Time Slayers: Lullabies of Tomorrow

The day was dark and a thick cover of fog lingered on the ground. Small black balls of chaos moved through the fog in pursuit of running, screaming individuals. Those balls of darkness known as "The Lost" were running rampant across the nation. They destroyed everything, crippling humanity and driving the sane, insane. The Lost, hellbent on getting revenge for their untimely death, had become a nightmare that was sweeping the nation.

Once things of lore and myth, the Lost are now very real. But where did they come from? And why now?

A curse is upon the land. No one knows it though. To the people of the planet, life continues on. Only, it does not. You're trapped in a looping sequence of time. Only until you awaken do you discover the truth. But to awaken, you have to notice something. You have to see that something is different. Or rather, the same.

When your eyes open and you discover that the past seven days of your life are stuck on repeat, only then will you awaken. And when you awaken your world is shattered. You play out the last seven days of your life before you're killed by the Lost.

Trapped in a hellish nightmare with no means of escaping, people begin to die one by one. Deaths are premature and unjust. It's the wrath of the Lost. Lost are formed when someone is wrongly stripped from existence. When you die before your time, you become jaded and full of darkness. You seek vengeance on the one who killed you. You sing a taunting lullaby as your soul departs to the afterlife.

Only, this time, things are different.

The afterlife is broken. Lost can't depart. Instead, the fall back to Earth and wander the land. They can kill and they do kill. Their songs are the signal of your untimely demise. And there's no stopping it.

Why is the afterlife broken? Something happened. Something broke. Time stopped. Life doesn't move on. If life doesn't move on, if time doesn't exist, the afterlife cannot accept souls, good or bad.

Things are bleak. Life is fading. Soon, nothing will exist. All life will be gone as the Lost purge the world of its inhabitants. At least, that was the fate until a week ago.

A week ago, a messenger of god by the name of June was summoned. Carried up to the heavens on the wings of angels, June met with the mighty creator. She was asked to do him one last favor. He asked her to believe in him once more and to let that belief guide her and a team of heroes to victory.

Only, she failed. The soldiers she picked to aid her in a war against the Lost didn't win. They were plagued by their fears, their hatred, and their sinful minds. They fell before her very eyes.

All was lost, or so she believed.

And then He called back out to her. He explained that everyone needs a second chance. He explained that he forgave her and he asked that she find the courage to draw forth another team of soldiers to help her in her crusade against the Lost. Only, this time, he helped guide her. What she thought of, he would find. Laying out a list of faces, June would then pick who she wanted. Sure, she couldn't see, but she could trust in her gut.

Upon making her selection, He sent her back to Earth and told her to gather at the old, abandoned church. He said that the chosen ones would experience great grief. He was to guide the Lost to the selected warrior's houses. But He wasn't going to stop there. No, He was going to talk to the families before their untimely deaths. He would speak of love and a future. He would convince them not to die in vain or fear. He would help them transform; transform into a weapon of love, hope, and guidance. Something so powerful it would cause a second awakening. The awakening of...

Powers.

It is now the morning after you've discovered that you're without your family and friends anymore. The ones you used to love with all your heart are now gone. Although they're no longer living, they are still with you. You'll cling to that gift made from the love and blood of your family. It will be your crutch; the one thing that will get your through this life. It will guide you toward your destiny.

Since you fell unconscious after discovering all that blood yesterday, you're now just coming to. Your head throbs. Your vision is blurred. You feel sick. You pray it's all just a dream.

It's not a dream. This is what happened. You're now alone.

A voice calls to you. Looking down at your item, you see it glow. Fearing the object, you might drop it or stare at it with bewildered eyes. But that voice. It's so... familiar. Is it mom? Dad? Your sister? Your brother? Perhaps your lover? Whoever it is, they speak to you. They tell you to head to the abandoned church.

Never heard of it before? That's okay. Something within you seems to know just how to get there. So you set off. You don't know why you're listening to this item, but have you a choice? No. So you obey.

A day or a few pass, depending on your location from the church. Upon arriving at it, you'll notice a few other figures coming from the fog. What you do, who you save, and how you act will determine your fate.

You've all been chosen. You've all suffered a great lost. And you're all from the same county, Westchester County, New York, United States. The church you're now standing before is Sleepy Hollow, one of the 10 oldest churches in America. You don't know why you're here. Or why you've been chosen. But you don't want to run. You don't want to hide.

You'll fight.

And you'll survive.

---

Welcome to Time Slayers: Lullabies of Tomorrow! You may begin your posting. You can talk about how you woke up to the horror of seeing your loved ones dead. Or you can talk about your journey to this church. Or, if you want, you can just post about how you showed up here. You can write about what you're thinking and feeling. Have you seen any of these faces before? Do you know them? Maybe? Maybe not.

Once you step foot on this holy ground, you'll discover you're unable to leave. You'll also see something glow above your names. It's written in old English font and it says a term, a role (i.e. artist, coward, etc.). What do you think of yours? What do you think of the rest?

It was hard to really get a firm grip on what had happened. Head throbbing, the blond stretched his hand forward to seize the hand of the older raven. He had no idea what was going on for he wasn't the smartest of the pair. Truthfully though, his guess was as good as his brother's. Neither knew what to make of the situation. The sheer shock and prostration from all that unfolded before their eyes was enough to make any man question his sanity. Hell, it was enough to make the boys wonder if they were trapped in some TV show like LOST. Just what was happening. Where they in purgatory?

Shaking the raven, the younger blond brother began to have an onset of worry set in. Why wasn't Merrimack waking.

"Brother, please. Please wake up. Don't leave me...." Lips quivering, the wave of tears soon followed. Not before long, he was weeping over his brother's still body. Assuming the worse, the boy by the name of Aelhaeran, plunged into his world of spiraling chaos, fear, and loneliness. Feeding off his cowardly thoughts, some lingering Lost not too far down the road turned around and were now moving in on the boys. Within the hour, their bodies would be added to the ever growing pile.

Or so they thought.

Eyes flickering open, a cold, stern glare stared up into the face of a coward. "Get off me," he castrated. Shoving the man away, Merrimack rose to his feet. As if he had sea legs, he dropped to his knees before he could rise again. This time, with a firm grip on his brother's shoulder, he pushed himself up. Determination washed over his features. Eyes ready for whatever laid before him, Merrimack spoke. "We need to get out of here."

"But mother. Father!"

"They're dead, Ael. Get a grip on things. Suck up your fears and put on your war face." Merrimack didn't know what was about to happen, but something from within him spoke to him. It was his mother's voice. She wanted him to guide Ael to safety? To a church that would be a good day's walk from here.

"I said, get up." There wouldn't be a third command. Instead, Ael was met by the jarring force of a hand to his cheek. It caused a bright red mark on his face and it even forced the last of the tears to push from his eyes. "Yes, brother," he complied while moving to stand behind the man. Just as he was in his brother's shadow, a voice from within his mind spoke to him. Dad? He questioned his sanity. What was his father doing in his mind? And why was he yelling. Why was he saying to straighten up and follow Merrimack?

Complying, the blond trailed on behind his brother. Never stepping outside the shadow cast by the shorter male, Ael kept silent. What was there to talk about? So much space had grown between he and Merrimack. It was hard to breath around this surly brother of his. What made things even worse was the fact that Merrimack wasn't even going to converse with him. Frown on his face, Ael hung his head in defeat.

"Do you hear something?" Merrimack stepped back so that his body was now pressed against the taller blond's firm build. "I hear..." eyes wide with fear, he whirled around to gaze up at his brother. Face flushed of all colors, the raven stammered over his words.

Hands forcing the air from his lungs, Ael stumbled backwards. Glancing down to the cold stare of Merrimack, Ael went to open his lips when the shorter male screamed.

"Run, brother! Run to Sleepy Hollow, the abandoned church!"

There was no time to think. When Merrimack said run, you ran. Ael did just that. Taking off toward the southwest, he didn't slow his pace until he was probably about 5-miles into his run. Finally, he stopped. Short on breath and sides aching, he looked up. Nothing but fog and the call of peepers in the summer heat.

"MERRIMACK!" he belted into the world around him. When nothing stirred, panic set in. "BROTHER!" he called out.

Boy, stop. You'll only alert the Lost in the area. Head to the church. You need to get to holy ground. Only on holy ground can the Lost not touch you.

"Father?" Knocking on his head as the tears streamed down his face, Ael stiffly moved forward.

Don't move so slow. The Lost may not be fast, but they will gain on you. Walk with a quickened step. Get to the church by nightfall and you'll be safe. Go and don't look back. Merrimack is... gone.

Hastening his speed, Ael pressed onward. His tears didn't stop crashing and coming until there was nothing left in his eyes. Darkness was closing in around him but in the distance, he could see a dim flickering light. It was the church. Giving it all he had left, he bolted toward it. Diving onto the holy ground, he left out a startling cough. It hurt to breath and move, but at least he made it. At least he was safe.

Travis did not want t move. If he could, he would grow roots and stay until death claimed him. There was nothing left. His eyes fluttered over his dead parents. The urge to die with them was overpowering, and he almost in a fit of sorrow and disgust took his life but a presence stopped him. Strong yet tender, he knew this spirit. It beckoned him to stand. He took his first steps towards the door timidly, afloat in the gentle warmth that the strange aura provided.

That's the last thing he remembered before he stepped, shoes echoing into the abandoned church. Looking around he found his name in shining along with a title: The Beast in full crimson glory. Unable to think, he propped himself in the front pew, body sinking into the red velvet and foam seat and tried to form a prayer to the god he hoped was watching.

Everyone deserves a second chance, no one more than yourself.

In the first cycle she had failed. It was not her team's failure, for the humans were that, human. She was supposed to be their Atlas. She was supposed to hold up the sky, but instead she shrugged and God knew she hated Ayn Rand almost as much as she hated her vanguard which was nowhere near how much she hated herself. Lust, envy, wrath, sloth, and greed...Yes greed had been their downfall. They asked too much of the world and feasted for far too long. She, alone, could not stop the fall, rather, she didn't. She cried, she kicked, and she screamed asking for a second chance.

In that moment, God took her back in his arms and let her cry. Hey her tears fall until she was red with anger and regret. He stood her on her feet and channeled her wish for those who would rise to the occasion.

"I need a child who can see the innocence of others. I need an artist who can see the beauty of life. I need a sword who can penetrate the front lines. I need a tinkerer to fix this broken earth and a healer to patch the broken bodies. I need an envoy of charity and one of fun. I need a leader to guide my people and finally, I need a coward who must overcome his own fears and help others do the same."

---

Clack!

Ah she was back. June reached out and then down to pick up the rosary that fell to the floor. She had been mediating on one of the pews to center herself, but merely had another visit by God. It was happening more or and more recently (perhaps to get on her good side) which made it hard for her to relax. The hostile souls made rest scarce and the dwindling population moreso. This was the second time repeating the week which meant that she was the only person who knew what was to come. She didn't need to be an oracle to predict that everyone would convene at the church or that they would be too obtuse to understand the gravity of the situation.

The original ten, on the surface, were immeasurable better than these new men and women would be. Especially Brandon and Margaret. Brandon was her sword while Margaret was her shield, the guardian and protector of the team. She was always the first to charge in and the last to leave. She fought for her until the end and the only one who knew the extent of her relationship with God. She was a pure soul until the end. Her only crime was letting the madness take over.

June rose from her lotus position and walked to the front.

She needed to move on.

"Merrimack? Aelhaeran?" She paused, "Travis?"

She had predicted the arrival of the two brothers with the Beast following close behind. Though she couldn't see them, she could sense their presence in the room and the roles that they played. She used her cane to guide her until she felt that she was close to the podium.

Reaching the church was taking him more than he wished, even with his mother's voice to guide him. Unfortunately, he lived far from the meeting point and he had to travel with care so the Lost, as his mother called them, didn't discover him.

Moreover, he was still shocked by the situation. Now he was all on his own, it was not that he didn't know how to live by himself, but the thought that his parents, who had care for him during all his life, weren't there to help him anymore. . . It was just too much for him. But he had to run to the church, his mother keep telling him that. Being in the rush and the shock as he was, he didn't stop to consider if he was losing it. Hearing your mother's voice sure wasn't normal, but nothing was common anymore.

After two days of dizzyness and walking he saw it, holy ground. He could barely feel his legs, however he forced his body to run towards it. He was so close now, his mother was encouraging him and he finally entered the church space. Anthony fell to the ground knowing that he was safe, his legs couldn't bear the weight of his body and he was weak.

The voice that came from within the church scared him right out of his skin. He would have turned to run, but he had no strength left; the urge to run was gone. Drained to the core, his eyes blurred behind a wall of tears. Whoever spoke, spoke of his brother. It brought back such vivid memories to that morning. How had he failed so hard? Merrimack hadn't been murdered and yet still died. Died to save Ael's sorry ass.

A pathetic whimpering sound came from his direction. At this point, he didn't care if the others who happened onto the holy ground saw him in his ungodly mess. His clothing was matted to his sweat-stained back. His face was plastered with mud that was distorted due to the tracks of tears. Hair greasy and clinging to his face, Aelhaeran hardly seemed fitting for any heroic task. He looked out of place. He felt out of place. He was out of place.

It was hard to find his voice, but he managed to find it somewhere within his empty stomach. It trembled with fear as his nightmares became real. "Merrimack, my brother, is..."

"Standing right behind you."

A voice called from over his shoulders. Instantly, Ael's auburn orbs shot open and sought out that deep voice he grew to love. Smile controlling his face, he lunged forward so that his legs wrapped around the muddied pants of his brother. Refusing his loosen his grip, Ael swore to never let go of his brother again.

Even when Merrimack shifted in his half-successful steps forward, Ael continued to cling. It became obvious that the blond wasn't releasing his iron grasp anytime soon, so Merrimack opted to dragging the younger, taller brother behind him. For as small as Merrimack was, he was rather strong.

"S.S. Merrimack to AN, annoying nitwit, please release your siege upon my leg. Should you refuse to comply, I will prepare for a full-on frontal attack." Nothing about Merrimack's voice came across nice, and yet Ael started laughing. "Ah, it's good to have my leg back." Bending so that he could rub down his legs, the raven sent his brother a cocked brow. "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing. I'm just happy you're alive." A hand extended down to help Ael up. As he was pulled from the ground, it became evident that Merrimack was the shorter of the two, significantly shorter. Although they didn't look like brothers, the sway of their hands and the way they walked was a surefire way to confirm a relation. The two were practically clones with regard to their posture and walking.

Seeing two others toward the front of the old church, Ael and Merrimack walked perfectly in-sync down the aisle. Once at the front, they felt something within them tug them toward the words Strategies and Coward. Reluctantly, Ael sat below the golden word Coward. Merrimack, on the other hand, smugly planted his butt below the silver word strategist. Although they didn't know the meaning behind their glowing titles, they didn't seem to object with the terms. Granted, Ael did squirm a bit, feeling the pressure of being next to someone with such a profound title such as the strategist.

"Don't Stop, Keep Walking." Mathias heard his adoptive father's voice eminating from the scarf that he now wore around his neck, "To the Old Church."

Mat, being one not to question things very much, gathered up as much as he could into his bag and began to walk off towards the church, although he had no idea how he knew it's location. He was dressed pacticularly brightly today. He was wearing a bright Yellow costume with red accents and his new red scarf. Noticed so little movement that it spooked him. He had to make some noise.

"I GO NO MORE A RO-OHVIN' WITH YOU FAIR MAID! A RO-OOOHVIN'! A RO-OOHVIN! I GO NO MORE A RO-OHVIN WITH YO FAIR MAID!."

He continue this until he stepped within the church. He still continued singing, just at a bit lower volume. (like an 8 compared to his 10 previously."
"I go no more a ro-ohvin' with you fair maid. A ro-ohvin'! A ro-oohvin'! I go no more a ro-ohvin' with you fair maid. "

Mat then noticed his name written in the air under The Noisy One. "How apurpos. That name fits me nicely. My name, as you can clearly see by this wonderful script in the air is Mathias WOlfe. You can call me Mat for short or Jester as it is my friend's nickname for me."

After he said that, he said below is name and began to sing again, albeit it much quieter, like a 6 on his scale of ten.

Even though his nerves were at their highest, Ael still felt a bit of peace within his soul. Perhaps it was the church? Or maybe it was the fact that Merrimack had survived the fateful Lost encounter. Either way, he sigh a breath of relief. A smile still on his face, he wanted to speak to his brother more but knew the guy would only chide him for being too friendly in such dark times. Thankfully, Ael's mind was derailed by the world's loudest person ever.

Leaning forward, Ael's golden orbs fell on the owner of the noisy voice. Suppressing the urge to chuckle at the man's own discovery of his title, Ael bushed away. It was nice to see that not everyone was doom and gloom.

With a gulp, he turned his golden gaze back toward the chatty fellow by the name of Mat. "Hello," he spoke, "I'm Aelhae- Ael. Just call me Ael." With a wave, he smiled over at Mat. Unlike Merrimack, who was completely cold and standoffish, this Mat man was quite upbeat and likable. Ael wanted nothing more than to spend some ample time with his guy. He seemed fun and, in the current state of affairs, hanging with someone who had a skip to their beat seemed more... well, just more.

Gaze falling on his brother, Ael saw those stern eyes scold him for speaking up and trying to look all cheery. Reluctantly, he pulled away his orbs and stared at the dusty ground below. Sure, their parents were dead but they were alive. Why not rejoice and celebrate life rather than wallow away in fear and hatred? At least, that was how Ael was looking at the current hand he'd been dealt.

From June's end, it sounded like a few people were already starting to get to know each other, exchanging both names and...outdoor voices. Merrimack and Aelhaeren were the strategist and coward while Travis was dubbed the beast, Anthony the healer, and-

"I go no more a ro-ohvin' with you fair maid. A ro-ohvin'! A ro-oohvin'! I go no more a ro-ohvin' with you fair maid. "

-Mathias the noisy one. She had chosen these people before so she had some bare recognition of them as they filed in, but hearing them described to her was different from actually seeing-well interacting with-them in person. All of them so far were men, something that her mom would have been opposed to if she were still alive and the fact that they were around her age would have made her suspect that they wanted something other than her guidance.

Well it's a good thing she isn't here anymore then isn't it?

No, it's not good that she isn't here anymore and she felt bad for thinking that even after the first experience. She missed her mother and to some extent her father too and suspected that this experience was some sort of cosmic irony that the one time she would be free to live her life (read: have responsibility) was through the death of her parents as well as the rest of the world. She wondered if any of the other chosen felt this way since it hadn't occurred to her to ask God about anything deeper in their pasts and God hadn't told her either so she assumed that she'd be the one with the most skeletons in her closet.

"June," she said, quietly at first to try and butt into Aelhaeren and Mathias's conversation before realizing that it wouldn't be heard over the noisy one's singing.

"June," she repeated a little bit louder as she made her way toward the voice she assumed to be the coward,"I'm sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to get an idea of who was here so far."

Of course she already knew, but the conversational approach worked last time didn't it?

Mathias had noticed the sweet looking young girl when he walked in. He realized he was being loud and simply let out a hum instead of the song. He looked at June and said, "Hi June." He smiled and gave her a wink, "How are you?"

The Question was directed towards everyone in the room, because silence was not pleasant for him. He was looking around the church. He thought the place was beautiful and all but he felt it could use more color.

He rolled his eyes. This was getting old, and fast. Why where they here. Why were the Lost coming after them. What was this whole ordeal about. With an angry scoff, M-Ry spoke up.

"Not that I'm all for small talk, but what are we doing here. I was told to come here and, for what? To talk to a bunch of other people who are just as clueless. Not sure about you all, but my parents were murdered. I want to get to the bottom of thi-" a hand covered his mouth. It was Ael's. With glaring eyes, he pulled away from the silencing and growled.

"Merr, I'm not sure you should be talking like tha-" he was cut off.

"Like what? Like this. Seriously, Aelhaeran, what's the point of keeping quiet. I want to get to the bottom of this. Clearly this has something to do with the Lord and the Lost." His eyes moved to the stained glass windows of the church. "We wouldn't be summoned to holy ground unless there was a reason. And, as my research has found, the Lost cannot interfere with holy marks or land." It made sense that M-Ry would know the most about the Lost and have a wise guess with regard to the situation. Sure, he didn't know the finer details, but he would piece two-and-two together sooner or later.

Eyes flicking toward the one who sat before them all, the one with 'the Heavenly' above herself, M-Ry smirked. "June, I believe, you were the first in here. I presume you know the most about this situation. What is our purpose."

The voices of others sounded in the stillness of the church, especially a loud one that was singing. Anthony lifted his head and saw a bunch of men and a woman. The guys were sitting under strange names, "The Strategist" "The Noisy One". . .

He raised up and walked numbly towards them. Then he saw "The Healer" written in green above his name and a seat. A bit confused about the title, he reached the spot and sat down with the others quietly.

"The Healer? I'm no medic, I don't know anything about medicine." He thought.

So they, well Mack, wanted the direct approach. Fine, she could deal with that.

"You've all heard the voices of your loved ones right? And you're probably wondering why you survived. Why you and not anyone else so far.

It wasn't really a question because June already knew that they did.

"You're here because God chose you to be," she stated without a hint of doubt in her voice, it might seem like a coincidence that you all are here, drawn to those glowing names that while demeaning, describe you in one way or another, but each of you played a role in his great plan to help me, help us."

This would be where things started to get crazy so she took a breath.

"God sent me to this church, gave me these visions so that I could tell you about the state of the world. As you've all seen people are dying and their souls have strayed from the path to Heaven or Hell. Mack you've already read the research on the Lost so I have no need to tell you this, but to the rest of you-" she faced away from the direction of his voice-"we need to purge the world of these lost souls so that we may reset this world to the way that it once was. Like the rest of you I lost someone, my mother, to the Lost and I don't want her to death to be in vain."

She fell silent for a few moments, waiting for some sort of reaction from her audience.

"I can't see how many of you are here, but for those who are, I know that I'm asking you to risk your lives and that we may fail, but I a merely God's messenger. I can't save the world without you."

There it was, her signature line. The last time that June made the speech she had been completely unprepared, having to fight with the last strategist and coward, but it had somehow come down to her repeating that line for the two of them to get on board. In this loop she'd be willing to answer any questions that they asked, but she wouldn't tell them about her previous loop. They didn't need to know that she was a failed leader or that if they failed again it would be on her head for hand-picking the group. Her belly was stirring, like locusts trying to eat her from the inside out.

Would they follow her? Probably not if they knew what happened before.

When M-Ry snapped, Mat could only think, Hardass

Some people can never have any fun. The Dark haired man was one. He didn't seem to smile,or even attempt to. Then again, you can't blame him for not being as upbeat as a circus performer.

After June's little speech, Mat thought, Well I'm not doing anything in the next week or so, being that I'm out of a job.

"Count me in," he said. Mat had never been one to question "The Powers that Be", whether it be a deity or a large Government entity. HE always just went with the flow of things. He wasn't a fighter, so why fight whatever weird hands of fate were in motion. He proceeded to Tumble aroujnd the church for no apparent reason, probably annoying the Gloom Boy, M-Ry.

"There's five of us." Said Anthony in order to help June. So they had to eliminate the Lost and save the world. That was to put a lot of pressure on their shoulders and his instinct told him that June was who took most of that pressure. However she seemed to know what she was doing and it was too soon to judge anything.

Anthony looked at the other boys, Ael looked like a nice guy just the same as Mat, they made him smile. Merrimack was more cold and he was straight to the point, his manners would probably be useful in the future. The other guy, Travis, was another thing. His title, The Beast, and his looks gave chills to Anthony, he would prefer to stay away from him for now.

"So you're saying we have to kill the Lost? But aren't they ghosts?" Ael's quizzical face was soon fading when Merrimack piped up. Of course, Ael was more lost in the fact that his brother knew so much about this stuff. Why on earth was his brother so knowledgeable about ghosts and demons and things like this?

"They might be ghosts, but holy items and powers bestowed upon the chosen can vanquish the Lost. The Lost aren't as devious as the world believes. Apparently, they are just sad souls who can't cross into the afterlife. If you can destroy their grip on earth, you can push them to the other side. Some people have written that you can grand wishes of the Lost. Sadly, there's no proof that helping the Lost works. The most efficient way is to touch them with a holy object or power."

"So we need to take bricks from the church?" Ael was more than confused at this point. Merrimack spoke of powers and items. What items. What powers. "Do we throw holy water on them?"

"Baka," he seethed. "Were you not listening to the woman. God chose us, for whatever reason, to carry on his holy mission. He, He alone will provide us with what we need. He'll bestow upon us items of peerless power and allow our souls to wield magical powers."

Merrimack looked across the room to June. "I've been reading up on the legends of the Heroes of the Lost, the Slayers of Time." His gaze fell back on the cold, stone walls of the church. "Our powers and items will be granted to their hero when the time is right. It's not instantaneous for God wants to validate that we're who he needs to complete the quest at hand. We'll need to gather up our courage and fight so that we can bring about the calm of tomorrow."

The blonde brother gulped before rubbing his arm and looking away. "So why did He pick me. As the name states, I'm just a coward."

"Heh, you would have to ask him that one. But I assume He has a reason or you won't be here."

Staring up at the church that his friend, Xarina, had told him to go to. Alex wondered why he bothered listening to his friend in his dreams, he knew she was gone, but he didn't care at all. He kept telling himself it was all a dream, that nothing was real, and even made himself believe he was really dead. "I was told to come here, but I must be in heaven...though it doesn't look like heaven to me" Alex spoke glancing around, he didn't like how the church looked since it sort of creeped him out, and even with that thought he hesitated. Alara ignored the sights around her, she was never one to really pay much attention to things.

~ ~ ~

Walking up to the church still about half a mile away from it, Alara could still hear her sister's words in her mind, and felt them within her heart. 'You need to go to the old church, I know you don't like churches, but you have to. If you want to save me, yourself, or anyone else who might have a terrible fate. Then you must go there, go Alari, go!' her sister's voice every now and then would get loud, but it would sound more like a melody with how much her sister would practice.

Now standing just moments before the church she noticed a kid standing there, 'Who is he? What is such a little kid doing out here in the middle of ... well here' Alara thought to herself gently placing her hand on his shoulder making him jump with surprise. "Oh. Are you okay? I was just wondering what you were doing here, I didn't mean to scare you"

~ ~ ~

Jumping at the slightest touch, Alex turned to see a girl a bit older than him staring at him with a smile, and knew she wasn't anything to worry about. "Oh, I'm Alex, I was told to come here, but I don't really know what I am doing here. I probably should just go back home, but something told me to come here and I don't know what" Alex stated asking "A-are you going in there? If you are, will you come with me?" Alex watched her nod as she spoke her name "I am Alara, nice to meet you Alex" taking his hand she walked carefully inside the church seeing a few others as she figured she probably looked like his older sister by the looks of things.