Calling Forth from Darkness
Zaillah entered the sacred room in which she had told Rune to place the black and white sand and candles. Her white robes floated about her and her long black hair shimmered in the glowing candlelight. She looked up and through the glass ceiling, watching as the Blue Mystic Moon came into place directly above the center of the glass ceiling. She strode to the center of the room, between the inscriptions and the crest of Fanelia created by the magical sand and candles. There she knelt down, the Mystic Moon coming directly overhead. She lifted her face, her eyes closed, to the bright moonlight that suddenly splintered down through the glass and shimmered about her in rays of blue light. She slowly opened her eyes and began the chant that would draw the power from her and into the soul of another.
Rune watched his adopted sister from the dark corners of the room. He had never seen her perform such a strange ritual. He suddenly trembled as he remembered the fear in her eyes the night before when she had had those terrible visions. He never wanted to see that look in his sister's eyes again. He hoped whatever she was doing would stop those visions. Just because she was the priestess chosen to guard Gaea from evil outside forces with her power, didn't mean she should have to suffer in her duty.
Suddenly the priestess Zaillah began to writhe in her chants, only one word being garbled out from her thrashing body. Rune blinked in terror and then stood to rush to her aid. He would not loose his sister! He began to run toward her in desperation when she abruptly stopped her thrashing. Her head was thrown back, her brilliant violet eyes wide and blank. He took one step toward her.
"Ne-sama?"
Zaillah let out a hoarse scream as light exploded from her body filling the room with brilliant light her eyes glowing with the power erupting from her. Rune fell back and covered his eyes, trying to block out the overpowering light that spilled throughout the room.
When it finally began to dim, he opened his eyes and blinked in surprise as he saw the light suddenly blast into millions of lights, each one twirling around the other in desperation, forming a soul of light. Rune had to tear his gaze away from the light to gaze at his sister. She was sprawled on the floor, breathing harshly and on the verge of unconsciousness. He rushed to her and held in his arms. She slowly lifted her head, supported by Rune, to see the result of the spell she put most of her life and power into. The light spilled into each other, screaming with power as the soul was called forth from the black sand.
The whispers of a soul came from the black sand like a growing mist only to be blended with the light she had called forth from her soul and power.
The hoarse cry of a man in pain resounded throughout the room as the lights spilled into the soul called forth. The scream echoed throughout the room until finally a man exploded from the collision of lights his body formed once more to perfection.
He collapsed on the floor groaning until with a cry of pain from his back exploded to wings of brilliant white that marked the Draconian race. Breathing harshly he slowly stood, his dark eyes darting about as his silvery blue hair moved in his eyes. The feathers from his wings floated about the room, the final mark of enchantment as the priestess and the once dead prince of Fanelia stared into each other's eyes. Without moving her eyes from his, Zaillah sustained herself with her own arms and commanded Rune.
"Rune. Give him your cloak. He has just been reborn." Rune started at the comment but did as was commanded immediately. The man's eyes never left Zaillah's. But she saw the question in them. Soon. Soon she would answer his questions.
Finally, weak in both body and spirit, Zaillah sank back in exhaustion. Rune quickly rushed to her and held her up in his arms.
"Ne-sama? Ne-sama?!" Rune cried as his sister fell into his arms limply.
The man stared and slowly stood, wrapping the cloak more firmly around himself, and approached the two. He knelt down before them and Rune looked up at the man, his eyes glassy with tears. The man smiled kindly at the young cat-man and placed a gentle palm on his head. He then turned to the woman pale and weak in the boy's arms. He nodded and bent down to lift the priestess in his arms.
Rune was at first ready to protest, but he had seen the gentleness in the man's eyes. And why would his sister summon this man from the underworld if he was not a good man? Rune nodded and the man only gave a slight smile. Rune said nothing, only led the man to Zaillah's chambers. But even as they arrived, the priestess still had not awakened from her unconscious state. It wasn't until she was placed on her bed that her eyes slowly began to flutter open. She saw Rune and gave him a light smile, but then saw the man hovering above him. The smile faded. Her work was not finished. Gaea was still in danger.
She slowly sat up.
"Iye, ne-sama!" Rune cried. "Don't get up! You're still too weak."
Zaillah stared Rune in the eye. "Rune. Get this man clothing and quickly. He will not stay here long. Hurry. He has a quest he must complete."
Rune swallowed and slowly nodded. He stood and left, leaving the man and priestess alone. Zaillah's eyes followed Rune until he had gone and then turned to the man before her. She had only completed the first part of her mission. She must see the rest done and quickly. Before it was too late.
But, before she could speak, the man did.
"Who are you? What have you done? What is happening?"
Zaillah smiled, even as cold sweat dripped down her back and was beginning to form at her forehead. The beginnings of the fever from her spell were appearing. She shook it aside. She had to tell him his mission first.
"I am the Priestess Zaillah, Guardian of Gaea. My purpose is to protect Gaea from any evil that lurks beyond her into the vast blackness beyond the blue skies." Her violet eyes suddenly darkened with terror. "But there is something coming toward Gaea that cannot be stopped by myself alone. It is too great an evil and destroyer. It would destroy anything I would put up to stop it and eventually it would come to this world and devour it. I cannot allow that to happen!" Her eyes turned to his eyes, glistening with need and tears. "I summoned you from the underworld back into the world of the living. It is a powerful spell that only the Priestess knows and that she can use only once. If used again it would certainly kill me. The spell uses up most of my life force and my power. Eventually I will recuperate, but my powers will never be as powerful as they were before I used this spell."
The man stared into the glowing violet eyes and took a deep breath. "But why? Why have you risked so much to bring me back to life?"
Her trembling eyes steadied and transformed into hard amethyst, solid in purpose and determination. "Because only with your power can the Gaea be saved.
"There is a ruling family that holds the tremendous power of a Guymelef far beyond its class that it in itself has an unbelievable power."
The man turned his face away with realization. "Escaflowne."
The priestess stared at his profile. "Hai."
He turned back to her, his eyes aflame. "But why bring me from the world of the dead? There is Van Fanel. He is the one who pilots Escaflowne. He is the Fanel of this line that can control that power. Why summon me?"
She stared deeply into his eyes. "Because there is not only one Escaflowne."
"Nani?" was his incredulous cry.
She shook her head for silence. Her eyes gazed into his pleadingly, desperately. "There is not one, but two Escaflownes, that are in the possession of the Fanel family line. There is the one that is known. There is the powerful Escaflowne controlled and piloted by the King of Fanelia, Van Fanel. But there is another one that is unknown to all. Only the priestess and one chosen by the Fanel line know of the existence this Escaflowne. But the man who knew died without passing the secret onto anyone. Only the priestess knew the secret till now." Her skin was practically translucent, her eyes desperate and her voice hoarse as the cold sweat streamed down her face in rivulets. Her words ran evermore quickly in desperation. "It is located deep within the volcano to the north. Only you can find the Escaflowne and use it. In order to defeat the evil that comes this way, two brothers of the Fanel family must use both Escaflownes. If not, our world is doomed. Only their combined powers can save this world now."
Suddenly she gave a gasp and she clutched onto him. Her white hands strained against his cloak as he held her close to him, her eyes blazing with exhaustion and fever. He stared into her eyes and barely heard her last gasping words.
"Please…you must…it has been ten years since your death…you are the same, but everyone else has aged…you must fight…you must help…" Her eyes widened and she suddenly convulsed and fell into unconsciousness with one last gasp of, "please…"
Rune came shortly to see his sister in the throws of the exhaustion fever caused by the spell. The man was over her, gently tending to her, his eyes full of worry. He turned to Rune, his eyes in question.
"Will she be all right?"
Rune blinked and slowly nodded, giving the man the clothing and then rushing the medicine cabinet on the far wall. "It is the exhaustion fever. It usually overtakes her mildly when she uses a spell to great for her to handle or when she is weak and still uses it. I have never seen it this terrible before, but I have the medicine that will help."
Rune turned and saw the man already dressed and draping the cloak Rune had given him over Zaillah. He slowly lowered his head to the woman's face, his cheek pressed against hers and he whispered something to the unconscious priestess that somehow soothed her. Her breathing was not as ragged as before. Rune blinked in confusion. And grew even more startled when the man placed a fleeting kiss on the priestess' lips and suddenly straightened and turned.
"With your assurance I am comforted, Rune-kun. Make sure she lives to see the result of the spell she placed so much of herself in come to fruition."
And with that the man left. Rune only stared blankly at the place where he had been.
With long strides the man left the hidden temple and headed toward the volcano to the north. He had promised the priestess that he would see her wish be fulfilled. And Folken Fanel would make the best of his second chance at life.
* * *
Folken still could not believe the situation he found himself in. He was in one of the most troublesome and dangerous volcanoes in all of Gaea to find an Escaflowne that he had never known existed till this moment. He still could not believe that he was even alive. He flexed his right arm and shook his head. It was as if his body had been reconstructed. Even his arm was back to normal and he even saw the proof of his life when he had spread his wings. They were the brilliant white that reflected the life in him.
He cursed as he climbed through the walls of the volcano, the heat becoming suffocating. Before he had left the hidden temple he had taken up a sword, for he knew he would need it. If, in truth, an Escaflowne lay in the volcano dormant, then there would most assuredly be a dragon lurking somewhere within the bowls of the volcano. He just had to be prepared for it. He would not lose like he did the last time.
As he entered more deeply into the volcano, Folken lifted his head at a low sound he heard rumble within the cavern walls. He would not be taken by surprise again. He would great the beast with his sword blazing and will have its heart. Folken narrowed his eyes and moved silently amidst the burning rocks until he came to the exit of the cavern in the depths of the volcano. He looked out and his eyes widened in shock.
There, just below him, on a stone in the center of blazing, bubbling lava was a huge Guymelef…identical to Escaflowne in everything but one. This Escaflowne was a dark gray, black and red, unlike the beige and green of the other Escaflowne. This one was the darkness of the two, hidden away for millenniums, unknown and unused. Folken's eyes narrowed. This was the Escaflowne that called out to him. This was the Guymelef who would bleed with him.
He turned and looked about searching for the dragon he knew was hidden in the walls of the volcano. A great fire dragon he would face, but he would not lose. The world depended upon him. He closed his eyes and saw the glistening, feverish violet eyes of the priestess as she had clutched the cloak he had worn. Her black hair streaming behind her in a dark halo of wonder. He would fulfill his promise to her. And he will not let the suffering she put herself through be for naught. He would not lose to this monster.
He stepped out of the cavern and began the climb down to Escaflowne, his eyes watching everything. And, just as he had predicted, from the wall before him, burst the huge fire dragon that protected the ancient Escaflowne. Folken drew his sword, his eyes blazing and knew that no matter what happened he would not lose!
He attacked the beast from the side, going in from its blind spot and aiming for the eye. He sliced the eye with a downward stroke that sent the beast into a flaming rage. Folken leapt back as the beast thrashed, sending the stones crashing down upon them. He moved quickly, falling to the nearest ledge as the beast turned its one eyed gaze to its attacker. Folken only stared back, his eyes firm with determination. I will have your heart monster.
Folken narrowed his eyes and grabbed a dagger he had also taken from his boot tossing it quickly toward the other eye of the dragon. It dragon moved, the dagger harmlessly hitting one of its scales but when it turned back to the man, he was gone. Folken had jumped into the air as the dragon had been distracted and rammed the sword into the dragon's skull. The dragon screamed thrashing in desperation, but Folken would not release the blade imbedded into the dragon's skull. The dragon's trashing caused the rocks to fall about steadily, splattering into the lava below. Folken knew that the dragon would soon follow.
Still grabbing onto his blade, he reached down and jammed his hand into the dragon, pulling forth its dragon heart before it could collapse into the lava as well. The dragon stilled as Folken drew his hand out and gripped onto the dragon's heart as he stood and removed his blade from the skull of the dragon. The grip the dragon had had on the stone slipped and it slid down, the life taken from it into the lava pit of the volcano below. Folken jumped off and leapt toward the center, where the dark Escaflowne awaited him.
Luckily, he landed atop it and slowly climbed his way down to the base to stand before it. Folken took a deep breath and closed his eyes, seeing the violet-eyed priestess once again in his mind. For the world he had loved, for the family he had loved even when he had been turned into a monster, for the death he had died to be freed, he was now reborn into the world to finish what he could not have done before. He gave a wiry smile. By now, Van would be Folken's age. They were both men now, ne, little brother?
Folken opened his eyes and drew his sword over his palm, letting his blood flow onto the dragon's heart that would awaken the dark Escaflowne. He closed his eyes and said the words of the family ritual and thrust the dragon's heart drenched with blood into the heart of Escaflowne. He took out his hand and it came to life before him. He called upon its power and his blood that lay within it and it opened for him. Folken smiled and stepped into the Escaflowne that was his and his alone.
And with that he blasted off to Fanelia.