It's Only Forever.....
Chapter 6- The Existence of Hope
by: Asurahime
-I'll protect her... I've always protected Charm Lord under blood contract.... but Asellus is different... I'll protect her of my own will. She has given up practically everything to save me, it's time for me to return the favor.-
"Gah!!" Soon after Asellus left, a sound of two objects falling were heard by Ildon. He looked out of his door and was irritated and surprised when he saw Zozma and Rouge flat on their faces.
"I can't believe that this crazy mystic didn't just go for it!! He was so damn close!!" growled Zozma.
"Just another minute and he most like would have!! Unfortunately, that girl is too fast thinking for her own good!" Rouge picked himself up off the ground and ran his hands through his hair and clothing to smooth them out. When he finished, he unavoidably looked up, his complexion turned as pale as wax, his eyes grew wide, and he began stuttering when he finally noticed that Ildon was leaning against the wall with an accusing expression on his handsome face.
"May I ask who might the two of you be talking about?" asked the mystic, his voice was poisonous and deadly.
Zozma still hasn't seen Ildon, so he began blabbing out the truth. "Nothin' which concerns you really. We were just listenin' in on our two compani--"
The rebel mystic was stopped short when he found himself sprawled on the cold, hard floor once more. "Rouge!! You bastard! Why in the hell did you--"
It was Rouge who tripped Zozma and was currently looking at him with a warning in his eyes. "Oh dear!! How in the world did you happen to fall, Zozma? Here, let me help you up. Seriously Zozma, what has happened to all of your mystic charm, intelligence, and grace?!! Ildon, could you help me? Zozma is heavy."
Ildon grabbed Zozma's other arm in a vise-like grip and lifted him up to his feet with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Of course, Rouge..."
Zozma was speechless and was feeling like an idiot was he fixed his crimson gaze on Ildon. _Crap... caught red-handed..._
_Yes... you did._ Ildon was about to advance, but the other two were saved by Asellus, who just happened to come out of her room at that moment.
Blinking her eyes in confusion, the half-mystic merely raised a finger and pointed at the three of them. "Uh.... is something going on?"
The other three slowly shook their heads in denial.
"Am I interrupting something?"
Once again, Ildon, Rouge, and Zozma shook their heads in negation.
"Then are you ready to go?"
This time, all three of them nodded in assent.
Asellus cocked an eyebrow as she stared her three companions down. She wasn't about to be fooled by their tricks, because she knew something was going on. "O.... kay then... I suppose."
Rouge sighed inwardly. That was too close to call, and he wasn't about to look at either Asellus or Ildon stare-for-stare for some time... he and Zozma would just panic. "Where are we headed for now, Asellus?" he asked, about to begin casting his spell.
"Hmm.... Mosperiburg."
-^+*+*+*+^-
"Of all the regions we had to choose from..... Lord of all Mystics, WHY did you have to pick Mosperiburg?!!"
Rouge, Ildon, and Asellus turned back to look at an agitated Zozma. "What's wrong Zozma? Why don't you like it here in Mosperiburg? The only mystics who dwell here are Virgil and TimeLord, even if his true domicile is his own region." replied Ildon.
Zozma shook his head vigorously. "It's not that. This place reminds me too much of the Chateau, dark and silent. Also, Virgil on his throne resembles Orlouge on his except for the fact that Virgil's clothes don't sway around him. I actually prefer Facinaturu to here; there are at least humans, mystics, and that green-skinned merchant terrorizing the place."
Asellus' smile was brimming with compassion and sympathy, but the tone of her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Virgil reminds you of Orlouge; but I am Orlouge's daughter, yet I don't invoke any memories of my father?"
The orange-haired mystic started to back away from her. "That's true, but you're different. You're still a half-mystic and aren't capable of terrifying me." replied Zozma, but then he saw that Asellus' smile became a smirk which mirrored with the grins on Ildon and Rouge's faces. They were mocking him and he knew it. "All right!!! You are capable of terrifying me..."
Rouge was about to reply, but another's voice cut him off. It was a voice filled with charm and self-possession-- if anything, it was arrogant and powerful. A voice of one of the Mystic Lords... a sound which can charm, destroy, possess, and even enslave someone with just a single word. "Welcome to Mosperiburg, Lady Asellus. Please enter along with your attendants."
A dark cloud passed over Asellus' facade. It was a voice which she has never heard before, yet the timbre of it was a familiar one-- it was the same rich allure which Orlouge's voice commanded as well. Be that as it may... Orlouge is dead.... and this can only belong to the one they call 'Ring Lord'. "Virgil...."
The four travelers set their attention towards the source of the voice and walked up the flight of steps until they saw Virgil and TimeLord.
Ildon opened his mouth to state their business, but TimeLord also chose that instant to walk up to Asellus. -What does he think he's doing?-
The half-mystic's crimson eyes were intense with an unreadable expression as TimeLord tilted up her chin. She didn't like for people to inspect her as if she was a thing.
"So you're the one they call 'Lady Asellus', aren't you? You certainly have been causing much ado in the region of Facinaturu... and you are the daughter who defeated her own father in battle." An arrogant spark suddenly flared in TimeLord's scarlet eyes. "Hmm... despite that you're just a half-mystic, you are both beautiful and powerful. I feel that a special 'bond' can grow between us."
Without another thought, Asellus collectedly unsheathed Asura and rested her sword point with perfect indifference on the mystic's throat. "Despite that I am 'just a half-mystic', I still have enough knowledge to defeat the likes of you. Don't ever underestimate me or my companions, and stay the hell away from me."
TimeLord's smile was forced, and his tone bitter. "What a feisty young girl you are! That is no way a mystic princess should behave when speaking to one of the Mystic Lords.
Asellus' guardians formed a half-circle behind her. Everyone knew the hidden meaning of TimeLord's snide remark.
"Stop!! That is quite enough, TimeLord." Virgil got up off his throne and walked towards the company. He bowed down in front of Asellus and kissed her hand as a 'proper and gracious' mystic should. "The Princess of Mystics... how long has it been? Forgive me, I forget that you have never met me before.... I am Virgil, the Ring Lord... How may I serve your young highness?" Virgil looked behind her and nodded acknowledgment to Ildon, Zozma, and Rouge.
Ildon bowed in return and shot a ferocious look at TimeLord. "We are sorry to intrude, Virgil. We are searching for Kurenai, the Eternal Flame, who seems to have escaped from his sanctuary."
Virgil's crimson gaze widened then narrowed into slits in complete surprise. This certainly was a dire though unexpected turn of events. "Kurenai has escaped!? How could any of you allow this to happen! If he is not returned at once, Facinaturu will die out!"
"We understand that, Virgil. Why do you think we came to you? The Eternal Flame has already managed to cause havoc in Kyo, and other regions will soon follow if he is not stopped." hissed Zozma, who tried to avert his glance from his surroundings. He knew that Orlouge considered him as more like a court jester than a proper mystic in the past, and he did not want to be reminded of it.
Silence filled the throne room as Rouge looked around. He was the only human here other than Asellus, but she can be considered a mystic anyway. However, the magician also seemed to be the only one who even had a slight idea on where the Eternal Flame can be. He turned to look at Asellus and took her aside before anyone else can say anything. "Asellus, I haven't been to where Kurenai resided, but..."
"You can't return to where he used to live, Rouge. It's no longer intact because of an attack by a monster in there. In fact, it would have harmed someone if Silence had not managed to shoot it with his gun." whispered Asellus.
Rouge's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean? Isn't there a barrier keeping others out?" he asked.
The half-mystic sighed and snuck a glance over his shoulder at the rest of the group, who were looking at the two of them strangely. Then she focused her attention back at the red magician and took out the shards of crystal from Kurenai's abode. "There was a barrier, but with Kurenai's disappearance, it just seemed to evaporate. He is supposed to protect that cavern from any evil, but if the Lich Silence shot was not evil, then Ciato is Cotton's girlfriend." said Asellus with a hint of sarcasm.
"Then what do you suppose we do? Keep on searching for something which moves like the wind between regions? You and the other mystics might be able to do that, but as a human, I cannot." replied Rouge. Then something came upon his mind like a sudden storm of thought. "Besides... I have reason to say that you might be the reason why Kurenai was able to escape..."
Asellus glowered at him. "What do you mean by that?"
Another voice cut off Rouge's reply like a knife. "The human magician means that the balance was destroyed because you killed your 'father', your young highness."
TimeLord sauntered over to where the two friends were discussing the subject and smirked in contempt. "I suppose that I misjudged you, Lady Asellus. You should have known that fact by now... that this entire fiasco is your own fault."
That did it. Asellus changed into her mystic form and brought up Asura with a fluid grace just as TimeLord magically called upon his golden staff. The two weapons met with a crash which jarred both of their bodies. The half-mystic then charged at the mystic and managed to cut a tear along his robe.
"Stop this at once!! Lady Asellus, TimeLord, refrain from doing so in my hall! We have a greater task at hand and you shouldn't be fighting--!" Virgil cried out in fear for the young girl's life, but he was stopped by Ildon. Having never seen the daughter of Orlouge in battle, and knowing the skills of TimeLord, Virgil believed that he had reason to stop the battle.
"Let them fight, Virgil. Asellus can take care of herself." said Zozma, but his attention was wholly focused on the two fighters.
Speaking softly and calmly so that he would not betray the anxiety residing within his heart for his young student, Ildon rested his hand on his sword at ready and turned his dark blue eyes to meet Asellus' bright vermilion gaze for a split second. "Asellus will be all right, I trained her everything I know about mystic fighting and held back nothing. Trust me in the knowledge that she is capable of taking care of herself."
There was a note of longing present in the Black Wing's voice that he tried to hide, but both Rouge and Virgil heard it and exchanged stares. They knew that there was a difference between Ildon and Asellus in which the winged prince is entirely aware of. Ildon's power is used to protect himself and others who he has been ordered to guard, but Asellus' power is used to shield others who needs the protection more than she does.
TimeLord swung his staff down and across, almost sending the girl to the ground had her reflexes abandoned her, but she grabbed the middle of the staff and used her weight to jam the end to the floor. This stunned the mystic momentarily, and that moment was more than enough time for Asellus to move back, charge in as small streams of water emerged from TimeLord. However, she was not quick enough to jump back after the attack, and TimeLord slammed his staff to her side and sent her to the floor.
"I command you to st--!"
Rouge and Ildon immediately grabbed on to Virgil's arms, keeping the mystic lord on his chair and preventing him from interfering with the battle. It was not as if they wanted to see Asellus sprawled on the floor with a staff descending on her head, but they would never interfere in something she resolved to win by herself. "Just watch, Virgil." said Zozma, smirking as TimeLord's downward strike was blocked by Asellus.
"You can't win this one, Prince of Mystics." sneered TimeLord, trying to free his staff in vain.
Asellus simply smiled back despite the pain and the cut on her brow threatening to drip blood into her eyes, and was comforted by the streaks of blue which stained his clothes. TimeLord had been ready to attack Asellus one last time, for she had been forced to let go of Asura. When she saw the staff descend, Asellus rapidly crosses her hands in front of her face and chest to block the rod's impact. Then she noticed the crazed glint present in TimeLord's red eyes, so she moved the staff to the side and jumped back to her feet. Never has her timing been better, for looking back at the weapon, there was now a razor-sharp, curved blade eighteen inches long at the end of the staff. "You will never defeat my by using such paltry tricks." She retrieved her Asura in a flash and held it up in a guard position before her in a split-second.
"Let's get this over with, shall we?" whispered TimeLord, rushing towards the injured half-mystic with a speed that was not possible in mortal terms.
Asellus jumped to the side and dodged the attack, then she delivered her own counterattack that he would never forget. She whipped Asura down, under and up, slashing TimeLord's wrist and making him release his hold on his glaive. Not wasting any more precious time, the girl remembered all that her teacher has drilled her in and slashed her crimson blade diagonally, horizontally, and vertically in repetition until a brilliant sphere of white life force surrounded her adversary. Then she cut the circle of light in the form of a cross, cutting off all insults from TimeLord to be replaced by extensive agony and a cold, glittering fury.
"Damn you!" yelled TimeLord as he got back on his feet and attempted to cast OverDrive on the girl, to kill her off for good. However, before his spell could have been finished, Asellus slid in with a stream of fire following her steps and used her sword to throw him up into the air with a luminous column of torrid flames.
When the mystic reached the floor again, he did not move an inch except to glare hatefully at the half-mystic who defeated him. Asellus understood the reason for his anger and limped painfully back towards her friends and Virgil. She let her three friends fuss over her like three mother hens to their chick and locked her gaze with RingLord's as Ildon cast MagicHeal on her a couple of times.
"Virgil, TimeLord is possessed." she said tersely.
That took Virgil by utter surprise. "What do you mean by TimeLord being possessed? By what would he be under a spell of Possession or Fascination by?"
Asellus turned back to TimeLord, who still has not move on the floor as asked Rouge to cast PsychicPrison on the immobile mystic. "I do not know, but I am determined to find out. While we were fighting, I saw a berserk glint in his eyes that no mystic except for a few have. That may not be enough to convince you, but it is more than enough information to convince me."
Ildon, Rouge, and Zozma were right. Virgil now partly understands what sort of immeasurable power resides within the daughter of Charm Lord. "No, Lady Asellus. I also have noticed that TimeLord has not been behaving as he normally does. He is not this violent, nor is he this irritable."
Rouge finished casting his spell on TimeLord, turned back towards the others and nodded in agreement. "Virgil is right. My brother has fought with TimeLord to get the gift for Time Magic, and even then he was not like this."
At the mention of Blue, Asellus turned pale and forced a smile. She was still irritated at herself for using that Fascination spell. "Virgil, what do you suppose we do now?"
Ildon looked at Asellus with a calculating gaze. Once again, she has surprised him. "I think that we first need to find out who did that to TimeLord."
"What for?" asked Zozma, raising his eyebrows questioningly.
"No, the Black Wing is right. If you want to find out where your Kurenai is, the best place to do that is TimeLord's region. It is possible that time can be stopped in that place, and thus, you can pin-point where your Eternal Flame is." said Virgil as he relaxed upon his throne once again.
"And we can't go there right now because Asellus beat the **** out of TimeLord, correct?" said Zozma with an impudent grin. The Prince of Darkness and the red magician exchanged dark glances and saw that Asellus' face grew paler with annoyance at herself and Zozma. Virgil got up from his throne and placed a comforting hand on Asellus' shoulder.
"It'll be all right, my lady. Zozma didn't mean what he said." said Ildon as he started towards Zozma with an unruffled countenance. Rouge tackled the red-haired rebel from behind and tied up his hands together. "Yes, don't worry about Zozma, Asellus. We'll take care of his schooling... right Ildon?"
A vision of a smile crept up into Ildon's face and Asellus caught herself staring at it in surprise. Despite his reticent image, he looked quite handsome when smiling...
Zozma soon found himself being held over the spikes room by Ildon and Rouge. "What in the hell do you think you two are doing!? Get me out of here!!"
"Learn some manners, Zozma!!" smiled Ildon with indifference as he loosened his hold on the whip which is Zozma's only means of support from plummeting to a very sharp bed of spikes.
_Will you actually let them do that to Zozma, Asellus?_ asked Asura.
_Why not? Wouldn't you do like to do that as well, Asura?_ grinned Asellus as she saw Zozma's head come closer and closer to the spikes. "Poor Zozma..."
Asura suddenly shone with a steady red light. _What do you mean by 'poor Zozma'?!! If I had been a human or mystic, I would have jumped at the chance to hang that orange-haired rebel over a pit of spikes any day!!_
Zozma looked towards Asellus and cried out. "I heard you say that, you red-colored sorry excuse for an EarthDragon's toothpick!!"
_............... Rouge, I think we better back away..._ said Ildon as he backed away from the scene and gave the end of the whip to Asellus.
_Ildon!! What do you think you're doing!? Rouge, get that whip away from her!_ Zozma knew that it was futile, as Asellus let go of the rope in surprise, causing Zozma to plummet down.
In greater shock, Asellus threw Asura just in time to catch Zozma by his... er... shirt... and pinning him to the far wall of the spike maze. _Er... sorry about that, Zozma..._
Lowering his head to hide his smirk behind his green hair, Ildon held out his arm to Asellus as if to escort her out of the maze room as Rouge held the door open. "Shall we go, my lady?" asked the Black Wing, looking back towards Zozma and Asura.
Asellus smiled back blindingly at Ildon. "Yes, let's. We need to have a long talk with Virgil anyway." As the trio left, Zozma and Asura still continued to argue with each other.
"This is all your fault you useless stick!! Now how do you think we should get out of here?!" screeched Zozma in anger.
_Shut up, rebel!!_ said Asura, using a serious, deadly tone which really did cause the mystic to be silent. _Someone else is here..._
A man with fiery red and silver white hair appeared in the same place where Asellus once stood. He turned around to look at Zozma, and the orange-haired mystic saw that his eyes were a light green which resembled the color of crystal. The being wore a crimson and white robe which broke light like a prism whenever a ray touched it. Even more startling, the man raised a hand and freed Zozma and Asura from their former position and brought them back on to solid ground. _You are Zozma, are you not? Tell Lady Asellus that what she seeks lies in the place where light and darkness meet. And that someone is looking out for her._ said the man as he vanished in thin air.
"Asura.... who was that man?" asked Zozma after a few moments of silence.
_I don't know.... but he is either our greatest ally, or our worst enemy....._
Chapter Notes:
*sighs* What I wouldn't give/kill/do to get some free time around here!! *is totally angry* I know, I know.... I haven't updated for so long that I'm practically dead on your lists, I have like four... no, five series in progress and I just can't get any frikkin' free time around here! I have so many ideas that I can't write down!! *screams and runs off into the night... ahem... morning...* I'll have the next part up with a couple of weeks, and if I don't consider me.... dead or something, but I'll get it up by then or else *gulps* I'll give up all claims on Ildon. (and I would kill before I do that.)
Disclaimers:
The only things here that belong to me are the storyline and a couple of things that will be present soon. Squaresoft holds claim over everything else... including my dear Illy-chan... ^_~ *sigh*