He-ey! ^_^ I just wanna thank all those who tried to help me pick a title and for the reviews too! Me love reviews!
SD Sydney: Sure as hell took you long enough to write a second chapter. When will the next one be Christmas?
SD Me: (happily ignoring and dancing)
SD Ashley: .....You don't want to see what she'll write anyway.
SD Me: ^_^ Another word and I'll bring in Merlose + Hardin.
SD Ash + Syd: (Both shut up.)
SD Me: Why don't you run off and inspire some lemon for me?
SD Ashley: We've been doing that for months.
SD Sydney: And you only wrote one damn chapter in that time and it sucks anyway.
SD Me: Merlose! Hardin!
SD Ashley + Sydney: AAACCCCKKKKK!!! (run away)
SD Me: Anyways ^_^ Enjoy!
******
The town was completely silent
filled with the sounds of whispered breaths from the wind. The people within
their walled comfort slept peacefully, all undisturbed save for one: and
while it appeared Ashley Riot slept soundly, exhausted from his fight with
the zombie, dream images haunted his mind.
His dream self wandered
though an endless void, walking a straight path, his cold eyes constantly
focused on the view in front of him. Minutes passed and a door appeared
in the horizon, making itself known to Ashley. The knight did not quicken
his pace, at the sight he merely stayed in stride expression detached.
"For god's sake you
could at least look at least a little bit interested." An exasperated voice
sounded in the knight's ears.
In response Ashley
sighed and folded arms across his chest. "I'm not interested in your games
Losstarot. Just tell me what you came here for so that I can some rest
before I hear Mullenkamp's 'prophecies' and dead spirits whining."
"Tsk." The blonde
appeared in front of the knight shaking a clawed finger reproachfully.
"Those dream prophecies are vital to the choices you will make in the future,
believe me you will need their guidance."
Ashley crossed his
arms and frowned with irritation. "I'd hardly even call them prophecies,
they are just my fragmented memories and images. Why won't your goddess
just come out and say what is to be done, rather than confusing the hell
out of me."
"The past has lessons
that will impact your future." The sorcerer smiled mockingly almost sure
that Mullenkamp said the same thing to him years before. "Besides it would
just be too damn simple."
The former VKP agent
responded with an icy glare that would have sent chills down an ordinary
man's spine. "You mean it would be harder for you or our dear goddess to
manipulate me."
The attack was piercing
but the sorcerer's shields were strong, and so his smirk only grew, grateful
that the expression was enough to distract the Riskbreaker from the truth
in his eyes. "Ah the less experienced would call it manipulation. I should
think guidance is a better word."
"So guide me and be
done with it." Ashley said giving into his frustration and annoyance.
Sydney cocked his head to the side studying the dream version
of Ashley and then snapped clawed fingers; the gesture seemed to summon
specific scenery. Ashley's breath caught in his throat, brown eyes fixed
upon the Rood etched into the ceiling of a church. A very familiar church.
The sorcerer laughed
at Ashley's initial shock. "Come now knight there is no better place to
have a chat."
Ashley's surprise
faded at the statement; "Oh, you mean there's another reason other than
a strange fetish for death?"
"Bah." Sydney snorted
and settled himself on a pew, crossing leather-clad legs. "No one of importance
died here, and look I've even left out my decorative blood stain."
Ashley stared at the
sorcerer for a moment and then looked back at the floor. "So it is." For
a second Sydney could almost see the faint curving of the reserved man's
face quirk upwards, almost but not quite ready to be called a smile.
"I'll be damned."
Sydney swore under his breath softly. Didn't think that it would work.
"Anyway," he leapt off the pew with a burst of energy, "How much do you
know about summoning Ashley?"
"Not much more than
you taught." Ashley admitted as he watched the sorcerer kneel by the Rood
engraved on the floor.
"Time for another
lesson then." Sydney motioned for Ashley to move beside him. "As you know
different symbols have different power, the Rood symbol is the strongest
and reserved only for you the bearer of the Blood Sin. You have the power
to summon a demon."
"Why would I even
want to?" Ashley asked voice laced with suspicion.
"Do you know who and
what demons really are? They are merely dead who were powerful when they
walked among the living. So the greatest and most feared beasts among mankind
are nothing more than resurrected humans." The sorcerer explained for once
a serious expression on his pale features.
"That is what you
want then? To be a mindless monster like the zombie Guildenstern I found
in the forest? You can't be serious." Ashley's brown eyes were wide with
disbelief.
"There is a way around
that 'mindless monster' issue." Sydney shrugged appearing nonchalant. "A
bond with the Rood Bearer will restore my mind and give me a fair share
of power in accordance with my demonic abilities." He would have continued
to speak if Ashley's fist had not crashed to the floor, making the candles
shake and jolting the sorcerer as well. When the knight turned his face
to the startled prophet it was cold, gaze piercing.
"What exactly do you
want from this Sydney Losstarot? You had no interest in staying alive the
last time I saw you. Now you want to trade your humanity to walk among
the living? Why do you persist in your damned attempts to toy with my mind?"
It was Ashley's turn
to be startled as metal claws grabbed his face and pulled him down to Sydney.
The metal dug into warm skin, drawing blood, the knight shook despite himself
as smirking lips pressed lightly against his and whispered words softly.
"Tired of me all ready? Well I'm sorry to tell you but the games are just
beginning and next time it won't be so kind. I can promise you that. So
let me…" Ashley's breath hitched in his throat as the sorcerer's tone changed
from malicious to a husky and the pressure of warm lips increased considerably.
Sydney removed his painful grip on the knight's face and grasped his hand,
enjoying the close contact for as long as it would last.
He felt Ashley's confusion
and anger acutely as a hand roughly pushed him off. Brown eyes staring
in confusion and hurt as the hand shook under his own, Sydney knew that
he would react this way and hated the fact that he could do this to the
knight.
"Why? Sydney?" The
sorcerer started to move away at the sound of the knight's voice, but Ashley
was quick to stand up and pull Sydney close.
"I'm sorry about the
scratches but it's only a dream Riskbreaker, they won't scar that handsome
face of yours." The sorcerer replied coolly and disappeared from the knight's
grasp. "Perform the summoning tomorrow night…and pleasant dreams."
Before the knight
could react the scene faded from his view, quickly replaced with the void
of darkness he had been before the mage appeared. The dream version of
Ashley stared at the ground, his features clenched in anger, and a few
moments allowed himself to succumb to the darker feeling. Then he stood
once more, his face stoic as he took in the sight of the thousands of doors
that stood before him.
There was no way to
tell how many there were; they seemed to be an infinite number. Sydney
had told him once that each door represented a dream to be had every night.
These were the Roodbearer's dreams, Ashley would have them for as long
as he held the its power.
The knight walked
forward to the door closest to him, the only one that would open tonight.
He touched the handle lightly and the door swung open without hesitation.
Within seconds the void disappeared, replaced by a lonely and destitute
field. The trees were broken shells of the life they once held, gnarled
and twisted skeletons. It seemed as if the land only held shades of gray,
it was silent death and despair.
"What is this desolation?"
The former Riskbreaker asked aloud breaking the silence that lay so thickly
in the atmosphere. Even as the words were spoken, the sound of a song broke
through the trees.
When I woke from my dream
Finding you no where to find
And suddenly I remembered
Made me smile bitterly
The voice was soft and beautiful, carrying each note fluidly; nearly shattering the deathlike feeling that permeated throughout. Without understanding why Ashley sought out the source of the sound, and it lead him through the desolate landscape.
The fading feel of your touch
Still fresh on my fingertip.
The fog seemed to thicken
with every step, but the knight continued unconcerned, the sweet sounds
his only guide. It clouded his vision, made sight impossible and each step
uncertain.
I want to hear your voice, to touch you
But it is no longer possible
Though this world is still
As beautiful as always
But you are no longer around
It still amazed me
The knight took one more step and found himself out of the dense fog. He found himself in the midst of a garden. It was strikingly beautiful; the scent of green life hung in the air along with the soft sound of birdsong. In the center was a single bench, occupied by a figure dressed in long white robes. The pale apparition had its back turned to the dreaming knight, the only thing he could see was shoulder length blonde hair.
The time we were together
I know it was real
The world where we came
Was really beautiful, right?
"Sydney…?" As soon
as the words were spoken the song stopped, uncompleted, and a jarring silence
followed. Confused the knight moved forward but halted as the white cloth
fell to the soft yielding grass. The Rood tattoo lay on skin stretched
to the bone, and long gashes were cruelly decorated along its dark length.
Blood poured along slim sides its source from the stumps connected to narrow
shoulder blades.
A fine delicate face
marred by bruises and blood turned to stare at Ashley. Tears trickled from
tormented eyes like open wounds that were strewn across a bare torso. Ashley
wasn't sure when his legs gave out but in that dreadful moment he found
his body pressed upon it eyes never able to leave the sickening image before
him.
The blue sky spread above
The song of the wind
The warm sunlight
Made my tears flowing down
Although this world remains
As beautiful as it was
But your not being here
Still perplex me
******
SD Sydney: Sick woman...
Sd Me: What's wrong with a little angst? ^_^
SD Ashley: Nothing....but this shows signs of a lot more angst coming along.
SD Me: At least there was pretty music.
Anyway this song is from Breath of Fire 4, cool ne?