Vision VIII : Tenshi no Mau hi ~ the day the angel flew ~

Millennia has a weird dream. She was falling, so tired that she couldn't save herself with magic. But someone with angel's wing appeared and caught her.

She woke up, her forehead hurting her as if she had been burn. She saw Merle and Van, having a picnic in the woods.

"You are awake?  How do you do?" asked van, still cooking.

"I feel very bad. Do I have something on the forehead ? I feel like I've burn."

"Don't touch the bandage or you'll hurt more!" exclaimed Merle.

"What happened? I just remember the red guymelef and then my head was hurting too much."

"And then Allen came to save you. Isn't it a good story? The knight saving a good little girl."

"That's not it!" yelled Millennia blushing as she saw Van's look.

"Why did you call him in you dream?" asked Merle the cat-girl with a devil smile.

"Nani?" she blushed twice more but didn't continue to argue with her. Merle wanting to annoy her pulled out of her travel bag various objects ( like cellular phone, diary and the MD player). Merle tried everything with her teeth, provoking Millennia's yells and Van's smile.

Later in the evening, as Merle was sleeping and Van practicing, Millennia was daydreaming, her pendant before her eyes, in front of Escaflowne's chest.

"Don't you think there is a link between the pendant and the stone you took out of the Dragon?"

Van stopped practicing and looked surprised at the mystic girl. She moved to him and looked at the sword with sadness.

"If you want to practice, I let you use this one."

"Is it something you buy for me?"

He nodded. She looked with precaution at the dagger and attached it to heart waist.

"Hum, thanks, but I'm too tired to practice now. I'm surprised, because you guys are so old fashioned here! But I like to watch you practicing, don't stop for me. The move from Gaea are very different from the Earthian ones."

She sat down and watched Van practicing a moment. After a moment, Millennia looked at the stars and then saw the Earth. Van stopped his movement hearing her sobbing.

"Are you missing Earth?"

She tried to stop the tears which were coming.

"Yes, I'm wondering if there is someone who's missing me? I'm sure Ryô is yelling at me because I didn't give him the concert place in time. And I don't know if Hitomi has resolved her heart's problem. I miss them."

"You don't talk about your family…"

"I have none. Even my god mother died a few years ago. That's why I decided to come back to Japan. But it was a really bad idea. I had so much happy but sad memories there… You are very lucky to still have your brother Van."

"I no more have a brother." He said angrily.

"But Folken is still alive, isn't he?"

"My brother did ten years ago. This one is just a fake!"

She gasped at his tone. Noticing that, he took time to calm and sat near her.

"You know, everyone around me has died for a long time now. Merle is my only family right."

"War is never fair for innocents…"

"That's why I want to end this one. I know that I'm not strong enough, I need to practice more. I heard one of three gaean sword master live in Fleid. I'll go there. What are you going to do?"

"What can I do? No one is waiting for me on the 'mystic moon'. And I have a lot to discover on my power here. Perhaps may I find who I truly am? I don't know…"

She laid on the herbs and watched the stars playing with the moon and Earth and sighed.

"I think I'm more helpful here than there. And I'm not in danger when I use my magic."

"I'll be glad if you consider to continue your trip with me.  "

She smiled and took his hand before falling asleep.

Allen meanwhile has been imprisoned. Mirana complained to her father, the King, telling him that he was the only real protector of Asturia, with no effect. And then she understood that the King helped Zaïbach in conquering the duchy of Fleid in exchange of the peace of Asturia. Mirana was so exhausted by her father's decision that she left. She wanted to go to Fleid were the Heir is the son her beloved sister Marlene. But she knew that she hadn't the guts to protect him and decided to ask for Allen's help.

Mirana went to Allen's prison cell, defying the guard, who told her she can't come through. She pretended to fall, and while the guard was distracted by a show of royal leg, he was knocked on the head by Allen's men.

Mirana took Allen by coach to the landing field, where his airship was tethered. Her older sister, Eries, was waiting at the landing field and tried to dissuade Mirana from her course of action which was, evidently, to flee with Allen. Allen put Mirana back in the coach, telling her to return, kissed her, and then made his escape on the Crusade.

Van, Millennia were slowly moving in the forest. The girls were sitting on Escaflowne shoulder separated because Van couldn't stand anymore their argue. Suddenly, Millennia stood up and breathed deeply the air. She concentrated a second, not answering Merle's question. Then she jumped from the guymelef and using some unknown spell she began  to run faster than Escaflowne could between the three. In a minute, Van lost her but Merle told him she can follow Millennia's sent from miles away and leaded him to an opencast quarry.

Men were labouring to dig out the remains of dragons. They found Millennia, her hands on her mouth trying to avoid her heave. She had regained conscious of herself but was very touched by the profanation of the Dragon's cemetery.

"Why are they disturbing the dragons?" she asked between two heaves.

"The purpose of the diggings is to collect the energist. They are use to energise the guymelef. It is weel known that the land who posses the most important reserve of Energist win the war."

"Van, Is the stone in Escaflowne's heart…"

"It is the energist taken from an alive dragon and I'm bound to it with a blood pact. It's the same principle, but one energist is enough for my entire life."

"So if we destroy the reserve, Zaïbach is going to have big trouble, right?" asked Millennia, a devil smile on her lips.

"Millennia don't…"

But she has already taken the dagger he just gave her and moved. He tried to catch her but couldn't do anything.

"Damn, when her eyes turn mauve, I can't do anything to protect her form herself!"

Van, in Escaflowne, mounted an attack, attacking the guymelef Millennia had left to him with her magic. After a few moment, Millennia escaped the battlefield and looked from above were to hit. A lizard ran in front of her. She tried to make it understand that it would be better if it get out of the place when soldiers appear all around her and asked her to calm down or they'll make Merle suffer. She sketched a movement but suddenly her body failed her. Her headache was back, her forehead was burning. She couldn't move any further and was captured.

"Hey you in the Guymelef!"

Van turned to see who was calling him and saw an unconscious Millennia in the arms of a soldier.

"I think it would be better for every one if you surrender."

Van let his Escaflowne's sword down and get out of the cockpit.

Van was tied up and being beaten. Millennia maintained up by two soldier was slowly regaining balance and awareness of the situation around her. She recognized the nasty type with that snake she had seen in her vision. He was questioning Van, but the young king with all the rage in his burning eyes was not ready to give him any information.

"What a shame you don't want to talk to me. I'm smarter that Dilandau would be, if he has been the one to catch you two guys. Could you imagine my chance? I catch in one single battle the two dragons Dornick was searching for years. Now Young Man, Tell me where are those two dragons. I know that you have them!"

He hit Van in the face. Blood flew from Van's lips but he didn't say a word.

"Stop it!!" yelled Millennia before he slapped her, getting a reaction from Van.

"I see. Then I'll torture the girl, don't you think my little friend?"

He set his snake to slither up Millennia's legs. Van was yelling at him to let Millennia out of this. Millennia's eyes want wide when the snake touched her skin. She was shivering, but didn't let any sounds get out of her throat. Her eyes slowly closed, making Van yelled more. The snake's head was waving near Millennia's face when a sadist smile appeared in the corner of her lips. She was whispering words.

"What is she telling?" asked the 'superior' guy.

"We don't know sir. We can't hear what she says."

"Spirits of nature and earth, don't your children offend you and help us to protect the heart of those who honoured you… BBBBAAAAGGGGIIII!!!!" yelled Millennia.

The head of the snake exploded and Millennia was suddenly surrounded by a sphere of wind. Van use the diversion to grab a sword and turned the tables on their attackers. He placed himself between The sphere and the snake-man. The sphere exploded and Millennia's feet touched earth.

"Earth is taking revenge for the pain. I decide who live or die. You die!"

The snake-man was so afraid by her wild eyes that he fell over a steep drop.

"Millennia!"

"I'm okay Van." She answered with her normal voice, but still having her mauve eyes.

"We need to destroy the energist or they'll came back."

"I know", he replied. "Merle, please take care of her. I think she had exceed her limits.

"I think you underestimate me."

"I think I see that your forehead has started to bleed again. I'll take you to a safer place and destroy every thing after."

"I'm not that weak Van King of Fanelia! Now go on and I'll try the next spell I'll learn on you and not on a snake!"

They stared at the other for a few second. Then she caught Merle's hand and took her elsewhere. Van jumped on Escaflowne's back and took altitude. Millennia stopped to watch the energist reserve and taking the pendant in her hand whispered:

"Iora…"

A sudden wave of light wandered trough the all the thing composed from energist. A pile of energist blown up and caused the quarry slopes to become unstable. Merle fell down from a ledge as the ground breaks into chunks. Millennia seeing that instantly made the sign appeared and jumped after her. She caught the cat-girl and thrown her to the surface. Merle was saved, but as Millennia turned to take support on a rock, it fell down under her weight. She tried to call the wind, but she had no more energy and fell into a deep chasm.

"MIILLLEEENNNIIIAAA!!" yelled Merle.

Van, sprouted his wings, swooped down and rescued her as darkness were catching her.

Her portable went off. On Earth, Ryô on a rock concert with Yukari had tried to call her. Millennia slowly took the portable and listened to the message. Ryô was telling her that if she didn't call him back it the week, I'll stop to consider her as a friend.

She thrown the portable away, broken it into thousands of chip. She took her legs in her arm and forming a sphere began to cry again. A soft caress touch her skin, then another. She slowly move her head to watch what it was and caught a luminous feather in her hand. Her tears stopped and she looked at the boy in front of her.

"Oh Van. Why are you so sad to have those beautiful wings ?"