Raz was alone. He had never felt so out of place. He sat in the alley,
in between the trash dumpster and the cardboard box full of newspapers. It was
the only place that day where he had been able to sit and rest. He was tired 
of being chased. The little fox-like animan wrapped his fluffy brown tail 
around the rest of him to bring what little comfort it could. He buried his 
face in his hands and cried. Raz did not cry often. The young 8-year-old had 
to grow up quickly to be able to deal with the things that had happened in his
life. But this was nothing like those other times. Raz had only been two when
his parents died. He could barely remember them. And living with his older 
brother in the orphanage was not a desireable life, but it was liveable. But 
now that his brother was gone...
	Raz cried harder. He had always looked up to his older brother. Zula
was always strong, no matter what happened. He made it seem like there was 
nothing the two of them couldn't muddle through together. Zula was the kindest 
of older brothers. He almost never lost his temper, and he always did 
everything in his power to make sure his younger brother was taken care of.
What would Raz do now? Knowing his brother was gone forever? Raz felt lost. He 
shuddered as he remembered the events that had taken place earlier that day...

	Raz had been sitting on the floor in his and Zula's bedroom. It was 
old and cramped, with only a small strip of floorspace in between their beds. 
With his back against the wall, Raz watched as Zula opened up the old book he 
always carried with him. Zula wanted to entertain his younger brother by 
having Raz watch as he attemped to perform a magic trick. This was a regular 
occurance. Ever since Zula had found the book a few weeks ago, he insisted 
that it was magic. Raz had never seen Zula successfully perform any of these 
tricks, but he sat quietly and watched his esteemed older brother anyways. He 
wanted to believe the book was magic. It would be nice to be able to do things 
that none of the other children at the orphanage could do.
	"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Raz asked carefully. Zula's
eyes glanced up from the faded words on the book's pages and he smiled. 
	"Of course. The book said that this time, it would work. As long as I
concentrated hard enough." 
	"The book talks?" Raz asked in surprise. He had never heard of such a 
thing. "Can I hear?" Zula shrugged his shoulders.
	"I've only ever heard it talk to me." he said. "I can hear it when I 
read the words in the book. It told me that I haven't been concentrating hard
enough. Watch." Zula stood over the book and held out his hands. Raz sat back
and waited. Under his breath, Zula began to speak words that Raz didn't 
understand.
	"Tentogrof imit hasae! Scoput miris eroyser!" 
	All was quiet for a moment. Raz looked up at Zula calmly. He was used
to this. He waited patiently.
	"Maybe I'm not trying hard enough." Zula mused. "Let me try again."
Zula shut his eyes, hands outstreached, and muttered the strange words.
	"Tentogrof imit hasae! Scoput miris eroyser!" His voice slowly got 
louder and louder. "Tentogrof imit hasae! Scoput miris eroyser! Tentogrof imit 
hasae! Scoput miris eroyser!" Raz sat and watched. Suddenly, something 
caught his eyes. The book was beginning to shake. Raz recoiled instinctively.
He had a bad feeling that was rising up inside of him. 
	"Zula! Maybe you better stop!" Raz said warily. Zula smiled 
encouragingly.
	"Don't worry, Raz! It'll be fine!" Then he turned back to the book.
"Tentogrof imit hasae! Scoput miris eroyser!" he said. An inky black glob 
erupted from the book's pages. It rose up and loomed over the two boys in the
room. The floorboards beneath them began to tremble.
	"Zula!"
	"Just wait, Raz! I'm almost there! I need to speak louder! TENTOGROF 
IMIT HASAE! SCOPUT MIRIS EROYSER!" Red, slitted eyes opened on the black glob. 
It stared intesely at Zula.
	"ZUUUUUUUUUUULAAAAAAAAAAA!" It roared. Raz fell to his knees in fear.
He was beyond all thought. He could only stare. Zula stopped chanting and 
looked up at the monstrous thing.
	"I did it! See, Raz?" He said excitedly, a look of triumph on his 
face. The red eyes narrowed.
	"Yesss." It hissed. "Zula, you remarkable boy. You have freed me. You
have performed magic." Zula's eyes lit up.
	"That voice! You're the voice from the book!" he said. The glob 
nodded. Zula's face brightened.
	"That means I can perform any magic from this book that I want now! I
know how to do it!" He picked up the book. The glob reached out with a lumpy
tendril, and smacked the book to the ground.
	"What the-" Zula said in surprise.
	"Zula, you can't perform any of the other spells." The glob said. Only
if you let me see into your heart. Then you will be able to keep doing magic."
Zula thought for a while. Then he seemed to get an idea. 
	"Maybe I could use this magic to help Raz and I!" He said. He reached
for the book again. The glob picked up the book, and sucked it inside of 
itself. 
	"If you want the book, and be able to use it, you need me." It 
replied. Zula stood there before the massive, bubbling blackness. He was 
thinking hard. He wanted to be able to use magic. Not only to help his 
brother's and his lives be better, but the prospect of magic facinated him.
Suddenly, he realized something, something that might help him get the book
back.
	"No, you need me." he said. "I freed you, but only through ME will YOU
be able to do magic. Why else would you want to see into my heart?" The glob
was silent for a while before emitting a low chuckle.
	"You clever child." it said. "It seems as though we are at an impass.
You need this book, and I need your heart. What shall we do?" it asked.
	"Trade." Zula said. "I need that magic book!" he held out his hand.
Raz finally found his voice again.
	"Zula! What are you doing? You don't even know what that thing is!" 
Raz screamed. The glob turned to him angrily.
	"Shut up, vermin!" it spat. Zula turned to Raz.
	"Raz! With this kind of power, we won't have to stay at this orphanage
anymore! We could have whatever we want! We could even bring back Mom and
Dad!" For a moment, hope rose up within Raz. He often wished he could see his
parents again. He couldn't really remember them, so seeing them would make him
happier than anything. Then the cold, damp feeling returned in the pit of 
Raz's stomach. A chill ran down his spine. Something was horribly wrong.
	"No, Zula. Mom and Dad are dead. We can't trust this thing." Raz 
insisted. Zula's face turned sad. He was disappointed. He thought his brother 
would be happy. He began to let his hand drop. If his brother wasn't going to
be there with him, then why bother? But then Zula imagined himself being able
to perform magic. He had dreamed about doing that when he was younger. This
could be his only chance to do that. He hesitated a while longer.
	"Raz, I'll be able to give us the life we always wanted! You'll see!" 
he said. He was going to prove to Raz that he could make things right again.
	"Wait, Brother! Don't do it!" Zula turned away from him, and held out
his hand to the black glob again.
	"Do we have a deal?" Zula asked. Before Raz could move, the black glob
lifted its tendril and placed it in Zula's hand. The next thing that happened
would scar Raz's young mind for the rest of his life. Zula was sucked into the
glob monster's body with a horrified scream. Then the monster began to bubble
and take shape. It began to change colors. The black swelling mass became 
furry and grey.
	Just like Raz's brother.
	Soon, Zula stood before Raz once again. But this time, his eyes were a
dark red color, and he had a defiant grin spread accross his face. 
	"I feel great!" Zula said. "The book is inside me! I can call on what
ever power from it I want instantly! There's nothing I can't do!" 
	"Zu-zula?" Raz gasped. Zula tured his eyes toward Raz. 
	"Have you changed your mind?" Zula asked. "Do you want a part of this 
power?" Wordlessly, Raz shook his head. Zula frowned.
	"Then there's only one thing to do!" He growled. "I can't let you walk
away. You've seen too much!" Zula raised his hand. Raz wasn't about to wait 
around to see what magic his brother would conjure up this time. Raz bolted 
for the door. He ran out of the orphanage. He took off down the street. He 
could still hear his brother laughing. He didn't dare turn around, he just
kept on running. He didn't stop until he was sure that he wasn't being 
followed. He slipped into a dark alleyway and hid between an old dumpster and
a cardboard box filled with newspapers...

	Raz was jolted out of his memories at the sound of glass breaking. He
poked his head out of his hiding place and looked up and down the alley. He 
almost didn't see the pair of eyes watching him from around the corner. Raz
leaped out of the way just as an older animan pounced on him. Raz didn't 
bother turning around to see what the animan looked like, he simply took off
running. He darted from side to side, so that the mugger couldn't catch him.
Suddenly, the alley turned into a dead end. Raz finally turned around to look
at his pursuer. The animan was tall and lanky. His fur was matted and dark. He
had his lips pulled back into a snarl. 
	So this was how it would end. Raz didn't have any hope of escaping. He
was tired of running, and he had lost his will to fight. His brother was gone.
What was left of him wanted to kill Raz. Where could his life go from here, if
he was somehow able to escape? He couldn't go back to the orphanage. Maybe it 
was better this way.
	All these thoughts were going through the young animan's mind, when 
out of nowhere, a green and white blur lashed out and knocked the mugger off
his feet. Then the blur came for Raz. A new fear washed through him. But the
blur stopped in front of him. Raz could now see the figure of a another 
animan, a little older than himself. It had big floppy ears and green spots on
its white fur. It held out its hand, and in a surprisingly low voice, it said,
	"Come on. We don't have much time." Raz had learned from a young age
that questions could wait. He grabbed the teenager's hand and was instantly 
lifted off his feet. The teenage animan hoisted him up and ran at the nearest
wall. Bounding off of it, Raz and the teenager cleared the wall at the end of
the alley and took off down another one. After running a bit longer, the 
teenager put Raz back on his feet.
	"Thank you." Raz said breathlessly. The teenager nodded once, and 
cocked his head.
	"What were you thinking, running down an alley alone like that?" he 
asked. Raz looked ashamed. 
	"I was hiding." he said lamely.
	"From what?"
	"You... you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Raz finally said. This
seemed to confuse the teenager further.
	"What's your name?"
	"Raz."
	"Raz what?"
	"Just Raz." The teenager thought for a moment.
	"Are you alone?" he asked. Raz winced inwardly. He could feel tears
behind his eyes.
	"Y-yes."
	"Alright. Follow me." the teenager said. They started to walk swiftly
down the darkening streets of the big city. 
	"Where are we going?" Raz asked.
	"To where I live. I know someone who might be able to help you." came
the response. Raz thought for a moment. Could he trust this person? He had 
only just met him. Though he had just barely been saved by him. That was 
something, and he didn't seem mean.
	"What's your name?" Raz asked. The teenager glanced back at him.
	"Adir, but call me Adi." Raz nodded. The rest of the walk was in
silence. Soon, they made their way up to an old, abandoned warehouse. The
windows were all boarded up, and the building itself seemed to be falling 
apart. Adi pushed open a giant metal door. It made a terrible grinding sound 
as he pushed on it. Then he led Raz inside. 
	It smelled old. A musty, dirt-like smell hung in the air. Adi walked 
up a flight of old, metal stairs, followed closely by Raz. They made their way
into an old room. 
	"Zeki! Are you in here?" Adi asked out loud. His voice echoed off the
vaulted celings. There was a rustling from a ways off, then a figure appeared.
It was an animan, fox like, but with long ears, like a rabbit. It also looked
similar to Adi; white fur with colored patches. These ones were blue.
	"Adi! You were out for a while." Zeki said, approaching the two of 
them. He also had a lower voice, emphasizing his age.
	"And who's this?" He asked, noticing Raz. Raz waved back timidly.
	"This is Raz. I want him to stay with us." Adi said. Zeki and Raz both
looked at him in bewilderment.
	"Well, Adi! I must say, I'm surprised! You don't often take a liking
to others that fast!" he smiled hugely and came forward to look at Raz.
	"You have family?" he asked Raz. Raz folded his ears back in 
embarassment.
	"Well, not anymore." he answered quietly. Zeki cocked his head.
	"Heh, giving me an answer like that will require you to give a back
story, you know." he said with an amused look on his face.
	"It's not a very nice story." Raz said. Zeki smiled sympathetically.
	"Back stories often aren't." he said knowingly. "Here, come with me."
he beckoned for Raz to follow him. In the middle of the room, there was an
old mattress adorned with various kinds of pillows and blankets. Zeki and Adi
sat down on it, and beckoned for Raz to do the same. Raz immediately felt 
better, sitting down on something soft and dry, and pulled one of the blankets
over his shoulders for added comfort. Zeki smiled.
	"Raz... Hm... I believe that means 'hidden' or 'secret' in one of the
ancient languages." he mused. Raz looked at him confusedly. Zeki smiled.
	"I have always believed that the name of a person is extremely 
significant in their destiny. Take Adi here for example." he said, gesturing
towards his friend. Adi smiled slightly.
	"Adir means 'strong' or 'mighty'. I think that's quite fitting, don't
you?" Zeki asked. Raz remembered how Adi had fought the mugger, and ran so 
fast that he looked like a blur. He nodded.
	"And Zeki means intelligence." Adi added. Zeki blushed.
	"Well, I don't claim to be a professor." he responded. Then he leaned
forward.
	"So, would you like to tell us your story? It will help us understand
how we can better help you, I'm sure." He inquired. Raz sighed. Then he 
relayed to them the story of how he ended up in the alley. He told of his
parents, and of his lifestyle after they died. He told them about his beloved 
older brother, and the old book which stole him away.
	"Zula only ever wanted what was best for us." Raz said sadly. "He 
wanted the magic book so that he could make our lives better." Zeki nodded.
	"Zula sounds like a great older brother. The book only spoke to him, 
you said?" he asked. Raz nodded.
	"I wonder, 'Zula' means 'power' in the ancient languages. It makes me
think that the book somehow knew that Zula would be an asset to it, and 
decieved him into thinking it could be useful." He sat and thought for a 
moment. Then he stood up.
	"Come with me." He said. Raz and Adi followed Zeki into a corner of 
the giant room. There sat a massive computer, with a monitor that towered over
the youngsters, almost reaching the celing. Zeki reached out and pressed a 
giant power button. The computer whirred to life. 
	"We're going to need information." Zeki said. He typed on the computer
keyboard and then pressed enter. After a few moments, he smiled.
	"The Book of Ancient Magics." he said. "It is said that this book was
once owned by a powerful sorcerer named Titus. He became so power-hungry,
however, that the magic consumed him. He was banished into the very pages of
the book, only able to get out by posessing another." Then he clicked on an
image. Raz gasped. 
	"That's it! That's the book!" he said. Zeki thought. 
	"Titus has posessed your brother, it would seem. That's a shame." 
Suddenly, a new feeling came over Raz. 
	"I'm going to get him back." he said in determination. Adi put a hand
on Raz's shoulder.
	"That's a very brave notion, Raz, and I'm sure your brother would be
proud of you for it, but look." he pointed up at the screen. Zeki read the
article out loud.
	"Legend says that the only way to destroy the evil spirit of Titus is
to destroy the host. Once posessed, there is no way for Titus and his host to
be seperated." he said. Raz stood stunned.
	"There is no way..." he repeated in a whisper. "Oh, Zula!" he cried.
"Why did you have to find that book? Why did this have to happen?" Zeki 
frowned.
	"Perhaps we could reason with Titus." Zeki said. "Were did you last 
see your brother?"
	
	"I have a bad feeling about this." Adi said. The three youngsters 
stood in the front gate of the orphanage. Everything was dark, and the moon
that hung low overhead gave the only light on the street. Raz shivered.
	"None of the lights are on. That's strange." he said. Zeki rumaged
through a bag he had brought with him. He pulled out an odd-looking gadget and
switched it on. Then he pointed it at the orphanage. 
	"I'm not finding any life-readings in there." Zeki said warily. 
"There's no one in that building." Raz gulped. Adi stepped forward.
	"Well, the scanner is only so accurate. Let's check it out ourselves."
he said, marching towards the ominous looking building. Zeki went after him,
followed timidly by Raz. The door swung open when Adi pushed on it. 
	"It's not locked?" Adi wondered out loud. "That's a bit of a safety 
issue." The main room was dark. Raz immediately went for the light switch. He
flicked it on, only to find that it didn't work.
	"It was working this morning." he said, recoiling from the light 
switch in fear. Zeki put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
	"Come on, Raz. Let's find your bedroom. That's a good place to start!"
he said encouragingly. Raz led the way slowly up the large staircase to the
second floor. He stopped at the beginning of the hallway to his bedroom.
	"It's so dark." Raz whispered. "I can't see a thing!" Adi stepped in 
front of him and held his hand out to Zeki.
	"Give me the lightblade." he said. Zeki reached into his bag and 
handed Adi a small switchblade. Then he smiled at Raz.
	"I made it myself." he said. "It's a switchblade that is electrical.
It emits a light so that you can see in the dark, and protect yourself. It 
helps keep your other hand free. It also gives a bit of a nasty shock when it
comes in contact with stuff." Raz listened as he watched Adi flick it open. 
The blade began to glow a pale blue. The hallway lit up slightly.
	"Don't hurt my brother." he said quietly. Adi nodded with a smile.
	"He's an excellent fighter." Zeki said. "He won't hurt anyone he 
dosen't mean to." Raz felt a little better. Especially now that they had a 
light source. They crept down the hallway until Raz spoke.
	"The door on your right." he said. "That's our room." He stepped 
forward, and turned the doorknob quietly. Fear rose up within him as he heard 
something move on the other side of the door. He gathered his courage, and 
opened the door. 
	At first, he couldn't see anything. Then his eyes began to adjust to
the darkness. He could see the big, rectangular forms of the beds. Then he 
heard a small sound. Like whimpering. Raz stepped into his room, and could 
faintly make out the form of his brother's grey fur, curled up in the far
corner.
	"Z-zula?" Raz asked. Zula flinched. Then he looked up. 
	"Raz! You came back!" he said. He looked relieved, but his green eyes
were wide with fear.
	"Raz, you have to get out of here..." Zula said quietly. "He... he 
might come back!" Zula began to tremble.
	"Zula! I can't leave without you!" Raz said desprately.
	"Who might come back?" Zeki asked. Zula folded his ears back.
	"The voice... from the book. Titus..." Suddenly, he jumped up.
	"Raz! Get away! He drove all the others out of the orphanage saying he
would kill them! I tried to stop him, but he's too strong! You have to go! 
He'll kill you!" he said. 
	"Zula!" Raz said, starting to cry. "I don't want to leave you!" Zula's
eyes softened.
	"I'm sorry, Brother. I didn't mean for things to go this way. I just
wanted to help us." then, his eyes grew hard. Then they started to darken in
color. Raz watched in horror as his brother's eyes became red, just like 
earlier that day.
	"Foolish brat!" Zula spat, using a lower, raspy voice. "You came back
to try and save your brother, didn't you? Well, he belongs to me now. Do as 
your brother said and leave, before I make you!" Adi stirred uncomfortably.
	"I can't attack him. If I hurt him, I'll hurt Zula." he said. Zeki
stepped forward.
	"Perhaps we can come to some sort of understanding." he said calmly.
Titus's face twisted in anger. 
	"NO! I refuse to reason with such meaningless creatures! Leave now, or
die!" Titus held out his arms, and a powerful wind started to blow. Zeki stood
his ground.
	"We'll fight you! I know a thing or two about ghosts!" he said. Raz 
could see just a hint of fear behind Titus's eyes. The wind died down.
	"I'm listening." Titus said. 
	"You're not very strong yet, are you?" Zeki said. This wasn't an 
insult, it was a question. "You've only just possessed this child. It will 
take time to train his body to become accustomed to using the powerful magic 
that you're used to using. You easily wear out, that's why we came in while
Zula was himself. You were resting." Titus was silent for a while.
	"Right." he finally allowed. 
	"So why him?" Zeki asked. "Why not someone older and stronger?" Titus
let his arms drop. His red eyes shone.
	"He is young, yes, but never before have I felt such potential in 
someone. He found the book, and I immediately sensed his power. That one has
power too, but not as much as Zula." He nodded at Raz. Raz took a step back. 
	"I want him back." Raz said. His voice was low, he was scared, but he
was doing his best not to show it. Titus smiled.
	"Do you now?" he laughed. "And just what are you going to do about 
it?" he asked. 
	"I'll fight you! If I win, I get my brother back." Raz shouted. Titus
laughed harder.
	"Fighting me would mean fighting your brother." he said. 
	"We know how to dispell spirits while they're weak!" Zeki said. "And 
we'll help him fight you." Titus's face was angry again.
	"You're not worthy to fight me!" he said. "I may be weak, but I am 
still stronger than you! I demand a fight that's worth the effort! I'm done
here. I've rested. Now you'll have to excuse us." Titus stepped towards the 
window. He opened it and then turned back and pointed at Raz.
	"You'll find me again when you are worth a fight. I'll see you then." 
he said with a grin. Raz stood up straight and had a look of determination on 
his small face.
	"I'm looking forward to it." he said. He watched with a bit of sadness
as Titus took his brother and vanished out the window. All was quiet for a
moment. Then Raz turned around and left. Zeki and Adi followed him.
	"You let him go?" Zeki asked. Raz nodded.
	"Titus wasn't going to give Zula back to us willingly." he said. "I 
made that deal with him because Titus thinks he will win. It's the only way I 
can have a chance of getting Zula back. All I can do is hope that Zula can 
become strong enough to fight back against Titus. In the meantime..." he said, 
glancing at Adi and Zeki. "I want to learn how to fight and dispell ghosts." 
Zeki and Adi both smiled.
	"We'll teach you everything we know." Zeki said.