Shadows of An Endless Night

By C-chan


Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. Threads of Fate (Dewprism in Japan) and all its characters are the rightful property of Squaresoft and are used in this story without permission. Everything else that wasn't part of the game is all mine. All events portrayed bear no relation to actual incidents; any similarities are entirely coincidental.


Foreword

If there'd ever been a story to give an author headaches, this is it. As some people know, Shadows of An Endless Night was intended to be the rewritten version of my previous fan-fiction, Darkening Threads. It went far beyond a simple rewrite, however. Like most stories, this one had a life of its own. What had actually happened was a total makeover concerning the plot, setting, character developments, etc. In short, SAEN became a whole new story, one based on the original concept behind Darkening Threads. But it was a tricky story to write. Ideas were discarded almost as fast as they were thought up, and SAEN went through so many drafts that I had lost count. The current version is the one I eventually settled on, but even that is constantly being revised. So expect some roughness until the whole story is finally complete.

In regards to setting, Shadows of An Endless Night is set a lot earlier than in Darkening Threads. Darkening Threads was set five years after the events of the game, whereas SAEN is set during the final moments of the game, right after the fight with Valen. Since SAEN is technically a divergence story, the reader will notice that certain events in the story will differ from that of the game. The main difference will concern the respective storylines of the game. Instead of concentrating on just Mint's story or on Rue's, I've opted to combine the two together. The details of just how the two storylines mesh isn't important since most of the details of the Threads of Fate story has little or no relation to this fan-fiction. The parts that do matter will hopefully become obvious throughout the course of this story.


Announcements

(Important announcements will only be found on this page, so please pay attention to this.)

Updates: 1/10/04 — Added new prologue (incomplete); added more text to old prologue and changed it to chapter one of Book One (still incomplete)

Wanted: Looking for a pre-reader for SAEN. Must have good command of English and expansive knowledge about ToF. I'm trying to contact my old pre-reader, but I need around two more at the least. If you're interested or want more details, please email me at the_lynx2001@yahoo.com.



Prologue - The Other Side of Victory



Pain filled him, pain greater than any he had felt before. Rue let out an involuntary gasp as the bright light washed over him, continuing its relentless torture. It seemed to last an age when suddenly the light and pain ceased. Rue gasped again, this time in relief as he stood on unsteady legs. That last attack had almost had him. Careless, he cursed himself. Fortunate for him that Valen seemed more intent on making him suffer first than on outright murder.

Now there's a cheery thought, Rue thought to himself grimly. I can't afford any more mistakes like the last one. Next time, I might not be so lucky. He warily began circling the beast that had been the Aeon, Valen, the heavy blade of the Arc Edge held high, staying as close to the edge of the platform as he dared. The platform seemed to be the only solid thing in this strange new universe conjured up from Valen's diseased mind. Rue did not know what would happen were he to fall over the edge. Fall forever, perhaps. He shuddered at the thought. His hat had long since fallen over the edge into the abyss in the course of their battle, but fond as he was of the thing, he had no intention of joining it.

"Fool!" boomed the voice of the transformed Aeon, the sound of it echoing from all around the rainbow-colored dreamscape. "You still seek to defy Me? I, your creator, who made you who you are today? Know your place, foolish doll! Bow before Me, you Maker! Bow before your God!"

"You are not my god!" Rue shouted. "You may have created me, Valen, but you don't command me. Not anymore! I am free of you, free by my own will. It is because of my will that I am here — to stop you and your madness before you destroy the world and everything that I love!"

"Your will?" Valen laughed. "You delude yourself, my son. It is My will that you are here, and it is My will that will decide whether you live or die. Your brother Ruecian betrayed Me and got death. You, on the other hand, you will be honored beyond all others. The whole world shall be cleansed in the light of My Dewprism, to be reborn as a new world created in My image. And it is you, Rue, who will be the first to experience it!"

"I'd rather not, thanks," the young man answered dryly, still warily circling the Aeon. "My version of an ideal world doesn't have you in it."

"Insolent pup! Death is too good for you!" The multi-faceted eyes of the giant insect-like creature that was Valen flashed in rage, and he surged forward, a multitude of clawed legs striking out at the silver-haired young man. But Rue was not there when the claws struck, spinning nimbly aside to avoid the attack and launching a counterattack of his own at the creature's unprotected belly. Valen screamed more in rage than in pain and lashed out wildly. Rue leaped back to safety out of range of those flailing limbs. But he was tired, tired from his battles through Valen's fortress, tired and wounded from his final battle with the Arm of Death, Doll Master's — no, Ruecian's — more powerful form. Because of that his reflexes were slowed and one claw-tipped limb scored a path across his chest.

Rue cried out and staggered from the pain, almost dropping the Arc Edge as he clutched a hand to his chest. The hand came away wet. A shallow cut, he thought in relief as he inspected the damage. The armor had prevented the cut from digging deeper. Yet it was one more wound among the many he had received since entering Valen's fortress. Sonner or later they would wear him out. I have to end this soon.

Preparing to give everything he had for a final, all-out attack, Rue suddenly stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened in horror as he saw Valen's massive bulk begin to shift and change, its form altering. The lengthy gash he had laid open along the creature's side was closing. He can heal himself, Rue realized with dismay. Any damage I manage to inflict is gone the next time he changes shape!

Valen now resembled nothing so much as an alien bird of prey, all straight lines and hard angles. Rue had only a second to study Valen's new form for in the next instant the enraged Aeon was upon him, diving down at him with a speed belied by his size. Rue barely managed to get his weapon up in time to deflect the creature's deadly talons. The force of the blow sent him tumbling but the young man rolled with the attack, coming up smoothly in a half-crouch, the blade of the Arc Edge whistling overhead as he slashed at the bird-creature. His weapon met nothing but air.

So fast... The creature was already angling in for another attack, and Rue prepared himself. Several times Valen struck, but each time the silver-haired youth was nowhere near those grasping claws. Knowing by now not to take the full force of the blow, Rue instead angled his blade in defense, Valen's talons glancing off the Arc Edge's indestructible surface. This isn't good, he thought. He's so fast that all I can do is defend. I have no time to launch a counterattack. At this rate I'll be worn out without landing a single blow. He needed a plan.

As Valen circled around to dive again, Rue racked his brain for ideas. The Aeon was both faster and stronger than he was; to attack him head-on would be pure folly. But the young man had noticed that speed seemed to be the creature's only strength — that, and flight. Despite its speed, its bulk made it clumsy in the air. Valen's new form was not very maneuverable, and it had only one attack: a diving swoop in the manner of falcons and other birds of prey. If Rue could just get him on the ground... It was risky, but there was a way to do just that. He decided to take the chance.

With a wordless shriek, the bird-creature dove at the young warrior, talons extended for the killing blow. Instead of leaping to safety as before, Rue braced himself, the Arc Edge held like a shield before him. With a resounding crash, Valen struck. Rue gritted his teeth in pain and determination as he stood his ground, feet dragging across the floor as he pushed back against Valen's charge. His arms ached terribly as he held back the creature's reaching claws. The two combatants sped across the platform, driven along by the momentum of the Aeon's attack. Then, with a surge and a shout, Rue braced his feet against the floor and pushed out with all his strength, shifting his grip on the Arch Edge and letting the weapon spin in his hands, the blade and shaft tangling the legs of the transformed Aeon. Using his body as a pivot, the silver-haired warrior twisted and spun, sending Valen crashing to the floor.

The Aeon lay stunned from the impact but Rue knew he would not be for long. Panting and shaking from his exertions, the young man approached his downed foe, raising the Arc Edge with trembling arms. With a shout, the blade descended in a beheading arc, razor edge glinting with silver death. Rue sank to his knees. It was done.

For a while he remained on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Relief flooded through his veins. It was finally over. Valen lay dead before him, the lifeless body of the most powerful Aeon who ever lived now no more than a mountain of dead flesh. A heady euphoria filled him. He could go back, back to Carona, back to his home. Back to Claire. He stood, then paused as a tiny frisson of something indefinable passed through him.

Something's wrong, he thought, looking around uneasily. The air felt heavy with tension. Rue took a tentative step, then stopped again as something from the corner of his eye caught his attention.

It can't be... Focusing sharply on Valen's headless body, the young man waited tensely, hoping it was just his imagination. Did it just move? he wondered. And there it was, a definite twitch. Rue's heart grew cold with dread. It could only mean one thing.

Valen's alive!

Slowly Rue backed away, watching in sick fascination as the decapitated Aeon staggered to his feet. Valen's body began to melt, dissolving into a shapeless, multi-colored cloud. What kind of monster is he? was the thought running through Rue's mind. No one could have possibly survived that! Mocking laughter surrounded him.

"Do you see now the futility of going against Me? Give it up, boy! No mere construct like you could ever defeat me. With the Dewprism, I am immortal! With the Dewprism, I am a god!"

"And without it, you're nothing!" Rue hurled back. "You died once before, Valen. You're not immortal. It happened once, it can happen again."

Rage poured out from Valen's amorphous form, blasting the young man where he stood. Rue endured it as best he could, mentally erecting barriers against the oppressive weight of the Aeon's mind. He refused to fall to Valen's will, not now after he'd come so far. He could feel the Aeon's questing thought, probing at the depths of his soul — smothering him, crushing him, seeking to dominate him. His sight flickered and began to dim. Rue gave a wordless cry of desperation, and the jewel embedded in the middle of his forehead flared. A corona of light rose up around the silver-haired young man, driving away the encroaching darkness.

"You would pit your will against Mine?" Valen jeered. Light flared, and Rue shaded his eyes against the brilliance as he watched the Aeon rise high above the platform to float before the Dewprism's glowing form. Dark tendrils extended from the shapeless cloud and reached out to touch the relic.

"Behold, the Dewprism! Behold, the embodiment of My will!" For a moment time seemed to stand still... and then the world exploded.

There was an implosion of light and sound, and Rue dropped to his knees, grabbing his head in his hands as he screamed against the mental onslaught threatening to tear him apart. Driven by the Dewprism's power, the force of Valen's will was staggering in its intensity. There was no holding back this assault. Visions at once alien and horrifying slammed into Rue's mind, accompanied by a flurry of thoughts and sensations. He felt he would go mad from the strain.

Somehow he managed to hold himself together. Forcing his head up despite the pain, Rue staggered to his feet, clutching the Arc Edge like a lifeline. Shuddering with the effort, he took a step.

"Impressive," Valen said, "but ultimately useless." Suddenly there was a great inrushing of air towards the center of the platform where Valen floated. Rue yelled as his feet were pulled out from under him. Looking up, the young man could see a ball of darkness maybe about a foot in diameter floating just in front of the Aeon's glowing relic. The ball seemed to be sucking everything into its blacker than black depths. The world grew dim, as if even the light was being drawn in as well.

"What the hell is that!?" Rue exclaimed aloud in shock, but his words were lost in the vacuum. It seemed to be similar to one of the spells he had seen Mint use — Graviton, he believed it was called — but the young man couldn't remember it ever being this strong. The rushing wind sounded loud in his ears and his breath came in short gasps. Sliding along the floor as he was drawn towards the ball of darkness, Rue scrambled vainly for purchase on the smooth stone floor of the platform, even as Valen continued his mental assault. In desperation, the silver-haired youth lifted the Arc Edge high and drove it into the platform with all his strength. The weapon stuck, and Rue gripped tight at his makeshift anchor.

"A clever ploy, yet one doomed to failure." Valen's voice sound loud in his ears despite the rushing wind. "Even one with your strength could not hold on forever."

Rue spared a glare for the shapeless cloud above him, but that only served to spur the Aeon's amusement even more. Ages seemed to pass as the young man desperately held on against the vacuuming effect of Valen's spell. Sweat stung his eyes. Rue could feel his muscles burning with the effort of holding on. Then the Aeon intensified his attack, increasing the strength of the dark sphere's power even as the mental assault redoubled. Rue grimaced but held on, knowing that if he let go, all would be lost.


(to be continued...)


Chapter Status: Incomplete