and asked her, "How long have you been here?"

She did not answer him for quite some time, and he thought she did not hear him. Then she said, "I was here about five minutes before you came along."

He suddenly remembered that, a few weeks ago, there was a bulletin posted on his door, one of those "Missing" papers, that had her picture on it.

She started calming herself. They sat down on the ground, and Taylor fell asleep, leaning on Phil's shoulder. Sleep soon overcame Phil and he had a dreamless night.

Chapter Two

When Phil woke up,

(where am I?)

he could not remember where he was. Then it hit him

(like an express train)

and he noticed that the girl

(Taylor)

was nowhere in sight. He got off the cold, hard ground.

"You finally woke up," Taylor called. He looked around and saw her about ten feet behind him, looking around. He walked towards her and met her halfway. He could see she had been crying, but he said nothing.

"I found something interesting. You might want to see it." They walked back to where they had slept, and Taylor picked up the book.

"I looked at it this morning, and this is what I saw." She opened the book to the third page. In it was an exact account of what had happened since Phil had appeared in this strange place.

(where am I?)

he could not remember where he was. Then it

He closed the book and put it on the ground.

(what is happening here this is impossible)

Suddenly, Taylor said, "I think I hear something coming and I'm scared Phil very scared!"

She started trembling and was trying very hard to hold back some tears. She held on to Phil like he was her only safety.

(I don't feel too hot myself I wonder what it is)

Yells broke the air, and Taylor started crying again. Suddenly, the two teens were surrounded by other people.

"Who are you?"

Phil said that they were from a place called Earth and they came in peace and they really had no idea where they were.

"Come with us. We will protect you." As they walked past Phil, their eyes glanced at Phil's hands. One of them yelled to the obvious leader, "He has the Prophet-mark! He has the Prophet-Mark!"

At once, everybody in the small party was crowding around Phil

(what's so special about that bruise on my hand?)

and the leader pushed everybody, including Taylor, aside. He looked at Phil's hand and said, "We must leave for Tortia immediately. The elder will be suprised, for sure. Come, children, we must move on."

The party started moving. Phil felt something pressing on his hand and saw that Taylor was gripping it tightly. As her glance met his, she quickly looked away.

(God she's the prettiest woman I've ever seen)

They marched on for what seemed like forever. By the time they stopped, Phil felt like he was going to pass out. The people led the two to a small hut in the middle of a village. Inside of the hut were two beds that seemed to be made of straw.

"This is the best we have at the moment, but better will be supplied soon."

Phil went lay on the bed closest to the door so the drafts would not chill Taylor.

(she's beautiful)

He promptly fell asleep. Taylor, however, could not go to sleep for quite some time. She tiptoed to Phil and lay down close to him. She fell asleep quickly.

Chapter Three

Phil woke up suddenly. He felt something warm laying against him.

(If this is some kind of wild animal, I hope it's ready for a suprise)

He drew back his fist. He turned and saw who

(Taylor!)

he was about to hit. He released his fist

(she's so beautiful)

and kissed her on the cheek. She slept soundly through the whole thing. He slowly got up and carefully left to go outside.

The night air was brisk. Phil looked up and saw the first glints of dawn. He turned and saw a fire burning in what seemed like the middle of the village. He saw that someone was already there. He walked toward the fire, the warmth reaching him even though he was far away.

He sat down next to the fire, the warmth welcomed by his numb body.

(poor Taylor she must be freezing)

The man came up to Phil. The man said "So, you have the Prophet-mark."

Phil looked up. The man was young, yet he held wisdom hidden by his sparkling eyes.

"I don't think I had that thing on my hand before I came here." Phil looked at the mark closely. Now that he could see it clearly, it was obviously not a bruise. It was shaped like a star.

"It is said that the Prophet will save this world."

"Save the world? I have no idea where I am, much less whether or not I can save this world."

The man stood there for a few seconds

(come on I want to go back to sleep)

then said, "I wonder what your power is."

"Power?"

"Yes. Everybody in existence has a magical talent. I can light fires without wood."

Phil looked closely at the fire and saw that the man was saying the truth. There was no wood in the fire.

"How do I find out mine?"

The man said, "It comes to you in time," and left.

Phil sat there for a second, trying to figure it out

(comes to you in time)

and then went back to the hut. Taylor was still sleeping, but she was shivering. He took off his sweater and did his best to cover her up. She visibly stretched out. He lay down with his T-shirt on and went back to sleep, Taylor at his side.

When he woke up again, after about two hours, Taylor was still sleeping. It wasn't nearly as cold as it was earlier. Phil picked up the sweater and then went outside. It was daylight, and the village was up and about. He walked towards the biggest hut in the village, which seemed like where the elder might live. He opened the door and entered the presence of Garhon.

The hut was built around an enormous throne. In it, sat the oldest man Phil had ever seen. The man turned towards Phil and greeted him.

"Come, sit down. The Prophet deserves more than this."

The man looked at a section of the floor for a few seconds and a padded chair appeared.

(His magical talent must be creation)

The man, seeming to read Phil's mind, said, "Close. My power is creation out of other people's thoughts."

Chapter Four

Suddenly, the door to the building opened, and in came Taylor.

"The people told me to come here. What's this all about?"

The elder said, "Do not worry, child. Come and sit." The chair that Phil was sitting suddenly got longer. Taylor came and sat down, not without casting a glance at Phil.

The village elder studied the two children - Phil, tall, lanky, black hair and blue eyes-Taylor, skinny, beautiful, brown hair and brown eyes. They make a perfect pair, thought the elder.

"Phil, you must save this land. It has fallen under the shadow of the Dark-Lord and will stay that way until you destroy him.

"He has many minions. They are his slaves and will do anything for him. He also has the four Elements on his side-Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. Each is ruled by an Element-Lord. You must destroy these Lords before you even attempt to destroy the Dark-Lord.

"You must go after Lord Hargo first-the lord of Earth. He is the weakest of the four and has no magical powers except TK - telekinesis. Each Lord, when defeated, will free the element from the Dark-Lord's grasp. He grows weaker with every minion defeated. But do not think that he is a weakling after all four Lords are destroyed-he still controls the powers of Darkness-stronger only is Light, which you, Phil, have the powers of.

"You will not embark on your journey yet. You will stay here for a month, maybe more. You will train in the arts of combat and stealth. You will also learn to use Magik - the ultimate force of nature that defeats all laws ever made. You will get to know this land, and how to use it to your advantage."

Suddenly, Taylor spoke up. "What am I going to do?" The elder answered.

"You will go with Phil, for you are the only thing in this strange land he is familiar with. You will go through all he goes through, for you and him have formed a mind-link, which makes one feel all things happening to the other, but not as powerfully. If one gets hurt, the other feels pain. If one dies, the other will feel excruciating pain for the rest of their life. You, Phil, must protect Taylor, for if she dies, your abilities will be severely dampened.

"Phil, if you die, this world will be destroyed. All that will be left would be the Dark-Lord, the only entity living in this multiverse. Every thing and body else will die instantaneously, without pain."

At this, the elder stopped. Phil could feel something tugging at his mind and remembered the mind-link. He let Taylor examine his mind freely and watched the expressions on her face. First came laughter, then horror, and finally embarrassment.

(she found out I love her)

He started to look in her mind. She let him freely wander in her past.

(she loves me too)

As she felt that he had found out that fact, she blushed again. She thought

(he's handsome and he just found out I thought so I think he already knew that)

The elder looked on, watching the two's expressions with amusement. I knew they were a perfect pair, he thought.

"You two may now leave and see what the world has in store for you."

They went outside. All the people in the village seemed to be standing outside the door, like there was going to be a wedding.

(you could say there was one)

They walked back to their little hut. When they looked in, the hay had been covered with immaculate sheets, with a hand-woven quilt over them. As they looked closer Phil noticed something and smirked.

(there's only one bed)

He was about to walk outside. Suddenly, an arm grabbed him. he was yanked right into Taylor, who put her lips onto his. They stayed like this, embracing and kissing, for quite some time.

(I'm in heaven)

(God he's handsome)

When they stopped, Taylor left the hut. Phil just stood there, dazed from the passionate kiss he just received.

(I needed that I'm in heaven)

He left the hut. Taylor was on the other side of the middle clearing, but he sent a mental message to her.

(I'm ba-a-ck!)

She looked towards him and smiled.

Chapter Five

The next month was a tedious one for Phil and Taylor. They spent the time learning things that were needed to survive in the alien area. Phil spent time trying to find out his powers. He already found out one of them. He could create light at any time. It could be dim or glaring and any size could be achieved. It lasted for as long as he wanted. He also learned that it was hard to read Taylor's mind.

(typical woman always hiding her thoughts)

During this time, they saw each other rarely. Taylor worked during the day, whereas Phil always did his training at night.

Phil also found out on other thing-he was mind-linked to the Dark-Lord. Sometimes he had to stop and just concentrate so he could blot out the incoming thoughts. They never slept at the same time. They talked over the mind-link all the time. It was almost as easy as truly talking.

The training was mostly on combat, but time was devoted to learning stealth. Phil could use a sword and a bow proficiently. Taylor was best at the mace. Phil developed muscles and Taylor became much quicker than she had ever been before. They also figured out her power. Whenever she touched an object, she gained some of the abilities of the object. The object had to be inorganic, though. If she touched a rock and concentrated, it would be a very dumb idea to punch her. If she touched a lake, she could form object made of ice.

After the month, they were ready to leave

(we're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz)

Taylor broke out laughing. All they were taking was a sword, a bow and a quiver of arrows, a mace, a week worth of food, and a gem. When the Element-Lord was destroyed, the gem would disintegrate and the Dark-Lord would lose the power of Earth.

They left at the dead of night. Taylor shivered as they walked. Phil gave her his sweater.

(thanks)

He did not use his light power so they would not attract any creatures. They walked for about an hour, and they came to a stream. They were about to wade it when Taylor walked a few steps back and picked up a branch from the ground. The branch was about seven feet long. She walked up to the bank and stuck it in the water. The bottom end of the stick melted away, as if the water was acid.

(let's not wade through this stream)

(good idea)

They made camp on the bank of the stream. Phil made a pile of sticks and used the old Boy Scout method of rubbing two sticks together. When he finally got it lit, they sat down on opposite ends of the fire. Phil went pick up a pile of sticks and put them aside the fire. He put a few in the fire and watched it devour them eagerly.

Taylor came sit by Phil. She sat down next to him. She pulled his body close to hers and kissed him passionately. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer.

(I feel good I feel great)

She smiled behind the kiss and almost laughed. He pulled her closer.

(happy happy joy joy happy happy joy joy)

He let her go and she moved away, slowly.

(thank you)

She went lay down near the fire. He went join her and they both went to sleep.

Chapter Six

When Phil woke up the next morning, Taylor was off to the side, looking for something.

(what are you looking for?)

(another pole)

She came back, carrying a pole that must have been ten feet long. She walked backwards about fifteen feet, and started to charge at the stream. Just when she was about to fall in, she planted the pole firmly in the ground and launched herself into the air. The pole almost fell into the acid, but Phil caught it just in time.

(learned that in school)

Phil walked back a few feet, and blasted toward the other side. He planted the pole, and easily made it over.

(applause)

The only problem was that their gear was on one side, and they were on the other.

(let's test my powers)

He concentrated. His body started to glow. A bolt of light struck the gear. Everything lifted off the ground and slowly floated over to the other side. The gear disappeared and then suddenly reappeared on the teen's backs, everything in place.

(not bad if I do say so myself)

(why didn't you do that to get us across?)

(would you like to fall in that river because I let my concentration down?)

(not really)

(end of discussion)

The two kept walking. They were traveling on a vast prairie, dotted here and there by deer, buffalo, and small groves of trees. They walked toward one of these groups of trees. For some strange reason, they never seemed to get any closer.

(these must be really big trees)

After traveling for about an hour, they stopped to rest against the trunk of one of the trees. Phil unstrapped the backpack and sat down to rest.

(God I'm tired)

(me too)

It was only about eleven o'clock in the morning, and the sun was starting to come towards the middle of the sky. The sun was a brighter, livelier one than our own. The two sat down and leaned against the tree trunk, Phil's arm around Taylor. The air was calm, and it was comfortably warm. As they were about to go to sleep, a strange man appeared in front of them. He started to talk.

"I am Drameon. You may know me as the Dark-Lord. You have no chance of survival when you pass through the Death Maze. It surrounds the castle of Lord Hargo. Nobody who has ever entered escaped. Inside are monsters of the darkest kind. Your journey will be futile."

He started to laugh in a hideous sort of way. He disappeared without a trace. Phil leaned back against the tree.

(he doesn't look so bad)

Suddenly, all the trees around them except the one they were leaning against fell down, creating a wall around them made of logs. They were trapped in a barrier of metalwood trees, which are impossible to break.

(we're trapped)

Chapter Seven

Phil began to concentrate, hoping to levitate them out. Before he could begin to send the beam of light down, his mind-link with Drameon opened and he began to speak.

"That is very unwise. You can only use your powers twice a day and it is not even past noon yet. When dark comes, you will have no form of protection."

Phil's concentration broke and he sat down, trying to think a way out.

(why don't you levitate us out?)

(my powers only work twice a day)

(oh)

Phil drew back his fist and punched the tree. It clanged like metal and his fist came away, throbbing. Taylor was grimacing from the pain through the mind-link. She walked up to the barricade. Instead of punching it, she touched it lightly and concentrated.

(fight fire with fire)

(good idea)

Her skin turned metallic looking. She charged the trees and made a hole straight through them. Right when she was breaking the last quarter of an inch, her power gave way. She still went through, but not without a great deal of pain. The pain surged through their bodies like electricity, and it took all their will power not to black out. They slowly walked outside.

Surrounding them were thousands of wolves, saliva dripping from their fangs. One started to charge. The two retreated in the barricade, and Phil started to concentrate again. The wolf was only a few yards away and gaining all the while.

The wolf was upon the door. Suddenly, a wall of light appeared in the doorway. The wolf ran into it headlong. Instead of stopping, he entered the wall, never to return. As soon as the wolfpack saw their leader disappear, they left the area, deprived of their promised meal.

Phil reached down and picked up a splinter of tree. He through it with all his might at the light barrier. As soon as it made contact with the barrier, it disappeared into parts unknown. He sat down, back against the wall across from the light. Taylor sat down next to him, and he put his arm around her.

This time it was him who suprised her. He pulled her close, kissing her passionately. She held him tightly, her lips on his. He felt his weariness drain away from him every passing moment, and he was feeling better all the while. She contributed to the process eagerly. He let her go slowly, gently. She released him, and sat right next to him, comfortably close and warm. She put her head against his shoulder.

(I love you)

(I love you too)

The light barrier shone dimly when night fell.

They had nothing to sleep on.

(this is going to be a cold night)

(not if I can help it)

She put her hand on one of the backpacks. She closed her eyes. Next to her appeared a comfortable quilt.

(I thought you could only make inorganic matter)

(inorganic or dead)

She sat down on the ground. Phil moved the quilt near the wall opposite the barrier and law down on the ground on top of the quilt. Taylor went lay down next to him. On her side, there was enough quilt for three more people to lay on. Phil reached over and pulled the rest of the quilt over them. Then he rolled the first six inches of the quilt together to make a comfortable pillow. He put his arms around Taylor.

(good night)

(sweet dreams)

(don't worry I will)

Chapter Eight

When they woke up, the light barrier was still there. Phil thought for a second and lowered it. It was a brisk fall day, and the wind was blowing strongly. Phil got up and looked outside. The prairie was again dotted with deer and buffalo. Taylor was still sleeping soundly. He put the extra blanket over her to keep her warm. He stretched and stepped outside.

As soon as he stepped outside, the air came full force at him from across the prairie. Far away from where he was standing, an enormous forest crossed the horizon.

"Boo!"

Phil turned around and saw Taylor standing there, laughing.

(I felt like doing that)

She stood next to him, shivering. He put his arm around her to help keep her warm. They looked at the faraway forest and walked inside the barricade.

*****************************************************************

Matthew was riding his bike down the road. Suddenly, a wolf appeared in front of him. It looked at him and ran away. A few seconds later, a piece of wood came flying out of nowhere.

"Must be my imagination."

Matt shook his head and kept going down the road.

*****************************************************************

The barricade was comfortably warm. Phil picked up some of the wood and started rubbing two pieces together. Soon he had a veritable blaze going on. Taylor sat down next to it while he stood up, trying to figure out what to do next. Suddenly, an idea sprang into his mind.

(hold on I'll be back)

Phil concentrated. Slowly, he left the ground and rose in the air. After a little while, he opened his eyes.

The barricade was a blot on the landscape right below him. He looked around, trying to find his objective. Soon he spotted a castle in the distance. At first, it looked like a castle that could be anybody's. Then he started to fly towards it. When he got closer, he noticed that the walls had some breaks in it.

(Hargo)

He closed his eyes again and was back on the ground.

(we need to go through those woods)

(why?)

(I saw Hargo's castle)

Phil picked up the two packs and gave the lightest to Taylor. They set out on their journey to the castle in the woods.

The plains were pretty monotonous, a deer here, a buffalo there. They were going at a pretty fair rate, and the trees were much closer to them than before.

(how much longer?)

(we'll be there by tomorrow)

They were on top of a hill. Taylor looked around and saw something that suprised her. The thing that they were standing on was not a hill. It was a cliff.

(come see)

Phil walked up to where she was. He looked around in amazement. Suddenly, the ground started to shift. The earth they were on was an overhang only a few feet thick. The cliffside disintegrated and they were in midair, a few thousand feet above solid ground.

Chapter Nine

The air was whistling past them faster and faster. The land below them was getting extremely close extremely fast. A small dot of blue was straight under them.

(probably a mud puddle)

Luckily, he had seriously misjudged their height. It was a pond only a few feet deep. As he was falling, a sense of security overcame him. He felt serene and peaceful.

SPLASH!

They hit the water hard. Phil swam up before he hit the bottom, but Taylor had no such luck. She hit the bottom still going fifty miles per hour, and she tried to shield the impact with her hands. Unfortunately, one of her fingers bent sideways unnaturally. She swam up quickly as she could with the pain radiating from her hand. When she got onto shore, Phil was there, face red, trying to help her up.

Her finger was quickly wrapped with cloth from Phil's tee-shirt and the pain subdued slightly. Phil then got wood to make a fire. Every time he got a spark going, a blast of wind would puff it out. He started to concentrate. Beams of light around them coalesced into one line and stabbed the wood. It burst into flame that the wind could not even try to put out. Taylor touched the backpack, ready to make another quilt. For some strange reason, it did not work. Suddenly, Drameon appeared.

"You have found another limitation of your powers. Each kind of item can be created only once."

He disappeared, laughing.

(there's more than one way to skin a cat)

She touched the backpack again. Instead of a blanket, a comfortable-looking afghan appeared. She concentrated again and two totally different kinds of pillows appeared. They lay down on the extremely hard ground and covered themselves up. Taylor fell asleep quickly, but Phil could not seem to drift off. He just lay there in the dark, listening to the background sounds. All of a sudden, all the noises stopped. Phil could hear a shuffling behind them. He turned around and saw the biggest wolf he had ever laid eyes upon drooling in his face. It bared its teeth and tried to bite him. He ducked just in time. Now the wolf was very mad because it seemed like he would have to fight for his midnight snack.

Phil leaped up. He was at a serious handicap, for he had no weapon (they had been left on the top of the cliff). He still planned to put up a fight. They started to circle each other. Suddenly the wolf charged. Right before the wolf rammed him, he stepped swiftly aside. As the wolf charged by, Phil punched the animal on the back. It stopped in its tracks. Instead of charging Phil, the animal started to transform. It grew taller and its back legs became feet. Suddenly a man wearing a gleaming white robe.

"What brings you here?"

By that time Taylor was wide awake.

(I don't know if we can trust him)

(we really have no choice)

"We are seeking Lord Hargo."

"Are you his friend or his foe?"

Phil hesitated for a second.

"Foe."

The man breathed a sigh of relief and sat down.

Chapter Ten

"This forest is my home. My ancestors lived here long before evil came into this world. They set up a castle in the heart of the woods. It had no defenses and the people lived there peacefully. Then the Dark-Lord came and changed all that.

"As he gained control of the elements, he stole the main castles of the five dominant species-humans, elves, dwarves, phoenixes, and wyrmpeople. Earth took the human castle. It turned it into a horrible place with traps everywhere you walk. I am the last survivor of the family.

"Lord Hargo is using his powers to destroy everything. He turns things into stone for his amusement. e is the weakest of the Lords, but is still formidable. It will be difficult to kill him.

"You must save the world from obliteration. Please help us..."

At that he changed into a bat, never to be seen again by the two. Neither of them could go back to sleep again. Around midnight they finally drifted off to sleep.

When they woke up the next morning, they set off immediately for the woods which held the castle of Earth. When they hit the woodline, everything went dimmer. The woods were much thicker than it seemed like in the air. The forest floor was covered in brambles and the going was slow.

After about an hour, they came upon an open area in the woods. The land was perfectly flat, and the grass had no weeds of any kind intruding on their space. In the middle of the clearing, a sword was laying. It radiated pure good like it was solid and totally refreshed the two. Phil ran up to try to get the sword. Suddenly, he ran into an invisible wall. It became visible as soon as he touched it.

(I can't get the sword)

(try your powers)

(I know they wont work)

He was right. He tried to make the wall invisible, but it did not work. Fortunately, he did not feel the drain that was associated without using the power. Taylor started to inspect the wall. Soon she found a metal plaque attached to the wall

(come see)

opposite of where he was standing.

He walked over to the plaque. For a second, it looked like a foreign language. Then the letters melted into English.

When the elements combine

into the Gem of Wonder

The battle of Good and Evil

will be of Light and Dark

This sword will combine

with the Dark Staff

to create the Universal Flame

which will decide the fate of the world

This Light Saber and the Dark Staff

are at opposite ends of the world

one must have both to win

the ongoing war of Good and Evil

The one who may claim these is from

a different world from this

this champion must fight the other

or all will be lost

The plaque, the wall, and the clearing disappeared in front of the astonished pair's eyes. Then they were back in the woods, still as lost as ever. Phil tried to use the far-seeing trick he had done earlier, but the tree's magical properties blocked his try. He had just used one of his uses up.

They started to walk. They went on for a few hours more when a a wall appeared in the middle of their path.

(I wonder)

(what?)

(this might be a wall of that maze)

Sure enough, it was. About fifty feet away, a hole in the wall revealed at least a dozen passages, all going in a different direction. Above all that, a castle sat in the center.

Phil picked a path. He went down about sixty yards, taking about twenty twists and turns, and ran into a wall. Taylor turned around, ready to walk back, when a glowing barrier appeared in front of her.

(what?)

(good place to spend the night)

It was. Nothing could come from three directions, and the other was blocked off by the glowing wall. They were perfectly safe. They lay down, a piece away from each other since the night was unnaturally warm. Phil was about to doze off.

(come here)

Phil walked over to where Taylor was. She was sitting down, looking up at the stars.

(beautiful night)

(that it is)

He sat down next to her gazing up at the stars. Suddenly Taylor yanked him to her and put her lips on his. Each loved the other, and they both knew it. They fell over

(you pulled me down)

but their embrace was not broken. They lay there for some time, their energy coming back to them. After what was only minutes, (but seemed like hours) Taylor let go of him. They both sat their for a few minutes, still dazed by the romance just shown. It seemed that they had not noticed the rising heat.

But they soon did. It was a hot and humid night and it was tough for them to go to sleep. When they finally did, it was a restless, dreamless night. When they woke up the next morning, they were both thirsty. Phil looked around in the cubicle where they were and could find none. He asked Taylor to concentrate while she wasn't touching any object with her hands. She looked puzzled for a moment, but then understood. She concentrated and soon they had all the water they needed. The humid air held water, so she could make water by touching the air!