WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST & SECOND ARC OF RUNE FACTORY 4. Read at your own risk.
Rune Factory 4: Some Wounds Never Heal
There was so much fire. Ash covered the ground like a dark black blanket, covering the once lively city. No voices were heard...the only sound was the roaring wind. A lone dwarf boy stood in front of one of the houses, a silent tear sliding down his cheek. He was young, only 11 years old, and he had seen more pain than most.
Behind him, a group of armored soldiers stood in the rubble. "C'mon, kid, you can come with us."
"Sh-Shut up!" the boy screamed, whirling to face them. "My family and friends are all dead!" He stomps his foot. "Who did this?!" He stepped right up to the solider that spoke, not afraid in the slightest. "Did YOU do this?!"
"..." The solider hesitated before answering, "It was the Divine Wind Dragon, Ventuswill. She's a monster, kid."
"Then I'll kill her!" the boy sobbed. "I'll send her to hell!"
"You can't do it alone," another solider said. "But if you come with us, we can train you and get you there."
"I don't need your help!"
"C'mon, kid, you don't even know where the Wind Dragon is," a third solider puts in. "We'll help you."
"Promise?" The boy's eyes are filled with fire.
"Promise," the first solider replied.
"Daddy?" A boy of six years in age tugs on his father's pant leg. "I'm hungry."
"Not now, Noel," Doug mumbles, detaching himself from his son. "Or go ask your mom..."
"Daddy?" Noel looks concerned. "Are you crying?"
Doug turns away, hiding the tears. "Noel..."
"Sorry," the boy mumbles. "I'll go ask mom if she can make onigiri..." He walks out of the room, his feet shuffling across the floor.
"Damn," Doug mutters to himself once Noel disappears. "That's all over now, idiot...forget about those Sechs bastards and live your life..."
"Doug?" The teen looked up from where he was scouring over a map.
"What?!" he replied, annoyed.
"We have a mission for you," the solider smiled slyly.
Doug stood up abruptly, the map falling to the floor. "What kind of mission? Does it involve the Wind Dragon?!"
"Yes," the solider said, walking up to the 16 year old. "We have located her... She's in the town of Selphia."
"Selphia..." Doug muttered, picking up the map.
"Your mission is to spy on Selphia. If something out of the ordinary happens, you will tell us. We will send a bird with a recording device every Wednesday. You will know when it is time...and when it is, you will kill the Divine Wind Dragon."
A twisted smile spread across the dwarf's face. "I can avenge my people..."
"Yes," the solider laughed. "You can. Remember everything we've been teaching you, boy. Everything about the Rune Spheres, Divine Dragons, and every little bit of combat skills..."
Another solider entered the room. "And don't forget your magic skills."
"Right," Doug said, his voice cold. "I will burn her to the ground, just like she did to my people!"
"I was a blind fool..." Doug mumbles, gazing into the bathroom mirror. "Ventuswill was never a monster...it was me..." He clutches the bathroom counter, his knuckles turning white. Lifting his head, he stares at his face, still so young and yet so full of pain... He pushes his bangs up, and looks at the tiny red scar on the left side of his forehead...the scar he got during training with the Sech...
He remembers that day clearly...in fact, he could still feel the pain... Another soldier had been throwing knives at a target, and Doug was to be dodging them. It was a bit scary, but he hid the fear behind a mask of bravado. He had been doing well: five knives were stuck in the target. The sixth knife flew through the air at a high speed, and in the second, Doug thought he had it.
Obviously, he didn't. The pain had been immense, like a burning fire. He had screamed loudly, holding his forehead as blood poured through the gaps in his fingers. The soldiers had tried talking to him, only to be punched by Doug's bloody fists. Tears had mixed with the blood that coated his face as he screamed his lungs out. Every scream had echoed in his throat, turning into a loud inhuman wail.
Doug still had nightmares about that day. The blood, the tears, and the growing feeling that the solider meant to do that... The doubt disappeared when the solider came back to talk to him in the medical ward. If only Doug had followed his doubt...
He hated them. To this day, the Sech plagued his dreams and haunted his memories. It had been years since Ethelberd's death, yet the pain still lingered...
It would be there for the rest of his life.
Doug slipped out of the store on that hot summer night, making sure he was not seen. It was Wednesday, and he had quite a lot to say.
A familiar bird sat on the nearby fence, waiting. Its eyes were a piercing yellow, and its feathers were as black as night. Doug approached the bird, turned on the recording device, and begun his report.
"Doug here. A mysterious girl fell from the sky a few days ago... She has no memories, but is close to the Divine Dragon... She has green hair in long pigtails and green eyes. I suspect she's an Earthmate...but I'm not positive. I fear that she may try to assist the Dragon... If she finds out about the Rune Spheres and the Guardians...I will take action.
"Besides this, I believe that the townsfolk trust me wholeheartedly. They all are very kind to me...we can only help that they will take my side in the future. They would make great allies...
"Doug, over and out."
"I was a traitor..." Doug presses his bangs back down. "I was spying on them, telling their enemy anything and everything..." Doug looks into the mirror again. "And yet...they still accept me... They still trust me..." He grasped the counter again, gasping through tears. He was a traitor on all sides: he had betrayed both his friends, and the Sech. How could anyone ever trust him with anything anymore?
Doug ran as fast as he could to the communication spot, hoping he was not seen. He had desperate news: extremely important news. This was war. Frey was in fact an Earthmate, and she was trying to get the Rune Spheres. It was just what Doug had feared...but at the same time...he was strangely sad that he was now against the town...
He didn't want to fight Frey. She was his friend... She was kind, brave, and strong. She had no memories, yet she was still willing to do what she thought was right. There was no way he could hurt her...
"Of course they trust you," a voice says from the door, jolting Doug out of his thoughts.
"I don't understand why, Frey..." Doug replies.
"Don't act like this," Frey sighs. "This isn't like you, Doug..." She closes her eyes for a second, thinking. "...And, to answer your question...it's because they care about you..."
"I feel horrible about it, to this day..." Doug turns to face his wife. "I...I could've killed Ventuswill if you weren't there..."
"You wouldn't have, you're not like that," Frey says, attempting to reassure him.
"I would have." Doug looks deep into her eyes. "Frey, I would've killed her." His voice cracks a bit. "I was so driven by hate and lies that I could've killed her..."
"No..." Frey places a hand on his shoulder. "You hesitated anyway, remember...? I didn't do anything... It was all you."
Doug breathes in slowly, and then lets it out. "You're right..." He shakes his head slightly. "Even now, the Sech are still messing with my head...they're making me seem like a bad guy, now..."
"You're not a bad guy." Frey's voice is filled with determination. "Doug, you saved Granny Blossom's life and mine countless times. You've given both of us hope in dark times. And you have a son, Doug. A son who loves you, and looks up to you. He thinks you're the greatest person in the world."
"Ha! So you finally admit he likes me more than you!" Doug suddenly grins.
"Wh-What?!" Frey cries. Doug laughs, sounding surprisingly cheerful. Frey sighs, and thinks to herself, 'There's the Doug I know and love. Gosh, he can be such an idiot sometimes.'
Doug smiles, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks, Frey," he says softly.
Frey smiles back, "You're welcome."
Doug turns to look at his girlfriend. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Frey."
"That doesn't say much," she responds, laughing.
"Shut up!" he cries as she laughs harder.
Doug gazes out the bathroom window at the cherry blossoms falling from the sky, feeling content once more. 'It seems like,' he thinks, 'the Sech haven't ruined all my memories...' He reaches into his pocket and thumbs the pendant that he made with Frey on their fourth date, smiling wider.
'I've still got all the ones that matter.'
I apologize for any OOC-ness. This is my first Rune Factory fic, so I'm still trying to get used to the characters.
Thanks for reading, and I'd love if you left a review in the box below. :)
~ForeverDreamer12, signing out! :D