~*~Chapter 12 A victory~*~
Rubicant pushed Milon aside and lifted Kain by the throat.
"Why don't you make yourself a bit comfortable, you pest?" the fiend in red clothes growled and threw the dragoon towards the middle of the room.
Kain heavily hit the floor and tried to sit up to make the world stop spinning. But before he was able to move, he was violently lifted again. Rubicant easily held him above the ground by his shoulder, and waved a bit with the free hand. A flame erupted from the floor and formed a chair. By the fiend's command, the fire turned into burned iron, and Kain was thrown down at it. His arms hit the two elbow rests, and at once his wrists were chained onto the dark metal. By instinct he tried to break free, but he already knew it was pointless to even try. Rubicant violently ripped off Kain's helmet and sent it flying into the corner where Milon had dumped the spear.
"Now you just sit here like a good boy and wait for Golbez," the fiend sneered.
Kain caught Valvalis' eyes through the jumping stars, but she resolutely looked away.
"How long do you think it will take to awake the giant of Bab-Il?" Kainazzo thoughtfully said, almost as he had forgotten the dragoon upon deposit.
"A couple of days," Rubicant said, turning away from Kain, "maybe a week even. It hasn't moved in a while, as you know. Might be hard to get to move."
"Giant…?" Kain harshly whispered.
"It isss a weapon of the lunarians," Milon hissed, smirking, "it will bring all humansss to sssweet death, for the glory of our massster."
"Why…?" Kain muttered in a hoarse voice, "Valvalis, Rubicant, you said that you were once human, how can you…"
"I could make his armor melt while he's wearing it…" Rubicant thoughtfully snarled, "that was centuries ago, you little pest. We only obey our master's wishes."
"Roassst him!" Milon hissed, hopeful.
"No, I won't. I'll leave him to Golbez, though it is most tempting."
Valvalis said nothing. She just resolutely looked at the floor, with firmly clenched fists.
"I see you've been playing a bit," Golbez' voice said, sarcastically.
He stepped out from his usual shadow.
"Had fun?" the man in black asked the fiends, with raised eyebrows.
"Not as fun as we could have had," Kainazzo grumbled.
"Better not, that will have to wait."
Golbez turned to Kain, who stubbornly met his cold glance.
"Now then," Golbez growled, "I will seize control of your mind, even if it's the last thing I do."
"Well then, go on," Kain snarled, "this time it won't be as easy as you think!"
"You're truly a fool."
The man dressed in black raised his hands, and Kain's brain caught fire. But he clamped his teeth and put up his whole will against it. Knowing no magic, he used all the memories of Cecil and his other friends to create a wall against the evil influence. Golbez frowned and clenched his fists; Kain concentrated on the memory of Cecil's and Rosa's laughter. His head throbbed with agony, but he fought the spell back.
'Concentrate…' he thought, 'Cecil is my friend, he is my friend! Don't scream, mustn't loose concentration… Cecil is my friend! Rosa, Rydia and Cid are my friends!'
"Clever, I give," Golbez snarled, "but it won't work in the long term!"
The pain was getting unbearable, but Kain refused to give up.
'Cecil!' he thought, 'he won't loose hope…! I trust in him, because he is my friend, he won't let this giant destroy the planet! Cecil… Rosa, Rydia… Cid… Valvalis…!'
It was as if the fiend had heard him think of her; she looked at him with her eyes almost imperceptibly widened. Kain himself didn't really know why he had thought about the fiend of Air, but somehow, his mind had caught the memory of her shivering voice as she had spoken to Zemus and Rubicant. And that memory made him feel compassion towards her. His lips moved a little; not a word, not a grimace, not a smile. They just moved a bit.
'I care, Valvalis, I didn't want to kill you… you were a prisoner just like me, and you're scared!'
She turned away with a small shudder. But no one else was looking at her.
"Most fascinating," Golbez snarled, "and irritating beyond compare."
He lowered his hands and Kain heavily fell back, gulping for air.
"You have become much stronger than I expected," the man in black armor growled, "then we'll just have to let you become a bit weaker."
"Will you leave him to us?" Kainazzo said, hope dribbling from his voice.
"No," Golbez said with an evil smile, "time will help us instead, time, hunger and thirst. That will bring even the strongest down. Come, we must begin working on powering up the giant."
"Very well," Rubicant said with a harsh glance at Kainazzo.
All five of them disappeared through their own element; Milon in a fountain of mud. Kain leaned back, smiling broadly of triumph. He was aware that he would soon suffer nature's own, cruel torments, but the victory made him feel that starving was a minor event.
He had been able to withstand, he had been stronger than Golbez! If it was only for a brief time that he was victorious, so let it be that way, one victory was better than nothing at all.
A few hours later his throat was beginning to get dry, but he refused to surrender the remaining flame of triumph in his chest. It kept burning even as his armor started to feel like it was made of a thousand needles, all trying to penetrate his skin. After surely ten hours, he fell asleep of the pure exhaust to keep his strength up.
Since there were no windows in the room, he wasn't sure for how long he had slept. The flashing lights on the white walls began to make him dizzy, Kain closed his eyes to stay sane. He thought about his friends, went through his whole life and all his dreams and hopes to keep his mind strong. His stomach moaned about being empty, his throat felt like it was made of torn paper.
'I mustn't give up…' Kain thought, resolute, 'I know that Golbez will try again sooner or later, but I will by no means beg for mercy!'
An eternity seemed to pass, and he slowly fell into half unconsciousness, weaker and weaker for every minute that passed.
There was a sound similar to the wind's warm whispering in the treetops, and then slow, soft footsteps.
"Val… va… lis…?" Kain harshly whispered.
"You're such a fool!" she growled.
Kain felt a smooth edge by his lips and managed to open his mouth enough for the cool liquid from the cup to be poured over his dry tongue. His throat burned as he swallowed the water, but it felt much better immediately.
"Don't lit any false hopes," Valvalis snarled, "I'm only doing this because my master wants you to survive a little while longer, and Golbez don't understand that you are about to die."
Kain slowly managed to force his eyes open. The fiend of Air snorted.
"You know you can't fight, why don't you give up and spare yourself all this?" she snapped.
"Hope…" Kain whispered, and his lips even moved into a tiny smile, "it is what leaves the human last of all."
"There is no hope!" Valvalis snarled, "there never was! Nothing can stop my master! Fighting Golbez back means nothing!"
"That I am held captive means nothing… Cecil and the others will find a way to stop even your master."
"What does it take for you to understand that it is impossible?!"
"How do you know that?" Kain asked, "has anyone ever tried?"
She opened her mouth, froze and closed it again. She and Kain stared at each other for a moment.
"It is impossible," she finally snapped, resolutely, "he is far too strong for any human to defeat. You have felt his presence yourself; that evil mind can bring anyone to kneel before him."
"How did you end up in his clutches?" Kain asked.
That one really startled her.
"What did you say!?"
"I heard you speak with Rubicant in the tower of Zot," the dragoon said.
His head was thrown at his armored shoulder as her palm violently hit his cheek.
"You!" she growled with unsteady voice, "you have no sense of gratitude, do you?! Have you any idea what you can bring me to by causing imbalance in me?!"
Kain calmly looked back at her eyes. They were filled with rage and fear.
"I'm sorry about that, Valvalis," he said.
She raised her hand once more, but didn't slap again. Instead she turned away, shivering with anger.
"I am a fiend!" she growled, "and I am going to help my master destroy your planet! Why don't you hate me, you pathetic insect?!"
Kain said nothing. Valvalis spun around and grabbed his hair, pulling his head backwards.
"Answer me!" she snarled.
"I can't…" Kain stuttered, clenching his teeth, "you told me not to cause imbalance."
"I'll break your blasted neck, you…!"
'That is good, my beauty,' a familiar, cold voice said, 'I see that you finally try to fight your humanity back. But you better not kill him yet.'
"As you wish, master," Valvalis said and let go of Kain.
The dragoon felt that a dark gaze rested upon him, but he clenched his fists and forced himself to stare at the opposite wall, not to look at the shadow that sent coldness through the room.
'You are truly stubborn,' Zemus said, 'almost even more than Valvalis was. Fascinating, really.'
Kain said nothing.
'It doesn't matter,' the more or less telepathic voice continued, 'there are more than one way to break a strong will, and you are fading quickly.'
"Are that all you care about, demon?" Kain asked, "to control me?"
'You are very brave or most foolish, human, to dare talk to me like that.'
"Maybe I should fear you, but I don't."
'Valvalis once said something similar. Fascinating…'
The fiend of Air resolutely looked at the floor.
'Humans are such strange creatures,' Zemus said, 'you know that your planet is going to be destroyed, and yet you refuses to surrender hope?'
"I have never believed in the Apocalypse," Kain said with a strange smile, "tomorrow is another day."
'Not for much longer. I will let you see what happens with your own eyes, then maybe you will come to your senses.'
The evil presence left. After a moment, Valvalis did the same.
Kain kept awake a while longer, but then he fell into something which was a mixture of unconsciousness and sleep.