Sapphire

by Asurahime

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Next Kiribans : 123 and 150

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My father is dead, he died by my hands. Your father is dead, he died to protect you.

We both know each other's story now, both profound and similar.

Others say that my father died protecting me as well. But they don't know. They don't know the truth that he died because of me. Because of my inability to see beyond the surface. But I leave the philosophy for paper pushing runologists, writers and synthesizers. I have learned to let my sword do the speaking for me.

Even if I carry that burden, even if my limbs are etched with the white symbols of human disobedience, there is still a reason to forgive. I forgive my father and I forgive myself. This is not the time to be amassing enemies, when Executioners and Proclaimers of blind judgment fly across this empty universe. As empty as this universe may be, it is not to be forsaken.

I care about this universe and I know that you care about it as much as I do. If you are apathetic to the nature of things, then there would be no reason for you to be with us.

But you always walk away. Frustrating, but I have to admit that it is characteristic of you. You are not one who can easily hand out something like trust. It is difficult to read you, but that is because you refuse to be read.

Albel, I can and cannot understand why. The others try not to pay attention to you, so they did not realize that the expression on your face upon my father's death was pure horror.

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There is no conflict without hate.
Do you have hatred for those monsters that seek to harm you?
Do you have hatred for those worthless subordinates who do not live up to your expectations?
Do you have hatred for the cowardly commoner who is not willing to fight to the death?
Do you have hatred for the King who stands above you, handing down selfish commands?
Do you have hatred for that arrogant dragon knight who always looks down on you?
Do you have hatred for the one who is better than you and is beloved by the masses?
Or...
Do you have hatred for that monster who drove your father to his death?

I hate myself.
I hate myself for the inexperience that makes me a failure in battle!
I hate myself for the selfishness that will not allow me to accept others!
I hate myself for the arrogance that makes me look down on those weaker than I!
I hate myself for my suspicion-filled heart that distrusts the King!
I hate myself for the rebellious nature that prevents me from cooperating with others.
I hate myself for the jealous nature that makes me envious of those superior to me.
And..
I hate myself for the death of my father, brought by my own impotence!

This, then, is your answer?

Yes! I hate nothing more than myself!

You may take me in hand, warrior of strong heart. I shall bend to your will. Together we shall destroy all beings cleaved by my blade. And all that we slay shall be cast out from this world for all eternity.

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It is sickening to sleep every night and have the same recurring nightmare. Others don't see me as much more than a bloodthirsty beast bent upon leaving a trail of corpses wherever I go. In a sense, they aren't wrong. But that is the reason why I call them "fools."

They are ignorant and that ignorance wreaks destruction.

But there exists one fool who I can no longer call by that endearing term. I had inadvertently seen myself in Fayt for a moment in time before his infinite tolerance and capacity for trust separated us. Thankfully.

Fayt wanted the story and I provided most of the information I currently care to give. And it's all that damned sword's fault. I am equally ignorant to fall into such a devised trap. However did my idiot of a father manag--

My father wasn't a fool. He knew exactly what was going to happen before anyone else. He had foreseen my failure of the Accession of the Flame ceremony before I ever stood before that overgrown lizard.

Not a sound was torn from his lips as the fiery breath of that cursed dragon engulfed him. He had simply drawn back the same blade I hold in my hand and severed the dragon's neck cleanly from its body.

I reached out to my father, burned left hand outstretched to the inferno as boiling crimson blood splashed upon the marked surface. From the blazing wall of fire, I drew a crimson sword.

The last remaining trace of my father shone upon my hand like a deadly beacon before I was forced to drop it. As a price, it took my burned arm and the mark of my sins along with it, blazing with my father.

While that may not seem like proper recompense for a sin so grievous, I didn't realize then just how much I had lost.

I was the fool and my ignorance caused my father's early demise. From that moment, I resolved to eradicate all ignorance from myself. But then I met Fayt, who appeared to be the most oblivious creature alive. The paradox of his self-sacrificing yet selfish character grated upon my nerves; he made me wonder whether he understood even a fraction of the utter rubbish which poured forth from his mouth. But then I grew accustomed to his way of thinking.

I truly became an apostle of Destruction.

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''I hate nothing more than myself. Is that so difficult for your primitive mind to comprehend?"

''I never knew the story until now, so how could I possibly have known?" asked Fayt as he turned his gaze upon the swordsman before him.

''Did you ever stop to think that perhaps it wasn't something I had wanted others to know?" replied Albel, sheathing the Sword of the Crimson Scourge. "Despite what you may think, you are not always the first on my list. Should you tell anyone else about this, I will personally carve out your throat for you."

An exasperated sigh escaped from Fayt's lips instead of a sharp reply. He could feel both frustration and anger radiating from Albel's form at being forced to reveal aspects of himself he didn't necessarily want others to know. Fayt himself knew this and curbed his tongue.

''I see."

A smirk appeared on Albel's face at the reply. "So the little idiot knows everything. Do you? Really?"

''That's not what I meant and you know it!"

Albel did not reply, but his mocking smile did not fade.

''Must you always twist what I say?"

''Then what did you mean?"

''..... Forget it."

Fayt looked around, taking in the chaotic brilliance of Spiral Tower. The others aside from himself and Albel had parted to search for the mechanisms to free Blair, leaving the two of them to scout the areas. Although both of them had originally rejected the idea of parting, both had to concede to the superior logic that there was no time to waste.

While creatures from beyond nightmare roamed the crystal and adamantine halls, Fayt had to admit that Spiral Tower is a fortress as exquisite as spun glass. It amazed him that such a beautiful place could hold such madness and existentialism. Perhaps it reflects the sensibilities of the Owner.

''Similar to yourselves, Spiral Tower wasn't always like this," whispered a quiet voice, almost muffled by the barriers surrounding her. ''Luther himself wasn't always like this either."

Albel and Fayt had almost forgotten Blair's existence due to their bickering. "Heh, some self-improvement the little worm had gone through. I suggest he delete himself before meddling with others first!" hissed Albel. "If he can't do it, I would be more than happy to do him the favor."

Blair regarded the Elicoorian with somber eyes. "Are you so bent on self-destruction that you can't see what is ahead of you?" She turned towards Fayt. "And you are not much different from him. Both of you are so preoccupied with the past that you can't even see that there is a future ahead of you."

''It's not I don't think about the future," said Fayt, closing his eyes and resting his hand upon his hip. "But considering what has been happening everywhere, there is no chance for me to think about the future without solving current problems first."

''Ah, so you do have a brain inside that pretty little head of yours after all," insinuated Albel as his metal hand suggestively placed itself on his blue-haired companion's waist. "Unfortunately, this Owner will find his splattered across the floor once I am done with him."

Fayt flushed as he attempted to break free of Albel's iron grip. "Hey, let go of me."

Albel glanced down and smirked, tightening his grip. "I'm not about to let go of you until I even the score. You're mine. I have yet to pound you into the ground, maggot."

The crimson across Fayt's face deepened as his futile struggles increased.

Violet eyes softened at the scene before her: a cheerful scene in the mouth of Hell. "Luther wasn't always so cruel. He used to love the Eternal Sphere, but one day, he grew to hate it."

''Why?" Fayt looked up at the programmer curiously as Albel finally freed him. "What happened for him to hate it so suddenly?"

''It was because--"

A sudden brilliant flash of white light burned the edges of their vision. For a split second, all the three of them could see was blinding white before unconsciousness took hold of two of them.

''Albel! Blair!" Fayt struggled to open his eyes, but light flashed before him, obscuring his vision. His attempts to find his way was abruptly stopped as cold hands grasped his wrist and neck, rendering him immobile.

''Why did I suddenly come to abhor what I had so lovingly created?" asked a calm voice rhetorically, warm breath blowing against his ear. "Why, indeed."

''Who--" The question died on Fayt's lips before it could be formed.

''You are in no position to struggle right now. I can kill your companions before your eyes right now if you wish."

Fayt ceased his movements, but to his side, he saw that the Crimson Scourge had become partially unsheathed as Albel fell. "You're Luther."

The man holding him hissed. "I see that Blair cannot keep her mouth shut." The hands tightened almost painfully. "But not matter. I can still eradicate everything without her."

''Why are you doing this!? You'll be destroying yourself if you continue with your plans! Don't you understand that?" shouted Fayt.

Luther's blue eyes narrowed into cold shards of shattered sapphire. "Let me tell you a story. It is a story about Fate and Judgment and how one cannot exist without the other."

''You're mad..." gasped Fayt as he struggled for breath, slowly reaching his foot towards Albel's sword.

Not seeming to notice his captive's predicament, Luther buried his face tiredly against Fayt's neck, eliciting a shudder of fear. "I once had a creation, a program that I was so proud of that I grew to love it. I created it after my own image, carefully forming each feature, rendering it close to perfect. It didn't matter that it was only created out of zeroes and ones, it deserved my full attention.

''Reality could only hold my amusement for so long before I found myself obsessed. I created an angel as powerful as myself, capable of destroying everything I create. We were two sides of the same coin: Creation and Destruction, God and Angel, Owner and the Owned. I gave him my own wings, white with the innocence of his character. On my self, I took the cursed black wings of dark experience originally meant for him. I engraved white symbologic marks with all the powers of the universe within his person, making him the harbinger of my commands. I was content for a time."

Fayt's foot reached the katana and slowly drew it closer to him, sweat trickling down his neck from the strain and Luther's close presence. Although he could not see the other, the power radiating from the other was overwhelming.

Luther did not appear to pay his antics any heed as he continued. "But the day came when the programs of the Eternal Sphere managed to create their own artificial intelligence system. I suspect that Blair had something to do with it. I could have cared less, for they were still below my power. I was content enough not to eradicate them. However, they dared to rebel against me when they began to look into knowledge not meant for their eyes.

''With their power, they tore my angel from their grasp. They took Destruction upon their own hands and sealed Fate into something they could control. They sealed his data and made him into one of them, a mortal with no recollection of his past. A human with white wings and the infinite powers of Destruction. They had taken my other half from me. I had forgotten that he was a mere program made of zeroes and ones. But he was mine. He will continue to be mine because we cannot exist without each other. The Manipulation of Fate would bring about Judgment. Is that not right, Fate?"

''I've never heard this story before, but I know one thing," Fayt's green eyes narrowed as he violently wrenched himself from Luther's grasp, pivoting on the ground to grasp Albel's sword. "I can't forgive you for what you have done!" With the same motion, he delivered a horizontal slash across his captor's chest.

Static sparked on Luther's figure along the path the Crimson Scourge traveled. "It is not that easy, my Fate."

Fayt panted for breath, wiping the sweat from his face with the back of his gloved hand. "An image?" He started in surprise to view the figure before him. Luther looked just like him had he had blonde hair and blue eyes.

Luther's simulacrum laughed gaily, blue eyes softening as he gazed upon Fayt. "I have missed you, my other half. You have no idea how long I have waited." His sapphire eyes grew hard as he watched Fayt run towards Albel, grabbing an Analeptic from his pocket.

''Albel!" Fayt grew worried as the Elicoorian refused to revive. "Wake up!"

''Why do you pay attention to such miserable bits of data?" snapped Luther. "You belong with me! You are mine!"

Almost savagely, Fayt grabbed the Crimson Scourge and delivered an vertical blow upon Luther's image. In his anger, white runological circles began to manifest before his forehead, surrounding him with soft blue light. "I belong to myself! You are not to judge how we live, Luther. We will put an end to you."

Luther laughed as his figure disappeared. "We will see then, my Fayt. But I tell you now," he growled as he glanced at Albel. "Your companion there will be the first to be erased."

Although the Owner's image was gone, his laughter still seemed to echo through the Spiral Tower.

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Warrior of pure heart. My will bends for the one who follows you. I am the blade of the apostle of the Manifestation of Destruction.

What is your resolve?

I will not let Albel die. I will not let anyone die.

Return me to my master, warrior of pure heart. I will not fail your revenge.

The void of eternity awaits those we slay.

Sapphire

END


Disclaimers:

-Star Ocean: Till the End of Time does not belong to me. It and all other titles and characters belong to Square Enix.

Author Notes:

-This is the eleventh installation of Vermilion. So... ehe... how many months has it been? ::ducks at the fruits and vegetables being thrown at her:: There are two more installations left before Vermilion is officially finished. Strangely enough, LutherxFayt is starting to interest me... Maybe I'll write a fic of those two soon... maybe an AlbelxFaytxLuther triangle... ::is thrashed::

-This story has totally departed from the storyline of the game in this chapter. This was really fun to write! If... I only finished with it faster. ::is embarrassed:: I truly apologize. I just got so busy with Finals and Christmas and the lack of internet during break. I haven't even really had time to work on my site. Yeah, I have an Alfei site now. Should you wish to see it, the URL is:

http: www(dot)geocities(dot)com /albelxfayt

Just remove the spaces and replace the (dot) with an actual period.

-The next kiribans are at 123 and 150 because they are fun numbers. Make certain to contact me through the livejournal community or send me an e-mail claiming it. Otherwise, I'll put it up for grabs for the community.

-To Youko Mitsutama- Well, the question about the angel thing was mostly reference in anticipation of this chapter. I kind-of-kind-of-not skipped over the Crimson Scourge event.

-To Jagwarakit- Don't worry, because of Amaranthine Sin, these two have to get together. I can't have it going any other way.

-To Melfice- I like Albel pushing Fayt against a wall... It's so violent. "I'm in the mood for some good clean violence." The guy in the beginning was Luther. It was fun writing him since none of us really know too much about him.

-To XxFuumaGirlxX- Not really. I went to AX last year but didn't dress up as anybody. Yeah, I love YnM too! I played Tsuzuki in a parody my friends and I filmed though. That knife thing was out of nowhere but I liked it too.

-To glitchandgremlin- ::opens her arms and welcomes the hug:: I was hoping that somebody was going to get the reference just like the one I had for Yami no Matsuei. It's a sneaky way of finding out what my readers also watch. I'm a major Illumi fan.

-To Aori Tsuki- Ehe, experienced author or not, I still have a great many problems in my writing which I want to just iron out. However, I am glad that you like my stories. Should you wish to see my artwork, it's in the livejournal community.

-To Albel Nox- I'm wondering whether I should or should not attack your handle name. If you could pleaseIambeggingyou send your fanart to me, I would be more than happy to put them on my website. There's an under gallery, so it incorporates for your less than child-friendly pictures. If you catch my drift.

-To Exileian- ::throws herself off cliff:: I know. That is the major problem in my writing and I admit it!! weeps But I'm happy you liked the story.

-To Neeup and Greegrue- Ehe, I agree with the pronoun thing. I cut it down for this chapter and I will cut it down for the rest of the story soon enough. But considering that you normally do not read yaoi, I thank your compliment.

-To Hagane no Tenshi- It may be a little late now, but gamefaqs(dot)com can answer all of your in-game questions. Should you want fanart, try image searches or just join the livejournal community. I'll be archiving pictures in my site soon enough.

-To Arbil- I have just beaten the game as well. I love angst. It fuels my writing! Especially when they're a bit off their rocker.

-To PaintMeGrey- I truly apologize for making you wait. However, I finished this chapter and I hope that it is sufficient.

-To Puppet Lord- I am flattered that you liked my story this much. I do wish to cure your boredom even for at least a moment.

-To everyone- It seems that many people liked the "Wicked Witch of the West" comment. That came out of nowhere and I was truly unsure whether to use it or not. I am not regretting that I did. I apologize for the wait, but I finally have time to write again! I don't want to rush something and not put my full effort on it, which is why I had to wait. Once again, thank you for your comments.