Here..is my greatest masterpiece yet..the most hilarious, heart wrenching emotional story I had ever put down on paper..I know what your thinking "What the heck are you talking about?" Well, if I told you it would not only take away two hours of my precious time, it will also blow away the entire story altogether! But I can give you an idea of what you are up against..
This is the story about five different people, five destinies and one choice that could throw the cosmos and beyond into total chaos..This story begins when the three Waltz brothers are brought back to life and succeed in capturing Princess Garnet. But having forgotten their dark and violent past, of their servitude to the Queen, they have no idea of who they truly are. Two brothers break away from their prison only to find that their glorious past was nothing but death, despair and the blood of innocents..it is then they decide to join the Heroes of Gaia to rid the planet of Queen Brahne and her madness forever..
Meanwhile, the eldest Waltz posses a power that only few men in the galaxy were ever known to have it..and he may be the key to overthrow his master's creator once and for all..or will it be vice versa?
And meanwhile..the Waltz's creator struggles with his inner demons as he plots to destroy the one who stole away his life and his heart's love..
And meanwhile..one girl accidentally stumbles upon her master's dark and romantic past and glimpses the person he once was..before his father took it all away from him. Will she be able to reach his heart and save him from his own demise? Or is the man whom she truly loves lost already?
You will just have to read and find out in..
Nightshade written by Lead Cockatoo and Skye Mage
...
Rated teen for strong language and violence
Chapter One: Vengeance
He grinned watching the little mage ran full pelt towards him, the knight at his heels. He skidded to a stop a little ways away. "Why-why did you do that?" he cried, his childish voice cracking with rage "Weren't they your friends?"
He laughed at such an absurd thought; "You little shit! Do I look like some lowly Black Mage soldier?"
"Even if they weren't your allies, what you did was reprehensible!" bellowed the knight in turn gnashing his teeth aggressively.
"HAHAHA! Worry not about them! Many more are produced even now!"
The shock radiating powerfully from the child's eyes prompt a satisfied chuckle from the great mage. Suddenly the monkey tailed kid scurried from the cockpit and crouched defensively along side his comrades "What are you?"
He glared balefully down at him. He was the one, they had told him, he and that mage both who killed them! His anger flared violently, gathering in his rod he pointed it at the child and snarled "It wouldn't do you any good if I answered since your all going to die!"
"Fool! I told the last one I would escort the Princess to the castle myself!" the knight said in a whiny tone "It's this monkey-this stupid boy! He is always interfere-"
"SILENCE!" The Waltz snapped "I came not for the princess! In fact," he snarled "I don't give a shit about her!"
"What are you talking about?"
He narrowed his eyes, heated black magic pulsing strongly in his aura, against his body "I only came to avenge my brothers!" And with that he snapped his rod out and shot another Thundaga spell in the child's direction, blowing the little mage away and crashing hard against the cockpit. He heard the princess shriek from within and he charged for him. Spotting the mage through the black cloud of smoke, he whipped out his rod and whacked the child full in the face, sparks crackled off. He screamed in pain and the Waltz grinned watching the mage fall again. But just then, the mage started to glow. Puzzlement turned to near shock as a blinding white light engulfed the child. It seemed to charge up this mage for he now gazed back almost challengingly at his opponent, steepled hat pointed, a white-hot eye now slits.
Instinct screamed at him to turn and he dodged just as the knight's blade sliced through the air, slashing into the floorboards. He then onto the cockpit and raised his fist cast Fira onto his enemies. A great explosion engulfed the party, but miraculously the monkey leaped up alongside him with the glowing mage perched atop his shoulders.
"THUNDARA!"
He felt searing hot electricity snap through his entire body, he rasped out in pain, a blaze engulfed him fire now eating away at his cloak-the smell of smoke and burning feathers choking him and he rose into the air, burnt wings straining slightly as he carried himself up into the wind. He flapped his wings harder, the flames dying out, he pointed his staff at the little boy-the iron burnt into his already deformed hand but he ignored the pain and summoned up the most powerful spell that came to mind
"BLIZZARA!"
Icicles materialized outta thin air and impaled the child knocking him over the edge, landing somewhere down on the deck. He felt the swift lash of the dagger blades across his shoulders and his chest. He thrust out his rod and blocked the next few slashes, he pushed the monkey overboard and leaped down, staff raised-
"FIARAGA!"
…
He woke with a start. A dull pounding echoed in the back of his head, red and green fireworks exploded before his eyes. He quickly closed them, feeling his stomach lurched. He rolled over onto his side, knowing that he was gonna throw up any minute. It felt like some searing hot iron claw was slowly turning his stomach inside out. Even picturing THAT made the bile rise in his throat. He waited for the moment to hurl. But after a few moments the nausea subsided and he began to relax once more. He shivered suddenly feeling cold.
Still without opening his eyes he felt around his scarred fingers feeling soft flannel beneath him.
Soft, like how a cloud would feel, he thought.
But thinking seemed to make his head throb even more, placing a hand to his forehead; he relaxed his eyes that were hidden behind clamped eyelids.
Still keeping one hand over his eyes, he felt around with the other hand and touched a blanket. He grasped the soft thing and pulled it over him. He burrowed deeper into it, it smelled slightly of Potion or some other medical substance but it warmed his shivering form and feeling once again drowsy fell asleep within minutes
…
A beam of sunlight woke him out of another dream filled with fire and rage. But the instant he ventured his eyes open and cast his eyes around the now bright room, it faded almost at once from his mind, as if it never happened.
He still felt a dull pain in the back of his forehead but he did not feel the least bit nauseous. He was in a small bedroom with yellowed wallpaper and a shabby looking wardrobe. Simple curtains hung in the windows that the sunlight filtered through, bathing half the little room in warmth. He slowly sat up; his limbs seemed to creak as they supported him, unusually stiff. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and hurried over to the window bending slightly to peer out of it.
A large brown building loomed over the little yard, casting a rather large shadow over the dew-drenched grass. Cockerels and their mates pecked at he grass, clucking to one another, one with pure white feathers skittered around one plump little hen with his wing dragging in the dirt. He watched these birds with a curious fascination leaning his head against the cool windowpane. Eventually though the monotonous activities of the chickens made him sink into a almost torpid state, gazing at nothing in particular, his mind blank devoid of all thoughts.
He stuttered violently when one of the roosters crowed and he seemed to wake up, forgetting that he was standing there at all.
Turning he saw the mirror on the dresser and started toward and gazed at himself for a long, long time.
His face was a color he could not describe-a faint black, violet-purple, charcoal grey, deep midnight-all blending harmoniously together into one color that had no name, at least not to his knowledge. Long pink scars criss crossed his entire face. his nose looked as if it was split in two. He then noticed his neck and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. There was a deep, half healed gash in the that traveled from his adam's apple and disapeared into the thuck tuff of feathers at his collarbone.
He blinked.
What the fuck happened to me?
It was then he noticed the wings. He turned to gaze at the long blue pinions attached to his back. He found that he could move them, stretching out one wing experimentally marveling at how it moved, and the feathers quietly rustling.
He did not hear the door open silently on oiled hinges. A slight gasp sent him nearly leaping out of his shoes. Heart plummeting against his ribcage, He spun around, wings snapping out instinctively ready to attack. His feathers accidentally knocking several bottles and pots off the dresser top clattering to the floor, that too making him start again.
There stood an old lady clutching some sort of tray who stared back at him in surprise.
He stared down at her, chest heaving heavily, after speculating her he realized that she was no real threat, unless she'd try and knock him over the head with that tea tray. Inwardly he hoped she wouldn't for the back of his head still throbbed, like someone was gently whacking it with a rubber hammer. But she seemed too scared, he noticed that her trembling fingers gripped the handles of the tray. She gazed up at him bravely, yet he saw her tremble slightly.
There was no reason really; he wasn't about to hurt her.
"I-I didn't realize that you'd be awake," she finally spoke, her little voice twittered like a bird's.
Opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out for his throat was too parched for the words to flow, instead out came a slight cough.
"You feeling alright?"
'Y-yeah," came the rasping reply
"Well I must say you are certainly the most lively patients I have ever cared for" he glanced pointedly at the little boxes with jewelry spilling out onto the floor, glass bottles emanating a sweet odor. Feeling dreadfully embarrassed for his jumpiness he bent down to scoop up the contents
"I-I'm dreadfully sorry, I thought that-maybe-"
"Oh that's alright young man!" she said placing the tray on the dresser and bending down to help him pick up her cosmetics. He placed them on the dresser while she rearranged them in their proper order-
glass bottles go on one side and necklaces and pots go on the other.
They stood a tad awkwardly until the elderly woman asked him quite kindly
"So how are you feeling?"
Rather stupid he wanted to say, but instead he straightened up replied
"Fine thank you-still have a headache, ma'am,"
"Well I'm not surprised, you must've hit your head on something hard, you were knocked out when I found you-"
"F-find me? W-here where did you find me?"
"In the river."
"River?"
"Yes."
"How how did I get here?" he wondered aloud, he leaned against the wardrobe and placed a hand on his forehead
"I'm not sure, I was walking Lola-my chocobo down by the river and then I saw you..You looked like you got in a mighty nasty scrap, all burnt and clothes were torn-sir are you feeling alright?"
"I-I-I" He suddenly felt weak, his legs buckling underneath him, he grabbed the side of the dresser
"Here!" said the old lady taking his hand in her own and guiding him to the bed "You must rest!"
He lowered himself gently onto the bed, his whole head now throbbing
How did I get here? what am I doing here? What is this place-Oh, oh GOD!
"Here, drink this" she handed him a little cup. It contained a brown liquid that emanated a slight acrid odor; he felt his stomach turn and he glanced up at the elderly lady uncertainly
"Go on it'll help,"
He tilted the cup slightly letting a little bit trickle down into his mouth. To his surprise it tasted rather sweet, like a minute tea. He drained the tea in one swallow, suddenly finding himself thirsty.
"Ma-may I have some water?" he asked rather politely
"Why of course you can!" she trotted over to the dresser where she had a miniature clay jug poured a little water into his teacup and handing it to him. He tanked her then drains it with one gulp. She refilled the cup and he drunk again, slower this time.
"You f-found me in the river?" he asked, his voice still low and raspy but no longer that broken croak
"Yes, your clothes were torn, your skin had horrible burns on them, and your arm was broken but it healed last night."
"How long have I-?"
"Oh you've been sleeping for nearly two days now, but tossing in and out of dreams, several times I thought I had lost you for good, you never woke up on some days-trying to get you awake to take medicine.."
"Four days.."
"Yes."
He stared into space letting it sink in. Suddenly a clear visual appeared before his eyes-
He remembered hot liquid pour over him, like molten lava, him screaming in pain struggling to escape, agony pulsed through his already convulsing body. His every thought pierced his mind, felt lie it was being torn apart-
his limbs one arm in particular felt as if a thousand shards of poisoned glass stuck into his arm, sending needles of pain up into his mind
he tried to move
tried to break free
tried to get out
cannot
strength leaving him
little snaps of electricity popping dying one by one in the merciless waves
then..
After an eternity of indescribable hell, he felt as if he were lifted out of the swirling vortex of frozen fire a breeze-a pure gust of wind that smelled of healing and purity..
the lingering pain on his charred flesh left him, he felt warm wrapped in a protective cotton shell, giving himself up to this comforting whirlwind of light
He woke suddenly from his reverie-panic seized him, and for the first time the situation dawned upon him. He snapped up his head startling the elderly lady
"I-I-I-I!" was all he could stammer out, he knew there was something missing, something was wrong. All this time his mind had been blank, blissfully unaware of his surroundings taking all of it to be a dream. But where was he really? Who was she? Is this another dream or reality?
"Sir, you need to rest," urged the young lady but this was impossible for him to do so. He cannot rest! He had to find out where he was! What he had lost! Suddenly his vision blurred as color and light blended. He fell back onto the bed trying to govern his urge to become very sick.
"There there, you need rest," she repeated above him "Its alright now," she added in a more soothing tone "your safe, absolutely safe I promise you that just close your eyes abit"
She placed something damp against his forehead and handed another to place against his mouth, he pressed the cool wet cloth to his blackened lips finding that it soothed his nausea somewhat, but his heart still thudded painfully against his ribcage.
Half an hour later he drew the cloth away from his face and sighed deeply. The elderly lady was still there beside the bed watching him closely, her brow furrowed worriedly.
"Miss?"
"Mmm?"
"What happened here?" he pulled down his shirt collar to show the long scar.
She shook her head "You had that when I found you."
"Ahh.." he sighed, starting to feel sick again and laid his head back against the pillows.
"What's your name?"
Silence.
"I-I don't know." he said before drifting off into another feverish sleep.
...
I own nothing from Final Fantasy IX