The Flames Within Us
By: V-Dawg
Chapter 4: Deterioration
1 Week Later
14 trials later, and Ike's condition was a pariah of what he used to be. In a span of a week, Ike's state had changed.
His eyes were more frantic, the length of darkness allowing his eyes to be better adapted to the condition, but he was still struggling to see as well as Ranulf. His torso, covered in gashes and weird coloured spots were sensitive and a simple touch would cause him to hiss in pain.
Ike's muscular frame, however had remained. While the lack of food and water would make Ike's frame shrink, the cold, mixed with Ike's constant trembling, ensured Ike's frame was still rather big, despite the lack of food. This only made Ike more tired than ever.
Ike's hair, which was normally tied together with a headband, and thus was neat, was now exposed and unexpected curly, the lack of care making knots, alongside his hair growing, now reaching his shoulder.
Ranulf and Leanne could only watch in horror and shame. As they watch the pain Ike went through two hours a day for the past week. He would be injected with a yellow serum, paralyzingly him before the vial was inserted in his bloodstream. Then Izuka would take a knife out and scrap it across Ike's torso, almost as if he was trying to make Ike bleed to death.
It was traumatizing for both of them, and they couldn't imagine what he was going through. Twice a day for a week so far, and Ike wasn't faring any better. He struggled to even move, only being able to grunt, before Leanne would sing him a lullaby to help him.
It became such a daily commotion that Ranulf and Ike had memorized the lullaby, which took some strain off of Leanne who was thankful.
Leanne and Ranulf weren't much better. While they weren't subject to the abuse Ike endured, they were starved and dehydrated almost all the time. They would only be given a meal for a whole day, which made them always tired as well. Ranulf in particular because the beast Laguz ate much more than others.
Then, there was the occasion of the laguz attacking them. When Ranulf and Leanne moved slightly, the laguz would interpret them escaping, and thus thrash them like a rag doll. Ranulf in particular got an attack bad, but Leanne was able to heal him.
"Kff!" Ike grunted as the vial entered his bloodstream yet again. It was evening, and Ike was starving, dehydrated and now was in pain.
The pain had been getting much worse. Ike thought the first would be the worst, but that didn't appear to be the case. It was getting more unbearable, it was inevitable. Either Ike would succumb or snap.
Ike hoped it was neither. He just wanted to escape whatever this was. Wherever they were.
Barely being able to move his head, he locked eyes with a wide eyed Leanne and Ranulf.
While Ike was looking, he was oblivious to Izuka taking out a knife and slashing his torso, the scars built up from previous encounters slashed, the progress cut in half, and blood began to pour out yet again.
"Burn my prize, burn and appear to shine, as your body is vulnerable to its fate." Izuka had sinisterly said.
But Ike didn't bother hearing his voice. He was too terrified of him to reply to him. He didn't want to hear him, or what he had to say about him.
He was too busy trying to endure whatever was happening to him. His eyes were hurting, his muscles were sore, and he was tired.
Eventually, yet again Izuka was done, "Throw him back in! Also give them food, I don't want my possession to die!" He bellowed to them, referring to earlier where Ike was at his closest to dying.
He had lost almost too much blood, as Izuka had accidentally cut too deep in Ike's torso, striking the veins surround his heart. With some weird blue magic, in which Izuka claimed was a remnant of Yune, he was able to heal Ike's damage, but the strange new magic had already taken an effect on Ike, as he felt more unstable. Not by much, but noticeable, and Ranulf and Leanne could tell.
Thankfully, with another chant of lullaby by Leanne, she was able to help Ike.
Once again, Ike was thrown in the cell, this time Ranulf caught Ike, despite his smaller frame. Ike was just severely injured and he didn't want him to suffer anymore.
"Leanne!" Ranulf called for, as she approached and once again sang a lullaby to heal Ike. Unfortunately, it began to take its toll mentally on Leanne, and Ranulf could tell.
Despite wanting Ike to get better, he knew it wouldn't happen if Leanne were to push herself, so despite his preference, he made sure Leanne was in the best shape. Whether it was giving her the most food, or making her sleep the most, she was able to heal anyone, whereas they couldn't.
"I sing." She said, chanting an ancient lullaby, with the light blue faint light fading before Ike was able to move, barely.
It wasn't the best, but it helped him, they could tell and in a life or death situation, that was all that matters.
Putting Ike down to rest yet again, Ranulf could only look at the mess Ike was within the week they found their way, trapped in this jail, with Izuka torturing them. Clearly, Ike got it the worst.
Ranulf's mind was interrupted by the smell of something. Turning around, he noticed the laguz bringing what appeared to be food. Ranulf's mouth drooled. The food may have been bearable at best, but with how little the three of them have eaten, anything would've been eaten.
Setting it down, it was just a plate meant for someone for dinner, but instead was meant for three hungry people.
"Ike, take some." Ranulf said, but he noticed that Ike simply wasn't able to move.
Sighing, Ranulf brought the plate close to him, before aiding in Ike eating. He may have been unable to move, but at least he could chew, and gravity could help him digest his food.
Together, he and Ike ate around half of the content in the plate, with Ranulf insisting Leanne got the most. Judging from Ike's lack of facial reaction, he didn't mind and understood where Ranulf was coming from.
Regardless, Ike still couldn't do anything ever since that week. He wasn't able to move his body, he could only chew and make small facial reactions.
Whatever that serum had done to Ike, it had paralyzed him, and Ranulf wasn't a fan of it.
Ranulf had asked Leanne if she was able to understand what it said, and Leanne replied about something regarding dark magic.
He wasn't surprised, Izuka clearly was an evil scientist, and his experiments were clearly being used on Ike, regardless of what would happen to him. Ike was suffering, and if it wasn't for Leanne, he'd probably be worse, or even dead.
Heading to sleep, Ranulf could hear the slight breathes of Leanne and Ike, which made him at ease, knowing despite these rough conditions, his friends were alright.
However, what Ranulf couldn't tell was that Ike was having a nightmare, and a truly terrifying one at that.
"Ike, saviour of Crimea, come forward!" Izuka sneered, as Ike looked at him, with rage.
With rage Ike didn't even know he had, Ike charged at Ranulf, with his bare hands, the feeling to kill Izuka taking over his body.
However, before he could reach his target, Izuka pulled out a black wand, and shot a beam of blue light, piercing Ike directly in his chest, knocking him back considerably.
"Such anger, yes, let it consume you Ike, spread it out to anyone." Izuka chanted, which was getting to Ike.
The next thing Ike saw, was a shroud of purple and blue light surround him, as Ike, attempting to repel it, was unable to do anything.
The lights were burning Ike, he could feel the intense heat, and with a brutal cry of pain, Izuka laughed, watching the whole ordeal with glee.
"Let the hate run through you." Izuka chanted, which caught Ike's ears.
"Ashnard..." Ike grumbled, which only made Izuka smiled further.
"Oh, you know Ashnard, after all you were the one who slay the mad king, you would know what he did."
At this Ike's eyes widened, the medallion, he was exposed to a remnant of chaos, the dragon mount became feral, and the ground shook out of pure energy.
At this, Ike couldn't hold it in, the sheer burning the blue and purple flames were inflicting onto Ike was too much.
"Release your pain, and you will find yourself in a world of envy!" Izuka bellowed, and Ike fell to the grasp.
With a pained yell, Ike had fallen to whatever magic Izuka had inflicted to him.
Ike woke up, but he was still unable to move, only his eyes and mouth could move, and he panted, at least tried. He was sweating, yet he was cold, and he was shivering, but couldn't even move.
Ike looked up at the one beacon of light, the moon, and wished he could move his hand to grab it. He knew there was no point, but he was desperate.
He saw Ranulf and Leanne sleeping, and thought now Ike would try.
Grunting as much as he could, he tried moving his hands. Trying to get a grasp of them, alongside his legs.
At first, it seemed hopeless, Ike knew the serum was doing something to him. He couldn't put his finger around it, but he couldn't even move his fingers!
Ike was trying, but it was futile, the serum had messed Ike up, and he knew it was hopeless, but he still tried.
Eventually, though, he did something.
After an hour of trying, Ike had felt his finger move, for a slight centimeter. It was very little and brief, but for that brief second, Ike could feel his finger.
That showed Ike that, even if it's hopeless, his senses weren't permanently gone.
"This is absolutely ridiculous! How dare you accuse me of such a travesty!" Naesala bellowed at Tibarn, clearly annoyed that Tibarn had the audacity to march into Kilvas.
"I am not accusing you of these actions, I am simply asking if you have had any reports of an incident similar to ours?" Tibarn asked, clearly not in the mood to argue.
The hawk and raven tribes may have not have gotten along after all these years, but Tibarn didn't have the will to argue back, instead he was blaming himself for the disappearances of Ike, Ranulf and Leanne.
"I should attack you right now for entering my territory, you know you all are expelled from here!" Naesala further remarked, clearly not noticing the severity of the situation.
"Well go ahead, I don't think your clan would be impressed with you being the offender, besides I'm here on the request of Caineghis and the Greil Mercenaries, they told me to notify you of these disappearances." Tibarn stated neutrally.
At this Naesala was confused, "What are you talking about?"
"Haven't you listened to anything I have said for the past 30 minutes?!" Tibarn raised his voice.
"Don't raise your voice to me! And yes I have!"
Tibarn calmed himself, Naesala was very annoying, and he himself didn't know why he agreed to this.
Calming himself down he began to explain.
"A month ago, Caineghis and Gallia had reported on some mysterious disappearances of laguz citizens. Eventually, the disappearance had spread to Goldoa and Phoenicis, with reported disappearances from the dragon and hawk laguz tribes. Eventually, Ike and his Greil Mercenaries had joined to assist in the case, but Ike himself disappeared, alongside Ranulf and Leanne-" Tibarn would have included information regarding suspects and possible motives, but Naesala was captured by one word.
"Leanne?" Naesala interrupted Tibarn, but not with an angry tone that he noticed, but more of concern.
At this Tibarn understood, despite their differences, they both valued the heron clans, and that was the one similarity that had always prevented the two laguz nations from possible skirmishes.
"Yes, Leanne had disappeared alongside Ike and Ranulf, and Caineghis and Mist have taken it hard." Tibarn muttered, somewhat disappointed at himself for that.
At this Tibarn himself noticed Naesala's unusual silence, and he himself could tell that him telling Naesala about Leanne clearly had a more emotional effect on him.
Eventually, Naesala sighed, "Alright, what are we hearing."
"So far, we've concluded the style of weapon, was warp powder, taking those away to an unknow fate. Caineghis and I concluded the source was either from Begnion or Kilvas."
"Well, it obviously has to be Begnion! Would you think I would kidnap Leanne? After all we did to cherish the herons?"
At this Tibarn grunted, he had a point, but still, his point stands.
"Our main suspicion was the fact that the ravens were the only laguz tribe that wasn't abducted."
"Well, I can see that, but if you look at the map, all the cases of disappearance have been located at the far-left area of Tellius." Naesala informed.
"Which means the warp powder could have taken them anywhere in Tellius." Tibarn continued.
"Exactly, it is highly likely for the other side to also be at the left side, meaning either the center or right side of Tellius."
"Hmm." The two avian laguz leaders were clearly at crossroads in terms of thinking.
"Maybe we should bring our hypothesis to Caineghis? He's sort of leading this investigation." Tibarn requested.
"Sure, we should head to Gallia if this is where the bulk of the disappearances are being located." Naesala agreed.
Transforming into their respective kinds, the hawk and raven began making their way towards Gallia.
Eventually, in around a couple minutes they had made their way towards Gallia, where they would give their information and hypothesis to Caineghis.
Meanwhile, the Greil Mercenaries were rather quiet with the disappearance of Ike. The uncertainty of where not only he but all the other laguz who had gone missing was palpable, and thus they were hoping he was alright.
Titania began acting more in command, as she was second-in-command, and continued the search, saying it would instead encourage us to try harder.
Among those who obviously was torn at this event was Mist, who began getting more frantic in getting her brother back. She didn't care that others were tired, she would continue searching when the others would sleep if she had to.
But it was Titania who was adamant about Mist resting, and while she couldn't blame her, she was still angry that she was wasting time. She thought the more they wait the less chance they would have of finding her brother alive
What if a group of kidnappers were dragging him in a game of cat and mouse? What if he's dead? What if they never find him?!
Mist knew she was overreacting, maybe but with the bleak outcome, who could blame her.
She was unsure of where her brother was, and she feared also for Ranulf and Leanne, but also hoped that they were together. After all, it was better to be stranded with others in the wild than alone. Even though Mist knows then her brother could handle the struggles of nature.
Regardless, Mist was praying to Ashera that her brother was alright. Singing the lullaby her mom would always sing, she was hoping somehow, somewhere it would reach her brother. That is if he was even around.
In an isolate part of Daein, bordering the desert of death, laid what looked to be an abandoned building. Inside this building, a certain blue haired mercenary, still awake but paralyzed was looking up, and with a slight struggle, smiled as he could feel the effects of bondage.
A.N / Like I said previously, I may have to move the rating for this story up to M, as it does contain some mildly disturbing themes of violence and near death. It may get worse off in the far chapters, but I don't know yet. For now enjoy chapter 4. Next chapter will give some hints as to what is happening to Ike, and what Izuka is putting him through.