When Night Falls
By A-Chan
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Chapter 6
The Two Lunarians
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Zacnaine threw another stone out over the river, watching it skip almost the whole way across before it sunk into the slowly-flowing water. His mind was full of so many thoughts, a virtual buzz of questions and fears, but not a single answer to accompany them. Not even a notion of an answer. The young hunter had been hoping after so many times of this happening, he would start to understand. He was hoping maybe that the answers would have been given to him. Of course, that wasn't true... he still felt like someone had taken his head and given it big shake, jostling all his thoughts. He always felt that way when this happened...
He always felt that way when he dreamed.
Last night, however, had been decisively different. Usually, Zac only saw one woman in his dreams. Her hair was a dark color, accented by light streaks of blue. Her dress was always an off-the-shoulder black gown that Zac swore was silken the way the light played off of it. Her eyes were dark-lashed, and a swirling myriad of purple colors. He actually found her quite attractive, but he dare not say that to her. Her exotic beauty came with the underlying sense of a predator. She was definitely a hunter of sorts. That was what made Zac respect her - at times, even look forward to dreaming just to see her. That scared him more than the questions she made him ask himself... the fact that he wanted to see her. For the past few weeks since he had begun journeying to Baron, the lady had told him he must stop the group of travelers heading there. He was to stop them in any way possible... barring not death. She said they would be very dangerous if they were to reach the castle. She was depending on him, and Zacnaine didn't want to let her down.
She had told Zac once that her name was in a language far more complicated than the common tongue, and it would take her a very long time to teach anyone not from her home world to pronounce it. So, instead, she let Zac address her by her nickname; Ladèna.
No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he should do otherwise, Zacnaine liked Ladèna. Even though the main reason she came to him was to tell him what to do, she had a way of carrying herself that charmed him. She was intelligent, graceful, quick-witted, and obviously very good-looking.
Last night, however, Ladèna had not come to see him. There had been a different woman.
She was young, and fair of face, with a deep innocence in her crystalline eyes. Her hair was devoid of any color, so light it almost shone blue, and she wore soft blues and silvers. Even softer than her color scheme was her smile, which, despite the discomfort of his situation, made Zacnaine feel a lot more secure. The only thing she had in common with Ladèna was that she had similarly pointed ears, sticking out the sides of her ample curls of hair, hooped with great, silver rings.
This new, light-haired woman had introduced herself as Dinãh. She said she wanted to help Zacnaine make the right choices, and that she wanted to help him save his home.
As Dinãh talked to Zac, he realized she was a bit... unclear at times. He couldn't quite see her clearly, or hear her clearly, like a deep mist shrouded around her, clogging out the correct rhyme and reason. It made the message very difficult for him. It gave the vision a very clouded, dream-like quality. Ladèna was crystal clear, to the point where he woke up thinking it had all been real.
She had implored that he let the party cross into the castle Baron. She said it was important that they reunite with friends back at the castle. If they did not, the fate of the world might be thrown into chaos. He could have sworn she made reference to the five heroes that defeated Zemus and Golbez years before; if not for that damned mist in his head he might have been sure! At any rate, for whatever reason, Zacnaine believed Dinãh. He wanted to believe Dinãh.
So he had let the party reach the castle.
Now, where was he? He was sitting outside the camp, cursing himself for his decision. In a moment of weakness he had let down Ladèna... and now he might never see her again. And yet, that should have been a good thing! He shouldn't care if he would 'never see Ladèna again'. It was ludicrous to be upset to never see someone again if the only place you saw them was in your dreams. She isn't real, he repeatedly told himself. Ladèna was a figment of his imagination, just like Dinãh probably was. He had no reason to do what either of them told him to do, no matter how real they seemed.
And he certainly had no reason to feel bad for it.
Zacnaine shook his head, and stood up shakily. Sleep had finally pushed itself to Zac's first priority, and he began to head back to his tent. However, the fact he would soon get some rest was no relief to him. He knew that sleep would not be a requiem from his problems.
In fact, as it was so painfully obvious, it normally caused all his problems.
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"Palom! Don't touch that! You know, we shouldn't even be down here..."
"Pfffbbbt. Don't be such a goody-two-shoes, Porom. The guards watch this door day and night - it must be something important!"
"What could possibly be more important than following the rules King Cecil has set for us? Furthermore, what would the Elder say if he knew of our atrocious behavior?"
"He'd say 'Dude! Rock on! You discovered a secret that no one wanted you to know, and now you're even more genius than you already were!' That's what he'd say."
Porom sighed, and shook her head, continuing to somehow willingly follow her brother down the dimly-lit corridor. The guards had been very adamant that NO ONE was allowed down here without proper clearance. It had been stirring up everyone's curiosity for days, now. This morning the curiosity had bubbled over. A few of the remaining engineers were allowed into the passageway in the earliest hours of the day, and the two most curious members of the castle could ignore the mysterious pull to this entryway no longer.
Well, okay. The one most curious member. Porom wasn't even sure how she agreed to this. She knew she was half asleep when her brother came in loudly proclaiming he had found a way down into the secret hall. Maybe she had figured it was a dream?
Suddenly, she found herself walking into Palom's arm. She opened her mouth to protest, but found one of the most sincere looks of concentration on her brother's face she had ever seen.
"What is it...?" she whispered.
Palom scrunched up his nose a bit. "I hear... people... lots of them! And they're... I think they're fighting..."
Porom's eyes widened, and she tugged a bit on her twin's sleeve. "Come on, Palom... I think it's best we go, now..."
Palom was already scanning for the source of this distant noise, ignoring the quiet pleas of his sibling. He remembered something Edge had said to him the other day... something about lots of hidden triggers in the Baron castle that had been used to protect treasures and blocked rooms. As that thought filtered through his mind, his eyes lit upon a particularly decorative torch holder mounted on the wall. The other holders had been unremarkable, most made of a dull iron. This one, however, was a shiny gold, engraved with a few runes and a lion's head.
Although Porom held tight to his sleeve, and planted her feet firmly on the stony ground, Palom still managed to drag her across the floor, and with a big jump he was able to catch a grip on the torch holder.
"Porom! Help me give this thing a good yank!"
"Are you insane?!" Porom cried, while simultaneously giving her brother a good yank.
Unfortunately, that yank gave him the jerk necessary to pull down the holder. He landed on top of Porom with a fairly loud 'thump' and a cry from her.
However, the thump and cry were drowned out by the sudden rumbling and grumbling of a large section of the hallway beginning to move. Both siblings stared in wide wonder as the once solid wall groaned in protest as it lifted, the groans punctuated by the unmistakable clicks of a pulley, hoisting it upward.
As the wall finally lifted to full, the children were amazed at what they saw, and took a few stunned steps inside. Over a hundred men were busy toiling in this underground room, lining wooden walk-ways and iron-clad circuit boxes. Sounds of their work filled the stagnant air; hearty laughs, grunts, barks of orders and coordinates, the clank and spark of metal against metal, and the hum and hammer of engines and machinery.
The most shocking of all the things they saw, however, was the giant ship. It looked a lot like one of the airships that had crowded the Baronian skies as of about one year ago... only with hints of Lunarian architecture. It was a shiny blue color, dotted by round bubble-like windows of a yellow glass. It was, unlike the usual ships of the Blue Planet, long, thin, and appeared very aerodynamic.
By this point, more than a few pairs of eyes had focused on the open doorway, and the children now within their chamber, and a murmur of voices was starting up.
"Are they s'posed t'be in here?"
"Dunno, should we report 'em to th'boss?"
"Lessbring 'em in - be gentle now, y'hear?"
Porom let out a nervous little laugh, and lightly took her brother by the arm, backing towards the door.
"Well... uh... thank you very much, gentlemen, but I think we shall just be going now...! Let's go, Palom!"
Both of them turned toward the door and only took one running leap before the once-open doorway crashed down in front of them. They both gave out a scream, and turned around to find some other way out, but were met by the few of two great, big boots, topped by some very stocky, trouser-clad legs.
"An' where do you little whipper-snappers think yer goin'?!" came a gruff, scratchy voice.
Palom and Porom gulped, and then slowly looked up to see a pair of be-goggled eyes and a hook-shaped red nose poking out of a tangle of brown beard.
"Kids nowadays - no respect at all!"
Both children's eyes lit up at the one face they had expected to see here in Baron, but had yet to uncover.
"Cid!" both cried, hugging onto either of the master engineer's legs.
"Oh, Cid! I was wondering where you were!" Porom said, stepping back and taking a small curtsey.
"Dude!" Palom squealed, leaping off the former airship captain's leg. "This place is totally sweet! That is totally the freakiest looking airship ever! It's like a normal airship only a lot cooler and a lot bluer! I like blue. Blue rocks! Dude, and it has yellow windows! Yellow is kind of a sucky color. You should make 'em RED! Yeah! Red windows! Did you make it all by yourself, Cid? Huh?"
Cid blinked a few times, the action barely visible through the coke-bottle-like lenses of his goggles. "Someone oughta put a muzzle on that kid before his tongue breaks the speed limit."
"Believe me," grumbled Porom, "I'm working on it."
This caused Cid to emit a booming laugh, and he reached down to give Palom a slight slap on the shoulder (that, while slight, still caused the boy to cough and get shoved forward quite a bit). "Well, you kids should probably get outta here! I'll take ya to the back room. There's a staircase that'll take ya right to the castle lobby."
Cid began walking down one of the wooden walk-ways set up around the airship, beckoning for the twins to follow him. A few of the workers, smudged in oil and soot, gave friendly smiles and tips of their hats to the children, putting them more at ease. Cid led them to one of the walkways that was situated closer to the deck, and nimbly hopped off it. Palom followed close behind, but Porom requested that Cid help her down, which he obligingly did. It was then that the mage duo saw the man who they assumed was in charge, at least while Cid wasn't shouting commands.
He was standing on the main deck, surveying all the workers, but gave no orders. He was very tall, and stood with an air of dignity. His hair was long, near to his mid-back, and a chalk white color, which seemed to melt in with his decorative, lightly-colored clothing. His eye color, a deep blue, was visible even from across the airship, and it seemed there was a scar running along the underside of his left eye. Another odd trait he possessed were his ears. They stuck straight out, with long points. One of them was decked in silver rings. It seemed the only time he would talk was when one of the many men would come up to him and ask a question. Even then, he only seemed to give short, one or two word answers, all accompanied with a regal smile.
"Master Cid...?" quietly peeped Porom, waiting until he turned to face her. "Who is that man, in all the white?"
"Oh, him? HA!" Cid cackled, helping Porom and Palom back up onto a walkway, which led to a large, wooden door. "You'll meet him soon enough. Trust me on that one! Anyway, that door there'll lead ya out. There's a meetin' tonight - I'll see you rugrats, there, huh?"
The twins clambered along the walkway, partially glad to get out of the noisy room. Palom jumped to catch the handle, and with a great tug, was able to yank it open. However, the siblings couldn't help but give one more glance at the man in white, before exiting into the stairwell.
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That night, the new arrivals and established leaders of the castle had an official gathering for the first time since their arrival, one week before. The only differences were that two new people were present, the elegant man from the airship included as one, and also that Kain now was chained by iron rather than by rope.
The second of the two newcomers was a young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties. She was clearly foreign, with a slender build, fair complexion, and once again, pointy ears and white hair. Unlike the man's wardrobe of almost pure white, however, she wore many light blues, and had an array of silvery jewelry.
Cecil was first to stand, and look from face to face with a tired smile.
"Greetings, to all of you..." he began, slowly lowering himself back into his seat." Hopefully we've let our tempers cool since last we met... and hopefully we've grown accustomed to the ways of the castle, and each other."
There was a slight nod from everyone about the table.
"Well, hopefully you've also all realized I have a few new people milling about my castle. This evening, I was hoping we could all get introduced, and after that, get down to some more serious business."
All eyes seemed to scan for any signs of disagreement, and after a few seconds, it seemed there were no qualms.
Almost no qualms.
"How sweet..." came Kain's mocking tone, from the corner of the room." Yes, let's all become friends, and then we can discuss some worthless and futile ideas we've managed to scrounge together in an attempt to save humanity... which is swiftly crumbling apart."
A few people shifted uncomfortably in their seats, and turned away, but Yang certainly wasn't one of them. He rose from his seat and, as regally as ever, turned to Cecil with a calm and even expression that betrayed the edge of anger in his voice.
"Your Majesty, if I were you, I would have this... distraction... escorted down to the castle dungeon," he began, and then paused, to give Kain a cold, sideways glare. "He has no place here, among us."
Kain only laughed, causing all to turn their heads with a shocked expression (and extracting the small remainder of patience from Edge, who was digging his fingers into the side of the table).
"You say that like it hurts me..." began Kain, meeting Edge's fiery glare with an abnormal amount of apathy. "Rather, I take it as a compliment. I fully understand I have no place among you idiots, and it brings a small bit of hope to me knowing that you realize this..."
Everyone was very still a moment, a bit taken aback by Kain's words. Yang narrowed his eyes in disgust, and returned to his seat with a sad shake of his head. Cecil appeared to be in shock, his mouth slightly agape, and eyes unblinking, while Rosa and Rydia both appeared very uncomfortable, turning their gaze to the tabletop. Edge flashed around six or seven different expressions of anger and shock, not sure at all how to respond. Even the man from the airship room, unfamiliar with Kain, curled his lip a bit, turning his gaze away before his anger got the better of him. The only person who stood still and kept a calm expression was the young woman who had yet to be introduced. Her eyes seemed focused on Kain, but not with anger or disgust - but more of a frustrated curiosity. She was searching for something... and she couldn't find it in his twisted demeanor. Kain seemed undaunted by the reactions of his ex-companions.
"Furthermore, I see no point in removing me from the room. It would be a shame and a cruelty to not let me be at least mildly amused by your hopeful discussion. It's hard to find ways to smile while chained, you know... don't deny me a chance at some entertainment, as long as--"
"Damn it all, Kain!" suddenly roared Edge, causing everyone to jump. He nearly exploded out of his seat, the chair flying away from him as his hand went to the hilt of Masamune, taking a few steps toward Kain with every word. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You disappear to go train yourself, because you feel weak, hoping you can come back and finally be at peace with your past... then you dare show up only to attack us? Is that your peace...!?"
A few gasps could be heard as Edge, in one fluent motion, unsheathed Masamune, and brought the sword tip to Kain's throat. He turned the blade sideways, so the flat could rest under his chin as he moved in closer to the dragoon, bringing his words to a near whisper. "Because if this is your peace, I plan to send you on to a greater sort of 'peace' that will render you much more helpful, and a hell of a lot quieter, too."
"Edge, stop," came the stern voice of Cecil, who rose from his seat. "Can't you see he just wants you to get angry?"
Edge never turned away from Kain, but kept the sword to his throat. "Well, he's doing a damn good job... I think he should be rewarded for his efforts..."
"Sir Edge," came the iron hard voice of the Fabulian king. "Release him... don't drop to his level. I know deep down you would regret any violent actions you took toward him."
A barrage of conflicting emotions swept through Edge's head. Would he really regret it if he slit open Kain's throat, right there and then? Would he be sinking to his level? Kain had always hit the wrong nerve with him, but despite all his threats otherwise, Edge didn't think he could actually kill him. It wasn't that he was scared to kill him... he just knew deep down that he would never be able to look any of his friends in the eye, again, without the guilt.
Furthermore, when he really thought about it... he didn't want to kill Kain. He didn't want to kill him because, deep down, he hoped they could convince him to be part of their group, again. It wasn't because he wanted his skill in battle on their side...
It was because he genuinely felt they had been friends.
Slowly, Edge brought the Masamune away, and slipped it back into its sheath. As stoically as possible, he turned and began to walk back to his seat, where Rydia managed a weak smile for him.
"That's right, little prince..." began Kain, stopping Edge dead in his tracks. "Walk away... Despite all that bragging and pompous preening of yours, I always knew you were a coward where it really counts."
If not for Cid and his fellow engineer leaping from their seats to hold back Edge, the next instant might have been chaotic. As foul-mouthed as Edge could sometimes be, no one had heard so many extremities stream from him in that short of a time. Kain just laughed the entire time as the oppositized engineers, Yang and Cecil all wrestled back the temperamental ninja to his seat. Even after that, it took Rydia and Rosa's quiet words to ease him back into a sane frame of mind.
Kain continued to laugh, more to himself than anyone else, very happy with his job of cracking Edge's composure.
Rydia, at this point, gave Kain a bit of a glare. She had tried to be tolerant of Kain, but her patience was growing very thin, very fast.
"Anyway..." said Cecil, with as much dignity as he could muster, sitting back down. "Why don't we discuss what we're all truly here for..."
This gained a very appreciate nod and general agreement from everyone around the table.
Cecil smiled a bit (although weakly) and placed one hand on his chest. "Well I certainly hope we all know who I am." He paused to place one hand gently on Rosa's shoulder. "And we all know my dear queen, Rosa..."
All eyes slowly turned to look at the small giggling bundle in Rosa's arms, as she turned to smile at her husband.
"But..." Cecil continued, "You might not all be familiar with Robin, here."
Everyone seemed enchanted by the existence of this small little baby. Peeking out from the blanket, one could immediately tell he was Cecil and Rosa's baby boy. His few curls were an almost luminescent blonde, mirroring that of his mother, but his eyes were a bright and calm blue, near identical to Cecil's. Only, his eyes were still young, and untouched by the current crisis of the world. There was innocence, and with that innocence everyone found hope. It was a very refreshing, and calming feeling.
"He looks just like the both of you," Rydia said quietly, her face a gentle smile, as Porom cooed a bit behind her, eliciting a small laugh from Robin.
"There is no doubting that," Yang said with a chuckle. He had known of Robin since his arrival, and oftentimes found himself sitting the child. For such a young baby, he had an excellent temperament, laughed more than slept, and was more often curious than crying.
Edward was too smitten with the image of this wide-eyed child to say anything, but Edge, who was quickly forgetting his earlier anger, always had something to say.
"So, is he a regular spitfire like his dad? Or is he a charmer like his mom?" he asked, rising from his seat to get a closer look at the child.
Rosa laughed, and held the baby out to Edge as she replied "Why not see for yourself?"
Edge looked like he wasn't sure what to do when Rosa held the baby out, and looked to Cecil with an eyebrow raised, getting a laugh from everyone.
"It's all right..." Rosa assured him. "He doesn't bite, and even if he does, he doesn't have much teeth. Go ahead and hold him!"
Edge looked around, nervously. Heaven forbid everyone see him being cutesy with the baby. "...are you sure?"
Rosa once again held the baby out a bit, with a smile. "I'm a little tired... I think I might go lay down. Who knows? You might find Robin likes you a lot."
"Come on, Edge!" urged Rydia, beaming nearly from ear to ear. "He's so cute! Bring him back over here so I can see him!"
"Ugh. Whatever!" cried Edge, lightly taking the baby from Rosa. There was a moment of silent introduction between Robin and Edge, looking into each other's faces. Edge did his signature lift of an eyebrow, which caused a slow smile to spread on Robin's face. He appreciatively clapped his hands a few times, which got Edge to smirk. Rosa then politely excused herself from the table, giving a short bow to everyone in attendance, before disappearing out the room's rusted back exit.
"Well, as long as we're doing introductions," Edge began, sitting down with Robin, who was very entertained with Rydia cooing at him. "I'm the king... uh... well... I was the king of the nation of ninjas, Eblan..." Edge trailed off a little, gaining more than a few sympathetic looks (Kain not included). "...I suppose, now, I'm the last."
"You are certainly still a king among us, Sir Edge," Yang stated, proudly.
That got a bit of a grin out of Edge, and a giggle from the baby. "I always said, Yang, old buddy, if not an Eblanite, pray you're born Fabulian."
Rydia rolled her eyes at Edge's arrogance, but the rest of the table got a slight laugh, under their breath, knowing from Edge that was as sincere a compliment as any. "He means well, Yang... you know he does."
Yang chuckled a bit, and nodded, good-naturedly.
"Well, I'm Rydia Drake, summoner of Mist and the Land of Summoned Monsters. It's a pleasure to be here, with all of you!" Rydia stated with a smile. "These two, here..." she continued, waving one hand at Palom and Porom. "Are Palom and Porom of Mysidia."
"And, might I add!" cried Porom, hopping to her feet. "My brother is quite disrespectful! If he should do anything to offend you, please, just tell me, and I shall discipline him, as necessary."
As if to punctuate her speech, a very loud "Kweh!" echoed in the large council room.
"Oh!" exclaimed Rydia, leaning under the table, and returning to an upright position holding the small, yellow fluff ball. "And this is Roland Benjamin. We call him 'Rolly' for short... I'm currently training him as a chocobo mount, but, er, he's a little small yet!"
Everyone smiled or giggled at the baby bird, save Edge, who sneered a bit. At this point, the gathering looked over to Yang, who had yet to speak.
Yang, looking from face to face, stood, and as regally as ever, introduced himself. "I am the former king of Fabul, Yang Fang Leiden. I only say 'former' to express the fact my people are currently without a home... we plan to rebuild as soon as we do our part to restore this planet's peace."
When it was clear Yang was done introducing himself, he turned and nodded at his nephew, who had been sitting quietly next to him. On this signal, Ekin stood, and dropped into a deep bow to the rest of the table.
"This," continued Yang, "is my nephew, Ekin Chang. One year ago, he was training to become one of Fabul's top guards. Since then, he has completed his training, and is personal guard and council to me. He was instrumental in the evacuation of Fabul, and has saved many-a-life."
Yang sat down, and smiled proudly at his nephew, who, with the speech now over, returned to his seat, as well. He then gestured loosely to Prince Edward, who looked around like a deer caught in airship head-lights.
"I... well... I am Prince Edward Chris von Muir, of Damcyan. I know I don't look very royal, but... well... I prefer a life as a bard.... but I do assure you I'm royalty!"
"Well!" suddenly boomed Cid, causing Edward to jump, and then wring his cloak nervously. "My name's Cid Pollendina! I'm the head engineer of the Red Wings project, and also the chief of the Enterprise! However, I gotta hand it to this guy--" Cid smacked his tall, light-haired companion on the back, hard, causing the tall, graceful man to jerk forward a bit with a cough, "--for helpin' us out with this newest project!"
"Thank you.. Master Cid..." he said hesitantly, his voice rich and deep, straightening to his full height. "I suppose, on that note, I'll introduce myself. Forgive me if I carry on - I tend to be rather wordy."
All the newcomers who had yet to see this enigma, seemed to settle down and listen. They had been curious about him, and the female, since they had set eyes on them, and hoped to have their questions answered.
"My name is Aedam Ko'Prenne, and I am here to assist Master Cid in engineering a new model of airship. I have knowledge of ship technology that I think will not only bolster defenses upon the craft, but also range and accessibility. Steering and control may also be simplified and automated, and therefore more attention can be paid to weaponry, as maneuverability will be built in."
Not many people were following the speech, but nodded as if they could, so as not to seem like idiots. Cid had always handled the airships, personally - he had never been kind enough to explain the different areas of airship technology to them, and what would affect what.
"Actually," continued Aedam, pausing to smile at the young lady next to him, "we've traveled a very long way to assist all of you in the salvation of your planet."
The young woman nodded, and smiled gently at the group. The warmth in her smile seemed to make time slow down, and when she finally spoke, it seemed to stop the clock all together.
"Aedam and I are honored to be here. It's actually not very often we're blessed with even seeing the Blue Planet, and now to be here..." she paused a moment, surveying the room, and all the awed faces in it. "You have a lovely homeland, despite the troubled times you now find yourself in. But... I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that."
"This is my wife, Dinãh. She has a vast knowledge of magical practices, of all sorts," Aedam explained, placing one hand upon the much shorter woman's shoulder, and taking her hand with his other, drawing her to him.
"Of course," she added, with a small laugh, turning her blue gaze to Palom and Porom, "I had no idea children on the Blue Planet became so elite with both black and white magic at such a young age."
"Oh, yeah! Well, I'm above average." Palom began to boast. "I've been training since I was--uh.. Wait.."
Porom blinked a few times, and then quizzically raised an eyebrow. "With all due respect, Miss Dinãh... how did you know my brother and I use magic?"
Cid let out a booming laugh, smacking Aedam on the back, again. "They're not from 'round these parts, you two! They know a fair share more than any of us, I reckon!"
The twins looked from Cid, and back to Aedam and Dinãh, their faces plainly showing their bafflement.
Aedam showcased his eased smile, removing his hand from his wife's shoulder. "Believe it or not, we're actually akin to His Majesty of Baron."
Palom and Porom's eyes first narrowed a bit in confusion, then widened as the stately engineer finished his sentence.
"Only, my mother was a Lunarian as well as my father."
Everyone was a bit taken aback at this news, some reeling back in their seats, others stunned in silence.
Palom wasn't one of them.
"DUDE! You're from the moon!? YOU ARE from the Moon!" blurted Palom. "Is that why you wear WAY too much white? To be, like, camouflaged? Because if sommfff..." Palom would have continued, but was finding it difficult with Porom's hand clamped over his mouth.
"I.. I think the white is quite... handsome..." murmured Porom, pushing her brother back in his seat.
Aedam quirked an eyebrow a bit at this, but continued to smile. "Well... to answer your question, I actually wear the light colors to represent my region. I am Lunarae'ja, or 'of the light.' That means I'm from the side of the moon that usually faces the sun. Dinãh is Aqueo'ja, or 'of the blue', and her region usually faces your Blue Planet. It's all cultural, you see."
"Ooooooh."
"Neat stuff, huh?" asked Cid, with a grin. "Anyway, Aedam's not only Looney Java or whatever, but he also knows what's goin' on with th--"
"Um... not to be rude, Master Cid, but it's Lunarae'ja, not Loon--"
"Right, right, Lumpy Razor, whatever. He also knows what's goin' on with the black knights!"
This definitely caught everyone's attention. Even Kain turned to face the Lunarian couple.
Aedam sighed, and nodded solemnly. "Yes... I know what is happening to your planet. That's part of the reason Master Fu So Ya has sent u--"
"Master Fu So Ya?!" came a chorus from around the table. Even Cecil seemed shocked, and one could reason he hadn't heard this bit of information from his new Lunarian citizens.
"Yes," sighed Aedam, rubbing his temple with his index finger and thumb, still not used to so many interruptions. "Master Fu So Ya sent us in his stead, so that he might survey actions upon the moon, and we could attempt to help here."
"He sends his prayers and blessings to you, and wishes very much he could come see all of you," added in Dinãh.
"In the meantime, perhaps I should enlighten you of your situation?"
"Amen!" exclaimed Edge, slumping back in his chair, with Robin in his lap. "Fill us in, by all means!"
Rydia lightly socked Edge in the shoulder, getting a 'what was that for?!' look out of him. "What he means to say is, that would be very kind of you."
Aedam smiled, again, and thus began the tale...
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A long time ago, upon the moon, there was a king of every region, the Lunarae'ja, the Aqueo'ja, and the Nocte'ja, or 'of the darkness', the side opposite the sun. The king of the Aqueo'ja was a great sage named Danun Ron, who would oftentimes spin fairytales of the distant Blue Planet. The king of the Lunarae'ja was Ohjara Mýlar, an upstanding warrior who would fight to the death for his people. Lastly, there was the king of the Nocte'ja, who appeared outwardly to be a very wise, and worthy leader, once notated as a famous scribe. However, deep down, his soul was as black as the side of the moon he ruled over, and his mind was twisted with ideas of one day ruling all the regions of the moon.
This king's name was Ze Mus, or as you know him, Zemus.
He used his political power to fuel his true desires, and his underlying plots for conquest. His entire court was just puppets to him, and he would pull their strings accordingly to get things accomplished for his own evil purposes. He would gain magical information from the land of Aqueo'ja, tricking the peaceful land into thinking his inquiry was for medicinal purposes, or for ways to help construct and detonate their considerable ore mines. From Lunarae'ja, they stole past battle plans, technological information, all in the name of history, and of inscribing it forever into the books, for generations to remember.
All of this knowledge he took, and he mutated. He concocted newer, stronger types of potion and enchantments. He smithed armor harder than Bahamut's scales, and endowed that armor with deep magical powers. His weaponry was able to attain the ultimate effectiveness, as was his artillery, which in other places was still merely experimental, and in most cases, forbidden. He founded new chants and spells, all in the name of devastation, and what white magic he did take, he learned how to amplify, bringing his soldiers to a level of near invincibility. He used his small army for experimentation, although a better word would be torture. He would work spell upon spell over their helpless forms, crippling or mutilating some, and killing others. Of course, none of that mattered to him, as long as he eventually could work out a satisfactory result.
What it all boiled down to, however, was this; no matter how powerful he made his magical equipment and soldiers, they would always eventually run out of power. It seemed whatever source of power he gave them, much like magical energy, they would quickly exhaust it. He needed an easily replenishable source of energy - something someone would never run out of, and could always use to motivate them.
It wasn't until one of his attendants returned from a scouting mission to Lunarae'ja and through Aqueo'ja that he received a possible source...
One piece of information this attendant brought back was a magical scripture. It contained some of the less-heeded black magic spells, ones that were deemed overall ineffective, and not to be used in a war situation for danger concerns. Another was a historical tidbit on a sword and spear once used when the moon was still divided, and in a state of civil war. The spell that caught Zemus's eye was a banished version of the berserk spell, which would cause a man to become consumed with rage, and attack everything that he saw, driven on by pure adrenaline. He would not stop, not until everything (including allies) was destroyed. And then, once everything was gone, even then he would continue to attack, ruining the land around him. In relation to the weapons, they had been crafted in the fires of the core of the moon, and could amplify the emotions of whoever held them. When a soldier had hope for victory, the weapons could help reflect that, casting healing spells and glowing with radiance. If a soldier was scared, the weapon would lose all power, becoming about as helpful as a wooden dummy sword. When the soldier was angry, or vengeful, it could increase its power near one-hundred fold.
It was therein that he found the answer.
Rage...
Anger...
Vengeance...
Jealousy...
Bitterness...
All these emotions brought such a pure, unbridled energy to that which they affected. They made a man forget his morals, and fight, purely to fight. They could cloud judgment while clearing all other barriers to attack. And what was at the head of them all?
Hatred.
If only he could find a way to harness this power... then he would be invincible. He would be the new ruler of the moon.
Zemus immediately began research, trying to find a way to fuse this emotion as an energy. He tried countless spells, enchantments, welds, extractions - but nothing worked. There was no way to take that energy out, and put it as the center of power. It always remained within the body, but he wanted a main power source. A pure aura of hatred, something so dark and loveless it would power an army of his soldiers.
But what could ever act as a stronghold for that power?
One night, as it is said in legend, he had a dream... a dream of a woman, dressed in all black, with narrowed and untrusting eyes. She helped him solve his problems, by explaining if one were to sacrifice their body to the hatred, that individual would act as a perfect vessel for the kind of magnitude he wished. Just imagine; a being made of pure hate. The only question was, who was he willing to trust in that position?
That answer was obvious, as he himself, was willing to do this sacrifice.
And so, in his private chambers, he slaved for months to prepare and perfect the process, the dream lady appearing every so often to help guide him. He had his high priests take care of the final touches, and perform the ritual upon him. It is said it took three days to finally reach the end, and when the final incantations were uttered, the room exploded in an inferno of black fire. The priests were incinerated, and Zemus was believed to be, too... but we all know the truth...
The ritual was complete, and he was one with the hatred. He had become consumed by it, and changed his name from Ze Mus, or "uncertain" or "emotional", and took on a new godly name - Ze Ro Mus, or "master of the emotion". All know him today as Zeromus...
However, a price came with this power...
He was banished to the center of the moon, where he could not communicate face to face with the outside world. They placed him in a monstrous body that acted as a lidded jar - holding in his evil, and not allowing it to escape. He raged on in that center of the world, spawning monsters and other evils, but none could ever be allowed to the surface. He was doomed to spend the rest of eternity trapped in that deformed shell, his influence only usable upon his equally trapped monsters.
Time went on without him. A new family, the Donovans, cousins of Zeromus's family, inherited the Nocte'ja lands when Zeromus's brother turned down the throne. Engine technology came about, and new magical spells continued to expand the nations. Eventually, Lunarians even found ways to go to the Blue Planet via advanced airships, although few ever did. For centuries, things were fine...
Until Zeromus found ways to spread his hatred indirectly. By using mind control over those prone to all the negative feelings he ruled over, he learned information about the Crystals of the Blue Planet. They had unspoken power, and could open portal ways and paths between the two planets. If they could break those sorts of bonds, perhaps they could help him shatter his captivity. However, to find out, he would need the crystals brought to him from the Blue Planet. He could use their power both to transport his pawn to the moon, and then to hopefully free himself.
That poor person he found was Cecil's brother, Golbez. While Cecil was overall a loving, and hopeful person, Golbez had a dark side to him... a dark, and easily swayed side. Through this, Zeromus was able to control him, and use him to gather the crystals.
When Cecil, Rosa, Kain, Edge and Rydia finally made it to the moon, he had felt his plans were ruined, and that the crystals could no longer help him. However, he secretly plotted to rid himself of the Blue Planet nuisances, and then find a new plan to free himself. He never expected his first body to be destroyed by the five, much less his ultimate form. As he sunk into the darkness, he felt the hate well up, for what he believed the last time. Zeromus's body crumbled away, blackened chunks disintegrating into the moon's core, until nothing remained...
...or so it seemed.
That body that had imprisoned captured Zeromus was now gone. His hate was its own free entity, and he could not control all that were prone to that negativity he radiated. It was now possible for him to control someone on the moon, and re-enact his plans from so many eons ago. His choice was Addyan'de Donovan, the newest prince of Nocte'ja.
He corrupted the sometimes shy, and uncertain young man into a twisted, and over-powerful egotist. He helped him resurrect his long forgotten plans and spells, erecting a new army of Dark Knights, with the power to use his central hatred and imbue it into others, forming more soldiers for his army through various enchantments and curses.
The moon quickly fell to Zeromus's pawn, Addyan, and his dark armies. Those that survived escaped to the many lunar caverns, and still hide there, today. Now, he has spread his conquest to the Blue Planet...
This must not happen. Zeromus must be stopped, here. There is still time... there is still a way...
There is still hope...
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
Soon after Aedam explained all, the meeting was dismissed. Plans would begin in the morning to try and figure out a way to beat these Dark Knights, before they could touch Baron.
And so it was, all went to their chambers, to prepare for the first step.
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
When Zacnaine awoke, he was in a dark room, lit only by one black-wax candle, and he was lying down amongst a sea of velveteen pillows. He let his gaze finally settle onto a sleek, black table at the opposite end of the room. On it was set a vase of a similar smooth, dark make, but within the vase was the only sprig of color in the entire room - a purple rose. Zac's eyes widened as slow recognition lit his face. This was Ladèna's room... the one he had 'awoken' in so many times before. He knew, because her trademark was that purple rose. It was always there... Before he could come to any more conclusions, a melodious female voice directed his attention to one of the darker corners of the room.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Zacnaine."
Ladèna stepped out of the shadows, her arms crossed across her chest. She was in the customary black dress, and her dark tresses curled down her back, the candlelight playing strange tricks with her eyes. Zac immediately blanched at her show of disapproval towards him.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean for you to get angry, Ladèna..."
This caused Ladèna to unfold her arms, placing them gently at her sides. She raised an eyebrow slightly, taking a slow step towards Zac.
"Angry? Zacnaine, darling, I said I was disappointed... but of course, I'm not angry."
It was now Zac's turn to raise an eyebrow, sitting up a bit straighter.
"You're not angry? I disobeyed you."
Ladèna shook her head with a laugh, walking gracefully to Zac's side, and then kneeling amongst the pillows. She placed a hand gently upon his shoulder, and smiled up into his eyes.
"Zacnaine, I'm not angry with you! I could never be angry with you!"
"Really...? Even after I--"
"Now, hush!" Ladèna waved off Zacnaine's outburst, and put one finger delicately to his lips. "No more of those silly regrets. You were confused. That... woman... confused you."
Something about the way Ladèna's voice went so cold and bitter when speaking of Dinãh sent a chill down Zac's spine. He moved back from her touch a bit, something he rarely did. Suddenly, he felt obligated to stand up for himself.
"I was not confused!" he snapped, causing Ladèna to draw her hand back completely. "Just because I don't do what you tell me, now, suddenly you think I was confused?" Zacnaine leveled his gaze with her, and much to his surprise, he could see sincere hurt in her eyes, where normally he saw nothing but his own reflection.
"I'm sorry, Zacnaine... Sometimes I forget..." Ladèna trailed off a bit, as she began to rise from the floor. "...sometimes I forget you need to make your own decisions. And sometimes I forget how strange I must seem to you--"
Zac caught her arm before she could fully stand, causing her to cut herself off mid-sentence. The hunter tried to get a good look in her eyes, again, to see if the hurt was still there. He involuntarily sighed when he saw that glimpse of emotion was gone. Once again, he could decipher nothing from her. That, however, was not the point - it had been there. He had seen it once, and that was all it took for him to know this lady was not made of stone. Deep down, she had to care, somewhere.
"You aren't strange to me," he said quietly, releasing her arm. He turned his gaze downward so he wouldn't have to meet her eyes, again. Everything was silent, then, with her standing there in front of him, his eyes turned to the floor.
"Please don't leave..." he murmured, after a moment. "I felt lost when you weren't the one I saw in the dream... I don't know what I'd feel like if you just left."
Zacnaine let out a sigh of relief when he felt the pillows shift as she sat next to him. Ladèna took his hand, and interlacing her fingers with his, she rested her head against his shoulder.
"It's all right. You needn't be lost anymore," she whispered into his ear.
Zac took a deep breath, then tilted his head so that his cheek leaned against Ladèna's forehead. "I just... I feel like there's something wrong with me... I feel like... like I have some demons to deal with..."
"Zacnaine... I have nothing to trouble you with tonight," Ladèna said, lifting her head from Zac's shoulder and giving his hand a small squeeze. He turned to face her, and she smiled at him, smoothing his hair behind one ear with her free hand.
"Now, just hush and close your eyes..." she began, using the same hand to lightly guide him down onto the pillows. "Hush and sleep... for I'll not let the demons plague you tonight, child. You don't have to be scared, and I promise you won't be lost, either."
Zacnaine could feel his head begin to swim as the dream started to fade. He didn't want to go back to sleep! The questions would just be there once he woke up, again. He was so sick of questions. He just wanted to be here, where there were no questions... it was just him, and Ladèna, and everything was so simple.
"Ladèna, I don't want to wake up all alone..." Zac began, but he found it hard to express his proper feelings as his senses slowly drained from him. Distantly, it seemed, he could hear Ladèna's light laugh.
"Oh, darling Zacnaine, I would never leave you all alone.... See, I'm right here beside you, now... And I will always guide you...
Always."
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
A/N: Okay! There it is! I spent many a sleepless night writing this. And yes, I know it took very long, and believe me, I got majorly chewed out by a few people for it! But at least that means people wanna see more of it! I haven't given up, yet, and hopefully Chapter 7 will come up a lot sooner than 6. Here, here!
Yes, also, I realize there are plot holes between my explanation of Zemus and the game's. But I'll explain them... I promise! Like the whole Giant of Bab-il being sent to destroy the Blue Planet and blah blah blah. Just stay tuned. And if you MUST flame me, you can't say I didn't try to explain myself. XP
Oh yeah, cheap plug time! If you wanna see some character art, go to http://destiny.nextnexus.net and check it out, amigos! ^^
By A-Chan
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
Chapter 6
The Two Lunarians
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
Zacnaine threw another stone out over the river, watching it skip almost the whole way across before it sunk into the slowly-flowing water. His mind was full of so many thoughts, a virtual buzz of questions and fears, but not a single answer to accompany them. Not even a notion of an answer. The young hunter had been hoping after so many times of this happening, he would start to understand. He was hoping maybe that the answers would have been given to him. Of course, that wasn't true... he still felt like someone had taken his head and given it big shake, jostling all his thoughts. He always felt that way when this happened...
He always felt that way when he dreamed.
Last night, however, had been decisively different. Usually, Zac only saw one woman in his dreams. Her hair was a dark color, accented by light streaks of blue. Her dress was always an off-the-shoulder black gown that Zac swore was silken the way the light played off of it. Her eyes were dark-lashed, and a swirling myriad of purple colors. He actually found her quite attractive, but he dare not say that to her. Her exotic beauty came with the underlying sense of a predator. She was definitely a hunter of sorts. That was what made Zac respect her - at times, even look forward to dreaming just to see her. That scared him more than the questions she made him ask himself... the fact that he wanted to see her. For the past few weeks since he had begun journeying to Baron, the lady had told him he must stop the group of travelers heading there. He was to stop them in any way possible... barring not death. She said they would be very dangerous if they were to reach the castle. She was depending on him, and Zacnaine didn't want to let her down.
She had told Zac once that her name was in a language far more complicated than the common tongue, and it would take her a very long time to teach anyone not from her home world to pronounce it. So, instead, she let Zac address her by her nickname; Ladèna.
No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he should do otherwise, Zacnaine liked Ladèna. Even though the main reason she came to him was to tell him what to do, she had a way of carrying herself that charmed him. She was intelligent, graceful, quick-witted, and obviously very good-looking.
Last night, however, Ladèna had not come to see him. There had been a different woman.
She was young, and fair of face, with a deep innocence in her crystalline eyes. Her hair was devoid of any color, so light it almost shone blue, and she wore soft blues and silvers. Even softer than her color scheme was her smile, which, despite the discomfort of his situation, made Zacnaine feel a lot more secure. The only thing she had in common with Ladèna was that she had similarly pointed ears, sticking out the sides of her ample curls of hair, hooped with great, silver rings.
This new, light-haired woman had introduced herself as Dinãh. She said she wanted to help Zacnaine make the right choices, and that she wanted to help him save his home.
As Dinãh talked to Zac, he realized she was a bit... unclear at times. He couldn't quite see her clearly, or hear her clearly, like a deep mist shrouded around her, clogging out the correct rhyme and reason. It made the message very difficult for him. It gave the vision a very clouded, dream-like quality. Ladèna was crystal clear, to the point where he woke up thinking it had all been real.
She had implored that he let the party cross into the castle Baron. She said it was important that they reunite with friends back at the castle. If they did not, the fate of the world might be thrown into chaos. He could have sworn she made reference to the five heroes that defeated Zemus and Golbez years before; if not for that damned mist in his head he might have been sure! At any rate, for whatever reason, Zacnaine believed Dinãh. He wanted to believe Dinãh.
So he had let the party reach the castle.
Now, where was he? He was sitting outside the camp, cursing himself for his decision. In a moment of weakness he had let down Ladèna... and now he might never see her again. And yet, that should have been a good thing! He shouldn't care if he would 'never see Ladèna again'. It was ludicrous to be upset to never see someone again if the only place you saw them was in your dreams. She isn't real, he repeatedly told himself. Ladèna was a figment of his imagination, just like Dinãh probably was. He had no reason to do what either of them told him to do, no matter how real they seemed.
And he certainly had no reason to feel bad for it.
Zacnaine shook his head, and stood up shakily. Sleep had finally pushed itself to Zac's first priority, and he began to head back to his tent. However, the fact he would soon get some rest was no relief to him. He knew that sleep would not be a requiem from his problems.
In fact, as it was so painfully obvious, it normally caused all his problems.
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
"Palom! Don't touch that! You know, we shouldn't even be down here..."
"Pfffbbbt. Don't be such a goody-two-shoes, Porom. The guards watch this door day and night - it must be something important!"
"What could possibly be more important than following the rules King Cecil has set for us? Furthermore, what would the Elder say if he knew of our atrocious behavior?"
"He'd say 'Dude! Rock on! You discovered a secret that no one wanted you to know, and now you're even more genius than you already were!' That's what he'd say."
Porom sighed, and shook her head, continuing to somehow willingly follow her brother down the dimly-lit corridor. The guards had been very adamant that NO ONE was allowed down here without proper clearance. It had been stirring up everyone's curiosity for days, now. This morning the curiosity had bubbled over. A few of the remaining engineers were allowed into the passageway in the earliest hours of the day, and the two most curious members of the castle could ignore the mysterious pull to this entryway no longer.
Well, okay. The one most curious member. Porom wasn't even sure how she agreed to this. She knew she was half asleep when her brother came in loudly proclaiming he had found a way down into the secret hall. Maybe she had figured it was a dream?
Suddenly, she found herself walking into Palom's arm. She opened her mouth to protest, but found one of the most sincere looks of concentration on her brother's face she had ever seen.
"What is it...?" she whispered.
Palom scrunched up his nose a bit. "I hear... people... lots of them! And they're... I think they're fighting..."
Porom's eyes widened, and she tugged a bit on her twin's sleeve. "Come on, Palom... I think it's best we go, now..."
Palom was already scanning for the source of this distant noise, ignoring the quiet pleas of his sibling. He remembered something Edge had said to him the other day... something about lots of hidden triggers in the Baron castle that had been used to protect treasures and blocked rooms. As that thought filtered through his mind, his eyes lit upon a particularly decorative torch holder mounted on the wall. The other holders had been unremarkable, most made of a dull iron. This one, however, was a shiny gold, engraved with a few runes and a lion's head.
Although Porom held tight to his sleeve, and planted her feet firmly on the stony ground, Palom still managed to drag her across the floor, and with a big jump he was able to catch a grip on the torch holder.
"Porom! Help me give this thing a good yank!"
"Are you insane?!" Porom cried, while simultaneously giving her brother a good yank.
Unfortunately, that yank gave him the jerk necessary to pull down the holder. He landed on top of Porom with a fairly loud 'thump' and a cry from her.
However, the thump and cry were drowned out by the sudden rumbling and grumbling of a large section of the hallway beginning to move. Both siblings stared in wide wonder as the once solid wall groaned in protest as it lifted, the groans punctuated by the unmistakable clicks of a pulley, hoisting it upward.
As the wall finally lifted to full, the children were amazed at what they saw, and took a few stunned steps inside. Over a hundred men were busy toiling in this underground room, lining wooden walk-ways and iron-clad circuit boxes. Sounds of their work filled the stagnant air; hearty laughs, grunts, barks of orders and coordinates, the clank and spark of metal against metal, and the hum and hammer of engines and machinery.
The most shocking of all the things they saw, however, was the giant ship. It looked a lot like one of the airships that had crowded the Baronian skies as of about one year ago... only with hints of Lunarian architecture. It was a shiny blue color, dotted by round bubble-like windows of a yellow glass. It was, unlike the usual ships of the Blue Planet, long, thin, and appeared very aerodynamic.
By this point, more than a few pairs of eyes had focused on the open doorway, and the children now within their chamber, and a murmur of voices was starting up.
"Are they s'posed t'be in here?"
"Dunno, should we report 'em to th'boss?"
"Lessbring 'em in - be gentle now, y'hear?"
Porom let out a nervous little laugh, and lightly took her brother by the arm, backing towards the door.
"Well... uh... thank you very much, gentlemen, but I think we shall just be going now...! Let's go, Palom!"
Both of them turned toward the door and only took one running leap before the once-open doorway crashed down in front of them. They both gave out a scream, and turned around to find some other way out, but were met by the few of two great, big boots, topped by some very stocky, trouser-clad legs.
"An' where do you little whipper-snappers think yer goin'?!" came a gruff, scratchy voice.
Palom and Porom gulped, and then slowly looked up to see a pair of be-goggled eyes and a hook-shaped red nose poking out of a tangle of brown beard.
"Kids nowadays - no respect at all!"
Both children's eyes lit up at the one face they had expected to see here in Baron, but had yet to uncover.
"Cid!" both cried, hugging onto either of the master engineer's legs.
"Oh, Cid! I was wondering where you were!" Porom said, stepping back and taking a small curtsey.
"Dude!" Palom squealed, leaping off the former airship captain's leg. "This place is totally sweet! That is totally the freakiest looking airship ever! It's like a normal airship only a lot cooler and a lot bluer! I like blue. Blue rocks! Dude, and it has yellow windows! Yellow is kind of a sucky color. You should make 'em RED! Yeah! Red windows! Did you make it all by yourself, Cid? Huh?"
Cid blinked a few times, the action barely visible through the coke-bottle-like lenses of his goggles. "Someone oughta put a muzzle on that kid before his tongue breaks the speed limit."
"Believe me," grumbled Porom, "I'm working on it."
This caused Cid to emit a booming laugh, and he reached down to give Palom a slight slap on the shoulder (that, while slight, still caused the boy to cough and get shoved forward quite a bit). "Well, you kids should probably get outta here! I'll take ya to the back room. There's a staircase that'll take ya right to the castle lobby."
Cid began walking down one of the wooden walk-ways set up around the airship, beckoning for the twins to follow him. A few of the workers, smudged in oil and soot, gave friendly smiles and tips of their hats to the children, putting them more at ease. Cid led them to one of the walkways that was situated closer to the deck, and nimbly hopped off it. Palom followed close behind, but Porom requested that Cid help her down, which he obligingly did. It was then that the mage duo saw the man who they assumed was in charge, at least while Cid wasn't shouting commands.
He was standing on the main deck, surveying all the workers, but gave no orders. He was very tall, and stood with an air of dignity. His hair was long, near to his mid-back, and a chalk white color, which seemed to melt in with his decorative, lightly-colored clothing. His eye color, a deep blue, was visible even from across the airship, and it seemed there was a scar running along the underside of his left eye. Another odd trait he possessed were his ears. They stuck straight out, with long points. One of them was decked in silver rings. It seemed the only time he would talk was when one of the many men would come up to him and ask a question. Even then, he only seemed to give short, one or two word answers, all accompanied with a regal smile.
"Master Cid...?" quietly peeped Porom, waiting until he turned to face her. "Who is that man, in all the white?"
"Oh, him? HA!" Cid cackled, helping Porom and Palom back up onto a walkway, which led to a large, wooden door. "You'll meet him soon enough. Trust me on that one! Anyway, that door there'll lead ya out. There's a meetin' tonight - I'll see you rugrats, there, huh?"
The twins clambered along the walkway, partially glad to get out of the noisy room. Palom jumped to catch the handle, and with a great tug, was able to yank it open. However, the siblings couldn't help but give one more glance at the man in white, before exiting into the stairwell.
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
That night, the new arrivals and established leaders of the castle had an official gathering for the first time since their arrival, one week before. The only differences were that two new people were present, the elegant man from the airship included as one, and also that Kain now was chained by iron rather than by rope.
The second of the two newcomers was a young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties. She was clearly foreign, with a slender build, fair complexion, and once again, pointy ears and white hair. Unlike the man's wardrobe of almost pure white, however, she wore many light blues, and had an array of silvery jewelry.
Cecil was first to stand, and look from face to face with a tired smile.
"Greetings, to all of you..." he began, slowly lowering himself back into his seat." Hopefully we've let our tempers cool since last we met... and hopefully we've grown accustomed to the ways of the castle, and each other."
There was a slight nod from everyone about the table.
"Well, hopefully you've also all realized I have a few new people milling about my castle. This evening, I was hoping we could all get introduced, and after that, get down to some more serious business."
All eyes seemed to scan for any signs of disagreement, and after a few seconds, it seemed there were no qualms.
Almost no qualms.
"How sweet..." came Kain's mocking tone, from the corner of the room." Yes, let's all become friends, and then we can discuss some worthless and futile ideas we've managed to scrounge together in an attempt to save humanity... which is swiftly crumbling apart."
A few people shifted uncomfortably in their seats, and turned away, but Yang certainly wasn't one of them. He rose from his seat and, as regally as ever, turned to Cecil with a calm and even expression that betrayed the edge of anger in his voice.
"Your Majesty, if I were you, I would have this... distraction... escorted down to the castle dungeon," he began, and then paused, to give Kain a cold, sideways glare. "He has no place here, among us."
Kain only laughed, causing all to turn their heads with a shocked expression (and extracting the small remainder of patience from Edge, who was digging his fingers into the side of the table).
"You say that like it hurts me..." began Kain, meeting Edge's fiery glare with an abnormal amount of apathy. "Rather, I take it as a compliment. I fully understand I have no place among you idiots, and it brings a small bit of hope to me knowing that you realize this..."
Everyone was very still a moment, a bit taken aback by Kain's words. Yang narrowed his eyes in disgust, and returned to his seat with a sad shake of his head. Cecil appeared to be in shock, his mouth slightly agape, and eyes unblinking, while Rosa and Rydia both appeared very uncomfortable, turning their gaze to the tabletop. Edge flashed around six or seven different expressions of anger and shock, not sure at all how to respond. Even the man from the airship room, unfamiliar with Kain, curled his lip a bit, turning his gaze away before his anger got the better of him. The only person who stood still and kept a calm expression was the young woman who had yet to be introduced. Her eyes seemed focused on Kain, but not with anger or disgust - but more of a frustrated curiosity. She was searching for something... and she couldn't find it in his twisted demeanor. Kain seemed undaunted by the reactions of his ex-companions.
"Furthermore, I see no point in removing me from the room. It would be a shame and a cruelty to not let me be at least mildly amused by your hopeful discussion. It's hard to find ways to smile while chained, you know... don't deny me a chance at some entertainment, as long as--"
"Damn it all, Kain!" suddenly roared Edge, causing everyone to jump. He nearly exploded out of his seat, the chair flying away from him as his hand went to the hilt of Masamune, taking a few steps toward Kain with every word. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You disappear to go train yourself, because you feel weak, hoping you can come back and finally be at peace with your past... then you dare show up only to attack us? Is that your peace...!?"
A few gasps could be heard as Edge, in one fluent motion, unsheathed Masamune, and brought the sword tip to Kain's throat. He turned the blade sideways, so the flat could rest under his chin as he moved in closer to the dragoon, bringing his words to a near whisper. "Because if this is your peace, I plan to send you on to a greater sort of 'peace' that will render you much more helpful, and a hell of a lot quieter, too."
"Edge, stop," came the stern voice of Cecil, who rose from his seat. "Can't you see he just wants you to get angry?"
Edge never turned away from Kain, but kept the sword to his throat. "Well, he's doing a damn good job... I think he should be rewarded for his efforts..."
"Sir Edge," came the iron hard voice of the Fabulian king. "Release him... don't drop to his level. I know deep down you would regret any violent actions you took toward him."
A barrage of conflicting emotions swept through Edge's head. Would he really regret it if he slit open Kain's throat, right there and then? Would he be sinking to his level? Kain had always hit the wrong nerve with him, but despite all his threats otherwise, Edge didn't think he could actually kill him. It wasn't that he was scared to kill him... he just knew deep down that he would never be able to look any of his friends in the eye, again, without the guilt.
Furthermore, when he really thought about it... he didn't want to kill Kain. He didn't want to kill him because, deep down, he hoped they could convince him to be part of their group, again. It wasn't because he wanted his skill in battle on their side...
It was because he genuinely felt they had been friends.
Slowly, Edge brought the Masamune away, and slipped it back into its sheath. As stoically as possible, he turned and began to walk back to his seat, where Rydia managed a weak smile for him.
"That's right, little prince..." began Kain, stopping Edge dead in his tracks. "Walk away... Despite all that bragging and pompous preening of yours, I always knew you were a coward where it really counts."
If not for Cid and his fellow engineer leaping from their seats to hold back Edge, the next instant might have been chaotic. As foul-mouthed as Edge could sometimes be, no one had heard so many extremities stream from him in that short of a time. Kain just laughed the entire time as the oppositized engineers, Yang and Cecil all wrestled back the temperamental ninja to his seat. Even after that, it took Rydia and Rosa's quiet words to ease him back into a sane frame of mind.
Kain continued to laugh, more to himself than anyone else, very happy with his job of cracking Edge's composure.
Rydia, at this point, gave Kain a bit of a glare. She had tried to be tolerant of Kain, but her patience was growing very thin, very fast.
"Anyway..." said Cecil, with as much dignity as he could muster, sitting back down. "Why don't we discuss what we're all truly here for..."
This gained a very appreciate nod and general agreement from everyone around the table.
Cecil smiled a bit (although weakly) and placed one hand on his chest. "Well I certainly hope we all know who I am." He paused to place one hand gently on Rosa's shoulder. "And we all know my dear queen, Rosa..."
All eyes slowly turned to look at the small giggling bundle in Rosa's arms, as she turned to smile at her husband.
"But..." Cecil continued, "You might not all be familiar with Robin, here."
Everyone seemed enchanted by the existence of this small little baby. Peeking out from the blanket, one could immediately tell he was Cecil and Rosa's baby boy. His few curls were an almost luminescent blonde, mirroring that of his mother, but his eyes were a bright and calm blue, near identical to Cecil's. Only, his eyes were still young, and untouched by the current crisis of the world. There was innocence, and with that innocence everyone found hope. It was a very refreshing, and calming feeling.
"He looks just like the both of you," Rydia said quietly, her face a gentle smile, as Porom cooed a bit behind her, eliciting a small laugh from Robin.
"There is no doubting that," Yang said with a chuckle. He had known of Robin since his arrival, and oftentimes found himself sitting the child. For such a young baby, he had an excellent temperament, laughed more than slept, and was more often curious than crying.
Edward was too smitten with the image of this wide-eyed child to say anything, but Edge, who was quickly forgetting his earlier anger, always had something to say.
"So, is he a regular spitfire like his dad? Or is he a charmer like his mom?" he asked, rising from his seat to get a closer look at the child.
Rosa laughed, and held the baby out to Edge as she replied "Why not see for yourself?"
Edge looked like he wasn't sure what to do when Rosa held the baby out, and looked to Cecil with an eyebrow raised, getting a laugh from everyone.
"It's all right..." Rosa assured him. "He doesn't bite, and even if he does, he doesn't have much teeth. Go ahead and hold him!"
Edge looked around, nervously. Heaven forbid everyone see him being cutesy with the baby. "...are you sure?"
Rosa once again held the baby out a bit, with a smile. "I'm a little tired... I think I might go lay down. Who knows? You might find Robin likes you a lot."
"Come on, Edge!" urged Rydia, beaming nearly from ear to ear. "He's so cute! Bring him back over here so I can see him!"
"Ugh. Whatever!" cried Edge, lightly taking the baby from Rosa. There was a moment of silent introduction between Robin and Edge, looking into each other's faces. Edge did his signature lift of an eyebrow, which caused a slow smile to spread on Robin's face. He appreciatively clapped his hands a few times, which got Edge to smirk. Rosa then politely excused herself from the table, giving a short bow to everyone in attendance, before disappearing out the room's rusted back exit.
"Well, as long as we're doing introductions," Edge began, sitting down with Robin, who was very entertained with Rydia cooing at him. "I'm the king... uh... well... I was the king of the nation of ninjas, Eblan..." Edge trailed off a little, gaining more than a few sympathetic looks (Kain not included). "...I suppose, now, I'm the last."
"You are certainly still a king among us, Sir Edge," Yang stated, proudly.
That got a bit of a grin out of Edge, and a giggle from the baby. "I always said, Yang, old buddy, if not an Eblanite, pray you're born Fabulian."
Rydia rolled her eyes at Edge's arrogance, but the rest of the table got a slight laugh, under their breath, knowing from Edge that was as sincere a compliment as any. "He means well, Yang... you know he does."
Yang chuckled a bit, and nodded, good-naturedly.
"Well, I'm Rydia Drake, summoner of Mist and the Land of Summoned Monsters. It's a pleasure to be here, with all of you!" Rydia stated with a smile. "These two, here..." she continued, waving one hand at Palom and Porom. "Are Palom and Porom of Mysidia."
"And, might I add!" cried Porom, hopping to her feet. "My brother is quite disrespectful! If he should do anything to offend you, please, just tell me, and I shall discipline him, as necessary."
As if to punctuate her speech, a very loud "Kweh!" echoed in the large council room.
"Oh!" exclaimed Rydia, leaning under the table, and returning to an upright position holding the small, yellow fluff ball. "And this is Roland Benjamin. We call him 'Rolly' for short... I'm currently training him as a chocobo mount, but, er, he's a little small yet!"
Everyone smiled or giggled at the baby bird, save Edge, who sneered a bit. At this point, the gathering looked over to Yang, who had yet to speak.
Yang, looking from face to face, stood, and as regally as ever, introduced himself. "I am the former king of Fabul, Yang Fang Leiden. I only say 'former' to express the fact my people are currently without a home... we plan to rebuild as soon as we do our part to restore this planet's peace."
When it was clear Yang was done introducing himself, he turned and nodded at his nephew, who had been sitting quietly next to him. On this signal, Ekin stood, and dropped into a deep bow to the rest of the table.
"This," continued Yang, "is my nephew, Ekin Chang. One year ago, he was training to become one of Fabul's top guards. Since then, he has completed his training, and is personal guard and council to me. He was instrumental in the evacuation of Fabul, and has saved many-a-life."
Yang sat down, and smiled proudly at his nephew, who, with the speech now over, returned to his seat, as well. He then gestured loosely to Prince Edward, who looked around like a deer caught in airship head-lights.
"I... well... I am Prince Edward Chris von Muir, of Damcyan. I know I don't look very royal, but... well... I prefer a life as a bard.... but I do assure you I'm royalty!"
"Well!" suddenly boomed Cid, causing Edward to jump, and then wring his cloak nervously. "My name's Cid Pollendina! I'm the head engineer of the Red Wings project, and also the chief of the Enterprise! However, I gotta hand it to this guy--" Cid smacked his tall, light-haired companion on the back, hard, causing the tall, graceful man to jerk forward a bit with a cough, "--for helpin' us out with this newest project!"
"Thank you.. Master Cid..." he said hesitantly, his voice rich and deep, straightening to his full height. "I suppose, on that note, I'll introduce myself. Forgive me if I carry on - I tend to be rather wordy."
All the newcomers who had yet to see this enigma, seemed to settle down and listen. They had been curious about him, and the female, since they had set eyes on them, and hoped to have their questions answered.
"My name is Aedam Ko'Prenne, and I am here to assist Master Cid in engineering a new model of airship. I have knowledge of ship technology that I think will not only bolster defenses upon the craft, but also range and accessibility. Steering and control may also be simplified and automated, and therefore more attention can be paid to weaponry, as maneuverability will be built in."
Not many people were following the speech, but nodded as if they could, so as not to seem like idiots. Cid had always handled the airships, personally - he had never been kind enough to explain the different areas of airship technology to them, and what would affect what.
"Actually," continued Aedam, pausing to smile at the young lady next to him, "we've traveled a very long way to assist all of you in the salvation of your planet."
The young woman nodded, and smiled gently at the group. The warmth in her smile seemed to make time slow down, and when she finally spoke, it seemed to stop the clock all together.
"Aedam and I are honored to be here. It's actually not very often we're blessed with even seeing the Blue Planet, and now to be here..." she paused a moment, surveying the room, and all the awed faces in it. "You have a lovely homeland, despite the troubled times you now find yourself in. But... I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that."
"This is my wife, Dinãh. She has a vast knowledge of magical practices, of all sorts," Aedam explained, placing one hand upon the much shorter woman's shoulder, and taking her hand with his other, drawing her to him.
"Of course," she added, with a small laugh, turning her blue gaze to Palom and Porom, "I had no idea children on the Blue Planet became so elite with both black and white magic at such a young age."
"Oh, yeah! Well, I'm above average." Palom began to boast. "I've been training since I was--uh.. Wait.."
Porom blinked a few times, and then quizzically raised an eyebrow. "With all due respect, Miss Dinãh... how did you know my brother and I use magic?"
Cid let out a booming laugh, smacking Aedam on the back, again. "They're not from 'round these parts, you two! They know a fair share more than any of us, I reckon!"
The twins looked from Cid, and back to Aedam and Dinãh, their faces plainly showing their bafflement.
Aedam showcased his eased smile, removing his hand from his wife's shoulder. "Believe it or not, we're actually akin to His Majesty of Baron."
Palom and Porom's eyes first narrowed a bit in confusion, then widened as the stately engineer finished his sentence.
"Only, my mother was a Lunarian as well as my father."
Everyone was a bit taken aback at this news, some reeling back in their seats, others stunned in silence.
Palom wasn't one of them.
"DUDE! You're from the moon!? YOU ARE from the Moon!" blurted Palom. "Is that why you wear WAY too much white? To be, like, camouflaged? Because if sommfff..." Palom would have continued, but was finding it difficult with Porom's hand clamped over his mouth.
"I.. I think the white is quite... handsome..." murmured Porom, pushing her brother back in his seat.
Aedam quirked an eyebrow a bit at this, but continued to smile. "Well... to answer your question, I actually wear the light colors to represent my region. I am Lunarae'ja, or 'of the light.' That means I'm from the side of the moon that usually faces the sun. Dinãh is Aqueo'ja, or 'of the blue', and her region usually faces your Blue Planet. It's all cultural, you see."
"Ooooooh."
"Neat stuff, huh?" asked Cid, with a grin. "Anyway, Aedam's not only Looney Java or whatever, but he also knows what's goin' on with th--"
"Um... not to be rude, Master Cid, but it's Lunarae'ja, not Loon--"
"Right, right, Lumpy Razor, whatever. He also knows what's goin' on with the black knights!"
This definitely caught everyone's attention. Even Kain turned to face the Lunarian couple.
Aedam sighed, and nodded solemnly. "Yes... I know what is happening to your planet. That's part of the reason Master Fu So Ya has sent u--"
"Master Fu So Ya?!" came a chorus from around the table. Even Cecil seemed shocked, and one could reason he hadn't heard this bit of information from his new Lunarian citizens.
"Yes," sighed Aedam, rubbing his temple with his index finger and thumb, still not used to so many interruptions. "Master Fu So Ya sent us in his stead, so that he might survey actions upon the moon, and we could attempt to help here."
"He sends his prayers and blessings to you, and wishes very much he could come see all of you," added in Dinãh.
"In the meantime, perhaps I should enlighten you of your situation?"
"Amen!" exclaimed Edge, slumping back in his chair, with Robin in his lap. "Fill us in, by all means!"
Rydia lightly socked Edge in the shoulder, getting a 'what was that for?!' look out of him. "What he means to say is, that would be very kind of you."
Aedam smiled, again, and thus began the tale...
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
A long time ago, upon the moon, there was a king of every region, the Lunarae'ja, the Aqueo'ja, and the Nocte'ja, or 'of the darkness', the side opposite the sun. The king of the Aqueo'ja was a great sage named Danun Ron, who would oftentimes spin fairytales of the distant Blue Planet. The king of the Lunarae'ja was Ohjara Mýlar, an upstanding warrior who would fight to the death for his people. Lastly, there was the king of the Nocte'ja, who appeared outwardly to be a very wise, and worthy leader, once notated as a famous scribe. However, deep down, his soul was as black as the side of the moon he ruled over, and his mind was twisted with ideas of one day ruling all the regions of the moon.
This king's name was Ze Mus, or as you know him, Zemus.
He used his political power to fuel his true desires, and his underlying plots for conquest. His entire court was just puppets to him, and he would pull their strings accordingly to get things accomplished for his own evil purposes. He would gain magical information from the land of Aqueo'ja, tricking the peaceful land into thinking his inquiry was for medicinal purposes, or for ways to help construct and detonate their considerable ore mines. From Lunarae'ja, they stole past battle plans, technological information, all in the name of history, and of inscribing it forever into the books, for generations to remember.
All of this knowledge he took, and he mutated. He concocted newer, stronger types of potion and enchantments. He smithed armor harder than Bahamut's scales, and endowed that armor with deep magical powers. His weaponry was able to attain the ultimate effectiveness, as was his artillery, which in other places was still merely experimental, and in most cases, forbidden. He founded new chants and spells, all in the name of devastation, and what white magic he did take, he learned how to amplify, bringing his soldiers to a level of near invincibility. He used his small army for experimentation, although a better word would be torture. He would work spell upon spell over their helpless forms, crippling or mutilating some, and killing others. Of course, none of that mattered to him, as long as he eventually could work out a satisfactory result.
What it all boiled down to, however, was this; no matter how powerful he made his magical equipment and soldiers, they would always eventually run out of power. It seemed whatever source of power he gave them, much like magical energy, they would quickly exhaust it. He needed an easily replenishable source of energy - something someone would never run out of, and could always use to motivate them.
It wasn't until one of his attendants returned from a scouting mission to Lunarae'ja and through Aqueo'ja that he received a possible source...
One piece of information this attendant brought back was a magical scripture. It contained some of the less-heeded black magic spells, ones that were deemed overall ineffective, and not to be used in a war situation for danger concerns. Another was a historical tidbit on a sword and spear once used when the moon was still divided, and in a state of civil war. The spell that caught Zemus's eye was a banished version of the berserk spell, which would cause a man to become consumed with rage, and attack everything that he saw, driven on by pure adrenaline. He would not stop, not until everything (including allies) was destroyed. And then, once everything was gone, even then he would continue to attack, ruining the land around him. In relation to the weapons, they had been crafted in the fires of the core of the moon, and could amplify the emotions of whoever held them. When a soldier had hope for victory, the weapons could help reflect that, casting healing spells and glowing with radiance. If a soldier was scared, the weapon would lose all power, becoming about as helpful as a wooden dummy sword. When the soldier was angry, or vengeful, it could increase its power near one-hundred fold.
It was therein that he found the answer.
Rage...
Anger...
Vengeance...
Jealousy...
Bitterness...
All these emotions brought such a pure, unbridled energy to that which they affected. They made a man forget his morals, and fight, purely to fight. They could cloud judgment while clearing all other barriers to attack. And what was at the head of them all?
Hatred.
If only he could find a way to harness this power... then he would be invincible. He would be the new ruler of the moon.
Zemus immediately began research, trying to find a way to fuse this emotion as an energy. He tried countless spells, enchantments, welds, extractions - but nothing worked. There was no way to take that energy out, and put it as the center of power. It always remained within the body, but he wanted a main power source. A pure aura of hatred, something so dark and loveless it would power an army of his soldiers.
But what could ever act as a stronghold for that power?
One night, as it is said in legend, he had a dream... a dream of a woman, dressed in all black, with narrowed and untrusting eyes. She helped him solve his problems, by explaining if one were to sacrifice their body to the hatred, that individual would act as a perfect vessel for the kind of magnitude he wished. Just imagine; a being made of pure hate. The only question was, who was he willing to trust in that position?
That answer was obvious, as he himself, was willing to do this sacrifice.
And so, in his private chambers, he slaved for months to prepare and perfect the process, the dream lady appearing every so often to help guide him. He had his high priests take care of the final touches, and perform the ritual upon him. It is said it took three days to finally reach the end, and when the final incantations were uttered, the room exploded in an inferno of black fire. The priests were incinerated, and Zemus was believed to be, too... but we all know the truth...
The ritual was complete, and he was one with the hatred. He had become consumed by it, and changed his name from Ze Mus, or "uncertain" or "emotional", and took on a new godly name - Ze Ro Mus, or "master of the emotion". All know him today as Zeromus...
However, a price came with this power...
He was banished to the center of the moon, where he could not communicate face to face with the outside world. They placed him in a monstrous body that acted as a lidded jar - holding in his evil, and not allowing it to escape. He raged on in that center of the world, spawning monsters and other evils, but none could ever be allowed to the surface. He was doomed to spend the rest of eternity trapped in that deformed shell, his influence only usable upon his equally trapped monsters.
Time went on without him. A new family, the Donovans, cousins of Zeromus's family, inherited the Nocte'ja lands when Zeromus's brother turned down the throne. Engine technology came about, and new magical spells continued to expand the nations. Eventually, Lunarians even found ways to go to the Blue Planet via advanced airships, although few ever did. For centuries, things were fine...
Until Zeromus found ways to spread his hatred indirectly. By using mind control over those prone to all the negative feelings he ruled over, he learned information about the Crystals of the Blue Planet. They had unspoken power, and could open portal ways and paths between the two planets. If they could break those sorts of bonds, perhaps they could help him shatter his captivity. However, to find out, he would need the crystals brought to him from the Blue Planet. He could use their power both to transport his pawn to the moon, and then to hopefully free himself.
That poor person he found was Cecil's brother, Golbez. While Cecil was overall a loving, and hopeful person, Golbez had a dark side to him... a dark, and easily swayed side. Through this, Zeromus was able to control him, and use him to gather the crystals.
When Cecil, Rosa, Kain, Edge and Rydia finally made it to the moon, he had felt his plans were ruined, and that the crystals could no longer help him. However, he secretly plotted to rid himself of the Blue Planet nuisances, and then find a new plan to free himself. He never expected his first body to be destroyed by the five, much less his ultimate form. As he sunk into the darkness, he felt the hate well up, for what he believed the last time. Zeromus's body crumbled away, blackened chunks disintegrating into the moon's core, until nothing remained...
...or so it seemed.
That body that had imprisoned captured Zeromus was now gone. His hate was its own free entity, and he could not control all that were prone to that negativity he radiated. It was now possible for him to control someone on the moon, and re-enact his plans from so many eons ago. His choice was Addyan'de Donovan, the newest prince of Nocte'ja.
He corrupted the sometimes shy, and uncertain young man into a twisted, and over-powerful egotist. He helped him resurrect his long forgotten plans and spells, erecting a new army of Dark Knights, with the power to use his central hatred and imbue it into others, forming more soldiers for his army through various enchantments and curses.
The moon quickly fell to Zeromus's pawn, Addyan, and his dark armies. Those that survived escaped to the many lunar caverns, and still hide there, today. Now, he has spread his conquest to the Blue Planet...
This must not happen. Zeromus must be stopped, here. There is still time... there is still a way...
There is still hope...
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
Soon after Aedam explained all, the meeting was dismissed. Plans would begin in the morning to try and figure out a way to beat these Dark Knights, before they could touch Baron.
And so it was, all went to their chambers, to prepare for the first step.
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
When Zacnaine awoke, he was in a dark room, lit only by one black-wax candle, and he was lying down amongst a sea of velveteen pillows. He let his gaze finally settle onto a sleek, black table at the opposite end of the room. On it was set a vase of a similar smooth, dark make, but within the vase was the only sprig of color in the entire room - a purple rose. Zac's eyes widened as slow recognition lit his face. This was Ladèna's room... the one he had 'awoken' in so many times before. He knew, because her trademark was that purple rose. It was always there... Before he could come to any more conclusions, a melodious female voice directed his attention to one of the darker corners of the room.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Zacnaine."
Ladèna stepped out of the shadows, her arms crossed across her chest. She was in the customary black dress, and her dark tresses curled down her back, the candlelight playing strange tricks with her eyes. Zac immediately blanched at her show of disapproval towards him.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean for you to get angry, Ladèna..."
This caused Ladèna to unfold her arms, placing them gently at her sides. She raised an eyebrow slightly, taking a slow step towards Zac.
"Angry? Zacnaine, darling, I said I was disappointed... but of course, I'm not angry."
It was now Zac's turn to raise an eyebrow, sitting up a bit straighter.
"You're not angry? I disobeyed you."
Ladèna shook her head with a laugh, walking gracefully to Zac's side, and then kneeling amongst the pillows. She placed a hand gently upon his shoulder, and smiled up into his eyes.
"Zacnaine, I'm not angry with you! I could never be angry with you!"
"Really...? Even after I--"
"Now, hush!" Ladèna waved off Zacnaine's outburst, and put one finger delicately to his lips. "No more of those silly regrets. You were confused. That... woman... confused you."
Something about the way Ladèna's voice went so cold and bitter when speaking of Dinãh sent a chill down Zac's spine. He moved back from her touch a bit, something he rarely did. Suddenly, he felt obligated to stand up for himself.
"I was not confused!" he snapped, causing Ladèna to draw her hand back completely. "Just because I don't do what you tell me, now, suddenly you think I was confused?" Zacnaine leveled his gaze with her, and much to his surprise, he could see sincere hurt in her eyes, where normally he saw nothing but his own reflection.
"I'm sorry, Zacnaine... Sometimes I forget..." Ladèna trailed off a bit, as she began to rise from the floor. "...sometimes I forget you need to make your own decisions. And sometimes I forget how strange I must seem to you--"
Zac caught her arm before she could fully stand, causing her to cut herself off mid-sentence. The hunter tried to get a good look in her eyes, again, to see if the hurt was still there. He involuntarily sighed when he saw that glimpse of emotion was gone. Once again, he could decipher nothing from her. That, however, was not the point - it had been there. He had seen it once, and that was all it took for him to know this lady was not made of stone. Deep down, she had to care, somewhere.
"You aren't strange to me," he said quietly, releasing her arm. He turned his gaze downward so he wouldn't have to meet her eyes, again. Everything was silent, then, with her standing there in front of him, his eyes turned to the floor.
"Please don't leave..." he murmured, after a moment. "I felt lost when you weren't the one I saw in the dream... I don't know what I'd feel like if you just left."
Zacnaine let out a sigh of relief when he felt the pillows shift as she sat next to him. Ladèna took his hand, and interlacing her fingers with his, she rested her head against his shoulder.
"It's all right. You needn't be lost anymore," she whispered into his ear.
Zac took a deep breath, then tilted his head so that his cheek leaned against Ladèna's forehead. "I just... I feel like there's something wrong with me... I feel like... like I have some demons to deal with..."
"Zacnaine... I have nothing to trouble you with tonight," Ladèna said, lifting her head from Zac's shoulder and giving his hand a small squeeze. He turned to face her, and she smiled at him, smoothing his hair behind one ear with her free hand.
"Now, just hush and close your eyes..." she began, using the same hand to lightly guide him down onto the pillows. "Hush and sleep... for I'll not let the demons plague you tonight, child. You don't have to be scared, and I promise you won't be lost, either."
Zacnaine could feel his head begin to swim as the dream started to fade. He didn't want to go back to sleep! The questions would just be there once he woke up, again. He was so sick of questions. He just wanted to be here, where there were no questions... it was just him, and Ladèna, and everything was so simple.
"Ladèna, I don't want to wake up all alone..." Zac began, but he found it hard to express his proper feelings as his senses slowly drained from him. Distantly, it seemed, he could hear Ladèna's light laugh.
"Oh, darling Zacnaine, I would never leave you all alone.... See, I'm right here beside you, now... And I will always guide you...
Always."
• • • ~ ¤ » ‡ « ¤ ~ • • •
A/N: Okay! There it is! I spent many a sleepless night writing this. And yes, I know it took very long, and believe me, I got majorly chewed out by a few people for it! But at least that means people wanna see more of it! I haven't given up, yet, and hopefully Chapter 7 will come up a lot sooner than 6. Here, here!
Yes, also, I realize there are plot holes between my explanation of Zemus and the game's. But I'll explain them... I promise! Like the whole Giant of Bab-il being sent to destroy the Blue Planet and blah blah blah. Just stay tuned. And if you MUST flame me, you can't say I didn't try to explain myself. XP
Oh yeah, cheap plug time! If you wanna see some character art, go to http://destiny.nextnexus.net and check it out, amigos! ^^