Lythia walked slowly through the now diserted castle once known as Lav'intay Castle. Ever since she was a little girl, she had thought she would stand there to pair with a drak. But then that terrible diseas came, and whiped away an entire castle. It had taken 2 days at the most, and only few had escaped the disease.
She sighed and looked around. It had once been so beautifull, but now it was all dry land and lonley, as she was. Although she had two loving parents, and an older brother, she feld alone, and a stranger.
She knew how dangerouse it was to be walking here out in the open, alone. If her parents would know, they would loke her up in her room. Her brother knew her secret, but strangly enough he didn't tell anybody.
Lythia had lost all hope in pairing when Lav'intay was struck by this diseas, and she didn't even think about going to another castle. This was her home, although now, when time had taken a hand in the once so proud castle, it was more a ruin than a castle. And the wonderfull times were long gone.

[*]

The sun was already over her highest point in the sky, and she had a long way back home. But she didn't want to go away from here. So she stayed a bit longer. Although she was hungry and thursty, she knew that she musten eat anything from here. She looked at the drinking pool that had green water now, and wasn't safe to drink. She bend down, and sat on her knees. She saw her reflection in the water. Lythia had medium black hair and was rather thin. She was wearing her favorite clothes: a long blue skirt, and a brown t-shirt like thing. In her bag, she kept a little book where she would draw Lav'intay and its surroundings.
Looking in the water, she wondered what her life had been like if she would have had a Drak, or was waiting to pair. Her life would have had a perpouce then, but now.. Without thinking, she reached out to the water. She guided her hand to her mouth, and started to open it.
'No!' Lythia felt that she was pulled back, and fell on the ground between strong arms. Scared, she tried to get away, but didn't succeed.
"You mustn't drink that. It isn't safe." A low voice told her close to her ear.
"I wasn't going to drink it!" Lythia screamed, but as she said it, a small voice inside her haid asked her: 'weren't you?'
Getting back her controle over her own body, she felt that she was trembling, and knew that it would be a bit longer before she would be able to stand. Then she remembered that somebody was under her. She tried to get up, but the man didn't let go.
"I won't drink the water." Lythia said anoyed.
He let her go slowly, and Lythia turned towards him. She saw a rather durty face, but those eyes were so beautifull. He was wairing a rather old pants and his shirt was dirty too. His hair was blond beneath all the dust.
"I... I..." Lythia started and then said: "I have to go." She got up, and ran away without stopping towards her parents house.
What she didn't see was that she lost her book with sketches, and that the young man picked it up.

[*]

Tired, she got home when it was really late.
"Yo!" her brother, Lunto, said "I thought you were eaten by Nex Nekii by now."
"Don't try to be funny." She snapped back. She walked past her brother and went inside. 
"Where have you been?" Her mother asked with a rather panicked voice.
"Nowhere mother." She sighed. It was true, Lav"intay didn't excist anymore, only in the hearts of those who still want to remember the Castle.
"Go to your room!" Her father yelled. 
Lythia didn't want anything else. She wanted to sleep...

[*]

It wasn't until morning before she found out that she had lost her book. Terrified that she had lost it compleatly, she went back to Lav'intay.
There she looked everywhere, but couldn't find the small brown book that she loved so much.
She fell on her knees and started crying. All of her work was gone, All that she had ever loved was in that book, and now it was nowhere to be found.
"Don't cry.." It was the same low voice that had 'saved' her from her possible death.
She whiped her cheeks and turned towards the voice.
"Why are you following me?"
"I wasn't following you. I just wanted to see if I had to save you once more."
"You didn't have to save me. I wasn't going to drink the damn water." Lythia yelled. But instantly, she was sorry that she had done that.  "Euhm.. I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean it like that.."
"I better go.."
"No please stay.." She looked at him, and he came closer. a few moments later, he was sitting right next to her.
"You dropped this yesterday.." He said.
"My book! You found it.. Thank you... euhmm."
"Maikus.." He smiled
"I'm Lythia." She smiled back. A moment ago, she had been crying, after that she had been angry and now she was happy. How could that all change so quickly?
"I really love your drawings." He said, and a faint blush coloured his cheeks.
"Thank you.." She grinned at him. If her brother had even looked at the book, Lythia would have killed him, but it didn't bother her that Maikus had looked at her drawings.
"How come you always find me?"
"I live in the ruins of Lav'intay castle."
"But that's dangerouse."
"You walk here too.. I've seen you every day." He grinned. "I love your dancing and singing. It always coloured my day."
"I didn't mean for anybody to here me.." Now it was Lythia's turn to blush.
"Will you dance with me?" He asked sweetly. Lythia thought that he had a few summers more than she did, but not more than 5 or so.
"Not untill you washed yourself." She grinned. She got up and ran away. He followed her, and after a while, they both found a pretty place that would became there place, a watherfall with tropical plants and a rather large pond beneath the watherfall. It was distand enough from Lav'intay to not be infected, and that made everything even more beter.
Lythia stopped running, and Maikus bumped into her. She turned quickly, and pushed him in the water. He grabbed her arms, and pulled her with him in the water.

[*]

Lunto had followed his sister, because she had looked stressed and down when she had left home. But now, he had never seen his sister this happy. He grinned at the two that were trying to outrun each other, and at the same time tried to get in each others arms.
"I have to go home..." Lythia said when she looked at the sky. "It's getting dark.."
"Lythia.." She looked at the other side, and saw her brother sitting there on a rock.
"Lunto? What are you doing here?" 
"I followed you, you looked rather worried when you left home, and well.. I didn't want anything to happen to you."
"I would have taken care of her.." Maikus said
"I can see that now.." Lunto grinned. Although he was Lythia's older brother, he was a fair guy and really adorable when he slept.
"Lythia... We really have to go you know." Lunto said.
"I know..." She sighed..

[*]

"You got us lost!" Lythia screamed to Lunto.
"It was you who ran towards here, in the forest, and you were the one that waited untill now to get home!" He said back to her.
"Why don't we stay calm?" Maikus suggested softly. He knew that brother and sister were supposed to fight, but now wasn't a good time.
Lythia looked at her brother and then turned her face away and looked up. She would never ever talk to Lunto again.
Lunto sighed and went on walking.
"Did you here that?" Lythia asked.
"I thought you weren't going to talk to me again?" Lunto grinned. He hadn't heard anything, and believed that it was her way of telling she was sorry.
"NEX NEKII!!!" Maikus yelled and started running.
He grabbed Lythia by the arm, and pulled her along. Lunto ran as fast as he could after the other two.

"I'm tired.. I can't go any further.." Lythia said between her breaths. Maikus was still pulling her along, wich made it hard for her to follow them. 
"It was a whole nest.. We are outnumbered.." Maikus said withouth looking back at her. He was still trying to get away.
"Lythia.. Run faster!" Her brother complained.
And when he had said it, Maikus stopped. "They have surrounded us..." He whispered.
"What are we going to do now?" Lunto asked, still catching his breath.
"What can we do?" Lythia asked in dispair.
"We can always try to get them as far away from us as possible.." Maikus said. 
But then it seemed that the last bit of light went death in the forest. 
"Go Houdini!" A rather unpleasent voice called out from the sky. They all looked up at the same time. The sudden darkness was because a plant drak was flying above them.

[*]

Later, when all the Nex Nekii were scared away, the drak guided them out of the forest, and landed.
The rider, a strang man with pink hair standing all the way up, walked slowly to them.
"How stupid are all of you?" He looked at all 3 of them. "I didn't expect anything else from a girl, but you two, especially you Maikus!" He looked at Maikus
"Sorry Lloyd." He mumbled
"You know this... man?" Lunto asked.
"He and I are family... But were totally different."
"I hope so. And you! What the hell do you have against me?" Lythia asked Lloyd rather unfriendly.
"I saved your asses, and this is my thanks?" Lloyd asked.
"Thanks?" Lythia asked him back sarcasticly.
"Calm down Lythia. You'll make things worse." Lunto whispered softly.
"Maikus.. Have you proven your point? Can we now go back to Chindor Castle? You belong there."
"I don't belong there." Maikus said
"Perhaps. But Chindor needs aspirants..." Houdini interfeared "Pleassss excuse my rider Lythia.. I do believe you would be a wonderfull Asssspirant.."
"And what about me?" Lunto asked bluntly.
"You too of coursss" Houdini said
"But what about our parents?" Lythia asked to everybody
"We'll tell them we are accepted as candidates." Lunto said. "Come sis.. We'll go pack."
"Ok then... That's settled. Let's go Maikus!" Lloyd said, pulling Maikus with him.
"Lloyd.. Be nice... Why don't we drop the others off?"
Sighing, Lloyd agreed in that.

[*]

The next day, when both Lythia and Lunto got up, they were awaited by Drak-riders
"Hello!" Lunto said good tempered. Normally he had a bad temper in the morning, but now, he was even smiling.
Lyhtia was only thinking about Maikus. He had so many secrets that she wanted to know... 
"Lythia?" She was roused from her daydream by one of the riders. "Will you come with us to Drockh-Tallahn?" It was a rather bulky man from the new castle of Icarus. He smilled at her.
"Of course I will" She smiled back. Perhaps, her life would have meaning again, and then again, with a drak, she would be able to fly to Chindor Castle and talk with Maikus.
Her brother was rather eager to go to Desert Castle, together with Xantis.

[*]

Of the 3 aspirants, all in different castles, Lythia's clutch was the first to hatch. There was only one female, a dainty ore running eagerly ahead of her mother, while her three brothers-a desert, a mud, and a night-trailed behind. All the eyes were directed to the ore, and she was the first to move. She walked to the young girl, Lythia. “My name’ssss Leeyawsh!” She purred as she nuzzled her nose against the girls cheek. 
"Welcome Leeyawsh." Lythia rapped her arms around the neck of the drak and both of them left to find something to eat. 
"You're mind isss filled with Maikusss.. Am I not good enough?" The drak prouted her lips and looked at her bond.
"Of course not! Where did you get that idea? I just haven't seen him in a long time now, and I miss him.." Lythia hugged Leeyawsh and played a few games with her. In a moment, your first lesson will start with Cletur and her Water Istiaen. Ready?"
"Of courssse Lythia. I'll do my best, so that I grow up really quick, and then we can fly to Maikuss."
"Thanks Leeyawsh. But you have to grow up on your speed. There's no need to be hasty." Lythia smiled at her active and really gentle drak.

[*]

"Good morning Leeyawsh." Lythia streched, lazy as she was.
"Good afternoon is what you mean right?" The ore drak answered looking at her rider.
Lythia blushed. "Why did you let me sleep? You need your food and attention.." Lythia got out of bed and walked barefood to the drak and hugged her.
"I'm an adult now.. Not a hatchling. I'm old enough to take care of myself."
"But I like taking care of you." 
"Why don't you scratch that itchi spot right behind my second wing?" The drak pushed her bond in the right direction.
"I wonder how Maikus is doing.. And Lunto for that matter."
"Why don't we fly to them after you have eaten?"
"Lets do that!"

[*]

Maikus is an Aspirant at Chindor Castle  -  [stats]
Lythia is an Aspirant at Drockh-Tallahn Castle  -  [stats]
Lunto is an Aspirant at Acicade Castle  -  [stats]

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