I traversed along my path. The very path that was set for me long ago…I made that choice….or did I? Was it me? I put these thoughts aside as I continued walking.
I must continue with my plan…no matter what…nothing can get in my way….
Nothing or no one…
Except…maybe…one...
It seemed like it had been a few hours before, suddenly, I heard the crackle of leaves as I spun around, withdrawing my blade.
I spun around and felt that I missed someone by a mere inch…just a mere inch
I felt a sharp pain fly through me as I looked deep into my attacker's eyes…Blues…
I felt my self drop to the ground as I clutched my side…I heard him laughing at me…
I got up as best I could and looked around …no one "is that all you can do? Hit someone and hide?!"
"You know…if I wanted to kill you…I could do it whenever I wanted"
I saw a dark shadow come at me , I quickly jumped to the side out of the way, the pain that followed was unbelievable…
I felt as though I couldn't sustain myself much longer…but I can't sleep…I mustn't go to sleep…
Not now…not…now…
I woke up suddenly in a cold sweat. I felt my heart racing & pounding. Was it a dream? Or was it real? I felt the wetness upon my face as well as the sheets of the warm hotel in a small village not to far from Denningrad. I decided to look around and see how well the others were sleeping. I was shocked to find that none of my companions were asleep.
I saw Crystal & Alex talking at the small bar near our open wall bedrooms. I couldn't help but hear there conversation with my wingly hearing:
"Where did you burry him?" Crystal asked Alex
"Where we burry all the honorable winglies & humans in Cero"
"Honorable? Pffff That old fool…he should have died sooner…" Crystal replied to her friends response
Alex paused a moment before speaking back up "died or murdered? Either ,or , it was you who suffered"
"heh heh…Suffered? Or blessed?"
"…. ….…. …You know…they hate you because of it"
"Hate? I could care less….or is it really hate? What do you really think…?..you should know. Their your people…& you know perfectly well there is a fine line between hate…& fear"
"You created that fear…power isn't everything"
"power is nothing, money is nothing, & life is nothing"
"They changed you when you went on that mission 11 years ago…and yet you never told anyone what happened..!"
"… … …"
I wasn't sure what they were talking about…but I didn't feel like it was something I should be interrupting…I decided to look for comfort else where. I saw Norris & John sitting at a small table a little farther on, playing cards.
They seemed to be into deep concentration… again… I really didn't want to interrupt…so I decided to just watch until their game was over.
"Heh heh…You can't beet this!, One of my best plays, indeed, 5 Kings & 2 aces" Norris laid down his cards, grinning & almost smirking slightly.
I looked over to John who had a grin far much more brighter, stretching from ear to ear He threw down his cards & jumped up " Ha Ha Ha ALL ACES!!, Give me my gold!" he said before winking
Norris rolled his eyes muttering "can't believe I got beaten by a child" before handing John a few gold coins. "All right…here you go, that is the money I owe you for the game"
Jon took it gladly before replying " 'Bout another one, we've got nothing else to do? No money this time."
Norris, this time, smiled brightly "Alright, let me introduce you to a game we play back at Cero"
I sighed…wasn't there anyone whom I could talk to?! Anyone? But…of course…no one…I couldn't go back to sleep…that dream I had was unreal…yet…so real…was it true?…did that….really happen? I prayed not. I wished not. I hope not.
I felt a few tears escape my eyes. Maybe I just needed some fresh air…yeah…maybe that was it…It would wake me up for sure…
I got up, & wiped my tears away pretending as if nothing ever happened...of course, I didn't need to though…Crystal, Norris, & not even Jon noticed me as I walked through to the patio at the entrance.
3 years… It has been 3 years since that battle at the Moon That Never Sets…I remember that day very clearly…As the battle clashed at the Divine Tree….
My Utopia fell apart so quickly…in a heart beat…in a moment…Why? To gain one I had to lose one? No matter… I had sat in that forest & decayed very slowly….waiting for my end to come…but now I have a new reason to keep going, to try & save this world once more from falling into chaos…The Utopia I have now…
I pulled my old black hood over my head & sat in the darkness of night, I was on the balcony…sitting on a bench hidden in the shadows, resting,…resting from searching for my niece and that cloaked man… But to no avail for some time…
I'd have to go back to Dart & the others empty handed…after my nap…but still…even though…I am working with the, still, young red flame… he and his friends seem still not to trust me…particularly the king & him…
I suddenly heard foots steps leaving the hotel…I remained still before looking at the person who exited the inn… The young man sighed and leaned over the balcony, his blond & red-tinted hair covering his eye…
He looked familiar…
It was only a few moments before I realized who it was…Alexander, Glenn…But…what is he doing here? I shifted slightly and suddenly his attention turned to where I was… He stood straight & turned toward me, looking where the darkness was, I pulled my hood tightly around my head, hoping the darkness of my clothing would help me blend in…normally, I would teleport…
But it would be possible for him to see me if I did, and as far as everyone knows…I'm dead… the bright light is hard not to miss… As I pulled my hood over, it obviously didn't help as now he pulled out one of his gold & black pistols, holding it in both hands, walking towards me, getting closer…
It was my luck, though, thankfully, that another set of footsteps came walking out of the old inn, Alexander quickly turned and shot toward the person, I heard another set of quick footstep running, a clink of metal, & I teleported before anyone could see me, to where I could watch them easily…
A very young man indeed, who looked to be around 16 had two minuscule swords out & in different positions, standing in front of the person who had almost gotten shot, a young red haired woman. Apparently, he had blocked Alexander's almost fatal shot for the two swords were almost smoking.
Alexander quickly ran over to them, he spun his pistol around his finger quickly, then placed it back in it's case. It wasn't long, before another familiar face came out, Norris. Shocked at the site of everything he pieced it all together, & soon, my niece came out…
Still cold, still clad in black, & her gray eyes had not turned back to the emerald green they used to be…but oddly enough…wearing the choker our family wear's…why? But…someone was missing…where was the man in black? Where was infamous Red Blaze? The rest of the inn, from what I could see appeared empty…so then…were they traveling by themselves? What exactly was going on?
I came out and saw the mess that had happened…Jonathon had saved Ahrena's life…but how had he known she was in danger? How something was going to happen? We had just been playing cards when suddenly he dashed out…pulling his two swords out along the way.
The oddest things happen…
"Alex your aim is going off, heh" Crystal commented…I frowned…how could someone be so cold? How could she be so cold? I rushed over & helped Ahrena up
"Are you ok?" I asked the both of them
"I…I'm fine…" Ahrena said, a note of fright in her voice
"Yeah, we're ok" Jon said before winking "No problem"
Alex walked over to Ahrena "I am very sorry about that, it was an awful mistake of mine to shoot without looking first"
"Why did you even have you pistol out in the first place?!" I asked
"I just thought I saw someone, spying on me…" he turned back towards the balcony "I am sorry, again" He walked off into the darkness and leaned back on the balcony
"Hey, are you sure your alright?" Jon asked Ahrena
"Yes…I was just coming outside to get some fresh air…I actually didn't even notice what had happened for a while" Ahrena responded, & with that Jon & I went back to our game & Crystal went back to the bar, & Ahrena went outside
I walked outside…onto the balcony…The cool air sent me shivers for a short time but I got used to it…I stood outside & look up at the stars…those beautiful stars…. The ones that predicted what is to come… they held a magic twinkle to them…
For a while…I forgot about that dream…that awful nightmare… I walked and continued staring at the stars…mesmerized, I hadn't noticed that I bumped into something rather solid & even almost fell backwards before I felt someone grab me and pull me back on my feet.
"You'd better watch it" Alex said
"Uh, yeah" I said looking back those stars before coming back down…remembering that retched nightmare…"Oh sorry, I just came out here to clear my head…from a dream" I felt my eyes start to grow tears once again…I fought to hold them back
"Take it easy…a dream doesn't mean anything…nothing at all"
"But it was so real! & Red! Oh! I Hope it wasn't real! I pray it wasn't real!" tears began pouring out now…I couldn't hold them back…it was just too hard
"You really care about him, don't you?"
"…I guess I do…it's just he's saved me so many times when we were young…but since then…he's changed…since we were little…he's changed a lot…"
"When you care…so much for someone…many times it is difficult to accept something…to think, that someone could be lost so quickly, that someone could change so fast…you stay in there…you pretend nothing ever happened…you try to ignore it…you imagine them, the way they were before & hope…but eventually….hope is lost…& your worst fears come true…Try not to think about them…enjoy the time you have…embrace it…& never at all forget it…Because…sometimes those memories are all you'll ever have" He said smiling a bit, looking up at the stars, then pointed up "We all meet in the same place eventually…our soles will entwine…so no matter what happens…no matter who you forget, & no matter whom you lose…no matter how far they grow away from you…you'll meet them again…eventually…it's destined" He looked back down at me
I felt a bit surprised…did he feel the way I feel? About someone else? "You speak…as if it's happened to you"
"I lost someone very dear to me…someone, I loved a great deal…a very long time ago…and even though I see them in front of me…Even though…they are there…to me they are not the same person, and sometimes I feel they will never be…They changed in front of me…in a matter of days…and I wasn't there to stop it…sometimes…I feel as though, I could have prevented it…but I didn't" He sighed before turning away "I have some business to do…for Cero, my country back home…I'll catch up with you all later…tell the others for me" He walked off into the darkness of the town and out of my sight
I sat there on the other building, watching Alexander leave, it wasn't until he was out of my sight that I decided to take action, I looked at the inn…No one could see out onto the balcony, and even if they could they wouldn't care to look.
I gracefully jumped off the building, and climbed p the stares to the old inn's patio where the woman wingly was. I pulled my hood back on before I got to her. Just in case.
Alexander's conversation obviously didn't help much…she still seemed to be in tears… Now that I knew what she was in tears about…Red Blaze…I could easily get some information from her… And the best part was I had never met her…so she wouldn't know whom I am…
I approached her very slowly "A bit cold out hear tonight isn't it?" I said standing beside her, she turned her innocent face toward me wiping some tears away
"Y, yeah it is a bit cold…but we are up north so it makes sense"
"Now what would you be doing out hear? At this time of night?"
"Just getting some fresh air sir, thought it would clear up my head from a dream I had" she responded, and a few tears escaped her eyes once again
"There, there, I didn't mean to make you cry. Take it easy, Take it easy" I said patting her shoulder, and handing her a handkerchief. She took it and wiped the tears again away.
For some reason though, I couldn't understand why she would get so worked up over someone such as that?! For someone who didn't even want her around him…
"I am sorry, I just can't help it. My friend is off on a mission, and I feel worried about him…"
"Ah…it's hard not to feel worried about someone when they're off, but that isn't much of a reason to cry"
"I know! But I had a dream that he was hurt! And a lot of the times wingly dreams-" She paused her self, probably from saying the word Wingly
I pulled off my hood "Is being a Wingly something to be ashamed of?"
"O, Oh you're a wingly?"
"Yes, and I know how much some humans seem to hate us, but you shouldn't hide" I said, realizing my plan was going as smooth as expected…she would tell me everything knowing I was a wingly like her
She nodded "But whenever I have a dream half the time it comes true…and I am worried" She looked up at me, and then looked at my choker "That choker…"
"It's something my family has worn for generations, to tell us apart from others" I told her not thinking anything of it
"It looks familiar…" She looked inside the inn, at the bar "Your related to-" I quickly put my hand over her mouth to muffle her voice, I saw a look of fear in her eyes. My plan had fallen apart in a moment once again…but I could fix it.
"Yes. And I am here to stop you, and Red Blaze from proceeding with your plan" She moved around a bit and struggled, but I grabbed her arm and held her tight "If you cooperate, I will not hurt you…I just need some…information" I teleported, with her and I saw her, grow even more scared, as we appeared in a forest far from the town, she quickly pulled away from me.
"Stay away!" She yelled pulling out her staff, she sent a fireball toward me which I quickly stopped.
I moved fast behind her and pulled away her weapon, both of them "Interesting weapons, only they will not help you" I threw the sword and staff aside
She silenced, before falling to the floor sitting on her knees
"Tell me, what are you all planning to do?" I asked her, staying my distance
"I, I don't exactly know…I just follow along with what Red tells me…"She stuttered
"humph, fine…then what are King Alexander & Norris doing here? As well as my niece?" I spat…she wasn't cooperating as smoothly as I expected
"King?" She asked "I don't now what your talking about!"
"Even if that is true, your not telling me the whole truth…you know something and refuse to tell me what it is" I asked again. She didn't answer "I will save this world, even if it means getting rid of a few people or winglies along the way" I took out my sword threateningly
I sat around the fire, I had removed the large red armor, and put it aside. I relaxed a bit for the first time in a while…all this business with royalty being killed…I feel like it's driving me crazy!
Why is bloodshed almost always the answer to peoples problems…or so they think…but that bloodshed leads a chain, another life is lost, the another and another…and eventually that goes back to the original person who started it all…
When will they ever learn that?
But for now…my main purpose is to try and keep this world I love so much alive…the very world I despised but a few years ago for the loss of my parents…
Now…Lloyd is back…can I trust him?…can we trust him? He did help save the world…but…he also helped bring it to chaos and almost being destroyed…
Why so many thoughts are coming to me now? And all at one time…I feel as though I am going to rip the hair from my head…I gaze upon the stars above me…they have a mischievous twinkle to them…
As though they are hiding something,…something that is not yet ready to be told… I also wonder what Lloyd is doing…did he manage to find his 'niece' was that whom the mercenary was? And what as well as this man in a dark cloak…he seemed to have started this whole mess…
What is going on?…am I…missing something? I can't help but feel that no one is sharing all what they know…
Shana's asleep as well as everyone else…onl Albert seems to be awake…
I can hear Haschel and Kongol snoring now in a small tent they pitched…ok…so it's isn't exactly small…Kongol's head and feet seem to be sticking out of both ends…last time he couldn't sleep in one at all…
I thought that we all had saved this world a long time ago…and now…we have to save it all over again…Rose & my father as well as Lavitz had all been sacrificed those few years ago…how many would have to be sacrificed today?
We have already lost quite a few…how many more would need to be sacrificed?
Why do these thoughts plague me? Me?…or…is it not only me? Are…the others being haunted by these thoughts as well?
Well…no matter what happens…I can not let these thoughts cloud my mind…we would all fall into chaos if they did…
I would fall…my friends would fall…and even…Shana…
"No! I won't let it happen!!" Albert gave an odd glance at me..there I was standing up yelling ''No I won't let it happen' I rbbed the back of my head and turned scarlet "eh heh…perhaps I said that a bit too loud…"
I sat back down and before long I felt tired…I felt my self drift away…is this the only place I can seek comfort…? In my sleep?