This one also has a slightly lighter feel to it- as I opted to give Golbez a rather loudmouthed traveling companion he didn't precisely want.

Dreams are strange things. You can know them for what they are even as you stand in them- yet you are still bound by their rules and their reality. Anyone who's spoken of "controlling" their dreams has never truly dreamed. It's a reality unto itself. One in which you have little to no say. That is where I stand now. Watching myself before the days spent trapped in Zemus' lair. A mere child peering up at the tiny bundle in my mother's arms, my father beaming down oh so proudly.

So this would be why Zemus found me so easy a mark. I can see it so clearly in this dream. My parents are smiling- I am not. Mother- beautiful, wonderful mother- won't even look at me- her attention is all for the boy in her arms, not the one standing in front of her. And my father, so tall and imposing, is giving this child a proud smile...just LOOKING at the baby, one could feel it's future. This was the heir father had been wanting so badly. This was the true son of the paladin. In the face of this, what was a child with mere Black magic- so the opposite of a paladin's might- to him? At the time..Nothing. I was certain of it then..I may very well be so now.

Cecil, Cecil, Cecil. Always it came down to Cecil!

Bitter? Yes. I was then, I am now. What makes him so perfect and me so flawed? I never understood it. I have more power than the other will ever be able to muster within himself- but his true power is his allies. His ability to bring others to his side and combine their powers with his. Even I was defeated by that. Even the fearsome Zeromus was brought down by this strange, weak-seeming but oh so formible power. And my only answer to all this? A child's lament.

It's not fair.

HE had been the one who had gotten to stay with mother. HE had been the one Father had smiled at with true PRIDE, not with a tinge of regret. I could forgive mother's involvement in him..he was only a baby and she his mother. He needed her far more than I did at the time. But my Father- Klu Ya- had no right to simply turn his back to me. He'd always spoken of Cecil and what he'd be one day..not a word of what I might be. Was I just to be another Black Mage? The resentment had been unbearable.

That was when Zemus had found me and taken me away from my family. FuSoYa had told me,during my stay among the Lunarians, what had happened after that point. I had never known how my father had died. But after entrusting Mother and Cecil to friends in Baron...he had returned to the moon to try to reclaim me from Zemus. In that battle, he had perished.

Odd, how the mind works. Until FuSoYa had told me, I hadn't remembered it. But now...as my mind plays the scene out before me once again- I feel father's blood on my hands, tears hot on my cheeks as I can only stare down at him. Tears of grief had turned to anger though at the final words he'd dared utter to me.

'Protect Cecil..'

Zemus had had his final hooks in me then. Damn father..damn Cecil........

"That was not how it was meant, Golbez..."

Who was that? I turn in my dream, looking around...other memories are playing out- but those words belonged in none of them....

"Who's there? What are you doing in my dreams?"

"Has it been that long that even in your dreams my voice is not remembered? ...Awaken now. And think further on these things before you make your choice."

"Wait! I-"

"Hey, if you want me to wait, all ya gotta do is SAY so- not grab hold!!"

Now THAT was out of place. I blink, the waking world coming into view around me...particuarly a young man in mysdian robes who's wrist is held so tightly in my hand, his fingers are twitching spasmatically. Beside him is a young woman, also wearing such robes- their faces so much alike they MUST be twins. I release his wrist and watch him leap back as if burned, rubbing the wrist frantically....

"You've got one hell of a grip! Who the hell are you anyway?"

Such a loud mouth. I decline to answer- instead looking about the room- or should that be cell? There's bars on the windows...how amusing. From one prison to another. This one would have considerably less luck holding me.....

"HEY! I asked you a question! Least you can do is answer! Porom, he got a silence spell on him or something?!"

The young woman sighs, brushing some of her light brown hair out of her face before giving me a small smile- apparently meant to be reassuring. Odd day when I'm the one someone's trying to reassure...

"Sir, please answer. We found you in the Crystal room. The elder is most concerned- both for the crystal's well being and your own. It was behaving quite oddly before your arrival after all. Please tell us who you are and why you were with the crystal."

Such a nice change from her blustering brother. But I don't think I'm going to give her an answer..Not a full one at any rate. As is, I'm getting enough odd looks from them. Like they feel they should know me...Heh. Family resemblence at play...perhaps Cecil and I are not so close as twins, but we both have the pale mane of a Lunarian- a purer white than any mere human could manage with hints of blue and silver in the highlights- and my eyes are a brilliant violet. More so than any human could have, just as Cecil's blue eyes were bright and deep as sapphires. If they can't figure it out, I'm not about to tell them the first bit..

"I was desperate to escape someplace far from here- and the crystal was a powerful anchor to lean on. I did not mean to alarm anyone."

The twins exchange glances- obviously not certain if they should believe me. I suppose not including my name could have played a big part in that- but what was I supposed to say? 'Oh, by the way, I'm Cecil's evil big brother, Golbez'? I think it would be wiser to keep that to myself... The black mage begins to bluster out something else, but his sister holds up her hand to quiet him, apparently deciding on a different tactic. A pity she has no idea that she can change all the tactics she wants- I'm not about to tell who I am.

"I'm Porom and this is Palom. We're wizards of Mysidia. The Elder requested you be kept here until we found out what you were doing in the crystal room."

A feel a faint, sardonic smile slip onto my lips...Well it's not like I really expected them to let it go at that. I slip off of the bed and stand- once again inwardly wondering at the difference in height so common to humans and lunarians. I certainly favored my father in that, easily towering over these two though I doubted I could weight much more. Tall I might be, but considerably more slender. Something they were apparently taking into consideration as well. The boy dragged the girl back to the door-wanting to talk in private I'm sure. Too bad for him my hearing is QUITE good....

"Porom!! Why're you off givin' our names to some weird guy?"

"Well it's not like our NAMES are going to put us at any risk. Besides- you mentioned mine already."

Hm. Should I mention some of the research I did? Names could be QUITE harmful...no, I don't think I'll say anything at this point. Instead, I turn my back to their conversation, adding to the illusion of ignoring them by staring out the window. Such an endlessly blue sky outside...

"I don't trust him!"

Well. That much was obvious. Could we move on to a more useful line of thought...?

"I mean, just look at him Porom! Who does he remind you of? And those robes! I think they look like the ones that old guy Cecil found on the moon wore!"

Maybe the boy was a bit sharper than I'd given him credit for. Rather well informed too....Palom, Porom....the names ARE rather familiar...but I don't recall meeting any Mysidian wizards...well, not personally...

"Palom, I think you might be jumping to conclusions and we shouldn't be discussing this here! He might over hear us."

Once again- Wisdom, intellegence and common sense are three very different things. The boy is intellegent- but lacks the other two- the girl has intellegence and common sense- but she doesn't seem to have the final part. Ah, well...all the better for me. I did not come here to meet with people who knew of my past or anything to DO with it....

"Do you think we should tell Cecil, Porom? I mean- this guy all dolled up like a Lunarian and lookin' alot like him..I gotta wonder-"

"Stop that line of thought right there- we KNOW they all left! He CAN'T be who I'm betting you think he is! You're off in dream land again Palom!"

And with that, she gave her brother a playful slap, turning back to me...and now it's clicking. Palom and Porom..a pair of mysidian magelings who had helped my brother defeat Milon and become a paladin, then saved him from Kainazzo's trap. But they had only been CHILDREN..not even ten years of age if I recall correctly. These two...they're teenagers at utter youngest....

"Well sir- can we at least have your-"

"I think I will be leaving now. It would be better for all concerned if I did."

Both mages blink- what, they're not used to their so-called prisoners declaring their immenent departure? Poor them...the room is sealed, I can feel it....but if I can bridge the gap between the Lunarian ship and the Blue Planet- their little wards are nothing. Palom starts to open his mouth again, anger plain in eyes and stance...as much as I'd probably find whatever he had to say amusing, I really didn't wish to stay. A simple gesture and the seal on the room is so much dust- something that causes the girl's eyes glaze as she drops to her knees. Likely that'd been her seal...that could not have been a pleasant sensation. No matter. My next trick- leaving this place far behind.

It seems I'm not going to be leaving this place alone though...I should have remembered Cecil's friends tended to be headstrong....

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER?!"

Just as the spell completes, the foolish mage is slamming into me- as if he thought his slight form would really be enough to bowl me over. It's too late to cancel the spell NOW though. The room vanishes from around me- and that stupid little wizard. For a moment we're suspended in never-ending darkness- and the next we're landing in water. Just deep enough to be submerged. Palom is panicking, likely thinking he's about to drown. I shove him away from me and stand...gray-white and midnight blue clothing clinging rather uncomfortably- Palom would be in an even bigger mess, given how he insists on a full length robe. Ah, well...not my problem. One of those ridiculous yellow hats floats by me as I climb out of the water...my choice of destination had been Totoria- and I'd arrived, if not where I had intended to. I had MEANT to be just before the castle- not in it's moat.

"HOLD IT!!"

I pause, glancing over my shoulder as I feel a sharp tug on my cloak- Palom is leaning out of the moat and giving me a look fit to kill. He must not be familiar with spell backlash or he wouldn't be so worried about his sister. It's nothing she wouldn't recover from...

"Release my cloak. Now."

I jerk it out of his hands- all too aware of Totoria's guards watching this whole fiasco with poorly muffled giggles. What a pack of fools. Two wizards appear in their domain- even if they did land in the moat- and their reply is to LAUGH? No wonder the Dark Elf had had little trouble getting the crystal.

"Tell me what you did to Porom!!"

Ignorant boy. I simply start walking away then- Why should I explain anything to HIM?

A few hours later- I'm beginning to think I should have...as he's still on my heels barking off questions, demands, and just randomly throwing out complaints. Finally I've had enough. I turn to face him- and he FINALLY shuts up, apparently thinking he's finally going to get answers....

"I do not know the first thing about camping...so if you want a fire tonight, you had better get around to preparing it. I don't know how to cook either, so you're on your own there as well."

As he gapes like a landed fish, I spread my cloak over the ground..at least the walk dried us both off. I rest my head in the crook of my arm, just smiling to myself as I drift off to sleep, listening to the mage bluster and yell uselessly...One good thing about my brother having been such a strong influence on his companions- I don't have to worry about them trying anything while I sleep.

(Continued in Dark Moon-Sorcerer Vs Wizard)