Warning: This story will contain violence, language, and you will notice the extremely convenient situations with no explanation offered whatsoever. Speculation rocks.

Disclaimer: I don't own Drakengard or Drakengard 2 but I think that's a given. It never fails though that every time I play the game and one of the actors says 'Square-Enix', I jump. Every single time. Then they went and said 'Cavia' too for the second game, but that's not as shocking. Oh yeah, the story…here it is.

Vein of Grief

Chapter 2

He had to fight. That thought still floated at the top of his mind. Caim wanted to escape the heavy weight of slumber and just fight. He hated dreaming, it was more remembering and that was enough to make him madder then he already was. His limbs felt heavy and his head burned but he could just make out voices nearby.

"I hope he wakes up soon. We can't have some knight just lying around forever," the voice was distinctly male…and annoyed.

"He was injured. I couldn't just leave him out in the middle of nowhere. He'd die," the second speaker was female. Her voice had an almost pleading quality to it as she spoke to her companion.

As Caim became more aware of his surroundings he felt something slightly soft underneath him. He numbly heard the clatter of boots and he felt a presence over his head.

"I could care less if he were begging you for help. There haven't been any battles near the Blessed Plains. This is the epicenter of the knights for pity's sake! This man will be nothing but trouble."

Caim wanted to frown but he still didn't have full control of his body. He wasn't usually like this with such shallow injuries. There must have been another reason.

"Stop talking like that. Someone will hear you," she replied.

The knight struggled against sleep and at once the heaviness seeped out of his limbs. He could now clearly feel something hard beneath the cloth he lied upon and there was another on top of him. His entire body tensed and Caim sat up straight, eyes wide as the full memory of what had happened to him set in. He heard a gasp to his right as the woman backed away.

The warrior turned his head to face the two that had spoken. They were both older, on into their late forties or so. The woman's amber eyes were wide and as Caim took notice of her clothes he saw that they were noble-made but gone to seed and threadbare. The man was hard to distinguish through his mess of tangled grey hair. He moved up and drew an arm around the woman, pulling her back.

From what Caim saw in their small home, it didn't seem that conditions were too good. They were in a small room and two beds sagged against the wall to his right. There were barely any possessions around the home and he could see visible rot on the wood of the walls. Caim could tell that the two were unhealthily thin as well, their clothes hung loosely on their bodies and the woman's face and eyes were hollow

"Don't try anything funny. I was a member of the Union's army before retiring after the war," said the man.

This man had obviously agreed to take Caim in but now he was threatening him. Talk about paranoia. Caim glared but there were more important matters at hand.

"…"

Caim shut his mouth. He tried to ask but all he had done was gulp like a fish out of water. He rubbed his throat and then went for another go. The woman hid behind her husband but her beady eyes still peeked out at the young man.

"What's this now? If you're going to say something then say it!"

"…!"

Caim stopped trying. Had that same voice taken away his ability to speak? He certainly couldn't remember being mute.

"…I don't think he can speak," the woman finally said. Caim nodded.

"You seem surprised. You could before?" Caim jerked his head up and down again in irritation.

Apparently being mute led to more trust then just being injured as the woman immediately softened a bit. She moved over and poured relatively clear water into a small cup before handing it to Caim. He tasted it, just to be sure, before his desperate thirst made itself known. Sometimes it sucked to be human. She crossed her arms and regarded him neutrally.

"Hmm so you lost your voice during battle? I guess some people are too sensitive for battle."

Caim spit out the water in his mouth and shook with unintentionally silent laughter. She now looked at him like he was insane.

The man approached for the first time and presented Caim with a crumpled piece of parchment, ink, and a thin pen. Caim's scowl deepened.

"Here. Since you can understand us I'll hope that you can write our language. You look nobly born and your clothes and weapons say as much."

The man moved back and they were all silent as Caim thought on what he may or may not say. The woman jerked to life again and took the empty cup away from the soldier.

"Oh yes. How rude of me not to introduce myself. I'm Laurel and this is my husband, Grieg."

"Laurel!" He scolded.

"There's no harm in him knowing. He can't exactly say it aloud."

Caim could honestly care less about their names but he did have some questions. He put the paper on the hard stone of their small home and started writing. Though he hadn't ever been keen on writing regularly he had been made to do it enough by his various tutors as a child so he was quick. He presented the paper to Grieg and the man handed it to his wife to read aloud. She squinted and held the sheet close, then far, to focus.

"I happen to be a soldier of the former Union. When did the war end?" she put down the paper to speak, "and you couldn't even give us a name?"

Caim shrugged. He didn't want to give away too much about himself and still get the most information possible. It seemed like the best tactic. Grieg moved to front of the room and opened the wooden shutters on their windows a crack. He looked out and then secured them again. Caim assumed they thought him a fugitive. Either that or there was something more to be afraid of.

"The war with the Empire ended just over eighteen years ago. Can't you remember? It almost destroyed the world. No one even speaks about it any longer since the Knights of the Seal have taken over. I suppose you don't know them?"

Caim shook his head.

"Well they came from the Union mostly, and were founded by a man named Oror. He was a wonderful knight and humans thrived for a time. He died some years ago and ever since Gismor has taken over there have been fewer freedoms allotted to the villages and many of us have sunk into poverty. Not that I'm complaining. Some stability is better then none at all." Caim detected a note of morbid amusement in Grieg's last statement. None of the names rang true in his mind but if all facts were to be taken into account then he was in the…future. Just thinking it was ridiculous.

That was enough to get by.

Caim threw off the thin blanket that covered his body and he got shakily to his feet. He was missing his shirt but he still wore his pants and his shoes waited at the foot of the makeshift bed. He shot a warning look at Laurel so she wouldn't come any closer after seeing her fidget. They had bandaged his wounds so he assumed he would be alright for the moment. Caim pulled on his shoes and glanced around again for the rest of his things.

Laurel knew what he wanted. She shook her head but didn't move closer to him.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but you can't leave. It's the middle of the night and there may be people looking for you."

Who would be looking for him? Caim shook his head and moved toward the couple. Grieg stood his ground and put his arm around his wife so that she would do the same.

"I agree with Laurel. You're in no position to be fighting anyway. You were running quite the fever when I found you."

Caim shook his head and held out his hand expectantly. Grieg sighed.

"Fine. Have it your way but don't say we didn't warn you. It's a weight off of our shoulders anyway. Laurel, get his things."

She looked fearfully at her husband but complied. The woman moved to a trunk hidden under one of the beds and extracted his repaired shirt, armor, and sword. Caim covered the room in three swift steps and rudely grabbed his possessions from her.

"…I do hope you're careful," she said. Laurel moved back to her husband and they watched in silence as Caim put his things back on and sheathed his sword.

The soldier moved to the door and paused for a half a second to nod his head in some form of respect to the two before he strode out. While it was kind of them to take him in he didn't have time for sympathy or kindness.

Caim set his face in grim determination as he set off down the street. The small village was completely unfamiliar to him but he would find his way around somehow. The biggest problem he could see was his strange condition. How had he lost his voice?

----------

"Manah?" Nowe fumbled, arms reaching before him, in pitch black. One minute he had been following the young woman and Urick through the small cave in the Closed Lands but it suddenly became terribly dark and the air was thick and stifling. He felt deaf and the hot air choked him. Where the Hell was he? Nowe turned all around and he paused when he heard a voice.

Don't fret. You'll soon be in a…well I can't call it a better place. Just stay still, little creature. I can promise that you will have a good time.

"What? Who's there? Where am I?" Nowe asked, bringing his hands to his mouth to try and magnify his voice. It reverberated in the fathomless space and bounced back to his ears. There was no reply

"At least answer, ow," his voice bounced around his head painfully again.

Nowe helplessly glanced down and leaned to try and see if there was a floor or just more black. Red spread from the point of contact and his fingers were mingled with a crimson liquid as they scraped against stone. Nowe repelled and glanced, wide-eyed at his hand. It was blood.

There were the bodies of soldiers all around him. He stood on a stone dais in the middle of a sea of sand. Nowe blinked. There was a light seal at his feet but as soon as he registered this fact it shattered.

He spun all around. What was going on? What had he done?

Human! Caim! Where are you?

"Caim?" Nowe echoed. The voice he heard was that of a dragon's, a female one at that.

"What have you done?" Nowe turned and nearly dropped then and there in shock when he saw what looked like the long-dead Verdelet hobbling toward him. He was immediately joined by a blonde man whose eyes were inexplicably closed.

"You've allowed the seal to be broken…wait…" Verdelet looked Nowe up and down in confusion.

"Who are you?"

Nowe put his hand to his head. What was going on? "Nowe, I think. You're the Hierarch Verdelet, right?"

"Why yes. Do I know you?"

Nowe smiled slightly. "Not exactly. Now where am I?"

"First, where is Caim?" the blonde man asked. Nowe shrugged and regarded him again. Was he blind?

"There was no one else here…but these bodies were," he glanced around. They were all hacked to pieces. What had been here before him? He remembered the name 'Caim' from the story of the hero who helped save the world eighteen years ago but it still baffled him.

"Wait a minute…" Nowe started.

Verdelet ignored him easily. "This was the seal of the desert. The Empire is a step closer to their goal and the Goddess grows more burdened. Whatever shall we do? Have the Gods cursed us to perish?" He collapsed to his knees, as dramatic and self-absorbed as always. Leonard moved his guide stick to the stairs and he climbed upward, tripping slightly on a discarded helmet from one of the enemy soldiers.

"You said your name was Nowe? I am Leonard. It is a pleasure to meet you. Despite the blood and chaos I sense here I can tell that you have nothing to do with it."

Nowe shook his hand. His face was still masked with confusion. It was simple enough to think that he was in the past but…how was that possible? This was all coming too fast for him to understand.

"Uh…nice to meet you too."

"Where could Caim have gone? You don't think that he was-?" Verdelet asked as he slowly got back to his feet.

"No. Caim is much more resilient then that," Leonard said.

"Ah yes, I can hear the dragon."

Nowe blinked. He had only been in this place for five minutes and he could already tell that it was going to be a long night.

Please comment, I'd love to hear what you think. I've modified the timelines for both games to suit my purposes. I'd be happy to explain any confusion had up to this point. There will be more on the way so you've been warned.