By: Starlight_x1
Chapter 1: The Turning
He could feel their terror; it resonated through his being and tasted sweet in his mouth. Nothing else could compare to the emotion of fear. It gave strength of will to some, but others were incapacitated by its embrace. For a Destroyer it was his life blood. He never knew fear for himself; he only feasted on it in others. Still this time the fear was different. There was no self preservation surfacing in the few who faced them. Their fear was for someone else... Duo shook his head; trying to pinpoint the object of the fear hadn't worked. Therefore he couldn't use it against them.
He glanced to the side towards the closest thing he could call friend. The figure of a Death Mage wasn't very impressive. Dark mystery surrounded him often becoming visible as a black fog that swirled around his form like a cloak. Heero didn't go for the flashy effects that Duo enjoyed as a Destroyer. His one effective weapon was his gaze. It was cold. Duo often felt chills climbing up his spine when he glanced into Heero's eyes. He generally avoided such an encounter.
Before them the three protectors stood, staffs held high against the twin terrors of darkness. The middle protector stood chanting softly, eyes half-way closed while his two companions advanced forward a few steps. "Leave us, Destroyer of men's souls." The single female spoke up boldly. "You shall not find what you seek."
"She is here." Heero closed his eyes. "I can sense her presence. You cannot hide her any longer." He stretched forth his hands, black waves streaming from his fingertips and enveloping the three protectors. They cried out in agony as the blackness ate away at their magic, dispelling the illusion they had created. The illusion they themselves were. Duo shook his head silently. No wonder he hadn't been able to pinpoint the object of their fear when they were nothing but the imaginings of another's mind.
"Come and fight then demon." The speaker was a slender female elf dressed in a form fitting garment that didn't hamper her movements. Dark hair hung limply over her forehead. Her eyes blazed red for an instant before coming back to their natural violet color. She crouched, ready for action.
Duo hissed, tossing back his hooded cloak and gripping his sword. "Be careful Heero, tis a Fire maiden." In sudden confirmation his black blade reflected the red flames that leapt from the elf girl's hands, her eyes again burning red.
"No!"
The shout startled them. Duo blinked his eyes in surprise at the female who had suddenly appeared, as it seemed, in their midst. "Hilde, stop. Remember, the key of truth was stolen. Nothing is now as it appears." The female laid one hand upon her companion's shoulder while her gaze met Heero's fearlessly.
The elfin girl took a step forward, her hand leaving her companion's shoulder and reaching forward toward Heero's face. "This isn't you." Her eyes blazed brightly. "I can see truly. You are no more a Death Mage then I am a Destroyer."
"Milady," Hilde spoke in alarm, stepping forward.
Heero growled, his fingers curling as the elf took another step towards him. Duo could pick up the scent of fear that wafted one instant from his friend before disappearing. "Die!" Heero thrust his hands towards the female, encasing her with his darkness. Even as her body tensed in agony a slender hand reached out and gripped his wrist while her magic flowed at him. There was an explosion as the dark and the light met, both Death Mage and elf went flying in opposite directions, landing several feet from each other in unmoving heaps. Duo and Hilde were forced to cover their eyes from the blinding flash that followed.
Duo sat up dazedly and looked around. Hilde seemed to have come through the magic blast better then he had and was already cradling her companion's head in her lap. Gently she brushed strands of honey blond hair away from the pale face. "Relena," She spoke urgently. "Come, you must awaken milady."
Duo turned his attention to his friend. Heero was lying in a careless heap, arms outspread as in supplication to some higher authority. Duo touched him cautiously. The power that had formerly flown through the young man was gone. Something new and strange had risen up in its place. Duo sat back finding himself bemused by what had happened. Turning he reached for his sword, only to jerk his hand back in surprise.
The blade was no longer black. It had been scoured clean by the same magic that had touched Heero.
"Relena."
Duo looked up in time to see two other elves appear out of the surrounding foliage. They were clad in the same color changing garments as the fire maiden Hilde. The male crouched next to her and touched Relena's face gently. "Sister." He turned his attention to Duo who had gotten up and now stood protectively over his fallen companion. "Did they do this?" The newcomer growled. His female companion stood silent but ready.
Clenching his fists, not ready to pick up his sword Duo prepared himself for a fight. There wasn't any way he could run and leave Heero behind. Besides, he was feeling a bit shaky as it was. But Hilde was shaking her head at the elfin warrior. "No. He is the one." She nodded her head toward where Heero lay. "She saw." Her hand caressed the golden hair again.
His face crinkled in slight disgust the warrior turned to where Duo stood. "Come, pick up your companion. We will not hurt you. I swear it on my honor."
Duo didn't move for a moment, taking his time to assess the man's words. He closed his eyes and felt, testing the magic that surrounded the two newcomers. Opening his eyes he gave a curt nod. The male was a summoner of air and lightening, while the female was an earth warrior. Gingerly he picked up his sword and sheathed it before draping his comatose companion on his back.
The three elves had been talking together in hushed tones. He caught traces of their conversation, enough to realize they were speaking about him. That, and the names of the two strangers.
Finally the male, Zechs, nodded and stood, pulling his hood over his white hair and picking up his sister. "Come." The elf melted into the woods, carrying his burden easily.
Duo struggled to keep up but found it increasingly difficult. Biting his lip he stumbled on as perspiration began to stand out on his forehead. As a Destroyer he was used to long treks and strenuous days, but the magic explosion that had knocked out his companion and the elfin girl seemed to have drained his endurance as well.
A hand gripped his arm. Duo was wearied enough that he didn't react. He looked to the side to see Noin, the earth warrior. "Come." She led him forward into what appeared to be a wall. Instead Duo found himself in a large cave. Light sifted in from somewhere overhead. With a sigh of relief he let Heero slip from his back to the earth floor and slumped down next to him.
Noin came to stand in front of him. "I have placed a bracelet of restraining on you. You will not be able to leave this cave." He reached for his sword and looked up in shock when he discovered it gone. Noin held it. "I'm sorry, but we cannot allow you any weapons."
Duo sighed and pulled his cloak about him more securely. For some reason the elves either couldn't or wouldn't kill him, instead making him their prisoner. This fact didn't alarm him as much as it usually would. His brain seemed fuzzy for some reason. A mist crept across his eyes and he yawned widely before his head slumped and he fell asleep.
"He is asleep."
Zechs glanced up briefly at Noin before again turning his attention back to his sister. She lay unconscious on a pile of blankets, her face rather pale. He pulled out a silver flask delicately etched with flowing letters in the elfin tongue. Lifting her head he forced some of the liquid into her mouth and watched as she swallowed. "It was a foolish idea." Zechs spoke harshly, though his tone was softened somewhat by the concern in his eyes.
Noin shrugged. "What was done is done." She spoke reasonably. "Now all we can do is wait for them to wake up. Then we will see if it was as foolish as you say." She touched his face tentatively. "Don't be so concerned love. Your sister is strong. She will recover."
Zechs stood and allowed a smile to cross his face. "Of course beloved." He looked over to where Hilde had materialized out of the shadows. "I'll sit with her now." The fire maiden offered.
"Very well. Noin and I will scout the area and return shortly."
"Don't worry. They can't do much." Hilde gestured to where Heero lay
swathed in his own pile of blankets while Duo slumbered peacefully.
***
Relena slowly came back to consciousness accompanied by the soft sound of singing. Turning her head she observed her close friend and companion sitting by her side, singing while she played around with her magic. The flames danced in intricate patterns in the air urged along by slender fingers, skillful in their manipulation of the dangerous element.
"That's beautiful Hilde."
"You're awake!" Abruptly the flames disappeared as Hilde turned her attention to Relena. "How long have you been watching?"
"Just a little while." Relena sat up, sweeping aside the blankets tucked over her. "But it would seem you've had another observer as well." She nodded to where Duo sat obviously watching the fire maiden's display of skill. A slight blush crossed the elf girl's cheeks.
Relena smiled at her friend's embarrassment but then turned her attention back to Duo.
He watched as she walked to where he sat. A new emotion churned within him that he shockingly identified as fear. A Destroyer never felt fear. Looking up at the elf before him he frowned. "What have you done to me?"
She met his gaze, sympathy evident in her eyes. "I only called forth the truth." Her voice was soothing but her answer only raised more questions in his already confused brain.
"Then I'm not a Destroyer?"
"No," She shook her head. "You are, as you put it, a Destroyer. Your being has not changed. Rather your purpose for existence has changed."
His confusion must have still shown because she seated herself cross-legged in front of him and folded her hands in her lap. "You and others like yourself were not originally intended to become slaughterers and killers. Rather your purpose was to be guardians and protectors, but that purpose became twisted when the key of truth was stolen by Ha'derkaath, god of destruction and death.
We elves did not revere Ha'derkaath, loving instead Elai, god of life. So we fought against him trying to reclaim the key of truth. But with the key in his possession he was able to twist men's views and purposes, so many mages and warriors were enslaved to serve his designs. Thus the elves were defeated and forced into hiding."
"But he's still hunting your people." Duo concluded. His face twisted into a grimace of half mirth, half despair. "He's afraid of something. I've sensed it."
"Yes." Relena agreed. "Ha'derkaath wasn't able to steal the only other key that would have granted him full power. The key of Justice was hidden before he could reach it. He's been searching for it ever since."
"Who took the key?"
"No one knows, though many believe it was given into the keeping of the Dragon Lord and his people. Ha'derkaath attacked the dragons in order to search for the key. Even after killing most of them the key still eludes him."
Duo sat for a moment in silence allowing everything he had heard to soak in. "What do I do now? Who am I?"
Again he felt Relena's sympathy. "You are welcome to join us. We believe that some will rise up to challenge Ha'derkaath and take the key of truth from him. I am the holder of hope for our people and people everywhere who stand against Ha'derkaath."
Relena paused a look of utter weariness crossing her face. "Others had been sent before you to try and kill me. But none ever had the power to sense, let alone dispel my illusions. Therefore I had to try to turn him and you."
"Just what did you do to him?"
"I'm not sure. It was all instinct." Relena sighed. She followed his gaze to where Heero still lay unconscious.
Rising she walked over to his side and placed her fingers gently on his temples. Duo watched as her lips moved softly. A glow rose around her hands as her words, rather more a song, became louder. The glow vanished suddenly and her hands dropped from Heero's head as she fell back in weariness.
"Milady!" Hilde was quick to spring forward and draw her away. "You need your rest. You are more drained then you think."
"You are right my friend." Relena allowed herself to be laid in a corner. "I will rest." Her eyes still looked regretfully at Heero. Hilde crouched by her side until Relena's eyes closed and her breathing deepened indicating sleep.
Duo stared down at his hands, absently twirling his thumbs. "Where are the other two?"
"Tracking or scouting. Whichever you prefer." Hilde glanced at him before dropping her gaze to the floor. "We have to be extremely cautious. Such a display of magic's as they showed is sure to draw the attention of some of Ha'derkaath's warriors."
Or something more then his warriors. Duo could feel a coldness creep over him. The feeling of fear that had seized him earlier transformed into sheer terror. Some being of pure evil was coming. He could feel its approach as it tore through the underbrush outside.
Before he could say anything Hilde tensed. "Something's coming." Surprise showed in her eyes mixed with a little anxiety that she quickly suppressed.
"My sword." Duo gestured toward where his blade rested against the cave wall. "You must give it to me."
"I don't know." Hilde didn't have much time for indecision. The blackness Duo had sensed burst through the cave's hidden entrance. Its forward rush was halted by a wall of fire. "Stay back, creature of Ha'derkaath." Hilde began to motion with her hands, closing the ends of the wall together until it had formed a circle around the creature.
Duo could now make out the creature more clearly. It was about the size of a large dog or pony. Pitch black in color it rose up on its hind legs as it tried to escape the fire surrounding it. Sharp claws tore at the ground while fangs snapped. It roared with all the voices of the dead. Ignoring the flames now it pressed ever nearer to where Heero lay helpless. "No, you won't." Hilde's arms trembled with the effort of restraining the beast and sweat began to roll down her face. She placed herself in between the monster and Heero and tried to force it back.
Duo could sense her fear as she struggled to hold off the hideous beast. Repeatedly he threw himself towards her, but to no avail. He couldn't move from where he stood. Growling he turned on the bracelet of restraining, tearing at the flesh on his wrist with his teeth and fingers. Lifting hands dripping with his own blood he roared his frustration and anger at the monster. "Come and fight me you misbegotten spawn of Ha'derkaath.
For a moment the creature paused and swung its head to look at him. Then it continued its slow advance towards Heero. It swiped with a claw, barely missing Hilde. She had fallen to her knees, tiring but still attempting to force the beast back with her fire wall.
There was a whizzing sound close to Duo's ear and a small dagger buried itself in the monster's side. There was a roar of outrage and the beast turned to tear at the small blade. Then it fell, kicking convulsively in its death throes. Finally it lay still. The wall of fire disappeared and Hilde collapsed breathing heavily. "I'm glad it's dead." She finally spoke. "But how could it die from just one small dagger?"
"I do not know my friend." Relena knelt beside her. "Perhaps it was just luckily thrown. Or maybe the small spell I spoke worked."
Duo had also collapsed when the beast had died. Now he sat up, noticing the blood that dripped slowly from Relena's left hand. "Your hand...." he spoke dazedly.
"Oh, this." Relena looked slightly embarrassed. "I just cut myself accidentally when I went to throw my dagger."
"No. Your blood. That's what killed the.... the.... That thing."
"You're bleeding too." Hilde frowned at the sight of Duo's mangled wrist.
He looked down at his wrist as well and shuddered. "What happened to me?"
"Your true nature revealed itself." Relena answered. "Before you feasted on fear in others. Now it dredges up the need to protect. In a sense it causes you to go berserk, especially if you can't do anything about it."
Duo glanced as his wrist and shuddered again as he remembered. "Well, I never want to go through that again." He shut his eyes trying to eradicate the feeling of helplessness that still gripped him. A hand touched his arm. He opened his eyes and looked over at Hilde. She squeezed gently. "Thank you Duo."
"You're safe." Noin and Zechs hurried into the cave. "That beast outran us like we were standing still." Zechs stopped by his sister and helped bandage her hand. "What killed it?"
"Remove the bracelet of restraining from Duo." Relena instructed Noin, ignoring her brother's question. "He isn't a danger to us."
Noin stood watching as Hilde finished binding up Duo's wrist before chanting something under her breath. Duo sighed in relief. It felt like a ton of weights had just dropped off him. Slowly he moved closer to where the beast lay.
"I'm curious as well. How did you kill it?" Noin asked.
Relena opened her mouth slightly but was interrupted by Duo. "It was her blood."
"What?" Zechs frowned at the Destroyer.
"The purity of her blood." Duo pulled the dagger from the body easily, wiping the blade off on the rough fur. "She is a creature of light, the total antithesis for a creature of darkness. So the purity of her blood, introduced through the blade of her dagger was like a quick working poison. The opposite is probably true as well. Of course, that is only my opinion." Shrugging he wrapped the dagger in a cloth. "You may wish to have this cleansed before you touch it again."
Noin shuddered with disgust and turned away from the corpse. "We should leave. This place has been compromised. I cannot promise that the illusion I set will keep any more of Ha'derkaath's minions away."
"It was after him." Hilde spoke up, indicating Heero. "It only came at me because I was standing between them."
"Something must have drawn it here." Relena mused. "Perhaps something on his person...."
Before she could finish Duo brushed passed them and knelt by his friend's side. "The necklace...."
"Necklace?" The four elves watched as Duo roughly pulled open Heero's tunic revealing a thin disk dangling from a chain, twisted characters engraved on it's front. "This was given to him from Ha'derkaath personally. I thought it was a symbol of how high he was in Ha'derkaath's ranks."
"It probably was." Relena spoke up. "But it also was Ha'derkaath's way of insuring he didn't lose any of his top mages to the enemy."
"Curse you Ha'derkaath." Duo growled. Before any of the elves could say anything he grabbed the chain and tore it off from around Heero's neck, almost instantly tossing it away. He clutched his hand close to his body, hissing in pain. His palm had been seared red from grabbing the necklace.
"You fool." Zechs shook his head. "It probably had a spell protecting it."
Duo glared back at the elfin warrior but didn't say anything because
at that moment Heero opened his eyes.
(Author's note: I know that Duo calls himself the god of death, but
in this fiction he has no connection to Ha'derkaath, my created god of
death and destruction. Just thought I would clarify that.)