Title: Black Terror

Author: Metamorcy

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Don't own anything

N/A: as for 9/20/08, Black Terror has been edited. The misspellings and mistakes have been corrected. There have been some added materials but I don't remember where…that's not good for me…

6/04/09 this had been edited for spelling...again...

Chapter 1: Past and Future

A few years ago…

A scream tried to escape his lips but the shock and fear silenced him. His brown eyes were widening, trapped in a shaken stare. He wanted to scream, to shriek, at this frightful vision before him. The rain pattered around him, drenching his red oversized dwarf-made clothes, but that didn't seem to matter to him. Before him was a wooden guillotine, surrounded by people, who stood there quietly as the two bodies went to their deaths. The people didn't move; the rain didn't even seem to bother them either. Umbrellas, colored black, were placed high above their heads, blocking out the rain.

Lloyd fell to his knees, horrified by the event happening in front of him. The soon-to-be hanging and the two bodies that stood there calmly without any fear in their eyes startled him. Nothing scared them not even death that was about to engulf and eat them alive. It had to be an atrocious dream that he could wake up from at any moment. One he would be able to put into the back of his mind by watching his closest friends laugh and by having fun. A nightmare that would disappear when he played with his father, working in the workshop or when he stared up into the night sky, observing the blinking stars. But this was different. This was no normal dream. It was one that would remain with him for all eternity, scarred deep into his heart.

As the ropes wrapped around the two bodies' necks, tightening around the soft flesh, the expressions on their faces did not change nor budge as this was happening. The crowds still remained and even as the puddles of water begin to form around their feet, stinking into the muddy pit, they could care less. The rain came down harder, slamming itself into the half frozen bodies below. The freezing temperature sent shivers up his spine and the brownish-reddish hair drooped downward into his pale face. A man stood behind one of the men, his black trench coat flapping wildly, untouched by the rain. It was as if the water couldn't even contact the skin or the cloths, sliding off some imaginary barrier. The short dirty blond hair was slicked back on his forehead and blood-red eyes stared at the body in front filled with worry yet at the same time had no emotion, covered up by the hair. There was a person behind the other, a woman with long blue hair and dark green eyes. She was wearing a blue green dress that was short enough to show her skinny pale legs.

The two bodies stood there in place, staring at each other already knowing what was about to happen next. The one that stood in front of the woman had short bright red hair and light green eyes. He was wearing a white opened coat with a black tank top that showed the belly button. The other one was also a boy that was smiling even as a man headed toward the lever.

Tears welled up in Lloyd's eyes as the wooden planks underneath the two disappear. The two bodies didn't struggle as they meet their demise. They had given glances to each other beforehand that had said 'goodbye' and the whole thing didn't seem to scare them. It was as if they had known in advance that this was going to happen and was going to accept it willingly. Seconds seemed to turn into minutes as the bodies suffocated and slowly the flesh limbs become sluggish. The arms and legs stopped their movement after a second or two passed. Lloyd felt his own limbs shaking; his mind frozen on that one thing before him. When the breathing stopped, the person who had pulled the lever came strolling over proudly. The boots stomped loudly across the planks until he got over to the two hanged men. With a swish of a sword, the ropes were cut and the corpses fell forward into the mud, sinking in like a rock. The two bodies didn't move; dead and motionless.

Lloyd wanted to scream but still no sound could escape. As the vision darkened, tears crawled down his cheeks like sweat. He could even taste the saltiness on his lips when they touched. The bodies sat on the ground, the left one, his short red hair was coated in brown junk. And the other…he didn't need to describe who the person was. He knew and felt himself die just by watching.

His body; his death.

Lloyd shot up out of his bed, sweat poured down his pale face. Lighting flashes brightened up the room in an instant before disappearing; allowing darkness to envelope the place, crawling off the corners and spaces in-between the furniture. The rain outside pattered against his wooden house and was just outside the balcony, slamming itself against his door. He peeled the blankets off his sweat soaked body and heaved the door open, gazing out at the dark sky. He stepped outside where the rain continued to pour relentlessly and allowed the icy water to soak him just like he did in his dream. The sky was just as sinister and he could hear the thunder booming loudly in the heavens. He strides forward, his bare feet gliding on the surface and leaned over the railing. Lloyd glanced over to the side to the barracks where Noshie was being held and his pale face began to regain color. Smiling, he climbed over the wooden balcony and onto the roof. Carefully, he watched his feet so they wouldn't slip from the wet tiles and the lighting wasn't helping, it made everything turn so white that it actually harmed his vision.

"I can't see a bloody thing in front of me, it's too dark." Just as the last word left his patched lips, his foot took a misstep. His whole weight shifted to the side and his body began tumbling down the roof. At the last moment as he was about to fall off the side and make a harsh greeting with the rocks below, he caught the side with his right hand; the rest of him hanging off the side and feet swinging wildly in mid-air. A sneer hissed from his mouth as the sharp edges dug into the soft flesh as he tried to hold himself up. He swung his free hand that was hanging aside up and dragged his battered body back onto the roof. Once Lloyd made sure that he wouldn't fall off again, he gazed over to his wounded hand, watching the blood run down like tiny colored streams of red. He moaned in discontent. "Oh man."

Lloyd sighed and raised his hand into the air, letting it heal on its own. A dark smoke admitted from it and the wound squeezed itself back into a thin line, the blood receding and the new flesh overlapping anything that had been there previously. The cut and pain disappeared, vanishing and leaving no mark of anything. He then invoked his hidden powers that were hidden deep in his body, letting his right eye go red. He couldn't afford his left; it was too dangerous with his powers unstable and he didn't want to lose control of it. The night seemed to recede and gave him the ability to see in the dark to a certain amount. He stood back up and proceeded to a safer area to jump off. When he did, he swung his feet over the side, pushed over and landed harmlessly on the damp dirt before heading inside the stable.

"Noishe? Are you awake?" He called out, opening the gate with a loud squeak. Lloyd flinched and sarcastically added. "Yeah, you should be awake now."

Once he stepped inside and closed the door, he heard a small whine coming from the other side. Lloyd could see the large green and white creature curled up, far away from the rain. There was a gray blanket draped over his fur, keeping the protozoan warm. "There you are."

At the voice of his master, the beast sat up, knocking the sheet off his fur. Right after that, the beast started shivering from the cold and the flashes of lighting that lighted the whole room at once made the creature whine in fear. Noishe jumped a foot into the air when the thunder shrilled and ran over to his master for protection. Lloyd patted the creature's head softly and tenderly calmed the pet. His eyes spotted the forgotten blanket a few inches away and reached for it, wrapping the still warm cover around the furry body.

"Come on, we're going inside the house. It's too cruel to leave you out here." Lloyd pulled away, opening the door to feel the soft fur brushing up against his hand. Smiling, he held it open for the protozoan before instantly rushing out into the heavy rain. It was hard enough to see in the downpour and darkness but since the two knew the place well enough, it was an easy track back to the front door. The entrance was wide open, the heat from inside was spilling out into the air and Lloyd could see the steam in the cold wind. As they entered, Dirk was at his work oven, throwing in another log and then closing the lid. Orange light seeped through the vents, brightening up the room. Dirk turned to the soaked pair as Lloyd shut the door to prevent anymore heat from leaving and rain from entering. The boy closed both eyes during that moment then back, the right one had turned back to its original color.

"I knew you would bring him in." Dirk chuckled, grabbing the extra towels that was lying on the table and tossed it at Lloyd, who easily caught it. "Lloyd, get changed. You'll catch a cold with those clothes. I'll dry off Noishe for you."

"Okay Dad." Lloyd rushed upstairs to his room, almost tumbling down at the second step. Droplets of water made puddles on the floor, sipping into the cracks of wooden planks. He undressed himself, tossing the clothes into a basket and pulled on new ones that instantly warmed his body but his once spiky brown hair was still soaking wet. As he came back down, this time slower, another towel was thrown at his face. There was a muffled cry and the cloth slid off, revealing the irritated pout however it had no effect since the dwarf had already turned back around.

"Use that to dry your hair." Dirk called from the stove while Noishe was comfortably lying next to the fire where the heat was being released. The dwarf was mixing up a warm drink that was sizzling in the pot; the sound of the spoon scraping against the metal bottom filled the room for a few minutes. Lloyd sat down at the table, gently rubbing the towel against his hair. Every few seconds, the fire would crackle and the logs would tumble inside the stove, sometimes making Noishe's eyes perk up. When Dirk came over, he sat down holding out a cup of hot cocoa.

Lloyd took the cup, feeling the warmth sipping into his icy cold fingers. "Thanks Dad." His lips ran over the edge, slowly sipping the drink. He could feel the liquid run down his esophagus, the heat warming him up. Lloyd noticed that Dirk was staring intently at him, eyebrows slightly tilted downward as if deep in concentration. The swordsmen returned with a questioning appearance, releasing the cup on the wooden table. "What? Is something wrong?"

"Did you have it again, Lloyd?" Dirk asked cautiously, somewhat knowing the answer already.

Lloyd tired to pretend to not understand and tilted his head. A few of the wet bangs slid over covering the brown eyes. "Have what?"

"Those dreams."

Lloyd blinked trying harder, his mouth curved. "What do you mean?"

Dirk growled in frustration, impatient, he didn't even bother with reciting a dwarven vow. "Don't lie to me, you know full well about what I'm talking about. What did you see this time?"

Lloyd sighed; surrendering over to his father's strong will and gazed downward to the floor where his bare feet fidgeted. "I saw two men …getting hanged."

Dirk's face softened, watching with a concern expression. "Two men? Who are they?"

"I'm not sure, I've never seen any of them before, but they felt so familiar." He lied half-heartedly; he couldn't say that one of them was his older self, that would be too cruel. He knew his father too well, the dwarf would make a fit about it and then start worrying about everything and Lloyd didn't want that, he didn't want to seem weak and desperate so he kept his mouth shut.

"What about Cloud?"

Lloyd flinched unnoticeably due to the darkness of the room. "I saw him behind one of the men and there was a woman standing behind the other. Both looked like they were about to cry, each flickering like a flame. It was pouring rain outside just like tonight's and the people that surround them didn't do anything but watched as this horrible thing happened. And then the lever was pulled…" Lloyd trailed off unable to continue on with it. His voice drowned out by the memories that flooded back into his mind.

"Lloyd…" Dirk muttered under his breath, already catching the hint.

The young boy glanced up with a big fake smile, trying to brighten up the situation. "But don't worry Dad, I'm getting used to this. This whole seeing death before it happens. I'm no longer affected by it but this one kinda shaken me up. It…startled me."

"It's also not as common as it was before when you were younger. You're about eight years old right now and those dreams seem to haunt you less and less each day. I still remember back then, you looked like you were hallucinating and would get high fevers that would have killed normal people. Not even the doctors could figure out what was wrong with you or even the cause. I'm amazed along with those doctors that you are still alive today after all that."

The boy silently groaned, he could never find it in his heart to tell his father the real reason for his troubles. His powers, gotten ever since he was born, had been placing a painful pressure on his body, weakening him time to time. It seemed to him that he had been able to gain control of it to a certain amount but avoided using it completely not matter what the situation was. If there was someone about to die and he had the ability to save him, he would look away pretending to be unable to help. And there was a reason to that, if there was one thing he hated the most, and that was to be called a freak or a monster. If people weren't careful on what they say, they could awaken the violent and bloodthirsty personality inside Lloyd, the one that the boy had buried deep underneath his soul and if released, might kill them. Lloyd couldn't leave a person alive if they saw his powers and was a great pretender at everything. At school, he would pretend to not know anything and never studied the material to make things seem more real so that Raine or Genis would never figure it out.

Lloyd decided to take a gamble on a certain subject. "I've seen Cloud wandering around today outside. However when I tried to talk to him, he disappeared into the forest before I got a chance." Cloud was a person that had appeared a few years back when he had figured out his powers. The man had given him helpful hints and helps him gain control of his abilities by showing him. The only problem was that Lloyd was the only one that could see him.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, you know maybe as I grow older, my nightmares might come to a stop."

Dirk sighed in relief, letting a small smile appear. "Yes, let's hope that."

Present time…

"Hey, Lloyd!" A voice called out through his mind, forcing him to reopen his eyes. The Eternal swordsmen flinched at the brightness of the sun, instantly shutting them. He peeked slowly, getting his brown eyes used to the light and once the intense luminosity faded down to a mere irritation, he glanced over, watching the red headed ex-chosen running up the hill to meet him. Lloyd could see the long scarlet hair flinging side to side and Zelos' right hand waving out with a large grin greeting him. Zelos slowed his pace to a simple walk and stopped in front of Lloyd, leaning over. "So this is where you've been."

"Yeah." Lloyd flipped his legs up then down; using the force to push himself up. He stretched out his arms; there was the sound of bone and muscles that were stiff, cracking at the pressure. He covered his mouth with the right hand, trying to stifle out a yawn that was crawling up his throat. His hair was slightly tilted to the side from the slumber and he bristled off a few bugs that had found its way to his red jacket. The brown pools gazed upward to Zelos' blue ones. "Have you come to get me?"

"Yeah, Bud. Lunch is ready and don't worry, Genis cooked." Zelos had said the last part rather quickly after spotting a fearful expression from the younger boy.

"Oh good, if it was Raine, you're not bringing me back no matter what happens." The last time the Professor had cooked, it had left a terrified scar on each of the team members. Lloyd had been one of those victims that had managed to stay healthy throughout the whole horrifying ordeal. The others had fallen so sick that they had to be sent to a doctor for food poisoning and stayed there for a week, throwing up the food that was given to them. Lloyd shuttered at the mere thought of it and pushed it away.

"Don't worry, Bud. Everyone would run if she was cooking right now." The ex-chosen let out a hearty laughter while Lloyd took that moment to stand, pushing his weight up.

The Eternal Swordsmen glanced over to the red head then suddenly sprinted down the hill, laughing. Zelos yelled out a 'Hey! No fair!' and trailed right afterwards, trying to catch up. Lloyd could feel his white swallowtails dancing and tangling up behind him as he moved. The wind came from behind, giving him an extra push of movement. As they reached the little camp that they and the others had made for a break, they slowed down to a light jog. Everyone was circled around a fire with a metal pot in the middle, waiting patiently for the food to get served. The area was surrounded by trees; thickly dense together so that the light couldn't get through. Vines crept off the branches and when the wind blew, brittle leaves would break off, spinning in circles. There was an eerie darkness that seeped out from the woods and it seemed that only Lloyd noticed it. A dark shade that crawled over the trees and seemed to call out to the group with its scratchy voice appeared from behind the darkness. No one could hear it, of course, but Lloyd could and he did his best to ignore it, trying to make himself seem normal. Colette noticed the two first with her angel senses and turned to them, her long golden hair twirling around.

"Lloyd, lunch is ready!" She called out, waving her arm and motioning them over. "Genis is about to serve it right now."

"Yeah…" The swordsmen heaved out, out of breath. "I've heard about it from Zelos already."

"Oh, okay."

Six months had passed since the defeat of Mithos and destruction of the plan of the 'Age of Lifeless Beings'; the group had gone their separate ways for a while, trying to fix up everything in their own lives before coming back together once more for one last adventure. Kratos had gone to Derris Kharlan while the Renegades and their leader, Yuan, went around, trying to help half-elves get treated better. However, that wasn't easy though, discrimination ran deep and wasn't something that could easily get rid of. For Lloyd, he just traveled around with Noishe, collecting exspheres and wandering the lands all at once. Secretly, he had trained himself, trying to gain more control on his powers but no one is going to know that furtive. Regal had gone back to company to oversee the destruction of the exsphere mines and insured that no man would ever find them again. Sheena had moved her village, since she was now the chief, to the Linkite Tree area and remained there hidden from the rest of the world. Colette decided to live a peaceful life in her village with everyone after throwing away her chosen title. Genis and Raine traveled around, hoping to make life easier for their kind while looking for ruins to explore, well, that's for the older Sage, the younger one just gets dragged along. Presea helped out with Regal at work and sometimes became the mascot for the amusement park, cheering the little children and keeping watch when parents wandered away. Zelos lived in his large mansion after giving up the chosen title too but that didn't mean he wouldn't stop his continuous attack on the females. Though the red head was still at his ways, he held some power over the town and also helped the king as a right-hand man, making some new laws (of course, he didn't like that). The group was so used to traveling with each other that it was uncomfortable when they were alone and decided that they would take a vacation together so here they are.

Lloyd sat down between Colette and Zelos as Genis came around, pouring the stew into the bowls that had been placed neatly in front of each person. "I bet this'll be good as always." Lloyd commented, smiling as his childhood friend passed by.

Genis glanced over with a smirk. "Of course, Lloyd. Who do you think you're talking to?"

"You're right, I almost for-"

Lloyd froze in mid speech, staring off into the distance mouth gaping open. He squinted his eyes, seeing something black floating forward from the trees. He recognized the short dirty blond hair and the blood eyes that stared back at him coldly without a single amount of emotion in them. The man walked through Regal and stopped in front of Lloyd, his black clock moving on its own as there was no source of wind. Everyone looked as if they were frozen in time, unmoving, and unchanging. They didn't even blink or breathe except for him and the man standing ahead. Genis was struck; the spoon in his hand was tilted to the side where the immobilized stew was half-poured into the bowl.

He breathed out the name that came to his mind without even knowing. "Cloud…"

If anyone got confused, it'll be thoroughly explained in the next one so please hold all questions until then, I promise.

What do you think, oh, please review! It helps you know.