Yes, I have finally finished Chapter two. I go back to college in 5 days, and once I'm there I will probably be hard pressed for writing time, but I will expect to finish chapter three by the end of February. If today is your first time reading Identity Crisis, go on reading. However, if you've already read the prologue and Chapter one at some prior time, you will unfortunately have to re-read some parts of those sections before starting Chapter two. Specifically, the changes I made are the following: 1: The last 5 or 6 paragraphs of the prologue were changed (big plot change, make sure you read it.) 2: A lengthy foreward explaining the history behind the elves, dark elves and humans in this story's world has been added to the beginning of Chapter one, before the story actually begins. 3: Some minor corrections and changes were made in various places, but they are not plot-affecting, so do not trouble yourself to look for them. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and please please please post a review.

Chapter 2

Maiysokat sat turning her father's scimitar over and over in her hands. Its hilt shimmered beautifully, even in the dim light of her wooden hut. She took a deep breath and sighed out the air, which felt thicker the longer she sat. Again she counted the gemstones that were set with silver brackets in the hilt. Four green stones laid out in a T-shaped pattern adorned four ancient Elfrunic characters. The young elf suddenly found herself lost in her memories, as the image of a mature adult elf with a young daughter beside him formed in her mind.

"See this sword, Maiysokat? Its name is Era."

"Why do you name swords, Daddy?"

"Not all swords are named, dear. Only swords with a special purpose are honored with a name. Do you see the four characters on the hilt?"

"Yeah…"

"Can you read them?"

"No. They're Elfrunic."

"A sword whose purpose was defined at a time when the ancient runes were still in use would seem pretty important, wouldn't it? These characters show the sword's full name: 'Era, Key of the Ages'."

"Era..." Maiysokat's gaze drifted off as she pondered the weapon's history. "So what is Era's purpose?"

Maiysokat's father patted her on the head affectionately. "That will be shown when its time comes. All I know about it so far is that the city council chose me to inherit it, and that there is some significance to the five jewels it holds."

"Daddy, there are only four jewels." Maiysokat pointed to the four green stones in the hilt.

"There is one more," the older elf replied, unsheathing half the sword. On the upper half of the blade, near the hilt, was an oddly shaped piece of marble.

"What a strange jewel...," Maiysokat murmured.

Maiysokat gazed down at the sword, shaking herself free from her memories. She grasped the scimitar's hilt and drew it slowly from its sheath. Perfectly forged steel glowed a cool grey in the dusty room. She ran two fingers slowly down the flat of the blade, but they did not come across the cold marble jewel. Assuming she had checked the wrong side, the elf turned the sword over and felt again, but it was likewise smooth steel all the way down. Surely, she thought to herself, she could not have imagined that there was a stone there.

She resheathed the scimitar and cleared the thought from her mind. She began to think of the situation she was in now. Tinarae had said that they would go find out what had really happened. What was the point in that? Her father had not returned. That made it obvious enough that he did not want to be found again. Although she was dying to know what had driven a man like her father, who had been one of the most valiant warriors in Koeten, to remain in the wilderness instead of fulfilling his mission, she also feared that the answer she might find would confirm her darkest fears.

Tinarae had gone out to pick up some food and necessities for the trip, so Maiysokat figured she still had a while to wrap things up in Koeten before they began their search. It suddenly dawned on her that she wanted to visit Tenseirod before she left. Surely he could calm her down, as he always did.

"YOU WANT TO DO WHAT?!" screamed Tenseirod with an immasculine squeak.

Maiysokat rolled her eyes. So much for comfort. "Seiro, I never know you could be such a stick in the mud."

"It's that high elf, isn't it? She put you up to this, right? You know we need you here right now, especially with so much responsibility falling on the guild recently. Not to mention the increase in monsters in Soulshadow Forest. Exploring down there is not safe at all right now. You'd be smartest to stay in the city until we find the source of all this new evil."

"It's not like I'm going to wander around the forest alone. We're going to Areminn first. That's where the merchant said he purchased it," protested Maiysokat, extremely disappointed in her friend's lack of support.

"No, Maiysokat, you definitely are not going. Whenever you hang out with that Tinarae girl, you end up getting in trouble."

"Who are you to tell me what to do? You aren't my guardian."

"Sometimes I think you need one."

"I'm not a little kid!"

"But you are my apprentice. Don't risk your status in the guild for this whim."

"I thought you of all people would understand why I'm going! Don't you care about my feelings?"

"More than you know," Tenseirod said solemnly, looking her straight in the eyes.

"I'm going," Maiysokat said forcefully, returning his stare for several seconds.

"Then why are you still looking at me?" he returned as she gazed unsurely at him.

Maiysokat tore herself away from his concerned eyes and turned her back to Tenseirod. "I will undoubtedly be back," she said, and walked away. She shut the door to the Druid's guild firmly behind her as she left. "First and foremost," she thought to herself, "I will always be a Druid." She took several more steps, then stopped again. "No… first and foremost…"

"-I will always be your friend." Tenseirod finished Maiysokat's thought unknowingly. She spun around in surprise to see him leaning in the open doorway to the Guildhouse.

"Seiro…" she said, and suddenly ran into his arms. She did not force herself to understand why she wanted to hold him. So much had happened to her in one day, and she realized that the stress was making her melodramatic. A shiver of longing pulsed through her muscles as her cheek rested on his warm chest, but she knew that it was not a good time for such desires. He did not resist her embrace, looking down at her with a mixture of desire and disapproval. It was rare for her to express affection this way towards him, and he knew from the intensity of her embrace that she did not really intend for her journey to be a simple trip to Areminn.

"I'm back!" Maiysokat proclaimed as she cracked open the door to her small home and peered inside. Tinarae's face stared back at her from the other side of the crack, with a ridiculously mischievous expression. "Tina…..? Did you do something?"

From two inches away, Tinarae shook her head quickly, her lip tightening guiltily. Maiysokat's face grew stern and she reached again for the doorhandle. Tinarae's eyes widened and the door clunked shut in Maiysokat's face.

"HEEY! This is my house, remember!?" she protested, pulling on the door. She heard excited giggling from within the room, and crossed her arms in mock sternness. "Oh, so this is a game, eh?"

Maiysokat closed her eyes and lifted one hand up in front of her chest. She began to chant solemnly in Old Elfspeak. On the other side of the door, Tinarae's feet slowly lifted off the ground and she began to float up toward the ceiling.

"YEEEK! PUT ME DOWN! MAIY! I'm going to BEAT you!" screamed her friend from within.

"Still afraid of heights, Tina?" laughed Maiysokat, bobbing her hand sporadically up and down.

Tinarae screamed profanities at her friend as she accelerated upward and downward around the room.

"Oh no! I think my concentration is breaking! I might drop you!" teased Maiysokat evilly.

"EEEEEEEEEEEK! DON'T DROP ME!"

"Better unlock the door so I can catch you."

"Yes! Please catch me!" Tinarae screamed as she turned the lock on the door.

Maiysokat rushed in and looked up at Tinarae's hilarious facial expression, then lowered her into her arms. "I'll save you, Dahhhling," she said, still teasing.

Tina smiled in relief as she wrapped her arms playfully around Maiysokat's neck. "Whee, I guess you're not mad," she whirred happily.

"Mad?" Maiysokat asked, dreading.

Tinarae's hair fell chaotically around her face. "About my shopping," she said, indicating the corner of the room with her chin.

Maiysokat followed Tinarae's gaze, and saw an enormous hoard of traveling supplies, games, junk foods, and clothing. Her eyes widened, and she stifled a scream.

"Tina?"

"Yes?" came the meek reply.

"How many people are going on this trip?"

"Um…two?"

"And how much can one person carry on their back?"

"Probably seventy pounds or so…"

"So when you went shopping, how much did you buy?"

Tinarae fidgeted uncomfortably, then mumbled, "More than seventy pounds?"

"And who will carry the rest, might I ask?"

Tinarae's face lit up with a hopeful grin. "I was hoping maybe y-"

"NO!"

"Darn."

It took several hours for the two to narrow down their load to one change of clothing each, a lantern, two blankets, water skins, rations, and their weapons. Maiysokat had a difficult time parting Tinarae from the merchandise she had bought, but both knew that the lighter their loads were, the easier their travel would be. By the time they were ready to head out, it was already early afternoon. Because the trip to Areminn was typically a little more than a half day's walk, they would normally have waited until the next morning to head out, but Maiysokat said she didn't mind rushing if Tinarae could get them there by midnight.

They slung their packs over their shoulders and left the house with an air of determination, a buff swagger in their steps as they stepped on to Maiysokat's Kiba platform –

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEK," cried Tina in terror, "Do we have to take the Kiba?" The young high elf shimmied away from the floating platform as Maiysokat shoved her toward it in frustration.

Maiysokat stopped pushing and smiled at her friend calmingly. She summoned the Kiba to rest on top of the solid platform they were standing on, and helped Tinarae step onto it. "Really, Tina, you're standing on a giant Kiba as it is."

"The only reason I'm stuck visiting this crummy city is because you didn't visit me. I hate heights I hate heights I hate heights IhateheightsIhateheightsIhateheights!"

Maiysokat stepped onto the platform behind Tinarae and placed one hand over her friend's eyes, the other tightly over her mouth, and willed the Kiba to move. Tinarae's muscles remained tense, but she calmed down once she couldn't see anything. The platform floated gently across the city to town square, where a large moving elevator platform would carry them safely to the forest floor. This Tinarae was determined to do with her eyes open, and she sat down on the lift platform and behaved herself the whole way down.

The descent took about 30 seconds, for the ground was more than a thousand feet below town square. Maiysokat watched in awe as the treetops became trunks, which grew wider and wider as she approached their bases. It had been a long time since she'd made a trip outside of the city. She thought to herself that she preferred the lofted city over the rough landscape of the forest floor.

The lift floated to a gentle stop 5 feet from the ground, in front of a small staircase. The two elves walked down the steps and instinctively looked up at the city they had just left. The multitude of floating bluish-white platforms hovered in the air high above them. Maiysokat thought she could see Tenseirod's frame at the edge of one of the platforms, looking down at her as she left, but wasn't sure.

Maiysokat and Tinarae began to walk the well-worn dirt path that eventually led to Areminn. Their strong elven legs carried them briskly as the late afternoon sun glowed slightly through the dense treetops above. Only the keen vision and instinct of an elf could ever discern that it was still daytime. It was said that in this forest, which was dark even when the sun shone its brightest, only a person possessing great wisdom could discern his shadow on the dark forest floor. Thus, the area obtained the fitting title of "Soulshadow Forest".

Maiysokat looked down at where her shadow would be on the ground, but saw nothing. Tinarae also saw no shape resembling herself on the leafy forest path. They both knew that such superstitions were not to be taken seriously, and that the angle of the sun and the dim light filtering through the trees could hardly form a recognizable shadow, even for the keen vision of an elf. They walked on, and the glow of the forest changed slightly from cool green to an orangey yellow glow, indicating that twilight was approaching.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the trail forked several times and became much less conspicuous. Signs such as bent twigs and landmark trees were the only indications that the two elves were on the correct path, but elves that traveled learned to recognize the trailmarks well. If they kept their pace, the two girls would surely reach Areminn before the night became dangerous.

Deep in the forest, not far from where the young elves were traveling, a form lay still amidst the massive tree trunks. While his body was motionless, his mind was beginning to race. The silhouette of his skin beneath his thin tunic and pants showed that he was well shaped, strong muscles extending from the appropriate places. He looked to be about 19 in human years, but his appearance indicated that there was some elf blood in him, which made predicting his age a bit more complicated. Without opening his eyes, still only half conscious, he lifted his knees up from the ground and slowly turned them so that they lay on his right side. His upper body lay flat on his back, his arms lying motionless at his sides. His back felt incredibly stiff… "How long have I been lying here?"

He vaguely remembered that he had been attacked. He tried hard to focus his still-awakening brain. "Who…"

A picture formed in his mind. He saw his friend Jared looking back at him from a memory. Jared's short brown hair hung just above his grey eyes, very slightly pointed ears sticking out from between the brown strands, and an expression of stubborn independence was set on his face. "The same way Jared always looks," thought Kelbreth. Then, at once, the entire experience came back to him. His mind flashed back to the events he'd faced before he was knocked outcold. He had been traveling with Jared, showing him the ropes as part of his initiation into The Guild.

They'd finally stopped for a short rest, and while Jared was on watch, they were ambushed by a strange elf and a pack of orcs. The elf had been somewhat short, and had a stumpy frame. His dark brown hair had been pulled back off his thick-boned head in a very short ponytail, and one of his eyes had been filmed over and senseless, probably blinded in some former incident. His clothing had seemed strange and foreign; Kelbreth had no idea where he had come from or why the dead-eyed elf had attacked him. He and Jared had only fought the orcs for a few minutes before the monsters retreated along with the strange elf who seemed to be controlling them.

That behavior had seemed very unusual to Kelbreth, especially since neither side had really taken the upper hand at the time of their attackers' retreat. It was almost as if they had been sized up, and then left alone.

Jared…had been wounded in the fight. Yes, Kelbreth remembered, it had been a severe wound to Jared's left leg, caused by a spiked club that one of the orcs had wielded. Kelbreth brought his friend to the closest living beings he knew of, who happened to be an elderly elven couple living in a cottage nearby. It was a tough decision approaching the elves, but without treatment, Jared's life would be in danger, and Kelbreth knew nothing about binding wounds. By the time they had arrived at the clearing surrounding the cottage, Jared had begun to fall into shock from blood loss. Kelbreth had left him sitting in the grass and entered the cottage, where the wife was sewing quietly.

When the woman saw him, she took in his physical features immediately and recognized his breed. She had been alarmed, and opened her mouth to call out to her husband. Knowing that a misunderstanding could be fatal for his friend, Kelbreth cupped one hand across her mouth as gently as he could and began to explain that he needed her to help his companion.

Outside, Jared had spotted the male elf returning home, and tensed as he watched the husband open the door to the hut. Surely he would think they were burglars if they were recognized. He pushed to his feet and limped as quickly as he could toward the house.

Inside, it looked as though Kelbreth might actually be successful convincing the wife that he had come in peace. She had already recognized that he was a half elf, but the alarm in her eyes was slowly changing from fear to suspicion. "This friend of yours…you say is injured?"

Before Kelbreth could answer, the door to the hut opened and the elf's husband beheld Kelbreth, who had one hand across his wife's mouth.

"You want a fight, half elf? Step away from my wife!"

Kelbreth realized that he was cornered in a house with only one exit. "Wait, Sir, I come only in search of medical care for my friend," he retorted hopefully. The elf's eyes looked doubtful. Jared appeared behind the man at the door, one hand on his dagger in case he needed to defend Kelbreth.

The woman quickly pulled out a large bone sewing needle, the closest thing she could find to a weapon, and held it threateningly to the side of Kelbreth's neck. "If you're here in peace, why does your friend come with one hand on his weapon?" she hissed accusingly.

Kelbreth could feel from her clumsy grip and ineffective stance that this woman was no threat to him, and did not expect her to strike. Her husband, on the other hand, looked like he knew how to fight, and could be a serious problem. The male elf, hearing his wife's comment, spun around to see Jared, who he had not detected coming up behind him.

"I assure you, we are not here to fight!" pleaded Kelbreth, unsure of the fighting ability of his injured friend. In the meantime, Jared had begun to unsheathe his weapon. The elf in front of him firmly gripped a short club next to the doorway, and prepared to strike.

"JARED!" Kelbreth yelled in frustration. "Put it back. That's an order, Jared."

Jared slowly sheathed his knife, never breaking eye contact with the old elf who poised, ready to strike. The elf's attention turned slowly to his wife, who was still ready to strike Kelbreth. He stepped into the room, and Jared followed cautiously behind.

Slowly the woman released her stance and set down her needle. She looked critically at Jared, who stood struggling to stay awake in the doorway. She noted his pant leg clinging wetly to a badly swollen thigh, and walked up to him carefully. "This is the problem?" she looked over at Kelbreth. Kelbreth nodded.

Jared tried to control his erratic breathing as he stood before the elven woman's gaze. She bent down and began to press along his leg, starting from the knee, feeling for broken bones. Jared clenched his teeth as she pressed the spot where his wound was, and was suddenly overwhelmed with dizziness. He fell to his one good knee, feeling the world begin to spin around him. "Kel-," he murmured dizzily.

Kelbreth moved quickly to Jared's side, trying not to provoke the male elf, who was not pleased to watch his wife touch the thigh of a half breed. Kelbreth placed one hand firmly on Jared's shoulder, jerking him back awake and holding him upright.

"If not for your human blood, your femur would be in splinters right now," the woman told Jared unsqueamishly, referring to the difference in bone mass between humans and the more delicate elves. "I'll treat him, if he hands me his weapon first."

Jared looked at Kelbreth disapprovingly. "Jared, give it to her," Kelbreth said sternly.

The male elf raised his club warily as Jared drew his dagger and set it in the cloth the woman offered him. Calming down greatly, the woman used a knife to cut a hole in Jared's pants, and stared at his wound skeptically. A deep bludgeon wound left Jared's flesh badly torn, and a great deal of blood was coming from the cut. "Take your friend outside to the grass," she instructed Kelbreth, "I need to talk with my husband."

Kelbreth half-dragged and half-carried Jared out to the grass, and set him down on his back. A moment later the woman had emerged with bandages and water, and began to rinse and bind Jared's wound.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," Kelbreth said, trying to make the situation a bit friendlier.

"Don't misunderstand. If you had come for any other reason, I'd have chased you off my property. You have a lot of nerve to put us in this position."

Kelbreth did not argue. He knew she was risking a lot by giving them aid, and that the laws of the city were very strict about associating with half elves. She finished the job quickly and declared Jared to be in stable condition. Kelbreth nodded his appreciation and moved to lift his friend up and leave.

"Do not move him," she interrupted. "Make him lie still for twelve hours."

Kelbreth had not expected the hospitality of being kept on the couple's property beyond minimal treatment. He nodded and sat beside his friend, and after he was certain the couple was asleep in the house, he lay down and rested himself.

Just before dawn, an elf approached the house and knocked on the door. Jared woke to the sound, finding himself greatly refreshed by his long nap. He peered at the form that stood at the door, identifying it as male, but it was not the occupant of the house. He looked over at Kelbreth, uncertain whether he should wake his friend or not.

The male elf answered the door, armed with his club in case it was one of the half elves. He was surprised to find that his visitor was a pudgy elf with one dead eye and a friendly smile on his face. "Can I help you?" he asked the visitor curiously.

"Yes," began Dead-eye, "I was wondering if you could help me locate two convicted murderers who were said to have come through this way."

The man shuddered. "Murderers?" he muttered in astonishment.

"Yes, they had a scrape with some elves near Koeten yesterday. You would have recognized them, they were half breeds," said Dead-eye with a crafty grin.

The elf frowned angrily. "Yes, I did see two half elves. In fact, they're lying over there in the grass. I had no idea they were criminals."

Dead-eye looked at the elf sternly. "No idea, eh? I suppose I can believe your story. You know, I could get you in a heap of trouble for helping those two."

The elf disliked the threatening tone of his visitor's words. "What do you want us to do?"

"Obviously, apprehend them," snapped Dead-eye impatiently.

The uncomfortable elf moved inside and explained the situation to his wife, who became hot with anger at the news that she'd been used by the half breeds.

The couple stepped out of the house and approached their unwelcome guests. Jared stood uneasily to meet them, noting their upset expressions and offensive posture. He nudged Kelbreth's shoulder with his good leg, but the two elves were already directly in front of him.

"We understand perfectly now," began the man, standing protectively in front of his wife, "why you came here. We know what you've done, so put down your weapons and come with us quietly."

"Whatever that elf told you, it's bullshit!" Jared shouted angrily.

The sound of argument woke Kelbreth from his rest, and the half elf groggily climbed to his feet. With one glance he took in the situation, and lifted his scimitar, ready to strike. Seeing that the half elves would not come peacefully, the elven woman strung her bow with an arrow and prepared to make the first attack. The arrow flew at Kelbreth's face, but he deflected the object with his scimitar blade and motioned to Jared that it was time to leave.

The two turned to escape the awkward situation, but found Dead-eye blocking their exit. As soon as Kelbreth recognized the elf who had previously attacked them, he flew upon Dead-eye angrily, attacking with his scimitar. In the meantime, the husband noted that Kelbreth's back was turned and rushed in to attack. Surely, Kelbreth would not have had time to deflect the elf's strike. But then…

Kelbreth reached up with one hand and clenched his throbbing head. His brilliant lavender eyes slowly opened, and surveyed their surroundings. His fingers felt the cold, leafy forest floor beneath him, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position, looking down at himself. He was wearing a tattered sleeveless tan cotton tunic, the same one he always wore. His brown pants and boots showed no sign of injury, and he reached up to push the long bronze hair that had come loose from his hair-tie out of his face, tucking it behind half-pointed ears. He felt incredibly hungry…had it been hours? Days?

"What happened after I was attacked?" he thought, struggling to remember. The truth suddenly hit him like a bolt of lightning. "Murder…"

Again in his mind, Kelbreth saw Jared grasp his knife and leap to block the elf's killing strike. He saw the man fall dead at Jared's feet, saw the terrified expression on the wife's face, saw the fear and guilt in Jared's grey eyes as he stared helplessly at the elf he had killed.

After pausing a moment to accept the situation, Kelbreth had given Jared an intense stare, saying firmly, "Jared, it's not your fault." That was all the time he'd had to console his friend, for he was attacked from behind by Dead-eye.

With a victorious glaze in his eyes, Dead-eye had whistled a shrill note that sent the three orcs who had survived the last encounter bounding into the clearing, toward Kelbreth, Jared, and the dead elf's wife. Jared met one orc head-on, while Kelbreth attacked the remaining two, forgetting for the moment about Dead-eye.

Jared felled his gigantic opponent half-heartedly, suddenly feeling weak as his injury begged him to stop moving. He turned to assist Kelbreth, but found himself face to face with Dead-eye, who had at him with a large steel mace. For a moment, Jared was not sure if Dead-eye had detected his injury, but it became clear after a few strikes that the elf was aiming for his wounded leg. He defended himself against several attacks, but Jared knew he was getting sloppy. Then he finally felt the cold mace meet its target, and he buckled over in pain as his wound reopened.

Kelbreth had seen his friend go down, and continued to fight his two targets while Dead-eye turned his attention back to Kelbreth. Jared realized that his friend could not fight both the orcs and Dead-eye at the same time.

"Kelbreth, get them away from here! I'm fine!" Jared had shouted.

Kelbreth had reluctantly followed his friend's advice, darting off into the forest with the three assailants close behind. That was the last he could remember seeing Jared.

After that he had managed to defeat one more orc…and then he'd been knocked outcold… but he was alive? "What was he after, if not my life?" Kelbreth thought.

A chilling thought suddenly dawned on him. He felt his back for his scimitar, but it was not in its sheath. He glanced around the clearing, searching for its shining steel blade, but it was gone. "They finally came for it… I had begun to think it was just the rambling of an almost-dead man." Then his eye caught on something white twinkling in the leaves nearby. He leaned over and brushed it off, and found it to be a cold marble stone. "Wasn't this attached to the scimitar?"

He turned the marble over in his hands, then placed it in his pocket. "Protect this with your life." The words of the elf he'd been saved by echoed in his head. How had he let this happen?