Misconceptions
Author: angelcat2865
Summary: Things aren't always as they seem. What if the prophecy about the twins was not what the people of Valeria thought it was and what if it wasn't Fai who died that day in the Valley of Sinners?
Warnings: This story is rated T for some violence and child abuse.
Spoilers: For Fai's past,Chapters 155-156 in the Manga.
Disclaimer: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle and all of it characters along with any other CLAMP characters used in this story all belongs to CLAMP and not me sadly. All I own is the story and my OCs
Author's Note: This is only my second Fanfiction ever and the first one that's this extensive, so constructive criticism is welcome but please no flames.
*Special thanks goes to Obsidian Buterfly without whose help, ideas and encouragement this story would have never been written.*
Prologue
The Prophecies:
The prophecies were at least a thousand years old- discovered in the remains of an ancient temple by the some soldiers seeking shelter from a violent storm. Carved into the stone walls by long forgotten priests the prophecies spoke of many things, most of which had already come to pass, but there were many that also spoke of things yet to come. Prophecies had always been considered sacred in Valeria, but magic was held in even higher regard, for it was magic that kept the country safe and brought prosperity to the land. To harm or kill those that held magic was considered to be the greatest sin of all because of the curses it could bring on the country.
As time passed, the remaining prophecies began to prove true and slowly the words carved into those ancient walls became more sacred than magic.
Priests and scholars came from all over the county to study the wall of prophecies. With the passage of time, the Royal Family of Valeria became especially dependant on the sacred words to guide them in their rule, for many of the prophecies pertained to them. The implications of these predictions were never far from their minds and soon, every child of the royal family was being taught about the prophecies as soon as they could read.
There were certain walls that had been severely damaged in an earthquake long ago, making it impossible to read some parts, but even these imperfect prophecies usually contained enough information to be successfully interpreted. However, there was one incomplete prophecy that had been too severely damaged by the elements to be interpreted completely. Many of its words had worn off with age, the stone wall containing this prophecy having crumbled on both sides but what little of it remained struck terror in the hearts of all who read it.
A ti.e will com...
.. great illness wil...strike ...ha...an
... bad ome...
... fear this co..ing fat...
...ard twins shall be bor...
...is land n...forlor..
...power to h...
...ll mark their rei...
...ogether they m...
...nd is to rem...
...eled power will...
Magic will f...
...,ned a curse com..
...rm befalls ...
.ll will suffer famine, pain, deat...
...nd wil...be cursed ...rever mo...
Most of the priests and scholars agreed on the interpretation that one day a set of twins would be born that would bring a great calamity on their land and none would escape that fate. Word about prophecy spread and with it, so did the fear. The scholars had rarely been wrong in their interpretations of the sacred words. Soon enough, twins were feared by all throughout the land. The paranoia grew to such limits that there came a time when any family that bore twins was banished from the kingdom and the omens of bad luck were killed and thrown into the ageless Valley of Sinners.
For the people of Valeria, being a twin was now worst sin of all.
But maybe if they had known the prophecy in its entirety, they might not have been so hasty in their executions. If only…
A lone priest watched over the temple. There had been a time when the temple had been filled with priests and servants but then the strange soldiers began to appear from nowhere. Many of his brethren were slaughtered while others had to flee for their lives. Word spread throughout the land that the temple was cursed. A brave few had remained behind to continue protecting the temple but their efforts were in vain. No help ever came for them and soon they too were killed until he alone was left. But he knew that his time would come soon and he would be joining his fallen brethren.
Waiting for the soldiers to return, he sat near the back of the temple watching over the prophecy that had been his and his brother's favorite. Unable to help himself, the priest read out the familiar words once more.
A time will come through out the land
A great illness will strike fear in the heart of man
As a bad omen most will take
But do not fear this coming fate
Wizard twins shall be born
Into this land now forlorn
The power to heal they shall bring
And peace and love will mark their reign
But together they must always be
if the land is to remain free
Unrivaled their power will be
Magic will flow for all to see
But be forewarned a curse will come
If harm befalls either one
All will suffer famine, pain, death and more
and the land will be cursed forever more
While the idea that the county would suffer from a strange illness had saddened them both, the thought that a set of twins would be the healers to come, had pleased them both greatly for they were twins themselves. But his twin was dead now. The priest had buried him alongside the others that had been killed by the strange ones.
His attention was drawn towards the portal that opened up in front of him. Expecting to see the strange soldiers, he was surprised instead to see just one man standing on the other side. He took in the heavy set man's appearance, making note of the strange glass in one eye and the symbol of bat adorning the front of his robes. The priest recognized it as the same symbol that the soldiers had worn. The strange man gave him a look full of disdain though he did not step out.
"So you think that you alone can stand against me," the man asked in a haughty tone.
"I only await my fate," the priest replied quietly.
"Then your wait is over," the man sneered as he waved his hands and magic runes begin to swirl around the room. The earth began to shake and stones fell from the roof to crush the young priest.
Next to the fallen priest, he observed the prophecy that was untouched by his magic. Wanting to make sure that only parts of it that suited his purpose would survive, the man carefully carved out a spell to damage the wall. Adding the finishing touched to make it look as if the damage had been done by an earthquake the man stepped back with a smile.
"That should do it," the man laughed. "These fools will never question why the prophecy is so badly damaged and only interpret it the way I want them to. My minions will make sure of that - those twins will be mine to do with as I please."
With that he turned away, still smiling as the portal closed behind him.
Author's Note: For the purpose of this story I am assuming that Fei Wang Reed could open portals at any place and/or point in time but could not traverse them. Also like Yuuko he can only interfere so much: He can influence what people think the prophecy says but cannot change the prophecy itself, he can also help the prophecy along but only within the bounds of the prophecy's original meaning.