Chapter One

The night sky was a rich, deep blue and studded with tiny white specks of starlight. The thigh-high grass, a washed-out yellow-green in the light of the brilliant white moon almost directly overhead, rustled in the soft breeze. The air was amazingly fresh with just a slight chill to it, but she felt invigorated as never before. The serene grassy plain spread out in all directions, with nothing on the horizon. Never had she felt so separated from everything, but she couldn't bring herself to care when the night was so beautiful and she felt so at peace.

She began walking, having nothing better to do. The breeze eddied around her in sporadic bursts, caressing her and pulling her along. She could have laughed, and then she did, just because she felt like it. It seemed to her that the stars were laughing with her, and singing in their joy a celestial melody that she seemed to hear not with her ears, but with her very soul.

Eternity could have passed. The walking was pleasant and did not exhaust her. The starsong lulled her mind into a deep state of tranquility. This trance was so complete that she did not comprehend the difference in the landscape for almost a minute.

It was like plunging into cold water. No longer did she take the surreal landscape for granted. Standing about fifty feet in front of her was Isaac. His back was to her, and he stood with his hands clasped behind him and his head tilted up to survey the stars. His blond hair was ruffled by the wind, and he seemed at peace.

She didn't call out to him or approach him immediately, choosing instead to just watch him. A movement to the right caught her eye. Almost exactly between her and Isaac was a sleek shape slinking through the grass as though it were water. It stopped a short bit away from her and sat, its muzzle wearing a canine grin. The blue wolf had fur almost as dark as the sky and piercing eyes that glinted gold. It turned and looked at Isaac, regarding him just as she had a moment before. Then it turned to her, and this time she knew that its wolfish smile was one of malice.

The wolf made its intentions clear when in a lithe movement it bounded to Isaac. She screamed a warning. Isaac turned, confusion and then terror passing over his face before he was knocked down by the wolf.

She ran to him, no plan in mind. Her only thought was to get the wolf away from Isaac. Before she got to him, a long, drawn-out scream ripped through the air. Blood sprayed in a cascading arc. There was silence. She faltered to a stop. The wolf walked away from the body, its head held proudly, blood staining its muzzle a deep crimson that, combined with the blue fur, made the muzzle appear black. It looked at her, one self-satisfied glance, and then it walked away, seeming to fade into the grass.

The wolf's departure broke Mia from her shock. She dashed to Isaac and immediately saw that there was no hope. His throat had been torn out. She half-fell, half-knelt at his side. Her hand hovered by his face, almost afraid to touch. Tentatively she brushed blond hair from his face, caressed his blood-spattered cheek.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. She took his hand in hers and pressed it to her chest, allowing herself to give into the deep sobs that overwhelmed her.

Mia woke up clutching a handful of bedclothes to her chest. It took a moment for her to fully realize that she was awake. Rolling on to her back, she let go of the blankets and stared at the ceiling. The dream had left her shaken. It had seemed so real, and even now, the images flashed through her mind.

She threw back the covers and sat up, sliding her bare feet into slippers and pulling a dressing gown on over her night gown. The only way to get the terrible image of Isaac's ravaged corpse out of her mind, she felt, was to see him alive and well with her own two eyes.

It was still quite dark outside, but the faintest beginnings of dawn were visible through the bedroom window. Mia padded down the hallway of Isaac's house, where she was lodging, and peeked into his bedroom. Isaac was sprawled out on his bed, face smushed into the pillow and covers thrown to the floor. Mia saw at a glance that he was breathing normally, peacefully, still asleep at this pre-dawn hour.

Satisfied, she watched Isaac slumber for a moment longer before heading downstairs. There was no way she would be going back to sleep, so a cup of tea would be a good way to ease into the day.

That was where Isaac found her a few hours later, a book in hand and an empty tea cup sitting on the table. "You're up early," he greeted her.

Mia's gaze snapped up from the book. She smiled when she saw Isaac. "Good morning. I couldn't sleep so I came down for tea. Would you like some?"

"Sure," Isaac said, pulling up a chair. He was still in his pajamas, white with blue pinstripes. He stifled a yawn as he asked, "Why couldn't you sleep?"

Standing at the cupboard to get Isaac's cup, Mia froze for a moment. If only he knew. But she replied, saying, "Just a bad dream. It shook me up a little too much for me to feel like sleeping again."

Isaac made a sympathetic sound. "I know what you mean. Sometimes I get these nightmares about Mars Lighthouse where-" He stopped. "Heh, sorry." He reached across the table and tapped the book. "What are you reading?"

Mia returned to the table and poured tea for Isaac and then another cup for herself. "It's a collection of folk tales. Kraden loaned it to me. He said there were some tales about myths from ancient Imil that I might find interesting."

"Huh." Isaac pulled the book in front of him and flipped it open to a random section. "Qiqs," he said and frowned. "I'm probably pronouncing it completely wrong. But apparently they're purple monkey demons that steal sheep at night in the Izuman islands."

"It's half a bestiary and half a book of stories," Mia said, pulling the book in front of her. "Do you remember the Gabomba statue that Felix and the others told us about? There are almost fifty pages devoted to that tale."

"Sounds interesting," Isaac said. He finished his tea and stood up. "My parents will be waking up soon, so I'm gonna get breakfast started. I'll make you a deal."

"Oh?" Mia asked.

"Yep," Isaac said with a grin. "I'll make pancakes if you read that story out loud while I do that."

"How can I refuse?" Mia asked, giving him a smile in return. "I would do quite a lot more than just read a story to get some of your pancakes."

Isaac laughed and began pulling out the ingredients. Mia took a sip of tea and then turned to the beginning of the Great Gabomba's story. She'd only gotten a few pages into it herself, so it would be new to her as well.

The morning passed cheerfully. The myth had been darkly fascinating, and Isaac's pancakes were the best he'd made yet. Kyle and Dora had been pleasantly surprised to find breakfast waiting for them. After eating, Kyle and Isaac left for work, and Mia helped Dora with the household chores. It was only fair, she considered, since the Cavanaughs were allowing her to live with them while she was in Vale.

Late in the morning, Mia was free to do as she wished. While washing the dishes, an idea had occurred to her, and so Mia set off for Vale's item shop to find Ivan.

As she walked through the village, Mia reflected on how easily she and the other three foreign Adepts had adapted to living in Vale. She had talked about it with Sheba a couple weeks ago when the younger girl had dropped by the sanctum while Mia was on duty there.

"You probably put in more than more work here than the actual healers," Sheba had joked, perching on one of the front pews.

"'The actual healers?'" Mia asked, cocking her head.

"I mean the ones who are actually from Vale, sorry," Sheba replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I was just thinking."

"About?" Mia, sitting at the altar in the front of the sanctum, pushed side a sheaf of paperwork and focused on Sheba sitting in front of her, propping her chin in her hands.

"Well, about us," Sheba said. "You and me, and Piers and Ivan, too." She slouched down in the seat, her brow furrowed, and was silent for a moment. "Why are you still in Vale?" she asked, looking up at Mia. "I mean, what about Imil?"

Mia thought about this. "Hm... I suppose..." She met Sheba's gaze and gave a slight shrug. "I think it is because of you and the others." It was hard to articulate exactly what she was thinking, but Sheba looked at her expectantly, and so Mia continued, putting her reasons into words as best she could. "We've been through so much with each other, and I feel accepted. Who else is going to understand as well? It's hard by now to imagine not being with everyone."

"Makes perfect sense," Sheba said, stabbing a finger into the air. "Just what I was thinking." She leaned forward, her expression more sober. "A letter from Faran came today."

"Oh?" Mia remembered Sheba's adoptive father from the time they'd spent in Lalivero.

"Yeah." Sheba wrinkled her nose. "I sent a reply telling him that we still had some things to wrap up."

"I wonder if Ivan and Piers intend to leave anytime soon," Mia said.

"You weren't there when we met with Conservato," Sheba snorted. "If Piers wants to go back to Lemuria any time soon, I'll eat the Hover Jade. And Ivan's already been to Kalay a few times to organize trading with Vale, but he doesn't seem to want to go home. He didn't say it to me, but I think he's not sure whether he should consider 'home' to be with Hammet and Layana or with Hama."

"And why are you staying here?" Mia asked.

"It gets stifling being the child of the gods," Sheba said. "My family loves me, but it's so smothering there." She shifted in her seat, a small frown passing over her face before she grinned impishly at Mia. "And we all know why you stick around."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "I'll bite. Why do I stick around?"

"Let's see..." Sheba said, assuming a puzzled expression and tapping her chin with a finger. "Blond hair, blue eyes, is a Venus Adept, wears a scarf..."

Mia sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "Isaac?"

Sheba beamed. "So when's the wedding?"

"Now I know how Jenna feels when you tease her like this," Mia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Your point is that I remain in Vale because Isaac's here?"

"Makes sense," Sheba said.

"I never said it didn't," Mia responded. She studied her nails nonchalantly, knowing that her blush was giving her away to Sheba. A triumphant sound from the pew confirmed this. "You'll keep this to yourself, right?"

"Me, gossip?" Sheba pressed a hand to her brow. "I am wounded, Mia."

"Cut the act," Mia said with a chuckle.

"If you seriously don't want me to say anything, I won't," Sheba promised. "Not that it's not already so obvious." She grinned. "Well, it's been great, but if I'm going to annoy my quota of people for the day, I have to get going. Ivan's probably had too peaceful an afternoon thus far." With a cocky wave, she got up and sauntered out, leaving Mia staring after her with a slight smile on her face.

It was to this conversation that she thought back on while walking to see Ivan. As Sheba had pointed out, the other Jupiter Adept seemed perfectly content to stay in Vale, working as a merchant. It had only taken two months before he had been given management of the item shop by the owner. Since then, Ivan acted as though he owned the place, but given the efficient way he ran things, no one could complain.

So efficient was Ivan that Mia had scarcely entered the shop when he was at her side, asking how he could assist her.

"It's something personal, not business-related," Mia told him.

Ivan looked slightly put out at not being able to satisfy a customer, but he asked what she wanted. "No other patrons are in the shop at the moment, so you have my full attention," Ivan said, pulling his stool out from behind the counter and offering it to Mia. He hopped up and sat on the counter himself.

"I had a dream last night, Ivan," Mia said. She gave a small shudder when she thought of it.

"Not a pleasant one, I take it?" Ivan asked.

Mia shook her head. "It was a nightmare- more than a nightmare. That's why I wanted to talk to you in particular. It felt like it could have been a vision."

Even before she had finished speaking, Ivan was shaking his head. "Mia, only Jupiter Adepts get prophetic visions, and only rarely at that. It was probably just a vivid nightmare."

"No," Mia insisted, "this was different. It was not an ordinary nightmare. I swear it means something. Can't you just... read my mind or something and find out?"

"I could," Ivan said slowly. "I guess you won't take no for an answer, will you?"

"Correct," Mia said. "Now what do I need to do?"

"Just concentrate your hardest on this nightmare," Ivan said. "Recall what you saw, what you heard, every feeling, every event. Now give me your hand, and we'll try this."

Mia offered Ivan one hand and closed her eyes once he'd taken it. Although it sent a wave of revulsion through her, Mia screwed up her nerve and thought back to the grisly nightmare, starting with walking through the grassy field. She mentally ran through the flow of the dream, trying to include every detail in the correct order.

When Mia got to the end of the dream, Ivan dropped her hand immediately. She opened her eyes and saw the Jupiter Adept meeting her gaze with worried eyes.

"You were right, Mia. That was no nightmare; it was a vision of things to come."

Many miles away, the Golden Sun had risen over Mt. Aleph. A wave of Alchemy, pure energy, swept across the world. It struck every particle of every object. Only the most attuned of Adepts and sensitive of scientific instruments even sensed it, but it had an immense effect on everything it passed over.

The wave thundered silently north-east. The creation energy passed over a deep, chambered barrow in the foothills of the mountains to the south of Imil. Had anyone been observing, they would have noticed no change, but inside the mound a presence grew in awareness. It had been a long, long time since the presence had last been manifest, but now even a lack of belief could not keep it discorporate for long.

Mia gaped at Ivan. Despite her gut instinct that the dream was more than it seemed, to hear it stated so bluntly was like a Punch Ant blow to the stomach. "Y-you're sure?" she asked.

"I wish I wasn't," Ivan said. He shook his head. "That was unmistakably a vision, but how did you, a Mercury Adept, come to have it?"

"I wish I knew," Mia said. "But isn't the important thing stopping that vision from coming true?"

Ivan shifted uncomfortably on the counter. "Yes... I suppose that would be the important thing. Except..."

"Except what?" Mia leaned forward, almost tumbling off the stool. She regained her balance and a moment later asked, "Except what?"

"Except that it's believed impossible to change the events of a prophetic vision," Ivan said with a sigh.

Mia was silent. Her thoughts raced, but no coherent conclusion was reached. Finally, she grasped at something Ivan had said. "Only 'believed' impossible?" she asked. "So it may be possible to alter what a vision predicts?"

"You can try," Ivan said. He shook his head. "No, we can try. I'm not letting anything happen to Isaac or any of my friends if I can do something about it."

Mia nodded. "So, what does the dream mean?"

"Well, it's obvious that Isaac's in danger," Ivan said, drumming his heels against the counter as he thought. "But the wolf is probably symbolic. It's not very likely that he'll actually be attacked by a giant blue wolf." He rolled his eyes.

"So what does the wolf symbolize?" Mia asked.

Ivan shrugged. "No idea. Maybe you could ask Kraden. He knows all sorts of stuff."

Mia barely heard him because she had just remembered something - in fact, she was surprised that she hadn't recalled it immediately. "Alex," she said softly. "Of course. 'Wolf.' That's what his name means in Middle Lemurian. We used to call him that when we were kids."

"You think the dream means Alex?" Ivan asked. "But isn't he supposed to be dead?"

Mia shook her head. "That's what we all thought... But Alex has never done what I've expected him to do. Maybe he's still alive."

"Isn't it cats that have more than one life?" Ivan joked.

Mia rolled her eyes. "But wait. Even if Alex is alive, why would he come after Isaac? Also, why would I have this dream?" She shook her head. "Something's not adding up."

"Well," Ivan began. He stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Dang, customers. We'll have to talk about this later, Mia." He smoothed back his hair and straightened his shirt. "Why don't you tell Isaac and Kraden about it? They might be able to help you figure this out."

Mia nodded. "All right. Thank you, Ivan. Have a good afternoon." She left the shop, looking over her shoulder with amusement at Ivan's earnest manner when he was with customers.

Alchemy drove through the grove with all the force of a waterfall, but not so much as a single pine needle was disturbed by its passage. The grove of pine trees was so completely silent that it was almost unearthly. Then the pine needles swirled in faint eddies as though disturbed by footsteps. Someone observing the grove would have perhaps thought they'd seen a slight shadow in it moving in a way no shadow could.

A call went out. It traveled to the barrow, to a sacred hot spring hidden deep in the mountains, a place that had long been abandoned by those who once made pilgrimage there, and to a consecrated crossroad where only the scattered stones of a cairn remained to mark the long-forgotten significance of the place. Three calls answered. The shadow, growing more defined by the moment, allowed itself a satisfied smile, an expression that it had been unable to assume for millennia. The return of Alchemy to the world would herald delicious times, indeed.

Consulting Kraden was Mia's plan, but by the time she and Ivan finished, there was no time. Mia had to report to the sanctum; a pair of trainee healers would be learning to set bones that day, and Mia was overseeing their training. Her duties at the sanctum took until evening, and Mia was too tired to feel like subjecting herself to Kraden. Brain-dead as she was, she would probably only comprehend every third word that the old scholar said.

Some time after dinner, Isaac stopped by her bedroom. Mia was laying on her bed, the book of myths propped up in front of her.

"Hey," Isaac said, sticking his head through the doorway.

Mia sat up and turned to look at him. "Hello, Isaac. Do you need anything?"

"We never got to finish that Gabomba story this morning," he said. "I spent the whole day wondering how it ended."

"I was just about to read the rest of it myself," Mia said. She patted the bed. "Sit down." Isaac did so, and for the next half hour the two friends were wrapped up in the story of the arrogant young Kibomban chief who defied the gods.

When they finished, Isaac lay back and stared at the ceiling. "Well," he said, "that was depressing. Did anyone make it out of that story alive and intact?"

"Doesn't seem like it," Mia said, setting the book aside. "These stories are a lot darker than I thought they would be." She sighed. The myth had brought her dream to mind. "Isaac, I think I need to tell you something."

"Huh?" He turned his head to look at her. Catching the expression on her face, he sat up and faced her. "Is something the matter, Mia?"

"It's..." She didn't want to just come out and say, "Hey, Isaac, I had a vision that you're going to die a horrible death," but was there really a more delicate way to phrase it? "Um..."

"Hey, c'mon," Isaac said. He put a hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me."

"You're going to die!" Mia blurted out. She winced. "That... was probably too blunt. I'm sorry."

Isaac had pulled his hand away and was just staring at her with one eyebrow raised. When he spoke he said, "You mind explaining just what you meant by that?"

"Um..." Well, there was no point in being subtle now. "I had a dream that was a vision, and according to it you're going to die."

"Is that going to make sense if I ask you to repeat yourself?" Isaac asked.

Mia didn't look at him. She smoothed her skirt and said, "I had that dream last night, and that's why I couldn't sleep. In it, you were killed, and when I woke up, I just knew that there was something wrong about it. I asked Ivan, and he told me for certain that it was a prophetic dream just like the visions a Jupiter Adept gets."

"Yeah, but you're not a Jupiter Adept," said Isaac. "Why would you be having a vision?"

"I don't know," Mia said miserably, "but that's what happened. I still need to talk to Kraden about what it might mean in specific, but the general idea is all too clear."

Isaac didn't say anything. He stood up. He turned to Mia. "Thank you for telling me."

"Isaac?" He sounded suddenly so formal.

"I think I'll go to bed now. Good night, Mia."

"I'm sorry if this was upsetting," said Mia, also rising. "I just didn't think it would be right to keep this from you. You'll be careful from now on, right? So that nothing happens?"

Isaac nodded but remained silent. Mia was deflated. "Well, all right, then. Good night, I guess."

Isaac nodded again and then left. Mia sighed and sank back down onto the bed. That could have gone a lot better. All she'd succeeded in doing was making Isaac think she'd lost her mind.

Breakfast the next morning was awkward. Isaac greeted Mia when she entered the room with a brisk nod and returned his attention to his food. Mia tried to act like she wasn't bothered by this and she felt that she did a fair job of hiding her hurt. She would give Isaac some time. After all, she had said some very startling things last night. Perhaps once Isaac had some more time to assimilate the information, he would not act so distant. Attempting to soothe her feelings with this thought, Mia left for the sanctum.

Mia spent the morning helping out at the sanctum, and when she was given a break for lunch, she headed for Kraden's cottage. There were more important things than food at a time like this, although Garet might be one to argue otherwise. Mia rapped on Kraden's door. There was no answer, so she tried again. There was a loud crash from inside. "Bugger!" Mia stifled a giggle at hearing Kraden's exclamation. "I'll be right there!" Kraden called.

A few minutes later, Kraden cracked open the cottage door. A pair of goggles rested on his forehead; the skin around his eyes was clean, but the rest of his face was covered in a bluish powder, as were his grey robes. "Hello, Miss Mia. May I help you?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your work, Kraden," said Mia, "but there's something really important I need to talk to you about."

"Well, come in, then, and make yourself comfortable," said Kraden, opening the door wider.

Mia entered the cottage and looked for a place to sit down. Every chair in sight was piled high with books or papers. The sofa in the corner had a strange, wicked-looking contraption sprawled over it. Mia wasn't sure why Kraden needed something that looked like a bear trap fused with a windmill, but she was sure that she wouldn't be sitting anywhere near it. Giving up on her search for a seat, Mia turned to Kraden. "It's about Isaac," she said.

Kraden's expression turned grim. "Young Ivan stopped by last night and told me about your vision. I did some research on the matter as soon as he left."

"Did you find anything?" Mia asked.

Kraden scratched his head, causing blue dust to shower everywhere. "It's odd, but the part about the blue wolf seemed very familiar. I was sure I had read about it recently, but I couldn't recall anything specific about it. And when I searched the pile of books I had read recently, there were none relating to the matter." He furrowed his brow. "I'm sorry, Miss Mia, but I will keep looking, and I'll send the book over to you immediately if I find it."

"What should I do, though, Kraden?" Mia pressed.

Kraden sighed. "If I could think of anything for you to try, I would tell you. I am fond of Isaac, and I don't want anything to happen to the boy. Unfortunately, I am out of ideas. I would suggest mentioning the vision to Isaac and seeing if the two of you can put your heads together to come up with a plan of action. You're both rational young people."

Mia made a face. "I told Isaac last night. He, um, he didn't take it very well." She gave a wry chuckle. "I suppose it would have been better if I had not blurted out that he was going to die, without any build-up."

Kraden gave a bark of laughter. "Yes, that would be a most upsetting thing to hear. Don't worry, though. He'll get over the shock soon, I have no doubt."

"You're probably right, Kraden," said Mia with a smile. "Thanks for your help. I hope you find that book soon."

"I will get back to searching as soon as this experiment finishes," Kraden told her, lowering his goggles over his eyes. "Have a good afternoon, Miss Mia."

At dinner that night, Mia stared morosely off into space as she shoveled mashed potatoes into her mouth. She answered the few queries directed at her with short, vague answers. Perhaps Kyle and Dora sensed that something was amiss between the two teenagers, for they kept the conversation mercifully light and directed at each other. Isaac, too, was in a funk, and as they ate, he avoided Mia's eyes. It was, Mia reflected, quite depressing at how quickly she and Isaac had gone from sharing stories and pancakes together just the day before to this awkward silence now. She had just been trying to keep him safe by telling him about the dream, damn it!

Mia finished the last of her carrots and snapped out of the fog she had been in. Kyle and Dora had finished eating and left, and Mia hadn't even noticed. Isaac was still there, sitting to her left. He noticed her gaze, met her eyes for a split second, then looked away, stuffing a last piece of roast into his mouth before rising to clear his dishes. So they were still on awkward terms. Very well. Mia cleared away her own dishes and then headed for her room. It was time to lose herself in the book of myths.

The sun set to the west, and its last rays lit the blue tower to the southeast of the hill. The four not-quite-corporeal figures gathered on the hill ignored the lighthouse, as they ignored the light snowfall and the dying autumn breeze.

"I hunger!" whined the first of the figures, his deep, hollow voice rasping out of his throat. He appeared as nothing more than a lanky young man whose gaunt frame spoke of hard times. In one hand, he carried a sickle and in the other, a sack.

"I hunger for lives," answered the woman in her dulcet voice, her full red lips forming the words perfectly. She was tall, statuesque, with a perfect figure and lustrous black hair that shone in the dying sunlight. She gazed from the young man to the other two members of the gathering with her black eyes. Were anyone to meet her gaze, they would see eternity behind those eyes, a void of nothingness that went on forever. There were few who ever met her gaze.

"I hunger for blood!" shouted the third of the party. He beat a meaty fist against his chest. The blow was absorbed by the layers of fur he wore, as well as the crude armor beaten out of iron. In his free hand, he held a weapon, a large battle axe. The bloodstained blade spoke of many battles, as did the scars on the man's face. He was a warrior in the prime of his life, accustomed to shedding blood and taking lives as a routine part of survival. The battles he participated in were not the glorified skirmishes told of by skalds; they were bloodbaths, animalistic slaughters that few emerged alive from. And yet this warrior had seen victory again and again.

"I hunger for pain," said the last of the gathering. A young boy with such beautiful, almost feminine, features, he wore light linen robes. His olive complexion and dark curls, along with his classical features, gave the boy a look of innocence, and yet if one were to gaze at him for long, there would come an unsettling feeling that one was looking at a decomposing skeleton.

"I hunger, I hunger, I hunger!" howled the first man, waving his sack for emphasis.

"We all hunger," said the boy. "I want to walk among mortals again. I want to make their flesh wither with a touch. I want to hear them call out to me for mercy. When may we feed, Yobu?"

"We must have patience," said the woman. "It has been a long time indeed, this past dark age. Weyard has been without Alchemy for so long that our memories have been lost to time. Before we can feed, we must be remembered. The time of our feast will be soon." Her perfect lips curved into a smile. "I have sent my servants south. Our hour approaches."

This website is terrible and should feel terrible. There's a part two, but you're not getting it until I get over my murderous rage at the lack of any sort of scene breaks being allowed except those horrible horizontal rules. Really, why is our fandom still here and not on some other place like AO3? Uh, yeah, anyway, I finished this fic for the Temple of Kraden's Belinsk Arts Festival, and it somehow took first place, even when contending with Saturos (Dantaron) and Joker. So I guess it must be good, even though it's been ages since I wrote this characterization for Mia. Anyway, drop me a review if you've gotten this far, and stick around for part two!