Hello all!
So here is the fourth challenge story:) This one took a tad longer then the others because I really wanted it to flow right so there were a few parts rewritten haha but I am finally satisfied and finished writing so it is time to share!
This particular story is actually cannon compliant in a way. There is only one tiny change that's made to the very end of TDP so none of the existing previous game storylines are altered in any way. This will have a darker spin on it due to the song, but I promise a happy(?) ending...mostly XD
The song is Dark Paradise by Lana Del Rey.
Enjoy!
Dark Paradise
It is said that when two people are meant to be together, it does not matter how much separates them whether it be time or walking apposing paths into their future. Even death cannot stop fate when two hearts are meant to be...
As the Staff of Destiny floated across the room to the strangers hand Mel found herself scrambling back as the man flipped back his hood and smiled cruelly at Mel.
"Thank you child, you have no idea how long I have waited for this moment. So close to having you, then Gyendal failed me and I was left in limbo once again." The old man explained, glaring back at Gyendal who had just been pulled up from the prison below by several of the strongest darklings.
"W-who are you?!" She shouted, thrusting out her hand to summon the staff back.
The old man only laughed, the malevolent sound making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
"I am the reason for your namesake, and you are the catalyst I have been waiting for. I am Mordred Darkthrop!"
"That's impossible!" Edward shouted from behind her, Mel stumbling back into Yemite behind her.
"Y-you died!" She gasped out, staring in horror at the old man.
"Oh that's what they wanted to believe, but I survived. I had been learning dark arts more powerful then any current Mage could ever understand, preparing a way out in case something went wrong. As that part of my tower fell I opened a portal to the demon realm to fall through, and that day only one person died." Then Mordred scowled slightly. "I tried to open the portal from the other side, but I was not the chosen one to fulfill the prophecy. So I waited, and I watched. Then you came, the prophecied child who would raise the dark empire..."
He lapsed into silence then, studying Mel before raising his head and the staff.
"You did exactly what I needed, the initial fulfillment of the prophecy. But I have escaped and only one of us can hold this throne. I'm afraid you have just outlived your usefulness child, and it is now time for you to say goodbye."
Mel let out a cry of terror as he raised the staff, her friends all shouting out in horror and chains rattling as Gyendal strained against the darklings with wide eyes.
"No! That wasn't part of the agreement! What are you doing?!"
Mordred sneered, shooting a look of disgust at Gyendal.
"Your time with her as a human has made you weak, and you'll receive your own payment for that in due time." Then he turned to Mel who threw up the strongest magic shield she knew, only to watch helpless as with a meme swipe of Mordred's hand he tore it down. "Goodnight child."
Mel let out a piercing scream, throwing up her arms in useless defence as a blinding flash of light filled the room and the collapsing of a body to the ground.
The first reign was over, the Darkthrop Heir was dead.
With a strangled gasp a young woman bolted upright, blinking in the early morning light that filtered into her small room.
"Melina! Are you awake?"
The young woman rubbed her forehead tiredly, swinging her feet over the side of the creaking bed as she stood and exited her room into the main house with a yawn.
"I'm up Deron."
A burly man who stood at the oven stirring something looked over at the young woman with a nod as she sat down at the table.
"Took you long enough to wake up, we have to talk about something."
"Yeah, but we've talked about this." She sighed, tucking a strand of her black bob behind her ear. "I prefer being called Mel."
Deron dished breakfast into a bowl before setting it in front of her as he slid into the seat across from her.
"I know, it's just hard to get used to that. You only decided that two years ago, that was Thirteen years that I was used to calling you Melina. I still don't understand what prompted the change."
Mel shrugged as she shovelled a mouthful of food into her mouth.
"I don't know. It just felt right, Melina has always felt uncomfortable as it is. I just like it better."
Deron gave a resigned shrug.
"If you say so."
"I do. Is there any interesting jobs you'll be working on today?"
Deron got a calculating look in his eye as he leaned back and Mel perked up in interest. Her "adoptive father" had a most interesting job and Mel never ceased to enjoy learning and even helping him on his missions. After all, the job of a mercenary was never boring.
"Actually, that is what I want to discuss with you." Deron said, leaning forward over e table. "I have several small jobs I'm going to be taking care of, and in a few days I'll be heading to Sedona to handle a small...situation. I'm willing to take you with me as I usually do, however if you're open I just might have a more lucrative offer then petty theft and tagging along with me."
Mel grinned, setting aside her food in favour of hearing this offer. She enjoyed going along with Deron on his missions, but she had long since gained all the training she needed in order to do her own jobs.
"That lucrative offer sounds a heck of a lot more interesting then simply tagging along with you. What is it?"
"There is a client from the Northern Isle who specifically sought me out for a mission. He said that he knew I employed only the best and he wanted the job done, the collection of a rare metal for a weaponry project he's invested in. It's a dangerous mission, but he's offered ten thousand gold coin in return for the retrieval of that metal. I of course get ten percent of the payment but the rest goes to you. I've been training you since I inherited you after your father died on one of his missions for me when you were six, and you're nineteen now. I think you're ready. Are you interested?"
Mel's face was filled with glee at the idea of taking her own job.
"Ten thousand coin?! Done! What's the metal and where am I going?"
At her question Deron hesitated, as if he wasn't quite as happy about he answer to that question.
"The metal he's looking to have is called Epanenotheí, it's an extremely rare metal that can only be found underground where sand and magically infused water sit stagnant. As for where it's found...this metal is only ever found in the Ashera Tombs."
Mel's jaw dropped and she shoved to her feet, chair screeching back behind her.
"Ashera Tombs?! Are you insane! They lead right into Underfall, you know that place has been cursed since it was abandoned 150 years ago after the defeat of the Darkthrop Prophecy! Everyone knows about that after King Edward the Brave defeated the returned sorcerer Mordred and destroyed the prophecy the place was tainted by the deaths of two Darkthrop mages and the Disciples of Darkness. There are tons of books about it, Underfall has been abandoned ever since and anyone who's ever ventured in has never returned!"
Deron stood, holding up his hands in a placating manner.
"Mel, people have returned! You just need to have your wits about you, enough that you trust your senses but act using your smarts rather then superstition or fear. Yeah, it's been abandoned for a while but Acropolis is still a buzzing community and they also are the opening to the dwarf mines that lead up into the Northern Isle. I visit both places for trades sometimes."
"Deron, that's totally different! Those tombs are dangerous enough as it is, but you know that there isn't any metal left there. It would have been long since cleared out, which means that I'm going to have to go through to the tunnels on the other side! That means going through Underfall!" Mel snapped angrily. "Are you seriously telling me to go in there?!"
"You don't have to go in there if you don't want!" Deron said in exasperation. "Look, usually I would never offer a job like this to you but there have been some changes. I got an offer to work with an underground thief ring in Sedona. It's organized crime, I'm not going to be tied down here in Shoal Leiu anymore. You've been wanting to get enough Money that you are able to travel away from here, find somewhere you can create business or just roam. You could even join the thief guild if you really wanted I'm sure. But for everything you want to do, you need money. You need to be self sustaining, I'm moving on and I won't be supporting you anymore."
Mel gritted her teeth in frustration, knowing he was right.
"Alright, fine! I'll take the stupid job! When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow."
She nodded, glancing down at her food before turning away. She wasn't hungry anymore.
"Alright. I'll gather resources and prepare today, then tomorrow I leave.
Mel stepped up to the entrance of the tombs, glancing around her at the granite mountains edgily. She really did not want to go in there, but she didn't exactly have a choice. She needed the money.
Taking a deep breath she shook off the nerves and stepped inside, the sandy smell of the tombs setting her teeth on edge as she jogged along the sandy and dry ground. However, it wasn't long until she had reached the end of the dry ground and with a grimace Mel slipped into the water.
"Oh man that seriously tingles, how can anyone even remotely enjoy going anywhere near these stupid tombs." Mel hissed, moving through the water as quickly as possible.
There was a snapping behind her, Mel turning to look over her shoulder before cursing and throwing herself forward to swim rapidly towards the other stairs.
"Massive crabs?! You have got to be kidding me!"
She leapt up onto the next stair platform over, just narrowly missing the crabs snapping claw before quickly rushing along the sandstone walkway before they could get up the side. The paths through the tombs were deeply worn, and Mel could see areas inside the water that were dug up. Her stomach clenched at what that meant for her.
It was guaranteed she would not be able to find the metal she needed in these tombs. She didn't have a choice now, she had to go to the other area of the tombs. That meant that her next destination, was the forest area of Underfall.
Mel worked her way through the tombs before finding herself facing the slope down to the exit. She could feel the cold breeze flitting by the entrance, the dry scratching of movement in the dead forest.
It took every ounce of courage for her as she stepped out of the tombs, and into Underfall.
Part of Mel expected an explosion, someone trespassing into cursed territory. Yet there was nothing, no sudden silence or angry threats. Nothing. Her heart was nearly beating out of her chest as she carefully ventured into the misted island. She could see creatures moving in the shadows, dry rasping against the ground like brittle autumn leaves. A crack to her left made Mel jump and she spun sharply to face the source of the noise.
It was a monster, some sort of ogre that made her knees weak and her palms clammy. It was followed by a spirit and several skeletal monsters and slowly, as if they had all the time in the world, they began to advance on her.
"Oh goddess." She muttered, taking a half step back before whirling and sprinting away.
She had no idea where she was going, just that she needed to get away before the monsters made her lunch. She skidded around corners and through paths, running until she stumbled over a rock and went tumbling into a clearing. She landed hard on her hands and knees, right in front of her face a slab of sandstone that had seemingly come out of nowhere. Instantly she scrambled to her feet, her situation near forgotten as she slowly raised her head to look up above the sandstone slab. It was a staircase, one that led up to a floating island like nothing Mel had seen before in her life. Completely empty, she could practically feel how lifeless everything was.
"Underfall."
Mel's discovery was quickly interrupted as behind her there was a groan, and she looked back to see that the monsters were beginning to emerge into the clearing. She cursed under her breath, that fall and seeing Underfall had stripped her of her headstart, there was no way she would make it if she went out further into the forest.
She didn't have much of a choice and so with a whispered prayer to the goddess Mel turned back to the city and raced up the stairs. Then with one step forward, the young woman entered the cursed city.
If Mel hadn't fully believed in the curse before, she certainly did now. Out in the forest a cold wind blew, there were alive things that moved.
Inside the city there was nothing.
Everything was utterly still. There was no breeze, no movement of animals or monsters. None of the buildings were deteriorated, there was no dust lining the streets. As Mel carefully walked through and took in the houses with open windows and market areas with small vendors stalls set up it looked like the entire city had been put on pause. It was not ruins, it was simply empty.
Her steps were silent as she walked through the city, as if the very air was absorbing the noise.
She had never seen anything to do with the fabled city she was in now before in her life, no maps or old artifacts, yet somehow her legs carried her through the winding streets towards the side with the familiarity of someone who had walked the streets before.
Finally Mel reached a dead end, standing in the gateway facing a massive cathedral. She stared at it a moment, then approached before resting her hand against the solid door and pushing inwards. Much to her surprise the door swung in without a sound, light filtering in from the door.
"Wow..." She whispered, gazing around the room in awe.
She took in all the detailed sculptures, the stained glass and the architectural work in the ceiling. Every moment spent inside the cathedral was making something in her chest feel strange, the back of her mind grasping for something not there. It was strange, yet fascinating and Mel stepped further in, absently reached behind her to close the door. It slammed shut with a resounding bang, the sound echoing through the cathedral.
"SOMEONE! IS SOMEONE THERE?!"
Mel let out a strangled shriek as a desperate voice called out, spinning wildly as she tried to place where it was coming from.
"HELP ME!"
She never even paused a moment before bolting towards the door. Just her luck that she picked the place with the ghost. Her footsteps slapped against the stone and she heard another call.
"NO! STOP! I GOT TRAPPED IN THE PRISONS AND I CAN'T GET OUT!"
The call brought Mel up short, her mind instantly flitting to the many adventurers or treasure seekers that had stopped in their village over the years on their way to Underfall. Could one of them...? Mel gave her head a sudden and brisk shake, she wasn't going to fall for the trick of a monster.
"PLEASE!"
The panic and near desperation...
With a curse Mel spun and rushed back partway into the room.
"Where are you!"
"The prison! On your right when facing the griffin arch!"
"This is stupid, I'm gonna die." She muttered to herself as she took the stairs two at a time down into the darkly lit rooms below. "Where in the room!" She called forward, glancing apprehensively at the dimly flickering torches that were somehow still burning on the walls.
"At the back!" The voice called, now that Mel was closer she could tell it was low and male.
When she finally reached the very end of the prison she could see a finger shrouded in darkness gripping the bars of the only closed cell in the room.
"How did you get trapped in here?!"
"It was a-...no..."
The mystery man's confident tone faltered as Mel skidded to a stop in front of the cell, firelight reflecting off of her face as she squinted to see who she was dealing with.
The person stumbled back, falling against the wall as the dim outline of their face fixated on her.
"That's impossible. You-you di-"
"What on earth is your problem?! Do you want out or not?! Because I don't know what the hell I'm doing and I have a job to get done because I really do not want to die in the cursed city! It's bad enough I had to come here at all!"
She could hear their breathing as they straightened, appearing shaken.
"The keys. On the far wall, they're held down with magic so that only a physical being can lift them. The bars of the prison are reenforced with magic, no creature can break out of them or into them which left me rather trapped." They said, voice strained.
This was by far the weirdest day she had ever had was the thought racing through Mel's head as she hurried back to the wall against the staircase to grab the heavy ring of keys. It flickered slightly as Mel grabbed it, a snap sounding through the air before she reached the prison cell. Once there she forced all the thoughts that she was quite possibly letting a monster out that could eat her for all she knew to the back of her mind and fought the key inside the lock to turn. There was a sudden click, and Mel wrenched open the gate just as the mystery stranger lunged out.
"Thank the goddess, finally..." He murmured, the old vibration in his tone making her vision flicker just barely and in so quick an instant that Mel was sure she had just imagined it all of the prison melted away to reveal a balcony overlooking a city covered in night and a glowing orb before her.
Instantly everything returned to normal, Mel staring wide eyed at the prison before shivering slightly. She skirted around the stranger, quickly making her way up the stairs out of the prison with the mystery man close behind. As soon as they reached the upper level Mel turned and backed away, hand on her dagger defensively.
"Now, who are you?!" She snapped, voice tense.
The man who was still hidden in the shadows was silent, before suddenly letting out a low chuckle.
"That's the first question she asked when she saw me, how amusing." He murmured, tone quiet enough that Mel realized she most likely was never meant to hear that. "To answer your question, I have been known by many titles but..."
He stepped forward into the light then, Mel giving a sharp intake of breath as she took in the hauntingly familiar features of the black haired man in front of her. A hint of a smirk, intense green eyes.
"My name is Gyendal."
His name felt as though it had struck a cord deep inside and without her realization a hand came up to press against her chest. Almost immediately the name Spook floated through her mind, a confusing mixture of attraction and betrayal hitting her and Mel gritted her teeth, giving a slight shake of her head as of to dispel the thoughts and unplaced emotions.
"So what is a young woman like you doing venturing into a city such as this?"
The smooth voice broke Mel out of her revere and her head shot up to meet the males gaze.
"I, uh, am here to retrieve an object of interest." Mel stuttered, trying to catch up with the question.
He raised a brow.
"A thief here also...?"
"What?"
The stranger, Gyendal, gave a brisk shake of his head.
"It matters not. What is this object you seek and where are you looking? Underfall is a deadly place, especially for a lone traveller. Nothing should be so important as to cross the threshold into the forest."
Mel eyed the male warily, considering her options. There was a part of her that screamed not to trust this eery man, yet even as that thought crossed her mind something stronger urged her otherwise.
"I'm looking for a rare metal in the tombs. The other ones leading here have already been cleaned out, I need to go through the other ones. I need the money from selling the metal so I can get out of my small town and find a place I can support myself." She answered sharply. "What about you? What are you doing here and how are you going to get back when you can't even get through a city without locking yourself in a prison cell?"
The man's eyes narrowed and Mel twitched, Gyendal smirking at her reaction.
"How I got in there is of no consequence to you. How I'm going to get out? Well what kind of person would I be if I let my saviour get herself killed on her little mission? It's only right that I stay with you as a extra fighter, someone to have your back while you search for metal in the tombs. Who knows what could happen to you if you're left alone."
Mel gaped at him, shaking her head.
"You're not coming with me! This is a job for someone who actua-WOAH!"
Mel's shout was delayed as before she could even blink a silver dagger flashed bast her eye and imbedded itself in a wooden post in the wall directly behind her. A few stray black hairs that had been sliced free floated down as Gyendal strolled past her to pluck the dagger from the wall and hide it away in the red cloak he wore.
"You were saying?"
Mel blinked slowly, staring at him wide eyed before recovering.
"Nice to have you as part of the team, let's go get ourselves killed."
He laughed at that and Mel's eyes went wide as a chill went up her spine, the sensation baffling her and infuriating her on equal measures. She shoved her way out of the cathedral, pushing aside her unease as she and her odd companion moved quickly through the streets. Mel hesitated right in front of the exit into the forest, causing the male behind her to bump into her back.
"Would you give warning?!" He snapped, stepping up around her.
"Terribly sorry about taking the time to actually figure out where the hell I'm going to find these other tombs so we don't needlessly get ourselves killed in them." She snarked, shooting him a black look. "I'm relying on news from the two adventures that have actually returned alive and on book records. There are no maps to figure this out from!"
Gyendal snorted.
"I shall lead then. I know exactly where you need to go from here."
Mel did a double take as he strode purposefully down the stairs, leaving her to gather her wits and quickly follow before the darkness of the forest could swallow him from sight.
"How do you know the way around Underfall?! No adventurer in their right mind would ever come down here in the first place, muchless stay and explore enough to know the location of tombs and explore prisons!"
"Whoever said that I was in my right mind?"
The question made Mel falter, the young woman shooting her unwanted companion a look of unease.
"Uh, actually I'd really like to just believe that you're at least partially in your right mind since I don't seem to have much choice then to accept you as a tag along." Mel muttered under her breath.
Her companion let out a dark laugh and Mel flinched as he turned to look back of his shoulder at her, a startled gasp escaping her as his form flickered to that of a deathly white Gyendal with fangs and red eyes before returning to normal instantly.
"Oh trust me darling, if I have any sanity left it will be only by a miracle of the goddess."
"Wh-why the hell would you say that when I'm about to enter abandoned tombs with you?!" Mel shouted, Gyendal only shooting her a look with hidden meaning before pointing ahead of him at an entrance into a mountain.
"The Ashera Tombs."
Mel muttered a few choice words under her breath as they stepped inside the tombs, a hint of breeze from deep inside the tombs stirring the sandy air. Mel led the way down through the entry tunnels and down into the water, shivering as it lapped at her legs the deeper they went.
"The water levels have risen since I last came in here." She heard Gyendal mutter behind her, and she glanced over at her strange companion.
"How long exactly were you stuck in the prison for before I found you?" She enquired idly.
"Long enough."
His tone was cold and Mel took the hint, dropping the topic with a roll of her eyes. What a arrogant jerk this guy was, why did she have to be stuck with him?!
They tested several areas closer to the entrance in hopes of finding loose areas in the floor which would indicate metal but with no luck. So deeper they went, every so often Gyendal making a sarcastic comment about the water, or the tombs, or the mission being foolish...or how fast Mel was walking...
"Goddess would you just shut up! You were the one that chose to come along! I never held a knife to your neck and forced you, so stop making comment!" Mel finally shouted, spinning and stabbing her finger at his chest.
He watched her impassively and she poked him hard, glaring fiercely up at him expectantly. He tilted his head slightly to meet her narrow eyed gaze, before the sudden sensation of fingers dragging themselves up her arm towards her hand ever so lightly made Mel nearly jump out of her skin.
"The hell?!" Instantly she ripped her hand back and scuttled away, near bolting in the direction they had been going to get away from the male.
She could still feel where he had touched her arm, it felt like every nerve ending was overloaded and for the life of her Mel could not fathom why she would have such a reaction to a perfect stranger. Everything about this whole situation was wrong, the familiarity and the freaky weird way Gyendal acted and spoke. So why was she still doing this?
"DUCK!"
A hand slammed into her back, sending Mel flying forward as the sound of a blade meeting flesh came from behind. Somehow she caught herself, turning with dagger at the ready only to gape at the now dead carcass of a massive fanged fish floating right where she had been standing minutes earlier. Slimy blood dripped off of Gyendal's dagger and he gave a hiss of disgust as he swirled his blade in the water to get the blood off.
"What is that thing?!"
"It's a pitharate. They're venomous, one bite and you're as good as dead within the hour."
Mel gulped, taking a generous step back from the carcass as Gyendal moved around it to catch up with her.
"Uh, thanks for that. I'd rather not be dead before my Twentieth birthday."
At her comment Gyendal flinched hard, the sudden flash of darkness in his eyes making her recoil.
"Well it's only right that I'm the one to prevent it this time, I suppose I owe you after..." He trailed off before wading past her, lost in thought.
She stared after him, incredulous. This guy was crazier then a loon!
They moved further back into the tombs before Mel gave a sudden exclamation, having noticed an area of loose sand that glinted in the water. Grinning she took a deep breath and submerged herself, swimming to the bottom and pulling a small trowel out of her small leather pack. Carefully she dug, hoping against hope that there would be metal to be found. Then her shovel hit hard metal and with a grin and several trips to the surface for air, Mel managing to amass quite the pile of metal in her bag.
"Done. Let's get out of here."
Once they had gotten out of the tombs, giving wide berth to the dead fish, they dragged themselves through the forest with small stumbling steps and heavy sighs. As they walked Mel began to notice the strangest sight far off over the forest.
"Is that...mist? It looks black and a whole lot thicker then what's already on the ground." Mel pointed out, Gyendal turning to look before letting out a string of curses.
"We need to get to Underfall, we'll never make it to the other tombs before it's rolled out over the forest and over us. We get caught in that and we're dead, it serves as the cover for the monsters that even the worst of Aia fears. Come on!"
They began to run, dodging monsters and racing for the sandstone stairs. Mel nearly fell with how fast she rushed up the stairs and through the magic film, shuddering at the sensation of the magic passing through her.
"So you're sure it won't come in the city?" She asked nervously, turning to watch the most extending over the forest."
"The entire city is protected by magic, it always has been. It keeps out the mindless monsters from the forest, and protects against things such as the mist." Her companion said snapishly, seeming edgy and displeased as he looked around the entryway to the city.
Mel nodded, watching the forest a minute longer before shrugging and starting towards the city.
"Well we have nothing better to do while we wait, let's go exploring."
"I thought you hated being around Underfall because it's cursed." Gyendal snapped, reaching her side with a few long strides.
"I do, doesn't mean that I'm not going to take the chance to poke around and look. We're trapped here either way." Mel pointed out with a shrug, ignoring his muttered comment as she picked up her speed to reach the centre of the city.
As they crossed over into the town centre, Mel perked up in mild interest as she took note of the huge statue in the centre of the city square. She glanced back to see if her companion was following but found him standing at the entrance to the square gazing up at the statue with such a look of rage and pain that she was forced to look away.
Carefully she approached, studying the black marble statue of a young woman garbed in a billowing dress with a hand outstretched. In the palm of the statues hand was a actual flame. When Mel's gaze moved up to the face she couldn't help the startled breath, eyes wide as she stared at what could have been a mirror.
It was her. She didn't know how it was possible, but looking at that statue was exactly like looking into her own face. The only difference was the statues expression, a dark smile as it gazed out in front. She shivered, the likeliness was uncanny.
"This place gives me the creeps." She muttered under her breath, tearing her gaze away from the statue to study the plaque below.
The writing was looped script and Mel carefully lowered herself down in front of it to better read what was engraved into it.
"The bringer of darkness and queen of Aia, felled by betrayal but her legacy shall transcend through all of history never to be forgotten. All hail the prophecy child M-..." Her jaw dropped as she read the name inscribed. "Mel Darkthrop?!"
This was a monument to the fabled Darkthrop heir. She had never read one of the more in depth history books written by King Edward the Brave and his wife Queen Stella so she had never learned the name of the girl thatad fulfilled the prophecy, but something rang so deeply inside her at that name that Mel whispered it again softly. Her eyes were fixated on the plaque, her breathing uneven as she reread the writing over and over.
"What are you doing?!" The sudden demand never even made Mel jump as she slowly raised a shaking hand to hover over the name.
"Don't touch that-!"
But it was too late, Mel pressed her hand down and flattened her fingers against the name of the Darkthrop girl.
It was as if her touch had released something from deep inside the earth as the ground around them gave a slight tremor, the blood draining out of her face as a ghostly grey form was near flung out of the statue. Mel stared above her, frozen as the mist form exactly like the statue it had just separated from seemed to stare back.
Behind her there was a shout as the form pulled back slightly before diving down at Mel, making impact before melting right into her. A sudden pain ripped at her chest and her hand flew up to clutch her shirt, such intense emotional pain taking over her mind nearly forcing her forward with the sheer weight. A faded scene played thought her mind, the dream she had been having for years of a sudden death with indistinct and faded forms all around as she was struck with magic and killed.
"It was never supposed to end like this!"
The words flew from her lips without her permission, words broken and desperate.
A hand grabbed onto the back of her shirt and Mel was ripped backwards, hand pulled away from the plaque as she was pulled several feet back away from the statue.
"What the hell were you thinking?! You stupid, stupid girl!" Gyendal snarled at her, leaning slightly over her only to be pushed away as Mel shook her head violently.
"I don't understand this, it's been happening for years but I come here and it just won't stop. Flashes of things I've never seen and I think I've imagined it but I can't have! It doesn't make sense, nothing adds up and then this stupid Dream just comes and comes and it's like it's trying to make me remember but I've ever lived this! I don't understand!"
Her body trembled as her mind grasped at nothing, Mel looking up to see Gyendal staring at her with heat, pain and bitterness in his eyes.
"You want to understand?" He hissed, leaning in. "You want memories?! Fine."
His hand whipped out, grabbing onto her jaw and tilting her head up as he crashed his mouth into hers.
There was nothing gentle about his kiss and Mel's eyes nearly tripled in size, the young woman letting out a shocked gasp which the older male took advantage of to deepen the kiss. He was a stranger, what the hell was he doing?!
Mel moved to yank herself away when he suddenly released her, and every single last cohesive thought was torn away the moment his lips left hers.
It was like a maelstrom of chaos, emotions so powerful and foreign battering her mind relentlessly. Snapshots of laughter and smiles from people she somehow knew, a chocolate skinned woman who radiated kindness and a hazel eyed man with a boyish smile and excitement in every movement. A vampiress that anchored everyone with her reluctant husband at her side. Places she had never been and sites she had never scene in a race against time that she had never lived. And a man, taking different forms that all led back to the man that she had just travelled through the tombs with that brought a mess of hatred, confusion, betrayal and overwhelming attraction.
A piecing scream ripped through the air as Mel's back arched in agony, her hands knotting in her hair as strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and her waist to support her.
"Stop! Stop!" She sobbed out, memories strengthening and forcing themselves into her mind like a million daggers as she relived her life past right up until her death.
Then it was over.
Mel collapsed sideways into someone's chest, tears streaming silently down her cheeks as she gasped for air.
She had failed. Even after all those quests and spending those years running for her life away from Gyendal and the prophecy she had fulfilled it before meeting her end at the hands of Mordred Darkthrop.
Mel had lost everything.
"...y-you brought me back."
Shaking, Mel jerked away from Gyendal before shoving herself to her feet as the dark Mage quickly stood to face her.
"HOW COULD YOU BRING ME BACK!"
Her shrill scream bounced off the houses around them as she lunged for Gyendal, slamming her fists against his chest as he gave an audible grunt and staggered back.
"I've lost everything! Everyone I cared about and fought to protect is dead! There's nothing left for me and you brought me back anyway! How could you!" Mel's face was filled with torment, hands grabbing onto Gyendal's clothes to shake him. "I could have lived a life free from all of that knowledge but you brought me back and now I have to suffer more! Why would you do that to me!"
He laughed, the sound mirthless and filled with fury.
"You suffered?! At least you got to die! I never meant for that to happen, you were never supposed to be killed! All that time, I thought that once he had returned I would be able to get you away and we could settle our own issues separate the same way we had before but instead I was held back in chains unable to do anything as he struck you down! Your friends destroyed him, but at the end of all that they never killed me like they should have, they threw me into prison while Mordred's curse that froze Underfall in time spread over the entire city. I was abandoned there when the darklings realized what had happened, when they realized that what I had been telling them all along was true."
He grabbed onto her shoulders with a bruising grip, insanity in his eyes.
"One hundred and fifty years Mel. I was trapped in that place for one hundred and fifty years of hell. My age frozen, my need to eat an drink frozen so I couldn't just die. My magic blocked by the darklings enchantments over the prison, leaving me with no way out. You died and lived again while I was alone, slowly losing any hope and sanity I had left as my only companions were memories of what had taken place. Don't you dare talk about suffering until you have lived thought that!"
Mel strained against his grip, searching for answers in his face she knew he didn't have.
"I don't understand. Why did this happen, why did you get forgotten and why was I reborn. How is it possible that out of all the places I could have been and lives I could have led I ended up coming right back to you."
At her pained question his grip on her shoulders relaxed, no longer squeezing and now just resting on her shoulders.
"You do not know the reason for reincarnation? Did they not teach you of it at Shadwood?" He asked, tone calmer.
"No."
He sighed, fingers flexing slightly.
"When two people are meant to be together, when they meet and the fates weave a connection between them in the tapestry of life there is nothing in the realms that can undo that. If they do not come together in that life, they will be reborn until they do. It does not matter how many times it takes, they are doomed to repeat until they fulfill the weave in the tapestry. Fate will bring them together every time, no matter how impossible the odds."
Mel stared at him with wide eyes as she processed his words.
"You mean..."
"I remained here while you were reborn because fate still had to bring us together. This happened because Aia screwed us over worse then we ever could have realized. You have no idea how many times I wished I was dead, dead like you. Your soul was haunting me, every time I closed my eyes I could see you in my sleep and I never could understand why until you showed up outside my prison cell."
Mel closed her eyes, stumbling forward slightly into him for support as her muscles threatened to give out from under her.
"Those moments of silence and sleep are like a dark paradise, escape from everything unless that was a night when the dreams would come." He said bitterly, arms coming around to encircle her tightly despite his words.
"I want that back. That not knowing." Mel whispered, clinging onto Gyendal as she struggled to surface from the drowning emotions inside.
"You'll never have it back again. You and I are trapped here, together until we die."
Mel drew back slightly, staring up at him with haunted eyes.
"What are we supposed to do?"
He let out a long sigh, meeting her gaze steadily.
"I have no answer to that. We'll need to leave, piece together what we know which changes that have taken place and plan our next step. Perhaps find my sister and her brother, they were vampires when they left so they will still be alive."
His soft murmur served as a comfort in a way, she knew that sound. It was familiar in a time she didn't belong in. Seeing the conflict in Mel's face Gyendal's expression softened ever so slightly and he tilted his head down to kiss her a second time that day, Mel responding to him.
This time it was gentle, as if to both lend some form of comfort as well as seek it himself.
When he pulled back both of them relaxed slightly, Mel closing her eyes slightly as she leaned against her once enemy.
"There's no release from this, we have to live this life through." She said quietly. "We have to make the best of this, so we can die together and never have to come back."
"We'll make it through this." Gyendal said, tone leaving no room for argument. "We're too strong to give up now."
Mel choked out a laugh before pulling away, turning to face her statue that stood solid in the centre of the statue. The fire in the statues hand was gone and Mel carefully raised her own, holding her breath for fear of the result before letting it out in relief as a magic flame flickered to life in front of her.
"You know, in one hundred and fifty years a great deal of Aia has probably changed. That was my plan for the money from this, why change that now?"
She glanced over at Gyendal who shot her a slight smile.
"When this mist goes away I see no reason not to travel. Perhaps we'll stop in to inform my sister and her husband of the events that have taken place before continuing out to travel Aia."
Mel let out a long breath, looking out over the city. Seeing it abandoned like this brought an ache to her chest, it never should have been like this.
As if sensing her thoughts a hand slid around hers, closing tightly around her own as if to pull her back from following that thought.
"We cannot look back Mel, it will change nothing. The only way we can live through this is to move forward and leave the memories behind."
"Part of me doesn't want to leave. This may be abandoned but it has remained the same, it's probably the only thing left from what Aia used to be one hundred and fifty years ago." Mel murmured. "There's nothing here for us though. We can't stay."
"We will find our own place in the new Aia then. We do not need to hold onto the past to make our mark."
