A/N: The next chapter is out on Wednesday, as promised. Thanks to all of you who are reading the story! The next chapter will come out on Friday, per usual.
Enjoy,
Orangepotato and Emil Lime
Chapter by Orangepotato
Ilene Capella: As the Chosen, it's my duty to save this world…
The outside air was cool against her skin as she exited the dug-in. A quick breeze fluttered at her skirts and hair, making her wrap her arms around herself as she leaned against a nearby wall and slid to the ground.
Tears threatened her eyes, but she didn't cry.
Inwardly, she admonished herself for being so weak.
She was upset because she hadn't been able to stop Kratos' demands. That even her brother had wanted that Desian dead. Soon enough, the poor man would become another casualty of a war that wasn't even worth fighting.
It was sickening. The Desians were just people. Sure, she accepted that there was a price to pay when combat ensued, but now? When they were in a moment of peace?
Kratos' stern words filled her mind.
Chosen, I understand your sentiment, but your brother is right. He will come back and try to kill you. As your bodyguard, I am obligated to protect you, and sometimes, that means stooping to their level.
With a frustrated sigh, she drew her knees close to her and rested her head upon them.
Wasn't it too sad that they were engaged in a war? The people who wanted Regeneration and those who didn't?
Maybe she was being naive.
Holtz appeared from the mouth of the dug-in, simmering anger on his face. It quickly dissipated as he spied his sister and sat himself down next to her.
"Ilene?" He probed.
Selfishly, she kept quiet. She wasn't in the mood for a conversation. She was realizing now that she was being foolish for keeping up her beliefs of mercy, but she didn't need to hear that now. Right now, she just wanted Kratos to join them and for them to continue their journey.
"Sis, are you alright?"
There was anger in her thoughts, but none were directed at her brother. It was more at herself. It seemed ridiculous that, as the Chosen, she didn't have more power over things. Who lived, who died…
"You know this has to be done, right?" His voice was low, the wind whistling through the passage as another silence fell.
Kratos' haunting words came back once more.
It would be far more merciful to spare him the suffering of bleeding to death.
With a long sigh, she was about to speak up when Kratos appeared. He glanced their way, face void of emotion, and then gestured for them to continue moving.
It was true. They needed to get going.
Without thinking, she and Holtz stood and started weaving through the Fooji mountains once again. The mercenary stayed in the back and for the rest of the night, no one spoke.
As the sun began to prick the night sky with yellows and reds, her brother stifled a yawn and then tossed a none too subtle glare back to the red headed mercenary.
"Good Goddess Martel, how much longer are we going to be on this stupid mountain?" He kicked at a few pebbles along the ground, "Are we getting close to one of the temples? I mean, really…" He let out a string of curses that would have sent the priests back home to their graves.
Speaking of the priests…
"Kratos," Ilene spoke for the first time in a long while. Her voice cracked a little, as if she was relearning how to speak, "Why would the priests have betrayed the Chosen like that?"
The deep voice of the mercenary came from behind her, "I couldn't say for sure, but there are plenty of people who succumb to greed. The Desians can be persuasive as well."
Holtz decided to throw in his two cents, "That, and you know priests can never be trusted. Holy, my ass. They're always crooked. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if the Pope was in on it too."
Ilene had to wonder if Reverend and the High Priest had been in on it as well. They were the holy men who'd practically raised her and her brother. It seemed impossible that they'd agree to betray her. They, among all else, wanted to see peace bestowed to the land.
Furrowing her brow, she knew it was pointless to contemplate it. Whether they were in on it or not didn't change anything now. Her goal was to release the seals and regenerate the world. Once she was an angel, she could look into the deeds of the Church of Martel.
Light conversations continued to fill the air for the rest of the day. Even the following days passed in the same manner. Never again did they face a group of Desians. Instead, they battled monsters and found small areas to sleep for the night when the sun descended too far into the earth to walk safely. It was usually Kratos who called it a day, which always earned a comment from Holtz.
Ilene would always sigh to herself. Why couldn't they just get along?
It was after two weeks that they managed to make it through the thin mountain passages. Once, they'd all almost fallen into a deep valley when the path had given way under them. Another time, Holtz had nearly tumbled over the edge in battle. Kratos had managed to snatch the red head's shirt just in time. Even now the boy hadn't thanked the mercenary.
"The end! I can see the end!" Holtz dashed down the path, gravel causing him to slide a bit as he reached the bottom. He jumped around in the lush green grass that spread for miles away from the mountainous region.
The Chosen laughed, reaching the end of the trail as well. It felt nice to be on solid ground again. Turning to Kratos, she saw the man was deep in thought. He'd been that way for a long time now. His face was drawn in concentration and he barely seemed to register that they'd finally made it to a new section of the world.
"Kratos?" She probed. The auburn snapped out of it.
"Yes, Chosen?"
"Where do we go next? Any ideas?"
He exhaled, and then looked around. Ilene did as well, twisting her head to see another far off mountain range. It was covered by an oncoming storm, but it could hold the temple they were looking for. Forestry sat before it, climbing its way up the brown rock faces until they couldn't reach anymore.
That was where they were headed. During her lessons, the priests had explained the writings which depicted the temples for her journey. However, no one knew for sure where they were since after the last successful Chosen's journey, over one thousand years ago, the information had been lost. Now, it was based majorly on legend and any information that could be recovered from the unsuccessful Chosen's bodyguards who returned.
Archard had said it was in a land covered by shadow, even hinting that it was upon land not easily trotted on.
It had to be the mountainous peaks on the horizon.
Walking forward, a strong gale blew and she squeezed her eyes shut. Wind whirled around her and the others, finally dying down after several seconds.
Holtz called from the distance, "The hell was that?"
"A storm, I'd imagine," came Kratos' calm reply.
"What? Your old bones tell you that, gramps?"
Sometimes she wanted to smack her brother, "Holtz, be nice."
"What, should I shout because his old ears can't hear me or something?" Another gust of wind hit, bellowing on the edge of a storm. Thunder gurgled in the ever darkening clouds and a few splats of rain began to fall.
The three of them gathered together, Kratos speaking over the arriving storm, "There's no shelter here or back in the mountain pass. We have no choice but to keep going."
"Is that safe?" The Chosen asked.
"If things get too bad, we can pitch our tents, but I don't think it's wise. We're also easy targets in this area. With a storm brewing, the enemies will have the perfect cover for a sneak attack."
Ilene nodded, Holtz not saying anything. They disbanded and began travelling, rain quickly finding them.
With the onslaught of cold water against her body, she shivered. Wrapping her arms around herself, she remained close to her two companions. As soon as it became difficult to see, her hand instinctively found Holtz' as they continued.
It felt like hours passed, thunder roaring and lighting streaking the sky for only a second before abysmal darkness consumed them again, and the pounding of rain washed away every other noise.
It didn't help that night had fallen. Now they'd all linked hands, Ilene in the middle, and their progress was slow. The earth had become muddy under them, shoes slipping in the grassy mixture. A few times, she heard her brother cursing or shouting something, but she could never catch what he was saying.
Several more hours of the same thing passed before the storm eventually lightened up. Rain began to lessen, finally receding to an occasional spatter. The thunder ebbed away, as did the flickers of yellow across the black sky.
All of them were soaked. Kratos didn't complain, but as soon as the storm died down, Holtz growled in frustration.
"This sucks. What kind of freak storm was that? We never get those types of storms in Meltokio."
Picturing the map in her head, Ilene answered, "The mountains in the area create some strange weather patterns. Being between two sets, I heard this land is plagued with freak weather phenomena."
Kratos added, "I once aided a group through this area. We encountered a similar storm. It's something that happens frequently."
"Yeah, well, I don't like it."
"Brother, it doesn't matter what you like…"
He gave a small huff, but didn't say anything else. Instead, he wiggled his hand away from his sister's grip and dashed a few paces ahead. He was looking hard into the distance, trying to see something in the low light.
Glancing up, dark clouds still obscured the moon and the many stars that usually painted the night sky. Holtz returned to the group, hands on his hips. A scowl was on his features and playfully, Ilene poked his side. He twisted away from her and swatted at her hand.
"Why are you so serious?" She questioned.
"I'm not serious."
"Then what's with the face? If you keep making that expression, your face will get stuck like that."
"I'll take my chances," he said in a childlike tone. Playfully, he stuck his tongue out at his sister, who laughed in return.
"No girl's going to want to date a face like that, either."
"You know what?" The red boy commented, "I just won't date. Then I can have any face I want."
Kratos interrupted smoothly, "It's late."
Holtz snapped back instantly, "Past your bedtime, gramps?"
"Unless you want to set up camp, it would be best if we kept moving. We'll make it to the other mountains by morning if we keep a fast pace."
Sighing, the Chosen knew that was the right choice, "Let's keep moving. I don't like being out in the open."
Kratos nodded and stepped forward, taking the lead as the siblings followed after him.
Holtz kept pace next to his sister, "So, tell me. What are we going to find at the next temple?"
"Well, there's always a challenge, so we'll probably have to face a monster."
"I hope gramps here doesn't put out his back fighting."
"Are you always going to make fun of his age? He's not that old, you know. In thirteen years, you'll be that old."
"Yeah, and in thirteen years, he'll be forty one. Old."
She shook her head, "Yes, he's always going to be older than you, that's how biology works. People don't stay young forever."
"Then he'd better find a youth potion or something. He's only getting older."
She really couldn't understand her brother sometimes. Kratos was actually pretty young for a mercenary. And for his age, he was actually pretty skilled. It was hard not to admire him, even though he was a rather serious man.
"Why don't you try getting to know him? Maybe you'll actually like him." Ilene nudged her brother.
He nudged her back, "No thanks. I know him well enough already."
Deciding she wasn't going to argue about it today, she just playfully poked at his side again, "When we get to the temple, protect me, okay? I don't know if I can defend myself." A bright smile was on her face as her brother gave a dramatic wave.
"I'd consider it an honor, oh great Chosen one."
Ilene smiled, "Why thank you, Sir Holtz."
"Of course. I'd do anything for the great Chosen. May Martel bless me in my pursuit to do good deeds for the Chosen one." He clasped his hands in mock prayer, speaking rather loudly in his plea to the Goddess, "Oh Goddess Martel, who's definitely real and totally not imaginary, please grant me great treasures and pleasures in life as I escort the Chosen to her many temples so she can be an angel like you. Amen."
"Beautiful prayer there, brother," Ilene smirked, "really eloquent, too."
"I'm thinking of becoming the next Pope. Think I'll make it in?"
"Only if there's no one else in Tethe'alla willing to fill the position."
"You mean 'fill his robes' right? Man, that guy is huge! He makes whales look tiny."
Ilene couldn't help but laugh, "Stop being mean, Holtz. He wasn't that big. He was just a large man."
"Sis, we're not at the Church anymore. You can say whatever you damn well please, and that includes the truth. The Pope had to live outside the city, next to Meltokio, in a place we all lovingly referred to as 'Big Tethey'."
"He wasn't that big."
"Everyone in the congregation knew he was coming. I mean, the Church would rattle with his every step. It's about time the priests stopped thinking it was the second coming of Spiritua and finally figured out it was the Pope waddling in."
Ilene laughed and she could have sworn she heard Kratos give a short chuckle, but it was probably her imagination.
The rest of the night followed in a similar way. Holtz, despite the sleep she saw slowly growing in his eyes, kept up his humor and charm, the sun rising as he cracked yet another joke. Ilene had laughed almost the entire time. By the time the sun was rising, she was exhausted from travelling and from laughing so hard.
Heaving a sigh, she sat down as they finally reached the trees that spanned near the mountain side, and leaned against one. Her eyes fluttered closed as Holtz and Kratos set up camp, and she wasn't even aware that she'd fallen asleep until she woke up inside a tent, covered with a crisp blanket. Night had fallen again, but she didn't let it bother her.
Instead, she let her mind drift once again, pleasant thoughts swirling in her mind before the bad ones came.
Soon, she was thinking about the trial that was waiting at the upcoming altar. What creature would she have to face? Would they be able to defeat it?
Memories of what the priests had told her she'd undergo came back.
The first seal. She was supposed to get her wings and lose her ability to taste. Following, she'd lose her ability to sleep, feel and speak… but then, at least, she'd become an angel. The priests had assured her that those were the only sacrifices she'd have to make and then she'd govern over the land with the Goddess Martel.
That thought was the only reassuring thing. That all of her suffering would end with something worthwhile. If she managed to make it to the Tower of Salvation, she'd be able to bring judgment upon the unjust and spread peace throughout the land.
A few human traits were worth the trade if it meant she could finally stabilize the world.
Even with her eyes closed though, her thoughts lingered on what she was going to lose. Her ability to taste, and, if the trial was too difficult, she could very well lose her life. Worse, she might lose someone she loved.
As she drifted off into a restless sleep, her last thought was about the priests. The words they hadn't spoken with their voices, but with their eyes. Even now she wondered… what had they been hiding when they told her about becoming an angel?
That was the last thought before she drifted off into unconsciousness.
