by Ellone Leonhart-Loire
-----
-----
Serge
I lost the vision of the
girl in my dreams again once I woke up the next day. But her name started
to haunt my mind. Schala, I thought. It was a very pretty name, but
the name itself completely shrouded me with so much
mystery
and enchantment. The name completely captivated me, but somehow through
all my memories that were recalled along with Glenn and Norris, that name was
completely unfamiliar.
I woke up late again, but not as
late as I used to. It was around 8:30 in the morning instead of the usual
10:00. When I opened my eyes, there already was a tray of breakfast
waiting on the sidetable beside me. Life must be really easy being an
Acacia Dragoon, especially if you were one of the 4 Devas. Glenn was not
exactly one of the four yet but he was given special treatment. I already
had a hunch that he would be the next Grandmaster after Dario, but time will
only tell.
Speaking of Glenn, he was also present in the room. He
was doing his daily crunches against the door and he did not look like he was
struggling in exhaust as well. He was incredibly agile and fit--- too good
to be just a
regular Acacia Dragoon. He only wore
his training pants and nothing else. He was completely sweating all
over his bare arms and chest during his training. It must be a very
hot and humid day outside today.
I stretched my arms up and rubbed my
eyes. Glenn stopped his crunches and saw me from upside down. "Ah, good morning, Serge," Glenn greeted and continued to do more
crunches. I got up and looked out at the window to feel the morning sun
shine on me. I turned my head again as he stopped once more. "How
was your dream, Serge? Was it enchanting?"
I was a bit startled and
blinked my eyes. How did Glenn know that I had a dream last night?
"How did you know... Glenn...?"
"You woke up late," Glenn answered humbly.
He got up from the ground and stood up. He grabbed his towel to
wipe off the sweat off his forehead and his bare chest as he put on his tank
top. "And it seemed that you had a
wonderful sleep as well. I
don't blame you. Every man has to dream at times, right?"
I went to
the bathroom to wash myself. Then went back to the bed, where I began
enjoying the freshly-cooked bacon and eggs with orange juice and toast.
Glenn sat on the chair of his desk and moved it towards
me.
"Glenn..."
Glenn smirked a bit. "So, who was the dream
girl?"
I widened my eyes with surprise. "How dare you,
Glenn!" I smirked at the same time.
"'Tis true, Serge... you
mentioned a name, but it was not Leena."
I almost choked on my toast as I
blurted out: "YOU HEARD ME MENTION HER NAME???"
Glenn hushed me to be
quiet: "Shh.. don't scream like that... this is a private matter and I'm the
only one who heard of it... don't worry."
I sighed in relief as I took a
sip of my orage juice. We both kept silent while I finished the rest of my
breakfast. Right after, I decided to speak again. Speaking of this
name Schala, I wonder if Glenn knew of this name? "Glenn? I'd...
like to ask you something."
"What is it, Serge?" Glenn wondered. He
got up and opened his wardrobe, where he took out his clothes fit enough for his
armor.
"Now that you've heard of her name... Glenn... you really need to
help me..."
Glenn turned away from his wardrobe and stared right towards
me. He gave me a serious tone: "Is it about this mysterious girl in your
dreams, Serge?"
"Do you know this name--- Schala?"
Glenn stood
there silent, as he lowered down his head and placed his hand on his
forehead. "Schala, you say...? Hmm..."
"I have a feeling that
it's a girl from the past... a certain girl that you and I may
know..."
Before Glenn was about to say something, we heard a loud knock
on his door. Glenn turned to the door and answered: "Yes?"
"SIR
GLENN!" I recognized that deep, burly voice from anywhere. No doubt, it
was one of the 4 Devas--- the ever gigantic, domineering,
intimidating-looking Zoah. He still wore that same helmet ever since we
first encountered each other in the past. I guess there were many things
here that were remained unchanged. This sounded important but I listened
along: "I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WERE BEING INFORMED OF TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENTS, BUT
I BELIEVE YOU MAY BE INTERESTED."
"What is it, Zoah?" Glenn
wondered. Zoah handed him a flyer of some sort as Glenn read it to
himself. "The 155th World Jousting Tournament. Interesting... it has
been awhile since I've competed in these..."
"ALL OF THE KNIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD
WILL BE COMPETING. THE ACACIA DRAGOONS WILL BE REPRESENTING EL NIDO. YOUR
BROTHER DARIO IS NOT PLANNING TO COMPETE THIS TIME, FOR HE WANTS TO SPEND
MORE TIME WITH LADY RIDDEL. ON BEHALF OF THE 4 DEVAS AND OF THE GENERAL,
WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO COMPETE TO REPRESENT US, SIR GLENN."
"I have been
thinking about competing again. I believe I have trained enough, thanks to
you and the rest of the Devas." Glenn nodded in respect. "Thank you,
Zoah. I shall alert the others of my participation."
"SIR DARIO,
SIR KARSH, YOUNG MARCY, AND MYSELF SHALL BE ON THE SIDELINES TO SUPPORT YOU, SIR
GLENN. WE BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE BEST KNIGHT AMONG ALL OF
US."
"Thank you." Zoah nodded in return, as he left the
scene. Glenn shut the door behind him and went up to me. He handed
me the announcements flyer Zoah handed him and read it myself. "I really
do wish I get to spend the
most of my time with you and everyone else, but
for some reason, my personal adrenaline had called me from within to train for
this tournament. I feel as if I owe something for my family's
legacy."
"A brand-new location... Platoon's Point--- a certain area in
the Dead Sea Ruins? Sounds perfect for a tournament," I replied.
The famous Dead Sea Ruins. I can recall that many things happened in that
area. I did not remember how, but that area had become accessible to the
public as a tourist spot. There was no more danger or anything mysterious
about that place. Platoon's Point had become the official training area of
both the military and the knights around the world. It was definitely a
perfect spot to hold this year's joust tournament for the knights.
"It
was to take place in two weeks. I have to start training before that
day..."
"Glenn, I'll train with
you if you want. I know I'm
not a knight like you, but I'd like to see you compete and win the championship title,
Glenn." He nodded with a small hint of smile on his face. It had
been awhile since I became a master of the Sea Swallow. "I had not been training since.... the end of
everything. And besides..." I stood up and stretched some more, warming
myself up. "... You may never know when your self-defense skills may be
needed again in your everyday life."
He nodded with a smile on his
face. "Very well then, Serge. And I believe I do have an idea on how
I'll be able to spend time with you and everyone. The ladies may not like
it, but... it is what a man must do... And we can go all around El Nido--- to
all the best training spots possible... it would be a short two-week vacation
for us. I believe it would help."
I nodded along, as we both shook
our hands. "I like this one better than a mere picnic on the beach.
And hopefully..." I looked out at the window again and sighed, "this would
probably help me get my mind off Schala..."
Glenn gave another smirk
towards me. "Of course... it may help, Serge... but personally.. I doubt
it."
I decided not to answer Glenn on
this one. Even if I did vow to myself that this special training for the
tournament would help me forget about the mysterious dream girl named Schala, I
would have to admit that Glenn was right.
He and I finally exited the bedroom to meet with the others.
At the main hallway we met with Karsh, Zoah, and Marcy. They looked pretty
much the same as the last time I remembered them. Nothing much changed
after all. We exchanged greetings as we headed towards the balcony pond
area upstairs from the master bedrooms of the mansion. "So, I heard you
and Leena are together, is that true, Junior?" Karsh elbowed me gently on the
side. Even when the world changed ever since then, Karsh still called me
"Junior."
"Like, when are you two getting married and stuff? I
think you guys and Dario and Riddel should have like... a... double-wedding or
something!" Marcy giggled, sitting on the edge of the balcony, swinging her legs
like a typical little girl.
"SERGE AND LEENA ARE STILL YOUNG TO BE
MARRIED!" Zoah spoke from behind. Marcy stuck her tongue at the bulkier
Deva: "Who asked you, Zoah?!"
"Now that we're here," Glenn interrupted
them, "I don't know if Zoah mentioned to you about my participa---"
"GO
KICK SOME DRAGOON BUTT!!" Karsh cheered with enthusiasm, which gave me a short
startle.
"GO GLENN GO GO GO!!!" Marcy cheered along with Karsh.
"We're gonna be like, right behind you, Glenn!"
Glenn cleared his throat
with some modesty on his self. "I believe Zoah already informed
you."
I looked around the area and noticed that not everyone was
here. Where was Leena and the others, I thought to myself. Did I
wake up early this time or was I really late? "You're looking for Leena,
Junior?" Karsh noticed my wondering face. "You got up late, so Leena just
had the commander escort her around the area near the
mansion---"
"ALONE?!" I gasped with shock. Today's plan was for me
to take Leena around the mainland and explore all the wondrous spots of our
island, especially the Hydra Marsh and the Shadow Forest. In addition, it
was time for me to visit Cape Howl and have another memorial visit to my late
father, even if the rock was carved as "Serge and Leena Forever", I considered
it a special memorial to my late father. Strange, I know.
"Like,
you know you woke up late and Leena's like... really impatient, like, you know?"
Marcy shrugged away. "You know, like, I can't understand that girl... it's
like... she wants everything her way, you know? Why'd you even get a
girlfriend like that?"
"MARCY, YOU ARE BEING RUDE TO OUR GUEST!" Zoah
interrupted. Most of the times, Marcy could be such a little spoiled brat,
but in some cases, she can be nice.
"But it's true, Zoah! Oh well,
you never had a girlfriend so like... you'll never understand..."
I just
could not believe it, I thought. I was supposed to take Leena around the
island... now instead of waiting for me or even try to wake me up, she ran off
with another man just to go to this trip? I would never blame Norris for
being there for her, but what she did to me really made me angry and heartbroken
at the same time. "Thank you... for letting me know, everyone..." I
answered sarcastically.
"Don't worry about it now, Serge," Glenn
replied. "They'll return in short time. I believe it is time for us
to prepare for our two-week training." He turned to the three Devas
present. "I invite you to come to our special two-week training quest
before the tournament at Platoon's Point. I really do feel that I am going
to need all your help in this..."
"Glenn? A quest? You mean
like travel around the islands just for training?" Karsh wondered and started to
think. "Hey, I like that idea!"
"Like, who's gonna come?" Marcy
wondered. "Can I come too?"
"I WILL BE GLADLY BE OF SERVICE TO YOUR
TRAINING, SIR GLENN." Zoah saluted the young knight. I smiled a bit,
knowing that this quest would definitely be exciting. At last, I thought,
there is excitement that just arrived in my life.
"Perfect," Glenn
nodded. "Now all we have to do is prepare for our things. I shall
inform my brother about this and see if he would be interested in coming along
with us."
"HE HAS TO... HE IS YOUR BROTHER!" Zoah answered.
"If he
wants, he can even bring Riddel along too!" Karsh suggested.
"Like, when
do we leave?" Marcy asked. "Like, do we even have permission from the
General?"
"I shall speak with the General in private, Marcy," Glenn
replied. "Serge, you might as well let your mother know about this
trip. In addition, we must wait until Leena and Norris arrive from their
journey around the island. We leave sometime this afternoon."
I
nodded. "That wouldn't be a problem, Glenn.
Thanks."
+++++
Kid
Next day
arrived. It was the day where Orlha, Korcha, and myself would be setting
our course to Termina. I wished I knew how to get to Termina myself, but
since the world somewhat shifted, it may have been in a different location
now. With the help of Macha and Mel, I packed up my things necessary for
the trip. Korcha also got his boat ready, while Orlha gave instructions to
her co-workers on how to run her bar. Doc even handed us some handy
medicines and all sorts of good aid, just in case we get ill on our
way.
I can already feel my heart beating very fast. My dream of
finding Serge again was very close to reality. I woke up earlier today
with a smile and confidence in me. Serge is out there, I just know
it. He is out there, somewhere nearby, waiting for me to come to
him. Oh how I had waited for this moment since forever.
Korcha,
Doc, and some of their demi-human friends were just loading up the boat while
Orlha and I decided to stroll around the village before we can even board the
boat and sail off to the seas. I even got to ride those hanger rides for
easy way down to the ground from all their tall teepees. We even bought
some things at their village market including a personal souvenir for me to
remind myself that I had been here in Guldove.
After shopping, Orlha
looked up at the sky with a bright smile on her face. She then looked down
right at me and smiled: "I almost forgot, Kid. Most of our travellers here
in Guldove seek blessings from the village shaman first before they leave.
I believe in the shaman's powers, Kid. I know you're not into this holy
blessings stuff, but I do believe that with just a little blessing, everything
for us in life will be in smooth sail."
"Oh I get it," I answered.
"So, ya wanna see the village shaman before we take off?" Orlha
nodded. "Sounds good to me.. okay!"
From the store we crossed the
bridge, then we arrived right at the largest teepee of all--- the Dragon Shrine
itself. Of all the places, I thought, I never knew Guldove can be such a
holy place. Orlha spoke with the gatekeeper of the temple and allowed us
to enter. We entered and encountered two familiar faces--- the village
chief shaman, Direa, with a crystal ball in front of her, and the young shrine
shaman trainee, Steena. Behind them was the legendary Dragon Tear, looking
good as new. The whole place gave me the chills at first, however,
everything was fine.
"Young Orlha..." Direa spoke in such a low yet
direct voice. "You came to ask for blessings?"
Orlha nodded.
"Blessings for journeys, Chief Direa. This young lady here is Kid.
She was... a very old friend of ours."
Direa
looked directly at me with seriousness on her face. Then, she spoke:
"Young Kid... please come closer."
Without any hesitation, I stepped
forward towards Direa. She looked like there was something in me that she
found interesting or rather mysterious. She looked at me as I gave her the
same look--- a look of curiosity and wonder. She stood up from her seat
and directly glanced at the necklace that I was currently wearing. It was
the pendant that my Radical Dreamer mate Blaze gave me before I left my shack
for this journey. Blaze said that she found it washed ashore on the
beach. Could this be some kind of a curse or some kind of a
miracle?
I was about to speak to Direa, but right from out of the blue,
the pendant around my neck started to glow and started to a simple chime tune
was heard all over the place. I counted the beats and the notes--- there
were six of them. It reminded me of the fact that there were six elements
existing in this world. I panicked a bit, but both Chief Direa and Steena
were amazed. "What... what is this bloody thing??" I shrieked in
horror.
"How... oh great heavens!" Chief Direa gasped in awe. "How
in the world did you get a hold of this...?"
"What is it??" I demanded
for an answer. "Get this thing offa me if it's some kind of a
curse!"
"Chief Direa," Steena spoke from behind. She was staring at
the Dragon Tear displayed behind them. It was also reacting the same way
as the pendant around my neck. "The Dragon Tear..."
Both shamans
climbed up the small stairs and stared at the Dragon Tear. I wanted to
look as well to see what they were looking at, but Orlha gently pulled me
away. Let the shamans do their work, she said. I stood feeling stiff
and nervous, not knowing what was happening all this time.
"Chief Direa,
the Dragon Tear is giving us a faint vision! Take a look!" Steena moved
closer to the Dragon Tear. Chief Direa stood there, staring at the vision
as well. I wish I knew what that vision was.
"Of course..." Chief
Direa murmured. She turned her head back towards me. Both the Dragon
Tear and this pendant stopped reacting. "You are on a quest, correct,
Young Kid?"
I nodded. "I'm looking for---" I was about to answer,
but Steena interrupted.
"---the Chrono Trigger? Of course."
She walked up to me and glanced at the pendant. "You really do not
remember what this pendant is, do you, Kid? It was this
particular pendant that completely changed our world--- two separate worlds
merged in to one. The sweet melody that you just heard was the work of
both this pendant and the Dragon Tear. The melody brings everything back
to one--- together in one pure harmony."
"It is the Chrono Cross that you
are wearing around your neck, Young Kid," Chief Direa answered. "The
Chrono Cross--- unites all that is seperated in to eternal harmony. All
six elements--- brought in to one. Both separate worlds are brought in to
one. The melody shall play when the time has finally arrived." She
sat back down on her seat and nodded. "Now I understand this
completely."
"I agree, Chief Direa," Steena answered. "The Chrono
Trigger was the only one who had the power to trigger this legendary
element. It was the Chrono Trigger who brought everything in to one." She
nodded and turned to me. "The only thing that the Chrono Trigger has not
done with the Chrono Cross was to bring himself and his guardian together in
harmony..."
"Guardian?" I wondered.
"You, Kid," Steena
continued. "You were born with only one purpose--- to be the guardian of
the Chrono Trigger. You must keep him away from any danger at all cost,
you are to keep him safe and to stay with him for eternity." She smiled a
little and continued on: "I believe that the Chrono Cross will definitely have
the intention of uniting you and the Chrono Trigger together. It must be
the power of love..."
I blushed a bit at Steena's remark, but sighed
deeply at the same time. It was strange, I thought to myself. Where
did this Chrono Cross element come from? Blaze just saw it washed ashore
on the beach near my shack? Maybe it was FATE all over again. Maybe
FATE decided that now was the right time for me to search for him--- and unite
with him. Now with this Chrono Cross in my possession, I was already
certain and sure that I will definitely find Serge.
"Keep this Chrono
Cross, Kid. DO NOT lose it. Or else you will never find the Chrono
Trigger ever again," Chief Direa warned me. "The Chrono Cross will react
to a certain extent. You must follow what the Chrono Cross indicates and
follow its path. It is a sure guarantee that you shall find the Chrono
Trigger. That is the true purpose of the Chrono Cross."
I lowered
my head and murmured: "Thank you, Chief Direa, Lady Steena," I thanked them
humbly. "I swear it all--- I'll keep the Chrono Cross right around my
neck. I ain't gonna lose it and I ain't gonna take it offa my
neck!"
"You now have your blessings," Steena answered. She then
turned to Orlha. "Orlha, please aid Kid on her journey to find the Chrono
Trigger. She will need all the help from her friends she can
get."
"Thank you," Orlha nodded.
"Now, go... seek out your long
lost treasure," Chief Direa spoke.
"And may the true blessings of the
Goddess of Fate guide you to your destiny," Steena added. We both nodded
and exited the shrine.
Later we reached the harbor, where Korcha was
already waiting on his boat. We arrived just in time, as one of his
helpers was just getting off the boat. Korcha waved at us, as we waved at
him in return. "CHA get your blessings from the village
shaman?"
"Yeah, thanks, Korcha," I answered.
"We are lucky,
Korcha," Orlha smiled. "This journey would not be as hard as we all
thought would be. Kid has a special blessing from the shaman.
Because of this, everything will be smooth sailing."
"Well alright then!"
Korcha cheered with a smirk on his face. "Let's get out there and look for
Serge!"
We boarded our boat as we saw all
the familiar people waving goodbye at us at the harbor. We waved goodbye
in return as Korcha pushed the boat away from the harbor. We were on our
way at sea to
Termina.
+++++
Serge
It was
official. With the consent of General Viper, Glenn's training will begin
starting today. We leave for Guldove for the shaman's blessings, as Glenn
had told me before we leave on our journey. Thanks to Norris, we were able
to use Porrean Military rafts as our means of transportation. In addition,
he will be coming along as well. He was completely interested in touring
all of the archipelago. I was glad to have an enthusiastic military man
like Norris as a friend.
Leena did not want to participate in
our training journey. We had another argument over this because Leena did
not want me to go on this training journey with Glenn. She needed me here,
she said. She acted as if I was some kind of her life source or
something. I even asked her to come with me if she did not want to be
alone without me, but like as usual, she always wanted everything her way.
Lisa did all the talking for me and she actually agreed on my side of
things. She said to her that lovers can be apart from the time being, and
at least let me go out there with my friends doing the things that I always
wanted to do. I wanted Lisa to come and explore all of El Nido with me,
however, she would rather travel alone with me. What was wrong with Glenn
and Norris and the rest of the dragoons, I thought to myself. After this
whole messy talk was over, Leena finally gave up and decided to let me
go.
We were at the beach not too far
from Viper Manor. Everyone was packing up while I just sat on the white
sand, staring out at the beach. I tried to get over the fight that Leena
and I had earlier, but somehow, something else was crowded in my mind
again. Far down to my left side I seem to have seen an image of a girl---
the same exact girl of my dreams--- the girl named Schala. She was walking
slowly next to the shore right towards me. When I blinked my eyes the
second time, she was gone.
I sighed deeply, knowing that I was
hallucinating again. Luckily that image was gone right when Leena arrived
behind me. "Serge..."
I turned around and glanced at the
emerald-eyed maiden: "Leena...?"
She sat right next to me and glanced at
the ocean waves crawling back and forth on the shore. "Please be
careful... out there..."
"I'll come back to you when it's all over,
Leena... don't worry... it's only training..." Somehow I felt deeply guilty for
thinking more about my old friends than thinking about my girlfriend. I
took her hand in mine and held it tightly. She leaned her head on to
my shoulder as we both watched the sea roll back and forth.
"When is this
tournament going to be?" she whispered on my ear.
"In two weeks... the
weekend..."
"Please come home before that..." She lifted her head and
looked at me. "So you can pick me up and watch Glenn compete with
you...?"
I blushed a bit and smiled. "Why didn't you tell me that
before? We wouldn't even have this argument if we---" Before I was even
aware of myself, she interrupted me by planting me a gentle kiss on my
lips. She clinged on to me as I gradually captured hers with mine.
We ended up lying on the sand and continuously shared our passion for each other
when we were interrupted from behind...
"Ah, I must have come at the
wrong time... my apologies... just call my name when you are
finished."
Right away I released her gently and slowly turned my
head. "Glenn!!"
Leena slowly moved away from me and smiled
innocently towards Glenn. "I'm sorry, Glenn... I should let dear Serge go
now!"
Glenn smirked a bit with his arms crossed. "'Tis what true
love is about, Miss Leena," he smiled at her. "But alas, lovers should
take a break and..." He breathed slowly on the fresh sea breeze. "...
enjoy the world they are missing... eh, Serge?"
I smiled a bit and
answered: "Mm... yeah."
I wiped the sand off my clothes while Leena did
the same with hers. Leena spoke: "Please take care of Serge, Glenn... you
are like an older brother to him..."
"I am?" Glenn wondered.
"He
is?" I blinked at the same time. Leena just giggled while I shrugged away
and Glenn scratching his head.
"Well then... we must take off now."
Glenn bowed graciously towards Leena. "I shall escort young Serge to
safety back to you when all of this is over. 'Tis a promise."
"I
trust you... Sir Glenn..." Leena murmured. She and I gave each other our
goodbye kisses and followed Glenn towards the ship.
First day of
training, I thought. This was a good opportunity for me to recall who I
was a long time ago. Now that I found Glenn, Norris, and some of my
friends, I thought that maybe somewhere out there I may find my other friends as
well.
But right at this moment, I felt something deep inside that there
was something else was missing in this whole picture. For the last few
days since Leena and I started dating so many strange things had been happening
to me. It was nothing that can disrupt our relationship but still, these
strange things did mean something. Like the way I dreamt about this
mysterious girl Schala--- I knew right away that there has to be a story behind
all this.
What did Schala want from me? Why was she appearing in
all my dreams instead of Leena? What was her motive of always disturbing
my mind? And why was she trying to enchant me completely?
Hopefully
being away from Leena might help me answer these unanswered questions.
Right now, I have to aid Glenn in his training.
Finally the ship took off and I
waved goodbye to those who were left behind. We will return
soon to
get you... let us all cheer for Glenn for his victory in winning the
championship title.
-----
Sweet Destiny
By: Ellone Leonhart-Loire
Ch. 5: Inspirations is up! Kid and company arrive in Termina; Serge and company sail their way to Guldove...
Rated: Fiction K+ - English - Romance/Drama - Chapters: 6 - Words: 30,067 - Reviews: 38 - Favs: 6 - Follows: 3 - Updated: Jun 20, 2001 - Published: May 16, 2001 - id: 285285
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Full 3/4 1/2 Expand Tighten
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