I am woken by my cousin a little while later. To be specific, he wouldn't stop poking my forehead... "What do you want? I don't want to wake up..." "Too bad! You passed during a viral speech! Now you have to talk to me!" "Could you be a bit quieter? I'll get up." I do as I say. It seems I am in the medical bay, even on the same doctoral bed as earlier. In front of me lies both of my cousins. Paull, King Pauls son, who was the one poking me. He wore a sky blue cloth with a white cape, also having silver hair longer than mine but in a unique style, and on his back he carried a short sword. The other cousin was Jaysia, who is King James's daughter. She wears a matching crow cloak, which was the same clothes her father normally wore accept it has less armor and more cloak. She has black hair, like her father. If I remember, King Paul has blonde hair. Anyway, she weilded a hand axe. Which is the path she chose, not her father. Wait, why are they even here?! "Why are you two here, by any chance?" Paull is the first to respond. "I came with her, with permission, of course." Then she... "Father allowed me to take a small troop to the capital for your fathers wild christmas business, to actually spy on the event, even though I'm truly just using the time to get his majesty off my back, but after you almost fell off the wall. We were a bit concerned and checked up on you." "That was more her idea than mine, to be honest. I wanted to stay for the parade." "Okay... then how did you two enter the castle?" "We simply got permission from our uncle, or should I say your father?" Jaysia said in a less than serious tone. "Okay... Wait! Is the parade happening now?!" This time, Paull is the one to respond. "Yeah... Did you expect it to happen only with you?" "No... I was just curious." As I begin to remember the events more clearly, I bend my head down closer to the floor, gravity feeling stronger. "Are you okay, Isahia?" "I suppose. Its just..." Jaysia jumps at the chance of hearing something that could be considered gossip. She can be such a girl sometimes. "Well, what are you waiting for? Say it!" She eagerly states as she draws closer. It seems Paull has grown uninterested and went to talk to the Bishop. "Well... There is this girl-" "Ooooooh!" "Please don't do that." "Sorry!" "Well... anyway, there is this girl I met yesterday. I went on my first quest on that day, also..." "I don't care! Get to the juicy stuff!" "Ummm... Whatever that means. Well, basically I was sent into the sewers to save two kids. I saved one of them, her name was Mekkenial. She is my first friend. We travelled later to find the other. He put on a cursed mask that took control of him and turned him into Black Frost. I escaped the sewer with Mekkenial. She left thinking I was the son of a warrior trying to become a knight named Isah. I didn't even say goodbye. Then I visited my father to talk about a few things. After, the speech started and when it was my turn I was losing it. I saw her in the crowd staring back at me and I passed out in panic. Now she knows I'm the prince and probably hates me forever!" "Well... you've had a busy couple of days. I'm actually kind of jealous. At home all I do is listen to fathers teachings and talk to the knights of Gold." "At least you interact with your father on a normal basis. Well?" "What I got from that is that you have more than just friendship between her... and that you don't consider me and Paull your friends!" "Yeah!" Paull blurted out from beside the Bishop. "You two are family. You don't count." "Figures." Paull huffs back. "About the more than friendship thing. What do you mean, Jaysia?" "Wow. Your stupider than I thought. You will find out on your own sooner or later. Don't think that you and Mekkenial are finished yet." #Aaaah# "What was that?!" Paull screams, running to the Bishops arm and giving it a death grip. The Bishop gives him a weird look. "I think that was a soldier!" "Why would he be screaming Isahia?" "You know Black Frost right?" "The one from your story before." "Precisely. Lets just say I didn't kill him down there." "WHAT?!!!" I hear Paull scream... again. "That came from below. Thats where the B1 patrol unite was placed." "Oh no... You don't think-" "Black Frost is free..." "This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!" Paull yelps yet again! "We have to get out of the castle and into the capital streets now! We will be safer there than trapped in this castle!" "I'm with you!" Paull says, running to me. "I as well..." Jaysia says, pulling her axe out from behind her and giving me a cocky smirk. I walk to the wall and take the first spear I see from the holder. "Paull, what job class are you?" "Dragon Slayer." "Good. You have your soul weapon. You, Jaysia?" "Berzerker." "Good, then lets go! For I am a Jouste!" We all run out the door. "Wait! Were forgetting someone!" Paull says, pointing back. "Bishop! Follow!" I yell in demand. "Yes, your highness." He walks out at an annoyingly slow pace and takes a minute to close the door behind him. I begin tapping my foot on the ground. After, both Jaysia and Paull grab his arms and drags him down the winding halls of the third floor, me in the lead, for I know the way. We pass the throne room I have seen so much lately and eventually reach the steps. #Aaaaaaah!!# That one was louder. I hesitate to open the door but eventually I do so out of pure impatience. I walk onto the second floor balcony to find nothing displaced. "I think were good, guys." I get halfway down the stairs before I see a knight flung from the right side of my vision to my left. It was for only a second but I know that the sound that came after meant doom for us all. #Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!# "Shit." The last word I am able to say before I am groped by the bloodcut cold white hand I was a bit too familiar with. "Your majesty!" Is what the Bishop said before I was took into the room with the checkered floor and slammed into the corner of the wall furthest from the doors. "Erk!" "Were coming, bro!" Paull says, aiming for the left side equivalent to my room only a floor above. The pressure of the arm was great. Far beyond the strength of an arm that looks this frail should be. I felt it clamp on both my arms and chest, crushing me together into a ball of unmeasurable pain. "Waaah!" I wailed, for that was the only thing I could do. Black Frost was stronger, faster, and more resilient than me. I felt my life being drained... and I was about to submit. I was dieing and I knew it. Than all of a sudden the grip weakened, but didn't let go. "LoOk aRouNd iSAhiA!" The sound of his distorted words was haunting in a voice beyond a demons cry, as it morphed and curved as the beast spake, I couldn't stand it. As life returned to me I begin to hear screams from both sides of the room. I open my eyes and see my cousins spread side to side, arms clamping them against the floor and wall. Paull was against the wall on my left, and Jaysia was pinned to the floor on my right. I wanted to do something, but I barely had the Energi to turn my head. "LoOK forWard ChILd!" The mask spake. I returned my head to its original position, looking into the mask that holds the hanging body. The hanging body suddenly grows stiff, regaining life. It pulls up his arm to the mask, laughing. His hand is white and had easily visibly purple vains pulsing for new life, but it gave none. "dO yUo KNow mY QuEstIOn CHIld?!" Its morphed words say to me, leaving me almost as flushed as Azekial. I gather the strength as I breathe air again. "No..." "ThEm Or YoU?!" What? How is that a question? "i SaiD! Who dIes? yoU oR tHEm?!" As I saw them pinned to the floor, I realize my life as a Periah was about to end. For I was about to truly become a Jouste. "M-me..." "vEry WElL!" The acursed mask releases them, regripping strength returning. Even stronger than before. "Isahia!" As the pressure seeps in, the room begins to flash black and white, and all sound deffens. To make it stop I clench my eyelids shut hard, joping that my five senses returned. "WHatS tHE MAttEr bOY?!" I couldn't answer, hell. I couldn't even breathe. My life was ending even faster than before. My blood was running cold now. I openned my eyes again, now staring at the floor below. It turns out my spine finally gave up. And so was I... I shut my eyes again in peace. And speak the the last words I could... "(If I die before I wake... I p-pray t-o to l-lord m-my...)" Silence... I felt it sway over me and the clasp released. As told so, I smacked against the floor like raw fish to a pan. I died... for an hour or two. It was too short to say anything about. But I missed the rest of the battle so the following is in Jaysia's perspective:

"Noooooo!!!" I screamed as Isahia smacked the floor like a ragdoll. I swung my axe in a rage against one of Black Frosts arms he was using to balance in the air. I cut through, and blood goes all over the checkered floor. "I JuDGe by YoUR SLicE yOU anD I ARe NOt finIshEd?!" Oh no... One of the arms darts toward me at lightning speed but then stops suddenly in front of me only inches away. It was in the shape of a jagged blade. What the hell are you?! Then I noticed the reason he stopped... "Yoohoo!" "YOu, cHILd oF SIlvEr hair! STep AwAy, UNlesS yOu wanT yoUR FrIEnds sacRifICE tO Be in VAIN?!" "Oh, hell no! You did not just go there!" Paull yelled in idiocy, pulling out his sword to another arm. "Batter up!" He swings, and he scores! The arm is cut in two, more blood spilling. Now noticing the arms have no bones, while the chess board of a floor is stained. I run to another arm and slice through it, finally making Black Frost lose his balance. The body slaps to the ground as Isahia did, leaving him motionless but hissing in rage. Paull speaks, "Bishop, help Isahia!" "Yes, sir!" He responds back from the door that leads to the main hall, now running toward Isahia. Paull then runs to the middle of the room where Black Frost lay. He draws close and raises his sword in the air, preparing to stab through his spine. "Wraah!" But as the sword came down, the corpses arm rose up, letting the sword pierce through his palm and all the way down his arm. The cold, white hand then clasped the hilt of the blade, pulling it away from Paull and pushing him to the wall close to the F hall of fames door using dark elemental Energi. With his other arm he lifts the mask to his top but not taking it off. The cold, dead, white, unsettleing face darts its bloodshot eyes at me, letting it know I was next. But before he pushed me away, his mouth curved into a half grin as he slowly pulls the sword out of his arm with the other. He laughed as he did it, letting me know he felt no pain. As the tip of the blade came through the slit in his palm, his arm fell at gravity's will, and I vomited as his laugh grew stronger. Paulls blade now lied in his right hand, left spilling both blood and black sludge of some sort. I knew I had to distract Black Frost from the Bishop. I just don't know how long I can do it. Isahia gave his life for me and Paull. That isn't true though, because he will not die on this day! I dart towards him at the fastest speed a berzerker can. About halfway to him he throws an orb of dark energi at me. But I wasn't about to fail now. I drew my light elements core out and deflected the orb with a shield made of light. The orb darts into oblivion and I slice my axe. But it is easily dodged, for it seems the body does not follow the rules of Pepal anatomy. He twists his spine in a leftwards U shape to dodge, startling me. He uses the chance to swing Paulls blade with his one usable hand. I jump before it cuts into my leg, leaving my dodge to be a success. If it were not so, the battle would have ended far worse. For I managed to slice again because of it. He did not suspect this time though and my slice went through his left shoulder and all the way to his abdomen. He spilled much, and I heard a crunch noise when I pulled my axe back out. But yet he still stood. I take a hopstep away, still in battle stance. He began to speak, leaving his sadistic laugh behind. "DAmn... iT SEEms yoU gOT mE. Or DId yOU?!" He raises his left arm but when he did, half his chest and abdoment fell off. I vomited, again. The right arm now spilling its innards into the floor with partial shoulder attached. "Aauk!" The rest of him gave out after, limbs disproportionately turned in awkward ways. Still the head laughed as it slowly turned whiter, almost white as snow. I then out of a sudden burst of anger slice my axe through his head! The laughs stop... Its over. He's dead. Paull picks up his sword, then saying I was fit to be a berzerker. We then all grow closer to Isahia. The Bishop uses all of his Energi trying to heal him. But nothing works. We then wait there with Isahia, sending the Bishop to tell Lord Isaiah after the parade finishes. I cried, and Paull did too a little later. I thought the happenings of today were truly terrible! I couldn't stand the thought of losing my cousin so young, as he was just learning what love was! I hated myself for not being stronger! I hated myself for not being the one who splatted against the floor! Now he just lazily layed there. He didn't seem broken, but instead at peace. Which was more than I could say for the corpse in the middle of the room, which looked like death itself with blood as its topping. The super long arms just laying around was a bit disturbing, but it was the least of my worries... Eventually, lord Isaiah came, along with a veteran gladiator, his wife the queen, a paladin, a councilor, and a girl my age in red cloth. She had half-Coloria hair. We came over to the now peaceful body, all of us together. He had friends, he just didn't know. We mourned for hours, only disruptions being the sound of the crowds in Itropolice celebrating. This is a terrible day to celebrate. This day will be etched in my mind forever... That is, until a white glowing mist appeared in front of us. We all in a circle now stared at the fog, which also came in circle at the head of Isahia. It speaks like the heavens itself... "Thank you, girl of Gold. You have freed my soul from those sewers. And I must say, it is an honor to see you again, lord Isaiah." "As is to you." "Thank you for your kindness, your holyness. But we must end converse now for one reason and one only. Jaysia of Gold... I can grant upon you one wish. Any wish, and now I plead you choose." I- I don't know what to say... wait! Yes I do! Shut up, stupid me! "My wish is for you to bring Isahia back to life!" "Very well. But that wish is a bit harder. One soul must leave at the expense of his returning. Do you understand?" "Yes... I will take his place!" "Oh, no you don't! Thats my line!" Paull says, pointing his thumb to his chest. "No... not you either." The mysterious girl says abruptly. Wait... could that be? "I'm taking his place!" She yells, letting a true love out. I knew it, it is Mekkenial! "Actually, calm down all of you." The mist interrupts. "You misunderstood. I will be taking his place. I'm going home." "Oh..." Mekkenial says, blushing visually. "Goodbye, friends. You all have my thanks for freedom. Goodbye..." He fades away, gone forever. I could see that lord Isaiah wished to speak to him more but it was already over. That is, until I heard a familiar voice I thought I would never hear again. "That hurt..." Isahia said, ensuring that todays events truly was a miracle. He almost died just to get the girl back in the castle. Her hugging him the way she did when he said that proved that destiny had the upper hand. But I guess my axe had a part to play as well. Heh heh...

Hello, this is Isahia again! Just wanted to tell you that after the events of that day, King Paul dragged Paull home after we found out that he came to the capital without permission. Then, Jaysia went home to have a day with her father to play instead of teach. Mekkenial was about to leave back to her home in the capital, but as I walked her to the ledge my father did the speech from, she kissed me then ran down the stairs at the speed of a bullet. That made me feel better about today for sure, leaving new life in me. Too bad that was the last time I saw her... Dad, Mom, Cecil, Jayce, and Sharen had a meeting the next day with me about the former which led to us never speaking about the events of today again or how I practically died. But none of that matters. Later, mother died of an airborne illness and it almost sent me into despair. But I pulled through, forgetting about quite a few important things, one being Mekkenial. Life returned to normal, only difference being that I knew who my friends were. But now our lives were at peace again, that was... until we realized the mask wasn't with the corpse when we moved it. We freaked out a bit but it didn't seem to effect the world in any way so we just went with it. The point is, this was my first Christmas. A lot happened, but it all ended with a good old Christmas miracle. Which according to father happens a lot. Well, after everything was pretty much back to normal.
That is, until I turned 13...

The End