by: Cathy-chan
A tension drifted in the air as more of the townspeople became restless. At first, they were yelling out questions and worried comments. Then after a few minutes, it escalated to louder shouting and pushing. Mr. Avean did his duty by protecting Van and the others while they made their way to the interior of the castle. Outside they could see the man beside his wife carrying their ill child persuading the people of Fanelia to take matters into their own hands against The One and her Curse. It took hours until the mass became less aggressive, and started minding their own businesses. Like the dark clouds suffocating the skies above, it was as if the worries and uneasiness wrapped itself around the entire building. It seemed to loom over Hitomi the most for she didn't say a word through morning and noon.
Quietly Hitomi left during lunch to wander through the garden to think. Because of the eerie darkness, the strange black sky, and the harsh, blowing winds plaguing the planet, she was certain that no one would dare walk through a garden that afternoon; except someone who wanted to be completely alone, like herself. A part of her screamed out that it couldn't be true. She didn't believe in curses, and she certainly hadn't hurt anyone in her life before. Even so, a thought within her cried out that she could be doing worse to Gaia, rather than good. She had been warned before of consequences to strong emotions. Perhaps believing that a cold man such as Blayde would someday turn good brought the disasters to Fanelia. She was surprised to see that somehow her feet carried her to the resting place of Goau, Varie and Folken. While staring at the large monument above their graves, she suddenly thought of Folken's last hour against Donkirk. His last sacrifice for redemption that cost him his life.
"Maybe seeing how kind you and Naria were made me want to believe that Blayde can be a good person too," she whispered to his grave. "Or maybe it's just a ridiculous idea that's probably not going to happen...Is it true? Will I really bring destruction to this planet?"
As if it was an answer, the strong winds gradually died down to a soft breeze. The warm wind circled itself around the graveyard until it lifted up into the sky once again. For one brief moment, she felt hope rising from the breeze into her heart, but just like her hope for Blayde, it flew away into the harsh skies above. While her eyes gazed at the blackened sky, another vision violently pulled her into the depths of her dreams into a long ago kingdom destroyed. The sound of echoing footsteps and numerous conversations traveled by her. Slowly and cautiously, Hitomi opened her eyes. She was floating inside a large, hallway with white pillars holding the roof on one side, and a great wall on the other. Pass the pillars, a beautiful scenery of trees and birds singing could be seen outside. Below her were two winged people walking together while they argued. One of them was a woman dressed in light lavender. She had the most beautiful bluish white hair and purple eyes. The man beside her looked oddly familiar. He had the same short hairstyle and eyes as Blayde's, only his eyes weren't so cold and menacing. The man's eyes were kind and filled with wisdom beyond his liable age. He wore spectacles, and carried a book with strange writing on it.
"This will work! Soon we will all be more powerful than anything in this world!" the young man said excitedly at the woman walking beside him.
The woman's white wings ruffled softly as she raised her hand to her shaking head. "Andreus, we've been over this before. Do you really expect something good will happen if you alchemists try to play God? Can you imagine what kind of power a machine that...that can--"
"--turn emotions and thoughts into power," he finished for her.
"Yes, a machine that can turn emotions into power. Don't you think you're taking it a bit too far?" she asked him worriedly.
"No, this is a great breakthrough for our technology! Imagine what we can accomplish with it, Laria. By tomorrow, Atlantis will become more glorious than it already is! Not only can we fly, but maybe soon....we'll be able to explore what's beyond this planet into the stars!"
Laria's reaction was not as eager and cheerful as his. She stopped walking, and lowered her gaze at the ground.
Gently, Andreus placed his hands on her shoulders. "This will not only benefit the alchemists. When this works, we'll be able to cure illnesses and restore the plants and animals with a single thought....maybe even achieve immortality. A perfect Utopia! And after this, I promise we'll be together. I'm doing this for you too, Laria. I want you to be with me forever."
Andreus' smile comforted her doubts. She smiled back while they embraced.
The image of the beautiful scene before Hitomi shattered into pieces to form into a scene of screaming, fire and destruction. Once again, she saw the burning of Atlantis, but this time, she was beside Andreus kneeling, and leaning his head low on the ground. She could hear him muttering and crying while his whole body shook. Hitomi could understand his muttering when she kneeled down beside him.
"...What have I done?! Laria...! I'm so sorry!...I...was wrong...Strong emotions....they should be stopped! If only I knew how to control such an unstable element such as The Key...!" While trembling, he raised his head up to watch his loved ones and his nation turn into nothing but collapsed and burned buildings. By a strange twist of fate, he had scratches and a few broken bones, but he was still alive afterwards. To him, it seemed that he was the only one alive in the entire planet.
"How sad. Is this what happened to Blayde?" Hitomi whispered to herself. "So...this is why he's turned against the world. But I still don't understand what this have to do with what's happening now."
The destroyed kingdom and Blayde vanished before her eyes. She was inside Fanelia's castle with dead people lying on the ground. Amidst the bodies, Van was fighting against Blayde at the center. Close by, she saw herself with a look of utter terror on her face. Loud clashes of metal resonated throughout the room as their blades collided into each other. With a lot of effort Van was able to make a cut on left Bladye's arm. On his left hand, he dropped his sword from the pain. Just when Van raised his weapon aimed at his enemy, Hitomi saw herself come in between them. Unlike the noise of their swords, her voice were hard to hear and the words were indecipherable. Hitomi's words were able to coax Van into lowering his sword. But her attempt to stop the fight only proved futile. While Hitomi was blocking Van, Blade quietly picked up his heavy sword on the ground.
For a second Hitomi thought she was going to see her own death as Blayde swung his weapon diagonally at the girl in front of him. But soon she found that it wasn't her death she was beholding, it was Van's. As the memory of her first ominous vision appeared, she now realized the scene before her was connected to it. "No!! I don't want to see!" Hitomi covered her eyes with her hands. She knew the outcome of the vision, but she wanted to believe that it would not happen. Not only that, she didn't want to believe the dark thought that lingered in her mind repeatedly. Her love for Van could surpass any kind of peril or obstacle; even if they were worlds apart. Yet it was clear in the vision who was to blame for his death. She kept her eyes shut as she heard her own voice scream, and the sound of something heavy and sharp cut through, then slam hard on the ground.
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"Hitomi! Hitomi! Hey!" Yukari repeatedly shook Hitomi's shoulder. "Wake up!"
Hitomi screamed, and raised herself up quickly. Hitomi stared at her hands blankly as it shook from fright. Cold sweat dripped from her face to her pale hands. She tried desperately not to let tears fall from her eyes, but it only made her body shake more violently than before.
Yukari knelt beside her. She was still shocked from Hitomi suddenly getting up, but she was more concerned about her friend. Of all the years that Yukari had known Hitomi, she had never her in such a horrible state. After a few more minutes, Yukari guided Hitomi inside to a bedchamber.
"Here. Maybe it'll help if you lie down and calm yourself," Yukari comforted her friend as she let Hitomi sit on the bed. "You want to get some rest?"
Hitomi shook her head in response. ".......I'm to blame," she whispered.
"What?" Yukari sat beside her. "What do you mean?"
"The future...." Hitomi's voice was so small and rough that Yukari had to lean closer to hear. "....Van...."
"What's wrong, Hitomi? You can tell me. What about Van?"
"All this time I didn't want to believe that I had a Curse...I do have one, Yukari. It's because I'm such an idiot into believing that...everyone can't be truly evil."
"You actually believe that guy that you're cursed and you made all of their problems appear? No! You shouldn't listen to what they say. You're not cursed. You've done nothing wrong to them. And besides, didn't you do a lot for this planet?"
"But what if they're right? What if I will be the one that brings 'Fate's Death' like the scripture said? What does it mean? Does it mean that because of me people will die and Gaia will be destroyed?"
"No one really knows. All I'm sure of is that you must've been brought here to help." Yukari saw Hitomi's green eyes lowered on the ground; None of what she had been saying comforted her. "Look...I don't know anything about this planet, the future they predict or why they think you're cursed. But I do know that you didn't risk leaving Earth and your family, and going straight into danger for nothing."
"I saw it, Yukari. I saw that what I've believe all along is wrong."
"Saw what?"
"It's because of me that Blayde...he..." She choked on the last words from the tears flowing from her eyes. "I guess Van only wanted to protect me, but....because I didn't want him to hurt Blayde, I stopped him. Or I will stop him."
"No way! That's just a silly prediction. I know you have a knack for predicting accurate futures, but it can still be prevented, right?"
"So what should I do? Let Van kill him, and end it that way? Is that what I have to do to save Van and this world? I can't just do that. It's...it's not right! Not now when I know why he's doing this. He was a good man, but because of The Power of Atlantis his love and his homeland was destroyed. I understand now. He thinks this 'Key,' whatever it is, has the power to destroy cities, maybe even worlds!"
"What do you suppose this Key is, Hitomi?"
"I don't know. I think it has something to do with strong emotions that my Grandmother and Van's mother once told me about."
"I don't get it. If he wants to prevent a world from getting destroyed, why does he want to kill people and cities?"
"I don't think he wants to help the world. I think he just wants to destroy The Key. It's like killing doesn't mean anything to him anymore."
From then on, neither of them spoke any words. They sat together while thinking of the perilous road they must take ahead, and the grievous future that may or may not happen. Whatever outcome Hitomi could think of, it seemed impossible that no one will die in the end.
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While Mr. Avean left to converse with the guards at the main gates, Van felt the need to pace around the hallways of the castle. After hearing from Allen that Yukari found Hitomi unconscious in the garden, he felt restless and worried. His first thought was to go into the room, and make sure that she was all right, but something nagged him to stop and rethink. After the way Allen described it, it appeared that she was traumatized by a vision that came to her while she was walking outside. Van was leaning on the wall across the door when he saw Yukari quietly walk out of the room.
"How is she?" he asked Yukari.
"She's doing okay, but she's blaming herself for something really bad," Yukari replied darkly. "She's still thinking of what to do with Blayde."
"I still don't understand why he wants the Key and what he plans to do once he gets it. Whatever it is, he called it 'the link to the two worlds'." Van gripped the handle of his sword angrily.
Yukari saw Van's tenseness and temper while he glanced at his sword. "You don't know how horribly worried that girl is for you, " she said with a scolding tone. "You shouldn't run off and fight anyone dangerous...like the enemy for example."
"He's going to attack again. I'm sure of it!"
"There's other people fighting him besides you, y'know." Yukari sighed and shook her head. "Wow! You're as stubborn and thick-headed as she described you to be. Anyway, if you ask me I think we should just stay here for a while and think of something to do. Hitomi told me she'll stay in there for a while to be alone. Why don't you sit down and relax for a while, instead of pacing around the whole castle?"
Van stared at her oddly and asked, "How did you know I was pacing?"
"I've seen other boyfriends do that when they get worried about their girl," she said with a playful wink. "Hitomi's a tough gal--if she really tries. She'll be fine." Yukari gave Van a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and walked away.
Van turned his attention to the door once again, while his thoughts were buried deep into his dark hatred for the enemy. The hatred he felt so strongly for Blayde made sure he had no doubt that he would come back again to bring harm to Fanelia. He knew that he wouldn't stop at slaughtering a whole kingdom. Soon afterwards, his reign of terror would devour the entire planet. But his main concern was for Hitomi at the moment for her reluctance to accept Blayde as a foe would prove to be a grave mistake, if the enemy and his jagged swords got the chance to meet her again. He ignored Yukari's friendly advice, and began wandering through the many pathways and stairwells once more. He had no particular destination in mind; he simply felt less aggravated when his body was not dormant in one place too long. With the guards outside making sure no angry mob got through the main doors, the castle echoed with his footsteps falling on the smooth floor.
His wandering stopped at the far front of the throne room. Beyond his father's throne, a huge symbol of Fanelia was hung on the wall. Although the memory was vague, he remembered of a time when he was a young child staring at the symbol on the wall. A time when his father had just fought war against another nation to protect their kingdom. A time when he was still alive as he laughed heartily at a young prince's ever-growing curiosity.
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"My son, you've asked me the entire history of this room in less than a day," he said while Van sat on his lap. "I am guessing you're not done with the inquires yet."
"Tell me again about the symbol of Fanelia, Father!" Van pointed his little fingers eagerly at the proud engraving up above them.
Goau patted his child's head; while laughing in between he said, "Alright, alright. But your mother will be most displeased if you don't go to bed soon."
Van placed his own little hands on his father's hand that rested lovingly on his head. "I will, Father. I promise."
Goau carried his son to the center of the throne room. There, they both gazed at the metal carving. With a sense of pride in his voice he said, "That, Van, is the symbol of Fanelia made long ago by the descendants of this land. It was said that long ago humans and dragons lived in harmony. The descendants promised they would forever honour the valour and strength of the great dragons for their protection on this land by engraving the symbol. The symbol represents Fanelia's unity, with not only the dragons, but with ourselves. It also represents the strength, the courage and the pride of Fanelia itself. That's why it was made to be the shape of a dragon's head. For dragons are loyal to their own kind, and has the strength to surpass all creatures."
A brightness in Van's reddish-brown eyes shone with wonder and amazement at his father's story. "Is that why the same symbol is on your sword, Father?"
"That's right, my son," he replied with a smile. With his free hand, he held up the sword in its scabbard. Underneath its cover, the golden engraving of the symbol could be seen. "Someday, your brother will bear this sword in his hands. As part of the sacred vow after obtaining the dragenergist, a king's duty is to rule his kingdom nobly and righteously on all his days as the owner of such rank. But above all, he must govern it so that no harm will come to the borders of the land, and justice and peace will always be with his people." Goau saw Van staring back at him with attentive eyes as he paused. "Remember my words to you, Van. The people of Fanelia, and especially the king, must always put the kingdom and its people above all."
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At that moment, a loud crash came from the doors at the other end of the room. Van could hear the sound of several men yelling and a blade slashing against the door. For a brief moment, the noises stopped completely. But with a violent crash, the huge doors flew open. Standing under the frame of the doors was Blayde. Behind him, Van saw two of the samurai against the wall on the ground. Their long swords were near them, broken into two pieces. A shrilling noise was coming from his two enormous swords as he easily pointed one of them towards the young man at the center.
No indication of fear reflected from either of their eyes. A burning hatred rose up from Van as he stood staring back at the man's cold eyes. With their swords placed firmly in their hands, a battle was confirmed without words. A wordless agreement that one of them must be defeated and killed by the hands of the fate sealed upon them.
