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Description
One Last Dream: Spectator Entry

Innocent Sin: Part 3

_______________________________________________________________

"Are you even sure we can get to the Ruins?  I mean, don't we need a judge in order to use the portal?"  Katten asked as he looked at what appeared to be a deactivated portal.

"I dunno.  Nobody's tried without one around so far and the only way to know is to try."  Karoline said as she reached toward the portal entrance.

"Careful!"  Scott exclaimed his warning.

"No worries, Robo-buddy.  I'll be alright."  She said, just inches away from touching the portal before she was stopped by a high pitched voice from behind.

"And just what are you three up too?"  Yota asked.  His tone was not one of condemning, but one of curiosity instead.

"You see I-"

"Snaggletooth here lost his lighter somewhere in the Ruins.  We were about to go and find it out in one of the temples out there."  Karoline interrupted Katten before he could say much.

"If it's just for that, then sure!  I'll even tag along with you."  The wind spirit replied with a cheery tone as he opened the portal to the Ruins.  Without a moment to lose, he shouted, "Let's go!" before flying through the portal.

"Unexpected."  Scott said with a surprised expression.

"You said it."  Katten said as he mirrored Scott's own expression.

"What are we waiting for?  Let's go!"  The blind girl exclaimed as she grabbed both boy's hands and dragged them through the portal.

_______________________________________________________________

The rising sun rose high over the Ruins as it bathed the field with its warming rays of light.  Floating gently across the grass and debris of the field were the mysterious orbs of light, listlessly going to and fro.  The peace was soon disturbed the entrance of four individuals entering through a stone archway.

"Here we are! "Yota announced to the group.

"So, Snaggletooth, now that we're here, where do we start looking?"  Karoline asked eagerly.

"Well, I can see a temple to the West and another to the North, with the latter being the furthest.  I'd start checking between here and the temple to the West."  The cat-eyed smoker speculated.

"You're joking right?"  Disbelief and annoyance welled up inside of Karoline as she spoke.

"Uh, no?"  Katten said uncertainty, realizing looking for his lighter would be much more difficult than he thought.

"No help."  Scott deadpanned with a matching expression.

"Useless."  Karoline said, adding her own two cents and copied Scott's expression.

"Definitely." Yota agreed and joined the other two in the deadpan stare.

"Hey!  If I had a clue as to where my lighter was I would have already found it already by now!"  Katten quickly said to defended himself.

"Speaking of clues, I haven't a clue as to why you joined us or even letting us on this scavenger hunt, Yota."  Curiosity obvious in Karoline's voice.

"Well, you see,"  Yota casually began.  "I am a wind spirit, meaning I have no need for eating, sleeping, or anything of the like, which means I get bored really easily.  You guys just happened to be around and this gives me something to do."

"So, this is all happening because you were bored?"  Katten asked.

Yota quickly flew in front of Katten's face and began vigorously nodding his head.  "Yep! That's absolutely right!  Give this man his $64 prize!"

"Whatever.  I'll go to the temple up North.  I'll have the better chance of finding the lighter if I go solo. As for why, I've got my sonar headphones to thank for that."  Karoline said as she readjusted her headphones.  "Let's try and meet back here in about a half hour.  If one of us doesn't show up by then, assuming something has happened.  That sound good?"

A unanimous "Yes" came from the other three.

"I'll see you all then!"  The parkour enthusiast said as she began running toward the nearest temple to the north of the portal arch.

"Alright boys, let's get to work!"  Yota said as he began to search the tall grass with the other two.

_______________________________________________________________

Is it her?

I don't know.

She was here before, but we did not have enough time to make sure last time.

Then let us do it while she here then.

Wait.  It is her!  Can you not sense it?

I am not certain.  It is too faint to tell.

But you can still sense it can you not?

Yes!  It is certainly her!

It is her for sure!

Yay!  It's her!

It definitely has to be her!

Very well, we shall proceed then.

_______________________________________________________________

A rush of adrenaline shot through Karoline's body as she ran through the tall grass to the temple.  The feeling the of air rushing past her, letting no obstacle stop you as run, the feeling of freedom.   It was an exhilarating feeling unlike any other.  Running from life, from hardship, and made it almost like she could fly.

Flight, a fleeting dream that she would never be able to achieve, much like being to able to see.  Sure, she could fly in an airplane or something, but it wasn't what she really wanted.  She wanted to feel the wind hitting her face, to feel lighter than air, to be up with the clouds.  An exhilarating feeling of freedom unlike any other that she would never get the chance to experience.

How she wished to feel the ultimate feeling of freedom, but she'd trade that in a heartbeat to be able to see the world through her eyes.  Not something powered by magic or technology like her headphones or some other means, but purely unadulterated with her own eyes.  To see the world like everyone else, to see her friends, and especially those closest to her.

Alas, not in her dreams, nor even the dreams could she ever experience either.

Gradually slowing down, Karoline soon came to a stop in the middle of the field of tall grass to briefly reminisced.  What it would be like to see?  What is color like?  What does the Dimension of Dreams look like?  So many questions that she would never know.

Unbeknown to the blind girl, the small orbs of magic that lit the field began to gather around her.  Each of the orbs slowly floated toward her and entered her body.  She felt nothing as the orbs entered in her body except for a small itch on her back.

Snapping out of her melancholy thoughts, she decided to continue on toward the temple to accomplish her goal of finding the lighter.  Without a second thought, she ran off through the tall grass at a breakneck pace.

_______________________________________________________________

Large, old, and eerie were among the first words that came to Karoline's mind as she approached the ancient temple.  Though tall and lording over the fields below it, the entrance was surprisingly small.  Just large enough to fit a couple of people her size.

Something about the temple sent shivers up the blind girls spine, not to mention the itching on her back was getting worse.  It was like having a handful of needles constantly stinging her back.  The only way she was even able to endure the pain was keeping her mind focused on finding the lighter and just not thinking about it.  It helped, but the feeling lingered like a small voice in the back of her mind.

"Note to self,"  Karoline thought aloud as she climbed the temple stairs.  "See the doc when this is all over.  It's starting to hurt like hell."

At the top of the steps, she heard what seemed like tiny voices telling her to enter the temple.

"Crap.  This old feeling.  Following strange voices that suddenly start coaxing people into old buildings is never a good sign,"  The dread evident in her voice.

"Hey Karoline, let's go into the creepy, old temple that's probably filled with traps and monsters to find my lighter,"  She said mockingly as she impersonated Katten.

"It'll be lots of fun!  Besides, what's the worst that can happen?"  Now impersonating Yota.

"Yeah.  It fun."  Impersonating Scott didn't quite sit as well with her for some odd reason.

"Sure thing guys, but first let me realize how much of an idiot I am for deciding to do this alone."  Finishing her rant with a huff.  "Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained."  Sighing as she entered the temple.
_______________________________________________________________

Intricate runes and symbols adorned the stone walls of the temple of the once proud, civilization that built it.  Darkness filled the empty corridors upon entry to the ancient structure.  No light, not even anything magical, lit the interior of the temple.

Down the unending hallway voided of light Karoline traversed, her mission of finding the lighter quickly forgotten.  The sense of curiosity and adventure quickly became prominent in her mind, even enough to forgot the pain that was gradually increasing on her back.  Thoughts of excitement and discovery filled her mind as wandered past empty rooms that lined the corridors of the temple.

Unfortunately, the nagging voices that kept telling her to go deeper into the temple was the one thing that was putting a damper on her mood.  It was until she reached a giant, empty room deep in the temple that the voices ceased.

"Odd,"  Karoline said with a confused look.  "Why are all the rooms empty and why is this one larger than the others?"

Walking up to the wall directly in front of her, she placed her hands upon to investigate.  "Of course, I happen to enter a temple full of runes and carvings.  How productive for someone who's blind."  Sighing to herself.

May as well feel around for some kind of secret door." Her lips curved up slightly as she quickly got to investigating after the words passed her lips.

After several minutes of tracing the wall carvings with her hands, she came across a large jewel embedded in the wall.  Upon her touch, the crystal gave off a blinding light.  The runes and symbols around the room began to glow a soft turquoise and began to spread throughout the rest of the temple.  Soon enough, even the exterior of the temple was bathed in a mythical light.

The wall that Karoline had been investigating soon turned into a giant, gaping portal of violet light.  It's destination was unknown, but everything about it seemed wrong.

Blinding pain suddenly coursed throughout her entire body, but most especially between her shoulder blades.  A burning sensation soon enveloped her through, making it so she couldn't even scream out in pain.  It became too much for her to take as she felt her consciousness slowly slipping.  As she blacked out, she felt like she was being lifted and pulled by something before finally submitting to unconsciousness.

Description
One Last Dream: Spectator Entry

Innocent Sin: Part 3

_______________________________________________________________

"Are you even sure we can get to the Ruins?  I mean, don't we need a judge in order to use the portal?"  Katten asked as he looked at what appeared to be a deactivated portal.

"I dunno.  Nobody's tried without one around so far and the only way to know is to try."  Karoline said as she reached toward the portal entrance.

"Careful!"  Scott exclaimed his warning.

"No worries, Robo-buddy.  I'll be alright."  She said, just inches away from touching the portal before she was stopped by a high pitched voice from behind.

"And just what are you three up too?"  Yota asked.  His tone was not one of condemning, but one of curiosity instead.

"You see I-"

"Snaggletooth here lost his lighter somewhere in the Ruins.  We were about to go and find it out in one of the temples out there."  Karoline interrupted Katten before he could say much.

"If it's just for that, then sure!  I'll even tag along with you."  The wind spirit replied with a cheery tone as he opened the portal to the Ruins.  Without a moment to lose, he shouted, "Let's go!" before flying through the portal.

"Unexpected."  Scott said with a surprised expression.

"You said it."  Katten said as he mirrored Scott's own expression.

"What are we waiting for?  Let's go!"  The blind girl exclaimed as she grabbed both boy's hands and dragged them through the portal.

_______________________________________________________________

The rising sun rose high over the Ruins as it bathed the field with its warming rays of light.  Floating gently across the grass and debris of the field were the mysterious orbs of light, listlessly going to and fro.  The peace was soon disturbed the entrance of four individuals entering through a stone archway.

"Here we are! "Yota announced to the group.

"So, Snaggletooth, now that we're here, where do we start looking?"  Karoline asked eagerly.

"Well, I can see a temple to the West and another to the North, with the latter being the furthest.  I'd start checking between here and the temple to the West."  The cat-eyed smoker speculated.

"You're joking right?"  Disbelief and annoyance welled up inside of Karoline as she spoke.

"Uh, no?"  Katten said uncertainty, realizing looking for his lighter would be much more difficult than he thought.

"No help."  Scott deadpanned with a matching expression.

"Useless."  Karoline said, adding her own two cents and copied Scott's expression.

"Definitely." Yota agreed and joined the other two in the deadpan stare.

"Hey!  If I had a clue as to where my lighter was I would have already found it already by now!"  Katten quickly said to defended himself.

"Speaking of clues, I haven't a clue as to why you joined us or even letting us on this scavenger hunt, Yota."  Curiosity obvious in Karoline's voice.

"Well, you see,"  Yota casually began.  "I am a wind spirit, meaning I have no need for eating, sleeping, or anything of the like, which means I get bored really easily.  You guys just happened to be around and this gives me something to do."

"So, this is all happening because you were bored?"  Katten asked.

Yota quickly flew in front of Katten's face and began vigorously nodding his head.  "Yep! That's absolutely right!  Give this man his $64 prize!"

"Whatever.  I'll go to the temple up North.  I'll have the better chance of finding the lighter if I go solo. As for why, I've got my sonar headphones to thank for that."  Karoline said as she readjusted her headphones.  "Let's try and meet back here in about a half hour.  If one of us doesn't show up by then, assuming something has happened.  That sound good?"

A unanimous "Yes" came from the other three.

"I'll see you all then!"  The parkour enthusiast said as she began running toward the nearest temple to the north of the portal arch.

"Alright boys, let's get to work!"  Yota said as he began to search the tall grass with the other two.

_______________________________________________________________

Is it her?

I don't know.

She was here before, but we did not have enough time to make sure last time.

Then let us do it while she here then.

Wait.  It is her!  Can you not sense it?

I am not certain.  It is too faint to tell.

But you can still sense it can you not?

Yes!  It is certainly her!

It is her for sure!

Yay!  It's her!

It definitely has to be her!

Very well, we shall proceed then.

_______________________________________________________________

A rush of adrenaline shot through Karoline's body as she ran through the tall grass to the temple.  The feeling the of air rushing past her, letting no obstacle stop you as run, the feeling of freedom.   It was an exhilarating feeling unlike any other.  Running from life, from hardship, and made it almost like she could fly.

Flight, a fleeting dream that she would never be able to achieve, much like being to able to see.  Sure, she could fly in an airplane or something, but it wasn't what she really wanted.  She wanted to feel the wind hitting her face, to feel lighter than air, to be up with the clouds.  An exhilarating feeling of freedom unlike any other that she would never get the chance to experience.

How she wished to feel the ultimate feeling of freedom, but she'd trade that in a heartbeat to be able to see the world through her eyes.  Not something powered by magic or technology like her headphones or some other means, but purely unadulterated with her own eyes.  To see the world like everyone else, to see her friends, and especially those closest to her.

Alas, not in her dreams, nor even the dreams could she ever experience either.

Gradually slowing down, Karoline soon came to a stop in the middle of the field of tall grass to briefly reminisced.  What it would be like to see?  What is color like?  What does the Dimension of Dreams look like?  So many questions that she would never know.

Unbeknown to the blind girl, the small orbs of magic that lit the field began to gather around her.  Each of the orbs slowly floated toward her and entered her body.  She felt nothing as the orbs entered in her body except for a small itch on her back.

Snapping out of her melancholy thoughts, she decided to continue on toward the temple to accomplish her goal of finding the lighter.  Without a second thought, she ran off through the tall grass at a breakneck pace.

_______________________________________________________________

Large, old, and eerie were among the first words that came to Karoline's mind as she approached the ancient temple.  Though tall and lording over the fields below it, the entrance was surprisingly small.  Just large enough to fit a couple of people her size.

Something about the temple sent shivers up the blind girls spine, not to mention the itching on her back was getting worse.  It was like having a handful of needles constantly stinging her back.  The only way she was even able to endure the pain was keeping her mind focused on finding the lighter and just not thinking about it.  It helped, but the feeling lingered like a small voice in the back of her mind.

"Note to self,"  Karoline thought aloud as she climbed the temple stairs.  "See the doc when this is all over.  It's starting to hurt like hell."

At the top of the steps, she heard what seemed like tiny voices telling her to enter the temple.

"Crap.  This old feeling.  Following strange voices that suddenly start coaxing people into old buildings is never a good sign,"  The dread evident in her voice.

"Hey Karoline, let's go into the creepy, old temple that's probably filled with traps and monsters to find my lighter,"  She said mockingly as she impersonated Katten.

"It'll be lots of fun!  Besides, what's the worst that can happen?"  Now impersonating Yota.

"Yeah.  It fun."  Impersonating Scott didn't quite sit as well with her for some odd reason.

"Sure thing guys, but first let me realize how much of an idiot I am for deciding to do this alone."  Finishing her rant with a huff.  "Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained."  Sighing as she entered the temple.
_______________________________________________________________

Intricate runes and symbols adorned the stone walls of the temple of the once proud, civilization that built it.  Darkness filled the empty corridors upon entry to the ancient structure.  No light, not even anything magical, lit the interior of the temple.

Down the unending hallway voided of light Karoline traversed, her mission of finding the lighter quickly forgotten.  The sense of curiosity and adventure quickly became prominent in her mind, even enough to forgot the pain that was gradually increasing on her back.  Thoughts of excitement and discovery filled her mind as wandered past empty rooms that lined the corridors of the temple.

Unfortunately, the nagging voices that kept telling her to go deeper into the temple was the one thing that was putting a damper on her mood.  It was until she reached a giant, empty room deep in the temple that the voices ceased.

"Odd,"  Karoline said with a confused look.  "Why are all the rooms empty and why is this one larger than the others?"

Walking up to the wall directly in front of her, she placed her hands upon to investigate.  "Of course, I happen to enter a temple full of runes and carvings.  How productive for someone who's blind."  Sighing to herself.

May as well feel around for some kind of secret door." Her lips curved up slightly as she quickly got to investigating after the words passed her lips.

After several minutes of tracing the wall carvings with her hands, she came across a large jewel embedded in the wall.  Upon her touch, the crystal gave off a blinding light.  The runes and symbols around the room began to glow a soft turquoise and began to spread throughout the rest of the temple.  Soon enough, even the exterior of the temple was bathed in a mythical light.

The wall that Karoline had been investigating soon turned into a giant, gaping portal of violet light.  It's destination was unknown, but everything about it seemed wrong.

Blinding pain suddenly coursed throughout her entire body, but most especially between her shoulder blades.  A burning sensation soon enveloped her through, making it so she couldn't even scream out in pain.  It became too much for her to take as she felt her consciousness slowly slipping.  As she blacked out, she felt like she was being lifted and pulled by something before finally submitting to unconsciousness.