Cyrus stepped aimlessly through the vast and open ended wilderness that lied before him. His feet gently touching small pine needles, pebbles, moss, grass, and several other types of living and non-living things that covered the surrounding area. With every step, he neared closer to the exit of this mysterious forest, or at least he hoped.

Last time he was in such a setting of thick vegetation, hundreds of habitats, and trees stretching for miles, he had just woken up to the world, and had no idea where he was, how he got there, or how to get out. Thinking back on that fateful day brought memories, horrible ones of course, stained with fear and confusion , but memories all the same as he trekked further.

The forest it would seem, would now always hold a place of uncertainty to him, for it was in his mind, his birthplace into Arda, his starting as Cyrus, the seraph. Not even that though, for when he took his first breath, his name was unknown to him as was the way north. The forest then, was his unwanted, unknown home, and would remain that way until he unlocked what lie beneath his shattered mind.

Pushing forward through the forest, a strange, yet familiar scent grazed Cyrus’s nose, and his senses perceived it as one thing; salt water. Of course, that meant one thing, and that was that he was nearing the ocean, and perhaps the entrance to this natural maze.

His heart beating, he began to pick up speed, his feet taking quicker steps, and longer strides against the ground. The pain of overturned rocks and a sharp pine cones didn’t bother him, he ignored them even, as his mind was focused on one thing; leaving.

Almost without realizing it, he started running, as fast as he could. His wings tucked behind his back, flat, and anchored towards the ground, so he would be more aerodynamic as he pressed onwards towards the perceived exit that pounded safety into the back of his mind.

Reaching the light through the narrow passages of the trees, he took one last gallant step, his foot slamming into the water’s edge, gently pushing against the sandy beach of only two feet, before slowly returning back to it’s usurper.

Cyrus stopped, and placed his hands on his hips as he arched his back towards the sky to catch his breath. He hadn’t found the exit, but what he did find, was the most spectacular thing he had seen since his last visit to the open seas; the sun’s light glistening across the ocean’s gentle waves.

Arelia let her hair out of her braid, her long blue hair cascaded down her back in wavy bumps as she took off her samurai armor leaving the blue clothes underneath. She undid the silver chain from her armor belt and secured it around her waist, her samurai sword hanging gracefully from her waist. She smiled as she looked about the lake, the smell of salt filled the air around her and she sat peacefully by the water looking up a the sky. The wind blew gently and clouds moved across the sky inviting the child in her to try and make out different shapes.

She enjoyed the tranquility of the lake and smiled as she guessed different pictures the clouds made. One looked like a pegasus, one seemed to be a rose. Two others looked like horses racing and another looked like the temple of life. She suddenly heard a noise and looked around. She got up, her detect evil ability was not giving off a red light so most likely it was a neutral or good being. She stood and watched. Suddenly a man who seemed to be an angel of some sorts, she was never the best at classifying them fully, ran from the forest and stopped to catch his breath. She looked at him and gave a smile, company was always welcome around her. "Hello sir, how are you on this fine day?" she asked him waiting patiently for him to catch his breath.

Cyrus turned his head, his breath slowly returning to his now burning lungs, when he heard the voice before him. As he closed his mouth from panting, using his nose to catch the much needed oxygen, he moved his right hand from his waist, and with the outer side of his hand, wiped the sweat from his brow that was slowly entering into his eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye, he made out the figure as a women, who carried a beautiful feminine voice, gentle and quite refreshing to hear in these troubled times. Cyrus’s eyes quickly glanced at her waist when he saw the light gently graze an object’s surface. Upon a rather quick inspection, rather assumption, he realized it was a weapon, a sword even, dangling somewhat peacefully off her side.

::So the woman is armed…at least she appears to be friendly:: Cyrus quietly thought to himself as he slowly made eye contact with the woman, her eyes carrying a calm, but almost uncertain look about them. He removed his hand from his face, and dropped it back towards his waist, his wings slowly returning to their normal position as well.

Licking his lips, he spoke in a mellow, if not cheerful tone, but somewhat out of breath as well. “I am good now that I’m out of the woods, but for how long is the real question… Sorry, its just strange to see someone out here this deep in the wilderness. Are you, perhaps lost?”

The angel truely looked like he had been running full, beads of sweat were trickling down his face. He gasped for air and looked at her. The man took his time trying to catch his breath, “I am good now that I’m out of the woods, but for how long is the real question… Sorry, its just strange to see someone out here this deep in the wilderness. Are you, perhaps lost?” he asked finally with a calm voice that still showed he had yet to slow down.

His eyes seemed to look her over and stop at her sword. She shook her head, "No sir. I came to the lake to relax. I seem to do better when I take time out to enjoy the scenery. But it is uncommon to see people out here," she said then took a bow, "But it truely is rude to speak to someone without introducing yourself, I am Arelia"
she said introducing herself. She hoped he would not think she was there to harm him, in fact it was quite the opposite for her. She had always tried to help people whenever she could.

Cyrus looked over the woman one last time, before finally taking his last, extreme breath of air. By now, his breathing had returned to normal, and the fact the he was standing ankle deep in the dark blue waters around him, helped cool him off.

He gazed at her, somewhat puzzled by her answer. He had never met anyone who truly had an...affection for scenery, as he himself did. Nor had anyone ever bowed to him to introduce themselves, as he usually did as well.

This woman it appeared, was indeed, full of surprise and mystery, as challenging to understand as the ocean itself. The one very uncertain thing though, was that she held the same manors, and respect that Cyrus did himself. It was almost too much to be mere coincidence, but Cyrus wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he introduced himself as well.

Placing his right forearm under his stomach, he gave a gentle bow, and when he returned to make eye contact once again, he spoke in an inviting, grateful tone, with a smile spread across his face. “It is my pleasure to meet you Arelia. You may call me Cyrus if you choose. Tell me, how did you find this tranquil little spot out here in the wilderness?”

The man looked at her and took a deep breath. It appeared that his breathing had finally returned to normal. She wondered why he had ran full in the first place. “It is my pleasure to meet you Arelia. You may call me Cyrus if you choose. Tell me, how did you find this tranquil little spot out here in the wilderness?”

Arelia smiled and nodded. "It is a pleasure to meet you Cyrus. she said. She looked out at the water, the wind made small waves against the lake. "I have been told about Lake Aelin from some of the other samurai who reside at the dojo I was taught at. They say that this place can help you meditate and it is a good place to relax." she replied looking at the lake. Another breeze came and russled the cat-tails and blew her hair. She smiled at the man, he seemed surprised for some reason. She was not sure why but it might be because she was a samurai, there were few left who actually stood by the code. Though they were guidelines of living they were good to follow.

Cyrus listened to the woman’s voice again, and had to focus his hardest on the conversation, so to prevent his eyes from closing. The setting of the golden sun, shining so gently off of the oceans surface, the sweet fragrance of the waves and the mists that blew in from the shore, and her beautiful, serene voice…it was almost as if Cyrus had fallen asleep, and had begun to dream. It had been a long while since Cyrus had slept, and the very thought of going to sleep with such a peaceful place wrapped around his mind was enough to make him drowsy.

Smiling back at the young woman, he lowered his brow when she used words he was not familiar with; dojo and samurai. ::Dojo…samurai? What in Arda could these things be?:: Cyrus thought to himself as he listened further to Arelia’s explanation as to being in this place. When it became apparent she had finished talking, he began to speak again, but in a more serious tone, but curious. “Arelia, would you care to explain to me what these…samurai are, and what this, dojo is? Also, if you would feel more comfortable sitting, there is a log to your left we could use as a bench.”

Arelia watched the angel. He seemed exausted and tired, perhapse from the long run. When he had become aware she had stopped talking he asked with a curious tone, “Arelia, would you care to explain to me what these…samurai are, and what this, dojo is? Also, if you would feel more comfortable sitting, there is a log to your left we could use as a bench.”

She nodded, knowing now that she was correct in thinking he had not known about samurai. "Sure. We can sitdown." she said walking over to the log and sat down waiting for him to join. "Samurai are warriors who live by codes. The codes revolve around being a good person, respect, honor, and protecting those who need it. I come from a samurai clan in the Ered Anon Mountians. We samurai are highly skilled with swords and other blades. A dojo is like a school. We learn how to weild a sword, how to fight and how to keep a balanced life. It was funny as a child I had a firey temper. Most of the time I was out by myself meditating because Sensei, the head teacher, would have me sit off by myself. Many samurai today rarely live by the codes that have been set; they just call themselves samurai. True samurai try to keep peace before fighting; and when we must fight we do it honorably, no tricks." she said smiling as she explained.

She thought back to her life as a samurai in the dojo. She was on a team with two others. Aresha was skilled with a staff, she could do about anything with one. Katsuri was also a part of her team, he was one who taught her to never give up. Whenever she visited the dojo in the mountians she always expected him to challenge her to a fight to see how strong she had gotten. Sometimes she won sometimes she lost. But they always respected each other.

Cyrus walked over to the overturned log, gently setting himself on the moss covered bark that was to act as a seat for him and Arelia. He was glad she had chosen to sit down, and while it wouldn’t be the most comfortable seat in all of Arda, his leg muscles ached from the run he had endured, and he needed to get off of them for at least a few minutes. Sitting rather close to Arelia, his feet gently circled in the sand underneath them, and his hands behind his back, holding himself up against the log, he began to think upon what she had just told him.

Apparently, these Samurai were an honorable bunch of warriors, who lived by codes, and protected the weak. They sounded quite fascinating, and Arelia seemed to be the perfect picture of what she described. She was kind, respectful, and obviously loved nature, or at least enjoyed to some degree. She was probably skilled with her blade as well, and judging from her figure, she knew how to stay fit…a life of balance, as she stated earlier.

Truly, she was one of the most interesting people Cyrus had ever met in his travels. As he moved his head to look at her, he saw something, a glint in her eyes it would seem…or maybe it was just her stance, her figure in general. What ever it was, she looked as though she was thinking, probably upon past memories that resurfaced during her explanation. Cyrus turned his head and looked out to the sea, not wanting to interrupt her in such a peaceful state. Quietly, he took a deep breath, and moved his head to look upon into the sky.

Arelia smiled as he looked up at the sky, she followed his gaze and could not help but think that one of the clouds looked like the ered anon mountians. She sighed, thinking about Katsuri made her want to visit the dojo at some point. She missed her friends but soon shook it off. "So Cyrus why don't you tell me about yourself. It seems to be strange that an angel would be here amongst nature...Well actually, when you think about it not really. But still where do you come from?" she asked with great intrest.

It was rare for her to see an angel and she was eager to learn about them. She had read stories about them from time to time, there was even an angel at the dojo. He had taught her much about fighting on mounts, especially while flying on pegasus; but she learned well how to fight while ridding in many ways. She enjoyed riding and hoped to own a horse one day.

Cyrus blinked almost on instinct, substituting it for a gulp, when he heard the question posed by Arelia. He stared into the sky, still intrigued by the woman sitting next to him, who still seemed quite the mystery, even when she had revealed so much about herself. Or perhaps all the information she told him, was known throughout the land already, or something along those lines? Indeed, perhaps the information about her self and her ways, are simply known fact among the denizens of Arda?

Still, Cyrus could not shake the thought from his mind, the fact that she had just asked him a question, he had pitted her with only moments ago. How embarrassing it was though, that he had no idea where he came from, or how he came to be, or anything detailing his past. Indeed, she might as well have asked a murderer the same question, one who squirms at the truth, to which he couldn’t be forced to tell. Still, she had been polite with him, and above all else, fascinating, so to simply ignore her request, would in all fairness, be rude.

With a heavy sigh, Cyrus moved his eyes from towards the sky, to the ocean before him, and then down unto the floor, towards his battered and unprotected feet. He moved his hands forward, and rested them on his lap while he slouched forward towards his knees. Then, without warning, he stood up from the log, hands dropping to his side, as his gaze fell upon Arelia once more, as he tilted his head in her direction.

“Hmm, Arelia…my past, while short, is rather complicated. I fear you might not…understand, or even believe me if I told you. But if you would still wish to know, I will divulge what I know of my existence."

Arelia watched Cyrus get up and look away, she was not sure if she had asked him the right question. “Hmm, Arelia…my past, while short, is rather complicated. I fear you might not…understand, or even believe me if I told you. But if you would still wish to know, I will divulge what I know of my existence." She cocked her head to the side truely confused about this.

She looked away trying to choose her words carefully, she did not want to hurt him more then she had. "Cyrus, I do wish to hear about you but if you do not wish to tell me then please do not feel pressured to. I did not mean to hurt you, if I did I appologise." she said to him the wind stopped and it was as if in that minuet the world stopped with his pause to her question.

Cyrus sighed again, and looked her in the eyes for a moment, before turning out towards the sea. Quite beautiful were they, but beauty…there was a chance anyways, that they wouldn’t understand. Cyrus’s dilemma, while more than simple, could perhaps…::No, I think she can be trusted.:: Cyrus gently thought to himself, as he found his feet moving even closer towards her, wanting to sit next to her once more, as if he couldn’t control his own body.

Slowly, he moved down to the sand, lowering himself until his back was propped up against the log he had once used for a bench. Folding his arms across his stomach, and tilting his head towards Arelia, he spoke. “It is of no consequence to tell you my story, so there is no need to apologize to me. And as for hurting me, your presence, is more than appreciated. But I’m afraid my story will be a short one, and will not give you the answers…we both seek.”

“You see Arelia, I have no memory of where I came from, who my parents were, if I had any, or how I came to be here, on Arda. I just awoke one day, in a forested area…my eyes darkened and without sight, my voice weak and without words. And my body, was covered in bruises…marks from fighting…magic burns, sword cuts…it was all…so traumatic…” Cyrus paused, and turned his head away from relia, closing his eyes, trying to block out violent thoughts.

Arelia made eye contact with the angel for a moment, but then he looked away. She watched him go to the bank and sit on the sand leaning on the log. Time appeared to have resumed its course again and the forest became alive. Another breeze picked up moving her hair to its rythem. “It is of no consequence to tell you my story, so there is no need to apologize to me. And as for hurting me, your presence, is more than appreciated. But I’m afraid my story will be a short one, and will not give you the answers…we both seek.” he said moving his hands over his stomach as if it hurt. “You see Arelia, I have no memory of where I came from, who my parents were, if I had any, or how I came to be here, on Arda. I just awoke one day, in a forested area…my eyes darkened and without sight, my voice weak and without words. And my body, was covered in bruises…marks from fighting…magic burns, sword cuts…it was all…so traumatic…” he said and then looked away from her.

She moved and sat next to him placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I do believe you Cyrus. Your story is similar to mine in certian ways. As a small child, around three, I was found by a group of samurai in the Ered Anon Mountians on one of the coldest days of the year. Only the Goddess Lothlomendil would know why I was not frozen solid or how long I was there. The only thing they knew was I was wondering around crying, they brought me to the dojo where I was raised. Weeks went by and they found no trace of my parents or any clue as to where they went." she said and then looked down at the earth beneath them, "They told me when I was ten and actually able to understand, Sensei said that the sooner I was told the better. No one knows what happened, if they were killed, if they died, or even if..although its harsh but could have happened...if they abandoned me."

Cyrus moved his head up to it’s original, attentive position, as he listened on to Arelia’s story, hearing the words that were all to similar to his. His heart began to stop for a moment, almost skipping a beat as she continued on, telling her tragic tail of how she was abandoned on the mountain side, and how she too, never knew how she came to such a strange place. It was odd, the feeling that was overcoming him. Whether it was in sympathy, or something else was unknown, but Cyrus felt one thing he had not felt with another before; a type of connection, a bond almost.

After listening to the tail of Arelia’s past, he realized she had moved to where he was sitting, and he opened his eye to see her, to see how close she had come to him. Her face still held the beauty he had laid eyes on after leaving the dreaded forest behind him, but her eyes carried something, a weight it seemed. Heavy, they looked like they were ready to burst, but were being held back by the sheer force of will this women produced. The oddity of it however, was how her eye’s held a different look, than the actual expression stretched out across her face.

It was a look of solemn, of thinking. As if she was open to another, a stranger even, yet cold as well. It was a strange look, a look Cyrus had never seen on someone’s face before, but in it all, he could still see that…serenity she held. God’s know what was actually going on behind those colored eyes, those mysterious orbs that held sorrow, peace, contempt, and yet, all at the same time, and naturally too. Cyrus had to smile at the irony of the thought; the first person who had ever opened up to him, and he was already trying to figure them out.

Feeling her hand gently touch his left shoulder, Cyrus responded by slowly moving his own hand, his left one, to the hand that brushed his body. Using his fingers, he gently stroked the top of her hand, in an almost rhythmic way. “I doubt they would’ve abandoned you, Arelia. That seems a fate, far to brutal to happen to one, so beautiful. Perhaps one day however, you will find the truth.”

She felt Cyrus stroke her hand and she looked at him, he had a smile at the thought of something funny as he looked at her. “I doubt they would’ve abandoned you, Arelia. That seems a fate, far to brutal to happen to one, so beautiful. Perhaps one day however, you will find the truth.” She looked down, blushing at the thought of someone saying she was beautiful. She tood a deep breath in trying not to burst out laughing. Needless to say, very few people ever said she was beautiful. Weither they knew it or not, no one ever told her.

She looked at him, understanding seemed to shine in his eyes as well as somehting else she did not recognize, "I am sure you are right. I doubt any mother would leave their child willingly. Maybe one day I will know the truth. I hope one day you will learn the truth to your past as well." she said looking out at the lake, her eyes knowing the truth was out there for the both of them, awaiting them, waiting for them to find out who they were, their past.