THE VISION OF ESCAFLOWNE: A CALL TO ARMS
Chapter 1
Asher Cross
------
FRELENIA VILLAGE
KINGDOM OF RALENIA, GAEA
It was a beautiful day in the small village of Frelenia.
Theran walked down the pebbled road, humming to himself. The 10-year-old looked up, and saw a small flock of birds soaring over his head.
"Theran!" A tiny voice called behind him.
He turned, and his face lit up when he saw it was his best friend, Jinh. He stopped as Jinh caught up with him, and the two walked side by side along the road.
"Are you going to the festival today?" asked Jinh.
"Of course! I hear they're going to have a Guymelef demonstration!" Theran replied.
"I'd kill for the opportunity to be in a Guymelef!" Jinh shouted, and the two laughed.
Theran watched as the birds passed the horizon, and nodded. But before he looked away, he saw something start to appear in the same place...a round shape, slowly getting bigger...
More silhouettes began to appear, and the villagers around the boys began to notice as well...
Suddenly, as he looked closer, he could make out the features of the things...features of a DRAGON...
Theran barely had time to gasp, as the first dragon made a great leap into the middle of the town square. The screeching roar of the beast frightened the villagers, and soon everyone was in a frenzy, running, grabbing their children, as the dragons started to attack...
-----
JAPAN
EARTH
Hitomi Kanzaki walked out the door that led into her high school, and gave a sigh. Finally, the day was over. She checked her forehead. All day she hadn't been feeling well--she felt drained.
Her spirits lightened a bit when she heard a familiar voice call from behind, "Hitomi!"
She turned around to see Koichi Samamoto, fellow classmate and boyfriend, walk up to her, all smiles. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and she leaned against him, giving a relieved sigh.
Koichi, looking at her, said, "You look a little pale, Hitomi. Are you OK?"
Hitomi didn't answer, just gave him a small smile. Koichi, concerned for a second, let the subject drop.
Hitomi frowned. Something didn't feel right. She blinked--
And when her eyes opened, she stood in the middle of a battlefield. to her left, a crying child knelt over his dead mother. To her right, A Guymelef was being crushed by a dragon.
She looked around, frightened, and started when a dragon appeared out of nowhere, jumping high into the sky, coming down onto her--
She shrieked and covered her head with her arms, closing her eyes tightly...
"VAN!!!"
"...Hitomi? HITOMI?!"
She let one shaking eye flutter open. She was crouching to the ground, on the sidewalk leading to her home, Koichi a couple of steps behind, face frozen with worry.
She let herself drop to her hands and knees, fighting off the subsiding fear, Koichi running towards her.
"Hitomi? What happened?"
Hitomi looked over to him.
"And why did you call me Van?"
-----
ASTURIA CASTLE
GAEA
Van Fanel, King of Fanelia, walked through the damp stone halls of Asturia Castle, his face creased with concern. He'd received a letter from Princess Millerna, urging him to come to Asturia Castle at once, for a council of war. At her urging, he'd brought his cat-girl servant and friend, Merle, who waited outside the castle.
The lette worried Van--he hadn't heard of any attacks lately. *Could Zaibach be building up again?* he wondered. He hoped it wasn't the case. He still had a long way to go in rebuilding Falenia after the war with Zaibach, and he didn't want anything to break the fragile peace that covered Gaea. The peace that, along with Allen Schezar, he and Hitomi had created...
His heart skipped a beat at her name. He still missed Hitomi, not forgetting her for a second even a year after she was sent back to earth by the bright light from the heavens...
He rounded the corner into the war room, where he saw several old friends from the war with Zaibach a year ago--Allen Schezar, Knight Caeli of Asturia, gave a small smile and nodded to his old friend. Prince Chid, the boy ruler of Freid, turned to him, his eyes lighting up. Gaddes, second-in-command of Allen's group of knights, nodded solemnly.
Allen waved him in. "Come, Van. You are welcome here."
"They told me to meet you here in the war room. What happened?"
Allen gestured to his left. "I'd better let Lord Raylen explain."
Van looked to the man Allen was speaking of. Lord Raylen turned toward him. He seemed to be a kind man, his eyes calm, and seemed mature for his 27 years of age. He spoke slowly and softly. "As you know, my kingdom, Ralenia, is a relatively peaceful one, with little need for a military, although we have one.
"A few days ago, one of our outlying villages was demolished. We couldn't find any survivors. But there is no evidence of a Guymelef attack, and it was too destructive to simply be armed warriors. The only other explanation would be..."
"Dragons." Van said, his eyes widening with realization.
"Yes. As far as we know, the dragons weren't provoked in any way--they just swooped down and attacked. My first question of many is, why did they attack?"
"Dragons wouldn't attack unless provoked."
"Ah, but this time they did, Fanelia. I wish to find out why. Asturia and Ralenia share a border, and possibly through the unity of our four countries--Asturia, Ralenia, Freid, and the quickly-rebuilding Fanelia...which is home to the infamous *Escaflowne*..." he said, stressing the name of the Guymelef, "will be able to solve this mystery and get things back to peace."
Van said to him, "You...want me to use Escaflowne..."
"Yes, if at all possible."
"I can't...even if I wanted to, there is no energist for its power."
For a brief second, Raylen's calm eyes seemed to flash with rage and frustration, then turned back to their normal passiveness. "Very well. I'm sure the situation will not require the use of Escaflowne."
Van and Raylen shared a tense moment. Then they heard frantic footsteps running toward the war room. All 5 warriors swept hands to their swords, but calmed when they saw it was Merle and Millerna.
"Lord Van! I found a little boy out cold in the woods--he was beaten and bleeding!"
Van asked, "Is he still there?"
"No, I carried him to the doctor."
Raylen stepped forward. "I would like to see this boy." Raylen walked past Merle and Millerna, the others following.
-----
Once they reached the infirmary, Millerna showed them to the boy, who was lying on his back in the infirmary.
Looking down at the boy, Raylen could see that the boy was severely beaten, and could have been near death when Merle found him. He looked to Millerna, who nodded.
He looked to the boy, giving a proud smile. "What's your name, child?"
The boy gave a small, reassuring smile, and collected his strength to reply. "T-Th-Theran."
"What happened to you?" Van asked.
"After the dragons left me for dead, I tried to walk to Asturia. Then I fell down, and I woke up here." His tiny, innocent voice saying those horrible words hurt Van. "Where did you encounter dragons?" Raylen asked.
"At my village...Frelenia."
Raylen's eyes widened. "You're from Frelenia?"
"Y-Yes."
Raylen stood and looked to Gaddes and Van. "So we know for sure. Dragons."
Allen stepped forward. "The boy has been walking tirelessly by himself after experiencing a traumatic experience. It could've been a hallucination."
Raylen maintained his ground. "DRAGONS." The word was injected with ferocity, which seemed unnatural coming from the lips of such a calm man.
Chid entered the conversation, breaking the tense moment between Raylen and Van. "Where could the dragon, or dragons, attack next?"
Gaddes replied to this. "From the Ralenian village, there are two populated areas--one is near a Guymelef manufacturing plant, the other is--"
He was interrupted by a maddening screech, then the entire castle shook, knocking them off their feet.
Merle, Chid, Allen, Van, Millerna, and Raylen looked out the window, eyes wide--
As several dragons jumped out from under the horizon, their eyes gleaming with death.
Gaddes, surprised, finished his sentence. "Asturia Castle."
-----
Allen and Gaddes ran to gather the troops, as Raylen, Chid, Merle and Millerna stayed in the infirmary to keep watch of Theran and be ready for the inevitable casualties.
Allen's squad, mounted their Guymelefs--Allen inside his prized Scherazade--and rushed out onto the battlefield, swords swinging left and right.
Allen screeched, "Chaarge!" and the squad went to work.
The Guymelefs swooped down, blades swinging down onto the attacking dragons--
Which promptly clanged against their hard, reptilian scales.
After a few casualties, Allen's eyes flashed with realization. "Turn them upside down! Attack their undersides!"
Scherazade slid its sword under the belly of one dragon, and Allen motioned to lift it upward--
But Scherazade let go of the blade, and stumbled backward.
*What's happening?* thought Allen. "Why isn't it obeying my commands?!" Allen moved the controls desperately, but to no avail. If he moved his right arm, it would kick out his left leg, each motion doing everything but the action it was supposed to do.
Soon all of the Guymelef squad followed suit, leaving the dragons to play with the helpless machines.
-----
Van paced the infirmary, furious. He couldn't DO anything! There were way too many to take on with just his sword, and he hadn't piloted a Guymelef in a year, with--
*Escaflowne!* he thought, then immediately dismissed the thought. *I promised never to use it again, and even if I wanted to, I'd need an energist--not just any, but one mixed with my blood. And if it gets damaged, I fell it too! I'm not going to go through that...that HELL again!*
Enraged, he shouted as he slammed his fist against the wall. He was tired of sitting at the sidelines. He walked to the window, flexing his fingers, and taking a few deep breaths.
The others looked at their friend with alarm. Van stood perfectly calm...then jumped out of the open window.
They all gave a small shout of surprise as Van plummeted toward the ground, shouting in his mind, *C'mon, work! Fly!"
Suddenly, his back pressed against the fabric of his shirt, and it tore away, his bright, angelic wings--the gift given to a Draconian--spreading to their full width.
He swooped into the air, thereby avoiding a death by fall, and swooped eastward.
He heard Merle's distant shout of, "Lord Van! Where are you going?"
He gave a smile. *Falenia...*
-----
FANELIA
Van smiled and waved at the Fanelians, who waved back and yelled his name, but focused on his objective, and eventually reached Fanelia Castle.
There, kneeling in a state of repose, was Escaflowne, the Ispano Guymelef that became the key to the war. He landed in front of his old friend, and reached up and touched the face plate. *Escaflowne...my companion...I need you again. Please return to life...*
Van looked down in frustration. *If Hitomi were here, she'd know what to do...* His hand trailed to the glowing pendant Hitomi gave to him a year ago, at their parting. He gripped it tightly, and concentrated as hard as he could, closing his eyes. *Hitomi, if you can hear my thoughts, please....come to me now...*
-----
EARTH
Hitomi Kanzaki stood outside in the park at night, face buried in her hands, sobbing. For the past week, there'd been no rest from the horrible visions of dragons, blood, Guymelefs, and crying children...she was losing her mind, she knew it.
The worst part of all, was Koichi. She wanted his support, his comfort, but couldn't find the courage to tell him what was going on.
"Hitomi?"
Hitomi looked up to see Koichi Samamoto, his normally cheerful face creased with worry, standing in front of the bench. "What's been happening to you these past few days? You've been blanking out, daydreaming, then there are the weird things you shout out..." He paused, and knelt down to eye level. "I'm sorry, it's just that...I'd like to know what's happening." He grabbed her hand. "I want to help. We're a team, remember? We work together," he said, trying to cheer her up.
Hitomi sighed. It was time to tell him. "A year ago--"
"...if you can hear my thoughts, please...come to me now..." A distant voice called.
Hitomi leaned back, gasping. Koichi grabbed her shoulders. "What is it? Another vision?"
"I hear a voice...I know it somewhere..." Hitomi gasped, putting it into place. "It's Van...he needs my help..."
"Who's Van?...Hitomi?" Koichi asked, not getting a reply. "I NEED TO KNOW!"
FLASH! A bright blue light came down from the heavens, surrounding Hitomi, and suddenly she was being lifted, light as a feather, into the air.
"Hitomi...don't leave!" Koichi looked at her desperately, then bit his lip. He jumped up and grabbed for her, holding her tightly. "If you leave, I leave with you..."
Hitomi was flushed with desperation. "Koichi, let go! I don't want you to go through what I did! Please!"
But stubborn Koichi ignored her cries, clinging to her with all his might, as the two of them were propelled into the night sky...
-----
FANELIA
GAEA
Van stared in amazement at the bright light that had appeared before him, his hand cautiously floating toward his sword.
His eyes lit up, and a rare smile crossed his face as the beam of light faded away, and Hitomi Kanzaki stood in its place.
Hitomi looked around nervously, then gasped when she saw Van. "Oh my God, Van!" She ran toward him, Van enveloping her in a tight embrace.
Hitomi pulled away suddenly, and looked behind her. Koichi had fainted on the trip, and he lay in a heap beside Escaflowne.
Hitomi turned back to Van, who asked, "Who is he?"
"It's someone else from the Mystic Moon. But...what am I doing back?"
"I need your help, Hitomi...dragons are attacking Allen and the others, and I need Escaflowne."
"But Van...you promised you wouldn't use Escaflowne again, and you know what'll happen if it gets damaged..."
"I have to take the risks. The others don't stand a chance if I don't go back. Please, help me," Van pleaded.
"But I don't know how!" Hitomi argued.
Then, Van thrust the pendant into her hands. "I believe in you."
Hitomi took a deep breath, slipped the pendant around her neck, and turned around. She reached up and touched the cold metallic shell of Escaflowne. *Please, Escaflowne. Help us protect our friends. Please, awaken!*
As she concentrated, the pendant and the crystal "heart" of Escaflowne began glowing, fading in and out in unison, its tempo increasing as Hitomi concentrated harder.
*I'm not strong enough, I can't do it!* she thought, when Van pressed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. *I believe in you...I believe in you...* that statement ran through Hitomi's mind like a broken record, and soon she was concentrating as hard as she could.
She gasped as she felt her energy drain from her, and suddenly Escaflowne's crystalline heart glowed fiercely. She cringed, and she slipped into unconsciousness, fainting as Van caught her, set her down on the ground next to Koichi, and pressed his hand upon the crystal. The cockpit of Escaflowne opened, and he climbed inside.
He glanced at the controls before manning them, recalling how to operate the Guymelef. His fingers closed around the grip, and the Ispano war machine stood erect once again, ready for battle.
His pride swelled in the old machine, and he transformed it into dragon configuration, the sleek Guymelef turning into a mechanical flying machine. Van strapped Hitomi and Koichi to the dragon, and took off to return to Asturia, hoping against hope that he wasn't too late.
-----
Allen sighed as he gave up hope. for some reason, their Guymelefs were malfunctioning, even his beloved Scherazade. He leaned back as he waited for the dragons to finish him.
Out of curiosity, he glanced at the remaining Guymelefs. Only two--Gaddes and another of Allen's troops. *I'm sorry, my friends...*
He closed his eyes as a dragon lunged toward him--
And was knocked away from him by another dragon. Allen leaned forward, incredulous. *That's not a dragon...That's--Escaflowne!"
He watched as Van landed atop the castle, unstrapped two bodies from the dragon, and set them down on the castle. He then mounted Escaflowne, and took off, landing in its humanoid form.
Van unsheathed Escaflowne's sword, which extended to its full length, and charged at the dragons, lifting them onto their backs and quickly gutting them. He took several small hits, scraping the metal of the Guymelef.
Soon, the dragons began to retreat, and Escaflowne stood its ground, until the dragons were out of sight.
Allen moved Scherazade's arm--it worked fine now! He opened his cockpit, and yelled, "What happened? Why couldn't our Guymelefs work?"
The two other surviving soldiers approached and opened their cockpits. Allen nodded as Gaddes stepped out of his cockpit, alive and well. He cocked his head at the other man. He had short, spiky hair, and had a silent, forlorn expression on his face. Allen didn't remember recruiting him. "What's your name, man?"
The man shouted, "I am Fjal. Fjal Trawen."
-----
On the castletop, Koichi regained consciousness. He blinked, staring up at a pink-and-orange sky. He sat up, and looked around in confusion. He saw castles, and large robots, the corpses of slain dragons, and an unconscious Hitomi.
He shook her arm, and she awoke. "Hitomi--where are we?"
Hitomi stood, Koichi standing beside her. She heard Allen shout, "Gaddes, ready the Crusade II. We're leaving Asturia. Gather everybody that's left alive."
Hitomi nodded. "We're in Gaea."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Chapter 1
Asher Cross
------
FRELENIA VILLAGE
KINGDOM OF RALENIA, GAEA
It was a beautiful day in the small village of Frelenia.
Theran walked down the pebbled road, humming to himself. The 10-year-old looked up, and saw a small flock of birds soaring over his head.
"Theran!" A tiny voice called behind him.
He turned, and his face lit up when he saw it was his best friend, Jinh. He stopped as Jinh caught up with him, and the two walked side by side along the road.
"Are you going to the festival today?" asked Jinh.
"Of course! I hear they're going to have a Guymelef demonstration!" Theran replied.
"I'd kill for the opportunity to be in a Guymelef!" Jinh shouted, and the two laughed.
Theran watched as the birds passed the horizon, and nodded. But before he looked away, he saw something start to appear in the same place...a round shape, slowly getting bigger...
More silhouettes began to appear, and the villagers around the boys began to notice as well...
Suddenly, as he looked closer, he could make out the features of the things...features of a DRAGON...
Theran barely had time to gasp, as the first dragon made a great leap into the middle of the town square. The screeching roar of the beast frightened the villagers, and soon everyone was in a frenzy, running, grabbing their children, as the dragons started to attack...
-----
JAPAN
EARTH
Hitomi Kanzaki walked out the door that led into her high school, and gave a sigh. Finally, the day was over. She checked her forehead. All day she hadn't been feeling well--she felt drained.
Her spirits lightened a bit when she heard a familiar voice call from behind, "Hitomi!"
She turned around to see Koichi Samamoto, fellow classmate and boyfriend, walk up to her, all smiles. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and she leaned against him, giving a relieved sigh.
Koichi, looking at her, said, "You look a little pale, Hitomi. Are you OK?"
Hitomi didn't answer, just gave him a small smile. Koichi, concerned for a second, let the subject drop.
Hitomi frowned. Something didn't feel right. She blinked--
And when her eyes opened, she stood in the middle of a battlefield. to her left, a crying child knelt over his dead mother. To her right, A Guymelef was being crushed by a dragon.
She looked around, frightened, and started when a dragon appeared out of nowhere, jumping high into the sky, coming down onto her--
She shrieked and covered her head with her arms, closing her eyes tightly...
"VAN!!!"
"...Hitomi? HITOMI?!"
She let one shaking eye flutter open. She was crouching to the ground, on the sidewalk leading to her home, Koichi a couple of steps behind, face frozen with worry.
She let herself drop to her hands and knees, fighting off the subsiding fear, Koichi running towards her.
"Hitomi? What happened?"
Hitomi looked over to him.
"And why did you call me Van?"
-----
ASTURIA CASTLE
GAEA
Van Fanel, King of Fanelia, walked through the damp stone halls of Asturia Castle, his face creased with concern. He'd received a letter from Princess Millerna, urging him to come to Asturia Castle at once, for a council of war. At her urging, he'd brought his cat-girl servant and friend, Merle, who waited outside the castle.
The lette worried Van--he hadn't heard of any attacks lately. *Could Zaibach be building up again?* he wondered. He hoped it wasn't the case. He still had a long way to go in rebuilding Falenia after the war with Zaibach, and he didn't want anything to break the fragile peace that covered Gaea. The peace that, along with Allen Schezar, he and Hitomi had created...
His heart skipped a beat at her name. He still missed Hitomi, not forgetting her for a second even a year after she was sent back to earth by the bright light from the heavens...
He rounded the corner into the war room, where he saw several old friends from the war with Zaibach a year ago--Allen Schezar, Knight Caeli of Asturia, gave a small smile and nodded to his old friend. Prince Chid, the boy ruler of Freid, turned to him, his eyes lighting up. Gaddes, second-in-command of Allen's group of knights, nodded solemnly.
Allen waved him in. "Come, Van. You are welcome here."
"They told me to meet you here in the war room. What happened?"
Allen gestured to his left. "I'd better let Lord Raylen explain."
Van looked to the man Allen was speaking of. Lord Raylen turned toward him. He seemed to be a kind man, his eyes calm, and seemed mature for his 27 years of age. He spoke slowly and softly. "As you know, my kingdom, Ralenia, is a relatively peaceful one, with little need for a military, although we have one.
"A few days ago, one of our outlying villages was demolished. We couldn't find any survivors. But there is no evidence of a Guymelef attack, and it was too destructive to simply be armed warriors. The only other explanation would be..."
"Dragons." Van said, his eyes widening with realization.
"Yes. As far as we know, the dragons weren't provoked in any way--they just swooped down and attacked. My first question of many is, why did they attack?"
"Dragons wouldn't attack unless provoked."
"Ah, but this time they did, Fanelia. I wish to find out why. Asturia and Ralenia share a border, and possibly through the unity of our four countries--Asturia, Ralenia, Freid, and the quickly-rebuilding Fanelia...which is home to the infamous *Escaflowne*..." he said, stressing the name of the Guymelef, "will be able to solve this mystery and get things back to peace."
Van said to him, "You...want me to use Escaflowne..."
"Yes, if at all possible."
"I can't...even if I wanted to, there is no energist for its power."
For a brief second, Raylen's calm eyes seemed to flash with rage and frustration, then turned back to their normal passiveness. "Very well. I'm sure the situation will not require the use of Escaflowne."
Van and Raylen shared a tense moment. Then they heard frantic footsteps running toward the war room. All 5 warriors swept hands to their swords, but calmed when they saw it was Merle and Millerna.
"Lord Van! I found a little boy out cold in the woods--he was beaten and bleeding!"
Van asked, "Is he still there?"
"No, I carried him to the doctor."
Raylen stepped forward. "I would like to see this boy." Raylen walked past Merle and Millerna, the others following.
-----
Once they reached the infirmary, Millerna showed them to the boy, who was lying on his back in the infirmary.
Looking down at the boy, Raylen could see that the boy was severely beaten, and could have been near death when Merle found him. He looked to Millerna, who nodded.
He looked to the boy, giving a proud smile. "What's your name, child?"
The boy gave a small, reassuring smile, and collected his strength to reply. "T-Th-Theran."
"What happened to you?" Van asked.
"After the dragons left me for dead, I tried to walk to Asturia. Then I fell down, and I woke up here." His tiny, innocent voice saying those horrible words hurt Van. "Where did you encounter dragons?" Raylen asked.
"At my village...Frelenia."
Raylen's eyes widened. "You're from Frelenia?"
"Y-Yes."
Raylen stood and looked to Gaddes and Van. "So we know for sure. Dragons."
Allen stepped forward. "The boy has been walking tirelessly by himself after experiencing a traumatic experience. It could've been a hallucination."
Raylen maintained his ground. "DRAGONS." The word was injected with ferocity, which seemed unnatural coming from the lips of such a calm man.
Chid entered the conversation, breaking the tense moment between Raylen and Van. "Where could the dragon, or dragons, attack next?"
Gaddes replied to this. "From the Ralenian village, there are two populated areas--one is near a Guymelef manufacturing plant, the other is--"
He was interrupted by a maddening screech, then the entire castle shook, knocking them off their feet.
Merle, Chid, Allen, Van, Millerna, and Raylen looked out the window, eyes wide--
As several dragons jumped out from under the horizon, their eyes gleaming with death.
Gaddes, surprised, finished his sentence. "Asturia Castle."
-----
Allen and Gaddes ran to gather the troops, as Raylen, Chid, Merle and Millerna stayed in the infirmary to keep watch of Theran and be ready for the inevitable casualties.
Allen's squad, mounted their Guymelefs--Allen inside his prized Scherazade--and rushed out onto the battlefield, swords swinging left and right.
Allen screeched, "Chaarge!" and the squad went to work.
The Guymelefs swooped down, blades swinging down onto the attacking dragons--
Which promptly clanged against their hard, reptilian scales.
After a few casualties, Allen's eyes flashed with realization. "Turn them upside down! Attack their undersides!"
Scherazade slid its sword under the belly of one dragon, and Allen motioned to lift it upward--
But Scherazade let go of the blade, and stumbled backward.
*What's happening?* thought Allen. "Why isn't it obeying my commands?!" Allen moved the controls desperately, but to no avail. If he moved his right arm, it would kick out his left leg, each motion doing everything but the action it was supposed to do.
Soon all of the Guymelef squad followed suit, leaving the dragons to play with the helpless machines.
-----
Van paced the infirmary, furious. He couldn't DO anything! There were way too many to take on with just his sword, and he hadn't piloted a Guymelef in a year, with--
*Escaflowne!* he thought, then immediately dismissed the thought. *I promised never to use it again, and even if I wanted to, I'd need an energist--not just any, but one mixed with my blood. And if it gets damaged, I fell it too! I'm not going to go through that...that HELL again!*
Enraged, he shouted as he slammed his fist against the wall. He was tired of sitting at the sidelines. He walked to the window, flexing his fingers, and taking a few deep breaths.
The others looked at their friend with alarm. Van stood perfectly calm...then jumped out of the open window.
They all gave a small shout of surprise as Van plummeted toward the ground, shouting in his mind, *C'mon, work! Fly!"
Suddenly, his back pressed against the fabric of his shirt, and it tore away, his bright, angelic wings--the gift given to a Draconian--spreading to their full width.
He swooped into the air, thereby avoiding a death by fall, and swooped eastward.
He heard Merle's distant shout of, "Lord Van! Where are you going?"
He gave a smile. *Falenia...*
-----
FANELIA
Van smiled and waved at the Fanelians, who waved back and yelled his name, but focused on his objective, and eventually reached Fanelia Castle.
There, kneeling in a state of repose, was Escaflowne, the Ispano Guymelef that became the key to the war. He landed in front of his old friend, and reached up and touched the face plate. *Escaflowne...my companion...I need you again. Please return to life...*
Van looked down in frustration. *If Hitomi were here, she'd know what to do...* His hand trailed to the glowing pendant Hitomi gave to him a year ago, at their parting. He gripped it tightly, and concentrated as hard as he could, closing his eyes. *Hitomi, if you can hear my thoughts, please....come to me now...*
-----
EARTH
Hitomi Kanzaki stood outside in the park at night, face buried in her hands, sobbing. For the past week, there'd been no rest from the horrible visions of dragons, blood, Guymelefs, and crying children...she was losing her mind, she knew it.
The worst part of all, was Koichi. She wanted his support, his comfort, but couldn't find the courage to tell him what was going on.
"Hitomi?"
Hitomi looked up to see Koichi Samamoto, his normally cheerful face creased with worry, standing in front of the bench. "What's been happening to you these past few days? You've been blanking out, daydreaming, then there are the weird things you shout out..." He paused, and knelt down to eye level. "I'm sorry, it's just that...I'd like to know what's happening." He grabbed her hand. "I want to help. We're a team, remember? We work together," he said, trying to cheer her up.
Hitomi sighed. It was time to tell him. "A year ago--"
"...if you can hear my thoughts, please...come to me now..." A distant voice called.
Hitomi leaned back, gasping. Koichi grabbed her shoulders. "What is it? Another vision?"
"I hear a voice...I know it somewhere..." Hitomi gasped, putting it into place. "It's Van...he needs my help..."
"Who's Van?...Hitomi?" Koichi asked, not getting a reply. "I NEED TO KNOW!"
FLASH! A bright blue light came down from the heavens, surrounding Hitomi, and suddenly she was being lifted, light as a feather, into the air.
"Hitomi...don't leave!" Koichi looked at her desperately, then bit his lip. He jumped up and grabbed for her, holding her tightly. "If you leave, I leave with you..."
Hitomi was flushed with desperation. "Koichi, let go! I don't want you to go through what I did! Please!"
But stubborn Koichi ignored her cries, clinging to her with all his might, as the two of them were propelled into the night sky...
-----
FANELIA
GAEA
Van stared in amazement at the bright light that had appeared before him, his hand cautiously floating toward his sword.
His eyes lit up, and a rare smile crossed his face as the beam of light faded away, and Hitomi Kanzaki stood in its place.
Hitomi looked around nervously, then gasped when she saw Van. "Oh my God, Van!" She ran toward him, Van enveloping her in a tight embrace.
Hitomi pulled away suddenly, and looked behind her. Koichi had fainted on the trip, and he lay in a heap beside Escaflowne.
Hitomi turned back to Van, who asked, "Who is he?"
"It's someone else from the Mystic Moon. But...what am I doing back?"
"I need your help, Hitomi...dragons are attacking Allen and the others, and I need Escaflowne."
"But Van...you promised you wouldn't use Escaflowne again, and you know what'll happen if it gets damaged..."
"I have to take the risks. The others don't stand a chance if I don't go back. Please, help me," Van pleaded.
"But I don't know how!" Hitomi argued.
Then, Van thrust the pendant into her hands. "I believe in you."
Hitomi took a deep breath, slipped the pendant around her neck, and turned around. She reached up and touched the cold metallic shell of Escaflowne. *Please, Escaflowne. Help us protect our friends. Please, awaken!*
As she concentrated, the pendant and the crystal "heart" of Escaflowne began glowing, fading in and out in unison, its tempo increasing as Hitomi concentrated harder.
*I'm not strong enough, I can't do it!* she thought, when Van pressed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. *I believe in you...I believe in you...* that statement ran through Hitomi's mind like a broken record, and soon she was concentrating as hard as she could.
She gasped as she felt her energy drain from her, and suddenly Escaflowne's crystalline heart glowed fiercely. She cringed, and she slipped into unconsciousness, fainting as Van caught her, set her down on the ground next to Koichi, and pressed his hand upon the crystal. The cockpit of Escaflowne opened, and he climbed inside.
He glanced at the controls before manning them, recalling how to operate the Guymelef. His fingers closed around the grip, and the Ispano war machine stood erect once again, ready for battle.
His pride swelled in the old machine, and he transformed it into dragon configuration, the sleek Guymelef turning into a mechanical flying machine. Van strapped Hitomi and Koichi to the dragon, and took off to return to Asturia, hoping against hope that he wasn't too late.
-----
Allen sighed as he gave up hope. for some reason, their Guymelefs were malfunctioning, even his beloved Scherazade. He leaned back as he waited for the dragons to finish him.
Out of curiosity, he glanced at the remaining Guymelefs. Only two--Gaddes and another of Allen's troops. *I'm sorry, my friends...*
He closed his eyes as a dragon lunged toward him--
And was knocked away from him by another dragon. Allen leaned forward, incredulous. *That's not a dragon...That's--Escaflowne!"
He watched as Van landed atop the castle, unstrapped two bodies from the dragon, and set them down on the castle. He then mounted Escaflowne, and took off, landing in its humanoid form.
Van unsheathed Escaflowne's sword, which extended to its full length, and charged at the dragons, lifting them onto their backs and quickly gutting them. He took several small hits, scraping the metal of the Guymelef.
Soon, the dragons began to retreat, and Escaflowne stood its ground, until the dragons were out of sight.
Allen moved Scherazade's arm--it worked fine now! He opened his cockpit, and yelled, "What happened? Why couldn't our Guymelefs work?"
The two other surviving soldiers approached and opened their cockpits. Allen nodded as Gaddes stepped out of his cockpit, alive and well. He cocked his head at the other man. He had short, spiky hair, and had a silent, forlorn expression on his face. Allen didn't remember recruiting him. "What's your name, man?"
The man shouted, "I am Fjal. Fjal Trawen."
-----
On the castletop, Koichi regained consciousness. He blinked, staring up at a pink-and-orange sky. He sat up, and looked around in confusion. He saw castles, and large robots, the corpses of slain dragons, and an unconscious Hitomi.
He shook her arm, and she awoke. "Hitomi--where are we?"
Hitomi stood, Koichi standing beside her. She heard Allen shout, "Gaddes, ready the Crusade II. We're leaving Asturia. Gather everybody that's left alive."
Hitomi nodded. "We're in Gaea."
TO BE CONTINUED...