Hello, here's chapter 5! I have brought Eiko into the fic, and I hope that
it's getting good. Also, I added a part at the end of chapter 1, as of
12\27\03, so please go back and read it, because it has something in it
that will be used in the upcoming chapters.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
CHAPTER 5- ATROPOS
A giant airship descended upon the Outer Continent. Regent Cid and Lady Hilda stepped out of it, along with their now nine year-old adopted daughter Eiko. It was time for their annual visit to Eiko's homeland, so that she would remain connected with the land of the summoners. She was glad that it was time for the visit. Her thoughts and dreams had been wandering to the Eidolon Wall for months, like a song stuck in her head.
"Come on Mom! I wanna show you something!" She shouted playfully
"I'm coming, Eiko, I'm coming." Lady Hilda sighed, then turned to her husband, "You're daughter is very energetic today."
"Yes, she is. I wonder what's gotten into her?" Regent Cid mused
"Come on!" Eiko screamed, as she entered the village. Surprisingly, she heard no moogles. No chirping, no noise, nothing. The whole village seemed deserted.
"You guys!" She shouted, as much to nonexistent moogles as her parents, "Hello, it's Eiko, your beloved queen of the moogles, returned to you from afar. HELLOOOOO! Can't you tell, it's Eiko, come out!"
There was still no response.
"Well, fine! Since no one wants to talk to me, I'll leave!" Eiko announced and then pretended to leave. When there was still no response she gave up. "They must be out somewhere."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
The Invincible cut through the dense air above the ocean like the sharpest blade. The long point at the front of the ship was a rapier held by an invisible swordsman, slicing through the warm air. Unfortunately, their swordsman proved quite the novice. They had flown in circles for hours. Both the angel and Zidane were furious. The frustration of their futile search proved too much for Zidane.
"I thought you said that you could sense people!" Zidane cried, "But we've been flying in circles for hours! I need to find my wife, NOW. Can't you find anyone at all? You didn't heal me; you didn't even bother to try to help Dagger when those freaks took her. What kind of angel-"
"ZIDANE I AM TRYING TO FIND HER TOO, SO STOP BEING SO DAMN SELFISH AND SHUT UP!" The angel roared
There was silence for a moment in the wake of the angel's outburst. Zidane's face held a mixture of shock, anger, and embarrassment. He finally decided on a completely different tact: humor
"I didn't know angels could cuss. Isn't it unholy?" Zidane quipped
"Not all angels are holy." The angel declared, with a glint in his eyes
"You need a name." Zidane said suddenly, "I can't call you 'Angel' all the time!"
"Whatever. I don't care what you call me."
"Hmmm... I'll call you Ja."
"Like I said, whatever."
"So, Ja, can you sense her?"
"I knew exactly where she was, but then her signal faded. I can barely get a general location."
Zidane stopped talking and closed his eyes. He took the controls and thought about his beautiful wife. Instantly, the ship reacted and changed course. He opened his eyes.
"She's down in those islands." Zidane declared, pointing at some small islands almost directly in the center of the ocean
"How do you know?"
"We're pointed towards the islands. I have a connection with the Invincible through the Terran blood. I think that Garland installed it and used it to find Kuja."
"You're Terran?"
"Of course. Don't you read any history? The scholars have been trying to analyze me since the War."
"Well, I've been kind of busy, you know, being an angel and all. I guess I need to catch up on my reading."
"And why didn't you come and help in the War?"
"Departmental struggle. We couldn't decide whether the Gaian angels should do it or the Terran angels." The angel joked
"You couldn't beat Kuja." Zidane said perceptively
"No, we couldn't." The angel admitted, "Look, we're finally getting closer to the islands."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
"Wake up, brat. We have work to do now." Tierra growled in the low, gravelly voice that she had adopted since the bolt of lightning had possessed her.
"What? Did you..." Dagger muttered
"Shut up. I don't have time for questions. Now put this on." Tierra ordered. She handed the queen a large crown adorned with purple diamonds and rubies.
"Why? I am the Queen of Alexandria, and I demand that you release me! I refuse to partake in any of your witchery."
"You don't have any choice."
With that a sudden flash of energy hit Dagger in the chest. It lifted her towards the ceiling and pulled her towards Tierra. Another flash of lightning shot towards the crown in Tierra's hand and placed it upon Dagger's head.
"Time for the experiment." Tierra snarled
"What experiment?"
"No questions, girl! Do not speak. You will have little room for speech in just a moment."
The lightning in the chamber increased. A swirling wind awoke in the center of the room. Loud cracks of thunder erupted. The lightning in the room gravitated towards the winds in the center. A face could be seen in the midst of growing winds. It was the proud, noble, evil face Dagger had seen in the picture. It looked like a silhouette, soft and pale as though a projector had created the image. But the image had created itself.
A voice, seemingly from nowhere, pierced the quiet, scared silence, "Servant, have you brought me my kin?" The voice was cold, quiet, and chilling. Dagger tried to trace the voice to some new creature, some appearance in the room, so that she could at least see that voice which struck her heart with the minor chord of dread. She slowly began to realize that the sound was coming from the systematic flashes of booming thunder.
"I believe, sire. There are but three that can carry, and thy hast four kinsman upon this planet. So I assumed..." Tierra croaked
"You have not bothered to prepare her?" The thunder shouted
"No, sire, I have not." Tierra whined. Her eyes showed something that no one, save the few that had heard the thunder speak, had seen. It was fear.
"Forgive me." She begged, just before Dagger witnessed the lightning's anger. The face within the vortex contorted itself into a mask of fury. Lightning chained itself together, forming a powerful chain crackling with energy. It fashioned itself into a whip and struck Tierra with such force that the crack of the whip was audible over both the raging thunder and her own cry of pain.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
"Eiko, darling, last time we were here weren't there more people?" Regent Cid asked
"Not people, moogles! And, yeah, there were. But they'll be back." Eiko said
"Are you sure?" Lady Hilda inquired
"I think." Eiko answered, then bounded off towards the Eidolon Wall. She saw no sentry there.
"These moogles have gotten irresponsible since I left." Eiko said, with a hint of fear in her voice. She entered the Wall area. She gazed at all the Eidolons that decorated the stone walls. She saw Bahamut, the king of dragons, Shiva, the ice princess, Ifrit, Ramuh, all of the sacred guardians of Gaia. She pointed out the ones she could summon to her bewildered parents, laughing gleefully from the sheer joy of returning home. She had learned to use most of her Eidolons during her travels with Zidane, but she had picked up a few since then. As she aged, she began to experiment with more summon jewels, and, to her surprise, more summons became available to her. She developed her summon powers on the plains outside Lindblum, and grew as a summoner. Back in the times of ancient Madian Sari, she could have become a shaman, or a priestess of the ancient religion practiced by its inhabitants. Of course, she knew little about the old customs of Madain Sari, as she had been very young when her last link to the old customs had been cut.
"Still no moogles..." She whispered
"Eiko, shall we stay here tonight?" Regent Cid posed
"Can we, can we, can we, can we, can we?" Eiko begged, jumping up and down
"Well... Hilda? Can we?" He asked his wife
"The duties of a Regent are vast. You have several meetings to attend, your subjects need to be addressed, and you are still working on the Hilda Garde 4! So do you really think that you should be participating in sleepovers in some faraway country, even if it is your daughter's homeland?"
"Can we, can we, can we, can we, can we?" Regent Cid begged, mimicking his daughter, who soon caught on and began begging as well.
"Oh, fine." Hilda relented
"HURRAY!" Eiko shouted
"Oh, sometimes I can't tell which one of you is eight and which one of you is fifty- "
Regent Cid put a hand to his wife's mouth. "Shush, dear, you never know who's listening."
"Cid, Cid, Cid."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
"Are you completely healed, Zidane?" Ja asked
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just gotta go get something."
"You don't have time to look for anything! We have to find Garnet, before something happens to her!"
Zidane was already gone. He returned seconds later with an insanely long sword, brandishing it exceptionally well for it's size.
"What is that?" Ja inquired
"Ultima Weapon. Should be of some use, in case we have to fight." Zidane answered
"We will."
"How do you... Never mind." Zidane said, knowing that it would be better not to ask.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
Eiko was surrounded by the beauty of the Eidolon Wall. It blazed with a holy fire, quite unlike the one of long ago, when Madain Sari had been attacked. It glowed invitingly, full of colors and light. It made her feel light and free, and, to her surprise, she found herself able to fly to the top of the wall, to be closer to the beautiful blaze. She sighed in wonderment. Then, the flames changed. They became black fire, terrible and frightening. Eiko did not move off her spot on the wall. She simply stood there, transfixed and unable to think straight. The fire suddenly flew off the Eidolon Wall, taking the shape of a huge raven of the night. It flew on the swiftest currents, south towards the Mist Continent. It stopped abruptly and took off towards the center of the ocean. It took with it a young man, whom Eiko could not identify. The man's eyes were wide with fear. Eiko could not bear to look at them. She glided down to the ground and turned her gaze back to the Eidolon Wall, which was decimated. Various pieces of the pictures of Eidolons lied strewn upon the ground...
Eiko awoke, screaming.
"Eiko, are you okay?" Lady Hilda asked frantically, as she dashed into Eiko's makeshift bedroom, which was formerly the cavern below the kitchen.
"I'm fine, mom." She answered
"Thank goodness!" Regent Cid exclaimed, as he too made his way into the room, "We thought someone attacked you."
"No, I'm fine." She answered brightly
"Well, okay. Go back to bed then." Cid instructed
"Goodnight." Eiko said. But she remained awake. She thought about the moogles, and how they had not yet returned from wherever they have gone. She quaked with silent fear for her friends. But that thought led her back to worrying about the Wall again. With no moogles it was unprotected, and even if it was a time of apparent peace for Gaia, She was thinking about the Wall again. She barely noticed herself leaving the room and carefully walking towards the Eidolon Wall. A force guided her, much like the one that had led Garnet when Alexandria was attacked. But this was not the doing of a benevolent Eidolon saving its homeland. This energy felt more malicious, yet it was light, pleasing. She allowed it to carry her to the Eidolon Wall. Soon, a quiet voice began singing in her ear. It was a wild, free melody that gave Eiko a sense of carelessness, as if there was nothing in the world besides the force that escorted her. She finally reached the wall. All was as it was earlier that day, save for a fog that had descended on the Wall, and a humongous black raven perched above the stone carving Bahamut's left wing.
"What am I doing here?" She asked herself
"I called you." A voice whispered
"What the heck?! Who's there?" Eiko asked
She received no answer, save a refrain of the wild melody. She instantly became entranced.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Dagger looked on, horrified. She was filled to the core with utter terror and dread. She wanted nothing more than to escape from the horrible room, which was now rank with the stench of burnt flesh. Suddenly, the face in the vortex changed again, back to a calm state, and the lightning that had comprised the whip dissipated, leaving a weeping Tierra crouched on the cold floor
The voice spoke again, this time demanding, "Now, servant, when I have ordered you to prepare the vessels, you shall prepare them correctly, shall you not?"
Tierra quickly replied, "Yes, Lord Jupiter. I shall," through sobs of pain and agony.
"Now, we shall undergo the ceremony. If the girl does not carry my kin, then you are to execute her. Present her now to me as my daughter." The thunder commanding
"She w-wears the crown of-of your daughters, lord. Her powers are b-bound, save only the power to access your d-d-daughters. She is prepared." Tierra choked, then, stabilizing herself slightly she finished, "I present now your daughter, that you may be pleased." She then turned to Dagger she uttered in a harsh whisper, "Walk into the winds, fool!"
Dagger slowly and unwillingly obeyed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Eiko stood at the Eidolon Wall, with all her senses dulled as if she was drunk. Finally the melody stopped, and a soothing voice arose in its place, cooing, "Do you see the lovely pendant in the center?"
Eiko glanced at the pedestal in the center of the Wall area. "Yes, I see it." she answered, all inhibitions she might have had about an unearthly voice now dulled to the point of futility.
"Take it." The voice whispered in her ear
She took a few steps closer to the pendant and gazed at it happily. "Oh, it's so beautiful!" she exclaimed
A long chain with an onyx stone at the end sat on the pedestal in the center of the Wall area. The chain appeared to Eiko as handcrafted solid gold. It was actually hammered steel. The onyx stone looked perfectly round, with no blemishes or markings of any kind. It was actually rather dingy and had quite a few dents. Eiko soon realized it was a necklace, and went over to pick it up. However, when her hands were about to clasp upon the necklace, a sudden rustling of the wind sent it out of her grasp.
"Before you take the pendant of Lady Atropos, swear to me that you shall treasure the freedom from the inevitable."
"Um, sure. But what is an Atropos?"
"I am."
"Oh! And you're an Eidolon! You want to be my Eidolon?"
"If that is how you phrase the name of the ancient guardians, then yes."
"Cool! I promise I'll take good care of you."
"That is very reassuring. Now take the pendant."
Eiko picked up the necklace, and quickly fastened it around her neck. She didn't have to clasp it, because it just slid over her head, and when it rested on her neck, it slimmed itself. Normally Eiko would have inquired about the moogles, or questioned the Eidolon, but the melody still burned fierce in her ears. She was drugged by it, and allowed herself to exist in a half-conscious state, being led by the power of suggestion almost as much, if not more, as her own brain. She beamed broadly at the thought of a new Eidolon as well as a piece of beautiful jewelry.
"Thanks." She said, and ran back to her room, before her parents would notice that she was gone. She did not notice the raven that had lied perched upon the wall had spread its black wings, and took to the sky on the mighty currents, towards Lindblum.
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I've noticed something. My pacing sucks. I rush into the story too quickly. Do any of the more experienced fanfiction writers have any tips, 'cause I really, really need some. Oh, and I'm sorry I tried to demand reviews. This is my first FF fanfic (unlike BMD who has several) and it was stupid to demand them. I'm lucky that those of you who read this fanfiction do, and I want you to know that I'm thankful for all 5 of you, and I don't care if no one reviews. Except for that part about help, because my pacing really does suck...
Anyway, I want to thank you for reading! I'll try to post again sooner than this time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
CHAPTER 5- ATROPOS
A giant airship descended upon the Outer Continent. Regent Cid and Lady Hilda stepped out of it, along with their now nine year-old adopted daughter Eiko. It was time for their annual visit to Eiko's homeland, so that she would remain connected with the land of the summoners. She was glad that it was time for the visit. Her thoughts and dreams had been wandering to the Eidolon Wall for months, like a song stuck in her head.
"Come on Mom! I wanna show you something!" She shouted playfully
"I'm coming, Eiko, I'm coming." Lady Hilda sighed, then turned to her husband, "You're daughter is very energetic today."
"Yes, she is. I wonder what's gotten into her?" Regent Cid mused
"Come on!" Eiko screamed, as she entered the village. Surprisingly, she heard no moogles. No chirping, no noise, nothing. The whole village seemed deserted.
"You guys!" She shouted, as much to nonexistent moogles as her parents, "Hello, it's Eiko, your beloved queen of the moogles, returned to you from afar. HELLOOOOO! Can't you tell, it's Eiko, come out!"
There was still no response.
"Well, fine! Since no one wants to talk to me, I'll leave!" Eiko announced and then pretended to leave. When there was still no response she gave up. "They must be out somewhere."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
The Invincible cut through the dense air above the ocean like the sharpest blade. The long point at the front of the ship was a rapier held by an invisible swordsman, slicing through the warm air. Unfortunately, their swordsman proved quite the novice. They had flown in circles for hours. Both the angel and Zidane were furious. The frustration of their futile search proved too much for Zidane.
"I thought you said that you could sense people!" Zidane cried, "But we've been flying in circles for hours! I need to find my wife, NOW. Can't you find anyone at all? You didn't heal me; you didn't even bother to try to help Dagger when those freaks took her. What kind of angel-"
"ZIDANE I AM TRYING TO FIND HER TOO, SO STOP BEING SO DAMN SELFISH AND SHUT UP!" The angel roared
There was silence for a moment in the wake of the angel's outburst. Zidane's face held a mixture of shock, anger, and embarrassment. He finally decided on a completely different tact: humor
"I didn't know angels could cuss. Isn't it unholy?" Zidane quipped
"Not all angels are holy." The angel declared, with a glint in his eyes
"You need a name." Zidane said suddenly, "I can't call you 'Angel' all the time!"
"Whatever. I don't care what you call me."
"Hmmm... I'll call you Ja."
"Like I said, whatever."
"So, Ja, can you sense her?"
"I knew exactly where she was, but then her signal faded. I can barely get a general location."
Zidane stopped talking and closed his eyes. He took the controls and thought about his beautiful wife. Instantly, the ship reacted and changed course. He opened his eyes.
"She's down in those islands." Zidane declared, pointing at some small islands almost directly in the center of the ocean
"How do you know?"
"We're pointed towards the islands. I have a connection with the Invincible through the Terran blood. I think that Garland installed it and used it to find Kuja."
"You're Terran?"
"Of course. Don't you read any history? The scholars have been trying to analyze me since the War."
"Well, I've been kind of busy, you know, being an angel and all. I guess I need to catch up on my reading."
"And why didn't you come and help in the War?"
"Departmental struggle. We couldn't decide whether the Gaian angels should do it or the Terran angels." The angel joked
"You couldn't beat Kuja." Zidane said perceptively
"No, we couldn't." The angel admitted, "Look, we're finally getting closer to the islands."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
"Wake up, brat. We have work to do now." Tierra growled in the low, gravelly voice that she had adopted since the bolt of lightning had possessed her.
"What? Did you..." Dagger muttered
"Shut up. I don't have time for questions. Now put this on." Tierra ordered. She handed the queen a large crown adorned with purple diamonds and rubies.
"Why? I am the Queen of Alexandria, and I demand that you release me! I refuse to partake in any of your witchery."
"You don't have any choice."
With that a sudden flash of energy hit Dagger in the chest. It lifted her towards the ceiling and pulled her towards Tierra. Another flash of lightning shot towards the crown in Tierra's hand and placed it upon Dagger's head.
"Time for the experiment." Tierra snarled
"What experiment?"
"No questions, girl! Do not speak. You will have little room for speech in just a moment."
The lightning in the chamber increased. A swirling wind awoke in the center of the room. Loud cracks of thunder erupted. The lightning in the room gravitated towards the winds in the center. A face could be seen in the midst of growing winds. It was the proud, noble, evil face Dagger had seen in the picture. It looked like a silhouette, soft and pale as though a projector had created the image. But the image had created itself.
A voice, seemingly from nowhere, pierced the quiet, scared silence, "Servant, have you brought me my kin?" The voice was cold, quiet, and chilling. Dagger tried to trace the voice to some new creature, some appearance in the room, so that she could at least see that voice which struck her heart with the minor chord of dread. She slowly began to realize that the sound was coming from the systematic flashes of booming thunder.
"I believe, sire. There are but three that can carry, and thy hast four kinsman upon this planet. So I assumed..." Tierra croaked
"You have not bothered to prepare her?" The thunder shouted
"No, sire, I have not." Tierra whined. Her eyes showed something that no one, save the few that had heard the thunder speak, had seen. It was fear.
"Forgive me." She begged, just before Dagger witnessed the lightning's anger. The face within the vortex contorted itself into a mask of fury. Lightning chained itself together, forming a powerful chain crackling with energy. It fashioned itself into a whip and struck Tierra with such force that the crack of the whip was audible over both the raging thunder and her own cry of pain.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
"Eiko, darling, last time we were here weren't there more people?" Regent Cid asked
"Not people, moogles! And, yeah, there were. But they'll be back." Eiko said
"Are you sure?" Lady Hilda inquired
"I think." Eiko answered, then bounded off towards the Eidolon Wall. She saw no sentry there.
"These moogles have gotten irresponsible since I left." Eiko said, with a hint of fear in her voice. She entered the Wall area. She gazed at all the Eidolons that decorated the stone walls. She saw Bahamut, the king of dragons, Shiva, the ice princess, Ifrit, Ramuh, all of the sacred guardians of Gaia. She pointed out the ones she could summon to her bewildered parents, laughing gleefully from the sheer joy of returning home. She had learned to use most of her Eidolons during her travels with Zidane, but she had picked up a few since then. As she aged, she began to experiment with more summon jewels, and, to her surprise, more summons became available to her. She developed her summon powers on the plains outside Lindblum, and grew as a summoner. Back in the times of ancient Madian Sari, she could have become a shaman, or a priestess of the ancient religion practiced by its inhabitants. Of course, she knew little about the old customs of Madain Sari, as she had been very young when her last link to the old customs had been cut.
"Still no moogles..." She whispered
"Eiko, shall we stay here tonight?" Regent Cid posed
"Can we, can we, can we, can we, can we?" Eiko begged, jumping up and down
"Well... Hilda? Can we?" He asked his wife
"The duties of a Regent are vast. You have several meetings to attend, your subjects need to be addressed, and you are still working on the Hilda Garde 4! So do you really think that you should be participating in sleepovers in some faraway country, even if it is your daughter's homeland?"
"Can we, can we, can we, can we, can we?" Regent Cid begged, mimicking his daughter, who soon caught on and began begging as well.
"Oh, fine." Hilda relented
"HURRAY!" Eiko shouted
"Oh, sometimes I can't tell which one of you is eight and which one of you is fifty- "
Regent Cid put a hand to his wife's mouth. "Shush, dear, you never know who's listening."
"Cid, Cid, Cid."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
"Are you completely healed, Zidane?" Ja asked
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just gotta go get something."
"You don't have time to look for anything! We have to find Garnet, before something happens to her!"
Zidane was already gone. He returned seconds later with an insanely long sword, brandishing it exceptionally well for it's size.
"What is that?" Ja inquired
"Ultima Weapon. Should be of some use, in case we have to fight." Zidane answered
"We will."
"How do you... Never mind." Zidane said, knowing that it would be better not to ask.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
Eiko was surrounded by the beauty of the Eidolon Wall. It blazed with a holy fire, quite unlike the one of long ago, when Madain Sari had been attacked. It glowed invitingly, full of colors and light. It made her feel light and free, and, to her surprise, she found herself able to fly to the top of the wall, to be closer to the beautiful blaze. She sighed in wonderment. Then, the flames changed. They became black fire, terrible and frightening. Eiko did not move off her spot on the wall. She simply stood there, transfixed and unable to think straight. The fire suddenly flew off the Eidolon Wall, taking the shape of a huge raven of the night. It flew on the swiftest currents, south towards the Mist Continent. It stopped abruptly and took off towards the center of the ocean. It took with it a young man, whom Eiko could not identify. The man's eyes were wide with fear. Eiko could not bear to look at them. She glided down to the ground and turned her gaze back to the Eidolon Wall, which was decimated. Various pieces of the pictures of Eidolons lied strewn upon the ground...
Eiko awoke, screaming.
"Eiko, are you okay?" Lady Hilda asked frantically, as she dashed into Eiko's makeshift bedroom, which was formerly the cavern below the kitchen.
"I'm fine, mom." She answered
"Thank goodness!" Regent Cid exclaimed, as he too made his way into the room, "We thought someone attacked you."
"No, I'm fine." She answered brightly
"Well, okay. Go back to bed then." Cid instructed
"Goodnight." Eiko said. But she remained awake. She thought about the moogles, and how they had not yet returned from wherever they have gone. She quaked with silent fear for her friends. But that thought led her back to worrying about the Wall again. With no moogles it was unprotected, and even if it was a time of apparent peace for Gaia, She was thinking about the Wall again. She barely noticed herself leaving the room and carefully walking towards the Eidolon Wall. A force guided her, much like the one that had led Garnet when Alexandria was attacked. But this was not the doing of a benevolent Eidolon saving its homeland. This energy felt more malicious, yet it was light, pleasing. She allowed it to carry her to the Eidolon Wall. Soon, a quiet voice began singing in her ear. It was a wild, free melody that gave Eiko a sense of carelessness, as if there was nothing in the world besides the force that escorted her. She finally reached the wall. All was as it was earlier that day, save for a fog that had descended on the Wall, and a humongous black raven perched above the stone carving Bahamut's left wing.
"What am I doing here?" She asked herself
"I called you." A voice whispered
"What the heck?! Who's there?" Eiko asked
She received no answer, save a refrain of the wild melody. She instantly became entranced.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Dagger looked on, horrified. She was filled to the core with utter terror and dread. She wanted nothing more than to escape from the horrible room, which was now rank with the stench of burnt flesh. Suddenly, the face in the vortex changed again, back to a calm state, and the lightning that had comprised the whip dissipated, leaving a weeping Tierra crouched on the cold floor
The voice spoke again, this time demanding, "Now, servant, when I have ordered you to prepare the vessels, you shall prepare them correctly, shall you not?"
Tierra quickly replied, "Yes, Lord Jupiter. I shall," through sobs of pain and agony.
"Now, we shall undergo the ceremony. If the girl does not carry my kin, then you are to execute her. Present her now to me as my daughter." The thunder commanding
"She w-wears the crown of-of your daughters, lord. Her powers are b-bound, save only the power to access your d-d-daughters. She is prepared." Tierra choked, then, stabilizing herself slightly she finished, "I present now your daughter, that you may be pleased." She then turned to Dagger she uttered in a harsh whisper, "Walk into the winds, fool!"
Dagger slowly and unwillingly obeyed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Eiko stood at the Eidolon Wall, with all her senses dulled as if she was drunk. Finally the melody stopped, and a soothing voice arose in its place, cooing, "Do you see the lovely pendant in the center?"
Eiko glanced at the pedestal in the center of the Wall area. "Yes, I see it." she answered, all inhibitions she might have had about an unearthly voice now dulled to the point of futility.
"Take it." The voice whispered in her ear
She took a few steps closer to the pendant and gazed at it happily. "Oh, it's so beautiful!" she exclaimed
A long chain with an onyx stone at the end sat on the pedestal in the center of the Wall area. The chain appeared to Eiko as handcrafted solid gold. It was actually hammered steel. The onyx stone looked perfectly round, with no blemishes or markings of any kind. It was actually rather dingy and had quite a few dents. Eiko soon realized it was a necklace, and went over to pick it up. However, when her hands were about to clasp upon the necklace, a sudden rustling of the wind sent it out of her grasp.
"Before you take the pendant of Lady Atropos, swear to me that you shall treasure the freedom from the inevitable."
"Um, sure. But what is an Atropos?"
"I am."
"Oh! And you're an Eidolon! You want to be my Eidolon?"
"If that is how you phrase the name of the ancient guardians, then yes."
"Cool! I promise I'll take good care of you."
"That is very reassuring. Now take the pendant."
Eiko picked up the necklace, and quickly fastened it around her neck. She didn't have to clasp it, because it just slid over her head, and when it rested on her neck, it slimmed itself. Normally Eiko would have inquired about the moogles, or questioned the Eidolon, but the melody still burned fierce in her ears. She was drugged by it, and allowed herself to exist in a half-conscious state, being led by the power of suggestion almost as much, if not more, as her own brain. She beamed broadly at the thought of a new Eidolon as well as a piece of beautiful jewelry.
"Thanks." She said, and ran back to her room, before her parents would notice that she was gone. She did not notice the raven that had lied perched upon the wall had spread its black wings, and took to the sky on the mighty currents, towards Lindblum.
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I've noticed something. My pacing sucks. I rush into the story too quickly. Do any of the more experienced fanfiction writers have any tips, 'cause I really, really need some. Oh, and I'm sorry I tried to demand reviews. This is my first FF fanfic (unlike BMD who has several) and it was stupid to demand them. I'm lucky that those of you who read this fanfiction do, and I want you to know that I'm thankful for all 5 of you, and I don't care if no one reviews. Except for that part about help, because my pacing really does suck...
Anyway, I want to thank you for reading! I'll try to post again sooner than this time.