Mists of Fate

Mists of Fate -- Chapter 5 - FUBAR

To err is human. To royally fuck things up requires me. -- Shaper J'Stan What's a few deaths between friends? -- Shaper B'rel to Shaper D'vad after Shaper J'Stan quelled the first of the Mad Ones in year 2854 After Founding of Tylera.

-From the secret journals of the High Priests of Tylera

Andrei stretched himself out, luxuriating in the softness of the High Priest's bed. He'd been here years before, and last night went a long ways towards dispelling those awful memories. He opened his eyes and admired the nude figure of Ter lying next to him sound asleep. He wasn't sure what he felt towards the man, but he did know that he cared a great deal for him. Was it love? Well, he thought he had loved Creis, despite all the drama, and he knew how J'Stan had felt about the great loves of his life. What he felt didn't really fit into any of those categories, but it was still a nice feeling.

Outside, the sun was rising over the horizon, and should soon be peeking through the opening in the shield he'd made. He could feel the Mist pushing against it, but for now there was plenty of strength to hold it back. All thanks to Ter's rousing speech a few hours ago. He let a contented sigh out as he noticed Ter's eyes moving in his sleep. Ter was dreaming, how nice. He drifted back to sleep, allowing himself the luxury of something he no longer needed, but enjoyed.

For a while, he just floated in darkness, relaxing totally, but soon images began to form in his mind. Partly aware, he realized he was dreaming! He stood on a plateau, high above the scarred landscape of some planet. The orange planet visible through the thin atmosphere made this one of Jupiter's moons, probably Europa. In the distance he could see a familiar figure battling something invisible. It was J'Stan, surrounded by a blue haze and flashes of light appearing at random!

As soon as he moved, the scene around him changed. He was in a lush garden, full of exotic plants. Birds could be heard trilling in the tropical trees that loomed above him. Beyond them he could see space through a clear dome, and the Earth hung like a jewel in that sky. A weird earth unlike anything he had ever seen. Where there was not any cloud cover, the surface was occluded by a blue-gray mist that writhed visibly, even at this distance. He heard the sounds of someone sobbing and turned.

In a small clearing ahead, a figure was hunched over, shoulders shaking in time with the sobbing. He recognized J'Stan's blond head, and the red, white, and blue flag he was crying over. Memories from the man reminded him that the first American astronauts to visit there had placed the flag on the moon. J'Stan had made this sanctuary after the founding of Tylera as a retreat for Shapers to relax and recuperate in.

Andrei's heart leaped in his chest as he stared for a moment at the grieving J'Stan. The man looked up as Andrei took a step towards him, and he could see the tear streaks down J'Stan's face. Another step and the scene changed again. This time it was total darkness except for a golden light ahead of him, and a blue-gray light.

The two seemed to be facing each other, struggling. The blue-gray light surrounded the golden light, pushing in on it, but the golden light refused to be consumed. Instead it struggled to break free of its prison. However, the two seemed to be equal in strength, neither with a clear advantage. From where he looked on, it looked almost like they were mirror opposites of each other, equal in strength and determination. He knew that this was J'Stan fighting against the Mist. He moved to help out in that fight, but again the scenery around him changed.

With a start he woke up. A sheen of sweat covered his entire body, and for moment, he couldn't stop shaking. He realized that he was wrapped in strong arms, and that they belonged to Ter. Ter was whispering something into his ears, it almost sounded like a lullaby.

Hush now baby boy, Shapers gonna hold you in his hand. Hush now baby boy, Ain't nothing to fear in the land. Hush now baby boy, See the sun overhead? Hush now baby boy, Watch the mists burn away!

"I haven't heard that since I was a little kid." Andrei whispered into the silence following Ter's soft singing.

"Neither have I." Ter whispered back. "After today though, I think more people will be singing it."

"I had a nightmare." Andrei stated simply.

"I know, I..uh...I experienced it through you." Ter mumbled.

"What do you think it means?" Andrei asked, knowing what he himself thought, but wanting to hear Ter affirm the opinion.

"He needs your help, and you aren't going to be able to help him while you're stuck here." Ter answered bluntly.

"But I can't leave the people like I did before." Andrei asserted, stuck in the quandary.

"No. The people need to know you are leaving, but that they are still protected the same. I won't try to deceive them like that again."

"You saying what I think you're saying?" Andrei inquired.

"Yes, I'll go public with my abilities, and assume your role as protector of Tylera. I have no desire to go haring off into the wild after J'Stan. But I do want o make sure Tylera prospers. It's a fair division of labor." Ter said, his voice heavy with regret.

"I thought you didn't believe any of your priests were ready to replace you?"

"They aren't, but I was thinking..."

"When have you had time to think this through?" Andrei asked incredulously. Turning in Ter's arms until he could look the man in they eye.

"While I was holding you." Ter answered with a sheepish grin. "Some of us don't take all day to think things through."

"You try sifting through eons of memories sometime." Andrei said grumpily.

"No thanks, I'll leave that to you big boys." Ter said, a little laugh escaping with the words.

"Grrrr, I should turn you into a frog." Andrei growled.

"Stop trying to change the subject and me. Anyway, what I was saying is that I think we need to change how Tylera is run for a little bit. I was thinking we could pick smart townspeople and have them work with the Council of Priests to administer the day to day functions."

"Do what you think best, you know the situation here better than I do." Andrei said after a bit. "By the way, let me show you all the dreams I had so you can have an idea of where I'm going."

"Ok" Ter managed to say before Andrei hit him mentally with the images from his dream. Ter's eyes rolled up into the back of his head for moment, then focused back on Andrei. Ter shook his head and chuckled for a moment.

"I hope J'Stan was more, uh, gentle than you tend to be when giving memories to someone." Ter said after a few moments.

"He was." Andrei said, feeling (just) a little miffed. "I'm just not as experienced as he is."

Ter did his best to not blurt out a rejoinder to the wide opening Andrei had given with that statement. He did however develop a big grin. Andrei chuckled, reading the taunt from the surface of his mind.

"Not that kind of experience you perv." Andrei teased back. He felt...comfortable here, like this. "How do you want to play this?"

"We're both adults, we can have sex with whoever we want." Ter continued joking.

"Will you stop acting like J'Stan after he's gone a decade without sex?" Andrei said sarcastically. It was starting to get on his nerves. Nerves. He suddenly realized that Ter was probably avoiding a direct answer because he was nervous too.

"Sorry, a bit nervous." Ter said aloud, confirming Andrei's thoughts.

"Nervous, what do you have to be nervous about?" Andrei quipped, trying to lighten the moment.

"Ah, do you really want the list or are you just doing an exceptionally bad job of trying to cheer me up?"

"C'mon Ter." Andrei said, letting some of the irritation he was feeling show. "It's not going to be that bad. You can handle it."

"I'm actually more worried about you." Ter said simply, hugging Andrei closer. "You're the one who is going to be traveling around out there, where it's more dangerous. All I have to do is baby-sit a bunch of scared villagers."

"Well, take good care of them," Andrei responded. "They die, the human race just might be over for good."

"What about you? Will you be safe?" Ter pressed on.

"As safe as anyone can be." Andrei assured him gently. There was a knock at the door, and Ter called softly for the person to enter. Andrei was surprised to see Pico's face stick through a barely opened door and look inside. A smile lit his young face when he saw Andrei there with Ter. He came in the room timidly, but broke out grinning when Andrei crossed the room quickly to give him a hug.

"Hey, little brother. I've missed you." Andrei said softly, amazed at the fierceness with which his brother returned the hug. "How are you and little sis doing?"

"We be good, Andrei." Pico said, his voice alternating between a new deepness and his boyish higher pitch. "We both miss you."

"I miss both of you too. It's been a long time since we were a family together, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, but we understand. You got lots to do." Pico said softly. Andrei could feel the tears beginning to form in the boy's eyes.

"Not so much that I just turn around and forget my own family." Andrei said, realizing that was just what had been doing. He decided that he'd try to make up a little for it before leaving.

"Ter, how much time do you think before we have to go to the Temple?" He asked.

"About an hour or so. You can just pop in a little late if you need more time." Ter said softly, smiling a little.

"Go get sis, Pico." Andrei told his little brother. "We are going on a little trip."

The boy ran off at high speed, a big grin plastered on his face. Ter had smiled after him a bit and then stood up behind Andrei. He started to head towards the closet for his priest robes but stopped as Andrei snuggled into his arms.

"I haven't been a good big brother to them, have I?" Andrei asked into Ter's chest. He was feeling guilty about his siblings.

"You've had a lot on your mind lately." Ter extemporized.

"Still. Well, I think I'm going to take them up to the Retreat. It should be fine, even after all these years."

"Think you can keep the shield going from there?" Ter asked. Andrei felt relief that Ter seemed okay with this little change.

"Of course, not for long, but just for the hour or so we're gone." Andrei told him. The moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. A moment's thought put the Shapers blue uniform on him, and he could see Ter hastily shrugging into one of his robes. Pico poked his head in when Andrei yelled out for them to come in.

His heart gave a little jump at seeing his younger brother and sister come in. They had both grown a lot since the last time he'd spent any real time with him. His brother was now 15, and his little sister 12. Like he had been, they were tall for their ages. He held out his arms and both of them rushed to give him big hugs.

"I miss you!" Tish mumbled into his chest after they had hugged for a few minutes. Andrei lifted a hand and ran it through her long golden hair.

"I know, sis." He muttered, feeling guilty for a bit. "Don't think I've forgotten about either of you, I've just been real busy lately. Did Pico tell you we're gonna spend some time together today?"

"Yeah, but we have that stupid assembly later today. It's not fair! I don't want to go!" Tish whined a little. Andrei couldn't help it, he let out a good belly laugh at that.

"Tish, darling. I don't want to go either, but I have to." Andrei said. As he was speaking, he could feel Ter coming over and putting his hands on Andrei's shoulders. The presence was comforting to him.

"But you're the Shaper, you don't have to do anything you don't want to." His little sister proclaimed.

"Gods do I wish that was true." Andrei told her, chuckling more. "Sometimes being a Shaper, or even just an adult, means having to do things you really don't want to do. It's one of the reasons that you are required to go today. That way you get use to doing things you don't like."

"That's the most absurd reasoning I've heard in years, Andrei. Who taught your Reasoning classes?" Ter said, his voice full of laughter. Both kids just stared at him in shock.

"J'Stan did. He was always a little warped in the head." Andrei answered, watching the faces of his younger siblings. They both had odd looks on their faces, but were still smiling, Pico a little more than Tish.

"Are you two a couple?" Pico asked after a moment..

"Um, not sure yet. Maybe." Ter answered briefly. "We are friends though."

"Right. Uh, you two ready to go somewhere?" Andrei asked them.

"Where we going?" Pico asked as they were both nodding.

"Somewhere no one has been in over three hundred years." Andrei told them, smiling gently. "Now, I want both of you to look at me, and just think about how nice it is that we are all here together."

He could feel their minds open up a little, and that made it easier to mentally `grab' them for the teleport. He made sure that just in case things had gone bad at the Retreat, they were shielded from exposure, then teleported all of them to his destination.

The first thing he noticed was the change in air pressure. Lush green foliage surrounded them, with warm muggy air making things feel heavy. Andrei couldn't help but laugh as Tish jumped up in surprise when she looked around. Her jump, in the lower gravity of the moon put her about eight feet in the air before she started to descend again. Her shriek of fear propelled him to jump a little, grab her foot and quickly pull her down. Pico just stared, his eyes wide, taking in the lush foliage, and Andrei catching Tish.

"We're on the moon. The gravity here is a lot less than what we're use to. You have to take smaller steps here, okay?" he told them.

"What's the moon?" Pico asked. At the same time, Tish asked "What's gravity?"

Andrei was flabbergasted for a moment. He thought the answers to those two questions were so, fundamentally obvious that they both should have known them. Then he remembered how, just a few months ago both concepts would have been just as foreign to him.

"The moon is...a large rock that circles the Earth, the planet we live on. Gravity is what holds us on the ground. The moon is smaller than the Earth, so it has less gravity. We weigh a lot less here."

"Ok," Pico said after a moment, his voice showing he still didn't fully understand. "So, who made this place?"

"J'Stan did, after founding Tylera. This is a secret place only Shapers can come here. We use it to relax when we need to get away from Tylera for a bit. Let's look around."

The three of them began to move about, exploring the lush plant growth rapidly. Both Tish and Pico seemed extremely happy and loved exploring with Andrei. For his part, Andrei was amazed that things had survived here so well. His memories from J'Stan showed this place to be a domed ecosphere that naturally reclaimed resources and used geostationary satellites in orbit to keep it warm. The gentle buzzing of flies, and sounds of song birds in the foliage gave him hope for the rebirth of Earth, if the Mists were ever defeated. He fell to the ground as Tish and Pico tackled him, breaking his train of thought with their tickling. The sounds of their laughter silenced the songbirds, who listened to the strange sounds in wonder.

Ter stood for a few moments just staring at the empty space that had so recently been occupied by Andrei and his siblings. He knew how much Pico and Tish, Andrei's sole surviving family members, meant to the Shaper. He also knew that they had not been dealing well with their separation from their older brother. He decided that the short reunion they were having right now was a good sign for healing the wounds Tylera had suffered in the last few days.

He finished dressing for the morning convocation that would take place in a little while. While he was dressing, he looked over at the bed he and Andrei had shared the night before. It was a mess, a big mess. Luckily for Ter, he was alone in the room as he blushed a bright red as he remembered the previous night. There was no way he could have known all those...things they'd done together. Some of it must have come from J'Stan's memories.

Still, he wasn't sure exactly what last night had meant to Andrei, or even himself. It had been fun, fantastic even, but was it more than just a night of pleasure? Did Andrei care as much for Ter as Ter cared for Andrei? Questions not easily answered, but not of vital importance at the moment.

Instead, what was even more important was getting this city back on its feet while Andrei searched for J'Stan. He wasn't sure what was happening in that regard, but getting the oldest, most powerful Shaper back to Tylera seemed to be an important task. Important enough for Ter to be take his place as a Shaper while Andrei searched.

Uncomfortable was the best way to describe how he felt at that prospect. He'd been uncomfortable since he'd first learned of his abilities, learned he was a Shaper too. The knowledge Andrei had shared helped some. Time helped for the rest, allowing him to grow use to the concept that he was now what he had been worshipping all of his life. Coming to terms with it was important, and let him set about the changes that were soon going to be happening. A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought.

"Enter" he called softly.

"High Priest," the words preceded the young priest, Kelxon, through the door. The young red-headed man looked a little nervous, and surprised to find Ter alone. "Is everything okay here? Pico never came back after I sent him up here."

"Yes, Kelx, everything's fine. Shaper Andrei took his younger brother and sister to spend some together. They'll join us in the Temple a little later."

"Ah, if you say so sir." Kelxon replied hesitantly. "Um, you might wish to know that the people are showing up already. From the line heading up to the Temple, it must be nearly everyone."

"Are they being fed?"

"Yes, High Priest." Was the rapid reply. "Priestess Colina organized a group of us early this morning. We nearly emptied several larders making sure there was enough for everyone. We have people moving up and down the line offering the food to everyone."

"What is the response to that?" Ter asked, knowing the answer would tell him a lot about the mood of the people, and more accurately than what he was sensing through his new senses.

"A handful refuse, only one has given actual offense to the Priestess who offered food. Most smile and are grateful."

"That's good news, Kelx. Good news. How much longer till we are supposed to start?"

"Not more than a quarter hour, sir. That's why I was coming to get you, to bring you down so the Procession can start."

"Tell me, Kelx. I've taught a lot of your early classes and remember you pretty well. Last night things were bad, but someone besides me kept the Priesthood together, organized the first aid, the kitchens, places for people to stay. Who did that?"

"Um, Priestess Colina did a lot of it sir." Kelxon said after looking down for a few moments and blushing. "And did she have help?"

"A little sir, I helped where I could." Kelxon admitted, blushing more.

"You and Colina, you're a couple aren't you?" Ter knew the answer, but wanted to hear it aloud.

"Yes, High Priest." Kelxon admitted, his voice more confident. "In fact, we were planning on asking to be married later this month before everything went mad."

"I'm glad to hear that. You and Colina will lead the Procession in place of Minalena and myself." Ter told him in a firm voice.

"Us?" Kelxon's question was nearly as loud as a shout. "Why us, milord?"

"To honor you for your work last night."

"Thank you milord. Will you join the procession now?"

"No, Kelx, I will be waiting for you there." Ter told the Priest, then disappeared as he teleported himself to the Temple.

He arrived on the dais a moment later, seated in the golden throne sitting next to Andrei's silver. No one noticed him there, because he didn't want to be seen until after the Procession of priests and priestesses had arrived. He looked around and winced inwardly.

The Temple was a right royal mess. The pile of debris that had killed Mina and the others was still on the dais. Burnt tapestries hung in threads all over the temple, and rubble littered every part of the ground. There were great craters in the stone floor in different areas, all of them avoided by the people still pouring inside. However, the bright, direct sunlight pouring in through the skylights contrasted the bleakness of the damaged Temple with rays of hope. The buzz of several thousand voices filled the building, and the sound was not as negative as he'd feared it would be.

He could see the last of the people filing into the Temple. Behind them he could hear the soft bells of the Procession making their way up the stairs. He kept himself invisible as they filed in, bells ringing softly in the now silent Temple. An aisle was made through the people for them to approach the dais. As they got closer, he could see the pensive expressions on the faces of Kelxon and Colina. Both of them were young, barely into their twenties, but Ter could hear the voice of his old mentor, Priest Charliss in his head.

"The ability to lead is something that can rarely be taught. When a young one shows natural leadership though, it can be refined and cultivated like the most beautiful flower. Always keep an eye out for those with that ability, nurture them and you will receive a great many rewards from that work."

Charliss had been the priest that had taken Ter under his wing. Without Charliss' support and guidance, he would have given in to the depraved teachings of High Priest Haerod. He silently said a prayer of thanks to the old man's spirit.

He was recalled to the present as the sounds of the bells stopped. The Procession had reached the dais, and Kelxon was looking around for him. After a few moments, the restless shifting of nervous Tylerans could be heard. Kelxon turned to look at Colina, and for a moment they drew strength from each others' eyes. Then, together, they stepped up onto the platform. The convocation for today was one that had not been spoken in centuries, but was taught to all priests.

"People of Tylera, today we gather under the warmth of the sun," Kelxon began chanting after he climbed the dais and faced back to the crowd. Colina stood beside him, arms upraised with his.

"Through our faith, and the strength of the Shapers, we are held safe." Colina chanted.

"In the arms of the Shapers we are sheltered." The crowd chanted in refrain.

"Look upwards, people, and see the results of your faith." Kelxon continued. At his words, the people lifted their eyes and stared at the light pouring in through the skylights high above.

"Remember this day, remember the sun, for together, the people and Shapers shall one day restore this sight to all the Earth." Colina continued. With his years of leading convocations, Ter's natural sense of timing kicked in, and he could no longer wait for Andrei. He also realized that the skylights above let the sunlight through so that one beam of light shown upon both thrones. He concentrated a moment, letting himself gradually become visible sitting in the golden throne. The gasps from the crowd, and looks on the faces of Kelxon and Colina were priceless as he appeared fully. He no longer wore the robes of the High Priest, but now wore the sky blue uniform of a shaper.

"We are proud of you, people of Tylera." Ter said softly, enhancing his voice so that it seemed like he was whispering in the ear of each listener. The looks on their faces were incredulous, a mixture of surprise, fear, and joy. With that part of his mind that was helping hold the shield, he could feel more strength coming from a growing belief in him.

"High Priest?" Kelxon whispered in astonishment.

"High Priest no longer, faithful Kelxon." Ter answered. "Yesterday, when the false one attacked, I used my powers as a Shaper to defeat him. During the crisis that followed, I helped Shaper Andrei patch things together, and to defeat the Mad One. Now, I stand before you, as is the custom, and ask for your acceptance as a Shaper.

"People of Tylera, will you let me guard you, guide you, keep back the Mists for you?"

"I will," Kelxon said loudly, going to one knee in a deep bow to Ter. Colina followed a moment later, her beautiful voice giving a resounding "Me also, Shaper." All the priests and priestesses, and most of the townsfolk followed them. Only five townsfolk remained standing, and even they bowed their head in respect. He could feel the strength that Andrei had tapped to hold the shield become available to him directly, and reveled in it, until he felt something, or someone arrive in the Temple next to him.

"I am glad to see the people so willing to accept the newest Shaper." Andrei said firmly. He stood next to Ter, with his brother and sister on either side of him. Each of them had a bright flower above their right ear, and a necklace of green leaves about their necks. The grins on their faces were huge as they scampered off the dais and took places at the front of the people lined up there.

"I am not the only Shaper, nor will Ter be the last new one." Andrei continued after a moment, after the people had finished expressing startlement at his sudden appearance.

"When those with the gift are ready, mature enough to handle the abilities, the knowledge of being a Shaper, they will be given the choice, as will the people of Tylera. Until then Shaper Ter and I will safeguard you."

"Since I was the High Priest, and High Priestess Minalena has left us, both of those positions must be filled." Ter continued, mentally checking with Andrei for concurrence.

"The position of High Priest has often been abused in the past, but is important for the continued survival of our city, as is the position of High Priestess. Although they are young, Kelxon and Colina, more than any other have shown that they are capable of fulfilling the duties of those two positions. It is the decision of Shaper Andrei and I that they be appointed to those positions."

"However," Andrei continued Ter's line of thought. "They are young yet, and have much to learn before they are truly ready to lead Tylera. Therefore they shall have a council of advisors, both priestly and from the people of Tylera. This council will guide them in their duties, as will Shaper Ter."

"To this council we do appoint Priests Kavin, Beris, Priestess Javana, Shopkeeper Moshina, Blacksmith Edvard, and Teacher Mikel. If you have need of a Shaper call me, I will be waiting. Shaper Andrei has been called to help J'Stan in his struggles. Never fear, together, we will be safe while J'Stan and Andrei battle with the Mists."

"In the arms of the Shaper are we safe." Kelxon and Colina intoned at the same time, leading the people in the old refrain. After repeating it five times, they began to filter out, to begin the repairs of Tylera. Andrei and Ter hugged briefly before Andrei disappeared. Ter stood there for a moment, feeling tears well up inside. He shook his head and turned back to the new High Priest and High Priestess.

"Okay you two, we got a hell of a lot of work to do.

Andrei could feel the Earth receding behind him, and knew that he was soon outside the orbit of the moon. He knew all about space travel from J'Stan's memories, but still marveled at the grand scale of the universe. It made him feel truly insignificant, even with his Shaper abilities. The trip he was taking was a long one, and one he had never personally made before.

He knew the way though. J'Stan's memories of astrogation let him figure out where Jupiter was at in its current orbit of the sun. His abilities propelled him there at near the speed of light. Time dilation made it seem just a few moments had passed, but he knew from those same memories that hours had gone by. He hung there, staring at the great gas giant, and marveled at how little it had changed over the millennia. He broke his staring at the great planet Jupiter and studied the moons he could see. Europa must be on the other side of Jupiter.

With a shrug, he set off around the huge planet. As he traveled he could feel the gentle tug of the gas giant's gravity. He ignored it as insignificant and kept on course. A few moment's later, he was skimming the upper reaches of Jupiter's atmosphere, bouncing off of it like a stone skipping through water. It was a memory from J'Stan that showed him how to do it, but the enjoyment was all his. J'Stan would probably have a heart attack trying to dissipate the heat the bounces were generating. All too soon, he could see Europa over the horizon.

With a mental sigh, he stopped his atmosphere skipping and set out for the once-inhabited moon. As he got closer, he compared what he was seeing with his memories of J'Stan's last few visits here, millennia ago. Instead of lush green land, it was gray, barren of anything that looked like life. At least, though the Mists no longer roiled over the surface. As he reached low orbit of the moon, he realized that even the oceans of Europa had turned gray.

With another internal sigh, he lowered himself into the thin atmosphere. His mind sifted through the molecules heating up at his passage, and he was surprised that there was still a trace of oxygen here. Not enough to support life, but still, three percent. J'Stan's memories made him think there should be none here at all.

He settled down on Europa and was glad he wasn't breathing when gray dust drifted upwards. It was odd, but he felt the sight of the gray dust floating in the thin air jogging a memory. He knew! It reminded him of the dead soil of the Earth's moon, outside of the Retreat that is.

He looked around and saw some tracks in the distance. A thought put him next to those tracks. He could see them clearly, and knew J'Stan made them. He followed them until they stopped abruptly. Why they stopped, he didn't know, nothing looked out of the ordinary here, no sign of a struggle.

Then an idea occurred to him. He reached out with his mind and felt something near by. It was a rift, a hole through which the Mist attacked! But this one, it was sealed!

`Aye, he at least got that right!' said a dry mental voice in his head. Andrei turned in surprise and found himself face to face with the dark-skinned old woman, Zela. His surprise was even greater when he realized that she was not alone this time. There were about 15 men and women in a semi-circle behind her. Some were as dark-skinned as her, others nearly as pale as himself. All of them had scowls on their faces.

`What are you doing here?' Andrei demanded after a moment.

`Just passing through when we saw your little skipping fun. Thought I'd stop and say good-bye.'

`Good-bye? Where are you going?' Andrei asked, a little confused.

`Oh, we're taking a couple of humans to another world we know about. They should be safe there.'

`Why are you doing that?'

`Because we don't think things are going to go well for Earth.' The old woman answered honestly. Her mind voice was tinged with flavors of regret, and longing.

`That's not too reassuring. What make you think things will go bad?' Andrei asked, his stomach felt like it was filled with lead.

Oh, you be doing okay, despite not handling things perfectly.' She told him. It's that boy, J'Stan. He be treading on dangerous ground and still hasn't been able to really understand the problems he faces. If he messes up again, I don't think good ole Mother Earth will make it."

`That's why I'm here, I'm trying to find him.'

`Well, you be looking in the wrong place.'

`I figured that out, wise lady.' Andrei let a hint of sarcasm in his voice. The woman's pessimism was getting irritating. Several of the people behind her seemed to be chuckling softly at that.

`They thought you were saying wise ass. It's their pet name for me, I think.' Zela responded, her tone full of self-mocking laughter.

`Can you tell me where J'Stan is?'

`Can I? Probably. Will I? No. You got some more growing to do yourself before you see him again.'

`What do you mean, more growing?' Andrei asked defensively. Zela strode forward, then put a bony finger right in the middle of his forehead, poking hard.

`You still be a little boy. If you gonna help the other one, you need to grow up a bit. You will, though, you will.'

`You think you know everything, don't ya?' Andrei retorted angrily, pushing her hand away.

`Not everything, but enough. Good luck boy, if you succeed I might see you again.' Zela said suddenly, and disappeared along with the other people.

Andrei stood there for a few moments, totally confused about the encounter. What did it mean? Why were these people, who he assumed had been around as long as Zela, leaving Earth? What was happening with J'Stan that could be so dangerous? Where was that man?

Putting the questions aside for the moment, he let his mind expand, testing all of Europa for signs that any of the rifts were still open. They weren't, they were all closed. Frustration welled up inside of him, and he kicked the gray dust high in the air. As it floated down, he wondered idly if this was what Earth would look like if the Mists were ever banished.

He wanted to check the other colonies that had been destroyed those thousands of years ago. He remembered them from J'Stan's memories. Io, Caledonia, Mars were all sites that had been destroyed similarly to Europa. Unfortunately, J'Stan's memories didn't contain enough information for him to figure out where Caledonia and Io were at now. Io he might be able to find by searching every moon in orbit around Jupiter, but he didn't like that task. Mars he could figure out easier, so he willed himself to start the journey there.

Again, as he traveled, he could feel the time dilation. Days were passing by in what seemed like moments for him. He had just enough time to wonder how Ter was holding up before he arrived in orbit over the Red Planet. Rather, as he observed from orbit, the planet that had once been described as Red'. Now, it was covered in gray dust like Europa. He willed himself down from orbit, ignoring the friction of the atmosphere. He flew, arms stretched out like Superman (an icon from another era), and skimmed the surface of the planet. He reached the site that had once held a colony of humans, but was now little more than rubble. Here he again found a rift, also sealed. Like the sealed rift on Europa, this one bore the imprint' of J'Stan.

He sighed again, idly kicking the gray dust of Mars. He thought back to the dream he had before leaving Tylera, remembering the places he'd seen J'Stan. He had now traveled to all those places, had seen J'Stan's handiwork, but had no more clue as to where the man was now. He'd been gone for what, a few hours of his personal time. Yet he knew that days, even weeks might have passed by for Tylera, and for Ter. For some reason, at the thought of Ter, his heart trembled and felt a dagger of fear. From what source it was coming, he didn't know, but he felt an urgent need to see Ter.

The trip home was fast, faster than he'd traveled so far. He descended to Tylera and was dismayed to see that the opening he'd created to the stars was gone now. As he passed through the shield, he could feel its weakness, almost as if Ter wasn't there. He picked up control of the shield, strengthening it immediately. He appeared inside the Temple, and immediately fell to the ground.

The ground was shaking! There was an earthquake happening!. The Temple was filled with people, it looked like almost everyone in Tylera was there, except Ter. On the dais, lying prone, were a priest and priestess he didn't recognize. Even prone, their voices rang out in supplication.

"Shapers hear us! Tylera is in need of your help! Shapers hear us! Shapers protect us!" they were calling out, and the people were doing their best to follow suit. Andrei got back on his feet, floating a few inches above the ground so that he didn't fall again. The two on the dais noticed him and cried out in joy. Andrei just raised a hand to stop them from rushing to him, and began to concentrate on the ground beneath their feet. The earthquake seemed to be gaining strength, and had already lasted longer than J'Stan's memories indicated it should have.

Down, below the surface Andrei's mind probed deep. He found the great plates that were shifting, causing the ground to shake, and he could feel the power of a mind pushing them, creating the quake that threatened Tylera. He could feel faint traces of another will, another power that had struggled against the quake's creator, but those traces were fading fast. Not fast enough for him to not recognize them though. It seemed Ter had struggled against whoever was creating these quakes, struggled and failed.

Sadness welled up inside him, sadness and grief at the thought of Ter having failed, failed and died. Still, the people of Tylera needed him to act, and act fast. Grief would have to wait. He focused on the force that was creating the quakes and realized he also recognized the power. Anger welled inside him, and he knew where the person who was doing this was.

A moment later, he reappeared deep underground, in Strausser's cavern. The madman was there, arms raised as he mumbled something incoherent. Andrei was surprised at the wild, disheveled appearance of the man. Drool was running down the corner of the man's mouth, and his eyes glowed with a red, menacing light.

Ha!' the man's mental snort was filled with disdain. Another little one coming to challenge his better! Are you prepared to suffer the fate of your little friend, boy?'

Bastard!' Andrei scream, all of a sudden feeling a rage boil up inside him. A rage he had never, ever felt before. His arms made a pushing motion, and his mind sent a wall of force to push Strausser into the lava outside the cavern. He could feel the earthquakes stopping above him, and sighed. That was too easy.' he thought.

`Nothing is ever easy.' Strausser's voice said inside his head. Andrei looked and could see the man floating out of the lava. A wave of the man's hand sent a spout of lava towards Andrei. Andrei's blast of cold froze the lava into rock before it could reach him.

Andrei's retaliation was a vise of power. Before he could get it settled on Strausser, the man broke it with a shout. By that time, Strausser had regained the cavern ledge and got within arms reach. He reached out and started choking Andrei physically, while his mind crashed down on Andrei's with the weight of an avalanche.

The room started to go black for Andrei. He knew the man couldn't hurt him by choking, but the mental attack as well was suffocating him. Memories flashed through his head, memories of J'Stan killing another Shaper like this. Desperation began to grow inside him, and struggled weakly against the huge Strausser, trying to break the man's physical and mental holds.

He could feel it! He could feel the edge of death, hovering at the edges of his mind. Desperation kicked his efforts to break free into high gear. In that desperation, an idea popped into his mind. If he'd been thinking rationally, he would never have done it, but now, he didn't hesitate.

Behind Strausser, a rift began to appear. The madman didn't feel it, he was so engrossed in watching the fading light of life in Andrei's eyes that he had no care of anything happening around him. Andrei saw it though, and kept a tight control on his power. He wanted it open just enough...there!

From the rift, a tendril of blue-gray mist snaked out, testing the air. It seemed to `sense' the two of them there and coiled. At the last second, Strausser sensed his danger. His hands released Andrei, as did his mind, and he spun around. He barely had time to scream before the coil struck him in the chest, impaling him. Andrei's last sight of the man was as he was dragged back through the rift. Calmly, but quickly, he resealed the rift he had created. Then he collapsed, tears streaming down his face and sobs racking him. Ter was gone.

How long he was there, he didn't know. Dimly, in the back of his mind, he was aware of the priests of Tylera calling out to him, praying to him. The thought of going back there was not pleasant without Ter there, waiting for him. Yet, with the thought of Ter, he felt something here, some trace of the man. Pushing back his tears, he sat back up, eyes staring blankly at the side of the cavern wall.

Memories floated to the top of his head, his own this time. The last time he was in the cavern, he had seen "pockets" in the Mist blanketing the surface. These pockets could be havens like Tylera, and now he could feel the faint traces of Ter leading to one of them. Excitement and hope boiled up in him, but were short-lived. In the back of his mind, the prayers from the priests in Tylera gained a special urgency, pushing their fear into his consciousness. With a groan, he memorized where the `pocket' was that he thought Ter's trace led towards, then he teleported himself back to the Temple of Tylera.

The moment he arrived, he could sense the danger immediately. Every single person in the city was huddled as close to the dais as possible. The shield that had protected Tylera shone now only a few feet above the skylights of the Temple. He could now feel the Mists pushing at the shield, and the fear from the people was nearly overwhelming. Andrei sank to his knees as his head rang with the aftereffects of a particularly vicious attack by the Mists. He tried pushing the shield back, but it wasn't having much effect.

As the people noticed him, they calmed down, and he could feel more strength flowing into him. The strength enabled him to hold back the next attack, and the one after that, but no progress was made whatsoever at pushing the Mists back. He could feel the fear begin to rise, the pressure from the Mists grow, and his own strength weakening. It was too much, the fight with Strausser, and now this. Just as he felt the shield beginning to crumble, he felt something that brought a new surge of strength. Pico and Tish had made their way onto the dais and hugged him where he sat on the dais floor. Tish had wrapped her arms around his right, Pico around his left, and their heads were on his shoulder. The love he felt for his siblings surged in him, strengthening him tremendously.

He felt the Mists give up their attack, but it was still too strong for him to push back any more. What was he going to do? Thousand of people could not live in this cavern indefinitely! There wasn't enough food, water, sanitary system, anything to support so many people! Panic started to worm its way into his thoughts until he heard his little sister starting to cry again. He put his arm around her, and the other around Pico and drew them into a big hug. An answer had to be found to the Mists, now, or all would be lost. `Is this what Zela and her people saw?' he wondered.

"Shaper," a voice said. He looked up and saw the priest he'd noticed earlier. A mental touch gave him the man's name. Kelxon. "Where are Shapers Ter and J'Stan?"

"I haven't found either of them, but I think I can find Ter." Andrei said softly. "But I need to stay here to protect you."

"A problem Shaper, you can't be two places at once, and we can't stay here forever."

"True, true." Andrei said. The man reminded him of someone, who he couldn't say. Then he realized that it wasn't Andrei who found the man familiar, but the memories of J'Stan. Something about a baseball player whose family fought over the act of freezing of his remains. Freezing them so they could be revived later. A smile lifted his face a little, and he place a kiss on Tish's forehead, then Pico's.

"Here me people of Tylera," he said loudly as he climbed back to his feet. "Times are grim, but hope isn't gone. I will return when the Mists have been defeated."

His words started a panic, and everyone in the room jerked to their feet in surprise. At that moment, he released his will. As his will expanded outward, those nearest him stopped in mid-motion, their forms going still. He could feel the life inside of them freezing, slowing. As it reached all of them, he could feel them slowing until it felt like they weren't alive at all. Now, to see if it would fool the Mists.

He had to test it, but who would he choose? What person, with parents or siblings could he use to verify that it would work. With his chest feeling like it had been ripped open, he knew he had to choose Pico or Tish. No other choice was palatable. He took up their frozen forms with the strength of his mind. He couldn't pick just one or the other, so he chose both. He put them on a section of the dais that was not near anyone else and stepped back.

A grimace of a thought let the shield bend a little. Soon the Mists were filling the spot where Pico and Tish were placed. He left it like that, silent tears running down his face for a long time. When he could stand it no longer, he pushed the Mists back with a vengeance, his eyes closed. He opened them and his heart leaped. There they both stood, unharmed, still frozen. A quick thought lifted them, and he arranged all of the frozen survivors of Tylera in a rough circle before the dais. He finished just as a hammer blow resounded against the shield.

The attack of the Mists drove him to his knees again. The shield contracted until it was a pale dome, a few dozen feet around him. Blow after blow rained down on the shield and he could feel the hunger of the Mists driving the attack. All the people were absorbed into the Mists now, and he had only his hope that his trick would work. Several more blows landed, and the shield was cracked. A tendril of Mist snaked its way inside the crack and coiled in front of Andrei. He had no more time, as quick as the thought it took, he disappeared from Tylera, leaving behind nothing but the swirling blue-gray Mist. After thousands of years, it had finally succeeded in taking Tylera.