New Age

This is the only for Arrow and Paragon, The OOC will becoming soon, Thanks

A old monk sat in the libary , A candle flickered in the in the dim light, He ran a frail finger over each line, A seat by an open fire was ocuppied by a shadowy figure, His top hat sat at a slight angle.

"Is it wise to bring him here, He will find out the truth about you", Arrow placed the book he was reading to the stone floor, "Blind man what makes you think I dont want him to know", The monk stood closing his book with a slight slam "You put us all in danger, How can you trust him"

Blowing out the candle , The only light coming from the fire behind arrow, "I may be blind but as you know my talents lie else where", Arrow smiled and rubbed his nose "When have I ever lead you astray"

The monk laughed "Huh always" The man looked up as if he was looking beyond the walls "he is here " The snow blew up against the wall , As the small monastray sat at the top of Mount Everest.

With a bright flash, Paragon appeared at the base of the fabled peak of Everest. It took only a moment to acclimatize himself to the thin air of the area. It would only get worse from there. Once he caught his breath, he began trudging his way through the deep Tibetan snow. Harsh winds blew around him, sending snow flying at him like daggers. Slowly, he made his way to base camp 2, where he would eat, warm up, and continue on his ascent. Climbers at the camp considered him mad to be going without oxygen, rest, or even simply teleporting to the top.

"I have my reason." Paragon told the other adventurers. "One, I've always wanted to climb. Two, I have enhanced strength and endurance, so lactic acid doesn't build up at fast so I don't need to break as much as you. Three, boss's orders." With that, he continued his trek.

Night came quickly, and by this time he was making his way up the summit, when normal humans were a three day's journey behind him. His stamina allowed him to keep a steady pace, while his danger-sense kept him one step ahead of the mountain. The weather was working against him, with a powerful head-wind blowing snow dangerously off of avalanche ready snow packs. As he approached the peak, he saw a monastary.

This must be the place. But that strange that I've never seen that in the pictures or even heard anyone speak of a building up here... Must have been a real b!tch to build...

The gale force winds threatened to throw him over the edge, to what would likely be his death, as he ran the final few meters to the door of the ancient building. Paragon opened the door slowly and let himself in. Inside was pitch black, save the fire that burned beside Arrow.

"Well sir. That's one task down, what's my next challenge, eh?" asked Paragon with a sly grin on his face.

The blind man spoke first, He was standing behind Paragon "Challenge , Intresting way of putting it" the two doors shut with out anyone so much as touching them, the room was heated , But with the door open mannaged to keep the same level of heating The old man looked Paragon up and down and smiled, "You have much to learn."

"And I will teach him" Arrows shadow seemed to fill the room, "I have a tale to tell you but, It will come in stage, I have brought you here to become what you must." arrow sat back in his chair a beckoned another chair to come towards him.

The monk smiled " I think he is giving you a chance to rest before he drops you in the deep end" Arrow smiled for a blind man he could see and hear all, It was a gift given to some immortals, But he was of course more gifted then others!

Paragon took a seat in the chair. The darkness around him was so thick, he could taste it, even in the thin air. He leaned forward, intent on hearing the tale Arrow was about to tell, while chucking to the old monk.

"The best time and place to learn to swim, is when you're in the middle of the deep end. Motivation is the greatest character builder... Sorry, I don't know your name, sir."

The monk looked past Paragon and at Arrow "I like him" , Turning the man ingnored the question "I shall bring you both some food and drink to warm your hearts, Taking the side door the older man disappeared from sight.

"Paragon first let me thank you for coming, Now This will be the only time I ask this, Do you wish to continue, If you say yes I warn you there is things that you will learn that will shake you to your core, We will not be able to leave this temple for two years."

Am I asking to much of this young warrior is he ready to find out the truth behind the Myths and lies, Lowering his head he shock it for a moment, No Paragon has proved himself my equal more then once, It is time he found out the world that runs under this one.

"well Paragon , what do you say?"

Paragon looked at Arrow. Two years!? That was a long time for the world to go without two heroes. He sat and pondered the request in silence. His head swirled with thoughts. What about the Phoenix Guard? I guess Sparda could lead in my absence. My girlfriend isn't going to be happy. This will make me a better hero, though. Is it worth it? After sitting in silence, Paragon took a deep breath and announced his descision.

"Count me in, boss."

Arrow smiled "good but dont call me boss, In this Temple we are all equal, in more ways then one" Arrow nodded as if there was something in that "But we will not just train in combat, I will teach you to track, How to cook and what to eat, I will push you beyoned anything that you tought possible and in return, I will ask you something at the end, You may decline and that will be fine."

Arrow looked at Paragon, "but tonight we rest, that will be a word that we will forget in the next two years, I will teach you more then combat, Cooking, Tracking, hunting , Study, I will push you past anything you have ever dreamed possible. And at the end I will ask something of you, You can listen when the time comes and decline, It will be your choice".

The food arrived "The old man will show you to your room , when you are ready, In the morning we will meet in the libary at six, No one will show you the way and watch the halls they will change when you do not watch them" The two frends talked about old eneimes and tales of great adventure till the fire dimed and Arrow excussed himself.

With the fire dimmed, Paragon decided to get his rest as well. The old monk led him by candle light through the darkness of the temple to his chamber. The room was nearly empty, save the small bed in the corner, with a table beside it. The wooden floor had a small elegantly woven green carpet by the bed. The room it's self was lit by a candle and had a single window, looking over the majestic view of the Himalayas below them.

"This shall be your home. I will see you in the library tomorrow, young hero." said the old man as he turned to leave, leaving his candle behind.

"Wait! You forgot your candle." Paragon called after the monk.

Paragon could barely hear it, but as the old man dissapeared into the darkness, he could hear the old monk chuckle to himself, "I like him..."

Back in his new quarters, Paragon lay down on his bed to rest up for the night. It would be a long two years ahead of him.

Paragon woke up with a start the next morning. He had spent most of the night dreaming. Most of the visions made no sense, and he could barely remember more than half of it. He could swear that he remembered seeing Laura, his old girlfriend who had died in a tragic accident, swimming somewhere, but she had been dead for almost a year now.

He shook off the dream, and hurried toward the library, where Arrow would be waiting for him. Doors to other rooms of the temple flew by him as he ran top speed down the empty halls.

Turn right here, and this is where the library should be... he thought to himself. He went around the corner, and flew straight into a wall. "Sonofa... So that's what they meant by the halls change..." He brushed himself off and prepared to find the library.

After 15 minutes of searching, Paragon managed to find his way to the room where Arrow and the monk awaited.

"took you ten mins longer" the crafty monk whispred in Arrows ear, Arrow ignored the comment and walked over to greet Paragon, Arrow was now dressed in a long hooded jacket and black ranger trousers, The sword of souls on his hip and a bow in his back, As he neared Paragon he smiled and pointed at the five books sitting on the table.

Each bound in leather and each looked bran new, There was no other book in the libary just these five, each Identical apart from the markings on the front , One had a ball of black, the next a ball of light, One of the ocaen, then one of rock and the last was a picture of the great winds, "Confused yet arrow said with a smile", Three seats appeared out of thin air and Arrow sat, as did the monk.

The monks old face looked worried but he spoke to ease the atmosphere, "Tell me Paragon, You are aware that you will never understand everything in this world, That is part of the first Lesson, I am here for I am the keeper" He waved a hand and smiled "It will all become clear soon" , Arrows eyes where like a kids in a candy shop as he picked up the one with the dark orb on the front and the old man picked up the one with the wind, "Choose a book and let the lesson start" Arrows voice crackled at his young apperentice.

Paragon looked around the room, and then raised his hand. "Question! Does 5 books really count as a library? If so, my bathroom sometimes doubles as one." He paused for a moment, to find that no one was laughing at his joke, and continued on. "Yes sir, I do realize that I can never understand everything, though I may try. My science only goes so far, and the magics of the world are both unpredictable and limitless."

"Ah, yes. You are both smart and wise." said the monk. "Now, choose a book so that we may begin."

"Is there a right one for me to choose?" asked Paragon.

"You will know. Choose the one that appeals to you."

Paragon eyed all the books, and analyzed all his choices. He loved the ocean, and was once a swimmer, but since it took Laura from him, it only reminded him of sadness lately. Not that one. He moved on to the book of stone. He grew up in the mountains and in a mining community, so it reminded him of home. However, the cover looked cold and heavy. That's just not me... The remaining book of light then caught his attention. He was almost drawn to it. Well, I have usually been the opposite of Arrow, and it goes with my powers, so this seems to be the logical choice.

Paragon picked up the book, and then monk nodded.

"Good." he said. "Now we shall begin."

A smile broke on his face as he looked at the monk "You owe my a thirty" The monk nodded and smiled at Paragon "Each book represents one of the symbols earth was born to, At first came the Shadows, Which of course is Arrow, Then came the light Sadly we lost the light recently , After light came earth, then water and myself wind, We make up the five immortals of time, Each book contains the history of the world, Made by our magic they will take you to what ever you think of, From the birth of this world, to the death of others."

Arrow placed his book back down and looked at Paragon "Go on try it, The greatest weapon to a warrior or to any man is his mind, this gives you an edge over everyone else, The meaning of you picking up light will be disscused later,for now let us find out more about your teachers, For to know your friends and eniemes is to know one's self."

A pale finger rapped of the table, as the other rolled over the book of shadows, so much knowledge and so much power rested in these single volumes, It had been Arrows ultimate weapon, He could see into anyone past find things out that where not meant to be found out, But most of all Arrow had discovered something he kept from the other immortals, Maybe he would teach this trick to paragon.

The book of light glowed in Paragon's hands. Every answer to every question he ever had about the history of the world lay before him. His mind raced. Where would he start? Why did the dinosaurs die out, or the fall of Rome? See Da Vincci at work, or witness the signing of the Declaration of Independence? So many choices presented themselves to him.

"Wait. How does the book work?" he asked the monk.

"I've already said, the book will simply take you to where, or more when you want to go." the monk explained.

Paragon sat in silence for a moment, with the eyes of Arrow and the monk watching him, awaiting a descision. Well, I guess we'll start with something simple. he thought to himself.

As Paragon opened the cover of the book, the room around him seemed to melt around them. Colours swirled together and mixed to form the scene now set out before them. Paragon was sitting in an arena. The ice of the hockey rink was a brilliant white, and at center ice, was the logo for the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics. On the ice were the starting line ups for the Canadian and American men's hockey teams. The crowd around them were roaring with enthusiasm as over 50 years of disappointments led up to this moment. As the puck dropped, Paragon felt the monk looking over at him. Paragon looked back and smiled.

"What? I was driving though the mountains when this happened. This was a big deal to us Canadians, eh."

The monk silently shook his head.

Paragon looked back at the old man. "Alright, alright. I was just testing the book. I didn't know how it worked, and I was kind of worried that something might happen to me if I were to say, have gone to the Vimmy Ridge or Gallipoli." Paragon closed the book and they appeared back in the library of the temple. "Now, was there something specific you wanted me to see to continue this lesson?" he asked Arrow.

"Maybe it would be best if I explained what you are holding" The tall thin arrow stood and walked round to the window of the libary, the harsh weather blasted against the window "The Books only work when all five are next to each other, they will show you everything, But if the books are a part and take the book of shadows, I can only see thhe bad that has been done, But if you had the book of light it would show you all the good."

Arrow nodded at Paragon "What you have in your hands is probaly the greatest tool we have ever had, They all have abit of our power and are protected by every single one of us, There is much you dont know and much I must teach you, Did you know earth is a layer in a group of worlds all stacked nicley on top of each other but forever phasing"

Then Arrow span his red eyes locked on Paragon "Did you know the book picked you and not the other way round?"

Paragon's light blue eyes matched Arrow's gaze with a slightly confused look.

"You're telling me that this piece of literature chose me, and not the other way around, despite me going through my head and logically choosing the book after eliminating the water and earth books?" he asked and raised his eyebrow at his mentor. "Have the other two books already chosen their keepers? Do I know them? What does the water and earth represent if our's are the good and bad? Wait, what do you mean by this alternate earths thing? You mean like when Gambler had Wanda manipulate the world in favour of the Hellfire Club? Sorry. That's a lot of questions at once."

He sat back in his chair and tried to take in everything he had heard. His head was spinning in an attempt to take in all the information, and looked toward the monk for a logical explanation for the things he was just told, and the answers to his questions.

Arrow smiled "The other books are simple when you think about it Earth strength , Wind knowledge, Water Sprit , when you put them with each other they give the foundation that everything is built on , Earth and Water have masters yes and maybe you do know them but that is not my place to tell you." Arrow walked over from the window and sat back down

"You see the books are not just simple books , they are made of the sprit of the earth, you where drawen to thid book cuase of things in your past , It just felt right did it not?" Arrow let the question sink in before counting "Their is many diffrent worlds , the one wanda and Gambler made was not a world merely a trick, it no longer exist it was a problem but we had eyes there and here, It came to nothing" Arrow waved a pale hand.

"As for the other worlds that you will come to understand in time, You seem to be trying to think about this logical, That wont work" Arrow eyes looked at the table then smiled "Think of it this way do you have hope, If so where is it can you touch it see it, But you know you have it, how is that logical!"

The old man stood his eyes cut into Arrow "If you flood a damn with to much water it will explode, The same goes for the brain and infromation, To mcuh at once will only lead to more confusion, I have packed your bags, the house on the top is ready for your training".

The man turned to Paragon on the air "He has a tendancy to confuse and mislead, If you ever need guidance I am always here, Just ask for me on the wind and I will come as fast as I can, But he will be the best of us to train you for to know one's enemy is to know ones self."

The old man walked out and Arrow followed leaving Paragon to collect his thoughts as he went out the door he spoke " I will meet you at the entrance in an hour, Do not be late"

Paragon remained in the library, using the Book of Light to learn as much as he could in a short time. His head was swimming with thoughts drifting from what Arrow had said about other worlds. He would learn of this in time.

Time passed quickly in the library and before he knew it, it was time to meet Arrow.

"Frick! I'm going to be late!" he said as he saw the time. With a flash, he disappeared only to reappear in a dark hallway. "Double frick! Stupid shifty halls." With that Paragon took off down the corridor to where he could feel fresh air. He ran for some time, turning left, then right, and right again. Every hall looked identical to the last. The thin air caused Paragon to tire much more quickly than normal, and soon he slowed his pace down to a walk.

"Frick. I wish Arrow had taught me tracking before the books. It would have helped me out so much right now..." he said as he turned a corner, finding himself in the entrance room of the monastary, where Arrow stood waiting, with the old man beside him.

"You are late." chuckled the monk.