Dominique walked from the hallway fuming. What was it with Ray always having to shout at him?

"He cares," Breeze's voice said in his head.

What made Ray think that he was in charge?

"He is," Breeze reminded him.

Dominique growled in reply as he stalked back through the tunnels. He could hear Breeze right behind him. Once he passed through sliding wall he got on Breeze and his dragon flew straight up. This time, Dominique did not enjoy the wind nor the adrenaline pumping through his veins at the steep climb, in fact, there was no adrenaline.

"Where to?" Breeze thought as they broke into the sunlight.

A picture flashed through Dominique's head.

"Of course," Breeze murmured as he rose steeply. He flew along the mountains, not bothering to rise to their height. He wasn't planning on going over them, not at the moment. Without faltering he headed in one direction, knowing the way by heart. Dominique sat, still fuming.

A while later they flew up to the edge of a forest. Breeze landed before it. Turning his head he watched as Dominique slipped from his back.

"I'll be around if you need me," Breeze told his rider before he took off again.

Dominique craned his neck, shielding his eyes against the sun as he watched his dragon circle once above and then fly off. Letting out a sigh, Dominique turned and trudged into the forest, to the one place he always went when he felt frustrated, when he needed to clear his mind and think things through, or when he just needed to blow some steam. He came here more since his brother was in charge, since they always argued over everything, since they couldn't be together for more than five minutes without arguing.

While Dominique would rather physically fight the council, Ray took the quieter approach, spending a large amount of time on making plans. Dominique had to admit that when Ray's plans were carried out they almost always went without a hitch, and yet to Dominique it took too long for Ray's plans to get from paper to reality.

The time his brother used to plan on ways to try and weaken the council could be used on actually doing things. Besides, Dominique had never been able to sit still for more than a while. He just loved action, the rush of adrenaline, the smell of danger. It was as though it was hardwired into him that he belonged in a battle field. He felt as though he were born to fight.

As he walked he ran a hand through his hair. He knew that he had over reacted with Ray back in the cave, but in his defense Ray had acted first. At least this time neither of them had ended up using their fists. Coming to think of it, since Ray became leader of the Resistance he had stopped having fists fights with Dominique like they used to

 Dominique smiled at the memory of his father having to pull them apart more than once when they were younger. Dominique usually ended up the worse of the two, being the smaller and younger one, yet Ray had never come away uninjured either as Dominique had always managed to get in a good punch or two. His father had called him a little rebel and warned Ray that one day Dominique would be his equal match.

His thoughts were cut short as Dominique reached his goal. A small clearing, too small for a dragon to land without bending over and damaging the newly growing trees at its edge. The clearing was in the middle of the woods, covered with lush green grass and spotted with a few wild flowers. Yet it was neither of those features that attracted Dominique's attention. It was the lack of human voices, with only the sound of the wind and a few birds to keep him company. It was the feeling of freedom in this small, unknown spot in the middle of nowhere. A different kind of freedom than the one he felt when flying in Breeze's back, a quieter one.

He took a step into the clearing, heading towards the middle, where he always lay down and stared at the sky above, when he felt something bang against his side. His eyes went wide as he remembered the precious object that he had hidden underneath his cloak, the one that he had wanted to show to his brother only moments before, the one he had been chased for by Watcher's. The object, that when the council found out was missing, would be a big blow to them indeed.

Slowly he reached his hand beneath his cloak, the feeling of the object hidden beneath sending a shiver of thrill through him. He still couldn't believe that he had it. Gently he grasped it and pulled it out from beneath his cloak.

He held his breath as he pulled forth a long object covered in cloth. Slowly, almost as if he was afraid that something would break if he made one wrong move, Dominique began to remove the cloth. His breath caught as he stared at the white sheath that lay in his hands and the black hilt that stuck out from the end of it.

With a feeling of awe and disbelief he slowly grasped the hilt, his fingers enclosing around it, before he smoothly unsheathed the blade. His breath caught as the blade was revealed. He had not seen very many swords in his lifetime, for they were not used for fighting anymore but more as ornaments or trophies, having been replaced by more modern weapons, such as the shocker. Yet even with the little knowledge he had, Dominique could tell that this blade was extremely smooth and well made.

Engraved, on either side of it, were patterns that formed a rearing dragon and names, in a text not used anymore, were written all along the sides of the blade. Still in awe, Dominique raised the sword so that he was holding it upright. Somehow the grip felt wrong and he felt awkward holding it, yet that did not bother him as he stared at the sword as if it was the greatest thing he had ever seen.

It was the sword that had helped each and every Rider of Legend through their lifetime. It was the sword they each used to bring Haiden's reign one step closer to the end. It was the most valued treasure around.

The council held it locked up in the Academy, putting it on display once every full moon for people to admire. And now, out in an abandoned field, he was holding it, the very sword every Rider of Legend had once held. The sword every boy dreamed of holding.

Slowly, Dominique reached for the blade, tracing his finger along the names, knowing that it was the names of great people, the names of his heroes. His finger stopped at the last name that had been engraved.

"Akira," he breathed, "The last rider, the one who ended Haiden's reign." He let out a wistful sigh. "Boy, could we use your help now," he muttered his finger tracing to feel the edge of the sword.

"Owe!" He exclaimed pulling his finger away as he cut himself on the edge. He put his finger to his mouth, sucking on it as he gazed at the sharp edge of the sword. It was sharper than he would have thought it would be after hundreds of years. He watched his blood that dripped down the edge of it in fascination. And that was when the writing on the blade began to glow.

"What the..." Dominique muttered.

Suddenly there was a bright flash and the sword suddenly became so hot that Dominique dropped it. He reached a hand up to shield his eyes from the glowing light, trying not to freak out at the sudden gust of wind that battered against him, as though it were trying to sweep him away. When the wind ceased and he was sure that it was over Dominique glanced down to where he had dropped the sword only to see that it was gone.

"How...?" He began. He blinked, wondering if maybe he was hallucinating. He could swear that he had dropped the sword there, so where had it gone?

"Um, excuse me, but can you maybe explain to me how exactly I got here?"  Dominique whirled around at the sound of the soft feminine voice and found himself staring into a pair of crystal clear blue eyes that were filled with confusion.

They belonged to a girl who was wearing all white, from her boots to the leather gloves on her hands. Somehow her clothes looked like something only the rich could afford and yet they were seriously outdated. No one wore what she did these days. It was all about fashion and yet it looked like she had dressed more for comfort and the freedom of movement. And yet the white clothes were a stunning contrast with her jet black hair that fell to her waist in soft waves, seeming to lie perfectly in place with not one hair going astray. Her ice blue eyes were something different altogether, filled with a sincerity Dominique has never seen before, and at the moment, confusion.

Dominic's heart beat somewhat faster as he realized that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, not that he had seen many, for there were very few in the Resistance, and he had never had a good look at those in the city. No, he had always been too busy doing a job or trying to get away from Watcher's. Yet he was sure that this girl was around his age, but her eyes showed knowledge that made her seem much older. And then his eyes caught sight of the white scabbard attached to her side. Something about it seemed so familiar.

His eyes flew to the empty spot where he had dropped the sword. His mouth dropped as realization hit him. Slowly he turned back around to the girl who still seemed to be waiting for an answer.

"How did you do that?" Dominique asked softly, his disbelief showing in his face.

"What?" The girl asked, in the same soft voice, looking puzzled.

Dominique glanced back at where the sword had been. There was no way the girl could have snatched it up from there without him noticing. She hadn't moved from the spot where she stood, not that he had seen anyway. And then, how has she appeared so suddenly behind him without him noticing? No one had been able to sneak up on him since he was eleven summers old.

His eyes narrowed as he looked the girl up and down, trying to ignore his beating heart.

"Who are you?" He asked suspiciously.

The girl cocked her head slightly to the side, looking as confused about the situation as Dominique felt.

And then she opened her mouth and spoke four words that would change Dominique's life forever, "My name is Akira."