. 04

A/N: Firstly, thank you Hellinahelmet for the comment. I am so glad this series piqued your interest. I hope you continue to read it.

Thank you again to my editor, Todger65 for editing this too. I noticed that the last part seemed to be better received. Thank you my readers for keeping with this one. Once we get through this first chapter the story will pretty much focus on the main characters. I hope ya'll like this next part. Remember, those who comment, I'll be sure to thank ya'll personally with the next part.

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Midnight was only several minutes away. By this time the crowd around the stone fragments had lessened. It was traditional that at midnight, everyone would return to the ballroom where the ruler of the kingdom would make a final announcement and formally end the festival with everyone unmasking. So, those who still wanted to see the fragments had an easier time seeing them. This was the case with Aamir's group. They stopped to look at the other fragments before stopping at Mulada's fragment, the Jasper, which was a bright red stone. The fragment itself could be held in the palm of someone's hand and did look like it was broken off from a bigger piece. This was the case with all the fragments.

"I'll never get tired of seeing this piece. It's amazing how such a small piece could hold so much power." Commented Aamir.

"It is impressive, but I still think the Jade is the best one." Added Cyrus.

"You're just saying that because it's your kingdom's fragment."

"No, I am saying that because it's true." Teased Cyrus.

"Hey!"

"Oh don't you two start. You'll cause a scene." Complained Inaya, who hadn't seen the Jasper fragment yet.

Unfortunately, her words fell on death ears as the two princes started to compare their kingdoms as they have done in the past. Ignoring their antics, Inaya finally saw the fragment for the first time and felt transfixed. That instant she had a vision of standing near a rocky piece of stone. She recognized the area immediately for it was a place in Mulada known for it's large rock formations and was located in the southwestern part of the kingdom. Was she really here? Inaya internally struggled with what was happening with her. The next thing she saw was a scarlet red hair young lady come up to a large rock piece and flexing her fingers, she suddenly hit the rock with one fist, causing it to crumble and turn to dust. The young woman turned and looked at her with a smile. She had a pair of chocolate brown eyes.

"Will you be strong enough to face your fate? Or will you crumble to dust? That is for you to decide." She said with a mature voice.

Inaya found the vision fading and the next thing she heard was her name being called. The Muladi young woman opened her eyes to see a very concerned Aamir above her. It took her a minute to realize she was on the ground and Aamir was holding her in his arms.

"What . . . happened?" Inaya asked, her voice sounding weak.

"You suddenly fainted, causing lover boy here to panic." Said Cyrus.

Aamir glared at Cyrus before turning his attention back to Inaya.

"Are you okay Inaya?" he asked.

"I feel weird. I looked at the Jasper and everything changed. I think I was somewhere else. It was so strange. Anyway, I am sorry I worried you. Can you help me up?" Inaya asked trying to strengthen her voice.

Knowing the young woman's pride, Aamir carefully helped her up, but didn't let go of her. It took Inaya a minute to regain herself. She looked and saw Cyrus had gone off and wondered where he went to so quickly.

At the same time Aamir's group saw the Jasper fragment, Eneas's group made it to where the Carnelian was.

"That is impressive. Well, I want to see the Citrine now." Skylar said before going off.

Gavin was right behind her. Eneas chuckled before looking at Belinha, who looked to be in a trance as she looked at the orange Carnelian.

"Miss Belinha, are you okay?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

Belinha could not hear him for she was caught in a vision herself. She was walking along a jungle floor, which unnerved her, but for some reason she felt safe. Coming to an open area, she saw a figure walking around it. It was a young lady with orange hair and it was looped and braided. She came upon a dead tree, and upon touching its bark, the tree started to grow at a fast rate and blossom. The woman turned to Belinha with a maternal look. Belinha saw she had pale orange eyes.

"Life is an ever changing circle. Things do perish, but will you have the power to defy this destiny? Will you grow? Find it and see." The woman said before she disappeared.

"Miss Belinha? Miss Belinha, please answer me!"

The voice penetrated through Belinha's mind and she slowly opened her eyes and saw Eneas over her.

"Your highness? Is there something wrong?" Belinha whispered.

Eneas didn't say anything at first. When Belinha started to sway after seeing the fragment, the prince only had a moment to react before the young lady pitched forward. At that moment, he swept her up into his arms. Seeing her so pale worried him a great deal.

"Miss Belinha? Do you remembered what happened?" he asked her.

"Well I saw the fragment and felt strange. I think I had a vision just now too." Belinha said before realizing what kind of predicament she was in.

Realizing this, she blushed from head-to-toe.

"I fainted didn't I?" she asked.

Eneas nodded and would have said something, but Gavin's voice caught his attention. He looked and saw the Puran prince holding Skylar, who appeared to have fainted too.

Indeed, when Skylar laid eyes on the yellow Citrine fragment, she felt herself being pulled someplace else. The red head was walking amongst a field of yellow flowers when she spotted a figure flying in the sky with birds. The sight astonished Skylar for she never saw anyone fly without a flying contraption or on the back of a flying creature. The figure dived down and landed softly a few feet from her. The young woman had bright blonde hair and pale yellow eyes. Skylar couldn't say a word.

"The hopes and aspirations of all rest on your shoulders as well as those connected to you. Your will power will decide where destiny leads you. Best of luck, for you're going to need it."

Suddenly Skylar felt herself falling and reaching out. She felt someone take her hand and she unconsciously grasped as she gasped, sitting straight up.

"Skylar, thank goodness you're all right." Someone said.

The young Puran woman looked and saw that Gavin said that and she was holding onto his hand with both of hers in a death grip. Blushing, she let go of his hand and looked around to see she was sitting on the floor.

"Gavin, can you help me up please?" She asked.

Gavin wasn't so sure she should stand up, but decided to do so when she asked him again. Skylar managed to stand up, but her knees were shaky, so she ended up leaning into Gavin. This didn't stop her from feeling embarrassed though. Avoiding Gavin's gaze, she looked and saw Eneas and Belinha. By this time, Belinha was able to stand, but like Skylar, she still needed assistance so she was leaning against Eneas.

"Are you okay Belinha?" Skylar asked.

"Yes, I fainted. Seems you did too. This has been one weird night."

"I wonder if anyone else is having the same problem?" Gavin asked.

Gavin was right. Right after Inaya woke up, Cyrus had left to check on Koralia. At that moment, she was with Reika looking at the fragments.

"That Aquamarine fragment was something else wasn't it?" asked Koralia.

"For sure. It was so thrilling seeing my kingdom's fragment. I think the next one is your kingdom's fragment." Commented Reika.

Koralia smiled and soon the two found themselves in front of green Jade.

"Oooh, now that's pretty! What do you think Koralia? Koralia? Can you hear me?" Reika asked and saw Koralia go into a trance.

Koralia was floating in darkness when she felt her feet touch the ground and suddenly found herself on a beach. On the beach was a young woman sitting on the sand looking at the lovely scenery. The light source of their planet, Jairo, was setting and set the sky ablaze with different colors. The young woman, who had sea green hair, gestured for her to come closer and held out her hand. Koralia did so and as she got closer, she saw the lady had pale pink eyes. When Koralia placed her hand in the lady's she felt an overwhelming sense of peace flooding her.

"The heart of this world and all connect everything. Feelings can easily be corrupted, but true love can overtake it. Will you take that chance? Open your heart and see." The woman said, her grip tight on Koralia.

The young Anahalian woman realized she was feeling what the woman was feeling and it caused her faint as she felt the woman release her.

When Cyrus caught sight of Koralia, she had just caught sight of the Jade fragment. The moment she fainted, Cyrus was there in a heartbeat and managed to catch her as she fell backwards. Reika saw this and wasn't too surprised to see him. However the state of Koralia's condition concerned her more.

"Prince Cyrus, I am glad to see you. I don't know what happened. She was fine a second ago."

"Well, she isn't the only one who fainted. Another young woman fainted when she saw the Jasper fragment. Koralia? Can you hear me?" Cyrus asked, feeling panic starting to rise.

Koralia groaned feeling a headache coming on. Feeling strong arms around her, she finally opened her eyes and saw Cyrus.

"Your highness? What are you doing here?" she found herself asking.

Cyrus was so relieved that he hugged her too him. Reika found herself giggling and figured she was not needed at this moment so she decided to find Mariko and Prince Jiang. She originally left them alone to give them some 'privacy'. Upon seeing her friend and the prince though, she saw Mariko leaning against Prince Jiang, looking out of it.

"What happened Mariko?"

The two looked at Reika and Jiang explained what he saw. When Reika and Koralia left them, the two were at the Sapphire fragment. They took their time getting to the Aquamarine fragment. What happened next was when the situation got strange. Just like with Koralia, when Mariko saw the light blue Aquamarine fragment, she went into a trance.

Mariko found herself walking down a hill into a ravine. There was a great river in the ravine and a figure standing at the edge of the river. Walking closer, Mariko saw a young woman with light blue hair. Suddenly, a creature rises from the waters and looked down at the maiden. It was long and sleek with huge wings and a long snout. It was covered in blue scales and in that instant Mariko realized she was looking at one of the great dragons that lived in Vinsumi. She found herself walking forward and overhead the two talking. At first she didn't recognize a word of it, but as she got closer she could understand. Suddenly the dragon dived back into the river, managing not to splash. The young lady turned her royal blue eye gaze to Mariko and started speaking in the same tongue she spoke to the dragon.

"It's not easy to understand the bonds that bind all. True harmony comes when ties can communicate without fear. Words have meaning, but actions are stronger. How will you act now that fate has handed you this task?" the woman asked Mariko.

It was in that second Mariko woke up. When Reika heard all this, she explained what happened with Koralia and mentioned what Prince Cyrus said.

"Something is definitely happening here. It's too much of a coincidence for these events to be accidents. We should probably find Andun and see what he thinks." Suggested Jiang.

The two young women nodded.

"I want to check on Koralia first though." Commented Mariko.

"All right, let's go then." Agreed Jiang.

During this time, Karl and Vera had been looking at the fragments and had seen what happened to Inaya. Seeing the young woman looking peaked gave Vera an unsettling feeling.

"I sure hope that young lady will be okay." Commented Vera.

"Prince Aamir will look after her." Karl replied.

"That was the prince of Mulada? Interesting."

Karl merely shrugged as they passed the Amethyst fragment. Finally arriving at the Sapphire fragment, the two stood in silence in complete awe. Suddenly Vera felt lightheaded before everything went dark. She vaguely remembered Prince Karl calling out her name before finding herself on top of a mountain peak. The night sky was out and stars covered the sky. Vera realized she wasn't alone too and saw a young woman right next to her. She was petite, but had this strong presence about her that made Vera want to curtsey. The young lady had flowing indigo hair and midnight blue eyes.

Looking directly at Vera, she said, "Put your hand on my shoulder."

Vera instinctively did and the moment she did that, she saw flashes of images go through her mind and realized she was seeing all the different kingdoms of Incienda. And she was seeing them through the eyes of the maiden before her. The images made her dizzy and soon she found herself standing back on top of the peak with the mysterious young woman. Before passing out, she heard a voice in her head.

"You must trust your instincts for they will never lie. If you don't, you will never learn the real truth. Remember my words."

Slowly, Vera came back to herself and took deep breaths before opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was the worried look in Prince Karl's eyes. He didn't say anything for he had no words. They stared at each other, not making a sound until they heard someone call out someone else's name. They both saw the same couple from earlier.

"There seems to be another incident. Do you think you can stand now?" Karl asked the woman in his arms.

"Yes." Vera said and let the prince help her stand before they turned to see if they could assist the other couple, which was actually Faolan and Noirin.

Faolan and Noirin went straight for the violet Amethyst fragment when they arrived in the room. People immediately got out of their way too. Noirin felt nervous being seen with the prince. However, all nerves vanished when she saw the Amethyst fragment. It took her breath away, and before she realized it, she was someplace else, or at least appeared to be. She was in a vast library and it was the biggest she ever seen. Wondering where she was, she walked amongst the sections of the library before coming upon a lavender hair woman sitting in a big armchair reading something. Curious, Noirin came closer and saw the woman was reading a large book in an unknown language she never heard or seen before. Suddenly the words came clear to her and she could read it. The lady was reading aloud and said the words perfectly from the book. The lady suddenly stopped and looked at Noirin with violet eyes that seemed ancient and deep.

"Wisdom is not merely attained through knowledge. It mostly comes through experiences and what we learn from them. Your spirit must be strong for what's to come for it's the ultimate source of all things, including wisdom. Go and find your true self." The lady said as she and the library disappeared.

Faolan was so shocked seeing Noirin faint, that he shouted out her name and didn't catch her in time when she fell down. By the time he had her in his arms, Prince Karl and Vera showed up as well as Prince Aamir and Inaya. Both Inaya and Vera had similar thoughts. They wondered why this young lady fainted as well. It was then they looked and saw each other and felt the connection. This was getting too unusual. The princes were merely concerned for the maidens. It didn't take long for Noirin to wake up and realize she was being held off the ground. Turning a bright red, she saw Prince Faolan.

"Uh . . . sorry about that. I hope I wasn't a problem."

Faolan groaned and said, "You just fainted and you're worried about being a problem?"

Noirin lowered her head, even more ashamed and this caused Aamir to snap.

"Really Faolan? This poor girl just fainted and you scold her? Get a grip man!"

"Calm down Aamir. It's not going to help if you're going to lose your temper. Faolan, it seems this is a bigger problem than this young lady fainting. Several others have fainted too. I am thinking it's connected to the fragments somehow." Stated Karl.

"Why do you think that?" asked Faolan.

"I am not sure. It's just my gut instinct and it's always right."

"May I add something? When I saw the Sapphire fragment, I was in another place entirely and the next thing I knew, I was back here." Replied Vera.

"The same thing happened to me when I saw the Jasper fragment." Inaya replied.

This caused Noirin's eyes to open wide as she looked at the two young ladies. Before she could say anything, the sound of a huge gong was heard.

"Well, unfortunately we have to go now. Inaya, can you stand on your own?" Aamir asked her.

"Yes I can. I feel much better now." Inaya said before pulling away from him and seeing she was able to stand on her own.

Vera did the same thing and Faolan asked Noirin if she can stand.

"I am not sure." She admitted.

"Here, let's try."

Noirin nodded and with Faolan's help, carefully stood up. She's a bit wobbly on her feet at first, but managed to stand on her two feet.

"Why don't the two of you keep an eye on her? Us three need to get back to our families for the closing speech." Suggested Aamir.

"Oh it's no trouble." Said Vera.

"Sure thing." Inaya replied, wanting to keep an eye on the two young ladies she didn't know.

The three princes nodded and went off. Everyone else slowly made their way to the ballroom, where all the royal families were, with Mulada's royal family in the front. Aamir, Faolan, and Karl made their way back to their families. The other princes were already there. Koralia, having already recovered, was back with Reika and Mariko. Belinha and Skylar were standing together too, with Belinha's brothers nearby. Skylar had been shocked when she saw that Gavin was a prince of Puran and Belinha felt sorry for her. Lady Ingrid found her daughter, but stood away from her. Her sense of unease was increasing by the second. Andun was feeling the same way and was back near the room where the fragments were. When Inari found her cousin, she immediately came up, but didn't say anything since the king was about to speak. As a member of Ajna's royal family, Britta, was with the other royals. However, she did give Karl a curious look when she saw him, having seen him part with Vera. He frowned at her and stayed silent. Finally, King Kamir of Mulada came forward and waved for the crowd to quiet down.

"Midnight approaches and I hope that all of you have enjoyed tonight's festivities and this year's festival. I would like to thank the people of Mulada for doing a wonderful job acting as hosts. When midnight comes, the festival will officially be over. Before that, I have one more announcement. In one month's time, my eldest son Aamir will be 24 years old and on that day he will be crowned king as I will be stepping down." The king announced.

This caused the crowd to cheer and Prince Aamir came forward and bowed before stepping back.

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Midnight was seconds away. The female figure could feel the energy of the fragments churning and centered herself for what she knew was to come.

"The time has come. Where will fate lead this world? Everything changes . . . now."

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A/N: Yeah I know I can be notorious for cliff hangers. I hope to have written up the next part of Dragons of Fraidel within the next few weeks. So bear with me people. Thanks! FYI, the lines that those women said in the visions relate to the core concepts of each kingdom. Expect to learn more about these women throughout the story lol. I love hearing back from ya'll so please let me know what you guys thought of this part.