The shocking news strung him from his core all the way down to the pores on his skin. "No. y-you must be lying!" The green-haired Eldarian howled, clasping his fingers around the collar of the captain of the 13th Independent Armored Division.
"Get a grip, lad." Arumat P. Thanatos hissed, his cold eyes turning to slivers in a glare. Ruefully, Faize released his grip on his fellow Eldarian, but his anger still existed on his finger tips.
"If Eldar no longer exists," he began softly almost not wanting to hear Arumat's response. "What happened to Avalyna?" No words were spoken; millions of mixed emotions burned his skin at that very moment.
"She personally asked me to hand this to you." He tossed a small black disk, raising the eyebrows of the rest of the Calnus crew.
"What is it?" Lymle asked, tilting her head to the right slightly. Everyone was watching Faize intently, especially Edge and Reimi.
"A recording." Faize responded shortly before activating said device. Lymle stepped closer, as did Reimi and Sarah, but Bacchus, Edge and Myuria did not move.
"Well, if you're listening to this, then I guess it is safe to assume that you've met up with Arumat?" Faize shot the cold man a quick glance as she spoke his name. "…it also means the has probably told you of Eldar's demise," He could picture her speaking these words; her gaze would be cast downward with her cobalt orbs watering at the though of their home being destroyed.
"I hope you know I'm safe," relief racked through his body; he silently thanked God or whoever was looking out for her while he couldn't. "and I've decided to journey with others to assist Crowe on his mission." a few collective gasps were sounded through the tense, polluted air of planet Aeos. Faize clenched his jaw slightly, holding himself back from releasing his impending anger.
"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I am fine. Come home in one piece, okay Faize? I love you." Faize let out a hiss, slowing his emanating rage before his fingers flew around Crowe's neck.
"She's here?" He screamed, shocking his own teammates, save for Myuria who was still grieving over the news of Lucien's final words.
"She volunteered." Crowe offered, struggling to breath as the lime haired Eldarian continued to crush his windpipe.
"That doesn't matter! She could get killed out here! She's not able to-"
"Shut up, lad." Arumat snapped at Faize. "Do you really think so little of Avalyna? She's an Eldarian, she'll survive," With that, the scarred man slumped away.
"I don't mean to break the intensity," Commander of the Calnus crew, Edge Maverick, piped up. "But who is Avalyna?" Faize opened his mouth to speak, but he seemed to be at a loss of words.
"She is an Eldarian weapons expert." Crowe chimed in, taking Faize's words right out of his mouth.
Silence. To the other Calnus crew member, it hadn't seemed to be a big deal. "But Avy said she loved Faize, 'kay?" Lymle pointed out, already dubbing Avalyna as 'Avy'.
"She's my fiancée." Faize murmured, his voice quivering barely above a whisper.
"Fiancée?"
"How come you never mentioned her before?" Reimi and Edge questioned simultaneously. Faized growled softly. Was there a reason for him to tell them prior to this very moment? His personal life is just that; his.
"None of your business." He snarled, causing the other two to be taken aback. Reimi looked more concerned, and while Edge also displayed worry, his seemed to have just a twinge of anger. Faize sighed, wishing he hasn't sounded so harsh. They hadn't done anything wrong. "Here." He spoke up, his tone much more pleasant than it had been previously. From underneath his white tunic, he pulled a photograph that was constantly pressed to skin as a constant reminder that he had something to come home to.
Edge took the photograph form Faize and Reimi peeked over Edge's shoulder to get a better look. An unfamiliar woman with hair brighter than snow stood beside Faize in said photograph. Their hands were meshed together with their fingers intertwined. Her colorless locks curtained over her shoulder and were going off the page. Avalyna's eyes were closed slightly and her cheeks were defined with genuine laughter. Faize himself was smiling down at her with legitimate happiness.
"Faize, she's beautiful." Reimi murmured, handing the picture to Lymle who begged to see it next.
"Yeah man, but aren't you a little young to be engaged?" Edge questioned, while Faize simply shook his head.
"We were arranged to be wed since our childhood years, but now…" He trailed off before turning to glare at Crowe. "Where is she?"
"She's-" Crowe was interrupted by an incoming transmission. With every passing second, Faize's blood boiled. Where was his fiancée? "- in trouble! I need to go, Arumat will go with you guys." Crowe turned to leave and, just as he did so, he let out a muted growl.
"Let me go with you!" Crowe hesitated and looked to Edge, silently asking the leader of the Calnus crew for permission He nodded in reply, adding "It's fine."
"Alright Faize, let's go. You're driving." Faize hopped into the Sol, revving the engine and backing out. Crowe gave the Eldarian the coordinates to the location of the brothering Sol.
'Please be safe, Avalyna.'. Faize prayed for the safety of his future bride. He swore that if anyone had harmed her, he'd kill them. The other Sol came into view with a Phantom trailing behind it. Without hesitation, Faize opened fire on the ominous black ship, as did Crowe.
The other Sol was freed from assault and soon began to open fire as well. With both Sol's, and Crowe, barraging the Phantom, it was taken out with minimal effort. Hastily, Faize landed with the other Sol following suit. Other Eldarian warriors that survived filed off one by one. A glimpse of unmistakably vivid, white locks caught Faize's attention. He didn't hesitate to run towards it and wrap his arms around it.
"Faize!" The green haired Eldarian buried his face into his fiancée's neck, her potent scent all too familiar.
"You're safe." He whimpered softly, despite the statement being very blunt. Avalyna turned to face him, her fingers cupping his jaw gingerly.
"I told you so." She murmured teasingly. She could her his breath hitch as she tugged his face closer to hers. "I've missed you so much." Her breath tickled his skin and caressed it tenderly. He gave no verbal reply, but instead molded his lips unto hers.
Avalyna could hear Faize's faint quivers as she pulled away. It seemed nearly impossible for him to gain a steady breath, even after a few moments of resting his forehead against hers.
"I thought you were…" He couldn't even bring himself to say the word 'Dead'.
'She will be soon enough'. A deep, tantalizing voice hissed from the back of his mind. Mentally, Faize berated himself. He grew up with Avalyna and was beyond ecstatic about marrying her in the near future. Their relationship had been rivaled to Edge and Reimi's. Avalyna shook her head with a small smile on her rosy lips.
"Faize, let's go home?" Despite that it was a statement, she unintentionally let out a questioning tone.
"To where? Eldar is gone."
"We can always stay at the station."
"But what about Crowe?"
"Please, Faize?" There was always something about the way Avalyna begged that he just couldn't resist. It could have been the way her cerulean eyes glittered, or the way her bottom lip jutted out in a pout. No, it was probably the meet and modest voice she would use to say his name.
Said Eldarian in question looked to the captain of the Aquila. The redhead shrugged in response. "I have no objections." Avalyna smiled hopefully, her hands resting on Faize's chest. He let out a defeated sigh.
"Alright, we'll go back for a day or two. Then I'll head back here to help Crowe."
"We will head back here." She corrected firmly, allowing him to know she meant what she said. He responded with silence, but just grabbed his fiancée's hand and headed towards the Sol he had been using previously.
"We'll see you soon, captain. Take care." Said Faize over the boisterous hum of the Sol.
"You too, man. And watch over her, she's a good one." Envy pumped throughout his veins. Being as over-analytical as Faize was, he wasn't sure how to interpret Crowe's comment. All he could say was, "Thank you, I intend to."
A simple room on a nomadic hunk of metal wasn't exactly Faize's idea of "home." But home wasn't about the location or what it was made of. It was about who was there that made that place home.
Avalyna laid comfortably on a full sized bed that had been provided from the Eldarian council. Deciding that their private time together had been way past due, Faize laid beside his future wife; fatigue overwhelming his senses the moment his head came in contact with the pillows. The Eldarian couple laid side by side; cerulean eyes meeting with lilac. A small smile pained the color on Avalyna's lips as her fingers fiddled with her necklace. Faize had one arm wrapped around her waist, the other tucked underneath his pillow.
"Anything happen while I was away?" He asked in a hushed tone, not waiting such preposterous volume to chase away the moment. Avalyna shook her head.
"Besides losing Eldar, no. What about you? How was your journey?"
"It's far from complete," He started off dramatically. "But we've gone to such interesting places and met such variety of people. Altogether, it was a really interesting experience."
"Tell me more." Avalyna's expression of genuine interest rivaled that of child's that was being told a fairytale. She had such an intrigued gleam in her eyes and such a joyous smile.
Unfortunately, she would be eliminated. Faize began to depict vivid images of the various worlds and the people that slowly became the Calnus crew. At appropriate times, she would give the occasional sound of approval to show she was truly listening. Soon enough, the tales and fantasies of other glorious worlds hurled her into a deep slumber, causing Faize to chuckle. Regardless of the fact that she was only one year younger than himself, a good story would always lull her to sleep.
'Now is the time to strike, boy!' The same maniacal voice hissed. This time, Faize could not avoid it.
'Who are you?' He questioned, trying to avoid waking his bride-to-be.
'I am one. I am all. I am everything. I am nothing.' The voice retorted, angering the Eldarian warrior.
'Why do you keep saying Avalyna will perish?' Faize hadn't taken this persons game too lightly. He usually took an immediate dislike to anyone that threatened his future wide, let alone inferred her death.
'Because she will, along with everyone else.'
'I'll protect her!'
'Not if you're the one killing her.' Faize argued no longer. If he killed her, he'd…
He'd crumble. The thought itself was just unbearable. So, why is it that he hadn't disagreed with the voice? 'Because I am your subconscious. I know what you really want. You dream of a better world, where you could protect all whom you love.' So far, the voice was correct.
'That is why you must kill Avalyna; to save her from this cursed world.' Hell no, there was no way Faize could. The thought of himself killing her made him die a bit on the inside.
'You'll be saving her.' The voice reminded him in an almost teasing tone, making Faize grimace.
'Shut the fuck up.' his so-called subconscious howled in laughter and amusement, apparently at how riled up Faize was.
'But if you don't save Avalyna, she will surely burn when the galaxy in cleansed and her soul will have no redemption. Save her and guarantee her a secure life in the new world.'
After long, hard thinking with no interruptions from the sinister voice, Faize replied to it with, 'I will save her.'
Faize awoke the next morning from his 'arousing' dream. Avalyna was still laid beneath him, his arms and body heat practically smothering her. From what he could draw, even in his still groggy state, Avalyna was awake but she seemed to be deep in thought.
"Good morning." He greeted gently, his eyes trained on her. She gave a soft, flitting smile that suited her persona all too well.
"G'morning." She murmured in response; her own turquoise orbs reflecting his lilac ones. Silence overtook them, but hadn't caused them an awkward moment. If anything, it was comforting. As the time droned on, Faize's lids began to curtain over his soft, pastel hued eyes. In a silent and fluid matter, Avalyna slid out of bed, in hopes not to wake her fiancé.
The warm water spraying onto her back hadn't washed away her drowsiness, but rather encouraged it. If Avalyna did so much as to lean her head against the shower wall, she'd fall asleep standing up. Before a chance had risen, she shut off the water, letting the slightly chilled air consume her. Her snow white locks dripped remnant of lukewarm water onto her back as she stepped out of the shower stall.
"When did you-" Avalyna was cut off by a naked Faize Sheifa Beleth standing before her, lusting hinting in his eyes in the slightest. "Faize…" Her skin smacked against the painted pastel blue wall as Faize slammed her back into it. His fingers ran through her snow white locks, pulling roughly at her scalp until her lips collided with his. His actions held no modesty as he sucked on her lower lip, even nibbling occasionally. He was relentless, rough and everything opposite to the Faize that Avalyna knew.
She liked it. His naked body pressed against hers, with a wet towel as the only barrier between them; his tongue forcing itself inside of her mouth, and the slight pain in her scalp from his yanking.
It was all extraordinarily enticing.
Avalyna felt breathless, pulling Faize away to inhale and regain steady breaths. Even then, Faize still did not pull away, but instead allowed his lips to travel down his fiancée's jaw line and into the valley of her breasts. She was lost in the aphrodisiac that his kisses cause to noticed that rapier that appeared from thin air and into Faize's hand.
'Forgive me, love.' He prayed silently for a safer afterlife, for a life safer than this. He placed a kiss just above her left breast, right where her heart was. It was much gentler than his other rough actions had been. Then a piercing pain broke through the skin where his lips once were.
"F-Faize?" Her breath became stuck in her throat, her eyes slowly trailing down to where the pain had stricken her. She traced the long, metallic rapier that adorned her flesh, tracing it back to her lovers hand. "H-how could y-you?" She murmured, the vibrant color draining from her eyes.
"To save you, my love." Thoughts pulled his body like a marionette, forcing his hands to push the thin blade into her body deeper, and began to twist it slowly. Her chest heaved with heavy breathing, trying to extend her life for more than these remaining seconds. She wanted to ask millions of questions, but her dying breath cut her short. Her chest no longer struggled for breath, her mouth loosened a trail of blood and her eyes were no longer a brilliant turquoise, but now a dull blue that was practically translucent.
'Now, you must save the rest of the world from eternal damnation.' Faize gave a hard swallowed as he drew his rapier away from his lovers a body. Her blood stained the blade and the pale blue wall. Even the walls had more color than Avalyna's dead eyes.
"Avalyna…I will join you soon." Faize murmured with a tear trailing down his cheek and onto his fiancée's limp body.