By shinsetsu no kokoro
Chapter One: Resurrection
Darkness.
It was the first thing that his mind registered: the oppressive, absolute darkness, free of even the faintest shadows of gray. It weighed over him thickly, in its enormity an almost tangible thing. It threw its heavy mantle over his body, enshrouding him completely in its inky folds, bearing down fiercely. Tyrannical, commanding, it demanded his surrender.
He almost gave into it. It would have been the easiest thing, to let himself sink into its unending masses, to rest in the open, welcoming embrace of its nothingness. More and more his tired body begged to be allowed to stop fighting and float down into it…
…but something tugged him away. The sense of something important nagged irritatingly just of reach of his thoughts, fought the part of him that grasped toward the seductive oblivion of the utter black. A feeling, an instinct, a mere fleeting memory that wielded the power to hold him away from the dark.
How long he silently struggled against the void that fought to pull in, he didn't know. It could have been mere seconds or countless centuries; time was immeasurable in the unchanging darkness. Then—after minutes? millennia?—he felt the presence of something new that drew him far more ferociously than the vacuum of emptiness, a presence that pulled him faster and faster until he lost all sensation of speed—
Viaresu opened his eyes to stare at a cold, nondescriptly gray stone floor. He was on his hands and knees; around him flickered dim torches that exuded a faintly sweet odor as they burned. His heart thudded wildly and he could feel beads of sweat rolling down his face. A dream? he wondered, and then immediately dismissed the nothing. No… The…thing, be it fantasy or hallucination, had been far too vivid for pure imagination. And if it had been a dream, why was he…here?
Slowly raising himself off the floor, the demon stood and examined his surroundings more closely. The stone blocks that formed the walls, floor, and ceiling were plain and innocuous, a single wooden door lay in front of him. Locked, he noted grimly. This was not just a room but a cell. From the light that entered the small chamber, Viaresu guessed that he was underground. The room's plain design could have belonged to any of the small castles that peppered the demon lands, and there was no way to tell where he was.
Sighing, Viaresu leaned against the wall at his back and waited for something to happen. A small, chilly draft blew in from under the crack at the bottom of the door, biting against bare flesh on his upper arm. Frowning, the yôkai looked down to inspect the tear in his sleeve. His probing fingers brushed against a hard, crusty stain across the chest and shoulder region, and froze. It was dried blood.
In a dizzying rush, all the memories of his fight with Rath came rushing back. Kharl's meddling, the spore planted in his right arm, and…Cesia. Cesia' He clenched his fists in frustration. What happened to Cesia? Had he released her in time? Had she been able to recover from the wounds he had involuntarily inflicted, or was she…his throat constricted… …dead? He pushed back the nagging thought that insisted that he should be dead, focusing on the more important issue.
"Damn! I don't have time to waste in here…" He shot a quick glance around the room once again, looking for a way out. The stones were solid and heavy—the door remained the only solution.
Then that is the way I'll have to use… Quickly probing his left arm, Viaresu was relieved to find that the small knife he kept hidden under his wrist had not been removed. Grasping it tightly, he began inspecting the lock mechanism.
There was a scrape of metal against metal just outside the door; he backed away from the door but kept his dagger ready, fingers running tensely over the cold bone handle.
As the heavy door creaked open, light flared blindingly into the dim interior, flooding every crevice. "Kuso…" Viaresu cursed, throwing one arm over his eyes to protect them from the glare. Accustomed to the darkness, his eyes watered painfully in contact with the bright light.
Footsteps approached, then walked around him with the clanking of keys and the faint whisper of fabric against stone. Still shielding his eyes from the agonizing glow of bright daylight, Viaresu was all too aware of how vulnerable he was at the moment. He couldn't see a single thing; the only way he was able to tell where his captor stood was by following the noise he or she made. The unknown person stood silent, apparently waiting for something.
More footsteps could be heard, once again from the direction of the door, as another person entered the stone chamber. The new arrival stayed near the entrance, quiet for a few moments, before he/she spoke. "How is he?"
That voice… Viaresu hissed to himself as he cautiously peeked around his arm with one eye. The light no longer blinded him, but he could discern no more than a blurry figure silhouetted at the doorway. The voice was uneasily familiar and unpleasant.
"I think he just woke up," was the reply from the first person standing behind Viaresu. "He seems to be doing ok." They appeared to be talking about him.
"What is wrong with him?"
"Nothing much, just his eyes. He's getting used to the light." There was a hint of a sneer in the voice as the person added, "He doesn't seem to happy about his situation."
A chuckle from the other. "No…I don't suppose I would be, either."
Don't tell me… Viaresu thought with growing suspicion, …it's…
Narrowing his eyes against the glow, Viaresu glared at the white-haired demon who stood before him. His captor smiled, lifting a hand to stroke the bird perched on his shoulder. "So you still recognize me, Viaresu. Wonderful."
"…You!" Viaresu snarled as the hand hidden behind his back scrabbled for the dagger handle. "Not you again." The alchemist…Kharl…
"Yes, I. Is that any way to treat your rescuer?"
"Hmph," Viaresu snorted contemptuously. "Don't act a fool. My rescuer?"
Kharl sighed theatrically and continued stroking his pet. "How ungrateful you are…and I went to all the trouble of bringing you back to life."
"Back…to life?" His mind had frozen on that thought.
"You were dead, yôkai," Garfakcy jutted in coldly. "Rath killed you."
Rath…killed me? Cesia…Rath…he'd asked…that black void… Ah…yes…I recall now…
"Don't you remember?" This time the alchemist's voice was sharp and more businesslike. "My spells should have allowed you to retain all your memories…" Frowning, Kharl added, "It has never failed."
Swallowing, Viaresu pushed back the nausea he felt for a more convenient time and focused his gaze on the renkin wizard, letting his anger surface and lend heat to his glare. "You will not get a chance to use me again," he stated grimly. "I am leaving here." He stepped toward Kharl and the door.
A smile lit Kharl's face, a warm, friendly, open smile. A smile that didn't reach his icy eyes. It reminded Viaresu of the dark chasm of his dreams, something falsely comforting and unutterably dangerous. The yôkai stopped mid-step at the unvoiced threat in the other's words as Kharl spoke.
"You will leave here, Viaresu…but only when I want you to."
End Chapter One
And there goes my pathetic attempt at a cliffhanger…O.o;;; This is my first Dragon Knights ficcie, and I think it's gonna be a Viaresu/Cesia. And yes…once again, Viaresu=Bierrez. I used "Bierrez" in the summary cuz it's the one most ppl know…but I'm sticking with the original Japanese "Viaresu", which is pronounced basically the same way…STUPID TOKYOPOP FUCKED UP HIS NAME! *Storms Tokyopop's presses and kills all the head translators*
Viaresu: O_o;;; . …Smart…
What? ^^ That made me feel better!
Viaresu: Just think about it…
… … …AH! NOW WHO'S GONNA TRANSLATE DRAGON KNIGHTS FOR ME?! T_T
Viaresu: Finally…that took a while…
T_T Oops…