Just a small background info for the world, not really relevant to the story, but whatever,

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Gather round young ones, and I will tell you a tale. One that is wrought with danger and peril.

Long ago, there was a land once called Floriena. It's coasts where clean, and it's prairies lush. No drought nor plague ever befell upon it. With it's high mountains, that ranged north to west, beautiful sea to the east, and a impassible dessert to the south. No army could find a safe path into the land. The people who lived in that wonderful place had all they would ever need.

They had built architecture to new heights, and created ingenious technology. Technology so superior than what we have, so much so that they were able to find a small, symbiotic existence. By studying these small life forms, they found that when a creature is exposed to it, the creature is able to perform a spectacular feat. Magic.

Through Magic they were able to reach new heights. Performing the impossible, and defying all known physics.

The only thing theoretically Magic could not do, was turn the dead into living.

Soon they were able to communicate instantly across vast distances, and teleport small items short distances.

The leaders of that land soon decided that three ships, Fire Wing, Swift Retribution, and New Child. Be sent out to sea, to spread their culture, and knowledge with the rest of the world. Each Captain specifically chosen, and the crews of five hundred hand picked. As the ships sailed off in their respected directions, none of them were prepared for the aftermath of their explorations.

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Chapter 1: Kieltar and Solfic

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"Come on Solfic, we are almost at the top." "You come on Kieltar, you know that your legs are longer."

Solfic was a young boy with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a plump face. His friend, Kieltar, was a half a season older than Solfic, had short golden-brown hair, and had dark green eyes. "You know you should loose some weight Solfic, it's not healthy to be that fat at your age". "I am not fat, and my momma says that I am the best mannered child in town." "Well mannered or not, that doesn't change your weight. Come on, we're here."

Kieltar sat down under a staple tree while he waited for his less athletic companion to catch up. "What a view!" exclaimed Solfic as he fell thankfully to the ground. "Come on Solfic, we see this view every other week, you should be used to it by now."

Solfic stood up, and walked over to the staple tree. "The land's beauty is always present Kieltar, even if it never changes."

As Solfic took his spot under the old tree, Kieltar started climbing to his usual spot on the third branch. Looking out to the vast expanse of sea, Solfic said "you remember those boats the king sent ten years ago?" "you mean that one year where your stomach was bigger than you?" "ya that… wait a minute, stop laughing!" Solfic said angrily, while Kieltar laughed.

Regaining some of his composure, Solfic talked over Kieltar's subsiding laughs "anyway, I wonder how they're doing, wasn't your older brother on one of the ships?" "ya he got chosen to go on the New Child, why do you ask?" "whenever you look out to the sea, you get a strange light in your eyes." "Ha, do I now?" Kieltar said scornfully.

"Well?!" "Well what?" "aren’t you going to tell me what you think about?" "why do you want to know?" "Because good friends tell each other their feelings."

Kieltar started to climb farther up the tree.

"We are friends, right?"

"sure." grunted Kieltar as he pulled himself up onto the highest climbable branch. Solfic had to shout now to make sure Kieltar could hear him. "Come on down, and we can talk this out." "Dude what have I told you about friendship speeches?".

A look of revelation appeared on Solfic's plump face "Ooooohh, I see now, OK. No more friendship speeches. Hey since you're already up there, can you tell me what's out at sea?" "Water you dolt." "no, one thumb length down from the cloud that looks like an eagle. There is a small smoke column."

Solfic's thumb was way thicker than Kieltar's, but it still was very effective. "Solfic, I think your imagination's shot." "You don't see it?!" "I see the smoke column, but the cloud looks nothing like an eagle." "well, what does it look like to you?" "A hare." "A HARE?!?!" Solfic exclaimed.

"It looks nothing like a hare!"

climbing down the tree with the quickness of a squirrel, Kieltar stuck his face into Solfic's. "I say it looks like a hare, and that’s final."

Solfic, not one to be outdone by his companion, pushed his face back into Kieltar's. "Well I say it looks like an eagle, and you can't change that."

The pair stood there, foreheads pushing against each other. Suddenly Kieltar stepped to the side, and watched Solfic try to catch himself from falling. Off balance, Solfic fell hard on his rump. Kieltar offered his hand to his fallen adversary, Solfic took it graciously, and then pulled Kieltar down next to him.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Both boys, now on the ground, stared at the sky. "so, what's the score now?" Kieltar asked.

"one hundred and twelve to fifty seven." Solfic answered. "You're still ahead Kieltar." "I thought I won today." "no I pulled you down, my win."

Solfic looked over at his buddy, who was staring distantly into the sky. "what do you think is out there?" Solfic asked.

"I don't know, but my brother always said that the fallen warriors from the days of old are up there, watching over us." "wow, that’s amazing." "Ya...I know."

The pair rolled over and stood up. "race you back to town." "Kieltar, we raced here. We don't need to race back." "you're just saying that because you're fat."

Kieltar ducked under a wild punch from Solfic. "no need to bust your buttons over a few comments." "There is no need for you to bring up my weight." "you know you could say you are big boned." "true, but bones don't jiggle."

the two laughed, bear hugged, and started walking down the hill. "Solfic, what do you think that cloud looks like?" "those soft, frozen milk cones Mr. Henry gives us every month."

"really? That stuff?" "ya, what do you think it looks like?" "A drill." "Really." "What?" "A drill, come on now, and you were the one saying that my imagination was shot." "your point being?" "Try to be creative for once Kieltar." "I'll start being creative when you lose some weight."

"Ok then, help me." "With what?" "Help me lose some weight, I'm sure you could find some ways."

"Why don't you use Magic to lose some pounds?" "That would be the easy way out, and I don't like that."

The two hopped the shallow ditch onto the path.

"Well looks like a caravan passed through here." Kieltar said sagely, looking at the ground.

"why do you say that?" Solfic asks. "Cause there's a little dust cloud on the other side of Mr. Roming's field." "that all?" "nope, also there's four lines on the path see."

Kieltar pointed at the ground, where a cart had passed. "seems like the lines are really deep in the ground. Wonder what type of cart it was?" "do you really care?" "no, why?" "because it seems that you do care, somewhat, what type of cart it is." "well I don't, ok".

"Hey Kieltar?" "what?" "can we rest for a while, my side is hurting...more than usual." "nope, we normally stop around the bend up there."

Kieltar pointed in the direction they were heading, towards a sapling of a oak. "my side reaaally hurts right now." "bear the pain for at five minutes." "Kieltar? Why are there two of you?"

Kieltar turned to look at Solfic, who was panting with his hands on his knees.

"Solfic? Are you ok?" "water".

Solfic fell, hard, onto his face. Kieltar rushed over to him, and noticed that his friend's breathing was becoming rapid and shallow.

"Hold on Solfic, we can cut through the field and…".

He got no farther.

"Kieltar...than...thank you… for...the fun tim.." Solfic started to cough up blood. With tears streaming down his face, Kieltar said shakily "hold your breath, we still have some way to go…"

"NO...no...please listen to me.."

"I won't hear it!" "do you want me to leave with regrets…. That's unlike you." "I don't want you to go…come on, you still have a full life ahead…" "use that one spell the elder taught you". "no, I won't.. I can't.." "please do it.." Solfic coughed again, this time spiting more blood up. "do it." Solfic's eye's started to glaze over. "Stay with me, come on… Reinteactar!" Kieltar shouted this out, and a red stream went into the air. The stream started the direction of the town and disappeared from sight. "there, now hold on, helps coming". Kieltar looked down, and realized Solfic's body had become limp. "Solfic?" Kieltar whispered. "hey, stop messing around…" Kieltar started to shake even more violently. Looking at is friend's old body, then looking at his bloodied hands. Starting to feel a cramp building up in his stomach Kieltar got up quickly and ran to the ditch, and threw up. Looking back, eyes wide, Kieltar saw his companion's body slowly disappear. "NO leave him, take me!" Kieltar ran over to his dissolving buddy. "Leave him, leave him." "If I leave him what will I gain?" looking up, Kieltar saw a cloaked figure in front of him. "wha..what?" "What will I gain if I leave this boy here?". 'what could he gain from me if he leaves the body' Kieltar thought. "Answer boy, or suffer a similar fate." looking up to the cloaked figure's face, Kieltar's eyes seemed to have mini supernovas in them. "In exchange for leaving Solfic's body here, I will go with you." a slight hiss of air sounded and Kieltar felt something prick his neck, near his spine. Suddenly Kieltar began to lose consciousness. He fought it. "If you want to change places with your 'friend", you have to lose that life of your's". Kieltar fainted.