"I'm not sure... It's like a voice, far off in the distance. A strange fealing.. I don't know." he replied.

Thinking once more about what he had almost done said, "If ever I seem to pose a threat, do not hesitate to kill me. I don't want to put you in danger."

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Eleshna looked at him, "I seem to remember saying that very same thing to you, and you did not follow through... I cannot promise you what you ask..."

The Shadows seemed to have drifted away for the time being, or just kept their distance, most likely due to the strange commotion.

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I am a pro-cycling fan! Congrats to the Young rider of the Tour de France!
~Cyclist in Training~

Jaden looked over to Eleshna. "Yes, your right. You are a true friend. I will be sure not to put you in any danger, but do please be careful." he replied slightly more calm than before.

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Eleshna nodded then smiled slightly, "Very good then... I do promise to be careful, for that is the only way I have survived this long, after all..." she dared a slight grin then let it fade into a faint smile.

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I am a pro-cycling fan! Congrats to the Young rider of the Tour de France!
~Cyclist in Training~

"Thankyou." Jaden replied gratefully. He surly didn't want to cause any more troube than he had.

"How soon before we move out?' he asked.

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"We should move out soon... this fog certainly doesn't seem to be clearing, and the Shadows are seeming to become a little more on edge..." Eleshna shivered slightly.

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I am a pro-cycling fan! Congrats to the Young rider of the Tour de France!
~Cyclist in Training~

"Alright, I'll get the men ready." he said standing to his feet and walking off.

His strength had returned, but during the night he still felt... different.

The men responded eagerly to his words as they readied there things for battle. Before long the small group was ready to go.

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Eleshna leapt upon her mare, then looked over at Jaden, noticing something different, and it seemed the Shadows did to, as they avoided him for the most part.

She urged the horse into a trot, though the mare would constantly sidestep into Jaden's horse and the other horses, as they too became nervous from the Shadows.

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I am a pro-cycling fan! Congrats to the Young rider of the Tour de France!
~Cyclist in Training~

Jaden continued on, but the way there seemed to be blured, like looking through the ice on a pond.

"You alright?" Knox asked as they rode.

Jaden lifted his head... "What?" he hadn't only aknowledged that somone had said something.

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Eleshna glanced over, concerned. "Jaden..." she rode closer, as much as the nervous mare allowed, and put a hand on his arm, looking him in the eyes.

She pulled away suddenly, and stared at Jaden for a while. A Shadow grabbed her arm while her thoughts were distracted, and without thinking, she drew her sword and slashed at the Shadow.

The Shadow reacted with a screech and the others followed suit.

Eleshna realized what she had done, and glance back at the others, "ride hard and fast!" She instructed, as she shivered from striking the Shadow.

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I am a pro-cycling fan! Congrats to the Young rider of the Tour de France!
~Cyclist in Training~

Jaden looked back to see the shadows comming, but it seemed as though they would pass right through him. Syndar wanted to run, but Jaden didn't allow it... he wasn't sure why.

All of the suden he opened his eyes and saw a great lake, white shours, and trees. A paradise that he once called home, somewhere he had not seen for so long.

"You had a bad dream." a voice came from behind him. Turning he looked into his mother's eyes, a wide smile on her face.
It had been so long... Such a terible long time.

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As the men galloped forward, away from the frantic shadows, Eleshna turned to see Jaden, holding his horse back.

She turned her mare and returned to his side. He seemed dazed, as though his thoughts were lost. She knew exactly what was happening, for Veron had used it on her once, with her parents, how she longed for them, but to see them that way, she ended up killing one of her companions at the time.

"Jaden! Snap out of it! Don't let him take hold of you, please, you won't get free..." Eleshna pleaded, grabbing a hold of Jaden's shoulder. As she did so, a Shadow came in behind her with its unseen blade.

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I am a pro-cycling fan! Congrats to the Young rider of the Tour de France!
~Cyclist in Training~

Jaden felt a hand on his shoulder, looked, but there was no one there. "Come we must go see yur father now." his mother told him.

"Somethings not right... something..." Jaden couldn't put a finger on it.
"Your tiered that's all. Now lets go." she replied kindly.

"No, not yet." he replied. "You will come now... your father is waiting." she told him sounding slightly annoyed.

Ever since the day he came of age his mother had never tried to force him into anything, never insisted, or tried to influence his choices derasticly. She trusted him, to make the right choice on his own.

"Who are you?" Jaden asked.

The image ran at him to grab him with a stiff arm, pulling him along, in the real world draging Syndar closer to the advancing shadows.

"No!" Jaden yelled as he pulled out his sword and stabbed the image, unknowing to him hitting the shadow that was sneeking up behind Eleshna.

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Eleshna barely avoided the sword, and was confused at his behavior.

The Shadow screeched in anger and reached out to grab Jaden, but Eleshna drew her own sword, a shadow sword, and hacked the arm off the shadowy figure. It retreated.

Eleshna again grasped Jaden's arm. "Jaden! Pull out of it! We need to get out of here, now!"

The Shadows were beginning to gather in anger, while the men had already ridden quite far ahead, and Shadows had dropped back, closer to Jaden and Eleshna.

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I am a pro-cycling fan! Congrats to the Young rider of the Tour de France!
~Cyclist in Training~

Jaden opened his eyes to see Eleshna there, hearing her voice just vaguly through his halusintaion.

He looked back at the shadows and then at her. Syndar took off at a run away from the things, Jaden being sure not to leave the mare and Eleshna behind.

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Eleshna crouched low, and let the mare loose, as the horse ran at a frantic pace, having been held back.

The mare ran in fear, and the Shadows gave chase for a while.

The men up ahead were lost in sight by the heavy fog, and several Shadows came in their way, but moved at the last minute, as though still unsure of themselves.

They neared the other men, but more figures came in their way, and Eleshna's mare had had enough. The horse began to back up and shy from the Shadows, while Eleshna did her best to steady the mare.

Finally, as though by a sudden gust of wind, the figures drifted away.

Eleshna took in a deep breath, then looked over at Jaden, her expression mixed with understanding and fear. "He had you... didn't he?..."

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I am a pro-cycling fan! Congrats to the Young rider of the Tour de France!
~Cyclist in Training~