~Author's notes~
Well, here's chapter 2.~linay
Ancient Visions
chapter 2
The royal sword of Fanelia clattered to the ground. Van grabbed his chest, feeling a sudden pull. Strange, it wasn't actually physically pain. He was feeling emotions: fear, desperation, horror. One name filled his mind: Hitomi. But why? And how had she reached him. He hadn't opened a link with the pendant. The force of the emotions brought stinging tears to his eyes. And then, all of a sudden, it stopped. And Van was left, gasping for breath. Quickly, he jumped down from escaflowne and picked up his sword. He paced back and forth, debating the situation.Hitomi is in trouble, he thought to himself, what should I do? I must speak with her. I must find out what is happening...but-
Van stopped and shook his head. But Hitomi will be hurt. She might even be angry. But it wasn't my choice! Van cried silently. With sudden resolution he looked up to the sky, grasping the pendant in his fist. I don't care, he thought Hitomi is in trouble. He closed his eyes and the pendant began to glow.
Hitomi was standing on the train platform, waiting for the train that would take her home. Yukari had been so worried about this afternoon. She had wanted to take Hitomi all the way home but Hitomi had refused saying that she wanted to be alone. Hitomi began to wonder about the vision. Had it really been a vision or just fatigue? The rumble of the train interupted her thoughts. She boarded and stood facing the window, holding onto a pole, since there were no empty seats. As the train moved, she swayed with it, staring almost lifelessly at her shoes. She looked up casually at her reflection in the glass and then stepped back in shock, disturbing another young woman behind her. But she didn't even turn to apologize. The girl staring back at her in the glass was her...but not her. She had the same green eyes, the same brown hair. But the girl in the reflection had long hair that reached the middle of her back and she was wearing a white robe, not a school uniform. Hitomi blinked rapidly, trying to control her reactions. The girl also blinked, but then...spoke without sound. Hitomi's heart leaped into her throat as the other girl's lips moved and seemed to spell "save us". All of a sudden, the reflection faded and a normal one returned. hitomi shook her head in wonder. save us? hitomi wondered, who is 'us' The train rumbled to a halt.
Van's eyes opened with a start. The link had been broken! He had started to see her, standing and swaying oddly while holding onto some kind of metal post. He had even seen her eyes start to look up toward him. But suddenly something had torn him away. Something or someone had interrupted them. Van held the pendant up once more. I don't care what happens. I will protect her. I love her He stared into the pendant and it began to glow again.
Hitomi stepped of the train and looked down at the wood of the platform.
This was the place where he talked to me last...and first
She looked out toward the sea and the rocks where Van usually appeared. Nothing was there now. She sighed. But then, a distant golden glow attracted her attention. She gasped. A form was appearing.
Van!
Hitomi watched wide-eyed as the figure of Van slowly materialized. She could see him clearly now. He was standing and staring at her. His eyes were wide with worry. She saw his lips move but she couldn't hear what he was saying. She furrowed her eyebrows and struggled to understand. Van seemed to sense that she was having trouble understanding, though it had never happened before. Van tried to shout but still Hitomi could not hear. She focused on his lips trying to read them.
"Van,"she said out loud, "what are you saying?!"
He didn't seem to hear her either because he just stood there, looking confused. Then he mouthed out what he wanted to say. Hitomi watched his lips carefully and copied them with her own lips
"hitomi," Hitomi said, mirroring Van's speech," wa---". She stopped, unable to follow what he mouthed next. Instead she reached out a hand toward Van's image. Van also reached out but as he did, the golden aura around him suddenly flashed forward as well, rushing towards hitomi.
All hitomi saw was Van disappearing and a golden light rushing towards her and surrounding her. She gasped in fear. again? she asked. Around her, figures began to take shape. She was in a city of marble, surrounded by crowd of men, women and children. They were standing in a circle around a tall, dark-haired man. Noises began to filter into Hitomi's mind. The crowd was murmuring, some in agreement others in disaproval. The sound of the dark-haired man in the center entered her mind. He was speaking boldly, in a clear confident voice.
"This power is not being used to it's full advantage!," he boomed, "Imagine what we could accomplish."
Hitomi continued to listen as she scanned the crowd. She turned to her left and saw, a several feet away, Van! She squinted at the young, raven-haired man. No, she thought, it's not...though he seems so much like -. Her eyes widened as the young man pulled a long haired woman closer to him. It was the woman in the vision! The woman turned slightly and her eyes locked onto Hitomi's
"Look", the voice boomed again, "today I give you a sample of the power. Today I give you the power to fly!"
Suddenly around her, brilliant white wings burst from the backs of all the people around her. Some cried out in shock and others in pure awe. hitomi jerked her eyes away from the woman and looked at the man. As she did, he began to turn around to face her. Right before she could fully take in his piercing green eyes, long face and black hair, the vision shifted. Hitomi was suddenly in a red world. She began to choke. It was red from fire. She felt the heat from flames. A man stood, his back to her, sword drawn. it was the dark-haired man with green eyes. Ten armed men, with wings, surrounded him holding weapons. The dark-haired man laughed coldly.
"You cannot defeat me"
"Kasal!" one attacker said, "Now you will pay for your crimes!"
Kasal, the dark haired man only laughed. "You don't realize my power"
"Prepare to die!" The other man said, rushing foward. Hitomi watched, unable
to close her eyes, as the man ran forward, plunging his sword into Kasal. Hitomi
screamed and the red world swirled around her. She stepped backwards, her foot
missing the end of the train platform. She fell backwards, oblivious to the
sound of another train coming in.
