Chapter 4
Van stared out the window. The moons were so bright tonight, almost to the point that the stars could barely be noticed because of their glow. The Phantom Moon looked specially splendid, it's magnificent blues and greens making it look like a precious jewel, hanging high in the sky.
He was well aware of Merle's staring. It hurt to know how much she loved him, and it hurt even more to know that he couldn't lover back the way she wanted.
He returned to his moon-gazing. If only he could see her again... 3 years without her, what a hell of a time he had had.
The chain around his neck became suddenly unbearably heavy. He pulled it out and gazed at the pendant, Hitomi's magenta-colored good-luck stone. For the millionth time he wondered what was it about the tiny stone that made it so powerful. Dryden had run all kind of experiments on the darn thing, and he hadn't been able to get any info on it. Not that he cared about it. All that mattered to him was that it had belonged to HER. SHE had given it to HIM.
For the goddamned thousand time he coursed his big mouth and his cowardice. Why hadn't he mustered the courage to tell her? Would it have even mattered?
He had loved her with all his heart, but... It hadn't been enough. Not that she ever knew about it, but he could have never forced himself to ask her to stay. It just wouldn't have been fair for her. He could hold emotions, he could conquer them, couldn't he?
Dryden stared at the book before him. So that was it. He felt numb all over. Fate had been sealed long ago, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
The judgment day was coming towards them on giant's legs, and no one was ready for it. How wrong they had been, never believing the old prophecies.
If only he had paid attention! Goddamit! It couldn't end like this, it simply couldn't. He'd find a way to stop this, even if he had to die to do so.
All that suffering, all that pain his world had gone through, for this? To end up with their whole world destroyed because of a stupid atlantean concept? No way in hell!!!!
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he did both. Cry for his people, for his world on the verge of destruction and laugh because even being this close, no one would ever notice. They all believed that it was over, and there was nothing farther than the truth than that.
Time to get everyone assembled, time to tell all of them the horrible truth. They would plan, they would fight end they would die. All of it with honor and courage, for the sake of their people, of their world. And in the end, of this he was certain, they would fail.
May the Gods be merciful on them.
For an instant, he felt a certain hope. Perhaps... If they could find the warriors of Gaea... The chosen ones, the defenders that the prophecy spoke of... Then... Perhaps they still had a chance after all.