Ogen knew that he would have to hunt soon, though for now he was content with walking and eating the ripe juicy figs until his stomach hurt. He tried to feel like a little boy again, admiring the wonders of the forest while munching on his food. Back then he had no care in the world, and he tried to grasp that innocent feeling in his mind again. In this forest, he was just one of the many creatures trying to survive. He was surprised that he enjoyed this autonomous feeling again, since he was so used to popularity and fame back home. But would he have the same pleasure of men's praise when he returned again? In Ogen's mind, he knew that he would much rather stay in this paradise forever than face the hell that was coming to him and his people.

Soon, he came to a place where the waterfall was just beyond a group of thin trees. He lifted his arm to move the trees aside until he saw something between them that made him stand still. It was a male lindel, drinking water from the large pond that the waterfall crashed into. The image was beautiful. The cascade of water came down from a large cliff made of gray and white marble, and there was white foam where the falling water met the pond. The pond's water was as clear a glass, and the grass around the pond was full and lush. The lindel only complimented the scene, with its brown and white shaggy coat. The omnivore's large head was dipped in the water, with two of its four hoofed feet bent in front of him to allow it to reach the pond. Ogen was not sad in the least that he must ruin this picture, since his strong hunger overwhelmed any humanitarian thoughts. The animal had no idea that he was there. That was so because of the loud noise of the waterfall, or because the animal was not known to be intelligent. The wind was still; it had not picked up his scent either. He would never get a chance like this again.

Silently, he moved the trees aside. His heart was hammering with excitement and in disbelief of his fortune. He managed to get his whole body though the trees, and the buck's head was still dipped into the water. His sword was in his hands now, in range for a strike. This had to be a killing stroke, for the drinking animal would probably lose him in a chase even if it were injured. The tall grass barely stirred, as the wind passed through. Ogen knew that he had to strike now or never. Suddenly, the lindel's head rose in alarm, but in the next second it was too late. Ogen's sword came down to quickly for it to move. The animal's large body collapsed to the ground, only able to twitch. It made no sound. This would be a good meal tonight, he thought with excitement, now he just had to get some of this water.

He jumped into the crystal pond, not believing his blessing and not caring as long as it was real and not a mirage. The splashed water caught the rays of the sun and gleamed like flying diamonds. And this water that he swallowed with his hands did not choke him like grains of sand, but passed into his body smoothly. So smoothly, in fact, that it seemed the water was as happy to see him as he was the water. He stripped himself down to the nude, throwing his clothes onto the bank.

As he washed himself and quenched his thirst, he thought of his stalker in the back of his mind. It would be a while before he even reached the Valley of the Sun's edge, giving him the time he needed to refresh himself completely with food and drink before he traveled at full speed. And he knew that his enemy must rest also, and that he could not be having a pleasant time chasing after him. With all the things that he had seen already, it scared him to think of the possibility that this beast may not need rest and was not harmed by the sun. Best to keep those kinds of ideas out of his mind, he thought, and start thinking of a place to eat and build shelter.

Ogen was able to find a shelter, which suited his purposes well. It had begun to rain steadily under the butter-colored moon, but Ogen found a shallow enclave in a large rock that he was able to protect himself with. He was tired, after having already cut his portion out of the lindel and eaten it over the average sized fire that was still burning now. Soon, the fire would be gone. But he hoped to be sleeping, wrapped up in large green leaves that he found from trees along the way to the shelter from the falls. And though his stomach was full and he had plenty to drink, he could not close his eyes to rest. He was not worried about his stalker finding him yet. But his mind would not lose the images of his comrades dying at the hands of the stalker's army. The generals knew that the battle was a lost one, and sent Ogen to go to Kinion and warn them of the impending disaster. Ogen did not know if he wanted to stay or go. But he left anyhow, feeling a mixture of fear, regret, and eagerness to succeed in his mission.

Ogen tried to substitute the feelings of loss with anger, like men usually do. That strategy had helped him make it through the desert, his own mental heat matching that of the sun. He felt the anger slipping, giving way to empty sorrow. But in the end, the anger did not burst and explode like a weak dam holding back what he did not want. It actually melted away in waves of hot liquid, as if his anger was too hot for it to keep its own solidity. In its wake rose sorrow. It filled up his mind yet left him empty at the same time.

The men that he had admired as role models were no more. How can that be, he asked the air. How can a man lose the ones that he looked up to, that he had tried to be like? If he even managed to make it home and save his city, where would he go from there? These war heroes had become his fathers, had given him an identity when he had none. They had given him a place to grow and become something, instead of leaving him for ruin. As they rose in power, he had sought to fill the places that they had left. To show his gratitude for their salvation, he had vowed to be their servants for life. They had become his all and created him, had caused him to grow into what he was today. What Gwen loved about him only consisted of what he had seen these great generals do. They had been real men of honor, chivalry, integrity, and morality. What would he do now? He would backslide into oblivion, and become a man without purpose. He would return to the pathetic and useless life that he came from, and surely Gwen would love him no more.

The water that left his eyes was in a small way proportional to the water that ran down the trees, hills and rocks of the Fig Forest. The rain came down hard now, washing away all filth and waste from the land. Giant pellets fell from the sky, forcing creatures of all sorts to find some sort of shelter or get themselves drenched. Slender and slippery leather creatures with legs squeezed into holes in the ground, and fluffy winged animals cuddled up in straw nests. Large behemoths slowly lumbered into dark caves, and small wide-eyed mammals that made squeaky noises scurried into holes in trees. The rain pounded on the stone that protected Ogen, while fast moving currents of water flowed around the rock in an arc. Ogen would not find sleep until he immersed his face in tears and his soul in doubt.

Ogen knows that the underground cave is the shortest route to reach Kinion. But he has no light, and is not willing to trust his memory and be lost in the dark underground labyrinth forever. Though he knows his enemy will have more time to reach him, he has to trust that his prayers will be answered just as they have been. He must take the safe route, and insure his safety home. He heads to the path on the side of the cave, which is well paved with rocks and stones of various colors. He is rushing through the path now, eager to make it to the other side where the castle of Kinion stood. He will have finally made it. But thoughts of joy cease when there suddenly a demon stands before him. A demon in black and red armor. It is half again his height, holding a staff in its hand that he had seen kill his friends. The demon's head is topped with a helmet of blood-red metal, and its eyes have the appearance of a starry night sky. Tough ebony-colored skin is stretched tightly across its face, with his mouth shut in grim determination. Even though the mouth is closed, Ogen knows that there are sharp teeth inside. The creature's chest armor looks like it was molded to fit his body perfectly, as was the rest of its metal protection. Only its arms and legs are bare, and they are muscular and shiny. It never made sense to Ogen that the creature's limbs have the appearance of his, the only difference being that they are black as night and much larger. Instead of a grotesque appearance like Ogen would have expected, the creature seems to look like an evil and warped reflection of him. The sudden appearance is too much of a shock for Ogen to take, as he bends down on his knees in suicidal submission to the beast. He shakes violently, awaiting the killing blow. He feels white-hot heat come near his head. At the last second, he decides to flinch...

Ogen woke up with his bedding of leaves in disarray. He rolled to the side, only realizing when he slammed into the hard familiar rock that he had experienced a nightmare. The realistic dream vividly reformed the appearance of the thing that he was trying to escape from. But he knew that it was only a dream, and he would not face death yet. He felt immense relief, as he looked to see that the sun was just coming up from over the horizon. In the back of his mind, little thoughts of what the dream may have meant were interrupted by one large thought: it was time to move. He quickly gathered and put on his few articles of clothing, leaving the linden carcass behind. There was no way that he could carry it along with him, and he was still full from the amount of food that he had eaten yesterday. He felt many times better than he had in a long time. His wounds had stopped bleeding, and he was sure that he would find the certain plants that contained healing balm in their stems. He started to walk with long strides, after he tried to hide where he had been by moving dirt and sticks around. He was already a good distance away from where he had rested in the past night when he began to hope that he buried the linden well. He had no idea what he was up against. If his enemy's advanced weaponry gave any hint, no amount of track- hiding would help him. This was simply a race to the finish, the end being Kinion.

He walked with haste, and jumped on rocks to cross rushing streams. Between giant hole-filled mounds of sand he trod, careful not to give the tiny inhabitants alarm and reason to attack. He unsuccessfully tried to avoid squishy-muddy pits, which served only to slow him down. Once, he was forced to grab hold of a large branch above him, to pull himself out of the sucking mouth of quicksand. He was lucky that the branch was there to begin with, but then he was beginning to believe that luck was on his side. Especially when he came across a pack of forest cats that must not have been hungry at the time, and walked by him without giving much notice to what would have been easy prey. With his long sword he was able to pierce fish in the water without expending too much energy, providing him with more food to give him strength to keep walking at a fast pace. Fruits and figs were in abundance, and he found the medicine plant that he was looking for. They were long, thick and hairy stalks of vegetation that grew in very few places in the forest. When he came upon these rare blessings, he grabbed the stalks and broke them in half Greasy yellow juice gushed out, and he applied some to his many bumps, bruises and especially the gash that he received on his left leg. That injury came about when he first started to flee, and ran into one of his comrade's swords. But the bright balm soothed his pains, and accelerated the healing process. It made a thin membrane over his open wounds, protecting them from the elements. Soon, he was walking again with a new energy, never feeling like he had so much of a chance to reach his destination before.

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