A SoM2/SD3 FanFiction
Written By None Other Than The Infamous ChibiCharizard
One Year After The Events Documented In Secret Of Mana 2, Also Known
As
Seiken Densetsu 3 . . . .
Chapter One- Resurrection, or Return
Koren drew his tattered, formerly crimson, cloak around himself.
He stepped forward, towards the gate, and waited for the guard stalking
the parapet to see him.
Once able to walk through walls, his brush with death had left
him shattered and his mage-powers a mere fraction of what they had been.
Before, he would have cared about the horrid state of his once beautiful,
golden hair- now sustaining his life was much more important.
The guard tapped her foot and glanced around, pausing for a second
on an eventless day. Koren sighed impatiently. He gotten little
sleep and less food this last year– there was plenty to be had, but only
if you had money. Or power. They came hand in hand, most of
the time. The only things he still retained were pride and
a lack of patience.
The guard then looked straight at him; her eyes widened, she
mouthed something– his name– and ran inside. Presumably to
tell the Queen of Reason, or get a crossbow.
The eternal spring of Altena was back, however. At least
he wasn't cold. Even if his death had just gone inside to fetch a
weapon.
The guard opened the gate, and glanced at him again, just to
make sure that he was still there. Making sure that she wasn't hallucinating-
seeing people after they had been dead for a year was not very common,
for obvious reasons.
"Koren." The guard hesitated, and Koren waited. "You
may come in." Her eyes narrowed. "Don't try anything, Koren.
There's an entire contingent here to escort you to the Queen."
As if that would have bothered me before . . . Koren thought.
He walked in, trying to stand tall and proud.
When he saw the pure hatred etched into every face, he gave up
and withdrew into the safety of his ragged cloak, stalking sullenly down
the stone hall with the guards circling him, weapons and spells at the
ready.
"Queen." The first guard walked up to the throne and bowed,
and Koren looked up in surprise. One of the other the guards grabbed
him.
"Don't move," the guard hissed, "or I'll burn you where you stand."
Koren obliged, standing perfectly still and shaking from exhaustion.
The bowing guard stood up and continued. "We found. . .
. this. . . . outside."
The Queen stared. "Koren! But he died! Alyce,
was he skulking about the castle?"
The guard shook her head. "No. He was standing in
plain sight, like he was waiting for something."
"What do you want?" Valda said, still shocked at the sight
of him, and gripping the sides of her throne with white knuckles.
"Uh. . ." Koren cleared his throat. The guard prodded
him in the back. "Food and shelter." he said quickly and honestly,
surprised at how grating and unused his voice sounded.
"And why should we give this. . . ." Valda trailed off,
realizing how simple the request was. "Why should we give this to you?"
"Because . . . . Because I lived here . . . ?" Koren
shook his head, dirty hair hanging around his once beautiful face, now
covered in dirt. "I don't know . . . . I . . . I'm sorry .
. ."
"Oh." the Queen of Reason said. "Ah . . ." She hesitated.
"Put him in the dungeon for now, while I decide what to do with him."
"Thank you." Koren said, suddenly, before the guards grabbed
him roughly and dragged him out of the throne room.
Valda watched the doors close and sighed. "What do I do
with him?" she said to herself softly. "He seems so broken and helpless.
. . . . but he was so powerful before. . . . to kill him now must be wrong.
. ."
"Angela . . .?" Angela turned around, and saw Koren standing
near her. She screamed and jumped backwards.
"No! No! You're dead! Go away!"
Koren sighed, standing up straight again, this time clean after
taking a succession of baths, and somehow acquiring another of his trademark
red cloaks. "Wait . . . " he said softly, unshed tears glistening
in his eyes, the cloak wrapped around him. "I'm sorry, Angela . .
. . Valda decided I could live here, as long as I don't leave castle grounds
for at least a year."
Angela backed away from him. "No! I thought you were
dead, gone, I can't live with you here, won't you go away . . . ?"
She spun around and ran down the corridor into the library, slamming the
door behind her.
Koren turned, releasing the cloak, and walked the other way,
speculating on what he could do to win back Angela's and Altena's trust.
Duran swung the broadsword as hard as he could, decapitating the
hapless Rabite with one blow. He picked up the headless body and
swung it over the fence to the dog, then kicked the head deep into the
bushes and stood up, wiping his sword clean.
"Can you teach me how to do that?" Wendy said, impressed.
"You got a lot better after you left."
"I guess so." Duran said, dropping into a fighting stance.
"First you have to know the proper stance, like this."
Wendy imitated him, and Duran laughed. "No, put your legs
like this . . . Yeah, that's it. All right, now hold
your arm up. . ."
Unseen in the woods, pure white eyes watched them and blood dripped
from a gaping maw to mingle with the scattered leaves. The creature,
sensing weakness, began to walk forward, towards the walls of Forcena.
Wendy froze, trembling. "Duran . . . ?" Duran glanced
up. Something in the woods. Footsteps echoed in the sudden
silence, and a huge, death-black wolf stepped out of the barely concealing
shadows. Its white eyes gleamed sightlessly, and blood slithered
down its open jaw in dark contrast to its black pelt, congealing on the
bright green grass.
(Warrior of Mana. . . .) The unholy apparition spoke,
with no movement but the constant dripping of crimson blood and the drunken
swing of its head as it turned to stare at Wendy. (For killing
us, we rip you limb from limb. . . .)
Duran dropped into a fighting stance, and hefted his sword.
"I'd like to see you try." he growled.
The wolf lunged, blood pattering onto the ground even as it moved.
Duran charged, but the demon wolf nimbly sidestepped him and grasped Wendy
in its blood-weeping jaws. It shook her like prey. Wendy was
paralyzed with fear, too shocked to do anything other than scream.
The wolf bounded back into the woods, its laugh grating like crushed skulls.
Duran screamed fury and raced after the wolf, following the trail
of blood down through the suddenly dark woods, through the Molebear Plains,
the small molebears scattering in fear from both hunters, and to the Cleft
of the Earth.
The demon stopped and deposited his victim on the rocky soil
and, as Duran approached, leaped across the gaping crevice and vanished
into solid wall.
Duran's first, fleeting thought was of Koren, dead for a year.
His second was of Wendy, dumped upon the rocks like worthless cargo.
"Wendy!" Duran dropped his sword and kneeled by her prone
body. Her chest was covered in blood– whether from the foul wolf's
jaws or her body he did not know. He desperately hoped it was the
former.
"Dur . . . an . .?" Wendy moved her head slightly, and
opened her eyes. She wasn't crying- she was too weak even to shed
tears.
"Don't talk," Duran whispered, fighting not to cry. What
if she dies? "Save your strength. I'll get you home. You'll
be fine." he said, more to reassure himself than Wendy.
He picked her up gently, cradling his beloved little sister in
his arms, and ran back to the town, leaving the broadsword in the dust.
It did not matter.
Now, Author's Notes!
1) Yes, I do like Hawk and Koren . . . YAY!! I
LOVE HAWKIE!!
2) This is such a cool story, quiaff?
3) Read The Next Chapter And REVIEW! T'anks.
4) I won't have author's notes very often. Rejoice,
all ye cretins! ^-^