Note: This is a partial songfic by a special guest heavy metal group, Gamma Ray with their song "Send me a Sign." This represents both Val's silent prayers to be with Hiero and find him, and finally see what he hasn't for so long that Hiero told him long ago. The second part it represents its Sora's powers to find the angels and the divine intervention, or annoyances, whatever you want to call it, she wishes to cause by it.

Chapter 10

Strength*

Brave Dragon Knight

~ Mountain Path to Freid ~**

Val started running by the river in the deep mountain path. He was sick to death of walking long ago, and he'd been walking for half a day. It had been a few days since he ran from Asturia, more out of resentment than fear. Right now, he wanted nothing to do with his father, not after what happened. He rubbed at his head, only his being there for him to touch.

'Stupid horn, you better stay in there. I know its not like you or I did that on purpose. Father locked me up for no damned reason….just this horn, I couldn't help it, not after all this time. Stupid circlet too…why did it have to break?' he thought, looking back in disdain when he heard a feminine yelp.

Myrna had tripped, again, over some loose stones and fallen flat on her face. He sighed, stopping his running to go back to her and help her up. The poor thing had tears in her eyes, looking up at him with a pained looked. It wasn't just the bruises and he knew it.

'She misses her mother….and Hiero. Where are you Hiero? Where were you sent?' he wondered, thinking upon what happened only days earlier, the day the light took him into the sky and threw him, Merle, Myrna, and his parents into the courtyard room of Asturia.

- Flashback -

In the city of Palas of Asturia, nightfall was just starting to creep away, but no one was stirring except the merchants in the market. Within the palace walls, all is dead quiet, save for the exceptionally loud snoring of King Aston.

Then the screams came along the wind as a pillar of light ripped through the amber sky, leading down to the lush and sea air riddled garden courtyard of the palace. The light faded away quickly as it dropped five people from its top to the ground.

As minutes passed, the figures spat out by the light started to stir, one in particular with shoulder length aquamarine hair letting his golden eyes flutter open slowly. At first, all he could notice was that he was laying on a very cold and hard ground facedown, probably cobblestone, and that his legs were in the air. He could feel one leaning against his rear, the tip of his boot anyway.

His vision was real fuzzy, but he could see the color white, he was very sure of that, with a slight hint of amber-yellow. He made an audible grumble of pain in his throat. He was still trying to remember what happened. After a moment, it flooded back to him. 'Hiero….the coronation ball was so beautiful, he was dancing with that pretty girl. Then….that Zaibach floating castle came….and that woman sang and everyone melted. Then the light came when Hiero, when Hiero screamed. Oh….Hiero….' he mind wept, the horrible images from Fanelia murdering him from inside.

Val had managed to sock a handful of people as the strange woman was singing them to their puddly deaths, his parents included. He gathered his father was going to be pretty pissed at Hiero for hitting him so hard. He felt awful about hitting Myrna. He really liked her, but he'd rather like her alive than dead, so his chivalry had to take a dive for once.

His vision was getting better, the whiteness staring to separate from the amber, tannish color. The feeling was returning to his face too, and he felt softness, not stone or flesh, but fur. As the sight before him finally took full shape, he bit the side of his mouth hard enough to draw blood, a slight throbbing erupting on his head.

He was lying between Myrna's legs, he could tell because he was often looking at them from a distance at the coronation, as well as when Hiero made her jump on his head. Still, he hadn't looked up for long that time. He was already terribly excited to see his long time friend of five millennia after nine long years. Now he was getting terribly excited about where he was, and very nervous.

He felt his hair part and the skin beneath it part with it slightly, painless since he was so used to the unconscious action. His horn growing out of his head was a reflex when his hormones got agitated, but his circlet protected the secret of it being a real horn.

Val heard a slight ripping and blush, feeling a nosebleed flush out as his golden eyes lifted and saw his horn has torn a hole through Myrna's dress. 'Least the view is nice….can't complain. He legs really are long….long? I'm getting worse than Hiero. He was the one who always used that invisibility spell on us so we could peep at the ladies in the bathhouse. Still, those were the days, carefree little perverts we were. Myrna's not going to be very happy if she wakes up and sees me like this. She'll scratch my eyes out before I can tell her how I already feel about her. Get your body up, Val, not your other head. This is not the time to want….loving. This is not the time, Fanelia was destroyed. It's a time for fighting….fighting, Gods, her legs are so velvety. Damn it, shut up and get up.' His mind screamed and he ripping his body off the ground.

To his dismay, a ragged strip of Myrna's dress went with him, dangling across his face. He frowned and tugged at it, betting he looked pretty ridiculous having a fight with a lone piece of fabric. His horn was annoying like that, everything was always getting caught on it, vines, hair, sleeves, bed sheets when he had interesting dreams, and he had explodes several pillows over the years in having very, very interesting dreams. Explaining those off was funny sounding to only to him, since only he really knew what happened. He told his parents he would jab them for practice sometimes and go too far, or would have fits about things that happened during the day, or that he caught rats in his room. The excuses worked, so long as he switched between each excuse every month or so.

Now he was treating it like a common piece of hay or strong caught in his hair, not caring if anyone saw him. He looked down at Myrna once he freed the fabric from his horn, and was about to smile when he saw her haunted expression. She looked a bit nervous, staring at him with wide and curious eyes. He lifted his hand to head, to rub his suddenly throbbing head, and felt something was missing. Val lacked the time to contemplate it when he heard his father's voice yell at him, before he felt the hilt of a sword ram against his temple. "Monster!"

Val's world went through corkscrews of colors as the pain set in, fully realizing, painfully, why the word was said. His circlet was gone.

~ Palas Castle Dungeon ~

Val sat in the dungeon, placidly watching a group of ants eating a living and wingless dragonfly mercilessly. It matched his mood. He felt as if he was being eaten away from the inside. He'd woken up on the floor with his hands tied behind his back, an easy feat to get out of, and even easier to make it appear he was still restrained. He'd been tied up more times than he could count the moment he met Hiero, either part of a game or enemies, or sincerely sick men and women that were trying to torture them. It was practically an art form both young men had perfected, when it seemed like neither of them would get anything out of staying tied up.

Right now, Val had nothing to lose or gain except freedom. He'd heard his father screaming a few floors above at his mother, accusing her of having an affair. 'Of all people….Allen Schezar accusing someone else of infidelity. I never thought I'd ever see the day. How dare he hurt my mother's feeling! HOW DARE THAT PLAYBOY MAKE HER CRY!!' his mind screamed.

"How dare he….and I'm the monster over my horn. I like my horn the same anyone would like their hand, its just there. He's too quick to hate people, and real quick to knock girls up and deny it. Jerk, Hiero was right, Allen Schezar is garbage. If he thinks for a moment his 'good' name is in danger, he makes sure to hide it." He hissed out, his eyes narrowing tightly as one pocket of eyes on the dragonfly collapsed.

Another reason he felt like that poor creature was the fact that he was a dragon himself, and he could summon that part of his since he was reborn. It was more frustrating than a horn that popped up at ill opportune times. He longed to stretch his wings, from those like Hiero's to the shimmering leather scaled ones of ancient dragons, how he missed the freedom of flight. He missed the power he could bring from his throat, with teeth and claws, not the human body he was trapped in. His dragon form would come in handy getting him out of here, at the cost of the castle and a few lives.

'Well….still would be at a loss. Mother, Merle, and Myrna are in the palace too. To hell with my idiot father, all he's ever done is be a hyper overprotective chauvinist jerk. But the others….and grandfather, as weak as he is, he deserves to live….and mother would be angry if I took father's life. I won't make her cry. I won't….but how the hell to get out of here before they try and rip my horn off.' He thought, sighing a bit.

He finally decided to get off the bench in his cell to stomp the struggling thing, relieving its suffering. At least one of them would be free, for now.

"He is our son, nothing more or less, Allen! You can't toss him away because of something you thought you saw! You take those blasphemous words back!" he heard his mother scream, nearly loud enough to make his ears twitch.

"I know what I saw. His circlet was missing and that horn he called a special stone was still there. I believe my own eyes! He can't be my son with a horn, no one is born with a horn, no creature of Gaia. Just tell me who the father is!" Allen shouted back.

Val sneered, and in one fluid movement and rammed his fist through the bench, shattering a hole through it. 'The second he sees something different, anything he felt for it before he saw the difference means nothing. It was easier to ignore it when Aunt Celena was still alive, she never let him bother her. She was always so strong, Gods, I miss her….I miss Hiero too, my poor friend. Where the hell are you?' he thought, collapsing to his knees as the screaming argument went on.

Finally he lay down upon the broken bench again and forced himself to sleep, anything to blot out the noise, the blind hatred his father was displaying.

~

Val dreamt of pleasant things, of his past mother Filia Ul Copt. They had gotten off on the wrong foot when they first met, but she cared enough to understand why he was trying to kill the world, because her race of golden dragons wiped out his race, the ancient dragons, all but him, when he was just a child. He'd never had friends then, or when he became Valgaav, never any real friends. Then came Hiero, the sadistic yet playful immortal who was also reborn, but from a life that had brought the young sorcerer nothing but eternal pain and loneliness. Val didn't take long to accept him, before he found out all of Hiero's dark secrets, what he had been and would always be for all times for foolish ambition.

Val loved his friend dearly regardless, and it felt appropriate he was dreaming about him. Hiero looked as he did on Val's world, hair like wild blue flames and that extra long bang that covered his right eye, those brilliant sapphire blue Mazuko eyes that could stab into ones soul with even a casual glance. Hiero was staring at him with an affectionate smile, twirling the dark blade Dynast Grausherra had given him when he forced Hiero to become his loyal priest. As much as Hiero loathed all religion, he was an excellent priest to the Dynast, very loyal and even friendly with the seemingly heartless Mazuko Lord.

Val recalled this day, Hiero was telling him about the latest love of his life, a very beautiful priestess he'd seduced, to protect her from becoming a naïve and brainless follower, a victim in his eyes. He'd know her for years, making sure she was all right because she'd been nice to him. He had fallen in love with her and was willing to kidnap her if he had to and marry her to prevent her angelic beauty and heart be destroyed by a corrupt priesthood.

Out of the dark,
He came without a warning.
The guarding light,
I didn't see
.…

"I'm going to steal in there tonight and get her out. She's very afraid of them….she said she wouldn't be able to get out on her own, so I promised I'd help. She loves me, she said so. Its nice to hear….after all this time." Hiero said cheerfully, his velvety voice accenting every syllable perfectly.

Val shook his head at Hiero with a tolerant smile, one a parent gives a playful child. He adjusted his cape a bit, then itched at the hair by his horn. "Yeah, you waited long enough after your first and only true love wife Leila Velkane. It's been over 500 years since she died. Why now? Not that I'm not happy you're finally in love again, but why did you wait so long?" Val asked casually.

Hiero made a mock look of hurt appear on his face, and crossed his arms over his chest, his dark cape blow suddenly in the wind. The long bang over his right eye did the same, making Hiero look even more handsome than normal, and even a bit dramatic.

"Love is sacred to me, I'd do anything to have it, even wait for the right girl. Leila….she wasn't perfect but, I loved her. We had very beautiful children, but….she left me too soon. Why the birth of my last child had to spell her end is beyond me, but she gave me three beautiful daughters….daughters I had for love,' Hiero replied lightly, his voice wistful," She was the first woman I ever got to create something with for love, real love. You can't just get back on the saddle of that lovely steed after a couple years. I needed a lot of time…I had my girls to consider. They would have been enraged if I remarried. I wanted to wait for their sake as well as mine. Love should be sought out patiently, Val-chan. Call me picky, but love, the perfect love, takes time to find and what I have plenty of is time."

On a storytellers night,
He spoke his words of wisdom
The tales he told from far beyond
That no one understood
….

Val smirked at him, then reached over and rumpled the darkly clad youth's hair, making it stick up funny. Hiero scowled and fixed it quickly, pulling on Val's horn. "Ah, you're still traumatized from losing love in the past you were afraid it was happening again. Don't lie to me Hiero, I hate it when you do that. You can trust me, for the Gods sakes." Val sighed, then started to play fight with Hiero.

Hiero stopped his movements then, staring at Val blankly a moment, then got up quickly and put his back to him. "You promised you'd stop mentioning my past." He said quietly.

Val got up, frowning deeply. "And you promised no more lying to me, so we're even. It's been nearly 500 years since we all found out. Please Hiero, if you care anything for me like you say you do, trust me. I'm not going to hurt you like Delphine did. He was bitter about the whole you trying to kill him thing. He had no right to torment you and use you like he did."

Hiero nodded slightly, but kept his back to him, sheathing his dark sword hidden by his cape. "I know…it's just hard to adjusted. I was alive a lot longer than this place was. I'm older than most planets, you know, its hard to change your attitude after being driven crazy all because I was an stupid little brat as a child. It was my fault for what Delphine did to me, it always will be. Just let me live as I see fit, Val. I do care for you, and I promise to make an effort to change for the better, but if you care for me, let me do it my way." Hiero replied, tilted his head around slightly, his face the pure picture of sadness. A hint of tears shone in his sapphire eye, but it was being held back. Hiero was good at killing his emotions fast, happy one minute, insane the next, then perfectly placid and calm after that. His eyes weren't even helpful in showing off his emotions, unless Hiero let his guard down. Those eyes could see forever, piercing the darkest and hardest of heart, breaking them with the fearsome power Hiero's endless eyes held. Val felt sorry for Hiero, despite how easily Hiero could hide his feelings, his pupils were always blank, hiding his pain behind it. He wished Hiero would stop all this hiding.

He had the gift of prophecy.
He wove a web of mystery.
A thousand lives shone gracious in his eyes
….

Val just nodded and patted Hiero on the shoulder, smiling. Hiero smiled back, then it drained off his face, replaced by pain. Val knew what it was for, the Dynast was calling his friend. Val hated all Mazuko, even the one Hiero worked for, but Hiero had sacrificed his freedom to the Dynast to protect his parents, Val and Filia from his cold wrath.

All Hiero ever said about his 'jobs' for the Dynast were that he got the guy brides of his choice, helped him with some small decisions and killed some people that got in the Dynast's way, nothing short of trickery all the way. Sometimes Hiero would disappear from everyone's lives for a year or so, coming back casually into to their lives with a face without emotion. The Dynast delighted in using Hiero natural ability to foretell the future in his dreams to the fullest as well, one thing Hiero was good as gold at changing. His visions were always bad, so he always tried to prevent and learn from them.

He never talked about those times in great detail, only say the Dynast wanted Hiero by his side for some pressing engagements, and he only trusted Hiero enough to attend them. Val had to guess the Dynast twisted sisters Deep Sea Dolphin and Xellas Metallium and her latest flunky Jirushin, her replacement for Xellos. The green-haired lunatic was the cause of much destruction, resorting not only to Xellos brand trickery and secrets, but also mass murder.

Hiero had gone again him occasionally, taking piece of him to the Dynast or to his mother to show them he hurt the psycho brat. Still, Val always found it strange that despite how much everyone hated Jirushin, Hiero always came back smiling after a battle with him. It was probably a Mazuko Lord subordinate thing, their battles were more like games. Neither of them tried hard enough to kill each other, only the Mazuko Lords did, save for the Dynast. He wanted no harm to come to Hiero, since Hiero had quickly become his favorite.

Hiero walked away from Val, sighing gently. "Time to hit the grind, Val-chan. Let my parents know where I am. This feels….important." Hiero said gently, then thrust his arms out," TELEPORT, NORTHERN FOOTHOLDS!"

In a flash of purple, Hiero was gone, then so was the forest they had been speaking in. Val's dream shifted off with him, putting him in another memory, one that was Hiero at his worst, the day the Dynast and their parents lost their lives. Hiero had only been able to save Val against Xellas. He'd killed Deep Sea Dolphin for attacking and fatally wounding the Dynast, fried her with the Blast Bomb spell ten times over until nothing was left but a stain on the ground.

By the time Hiero had killed Jirushin in revenge for what Xellas had done to his parents with the green haired brat, he was bruised, battered, covered with Mazuko, human, dragon, and chimera blood, none of his own as his wounds were already healing. Hiero had gotten Val away to the Northern Footholds as sanctuary, to heal Val's own terrible wounds from Jirushin's attack. Hiero had healed him and got him food and water so he would be strong again.

He was now watching himself on the day he woke up long after all those dear to them and those they hated were dead walk around in the robes Hiero had dressed him in. Val's clothes had been utterly ruined in his battle with Jirushin, so he was forced to make due with some of the Dynast's old things. He watched himself walk through the warm, yet ice decked halls, his hair out of his headband and swiveling freely over his slim shoulders and back, hugging his robes on tightly. He recalled being scared at this moment, scared that Hiero was gone.

Then he found Hiero, the immortal youth leaned almost drunkenly and stripped down to the waist against the Dynast's throne. He was enveloped in shadow, and was holding some large shapes to his body. Hiero also had some items near him, a few feet away from him at the bottom of the icy steps. The item in the center was a horned helmet, the one the Dynast always wore in battle, the next was a cape clasp, red in color, along with his wedding band. It was Zelgadis', along with a few pebbles, wiry hairs and dream tears Zelgadis shed from time to time. The final ones were a broken shoulder pad, a diamond ring and wedding band, and a lock of red hair, all stained with blood.

As the dream Val got closer to the throne, the present Val felt really sick, he wanted to look away, to ignore it all, but he couldn't get the courage to look away as he was drawn closer.

Hiero was still there, his face littered terribly with tears, his eyes bloodshot and his skin red with anguish. Val heard his dream form choke back a gasp at the sight of a very distraught Hiero, holding his dead parents' bodies against his own shaking form. He was rocking back and forth like a traumatized child, his teeth grin and tears flowing wildly from his sobbing and wide-eyed face. He was sobbing loudly, mumbling incoherently for the longest time until he at last realized Val was in the room.

"Why do I keep losing people?" Hiero sobbed, holding the corpses tighter, ignoring the cracking noises from the stiff forms.

Val couldn't answer, he still couldn't. He just took a few small steps towards his ailing friend, then stopped again when Hiero's face flashed with rage. "WHY!??!?!! WHY THE HELL DO I KEEP LOSING PEOPLE!?" he screamed, losing hold of the bodies and falling forward, rich and loud sobs filling the room as his hair pooled across the floor like true liquid sapphire.

Val went to him them, tears of his own breaking across his face as he rushed to his friend and knelt by his side. He forced him up to lean against him and held as a mother would a hurt child, crying with his friend. He'd lost his mother too, as well as Jiras and Gravos to those Mazuko bastards, he hurt too. He'd lost his entire race, a master of his own, and now all he'd ever loved, but he still had Hiero. He was happy for that then, but the moment was terrible for them both, they were alone again, the last of their kind.

The present Val finally turned away, only to see something different in his mind. He saw Hiero, as he was in this world of Gaia, as he had looked at the coronation. He was walking through the snow with a bunch of young men and Miss Alessa. Val looked around and found he was knee deep in snow, a storm whirling about the place. Hiero was keeping Miss Alessa and another person, with silver hair, shielded from the storm by taking the brunt of it, coughing all the way.

Hiero had a weird lavender vest on, unlike all the other men. Six of the young men were wearing dark blue armor and dark black leather pants. Their boots were the same color as their armor. One caught his eye because of his hair, silvery blonde just like his Aunt Celena had, but this guy had short hair. He could only see them from the side, and the guy made him miss his aunt even more. The guy had the same stormy blue eyes that she did.

One had a pageboy haircut, blonde, and another had long black hair, two were brunettes, one short-haired and the other shoulder length. The one nearly as short as the blonde boy had pale mint colored hair. The brunettes were near the silvery blonde haired one while the mint haired and black haired ones were near the blonde. The silvery haired young man wore red armor, and he was swearing. Alessa was huddled closely to Hiero, who was saying something. Val listened and heard a few words. "Must….go….Keep going…..not far….temple….light." was all he could make out.

"Migel….angel?" the silvery haired one spat. Hiero nodded and then pointed straight ahead. "Yes….over…..mountains. Then….go….Freid." Hiero replied loudly.

"Why….? What's …..damn ….out Freid?" the silvery-haired one asked.

"You'll….ust….for now. Angel…..Death….akes….then….e….to Freid." Hiero replied, and suddenly the snow swallowed them up, and Val's world was white and collapsing. "HIERO!!!! COME BACK, DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND NOW! I NEED YOU! HIERO!!" Val screamed as the ground left his feet and he spiraled through the brilliant white abyss.

Send me a sign!
For too long you kept me waiting,
Send me a sign,
From the eternal skies,
Send me a sign!
Send me a sign!

"VALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! WAKE UP! GODS, WAKE UP!!" a voice screamed, and he was sure it was someone he knew.

~

"C'mon, dammit it! Wake up, Sir Val….come on, wake up. We don't have much time." a frightened and pretty voice yelped.

Val opened his eyes gently, meeting with pretty pink ones and involuntarily looked down. He was looking at Myrna, he recognized the eyes and now the bust. His head itched again, forcing him to shove Myrna away as his horn popped out again. Myrna yelped as she hit the ground. He got up after that, staring at her with a blushing face. She looked angry, not scared, which was a start. 'Damned hormones….ah well….wait, how'd she get in my cell?' he wondered, and looked towards the cell door. It was opened and beside it was a guy with a frying pan stuck to his head. The guard of his new room he had to guess. He wasn't bleeding, so at least no one would blame either of them for murder.

He went to help Myrna up, but she did it on her own. She was wearing a new dress, rather one that wasn't ripped. She also had a duffel back on her bag stuffed to the brim. He could see one of his shirt sleeves sticking out. "I came down here to rescue you, you jerk. Let's go before you wake up the whole stupid castle, Sir Val." She spat, grabbing his hand and tugging. He was a lot stronger than her, so he didn't move and inch by her urging. After a few moments, considering his options, he moved and followed Myrna out of the castle into the sunless morning.

'Like I have any choice, follow the cat girl love of my life out alone to find what the gods are only aware of. Maybe they'd find Hiero and those people he was with, or stay in his cell and possibly have mother hurt even more and be reprimanded and disowned by that jackass father of mine.' He thought, and ran on behind Myrna, a twinge of pain flashing across his body

- Present -

~ Mountain Path to Freid ~

Val helped Myrna along in the moonlit mountain path, asking several times to hold her bag, but she refused and said she was strong girl. She wanted to get Freid without relying on him too much, to prove to her beloved Safaia-Kimi that she was stronger than the "Mystic Moon whore." Val didn't like hearing her speak ill of the nice young lady that had calmed Hiero down, same as he hated it when any of Hiero's loves were insulted by jealous females or rotten men.

All he'd had to say was that Hiero was in Freid and she was more than willing to follow Val there, but it also made her a bit bothersome wondering what she was going to do to upstage Alessa. Val loved Myrna deeply, not in a sisterly way as Hiero did. He really loved her, enough to dream about kissing her and asking for her hand in marriage. Still, he lacked the courage to do it because it was fairly obvious that she had a huge crush on Hiero.

As they trudged on, Val felt a bit strange, but shrugged it off as some silly feeling. He just missed his mother and Hiero a lot. Mostly he missed Hiero, the man he owed his very life to so many times. Hiero had always been there for him, when he was scared as a child or hurt, when he was hurting from a wife's or a child's death, when he was alone, when he was happy, angry, everything. Hiero was always there for him whenever Val needed him the most, for help mostly, but otherwise Hiero was always there. It was like having a devilish guardian angel watching over him. Val didn't feel weak in the past, he only felt weak about after his mother Filia had been slain.

Hiero gave his life time and time again to save Val's, starved himself to death so Val could eat and drink, all so Val could live and not be pained, Hiero suffered bravely for him, surprisingly without his usual complaints. Val wanted so much to repay Hiero for that, and never got the chance, Even here, he was denied such, his new father saw to that for him, never to see Hiero again.

It wasn't just Aunt Celena's death, it was the fact Hiero was a prophet as well, just like mother, and a Draconian like his father. His father, for all his chivalry and loyalty to the crowns of Gaia, he was a big asshole of a bigot. Allen never bothered to give Hiero a chance, no matter how he or Val had pled. It was all Allen's fault Aunt Celena was dead because he wouldn't listen to Hiero. It was all his fault that Val and Hiero were denied their friendship and lives together for nine long years.

'Or is it.' He thought, toiling hard and long of his current thoughts of blame, then it dawned on him most painfully, making him stop dead in his tracks.

He disappeared
In the early haze of morning
And with him left his prophecies
They didn't care
.…

"No….It was my fault more than father's. I was afraid to leave, that's why….that's why I haven't repaid Hiero-kun back. I was afraid of him having to save me again, to lose the chance of helping him. I'm a coward." He grunted banefully, not even bothering to meet the odd look Myrna was giving him.

"Well said, pretty angel. At last you see your flaw….you are ready for the test of courage, Val Ondrea Schezar." A honeyed voice tittered out, almost whimsical sounding.

Val looked around, as did Myrna, her pretty pink eyes wide with fright. "Sir Val, who was that?"

Val shook his head. "Go hide….it might be dangerous. I won't be responsible for you getting hurt, Myrna. Please." He commanded, darting his wild golden eyes around madly for the voice's owner.

He heard something make a thumping noise, and looked towards it. He found it was Myrna's pack, but no Myrna. He looked to where she'd been standing in fright, but his jaw fell when he found she was still there, staring at him crossly. She looked really pissed off.

"Don't use your chivalry as an excuse to push me around. Lord Hiero wouldn't like me telling him that, SIR Val." She hissed.

He shrugged then and looked away, stunning her. "Fine, don't cry to either of us if whatever's out there has a taste for cat people." He sniffed.

"I just might, but this is between us, 10th Angel of Courage. Are you prepared for the test of mother Gaia and to face me, the guardian of your lost birthright?" the voice let out again, this time above him. He grabbed Myrna quickly about the waist as jumped back, his eyes bestowing upon a ball of fire ramming into the ground. The crater had barely begun to smolder as his feet touched the ground again.

Val tossed Myrna far from his body as he looked up, and felt that prickly again on his head. He tried ignoring his horn, but the large floating lizard woman above him seemed to be a little angered by it. He couldn't help it, even though her body was nothing but black scales and her hair nothing but a long sea of sparkling platinum, she was gorgeous and not wearing anything.

Though, it wasn't just that, it was the fact she looked to be terribly smooth around the bend. She had no sex parts, she looked more like she was a neutered statue, a living one. She was smooth with scales in every respect, but her eyes were not. Her lashes looked like small metal daggers, almost like Zelgadis' hair had been, but rattier. Her eyes were endless white, slanted hatefully. She was about the size of Escaflowne, and twice as foreboding. He pulled out his sword quickly, narrowing his eyes at her. She wasn't here to play nice, she was here to kill.

"I'm ready for anything, you witch. You just leave Myrna out of this test of yours….she's got nothing to do with this." He yelled angrily, backing up a bit when she smiled maliciously at him.

"Excellent, you advice for this is not to think of thyself. Now….you can die!" she yelled, and shot over him, right towards Myrna. "NOOOOOOO!!" Val yelled and slashed at the lizard woman's legs, lopping off a foot and charged for Myrna. The lizard woman wasn't stopped, despite the fact her black blood was pouring out rapidly. He rammed into Myrna's stomach face first, knocking her out of the creature's claws in time, but his back took the slashes instead.

He growled in pain, but picked himself off the ground to get to Myrna. The lizard woman was after already, so he guessed this was his test, protecting Myrna regardless. He slashed his sword at the chest of the diving lizard woman, shoving Myrna to the ground, wishing he wasn't alone on this.

Hiero had always said Val thought too much and wasted lots of fighting time with it, and didn't just take things as presented like him. Then again, a lot of towns wound up getting Dragon Slaved by Hiero and Lina Inverse when they thought on their toes. Hiero was always changing his mind about his philosophy, but one thing never changed, he was utterly self-less and would always try and deny it later.

Val held the lizard woman back as she shot her good clawed foot at him, and he felt fully sick when he saw the hurt one was regenerating. Hiero had lost body parts on occasion, one time it being his head. Watching his head reform was utterly disgusting, and he'd had problem eating anything with tomatoes or red sauces on them. Even vegetable soup gave him the creeps for a long time. His arms, hands, feet and legs were different, since they only held bones, blood and muscle, not brains, eye meat, eyes sockets, puss and cartilage, and some other meaty crap he dared not ask about.

'So chopping her apart won't work. How do I defeat her? Wait, her advice, about not thinking about myself….but what does that mean?' he wondered, shoving the freakish woman away hard and leaping over her body to plant a hard kick into her spine.

When he landed, he saw the woman sneer at him, then her eyes slit tight and shot at Myrna, who was still cowering. 'I don't care….I won't let her be hurt. There is no shame in being afraid….Oh….' he thought, and he started to remember Hiero again.

He thought about it as he ran for Myrna again scooped her up as the lizard woman roared and shot up into the air. She dove down with a barrage of fireballs before her aimed at the both of them. He ran on, taking a fireball to the arm. It burned, but it had just grazed him, only burning part of his sleeve. He shucked off his jacket as he shoved Myrna away from him again, running a ways behind her.

He had to remember that memory, it felt important. He and Hiero always spoke about things, but this time it felt very important. Hiero always was there to answer a question having to do with life, to make up for what he had to keep from Val for his own safety. He could never forget how many times Hiero had gotten him and others out of jams with his ancient wisdom and insanity.

All the years that passed away
He's locked inside my head.
His tales became reality,
The prophecies he said
….

He heard Myrna scream loudly, then saw the explosion erupt in front of them then blew Myrna right into him. Val steadied himself quickly, holding Myrna closely and keeping the sneering lizard woman in his sights. "You leave her be, you ugly witch! She's done nothing to you. Why are you trying to hurt her?" he yelled, holding his blade out before him.

The lizard woman laughed. "Because….I can, and you can't do anything about it because you are a damned coward. I delight in praying on the weak, children, men, and women, young and old. I am what all people fear, and lack the bravery to face. I am a reflection of fear….I am your fear of opening your heart and taking chances, something you don't have the guts to do. I'll prove it by spilling hers! RAHHHH!!" she laughed and charged again. He whirled about swiftly sliced off her reaching claws and kicked her away.

"You can't say that….not everyone can save everyone, but I will protect her with my life. She is all that matters to me right now. I won't let anyone be hurt!" he yelled, then gasped, the memory coming to him as the creature's claws slowly regenerated.

- Flashback-

Hiero was standing guard that night long ago, they were nearly to the Crystal Gate he'd found for their escape. Val had broken his leg earlier and was resting by the fire Hiero had created after healing him up. Val was grateful, but had been too weak to say so. His leg was healed and no longer broken or in pain, but he was exhausted. He was panting by the fire, laid out and wrapped up in Hiero's tattered cloak. He was gaining strength, and was able to sit up, graining in frustration at failing Hiero. He had tried to take on a Mazuko that had attacked them, to pay Hiero back, as he had been trying ever since Hiero saved him from Jirushin.

Hiero looked back at him, his sapphire eyes unreadable, but the tears streaming down his pale cheeks. "Why did you have to be so brave? That was a high level Mazuko, Val-chan!" Hiero managed, his voice full of pain.

Val just winced, shaking his head in despair. "I just wanted to be of help, not a burden. All I will ever be is a burden to you, I'm always getting hurt and you take the pain for me whenever you can. I feel so useless to you. I wanted to show you I could help." Val sighed, controlling his sadness barely.

"Not everyone can save everyone, not even me. I couldn't save Leila, I couldn't save your mother or my parents, in this world and my true one. I lost more people to my 'gifts' than you can imagine. Going foolishly just to prove yourself against impossible odds is stupid, even I wouldn't do it unless it was a better reason than proving myself. Val-chan, you scared me nearly to death, I'd die forever if I lost you." Hiero wept angrily, slamming his hand against the cavern wall.

Val looked at him, his eyes confused. "Hiero….you're my best friend, but all you ever do is defend me. I feel so utterly worthless, I can't even help you like I used to because I'm….mortal, so soft, and weak. I just wanted to be brave for you, for all you've ever done for me. You're all I have, I can't help feeling the way I do. I feel like a heel. You'd be better off if you'd let me die." Val spat.

He was the chosen one to see
His words will burn eternally
It hurts, that no one understands!

Hiero audibly growled and ran up to strike Val hard across the face. "Don't you ever say that to me, ever! You're too important, Val! I won't let anyone be hurt over me, no one! I lost my whole world! I lost my parents! I even lost the Dynast! I will not, I refuse to lose you ever! You're all that matters right now! I don't matter anything! Don't you fucking dare die on me or else! Just don't you dare be a coward and give up on me. I'll never forgive you!" Hiero yelled, his blue eyes dancing wildly with rage.

"Hiero…." Val gasped, touching his reddening cheek, his eyes quivering from the pained words. Hiero collapsed against him and held Val close. "You're my brother, blood or not, you're all I have. You're all that's keeping me from L-sama….you're my courage. Don't waste yours on self-pity. Stop thinking about yourself and think about our friendship, please. Don't hurt me like this, I can't take any more people I care about dying. Just don't you die on me….or they all die in vain, don't you dare….give into fear. Never Val, never." Hiero wept, shaking violently against Val, who could no longer contain his anguish and wept with him promising to be strong for Hiero.

- Present -

"That's it….Myrna does have something to do with this." He whispered, straightening as the lizard beast stood up. Myrna looked back at him strangely, but he quickly shook his head and pushed her behind himself. "Stay behind me, close behind me. I won't let that bitch hurt anyone, especially not you, Myrna-chan." Val told her, looking dead into her startled pink eyes.

"Wh…what are you talking about, Sir Val." She asked, shaking against him as he turned about, taking her suddenly in his embrace.

"Myrna, I don't care if I don't survive, I'll know I protected you with all my heart and soul. I'll be brave for you, like I should have been a long time ago, when my father separated me from Hiero and you for stupid reasons. I should have fought him, regardless of the consequences. I hope you can forgive me for taking so long to realize this….and to say this. I love you, Myrna, I've always loved you and will love you forever. I will die for you." he whispered, and kissed her deeply. He felt her lips soften against his after her initial surprise.

It lasted a few moments, then he slowly released her and kept his back close to her front, his free hand shielding her as best he could and his sword pointed straight at the lizard woman. She wasn't sneering anymore, but rather smiling affectionately. "Come on, Lady, I haven't got all day. This isn't for me, it's for her, for Hiero, for everyone that suffered because of you. I'm not afraid of you, I never was, I was afraid of myself, of failure, but not anymore. Hiero was right, friendship and love are sacred things, worth fighting for with your all. Come meet your maker." He shouted, remaining close to Myrna.

The lizard woman simply floated towards them, her claws extended, but slowly, getting a little bigger. Val refused to move backwards. He took a step forward, bringing Myrna with him. She was still smiling.

"Passed….now for the fun to begin." She smiled, and raised her claws to the darkened sky. Val saw the light a moment later, the color of his hair, that lovely and light aquamarine. It didn't bother him at first, then after a few more seconds passed by he started to scream. Then came the burning pain from his back, and loud ripping sounds erupting from there and a light yelp. When the light was gone, he looked back to see Myrna had been thrown several feet away by what was sticking out of his back, pair of aquamarine wings with flecks of gold on each shimmering feather. "My….dragon wings….were black….why are they this color? Hey, if I have my wings back….I can really kick your ass now." Val snickered, delighting in the confused expression on the creatures face," I've been waiting for this to happen ever since I could walk. Now I'll teach you to treat people with respect you freak!"

Send me a sign,
For too long you kept me waiting!
Send me a sign
from the eternal skies
Send me a sign!
Send me a sign!

~

Myrna managed to get behind a pile of large rocks as Val growled and his eyes glowed white, the aquamarine wings that had sprouted from his back extending more and becoming smoother with every passing second. Then ripping sounds danced through her ears as the Asturian Knight became to glow, his clothes shredding as the glowing grew.

She curled up to shield his eyes from the scary lights, but then roaring sounds and horrible hissed filled the air, dust and fabric spilling across her. Screams came, then died into pained moans, making Myrna shake all over, afraid to move in any other way.

When she summoned all of her courage up, she opened her eyes to find herself slightly littered with Sir Val's clothing, his sword stuck in the ground a few feet away from her hiding place.

Slowly she looked about the rock she was behind, stifling a scream when she saw what was making the loud hisses. It was a giant emerald dragon, with the wings of the long dead winged dragons, those that had been slaughtered by hunters of the past. The wings just about blotted out the moon and stars behind it. It's body filled the canyon, the deep golden eyes of the creature regarding her almost thoughtfully. It had a large horn similar to Val's in the center of its forehead and massive spike protrusions jutting away from its eyes and the back of its head, making look like a deadly emerald crown. It went on staring at her, with something melting in his mouth.

The bloodied and oozing thing was the lizard woman, looking strangely pleased with herself despite what was happening to her. "The Angel of Courage has awakened. I….can rest." She said as the dragon flipped her in the air.

"Rest in pieces, you monster. No one hurts the people I love." The dragon grunted, his voice familiar, but too loud and feral to sound human. The moment he stopped speaking, he let loose a large ball flashing across with the colors of pink, purple, and white shoot from his mouth. It was like an energy ball of some sort, as big as a guymelef, and on impact, it vaporized the lizard woman.

She quickly looked back at the dragon, and jumped back in surprise when she found its head was inched from her, staring her down pleasantly. His human-sized fangs were grinning, and it was making her even more nervous. It was about to open its mouth when its eyes shut tightly in pain, making her feel bad for it. He wrenched his head back, the glow returning, but shrinking. She kept here eyes on it, moving closer to it slowly and curiously.

Once it was gone, she saw Val in its place. 'Val's a real dragon….how neat. And here I thought he was just an ordinary human….how interesting, maybe I should give him a little try….just to see if he means what he said. I never…..never thought he loved me. He's a real human, why would he want me? Well, he's part human, but what does that matter? He is….kind of cute….even now….if he's….'she thought, the noticed something different about Val as he lay there groaning.

"Naked….Oh my gods!" she yelped and shoved her hands over her eyes. She heard Val gasp, then the quick running of feet. "Uh…sorry, forgot about that….that kind'a kills my wardrobe. Good thing you brought some extra stuff for us both for this trip, he hehe, heh, heh." Val chuckled nervously from a distance, the sound of rustling clothing hitting Myrna's sensitive ears.

She was sure she was blushing, but it didn't seem to matter. He'd seen her panties, she knew he had when they landed in Asturia. His horn had part of her dress on it, and he'd had to have been close enough to get her dress caught on it.

'Fair is fair. We're even for now….he's not half bad….No, no, I love Hiero, don't I? Oh damn, why does Sir Val have to be so damned cute too! Don't look too eager, just be nice.' She thought, keeping her hands securely over her eyes, blushing lightly until his hand clasped on her shoulder, making her go bright red.

"Its ok, I don't bite, Myrna. Not in the way you think. I don't hurt those I care about." He said, gently prying her hands off her pink eyes. She just nodded dumbly at his boyish face, the nervous grin showing he was bit uneasy too.

"Best we get back to walking to Freid…..Angel of Courage, whatever that is." She piped, desperate to change the subject.

He nodded, the duffel bag on his clothed back and started off in the direction they'd been going in earlier. "Hiero will know. I had a dream about him while I was locked up, he was in a very cold land, lots of snow, talking about a death angel and an angel of light I think. We just have to reach Freid, then all our questions can be answered, but let's hope I don't have to become a dragon again. You only have one other set of clothes left for me. At that rate, I might have to strip a lot to save what I have left….in private of course." He said sheepishly.

"Of course….yeah. Dignity is a good thing. Yeah." She said nervously, trying to rid her mind of all the naked images she was having about Val, begging for Hiero forgiveness. 'Please don't find out….the last thing I need is to be called a pervert in your presence Lord Hiero. Please don't be mad at me, Safaia-Kimi!' she prayed silently, but images of Val kept overlapping them, and she slowly lost her mental battle.

~ Castle of Eden ~

Folken watched Sora with benign interest as she chanted quietly before him. Her hair whipped wildly about her as her haunting yet melodic chants filled the floating castle, her hands locked in a gentle prayer. She was locating the angels for him, and had already announced that the angels of Wisdom and Truth and been awakened, but hadn't used their powers recently. The ones who had not awakened were easier to find, they had normal mental and physical powers, not the fleeting bursts of the angels' awakening. It was easier to find the weak ones that those protected by Mother Gaia.

Then her lovely eyes opened, sparkling with a touch of gentle twilight. "The Angel of Courage has awakened….he has achieved his inner strengths and is on his way to Freid, as the others will soon follow. The angels of Light, Death, Power, and Love are currently on the Dark Continent of Asgard, making their way to the Temple of Light….they have but to open the lock."

"Will they survive?" he said in a bored tone.

She was perfectly still, her hands still held together in her silent prayers. "The lock is unlike those of metal, but the locks within their own minds, the fears they hide deep in their souls. Only time will tell, it has happened before and it will happen again. Whether they survive is up to their minds. The weak will not survive, only the strong and true. Only time will tell, Lord Folken." She said in her airy and light voice.

He sighed and gave off a wry smile. "What of my nephew, does he still live?" he asked casually.

She looked almost frightened at the mention of Hiero, then regained her composure in the blink of an eye. "He lives, eternally without the hope of stopping. He….sadly, knows that we are after them. He feels us even more strongly than I feel him. He knows things he should not, has things within him he should never have taken. He is a demon of another plane, he embraces Death and Courage like blood and longs for Love in unnatural ways, as if he's never tasted it. He fears loss….always winning, but always losing." She uttered, almost in a trance-like way.

He had the gift of prophecy
He gave a guarding light to me
….
I know, he set my spirit free!

Folken smirked, not understanding. 'No one can live forever, not even me, not until I defeat the gods and take Gaia as mine. Not one pretty boy king can stand in my way, nor can that fire-crazed battle brat Dilandau. None of them can, they are playing into my plans, not their own. Not by a long shot.' He thought acridly.

Folken merely nodded and gestured for her to come to him. She walked up to him and let him stand to embrace her. "Guard, come in now." Folken called, his hands resting on the fabric of her lavender bow. A heavily armored guard rushed in and bowed his head. "My Emperor, what is your request?" he asked.

"Tell the pilots to direct us to Asgard and to radio ahead to our forces near Asturia. Tell them to abort the attack and head for Freid. The Fortress Midgar should be prepared to expect Lady Sora and myself. Also, no one is to disturb me until we reach Asgard, understood?" Folken ordered, getting another bow and short nod.

"Perfectly, my Emperor. It will be done immediately." The guard replied, then hurried out of the room.

Folken pulled on Sora's bow the moment the doors shut and shed her of her robes. He just held her there, mentally angered that she was still staring at him listlessly. The only good thing about her was that she was loyal to her cause, despite what was asked of her, that and she didn't expect much in return.

Send me a sign!
Send me a sign!
Send me a sign,
For too long you kept me waiting!

He smiled as he gently looked across her bare ivory skin and then kissed her fully on the mouth and trailed it down her neck to her supple chest. "For now, we entertain ourselves until we collect my beautiful nephew. It's a crime he looks so good and his father and mother were such scruffy rats. Makes me wonder how we are even related to Van." He breathed, taking her breath slowly in his warm lips.

Sora stiffened slightly, completely unlike her, but his efforts didn't halt. Then she began to disrobe him, more like it was a habit that a loving gesture. "You will get him all to yourself, Lord Folken, you can play with him then. He will grow in hatred even more, and be perfectly ripe to make the God of War full of venom. Do all you like, the more hateful he becomes, the more likely you will rule this world with war and strife as you wish."

Send me a sign,
To open their eyes!
Send me a sign!
Send me a sign!
Send me a sign!
Send me a sign!

He smiled as he helped her removed the rest of his clothing, turning her body about slowly to sit her upon his throne, and took her. "Yes, you are very right. Time will tell, and that beautiful little monster will be in the palm of my hand. He has no idea what I plan to do to him, and that's all the better. I like surprising people….to death. Soon, that beauty of a boy will be my plaything. They'll see how in control I am, won't that be lovely?" he chuckled wickedly, continuing to have his way with the fragile Mystic before him.

*The Strength card represents Val's overcoming his inner turmoil and fears of being weak and too dependent on others, mostly on Hiero. Also, it is his taking heart despite what setbacks are laid out before him, being brave and unmoving against obstacles and inwardly forgiving himself for his flaws. Also, his showing great compassion for others, and great towards his love Myrna.

**This is the path the Crusade airship took on their way to Freid in secret. I didn't catch its name, so that's as good as it gets.

Teaser: Behold the power of fear incarnate for the angels, awakened or not. Migel's greatest fear is Hiero? Allen is Dilandau's? Alessa's father is her fear? What of Gatti and Chesta? And Hiero's greatest fear is….who??