

Ryuen stretched his arms out. "...I believe I did, Alan, you asked me who I was. But if you're really interested in your whereabouts, you are within the Mana Shrine."

"...'Mana Shrine'? Is that the official name of this place?.." Alan already became less tense. "...I hadn't really looked into this place much as long as I've liv-" Alan suddenly paused. "...how do you know my name?"

Ryuen nodded. "I know all who are destined to enter the Mana Temple, for I am its curator. While the outside world looks upon this temple with suspiscion, forming barriers and fences and locking it away, they know better than to destroy it outright, as is the will of most of the Mana Goddess' creation..."

"...how did you heal me so fast?..." Alan squeaked.

"Also the will of the Mana Goddess. Her magicks in the realm of creation and restoration are unmatched."

"You cast MAGIC on me?!" Alan examined his hands. As much as he'd liked to complain and blasphemize, there was certainly no arguing against a miraculous recovery like the one he'd been subject to. "...what's with this Mana Goddess you keep talking about? All this talk about me destined to come here, and all this magic, and stuff... I'm still lost."

Ryuen smiled. "Well, I was bound to tell you anyways. It's imperative that you know of what is going on with your world and the direction it's headed in."

"...you know?"

Ryuen shrugged. "I've kept up with the times. Please, have a seat." he gestured towards the other side of the hall, where a pair of large recliners had mysteriously appeared. Alan blinked, revolving around the left seat, examining and inspecting it, before finally sitting down. As he did, Ryuen fell into his own armchair. He bent down, picking up a remote control. Pressing a button on it, he watched as the wall directly above the statue at the end of the hall slid down, revealing a large monitor.

Alan stared wide-eyed into the television. "...an update's coming on."

The sound radiated out of thin air, crystal clear. Onscreen a reporter quickly gathered papers, already seated at a counter. "This is a special update. Heronburg was struck a mere hour ago by a freak accident which has already brought a wave of paranoia upon the small town. A gigantic explosion erupted from the town's school, one of the largest in the district, completely destroying it from the inside out. Witnesses claim to have seen a flying man hurl a ball of energy down at the building, exploding and destroying much of the institute. Reportedly most of the school had been evacuated beforehand, but still six students and two teachers remain unaccounted for. As well, onscene an armed man engaged in fatal direct conflict with one other teen, who's name has yet to be disclosed. The physical origin and reason behind the sudden attack have yet to be confirmed, but FBI agents are reportedly looking into the situation as we speak. All we ask during this time is that the populace remains calm as further investigation is conducted."

Ryuen flipped the remote up, shutting off the TV. "I assume you're that undisclosed name."

"What the hell is this?" Alan stood up. "...maaaan, Heronberg thinks I'm dead! What the hell am I supposed to do NOW?"

"It is imperative that you take up arms." Ryuen droned.

"...what?" Alan spat. "You know something about this Vinsfeld..."

Ryuen nodded. "For the past 40,000 years. His fate is interwined with that of the Mana Goddess and the elemental world itself."

Alan slowly began to seat himself. "...go on."

"As you're probably aware of already, the Mana Goddess was a creator-type figure. As far as legends date back, the universe originally began void of physical matter, with a population of one... the Goddess. As time went on during the Goddess' rule of what little there was, it is said that she grew lonely of the space around her... she set out to fulfill her destiny as Creator, and create a vast universe filled with subjects, both good and neutral, simply to keep herself company. Thus it was said, and thus it happened. Creation was filled with lifeforms large and small, islands in the void in the form of planets, and life begun.

"As time went on and eons came and went, a single planet in the midst of Creation continued to prosper and grow in population and power. The Goddess felt specially attached to this planet, billowing with creatures extremely advanced in their technologies and empaths and blossoming with happiness and prosperity. It was the human race on Earth that had garnered the attention of the Goddess. She made the descision to settle closer to the human race, and eventually the decision was made that Earth would become the main base of operations, so to speak, of the Mana Goddess."

"So what is this?" Alan looked around him. "Is the nexus or something?"

"No... but it serves its purpose," Ryuen resumed. "The Mana Goddess poured her energies into the Earth via the structure of the Mana Tree, protecting it directly from the occaisional twist of fate that sometimes turned her own creatures against her, attacking out of hatred, disrespect, jealousy, or sometimes just pure habit. As other civilizations throughout the galaxy began folding in on themselves, soon the Goddess came to believe that the human race she shared accomodations with was her true last chance, truly a Utopian society at the time, and how she believed it would stay.

"Needless to say, as She became more and more accepted by her subjects, the humans were granted access to her massive power flux, in some sense... long ago, it was said that who places their palm on the bark of the Mana Tree, he/she would receive powers directly reflecting their heart's true desire. Of course, as soon as she fully embraced the human race with open arms... she found she may have made her largest mistake in her trust.

"The day arrived that a warrior, a great man in the hallmarks of man, began a great crusade to discover and use the transcendant power of the Tree to cleanse the world of wrong... but it was only when he was in reach of the force that he admitted his lack of will. The power that was supposed to go towards ridding the world completely and utterly of evil was instead fed back into his mortal form and the temptation of absolute power overran him... the darkness around him absorbed the power and magnified it tenfold...

"The Goddess kept watch of the power tap little until the man abused the privledge... he was ages more powerful than anything or anyone that had made contact with the Tree or even the Goddess herself. Her lack of true physical form prohibited her from intervening - meanwhile, the warrior went on a crusade of reverse code, cutting a swath of destruction through the major civilizations of Earth. They called him Vinsfeld in the ancient languages, the "Dark Matter". The most destructive of elements. The Mana Goddess tapped into the most powerful physical power she could - the planet's actual natural elements. Though, however, they too had no true physical form through which to fully use their true powers and control over the physical plane... but unlike the Goddess, the core elements could be infused into physical forms. She rallied her strongest, most trustworthy human servants, and imbued the power of the elements upon them.

"Undine, Golem, Syphlid, Salamander, Shade, Lumina, Aura, and Dryad, physical forms of the eight natural elements. They were christened the Mana Knights, Her most powerful forces and Earth's last line of defense against the Dark Matter. Wasting no more time, the Mana Knights eventually lead a human coalition against the forces of Vinsfeld and his vile generals, though it was the Knights themselves that finally subdued Vinsfeld himself. Even then, Vinsfeld was simply too strong then to outright destroy. He was, however, incapacitated. Rituals began to seal him within a great spire of stone, bound by the elements that defeated him. Of course, his sealing could only be justified as a temporary solution. Once every 10,000 years the bonds holding the Dark Matter in place will dissolve, allowing it into existance once again, upon which a new set of Mana Knights would be summoned to restore the restraint."

Alan grinded his palm into his forehead. "You don't need to say any more... Vinsfeld is on a rampage, causing this temple to open, and all the Mana Knights report here including me ready to beat him into submission."

"You get the point quickly, I can give you credit for that." Ryuen sighed. "Now, you must make a decision."

"Whether I take the helm or not." Alan shot back. "Am I supposed to go home without Mana-Knightship and just ring my doorbell and tell my parents 'I took a 200-foot fall, my wrist hurts a little but I think I'm fine'?" Alan slumped down in the recliner. "What comes with being a Mana Knight, anyways? I'll have to fight Vinsfeld again, but what do I have to work with? Either way it's got to be a hell of a lot better than fighting off the press and my ASTOUNDED friends." Alan said the last part sharply, making even Ryuen cringe.

"That'll depend mostly on what element you align yourself with," Ryuen commented. "From the events leading up to your arrival, I too would suggest taking an element. They all, for the most part, have beneficial magical enchantments on them."

Alan thought for a second. "...all the school fights I've been through... I've been emphasized on solid speed. Agility, smacking people before they know what's going on. Can you cater to that?"

Ryuen smiled. "You DO like to showcase your agility, from what I've seen... very well. Come over to the pool."

Alan walked up to the thick ridge of the small pond, glancing around it. All the way around, small, rounded gems were placed, each a different color. "...now what?"

"You're ready to continue. Before you proceed... know that by going by the doctrine of the Mana Knights you run the risk of losing any sort of identity in Heronburg. Well, this may not be the case, but people may be a little freaked with you and your newfound powers, on top of your apparent death. You know, like that Men in Green thing."

"Men in Black?"

"...right, what did I say." Ryuen tugged at his collar. "Tell me when you're ready."

"Oka-" Alan began to bend down to the altar, but paused suddenly. What about Bruce and the others? All through his accident and the entire speech of the Mana Goddess, Alan hadn't thought once of his outside life - his parents? Classmates? What about the girl he had helped? Alan shrugged off the thoughts. Everything wasn't completely lost. He would make his survival clear yet. "...alright."

"Take the purple gem. The amethyst. It is your power source."

Alan did as he was told. He gingerly picked up the small stone, feeling it. It awed him - it seemed he was holding a marble more than a gem, the degree to which it was cut. "...okay?"

"Step within the altar." Ryuen gestured to the pool.

Alan blinked, but did as he was told. He raised the pantlegs of his jeans as he waded into the small pool. He stood in the center, directly underneath the Mana Goddess statue's outstretched hands, through which a single ray of light pierced. Alan held the amethyst up to the beam, closing his eyes as the light refracted, blinding him.

"Pray." Ryuen ordered.

Alan groaned. "What? Listen, this isn't going to be my new religi-" he stopped as he noticed the monk glaring at him. "...okay, fine, fine, what do I say..."

"Anything along the lines of your request to accept the mantle of the Mana Knight will do justly."

Alan sighed, turning and staring up to the statue looming over him. He lowered himself, kneeling in the water as he still held the gem over top of his head in proximity to the beam. "...Mana Goddess, I kneel in your service and accept the mantle of the Mana Knight, eager to defend the Earth and your Creation against the Dark Matter."

Pause.

Silence.

Etc.

"..." Alan opened an eye. "...what, wasn't that corny enough for y-"

Alan had little time to react as a bright sphere of light rocketed down the single ray, striking the gem. It exploded in an even brighter display. Alan tried to yell as he could feel his retinas burn out, but as before, nothing came out. The water refracted the light tenfold, making the foundation look more like it was bracing the giant column of light that took Alan's place. Ryuen dropped his hood, shielding himself from the blast. As the light began to die down, the pillar of light shrinking, a much more hulking Alan took its place. He was still in the same position, holding the gem, kneeling, but covered in sleek yet excessively covering bright magneta armor. Alan closed his mouth again as the gem warped, reforming and growing into a runic longsword, falling perfectly into his grip.

Ryuen rubbed his hands together. "Mana Knight of Wind and Lightning. I greet you."

"I don't feel very speedy." Alan shuddered in place, trying to move the armor, instead causing himself to fall over against the rim of the pool with a dull clunk.


********


It was only a short time later that Alan was able to move again, finally assisted out of the pool by Ryuen, though waddling around was still commonplace.

"...well, you're certainly taking it a lot better than I intially guessed," Ryuen sighed, rubbing his chin.

"...I DON'T FEEL VERY SPEEDY." Alan repeated. As he took a step forward he nearly lost balance, but Ryuen stepped in, shoving him back onto his feet.

"The enchantment could still take some time to settle in. After you start training with the armor I think you should find it a lot more comfortable. More comfortable than normal clothing, I might add." Ryuen dusted himself off. "...still, the day is growing late. Perhaps you'd like to leave the armor for now?"

"PLEASE." Alan growled.

"Very well. Simply say 'armor revert' to detach the armor."

"...that's it? You could've told me before. Well... armor.. revert?"

Alan froze in place as his armor and sword glowed a bright white, fusing together before completely phasing off of Alan and appearing in front of him. The energy condensed, disappearing in another flash...

...and replacing itself with a foot-tall green djinn. With yellow/purple parachute pants. And elf ears.

As the physical form of Alan's armor stretched its stubby limbs and let out a high-pitched yawn, Alan twitched. "...is there something I'm missing here?"

"As you can probably tell, this is the reverted form of your armor. You could say this is the earthly avatar of the force of the wind plane, or as we like to call it, Syphlid. When need be, it may realign with you and you will regain all your powers, your armor and your weapons. Your experience.. you retain. If you need to gain your given armament, simply armor revert again."

"I think I'll pass on that." Alan watched Syphlid as it waddled off, heading for a side exit.

Ryuen chuckled. "Well, there's a shock. He always seems to enjoy a good nap... and from the looks of things, I think you might too. There are a few quarters down there you can use if you wish. They aren't quite the be-all-end-all of relaxation, but they're handy."


********


Though the sky and the clouds turned a dull red, which soon faded into darkness, which was again lit up by a facade of stars, the sirens and characteristic noises of trauma still echoed outside the temple. Deep inside, Alan lied on a lone reinforced cot in a rather plain room deep within the temple, shielded from the chaos. Alan's jacket lied in a bundle on a nearby table, on top of which Syphlid was passed out.

Alan glanced over from his own bed, watching as the djinn's wheezes subsided. He slowly turned to stare at the celing, resting one arm behind his head and pulling up the thin blankets with his other. He would never have expected to run off to school and instead wind up in the ancient temple that warded off nearly every other person that gave it so much as a glance. Nor did he expect his school reduced to rubble in a matter of minutes. Any other day he would've just smiled and went home for a nice, extended holiday, but from the looks of things that wasn't the only intention of its destroyer.

"I'm dead." Alan droned. In most senses, he was. It was going to be a while before he could return to Heronburg. Even if he did try to prove his existance, it would simply stir up too much controversy. For all he knew, he could be the one blamed for the destruction. What about all his peers, all the friends he'd helped? That girl who probably still wore Alan's shirt around her arm? There was nothing Alan could do about it now. He'd just have to sit tight and hope that whatever job he'd been subjected to would make him cross paths with any of his friends again.

Alan glanced over to Syphlid, who remained silent.

"I guess I'm going to be seeing a lot of you," Alan sighed. "...good night... I guess."

Alan reached up and behind himself, flicking off the small table lamp that illuminated the room.



It was the only true light he'd be seeing for a long, long time.