Aye, JWD here. You all know how this works by now, so I'll just give you the chapter. Enjoy c: Note: If you haven't read any of the other chapters yet, there are links on my profile page. Chapter IX "Sorry Avianna.." I said, quietly. "For what?" "For earlier. This quest has been really hard on me. Everything just kind of, poured out." "Ethan, believe me. Based on what I've seen so far, you're in a great mental state." "Really?" "Yup. At this point, some people are driven to complete insanity. They loose common sense. Some are even driven to suicide." "Oh my.." I thought back to earlier. I had suicidal thoughts. Death was the only way to escape this. But I had come this far. I needed my freedom. I couldn't give up now. "How about this," Avianna said. "Let's stop here and rest for a while. I'll tell you some stories. Okay?" I wasn't really in the mood for story time, but I was in the mood for rest. "Alright." Avianna made a makeshift fire pit and lit a small fire. "So, are you gonna be telling me some spooooky stories?" I teased. "I'll be telling the story of how I gutted you from the inside out if you don't quit being so sarcastic." Avianna said. "Oh. Carry on then." "Well, my personal favorite hero was a man named West Serisin." "His name was West?" "It wasn't his true name. He refused to tell me his actual name. I have no idea why." "Hmm. Carry on." "Well, West was a tiny guy. Even shorter than you. About my height. But what he lacked in size, he made up for in heart, and determination. I don't know if anyone has ever been more determined to get their freedom back than West has. Anyways, me and him, we fought like a machine. He carried a sword, just like you. He would take on any enemy that crossed his path. Unfortunately, one day, he got a little too confident. We came across a Hydra." "A Hydra?! Like those multi-headed, acid-spitting, very very hard to kill creatures from Ancient Greece?" "Yup. We might have been able to avoid it. But West thought he could take him. Sadly, he didn't know that if you cut off a Hydra head, two more grow in its place." "Wow." "West died a painful death, being incinerated by Hydra acid. I was lucky to escape. That very Hydra is still in the forest somewhere." I suddenly felt queasy. "What else have you got?" I asked, wanting to change the subject. "Ah, let's see, who else.." Avianna rubbed her chin as she thought. "Oh, another one of my favorites was Samuel Rodriguez. He was a big guy, very strong. I saved him from an Aquirietem attack, sort of like I saved you. He said he had survived the forest for two days, which I thought was pretty impressive. For a big guy, he was fast, and very smart. He fought like a blur, you could never keep up with him." "You make him sound like he was the best warrior ever." I said, trying my best not to sound jealous. How did he die?" Avianna sighed. "That's just it Ethan. I don't know. One day, when I woke up, he was missing. I never heard from him again." "And you still don't know what happened?" "Not a clue." "Sounds like you got a lot of 'what-ifs'." "That's true. This might not be true, but I think it's the forest. It sounds crazy, but maybe the forest tries to stop us. You know what kind of magic this place is capable of. Maybe, just maybe the forest is trying to keep up from succeeding." I looked around at the bare trees. The gray bark with a red tint was really unsettling. There was hardly any light. That's what I wanted. I wanted the brightness of day again. I wanted to see The Sky again. That's when a depressing thought pushed its way into my head. How long had it been since Avianna had seen The Sky? Has she ever seen it in the first place? Has she ever gotten the freedom to live a normal life? Here I was, complaining about my freedom being taken away, when Avianna never had any freedom to begin with. I felt guilty. A sudden urge rose up inside of me. I wanted to help Avianna, get her off this stupid island. I wanted her to see The Sky. "Avianna?" "Yes Ethan?" "Say one day, someone completes the quest with you. Would you be able to go home, and enjoy a normal life?" Would you be able to see The Sky again?" "Yes Ethan. I would love that. I haven't seen The Sky in so long. To see it again is my dream. I just.. I never talked about it because I figured you wouldn't want to listen to me ramble on. I figured you just wanted to finish this quest and get out of here. That's the mindset most people come with." I was finally beginning to realize how miserable this must've been for Avianna. Stuck here on this terrible island, watching hero after hero die on an impossible quest. If I was being honest with myself, that was the mindset I had come with. Finish the quest and get off the island as quick as possible. But ever since I had met Avianna, that had all changed. She had taught me to slow down, and take everything in. She had taught me that you only get one life, and you can't afford to waste it. I had never realized that she had gotten her life wasted for her. Stuck here on this island. Suddenly, I felt the urge to help Avianna. This wasn't for my freedom anymore. It was for Avianna's. "Avianna..." "Yes?" "I'm so sorry.." "Why so? You haven't done anything wrong." "I was just thinking. How hard is it on you, to be stuck on this terrible island, and watch hero after hero die on an impossible quest. I thought I had it hard, sent to an endless prison for a crime I didn't commit, stripped of my freedom, and sent off on this quest. But you, you've been here for so long. You've watched great people die. You're stuck here until someone comes along and completes this quest. How have you stayed sane through all this?" Avianna was staring intently at the fire. A faint smile, but a smile indeed, crept across her face. "Because I have faith Ethan. Especially in you. You've come too far to be defeated now." I was now the one staring at the fire. Avianna had faith in me. She was right. I'd come to far too be stopped now. I had to finish this. For Avianna. "Avianna?" "Yes Ethan?" "I'm finishing this. For you." This time, her smile was much more noticeable. "Thank you Ethan."
