Fire glowed brightly in the training yard of Airyglyph's Castle. The wild flames flickered and crackled loudly, casting shadow's upon its lone visitor, the recently promoted captain of the Dragon Brigade, Albel Nox.
Dark steel pierced the starry night sky. The warrior leaped into a back-flip, slicing a training dummy into five clean pieces.
Crimson eyes surveyed his work half-heartedly as he straightened. The young man flicked his sword in circles to his left and right sides; a deadly barrier of steel surrounding him. The mere breeze of the sword's dance tore the remaining pieces of the dummy into shreds, and eventually, into dust. Albel allowed a slow breath to escape his lips as he ceased the mindless wrath of his blade. His ruby red eyes defied the stars that shined merrily in the sky.
He knew their secrets. He knew that the stars weren't gods or magical guides for the ones lost at sea. He knew for a fact that they were nothing but more planets just like his; with people more or less like his. They had all been fabricated by some petty lunatic in search of riches and power. To him, everything that was his world had lost all of its value.
Albel looked down at his blade and gritted his teeth in fury. A feral howl erupted from his lungs as he lunged the relic-sword against the wall of the training yard with a clang. A loud and bitter string of curses followed the sound of steel and bone against stone as Albel slammed his fists against the floor.
Snow began to fall upon Airyglyph once more. The cold flakes melted on contact with the fiery pale skin of the captain. The katana known as the Crimson Scourge gleamed threateningly in the dying light of the fire, snow slowly smothering the last burning embers.
Albel stared at the mighty blade that his father had once wielded. A strangled noise escaped his lips and he jammed his right hand between his teeth. The thought of his father being nothing but a creation for the sake of entertainment left nothing but wrath and grief in his soul.
'Was my father's death for nothing?! Were those screams of agony and pain nothing but a production to ease someone else's boredom?!' Albel thought bitterly as he clamped down so hard on his knuckles he drew blood.
A small gloved hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed it tenderly. Albel swung around his gauntlet, only for it to clash against a blade of Ryusen; one of the relic sword set of Aquaria. Albel's wild crimson eyes made contact with heartrending jade ones.
Only one person could sneak up on him and survive; only one person could come to him with nothing but comfort and sympathy…only one person on that planet knew what he knew about the stars. The Crimson Blade and spy of Aquaria, Nel Zelpher.
They were staying in the castle to rest from their long journey. He'd been traveling with the young woman for quite a while now, their high rankings, convenient acquaintance and jointed participation in the saving of their nations had made them the ideal envoys in the proceedings for the peace treaty between Aquaria and Airyglyph. They had traveled for many months between countries, meeting nobles, carrying messages and even offering to solve out problems that would interfere with the smooth union of their nations.
Albel snapped out of his reverie and ripped his gaze away from the Aquarian.
"What are you doing here, Zelpher?" Albel gave his back to the fuchsia haired maiden, retrieving his blade from the rock wall with an irritated growl.
Nel hesitated a few seconds before responding, observing the man's movements with light interest. A few month's ago he'd have responded by severing her head. A few month's ago she wouldn't have been brave enough to intrude in his private time, much less alone. Albel had heartily disagreed with joining her, the role of peace-maker contrasting with his lifestyle and reputation, but Nel being the dutiful and loyal soldier that she was, made all the necessary arrangements to make the captain's new job as impossible to refuse as she could. Calling a favor from the blue haired boy had been underhanded but necessary, the reward now attached to the captain's shoulder.
Nel turned around and walked slowly to the edge of the training yard. When she reached the fence that kept her from falling to her demise, she climbed up onto it and surveyed the town of Airyglyph. Seeing the expansiveness of the city was an impressive sight from the high castle wall. Her expression was enigmatic but somewhat sentimental as her unwavering gaze moved across the many buildings below.
Albel sheathed the Scourge and turned around to look at the spy. His breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of the woman standing on the edge of the castle. The wind came up from the town below and lifted her hair and scarf in an ethereal anti-gravity sense. Snow swirled around her form, though she was seemingly unfazed by the frigid temperature.
Mesmerized by the sight, a realization dawned upon him. Not everything had lost its value. This world was no longer under the control of Luther. This ferocious, agile, powerful, yet beautiful woman was not under the control of the Creator. In fact, she had been a member of the group that defeated Luther and freed the universe. She herself contained all the possible worth he could ever ask for. She defied and defeated Control itself and made a new meaning for herself.
Albel chuckled lightly and shook his head, effectively drawing the attention of the Crimson Blade. "What's so funny?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously, her suspicion apparent.
"Nothing, actually." He approached the very fence she stood upon and laid his arms over it, resting his weight against the rock wall. His new gauntlet looked much like the old one on the outside, but contained all of the new-age technology in prosthetics. It was light, unlike his former arm and it had been properly attached to his nervous system, so he no longer suffered from constant pains or fevers. He had been grateful, though he never said anything, merely agreeing to accompany her in her journey after Fayt had delivered the Spy's bribe.
Nel stared at the towns' people going about their daily business; the children playing in the snow, the mothers fetching bread for dinner and the merchants selling their stock. Neither of them spoke, simply watching for a while. Nel sat down on the wall's edge and crossed her arms, the chilly night freezing her to the bone; she finally let the cold visibly affect her. Albel resisted the urge to bring her closer.
"They have no idea…" The soft whisper brought Albel's ruby eyes from the town to the woman sitting close to him.
Albel turned his eyes back to the children and his eyes softened with understanding. "No…they don't."
"What will their future be? What happens to us if we're good or if we're bad? Does anything we do on our very own affect the course of history? What's the point of fighting…of protecting…? If in the end…it all turns to dust…hopelessly… There are no gods to protect the good, no gods to punish the evil… No hope to survive death or be rewarded in the end for your actions! It's just us people…living on…and dying on…" Nel gritted her teeth and hugged herself tighter.
Albel pondered her words for a few minutes. Minutes went by in silence between the two. Finally he brought his eyes up to the stars and answered. "Not everything turns to dust… If it did… Everything you saw right now, would be dust."
Nel opened her eyes and stared at him, bewildered. Albel motioned with his head towards the valleys beyond the mountains. Nel followed his sight and looked at the land past the town of Airyglyph and saw mountains of rock and fields of grass. Past that she saw the lights of even more towns and her own country, the lush and fertile Aquaria.
"The future is in the generations," Albel continued as he looked down at the children playing in the snow once more. "What we do affects them; if we're good, or bad. The children pay the price. For example, your father and mine were great heroes of our countries. They affected the tides positively by sacrificing themselves for their countries…and for their children." At this, Albel ripped off a rock from the wall with his gauntlet and tightened his claws around it angrily. When he opened the mechanical hand all that remained was dust.
"Each of us will eventually turn to dust…but our legacy doesn't…nor our stories, or ideals. We leave our small mark in the world…and our memories remain in books or with children and friends." When he looked up to Nel he found she was staring at him in surprise.
Albel scoffed and rested his chin on his claw. "Thought I was all brawn and no brain, didn't you." It wasn't a question.
Nel looked away and sneered. "Well you can't really blame me. You didn't say many intelligent things in the time we spent together in our journeys." Silence ensued between the two once more.
"Thank you, Albel… I really needed that." Nel smiled genuinely at the captain.
Albel raised a fine eyebrow then gave her one of his rare smiles, the ones that were just for her, and stared off into the landscape. "Nah, thank you, Nel."
Nel smiled at her unlikely friend then sighed and looked again to the lush land beyond the mountains of snow. She remained inside her thoughts for a very long while, absorbing his words and recreating her view of the universe in her mind.
After a very long while she finally spoke up. "I guess in the end…all that remains is the balance…between everything…between our actions, our intentions, and the existence of all that is around us…"
Albel looked down and his mechanical arm and clenched both his fists in front of him. Before him, he saw both man and machine.
"Then this is my balance … The punishment for my weakness…," he closed his eyes as he breathed the words out.
Small, warm, and surprisingly delicate hands held both his fists tenderly, making Albel open his eyes. Jade eyes delved deep into pools of crimson as Nel smiled at Albel. His expression was unreadable.
"This isn't your punishment, Albel. It's just part of life. It's part of the balance. You failed the ceremony and you were supposed to die. But in exchange for your life, your father sacrificed himself. And you were worth it…" At this, he scowled and was about to yell at her before she interrupted him "Don't you get it? Without you, we couldn't have saved the universe from Luther! That's how much you are worth…"
It was true; during their whole journey the captain's strength, agility and strategy had aided the group in reaching the Creator's lair without losing any members. He'd participated in countless battles and rescued his allies from many tight situations. Without his help, they would've surely failed to save everything that they knew. Albel knew this, but he could never accept his father's sacrifice, though he'd learned to live on with it.
He sighed for the hundredth time that night and frowned at the small hands trying to cover his own. He reflected a moment, about how their relationship had changed. From bitter enemies to unlikely allies, rivals then friends.
Nel released his hands and he felt much colder than before. She hugged herself once more to fight off the freezing temperature and he once again resisted the urge to hold her, protect her. It was unlike him.
To ease his nerves he did the next best thing.
"I'm gonna head in for the night, we have yet another long journey ahead of us." He held out a hand, expecting her to take it, like any normal woman would.
Nel snickered and turned away from him, earning herself a frustrated growl from the captain. "I'll head in later, I want to stay out here a while longer..."
Albel let his hand fall and glared daggers at the spy's back, racking his brain for a way to get her inside without embarrassing himself.
After a few seconds of silence Nel turned around and caught him staring at her. He turned his gaze away from her, the faintest blush gracing his pale skin.
Nel closed her eyes, smiled, got up off the wall and walked past the captain... and he released a breath he didn't know he was holding.
She did this everyday, it seemed to be her new thing, finding ways to frustrate and fluster him. And oddly enough, he wasn't hacking her head off for it.
He sighed, looked at the horizon one last time and smirked before walking after the red-head.
The world had reclaimed all its value and it was time to move forward. Time to move on with his story.
He owed Glou that much.