wow, s'been a while, hasn't it? well, here i am again, with yet another drakengard story. it'll be roughly four chapters long (well, verses), focusing on the...3rd? ending of drakengard (the first and best game). it's gonna be set out like the game, so there'll be verse intros and stuff. i've found myself a game script to work with (too lazy to get it from the game itself) so hopefully it'll be accurate. that said, there will obviously be spoilers abound, so if you haven't yet reached this part of the game, i suggest you turn of the internet and go play. now. no, not tomorrow. now.
to the rest of you: read and hopefully enjoy. oh, and i apologise for the sudden change in tenses in the second part. i tried writing it in past tense, but it just didn't carry the same weight. i absolutely hated writing that part, and not just because it's manah, so you'd better like it or i'll set the dragons on you. drop a review if you feel like it. i haven't written creatively for an age or so, so criticism would be appreciated. ta moochly.
oh. yeah. blah blah don't own drakengard or sqeenix or caim'n'angie (cause you can't have one without the other) blah blah.
Chapter 9 Verse IV – Sleep
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Inuart's eyes close, and a smile crosses his lips. Only eternity knows if happiness is his. Meanwhile, at the altar, Manah learns about the true nature of the dragons.
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Inuart shuddered momentarily in the throes of death, then lay completely still. Nearby, Caim watched as his once closest friend died, killed by his own hand. The man's final words echoed in his mind.
"Caim…let me die. Together with Furiae. I beg of you…"
What emotions would drive a human so, to seek out a single person moments before death? He looked at Inuart, whose expression was peaceful as he lay with his head on Furiae's breast. They looked at last like the couple they were meant to have been.
"Can this…be happiness?"
Happiness? He snorted. What was there to be happy about, lying dead beside a woman that never loved you back? It was the happiness of a fool. But…perhaps it was better to be a fool after all, and live in dreams and false love, rather than live in the harshness of reality and hate. With a sigh he turned to the dragon at his side, who seemed to be distracted by something. Her eyes stared beyond the broken city, head cocked slightly as if listening to something that only she could hear.
Her rough voice sounded in the back of his mind. A human is at the altar. It must be she. At last…
She didn't need to say who. His grip on the handle of his sword tightened. After so many months of waiting, it was finally time. Caim would enjoy killing her, oh yes. He'd run his sword through that foul black heart of hers. A shiver of anticipation ran through him. He could hear her screams already.
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The temple to the Cult of the Watchers is the largest and grandest building in the Imperial City, and the shadows threaten to swallow whole the tiny girl standing at its altar. Before her is a huge orb, perfectly spherical, that shimmers in the flickering candlelight. She raises her arms to it, and as if on cue, several roars break through the silence. She smiles benevolently.
"Almost," she croons, as if to sooth the rage of the dragons. "Not much longer." Her voice is small and chirpy, having not yet lost the high pitch of childhood, yet behind the seemingly innocent voice there are tones of something darker, much darker. She giggles delightedly, and skips outside.
Thousands of dragons greet her as she opens the doors, and seeing her they howl again, mindless with bloodlust. The little girl pays them no heed – after all they love her, don't they? Everyone loved her. Everyone, except…
She shakes off that thought – such thoughts are not allowed on such a wonderful day, when she'll be able to show the world just how much she loves them. Holding out her arms to the fearsome beasts before her, she laughs again. "Dragons. Tools of the gods. My servants –"
But before she can continue her speech, the dragon before her interrupts with a roar. She stares at it, and the look of joy falls from her face. They're angry with her, she realises. She's done something to upset them, and now their faces are contorted with a look she's seen many, many times before. The dragons disappear in her mind, and she sees someone far more frightening. Her red eyes widen, and she backs away, cowering. Don't hurt me, please don't hurt me! Overcome with memories, her small frame is wracked with sobs, and she falls to her knees. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't hurt me! Her anguished cries are heart wrenching and terrible, but the person she sees before her does not relent in their steady advance. Seere, help me! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Don't hate me, don't hurt me! The fear saps her of her strength, and all she can do is watch in terror as the apparition raises a clenched fist. Her cries become desperate, pleading wails. WHY WON'T YOU LOVE ME?!
As the dragon's sharp fangs tear into her soft flesh, she screams out to the ghost in her tormented mind.
"MOTHER!!"