The First Student

A long, long time ago....

The sun was setting on the horizone in the sky, diving into the clouds in the sky.  A mix of oranges, reds, yellows and blues mixing together through rays of light, clouds and the sky were forming as far as the eye could see.  And those very colors were reflecting themselves on the ancient stones of the floating castle.  The trees giving off an ambient glow with the suns rays and the intense green of the leaves, almost forming to a gold glow.  And outside in the garden, watering the flowers, was WHiTE GOLD.

He had spent a few days from traveling to come to his castle and water the flowers.  No high clouds have come with rain for a few days, so it was set for him to water them all by hand, which he didn't mind.  He simply went about, watering and listened to the birds chirp pleasantly around the garden, picking at what they could from the ground.  He smiled all the while, enjoying the rays of the sun as it cascaded more color to the ground and the entire castle.

He then looked up to the tower that held the Box of the Yin Yang, the wishing box of good and evil.  The sun shined in the tiny window where the symbol of his king, GOLD, shined on top of the box.  There it lit the entire room up like an inferno in the desert sun on the sand.  And as a cloud covered the setting sun, the glow was gone.

WHiTE GOLD just went back to his watering as the stars and moon soon began to shine outside.  The lights from space and outer realms began to glow from below the clouds.  A rainbow of colors and effects pierced the clouds towards the castle in a technicolored effect that could only be marveled from above the skyline.  It's as if music was being played out from all the corners of the iMAGNiREALM.

A few minutes passed and a noise could be heard from outside the castle.  The teleportation device from the lower ground began to activate, bringing someone to the castle.  WHiTE GOLD stopped watering the flowers and walked towards the main gate to the outside of the castle to see who was coming.  As he opened the door, a gust of strong wind blew inside the castle.  The atmosphere was so dense from this altitude that it could knock a tree clear from the ground with all it's roots in tact.

He then reached the platform where the teleportation device was.  He stood on the outside of it to let whoever was coming through.  The indicator detected no threat on them, so he was at ease.  The lights and particles of the visitor began to form.  And in an instant, they were visible.  A man dressed in grey and lilac clothing stood there.  He held his staff behind his back with his face hidden behind a black hat, just enough to where you couldn't meet the eyes underneath.  He held a smirk on his face with confidence and said, "Hello, there.  Would you happen to be the one they call WHiTE GOLD ALTRUiSM?"

WHiTE GOLD looked at him with no real expression on his face.  He simply responded, "Identify yourself..."

The man walked out of the teleporation device and kept on smiling that smirk of his.  "Who, me?  Why I am but a humble dream entity.  My name is Elru, the Listener.  I've been traveling the dreamscapes for quite some time now, looking to meet all those who dream and learn from them.  And also to teach them what I know."

"What purpose do you have on my castle...?"

"I've come to ask you something.  Something I've never asked anyone else before."  WHiTE GOLD looked at him in a bit of confusion.  "I've heard a great deal about you, WHiTE GOLD.  From your king.  He's told me you have a wonderful sense of devotion and duty for others.  Your kind hearted and caring, even if you don't see it."

"That old man told you that?  I wonder what part of me he was looking at....  I don't really have time for this.  I have watering to get done and after that, I have to go and..."

"... search for something, right?"  WHiTE GOLD paused for a second and looked him down.  More confusion was shown on his face as Elru started to walk closer to him.  "I know.  I've heard that you're searching for someone dear to you.  That's also something GOLD told me."

"How did you even get close enough to talk to GOLD without me hearing about it?" WHiTE GOLD asked.  He clenched his fist together tight, cracking his knuckles as he squeezed harder.

"That's not what's important.  What if I told you I can help you find who you're looking for?"

WHiTE GOLD turned around and walked back to the entrance.  "Please leave now.  You don't know what you're talking about.  You can't help me..."

Elru followed behind him and grabbed at his shoulder.  "Please, don't walk away.  Lets talk first."  WHiTE GOLD stopped for a second and in an instant his fist collided with Elru's stomach, sending him dragging at the teleporter, dust flying in the air as Elru skid across the ground.

"I asked you to leave.  Do not press your luck with me..."

Elru picked himself up from the ground and brushed the dust from his clothing off of him.  He was staggered and stunned from the hit, but he managed to stand on both feet and he smirked some more.  "GOLD was right again, I see.  You are strong.  You sure don't look it, though..."  WHiTE GOLD didn't have an expression on his face after that.  He simply turned back towards the entrance and moved through the door.  He then closed the door tight behind him.

As he shut the door, he heard a voice from behind him.  "It's not nice to shut out a guest, you know..."  WHiTE GOLD turned around quickly and a look of shock was on his face.

"How did you get in here!?" WHiTE GOLD asked in a bit of a raging tone.

"The same way I talked to GOLD.  I just went inside."  Elru fixed his hat a bit and set his staff down on the ground.  "I think you should really concider learning from me, WHiTE GOLD.  I think you'd benefit from it in the future..."

WHiTE GOLD started to stomp his way towards Elru, his fist clenched up once again.  "I've told you once, already, I don't want to be taught by anyone, now LEAVE!!"  He then threw his fist at Elru's face, but his fist went right through what he thought was him.  WHiTE GOLD had a surprised look and quickly tried to find him, but when he turned his face, he would find a foot collide with it instead.  He felt stunned after that and dizzily fell to the ground, holding himself up with one hand.  He looked up at Elru and said, "How did you...?  You're the first person in a long time who's been able to hit me in the face..."

Elru smiled at hearing such words and just stood there, waiting for him to get up.  "What did you think I was gonna do, let you hit me?  You're too slow, my friend..."  And as Elru said that, WHiTE GOLD took his elbow and flung it hard into Elru's back, a thundering blow could be heard echoing throughout the floating castle.  Elru flew back a bit, planting his feet to the ground to stay upright.  He then turned around to face WHiTE GOLD, when he was already in front of him with his right leg aready in the air and ready to strike his face.  He connected his foot to his nose and just as Elru did to him, he was also stunned and fell to the ground.  WHiTE GOLD set his foot down gently and looked at Elru on the ground.

"Don't push your luck.  I've got a lot of fight in me and no time to waste it on you..."  Elru then picked himself off the ground again.  He faced WHiTE GOLD and held his hand out in a shaking gesture.  

"Let's have a little fun.  If I can beat you, you learn from me.  If I lose, I will leave you alone.  Sound like a deal?"  WHiTE GOLD looked at the hand a bit and shrugged his shoulders.  He then shook the hand with a tight grip.

"You're gonna lose, you know..."  WHiTE GOLD said.  Elru just smiled at him and the second they let go of the shake, they both threw a thunderous punch at both faces.  The shockwave sent the trees shaking and the flowers that were close by them ripped to shreds.  Both of them flew towards a wall, pushing themselves off and heading straight for each other once again.

Elru grabbed his staff from the ground as he passed by it and took a swing at WHiTE GOLD's leg.  He jumped out of the staffs way and grabbed at Elru's face and threw it to the ground.  As he did, the concrete walkway smashed into bits, the debres lifting from the ground.  As Elru finally caught sight to what was going in, WHiTE GOLD's foot slammed into the pit of his stomach.  Elru's hat then fell off his head and WHiTE GOLD grabbed it from the air.  "You should take this off so you can see..."

Elru then pushed him off of his stomach and threw his foot right into WHiTE GOLD's jaw, sending him soaring into the air.  Elru then grabbed his hat and placed it back onto his head.  "Do NOT touch my hat!"  Elru then jumped towards WHiTE GOLD just before he hit the ground to perform a flip kick to his gut to send him to the ground hard.  The impact left a small crater on the ground.  WHiTE GOLD then propelled his arms to the ground and pushed himself up again and stood there, watching Elru.  Seeing what move he'd make next.

After a moment, the two went at it again, both of them throwing punches and kicks, canceling each others out.  The speed they were moving in was almost invisible to the human eye.  The friction was beginning to build and sparks were flying from their bodies.  Winds from each of their blows were shaking the very ground of the floating castle and after a few moments, WHiTE GOLD connected another blow to the gut of Elru and afterwards, threw his knee at his face.  The blow sent Elru into the air a bit, and WHiTE GOLD clenched both fists together.  He jumped to the level of Elru and threw his fists down on his stomach and sent him down to the ground.  WHiTE GOLD then held his left hand out and the one tattoo of his Phoenix was starting to shine on his body.  

Elru looked up at the glow and said, "Gotta move fast!"  Elru jumped out of the hole he made from the impact and WHiTE GOLD threw his fist to the ground.  The blow made a large shockwave that flew right at the wall to the outside.  It broke a large hole into the wall and the vacuum like atmosphere started sucking both of them outside the castle entrance.  The trees were ripping out of the ground and the dirt and rocks were flying at their faces, blinding them a bit.  Soon they were outside and WHiTE GOLD was right on the edge of the floating castle.  Elru was right in front of him afterwards, looking at him and smiling.  "You see?  I won.  You've got no where else to go to."

WHiTE GOLD just smiled at him and started to laugh.  Elru looked a bit confused at the way he was acting.  Then he said to Elru, "If you want me, you'll have to catch me!"  He then leaped over the edge of the floating castle an started falling to the surface of the iMAGNiREALM.  Elru looked down at the now falling WHiTE GOLD, seeing the fearless look in his eyes.

Elru shook his head a bit and said, "....  Fine.  If that's what I have to do..."  He then leaped off the floating castle and chased after him, soaring down towards WHiTE GOLD's level.  Once he caught up, the two continued their barrage of fist throwing and kicking at each other.  For three minutes they soared downward, knocking each other senseless.  The two fighters were looking exhausted from the constant throws of fists and kicks so they were at their peek of endurance.  "This is the last punch!"  Elru yelled out to WHiTE GOLD.  "We'll see who can stand the fall and punch!"

"Sounds fine by me!  You ready to lose!?"  WHiTE GOLD yelled in a cocky manner.  The two then flung right at each other and in one second the two threw each others fists right at the others.  A blast of white light shown from the impact and a thunderous sound echoed down to the surface.  Both of them smirked from the sound and they passed out just before they hit the sandy grounds of GOLD's realm.

An hour passed by and both of them woke up.  Their bodies sore and bruised, WHiTE GOLD turned his head towards Elru.  "I told you... you'd lose..." he said in a weak pitch.

Elru just looked right back at him.  "You didn't.... quite win yourself, pal..."  he said in the same weak tone.  Both fighters just laughed as best as they could.  WHiTE GOLD then stood up from the ground and brushed the sand from off of him.  Elru was still in a lot of pain after that.  "Hey...!"  Elru yelled out.  "You're still able to move!?"

"Of course...  You didn't think that was my best, did you?"  WHiTE GOLD went towards the surface teleporter to the floating castle.  He looked back at Elru and said, "When you think you can beat me again, come back.  I'll be sure to prove you wrong yet again...  Sensei."  He then pushed the button for the teleporter to activate and shot to the sky in a gleaming light.  Elru just layed there, and laughed to himself some more.

"Heh, heh, heh.... I can see what GOLD means.  He's got a will like none other..."