The slight breeze in the air made waves in Zaks t-shirt as he walked away from his car.

It

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was a beautiful day, not a cloud in sight. That was one of the reasons he loved Colorado. The skies
tended to be clear and a brilliant blue color. No matter where in the world Zak had been Colorado
always had a special meaning to him,. Eespecially the mountains; he hadnt found anywhere quite as
tranquil or that had the same feel or view that the Rocky Mountains of Colorado did. He stopped to
take in the scenery before he started on his way to the concert hall again. He was surprised at how
big the hall was. Because the building was new Hhed never been there before, it was a new building.
The builders had set up the entire outside of the building with one-way glass. That and the circular
shape of the building made Zak think of a disco ball. It was a cool design it allowed everyone on the
inside to see the outside world, but kept that world out.
The closer that he got to the concert hall the more people seemed to congregate. The
sidewalks went from wide and open to having pockets of people blocking the way, until there was a
solid line. It reminded him of waiting to go see a movie premiere. The only difference was that these
people were dressed normal. More normal, he corrected himself when he saw a pair of people dressed
in black cloaks walk by. Zak looked around at the rest people heading into the concert hall; some of
them looked familiar, but most of them he had never seen before. They were wearing normal
clothes to his relief; he had made the decision that if things got too weird that hed walk away. He
was expecting this reunion to be fun. He couldnt remember the last time that he could say that
something had been fun. It would be a good change in pace. He had gotten an invitation the day
before from some of his old high school friends. It was short notice, but that was his way of doing
things. hHe never really planned ahead unless he had too. They were meeting at a concert and there
was going to be over 500 people in attendance. It was something to do; something for which he
longed. Ever since Zak had come back to United States about a month ago, everything had a weird
feel about it. The concert was the first thing that he had actually been invited to since he had been

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back. All he really knew about it was that one of the old student- body members had thrown it
together for all the alumni. Zak had arranged to meet the rest of his old high school friends there.
Looking around at the large hall made him think that it was going to be a challenge to find them, but
finding them was half the fun. A line was forming outside a few of the doors. The concert hall had a
massive entrance. When working at full capacity theyd have nearly forty ticket booths in operation.
Zak saw a poster for one of the bands once he entered into one of the lines. He hadnt even heard
of the band before. He shrugged his shoulders. tThat didnt mean too much for him; he wasnt
familiar with most of the newer bands. Zak walked through a side door with the rest of the crowd.
The doors opened up above the seating to a large auditorium. He looked down on the stage, as the
masses continued to pour into the auditorium from several other doors. It looked like more than
500 people.

I dont even recognize half of these people, maybe I should have talked to more people back in high school, he
thought to himself. Zak was impressed with the concert hall. It hadnt even been built when he had
left a few years earlier. The design was super modern. It was amazing how fast things could change.
He let his eyes wander until he saw people he knew a few rows ahead of him. Zak walked down and
sat down behind them. He set his backpack on the ground, leaned forward and said, Hey, whats
up?
One of them leaned back and replied, Dude, man, where have you been? We havent seen
you in ages.
Ive been in the Netherlands he said. They gave him a blank stare. Holland?
Confused another asked, Where is that?
With a sigh he reluctantly said, Amsterdam.
Oh, was the reply that followed quickly, along with, Did you get some weed?

The lights began to dim. Well have to talk more about it later, said Zak as the lights went
out.

A man walked up to the podium; he began to thank them all for coming. His manner of
dress reminded Zak of a business man; his tie was tied perfectly and he was wearing a nice, solid
black suit. From what Zak could see, his face was clean shaven, but heZak couldnt quite tell
because of how far away the stage was.
This is lame. I dont even see the equipment for the band, There was no way the man on the stage
was part of a band; he was too nicely dressed and this was supposed to be some sort of rock group.
Why did I even come to this?
The business man smiled and said, Its good to have all of you here. Now the fun can
begin. Men flooded the stage holding machine guns and, more entered in from all of the exterior
doors. The stage was in the center of the building. There was a wide walkway that surrounded it,
allowing people to move around and get to their seats easier. In total there were fifteen exterior
doors that led to that business path. The mercenaries looked like the kind of soldiers that you would
expect to see from a movie. They were wearing uniforms without any markings, and they all had the
cold look of killers. They closed and locked the doors behind them chaining them up. People in the
crowd started to scream and panic.
Now if all of you could please remain calm and follow our instructions no one will be
harmed, announced the man on stage his voice remaining calm and unwavering. We are going to
be dismissing all of you row-by-row and you are going to go through the door behind me. From
there you will get more instructions. If any of you even think about playing the hero you will not
only forfeit your own lives, but also the lives of those around you. They began to usher them out
everyone going row by row. As Zaks row went he grabbed his back pack and kept going. He looked

around trying to see what they were doing. Zak overheard someone saying that they thought that it
was al-Qaida; others started to agree with them whispering among themselves. After going through a
door behind the stage they entered into a large corridor. There the gun men instructed them to leave
their coats and bags before they were escorted around the corner into another hallway. Zak set his
bag down and continued to march into the second hallway.

The second hallway brought them to a door that led into a large open room which looked
like the inside of a warehouse. The walls were bare cement. The room was a wide open area. There
were a few doors that led outside, or at least to what Zak assumed was outside, but they were
chained and guards were watching them. The alumni from the auditorium were being gathered in
the center of the room. Every few meters there were more guards with guns standing against the
walls watching them. Zak saw Phil across the warehouse from him; Phil was about five-foot-seven.
He had brown hair and eyes to match them. His hair sat in a complete mess on his head. He wasnt
the biggest guy, but he looked more toned than he had the last time that Zak had seen him. He still
had the smile that Zak was used to and his usual glow of happiness. As usual he had the air of being
lost about him. Phil did his best, but sometimes Zak wondered why he did the things that he did.
Zak thought to himself, that doesnt make sense. hHe doesnt belong here. He didnt even go to my high
school. Zak decided that he needed to figure out why Phil was there. As Zak started to get closer he
realized that Phil was talking to his friend, Van. Van was taller than Phil by a few inches, and his hair
was a lighter brown than Phils; it hung over the top of his ear, but was neatly trimmed. His gray
eyes changed tint, reflecting the light as he looked around. Van had always been a fit guy, but he
didnt look as strong as Phil looked. His face would go from being serious to being relaxed. It made
Zak wonder what was going on even more. Van usually had a goofy smile on his face, but Zak
hadnt seen that smile on him or his usual carefree look. Why a guy that I knew from Europe would be

talking to my best friend not to mention at a reunion concert with a bunch of people from my high school Zak
thought to himself. His incessant curiosity had always gotten him into trouble. After struggling his
way through the crowd squeezing through people Zak finally reached them.
Before he could even say a word Phil asked him, Where is your bag?
Startled Zak replied, In the hall. With the rest of the bags-where else would it be? Why?
Van told him in a quick, flustered tone, You need to go get it and our bags as well.
Whats going on? Zak asked, not liking how they were snapping at him.
They both snapped at him saying, Go get the bags and well fill you in later. You need to do
it now or else a lot of people are going to get hurt. We dont have time to waste. Hurry up.
Fine, he said. The tones that Phil and Van took told him that it needed to be done. The
mercenaries then began ushering some people through another door in the back of the warehouse.
The mercenaries were going through the crowds. They consulted papers that some of them were
holding as they looked at different people. They were picking who they sent through to the next
room,; sending civilians through one of two different doors. The auditorium was almost empty and
everyone that was left looked scared.

Zak sneaked back into the hallway. Phil and Van were so serious that it kind of freaked him
out. He decided to do what they said. They seemed to have a better grasp on things than he did. As
he thought about it, Zak realized how weird it was that he had remained so calm; it wasnt the
situation that was making him uncomfortable, but the reactions from his friends that were weird.
Given the situation, he should have been freaking out, but he wasnt. He didnt even feel scared. His
mind told him that he should be scared. The hallway was eerie, and cold, and devoid of life. It felt
like someone was there watching him, but looking around he couldnt see anyone. His breathing and
heartbeat were calm even though his mind was racing. The sides of the hallway were lined with bags.

They must have moved everyone, he thought. Carefully he worked his way around the corner to
where hed left his bag. Zak shuffled through bags until he found his; it felt a lot heavier than is
should have; he decided to look inside. As he unzipped his bag, a black handle with leather grips
popped out. It had a small pommel and a rectangular hand guard. Before Zak could even think, a
screaming girl came running around the corner screaming. She was closely followed by a one of the
soldiers who had a gun. On impulse Zak grabbed the handle and pulled out an elegant looking
blade. Zak had never seen a sword quite like this one before. It was a straight blade a little over three
feet long with a hand-and-a-half hilt. The blade was all black with a small silver strip on the edges.
The handle was encrusted with symbols that were unfamiliar. It felt good in his hand. With one
motion he cut the gun in half and hit the guy in the face knocking him out. For the first time since
pulling it out of his bag, Zak took his eyes off of the sword. It now seemed as if it were a part of
him.
His head started throbbing with pain. In a dreamlike state, Zak could see the sword in his
hands, but something was different. He looked up. He was in a field fighting against people wearing
armor. They were charging at him. He lifted a sword into the air, and ran at them. Then he shook
his head the vision was over and he was back in the hallway. His hands trembling slightly, he went to
see if the girl was okay, but she had already started running again before he could. The hallway
looked clear, so he let her run and get away. Then he grabbedHe saw Phils big black bag and Vans
light blue bag; they were just howlike he remembered them. He grabbed them and went back to the
gym, ready to for some answers.

Zak peered in and saw that Phil and Van were both close to the door, so he threw them their
bags. Naturally this caught the guards attention. Two of them turned and aimed their guns straight
at Zak. He moved quickly into a defensive position, shielding his face with the sword. Before they

could even fire off a shot, Phil had already cut their guns apart and taken them down. Zak lowered
his sword and saw the katana that was in his friends hand. If only for a moment; the katana in his
hand seemed to have a mind of its own. Phil would hardly move his wrist, and everything in front of
him seemed to fall apart. Zak gazed in awe, looking at the dark red handle of a katana resting in
Phils hand, a black disc with a yellow circle on the outside at the base of the blade. The light
reflected off of the blade and it gleaminged like the sun beating off of a freshly waxed car. Two
more mercenaries got ready to fire. Zak heard a whoosh. Looking to his right, he saw Van holding
two disc blades that were connected by a chain. He was lowering his hand ready to throw the blades
hed just caught.

Just as Zak was about to say something, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around
and saw some men entering the hallway behind him. Phil and Van began to fight their way through
the hallway dodging bullets and knocking people to the ground. Some of them moaned in pain and
others lay still. Zak couldnt tell if they were killing them or knocking them out. Either way, it didnt
matter. Both of them were excellent fighters. Zak stood back watching them as they fought the men.
He felt like he needed to do something; he couldnt just watch. He ran in and every move that he
made felt automatic. The less that he thought about it, the easier the motions came. Suddenly the
gun men stopped and moved back. A hooded man in a navy blue cloak with the hood up carrying a
jagged blade rounded the corner. Zak couldnt see his eyes; the man crouched as he walked.
The man chuckled saying, PhilVanI was wondering when the two of you would show
up here. Id heard that you were running around causing trouble. Then he looked straight at Zak,
his eyes lifeless. They sent a shiver down Zaks spine But you; you I was not expecting. I thought
that you would still be somewhere on Lunos, Oh well, now I dont have to go find you to kill you
and collect the reward on your head. The Reclaimer has been searching tirelessly for you. His voice

Comment [SL1]: The disc blades, ja?

was so calm and cold. He started laughing again as the doors to the warehouse began closing behind
them.
Zaks head started throbbing again. He saw a poster with his face on it that said Reward:
1,000,000 gold pieces for the head of Zak Ryder. The vision stopped and the world came back into focus.
Van looked at Phil then at Zak and said, Go look after the others. Ill take care of him.
Phil patted Zak on the shoulder, Lets go, he said. As they passed through the door Van
threw one of his blades at the man with the jagged blade.
Go! he shouted to them, Dont worry about me. He turned back to face his foe. The
guy deflected the disc with his jagged blade. Van started his charge just as the door shut.

Okay, we need to free all of these people. Then we need to get them as far away from here
as we can before things get too serious, said Phil.
Who are these guys? asked Zak, catching his breath.
These people shooting at us with the machine guns are hired mercenaries from here on
earth. The guy with the sword is part of the Renewing military, unfortunately well probably run into
more of them before this is over. . . it would be nice if it were only the mercenaries, explained
Phil before he was interrupted by a hail storm of bullets. They both charged down separate sides of
the room knocking out the mercenaries and destroying their guns. The bullets seemed to dance
around Phil. From the way he moved it looked more like he was dancing than fighting. Zak clumsily
dodged bullets and held back on his strikes, disabling the mercenaries rather than killing them. He
didnt feel right taking their lives. After they had cleared the room Phil sliced the chains on the door
and kicked a side door open while yelling at everyone to get out. Luckily no one else was too injured
from all of the fighting. Phil had managed to kill or disable 80 percent of the mercenaries. Zak didnt
even see how he was doing it. More mercenaries started to come from the back room where they

had been taking people. Zak ran to intercept them. Phil followed close behind. They forced them
back into the room that they were coming out of. They knew better than to let Zak and Phil get too
close with their swords. Zak and Phil then forced their way in knocking out the last of the gun men.
The thought of killing any of them put that bad taste in Zaks mouth. Even looking at those that
Phil had killed made him feel a little sick.

Another large warehouse stood beyond the doors. Interesting. Another Renewing agent
stood on the left side of the room wearing a purple robe and hood. He was leaning against the wall
playing with his scimitar. Two more Renewing agents in black hoods came up next to him; they both
had normal broad swords. The first one looked at Phil and Zak, and with surprise in his voice said,
I didnt think that you would make it this far. He looked both of them over. Then he took a
moment to straighten his stance. Then again I wasnt expecting our friend with the beastly looking
blade to be here, I guess the rumors of your death have been exaggerated. Not that the Reclaimer
ever stopped looking he kept saying that you were still alive. That makes the reward money up for
grabs. Getting a thorn out of the Reclaimers side is worth more than just the money. None the less
this is where your journey ends. Zak noticed that a line of people stood against the right wall. As he
looked closer he recognized some of them from high school. Kayla Rodgers, Aaron Davis, and Ariel
Rhoten were the ones he recognized, but there were three others that he didnt know, though they
did seem familiar. One of them was about five-foot-eight or so and had fair skin, green eyes, and
bright red hair. She looked weak and tired except for her eyes. They were focused and intense. Her
face was covered in freckles. She had a weird metal bracelet on her left arm. The other two looked
similar to each other. They both had black hair, though one had hair that came down just below her
shoulder blades and the other had her hair just above her shoulders. They both had dark tan skin.

Comment [SL2]: Was their skin dark tan or dark

and tanand yes, the distinction effects punctuation.

Zaks started feeling lightheaded and in pained; another vision was starting. He saw one of the two
girls swinging a scimitar at him. Suddenly he was brought back to the present.
He gasped and looked back at the hooded figure. The hooded figure looked back at him and
said, Dont worry about them. tTheir journey is just beginning. He laughed again and motioned
for the other two agents to attack. Phil cut through one sword and then through its owner. Zak
blocked the attack of the other agent, holding him in place with his sword. Zak pulled ithis sword
out of the way, and allowed the agent tohim pass, then hit himthe agent behind on the back of the
head, knocking him out. He allowed the agent to fall unconscious to the floor. The Renewing agent
said, Hmmm. That was better than I expected. I guess Ill have to finish you myself.
Take them as far away from here as possible. Ill finish him off and cover your escape, said
Phil, stepping in front of Zak.
To which Zak replied, Im not leaving you behind;, Im not even sure why theyre after us,
but you aredo. Plus according to him, you wouldnt have made it here without me. Zak smiled at
his own comment.
Get them out safe and get them as far away from here as you can, and Ill explain
everything later, when we meet up again, he said. Protect them and get away. If you dont, were
all going to die. Zak went and yelled at them to follow him. He started ushering them through the
door that they had come through. Davis grabbed a few guns as they went through. Just as Zak was
about to go through, Phil yelled, Hey! He threw a dagger-knife combination to Zak, winked, then
said, I think youll need this. The dagger looked familiar. tThe handle was embroidered with
symbols he didnt recognize, but he seemed to know them. The dagger was heavier than he
expected. The knife was attached to the outside of the sheath. It was a combination sheath that
worked well. Zak looked up. Hethought that he was seeing things; it looked like Phil was moving
fire with his hands.

Comment [SL3]: This will help this last sentence

connect more with the rest of the paragraph

After Zak got through the doorway it closedThe doorway closed behind Zak. He looked out
at the seven people that were now in his charge. They looked scared and confused. The three he
didnt know seemed oddly calm. The girl with red hair introduced herself as Clare, the girl with
shorter hair introduced herself as Steh, and the girl with longer hair introduced herself as Nephtili.
Nephtili kept giving him strange looks. Zak wasnt sure why. Kayla turned to him and asked, What
is going on?
Zak closed his eyes, shook his head, and said, You know, I used to think I knew what was
going on, but nowthen all of a sudden I cancould use a sword. Before today Id never even used a
sword.
Seriously!? replied Nephtili Clare shot her a glare. Nephtili closed her mouth and went
quiet.
Totally unaware, Zak said, Yup, and Im supposed to get you all away from here. I dont
know where, but we should get going. I was thinking maybe about grabbing something to eat. I
havent had anything all day. Everyone gave him weird looks. I was just kidding. Well figure this
out. They stepped out into an empty lot; a bus sat around the corner from the building. Yo Davis,
can you hotwire a bus?
Dont know, but might as well try, he said, walking up to the bus. He hotwired the bus
then got in the drivers seat. They all got on the bus and started out of the lot. Zak surveyed his new
comrades everyone was deep in thought. They were probably thinking about what had just
happened. He couldnt blame them.
Zak looked at his sword sitting next to him and thought. What kind of mess did you get yourself
into this time, Ryder? The sword edges glimmered in the light. I dont even know where I got this thing, let
alone how I use it. Now I have a bus full of people that Im supposed to protect, and I dont even know why they are
after us.

Comment [SL4]: When I put these em dashes in,

its usually cause youve got two complete
sentences within one. You can resolve that with an
em dash, semi-colon, or making it two sentences

Where to now, Boss? asked Davis.

Sighing, Zak said, Just keep going and well figure it out. He pulled out his phone to see
what time it was; it said 9:30. He started closing his eyes when it hit him the date on his phone was
December 15, 2011. Zaks eyes shot open as he registered what his phone said. He had thought it
was 2010. Thats not possible; Im missing over a year, Zak thought to himself. How is that possible? Yesterday
was December 3, 2010,. tTheres no way its been that long. What are all of these visions that I keep having? Now
this reunion makes a lot more sense. It seemed like the timing was off. I just never questioned it. That doesnt matter
now. All that matters is getting them somewhere safe. After that I can figure out what happened.

The bus came sputtering to a stop out on a dirt road. Davis just sat in the drivers seat.
What happened? Zak asked. Why did we stop?
Youre probably thinking it, he replied. Were out of gas. Zak looked down the bus;
everyone else was asleep. Looking out the window he could see the slight glow of the sun breaching
the horizon, its rays dancing along the peaks of the mountains.
You still got that gun? he asked Davis.
Of course, Davis replied, holding it up in the air.
Hold on to it, Zak said as he grabbed his sword and started out of the bus. Ill be right
back, he whispered. Im going to go check out the area. Keep an eye on them. Zak stepped out
of the bus. He could see his own breath as he felt a chill run down his back from the cold morning
mountain air.

Zak could barely make out the silhouette of the forest with the slight glow of light. He
looked as far as the head lights would take him. There was nothing but trees. He stepped out into
the trees. The world around him was cool, calm, and quiet. He didnt even hear any birds. Zak

walked around for a few minutes looking for any signs of civilization, or life. It was to no avail. Then
he heard the sound of a car engine. He looked back and saw a set of headlights moving towards the
bus. He knew there was something wrong with that they were in the middle of the mountains.
The sun was just coming into view. Zak started jogging back to the bus. He got there just after the
car did. He laid his sword against a tree so it wouldnt call too much attention. He saw Davis come
to the front door of the bus, gun in hand. Zak motioned to him to move back, and Davis did. The
car had stopped a few meters from the bus; its lights were still on. Zak started walking towards the
car. He heard the doors open. He put his hand in front of himself trying to block the light. There
were Ffour of men were getting out of the car. Then he heard the blast of a gun and the whizzing of
a bullet past his head. Zak dodged towards the trees as more shots were fired. The shots buzzed past
him. He rolled behind a tree. Zak could see the bark flying off of the tree. Looking to his left he saw
his sword a few trees away. He ran to get it. As he was sprinting he felt a bullet graze his left arm.
Zak grabbed his blade and ducked behind another tree. He felt the blood dripping off of his arm in
a steady, warm stream, but the cut wasnt too deep.
Another vision came on. He saw his left shoulder with a knife in it; he saw himself pulling
the blade out. Then he came back to himself. The gunshots brought his attention back to his present
situation. Zak peeked around the tree to see how many there were, still only four. They were
focusing their gunshots at him. It was nice that they werent shooting at the others, but Zak wasnt
too keen on the idea that they were shooting at him.

Zak gripped his sword tightly and charged. He weaved between trees and slammed into the
first mercenary, throwing him through the windshield. Then he turned to the next gunman cutting
down against his gun and following through with a punch to the face. Then the one that was behind

Comment [SL5]: Im assuming that later on you

explain how the Zak creature received the visions

the car fell to the ground. Zak slid over the hood of the car, smacking the last of them in the face
with the side of the blade.
He looked back at the bus and called out, Thanks for the assist. As Zak walked back to the
bus he moved his shirt to look at his shoulder. There was scar right where the knife had been in his
vision. He had thought the visions might be of what was coming, but now he was thinking that they
might have been things that had already happened., but hHe didnt know why he wouldnt
remember it. If they were visions of the past, it, would explain his missing year.
Davis called back with, Anytime. Zak climbed back into the bus. Now everyone was wide
awake. He asked everyone if they were alright. They responded with a few yeses, and noddings of
heads nodding.

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Formatted: Font: Garamond

Kayla gasped and Nephtili exclaimed, Is your arm alright?

Zak looked at it. Blood was still dripping. With all the fighting, he had forgotten about it
Yeah itll be fine. I just took a nick, he said.
Dont be stupid. Let us fix that up really quick, said Steh.
Zak took a deep breath. Then he gave in, saying, Fine, but make it quick. We need to get
out of here before anyone else comes.
Dont worry about it, said Davis.
Weve got it taken care of, added Clare.
Dont you trust us? threw in Davis.
Its okay, said Steh. Itll only take a minute to patch it up.
Here, I can handle it, said Ariel quietly.
We can help too. We dont need you to take care of us, said Kayla with a smile. Ariel then
took a piece of cloth and tied the wound to stop the bleeding.

Comment [SL6]: Maybe something like: We

arent completely useless instead

That wasnt too bad now, was it? teased Nephtili playfully. Her voice seemed so familiar to
him.
Zak couldnt quite pin it but there was something really familiar about Nephtili, Steh, and
Clare. He thought that they might know something about his past. He grabbed his sword and said,
Lets get going. Well go through the forest; that way well be harder to follow.

After walking for about an hour-and-a-half everyone started to relax a little bit. Everyone
started talking to each other. Zaks thoughts were still drawn to the fact that he didnt know where
these skills were from. A year of time was a lot to lose. After another hour they decided to stop and
take a break. They had no food or water. Davis and Clare had gotten ahold of guns from the people
that were shooting at them. They all split up and scouted the area to see if they could find anything
useful. Davis went with Ariel and Steh in one direction. Nephtili went with Kayla in the opposite
direction. Zak went with Clare in another direction. They planned on meeting back in about thirty
minutes.

After walking in silence for a few minutes Clare stopped and turned to Zak asking, Do ye
think that hell be alright?
Who? Zak asked.
Phil. Do ye think that hell be lright? she asked.
Zak gave her a half smile and said, You know, that is the first thing Ive heard you say.
She kind of chuckled and said, Ye dont remember anything, do ye, Mukker?.
Remember what? Zak asked, What is there that I need to remember? Can you tell me?
Dont worry bout it, she said Im sure that itll all come back soon enough. Its not me
place.

Well Im sure that hell be fine. Hes too stubborn to lose, he smiled, hoping that what he
said was true. She smiled back.
Thenk ye was all she said back to him.
Chin up. Everything is going to be okay. Well see them soon enough, Zak said as
reassuringly as possible. They kept walking and chatted a little bit. Clare started to tell him about
herself.

When they got back Nephtili and her group hadwere already returnedback. Found
anything? Zak asked.
Not really, was her reply how about the two of you?
Same story, Zak said. They waited a few minutes and finally Davis and his group came
back.
You wont believe what we found, was all that Davis said. They followed them to an
overlook. It looked out over a valley. There was a giant stadium in the middle. It looked a lot like a
Roman arena. It had high walls and ancient-style pillars. Im sure well find something there, he
said. When we first saw it there were still a few lights on.
Anyone against trying? Zak asked. Nope, okay lets go and see. Actually maybe we should
wait for first light.
Smart, said Davis. We should all probably get some shut-eye as well.
Okay lets make camp for the night, said Steh.
Clare, Steh, and Nephtili had formed quite the clique. The entire time that they had been
walking and making camp, everyone had been talking to each other except for Ariel. She had been
quiet nearlybasically the entire time. Zak never really got a chance to talk to her. tThe time was never
quite right. Now everything was quieting down and everyone was settling in. Kayla, Davis, Clare,

and Steh were already asleep. Nephtili seemed restless; she kept pacing along the edges of the camp.
Ariel, on the other hand, sat out in an opening on a fallen tree looking up at the stars. Zak walked
over and sat down next to her.
You havent said much, he said, sitting next to her. It sounded like she almost wanted to
laugh.
I know. Ive been doing a lot if thinking, she said solemnly.
I cant imagine what about, said Zak trying to get her to smile. He couldnt tell if she was
or not.
I dont know how you can stay so calm, she started. He could already hear that she was
calming down from her tone. Shed seemed very high strung.
There really isnt much in this situation that we can control, said Zak. So why worry
about things that are out of our control. Look at it this way; weve been in and out of two or more
life or death situations today. Id take that as something to be happy about.
I still dont understand why youre involved in this whole thing, she replied.
I dont know why any of us are, said Zak.
Im sorry if I brought you into this, said Ariel.
It wasnt your fault. How could it have been? asked Zak. The longer they talked the more
he wanted to know what she knew, but he didnt want to force information out of her.
Never mind, we should get some rest, she said walking away.
Zak hadnt noticed until then that Nephtili was watching from a distance. She had stayed
back in the trees. The way she kept looking at him was like she knew him. Ariel was right though.
They all needed some rest. He could talk to her later.

They passed through a few more trees and came into a clearing. It had taken them a few
hours of walking the next morning to get there. It was farther than any of them thought it would be.
The arena loomed over them. It had to have been at least fifteen stories high. They started towards
it and it grew with each passing step. None of them knew why it would be out in the middle of
nowhere. The only reason Zak even entertained the idea of going to the strange Roman building was
that they needed supplies and it was their best option. Zak noticed some tire tracks leading to the
wall, so they followed them until they got to an opening that led inside. Zak rushed inside. Out of
curiosity the others followed him. As they entered the gates behind them shut. They all stopped and
looked at them.
I guess that leaves us only one way to go then, Zak said. They pressed on towards the
inner arena. As they entered Zak looked off to the right and saw all of the people that had been
taken at the auditorium sitting in a cage.

A voice came over an intercom, and said, What a pleasure it is to have you here. I have to
say I had my doubts that you would make it here. Would you all be so kind as to step out of the
entryway? It would be most helpful. As he finished two huge guys in full armor came up behind
them. They must have been at least nine feet tall. They ushered them out to the center of the arena.
Yes, that is much better, said the voice. That was when Zak realized it was the voice of the guy
that spoke at the reunion. You know, Zak, you have been quite the helpful Mithren. I do have to
thank you for bringing them here. You made this much easier. Its too bad that they no longer need
your assistance. Kill the Mithren and bring the rest to me. Too bad you could have lived had you
only listened. Zak fell down grabbing his head; this one hurt more than all of the others.
He saw a man in all white tell him You are a Mithren. Then he flashed to an older man
with a white beard. He heard himself saying, Im a Mithren. The pain went away and he stood

Comment [SL7]: Consider making this sentence

part of the next paragraph.

again. About thirty Renewing soldiers in black cloaks jumped down from the seats and completely
surrounded them. The two knights each drew a very large sword. The Renewing all had different
sorts of weapons. Zak gripped his sword tightly, getting ready to fight. Knowing that the others
were safe was a reassuring thought for him. When the Renewing were almost on top of them, two of
the soldiers threw off their cloaks. It was Phil and Van.

Phil and Van jumped next to him pulling out their weapons. Zak was surprised how
confident they looked. He was scared for once and he was growing more and more confused. The
only reason he kept going was that he knew he needed to, but they had real purpose. You ready for
this? Phil asked.
Ready as Ill ever be. Nice of you to do some of the work, Zak said blocking a sword and
moving to attack.
You had things under control, and I felt we earned a short vacation, said Phil jokingly

Comment [SL8]: Probably a better fit?

sarcastically. Tell you what; you can have the next one. One of the Renewing agents shot a fire
ball at them. Zak rolled out of the way. Thats new, He thought, as another vision flashed in his head.
He saw a man throwing fireballs at him in an alleyway. Phil and Van were dodging and delivering
serious strikes, trying to fend off the enemyies seemingly endless barrage of enemys. Phil started to
creating balls of fire and throwing them at the Renewing that were attacking them. He deflected
their fire blasts as well. Van started throwing Renewing soldiers with gusts of wind. He was moving
so fast that Zak couldnt keep track of him. Zak looked at them in astonishment thinking, What is
going on? Aare they controlling the elements? They were killinged a few Renewing when one of the knights
swung a sword like a baseball bat at Zak like he was swinging a baseball bat. Zak blocked the sword,
but it threw him across the arena. He hit the wall then fell to the ground. He saw a man in all black
armor coming towards him, and then the vision faded. When he came to, the knight was standing

Comment [SL9]: Is it just the part about the man

in black armor that comprises the vision?

above him about to slam the sword on top of him. Zak rolled out of the way, dodging the blow
which broke off a chunk of the wall. He stood back up and saw two Renewing running towards
some stairs and up the side of a tower. One was holding Ariel and the other was holding Nephtili.
Everyone else was standing behind Phil and Van. Steh had gotten a sword from one of the
Renewing agents and was helping Phil and Van cover the others. She was weaving in and out of the
agents blows, taking them down. Phil and Van were fending off the main attack. Davis and Clare
were providing cover fire. Clare was shooting water balls, and disks from behind Phil. Zak heard a
grunt and barely dodged another earth-shaking blow. One of the giant swords was planted in the
ground, the soldier struggling to pull it out of the ground. Using this to his advantage, Zakhe
stepped on the blade to push himself up and cut through the weak armor at the elbow, while
propelling himself into the air. The knight snarled and stepped back letting go of the sword. Zak
landed behind him. He swung around and cut open the back of the knights knees, the knight fell to
the ground.
^^^
As Zak stood up Van yelled at him, saying, Go save the two in the tower!
What about you? he shouted back.
We have it handled. Save them, was his reply.
No, I meant cant you go up in the tower? replied Zak jokingly.
Just go, answered Van. Zak started running up the tower and dodged a stream of
lightning. Another vision opened and he saw himself shooting lightning. Zak shook it off; with the
next blast Zak held out his hand and caught the lighting. He then threw it back at the Renewing. He
kept running up the tower hitting or throwing Renewing out of his way as he came across them.
Some of them shot fire, water, or electrical attacks at him, but he dodged them, or blocked them
with his sword, and knocked the Renewing out of his way. Finally he reached the top. A helicopter

sat ahead. Thats where they were bringing them to. He cut one of the guards, and hit him out of the
way, and then he kicked another one off the edge. Two more of them came at him. One had a spear,
the other an axe. They both stopped as another hooded man came down from the helicopter.
That voice from the speakers emanated came from him, saying You never did learn how to
give up, did you? A helmet under the mans hood completely covered his face. Zak realized that he
had pointed shoulder armor. Points came out and above the cloak. He had sleek, black armor under
his cloak that covered the rest of his body. His sword was still sheathed at his side, his with one
hand resting on the handle.
Who are you and what do you want with them? asked Zak.
Dont you remember? he said shaking his head. Sad really. yYou dont even know who I
am after all that weve been through, what youre fighting for, or even who you are, for that matter.
You are the worst killer here. It would be better for you to just go back to your life, your life here,
and forget that all of this ever happened. No one would blame you for walking away right now. I
promise that if you leave, none of my people will ever bother you again. Its a shame; I had high
hopes for you as an asset.
I may not know everything, but I know enough to know that what youre doing is no good
and that I have to try to stop you before you hurt more people, Zak replied.
Youre confused. You think that what you do is for good. So you want to act the hero
part, he said, looking over the side down into the arena. You are on the wrong side. I am not the
villain of this tale. Do you even know who it is that you are working for? You have no idea what
they are doing. I am trying to free this people, to give them an opportunity to be free and equal.
All I seek is justice. To prepare the worlds for the return of The Mormhaor. Let me show you what
power you can have if you are on the right side. He cut his hand with a knife and raised it above his
head. Dark clouds began to form together. Out of the clouds came a giant black dragon. Its head

was tiny compared to its body which. It must have been at least a fifty meters long and twenty- five
meters wide at the shoulders. Its horns curved around its head creating the appearance of a helmet,
the points twisting to its mouth. Its tail had four spikes creating the appearance of swords pointing
out of it. It let out a roar that shook the stadium and causeding all the fighting to stop.

The Reclaimer then looked back down on Zak and said, Now the choice is yours. yYou can
try to save the two of them, or you can save all of those that call themselves innocent in the arena. I
dont want to kill anyone. No one was ever supposed to die, but they left me no choice. He
lowered his hand laughing. Think fast. My pet is on his way down. Zak looked up ats the
descending dragon began its decent while it that was gatheringed a blast of energy in its mouth. He
looked at the two girls beingas they brought them to the chopper. Then Zak looked at the people
below.
Can I take down a dragon? I dont know if I can save Nephtili and Ariel. That guy was right. I dont
know what to do. I dont know who I am. I thought that I did, but now I have no idea. Zak decided he needed
to do something, so he jumped just as the dragon was passing, stabbing his blade into its back. He
started running up its back as fast as he could, dragging his blade through its flesh. Zak reached its
neck just as the dragon started to level out. He jumped, pulling, his blade out of it. Zak raised the
sword up pointing the tip down towards the dragons head. He stabbed it down forcing it through
the middle of its two horns and landed a foot on each one. As it hit the ground, tThe dragon blew
up as it hit the ground, throwing Zak. As he flew through the air he saw its body disintegrating.
Everyone on the ground looked fine. For a moment Zak felt at peace. He turned to see where he
was going just before he crashed into the tower he had run up. Zak got up quickly wobbling from
the hit. The ground was moving as he tried to gain his balance. He saw himself in a cavern with a
girl and an African man. Zak looked down. He was standing in a pile of rubble and blood. He

started to fall when the vision ended. Zak realized that he was probably dizzy from the crash. He
shook his head he knew he was dizzy from the crash. He then looked at the blood dripping on the
ground and thought that that may have also been a factor. Zak hadnt taken any serious hits but the
hits were starting to add up.

Zak ran back out to the outer ring. The two Renewing agents ran at him. He grabbed the
spear of the first and threw him off the wall. It seemed like the easiest solution to him. The other
agentone shot a stream of electricity at him. Zaks sword absorbed the shock. Then he just cut
through the axe kicking its owner out of the way. Zak continued towards the chopper. The leader
stepped out holding Nephtili by the wrist.
I just cant get rid of you, can I? he said in frustration. The balls back in your court.
Choose one. Remember you brought this fate. He threw Nephtili off the edge and into the arena.
Without hesitation Zak ran and dove off after her. He caught her on the way down, flipped around,
and fired a dark energy blast at the ground. The explosion slowed them down and cushioned their
fall. Zak landed feet first on the ground holding her in his arms. His legs gave out underneath him.
They fell and Zak rolled onto his back. His whole body ached.
I cant go on, he told himself. Ive given it my all. Any time he tried to move, his body didnt
respond. His head was light and there wasnt a part of his body that didnt scream in pain.
Then Zak heard Phils voice saying, Get up and keep going. You can do it. Zak struggled
getting back up. Phil was next to him. Dont worry; the girls fine, and Van has our backs. And its
about time that you pulled out those blasts of yours, but you need to get back up there as fast as you
can. You have to earn your vacation.
Cant you or Van go? Zak asked Im falling apart here. I have faith in you; youve always
been my hero.

Formatted: Font: Garamond, Italic

Formatted: Font: Garamond

No, stop flattering me, he chuckled., Wwe cant go. Youre the only one strong enough
to take out the Reclaimer. Oh, and by the way we could have handled the dragon. . . just not as
easily. So thanks. But you need to get going. He helped Zak stand back up. He patted him on the
back, You can do it, good luck, he added as he ran off.
Thanks a lot Zak said under his breath. Zak looked up. The chopper hadnt left yet. With
a sigh, he started running up the tower.

Zak got to the top just as it was lifting off. He ran towards it with all the strength he had left.
The Reclaimer was hanging out of the chopper with a dark energy ball that was pulsating with
electricity and ice in his hand. He threw it straight at Zak. I should have killed you in the beginning,
hHusk. iIt would have spared me more than one sleepless night. Zak tried to raise his sword to
block the energy ball, but his arms didnt move. . . he watched the energy ball coming closer. Zak
closed his eyes and heard a bang, but didnt feel a blast. He opened his eyes. Someone hooded in all
white had blocked it. Why do you all keep interfering with my work?! All of you? None of you
understand the evil that I keep at bay, the Reclaimer yelled as he flew away. The person cloaked in
white turned around to face Zak just as Phil, Steh, Clare, and Van came out of the tower with
swords raised to fight. They saw the helicopter flying away and lowered their swords.

The woman in the white cloak took off her hood and said to Zak, You chose the wrong
one to save. Now we have a lot more work to do. Who knows where he is going to bring her. At
least we saved the others. She looked straight into his eyes and said, You are a mess, and we have
to do something about that memory of yours, now dont we, Master Ryder. Without that you wont
be a very good Seraph. You dont even remember how to use your powers. Zak could feel his eye
lids getting heavier.

Comment [SL10]: Muttered?

Then he heard Phils voice saying, Go ahead and take a break, buddy, you earned a
vacation. Everything is under control. Well tell you about everything when you wake up. He didnt
know any better, Amanda; he doesnt have his memory back yet. Zak felt his legs give way as his
eyes closed and he fell to the ground.
The others are waiting for us, said Amanda impatiently and flustered. Peter is on his way
here with reinforcements.
Okay, well grab Zak and get going, said Phil in a commanding way. We almost have our
team back together.
Just before Zak passed out he thought I am definitely in over my head.
Then Amanda added, Sleep while you can, Master Ryder. Youll need your strength for
whats coming. Zak passed out, fighting to stay awake, but he didnt have the strength. He felt like
he was falling apart. His body disappeared in front of all of them.
Crap, what was that? asked Phil, as Zak had disintegrated in front of all of them.
That wasnt the real Zak, said Amanda. That was a shadow clone. Ill get ahold of the rest
of the Caileseques. We have a lot of work to do. If nothing else, I think we disrupted the Reclaimers
plans. So thats something.
What do we do now? asked Phil.
We regroup and reassess from there, said Amanda. Peter and his team are still gathering
whats left of our allies.
What do you think happened to the real Zak? asked Phil. Do you think hes still alive?
We can worry about that later. For now lets get these people to safety, said Amanda.
At least we saved Phi, said Phil.

They took her again while we were driving them away, said Van walking back up to them.
He hunched over catching his breath. Im sorry. I didnt notice them take here, and by the time I
did notice there were too many for me to handle.
We still saved more than I expected, said Amanda. We cant dwell. We need to keep
moving forward.