FAIRY TALES
Chapter One: Death is a Beginning
When he had closed his eyes he relaxed, feeling oddly peaceful about the whole thing. But when he opened them, he was confused.
Fadeyka Veld knew with every bit of intelligence that his body had finally given out and he had died. So why was he walking? Where had his surroundings gone? He was in his suit again, too. And it was clean. The sky was clear and it was warm and pleasant.
Maybe it was the blue that reminded him, but it was something that she'd said, something that he didn't understand before.
Don't be scared, when it comes. I'll be waiting.
So it was simple, really. He'd been given the chance to go find Ifalna.
He kept walking.
-+-
The city itself wasn't too busy, though the sun was warm even though it was setting. People seemed to be in a hurry. Two girls were complaining loudly about the curfew and it drew his attention because they seemed a little old for curfew.
"I don't like this; you'd think they could get the lights up faster."
"Well you can stay out; the vampire will get you if the heartless don't."
The second girl made a horrified face and quickened her pace.
Heartless? Vampire? If he didn't know better, he could swear he was in Midgar's underbelly... but that was clearly not the case, considering he could still see the sky so clearly.
It was a lovely enough place that he could definitely see Ifalna settling down there. Even though he knew she was dead. But so was he and clearly things were not as they seemed. Maybe this was what hell looked like for the first five minutes.
He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Miss? Do you know what this place is called? I'm a bit lost." His voice sounded lighter, almost as if he were... younger.
The girl stopped and peered at him, leaning forward and putting her hands behind her back. "You're new aren't you?"
"Come on, Selphie it's getting dark!" The second girl seemed nearly frantic at the thought.
The calmer girl brushed brown hair over her shoulder. "Let's take you to the inn before it gets dangerous out here. This is Hollow's End." She put her hand over Veld's wrist. "The professor runs it, so if we have to stay there tonight it will be fine, Rikku."
Rikku nodded, eyeing the sun.
"She lost her cousin two nights ago, the heartless, or the vampire, one of the two."
"He wanted to get in the vampire's manor. He ... " Rikku shook her head, blonde hair waving. "Let's go."
"Heartless?" Something fearsome, apparently. He focused on the hand on his wrist for a moment. Not a twitch. Veld had had that beaten out by him. It still amazed Veld to this day.
The girl with the hand on the wrist drug him. "Yes, they are shadow monsters. Don't worry, we are used to people dropping in, they can explain it to you."
"The vampire dropped in too." The other girl commented. "My cousin thought he was connected to the heartless."
"Oh that's silly, the heartless were here first."
They lead him through town doors could be heard slamming shut and it was then he noted that even the windows were shuttered strongly.
"Sounds like a real pain in the neck." He'd meant the pun, as the girls that were leading him around seemed nervous. He'd gotten better with people over the years. Stern, he may have been, but cruel, he was not.
One laughed and the other cracked a smile. "Well at least you're handling this better, what's your name?" Selphie put her hand on the door and opened it for him.
"Veld." He didn't have to tell these people his first name, which was awful and foreign and generally something he hated. Ifalna had always called him Deyka when no one else was around, but that was her. At least her nickname was pleasant. Unlike certain people's. He shook his head.
Ashlee nodded. She waved to a man from behind the bar. "Professor? This is Veld, he turned up. Stopped him before he started heading to the manor."
The man was wiry with glasses and a messy ponytail. He adjusted the frames and peered at Veld and then nodded. He had a shockingly deep voice. "I'm sorry to hear that, son, you want a drink? If you can answer a few questions for me I'll give you free board for a while."
"I don't need a drink... and what sort of questions?" A place that was used to dead people popping in? Maybe it was Purgatory or Limbo then.
"Not even some juice or water?" He had a large forehead and a square jaw, rather familiar. "We get a lot of people that have been falling in. I'm trying to see where they come from, keep people from the same worlds in touch with each other... its... quite an endeavor." He brought out a notebook and wrote a set of numbers on top of it. "So what is your name?"
"Veld," he repeated, focusing a bit more on the man. Very familiar. Though, he had many pictures and thoughts go through his head, so he could be associating wrong.
"Your full name please?" The man looked up from over his glasses. "And would you like some food or anything, Veld?"
"You don't need to know my full name. And I'm not hungry. Where am I?" He didn't mean to be naturally distrustful. But considering where he'd just been moments ago... he had reason to be wary.
"I need as much information as possible, that way if you have friends or family that land here, I can direct them to you." He pointed to a large board, on it listed names and places, there were also photographs. "I've had some luck. You are in Hollow's End. We have maps of this planet under the cork board."
"I don't have any family. But... well, there is someone I'm looking for. She'd know me best as Deyka." He glanced over at the board. Strangers stared back at him.
"Deyka" He wrote it down in scratchy, cramped handwriting. After adjusting the glasses he looked back up. "Where are you from? Who are you looking for?"
"I'm from... Midgar. Her name's Ifalna. Ifalna... Gast." Not that any of the city names would be familiar here. So was this man a ghost too? Was everyone here... a ghost?
"Midgar... Gast..." He flipped through the books in thought. "That sounds familiar, actually."
"Do you know her? Is she alright?" That was stupid. She was dead. Dead dead dead. Like him.
"Ifalana! yes 321251." He smiled as though this was a wonderful find. Flipping his book over for Veld to read he pointed to the information, all filled out in Ifalana's small print.
"It says she was only here yesterday." That couldn't be true. She'd been dead for years before he'd finally given up.
"She was, she's gone now though." He pointed to the list of people she was looking for. "She said she wanted to see our vampire, he probably killed her, shame too, a nice young girl. Strange, but she was fond of you?" he thought a moment, pulled the book back to him and read the number. "Yes, she was fond of you."
"Vampire?" This was all so much at once. Why would Iffy- yes that sounded more natural than calling her Ifalna- why would she see a vampire?
He flipped a page about and pointed to a picture, it was blurred, the only things that were truly visible were red eyes and dark hair. "You'll have to ask the large man over there." The "man" was hardly such, however.
Huge wings stretched from a bulky frame, though they weren't covered in feathers, but flesh. His face was birdlike, dragonesque and he was ...orange? "That man is Garland or Garr, he is looking for people from a place called Windia."
It took Veld a moment before he garnished up the ability to walk up to this "man". He didn't want to seem rude and stare. Veld especially didn't want to appear rude if Garr could lead him to Ifalna. "Um, hi. And what do you know about this... vampire?" He had finally gotten to the point where he was just going to accept everything he saw.
Garr's bright eyes narrowed, his jaw worked twice, showing off fangs. "The vampire in the manor? Vicious thing, not a heartless though, I've see him kill them. He's not to be trifled with, boy." The mug that he was using for beer was massive and the chair he was seated at must have been quite strong.
"He's on Iffy's list... that has to mean something. And to be frank, I haven't been a boy in years." There was that pride again, something that would never get beaten out of Veld.
Garr chuckled, his wings moving and he smiled. "You remind me of a boy I knew... he became quite a man, though he wasn't one at all." He rubbed his chin. "The girl? We advised against it, but she was set in her ways, I lead her from town and to the manor. However, we were attacked by heartless. The vampire appeared, but I was forced to retreat without her."
"Well, I have to go see him at once. Do you have any firearms? I seem to have lost mine somewhere passing through the netherworld." Iffy had a knack for knowing things before they happened, and she must have known... was he supposed to save her or something? It sounded a bit too like those stories she was so fond of.
But he was forgetting something. He knew that.
"We do, but you aren't going out there, kid." Garr responded. "Too dangerous, the vampire doesn't like to be bothered and he's the only thing I've seen take on a team of heartless alone."
"Clearly, you were never a Turk." Yes, he was slightly younger, in body at least, here. He had a great pride for that organization, just before he... well, he didn't want to think about that. It had been worth it.
"Don't push your luck, kid, I felt bad enough about the young lady."
"No, clearly not bad enough. Firearms. Now." This was Veld the Turk leader. He didn't care that he was talking to a beast-like thing that talked like a man.
"Yer gonna getcher ass handed ta ya boyo!" A drunken yell came from across the room and Garr flinched. "Garr here can lift over 500 pounds! He kills DRAGONS!" Long fingers splayed out wide. "Ya wanna go die so bad, may as well do it here, Garr's nicer 'an a vampire."
"Viktor..." Garr started, a rumble rising up his massive chest.
"Ya ain't TELLING him, Garr." Viktor shook his head, shaggy black hair bobbing.
"You should let your sword talk..." Garr said.
"Oh he just carries on..." The young man tried to put an arm over the very tall Garr's shoulder and failed then leaned against him as though he were a wall. "This vampire's INSANE, kiddo. Flips all over, guns blazin' with a metal claw!"
"But I'm already dead. Just point me in the right direction, then." His patience was being tested. No, he didn't care about this certain death and all the blah blah blah. Iffy was waiting.
"You ain't dead kid." Viktor said, tapping Veld in the chest. "I'm lookin right at ya."
"No, you can go in the morning, but I refuse to let you leave at night." Garr said. "The vampire's taken bullet shots to the chest; he's nothing to be trifled with."
"In the morning then." He turned back to where the man with glasses was. "Where might I find a place to sleep?"
The man was studying them closely and then jumped. "Oh yes yes, we have beds in the attic for transients like yourself. The shops will be open in the morning as well. They accept gil here, if you use that as a form of currency."
He patted for his wallet. No, it didn't transfer either. "I do use it, but I seem to have lost my wallet as well as my sidearm. And thank you, sir."
Garr frowned. "If you talk to the shopkeeper he may have some weapons you could use. You should rest; it is strange, after landing here."
"YER the strange one ya moving land mass." Viktor smiled.
"In the morning I'll ask." He knew he wouldn't sleep, he was supposed to be sleeping eternally. But yesterday? He wasn't too far behind her.
So, once he no longer heard anyone shuffling about, he made use of a Turk's favorite exit and entrance... the window.
The streets were empty and silent and dark. They were honestly afraid, these people. He could almost regret sneaking out... but then again, what did he stand to lose?
The town spilled out, Veld had to duck under running wires and then, suddenly he realized how every bright they were trying to make the town itself. Standing half in and half out of the light, Veld looked from side to side, blinded for a moment with walls of black and white he staggered to the dark, sliding a bit. Sand. So he was by a beach…
After his eyes adjusted he could make out a path curling along the beach and up to a cliff hanging over the water. That must be where he could find his vampire. The walk was quiet, almost peaceful, till he heard something bounce against the sand.
With a shriek a creature jumped out at him. It had waving antenna, large feet and a row of yellow teeth. Green eyes the color of stagnant mako burned at him and clawed hands reached out for him.
Veld jumped backwards and the creature vanished into the sand, a pool of dark shadow slid to him, leaving a trail from where the creature fell.
Once the shadow settled under his feet, Veld started sinking, with a yell he turned to run. A clawed hand reached up from the pit of shadow, grabbing the back of his ankle and pitching him to the ground. He could feel another set of claws rake at his leg and a soft tongue lapped out at the wound.
Not thinking about much else, Veld kicked backwards and was rewarded with the creature's scream before he gained his feet again.
There was once evil in this world. There still is, but this evil was inherently different. And there were no heroes to face it, so they locked it away.
He frowned, getting thoughts like that was distracting, and something was, in fact, trying to eat him.
One more scream and another creature leapt out at him, this one did not sink into the sand, instead it rocked from side to side, a blue tongue licked at one eye before it purred at him
And they forgot about it, and soon new people came and took over. And the Dark One and the Gray One came into existence.
If he had died, he wasn't dead now. He could feel his blood seep from the wound in his calf and the adrenaline thick saliva sticking was to the wound. No, he was definitely wasn't dead any longer, his heart pounded in his chest.
The creatures came up then, bouncing in time to the beating of his heart. All as one, with their green eyes trained on him.
The Dark One fell first, sleeping. The Gray One fell later, defending. And fell shadow covered the lands.
A feeling crept up in Veld's chest then; something else he thought had been beaten out of him…
…he was afraid. The strangest time for his mind to recite fairy tales. The worst time. Another creature leapt at him and he did the only thing he could think of, meet it halfway. He struck out, palm flat in his chest when another voice hit his memories.
Where'd you learn how to fight, punk? That was horrible.
Veld clenched his jaw. "I can't do this." It was an old conversation.
That's chocoboshit. You came here. Do it.
Spinning, Veld threw his elbow into the heartless- that was what they had been called. "I can't, it isn't a matter of wanting."
Stop crying about it and do it.
He kicked then, the creature fell back and hopped away before another lunged at him. Veld met it with a spinning kick. "What makes you so sure?" He looked at the ground, talking out loud and surrounded by shadows. He remembered this conversation.
Because you can.
"So what, you send me to die so you don't have to do it yourself?" He spat at the ground, no longer feeling the gash in his leg. He backed up slowly, but the creatures were blocking the way to town.
If I wanted you dead, I'd do it myself. Run when you need to, you stupid kid.
"I'm not stupid!" Veld yelled, though that voice he knew so well was only in his head.
The purring creatures continued to bounce with his heart, speeding up in time with the thudding in his chest.
Then stop asking me a question when you know the common sense answer.
Veld did what common sense wanted him to. He turned and ran and the conversation played out in his head, the same as it had for years. Himself as a younger- perhaps himself as now, considering he didn't feel old any longer- and him. His … Veld didn't know what to call the older man at all.
"If you hate me so much why keep me around? Answer me! Gods I hate you! Don't you walk away from me!"
"I do what I feel like."
"I really hate you."
"I know you do."
And then the bastard died. The bastard let Veld tell him how much he hated him. And then he died. Heart in his throat, Veld sprinted down the beach, heading to the manor. Why did it seem so bad now, why was he feeling guilty now. All he wanted was to see Iffy.
Not to hear him.
Oh, that's what he'd forgotten. Pushed into the back of his mind, ironically, while he made to ascend past him. He'd met Iffy while the bastard was still alive; she used to mend his bones. With his adrenaline going the way it was now, it was no small wonder that his brain was catching up like that.
Light and darkness, she used to say. It was always about light and darkness. Well, he hoped the shadows would be sparser the closer he got to her. Because she was certainly not darkness.
Gods, he could still run fast. One of the few things he could always do. Run. Cowards ran, though, and he never liked that idea. But he could see a door; it almost rose out of nothingness. And maybe behind it he would meet far more evil than what was already pursuing him. Maybe he didn't care.
The door thundered open, Veld didn't care if he was smashing down a vampires door at least it wasn't those black things. They poured in after him, purring, growling and tongues curling.
One landed on his back, pitching Veld to the floor in front of a tattered staircase. He rolled with it, growling himself. He kicked up and pushed the monster off of his body. Then there was an explosion and green orbs fell from where the heartless had been.
Some of the creatures glared up at where the explosion had come from. They stopped bouncing, turning their heads curiously. Three more explosions and the black creatures blew into green orbs. The heartless snarled, still coming in from the doorway.
And then there was the vampire. From the top of the stairs it rushed down in a flash of black, red, and gold. It flipped around the room, thirteen more heartless exploded in green. Before the vampire stopped long enough for Veld to get a good look at him he moved again, gold would flash and the heartless would explode before him. He finally slid to a halt at the door and slammed it shut, trapping Veld inside with the monsters. A spent clip fell to the floor.
Staring at it, Veld realized that he was using a gun. The Vampire crouched slowly, a red cape billowed at the floor in tattered edges and a golden claw was stained with red-black blood. He looked up at the vampire's face finally.
Somewhere, there was a god laughing at him. Because the last person he'd wanted to see was glaring at him. He should have known that Vincent Valentine wouldn't die so easily.
