The Dark Force of Ryss
Chapter 2: Cruel Fate
Disclaimers: Same as before
A/N: I forgot to mention that Chapter 1 was beta'd by Callisto Nicol. Much thanks Calli-chan! Thanks to the reviewers too, your opinions are much treasured.
I wander around aimlessly. I don't know just what it is I'm supposed to be doing. There's no purpose anymore. Ryss told me to find something, something I was interested in, and to live out the rest of my life the best I could. How can I do that? I'm always plagued by these memories, and no matter how I try to get rid of them, they haunt me.
I see children playing in the street. It's funny how I know I've impacted their lives, their futures. The way I know I've destroyed some other children's futures, the ones who could be playing here right now. And how these children are experiencing a sweet bliss of childhood, the one I didn't receive. Did I not deserve it?
"Hey mister!" I look down to see a young boy tugging at my leg.
"What?" I try my best not to sound harsh.
"Wanna play ball with us? We need another player to even out the teams and you're the closest thing to another kid we got around here."
I smile. Why not? I follow him to the makeshift field beside the road.
-----
I look around the desolate temple. Where was it?
I was looking for the scroll. I'd show Alise Lynette something that I'm sure would… interest her. I dig through a pile of scrolls, searching for the right one.
The one bad thing about this power transfer is that it takes so long. I might have to wait up to a week for the fluids to take effect. I spot the bright pink ribbon among the dull, faded ones. I force myself to relax as I pull out the scroll and wait for the memory.
flashback
I watch her cry, not feeling like I'm really there. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Alise was always the most empathetic of the village, while I was "blessed" with strong psychic powers. She's crying because of the Deathsaurer.
We all know it's coming closer, even the least psychic Zoidian senses the ever-nearing presence. She can't do anything about it, and she can't stand to see her race destroyed. I'm concerned about her.
We'll watch all the buildings dematerialize in seconds, everything we've worked for, gone. She's terrified, and all I can do is watch her cry.
end flashback
I carry the scroll in one arm and walk back to the central hall.
-----
I float in the pod, bored, for a while until Ryss reappears. She's got an old scroll under her right arm, and she looks rather reminiscent, as if she's been thinking.
I wish she'd share whatever was so amusing. I could use entertainment right now.
"Miss me?" I didn't. But then, I didn't really care.
She holds her hand out to untie the scroll. A pull of the ribbon and the scroll slides down, reaching the floor. She glances up at me for a second then walks with the scroll unfolded closer to the pod.
Ryss inhales deeply and begins to read so softly that I can't hear. Creepy, that's what Van said about Ryss. She speaks a little louder, sounding like a whisper, an unintelligible breeze of words. I tried to listen, pressing my ear to the glass holding us apart.
I realize she's not speaking or reciting anything. She's actually singing. Her voice rises in barely noticeable decibels. Ryss looks up from the scroll for just an instant to look me straight in the eye. Her lips move quickly, enunciating whatever she's singing. I can't keep from closing my eyes. Ryss and her mind tricks…
-----
I watch her shut her eyes. Lulled to sleep by a simple Zoidian lullaby. She seemed pretty peaceful in slumber. Most people look at peace during sleep, and of the people I've watched, Raven was the only one not to look serene.
He just looked vulnerable.
Yet they slept alike. Despite the fact that Alise was sleeping floating in a Zoid capsule and Raven was fonder of a bed, or the floor, their habits were comparable. She let her muscles relax, and sleep was the only time Raven relaxed.
She sleeps like a baby. Still a child, isn't she?
Her expression is at ease, but Raven's could never be. So tense, that boy. I find myself reading her dreams. I close my eyes to feel the experience.
enter Fiona's dream
I see a familiar scene. The lonely street, exposed, with the two girls. One girl knelt, in tears. I hated this dream every time I had it. What was her interpretation?
I feel her pain.
I watch the blue-haired girl stare at the crying one. My nightmare, and she had it too? The child stiffens, remaining distanced. Alise can not notice, her own personal anguish stifling her empathetic heart for others. You can't feel everything, I wish I could tell this little girl.
Why do I want power? If only to change this dream…
She won't stop crying. Isn't there anything we can do? My inner child and I watch, but we can't stop her tears.
escape
-----
I wake up to find no one around me. Ryss is gone, Spectral nowhere in sight.
I've had that dream before. The first time I saw the Deathsaurer in my mind, it was reborn tragedy. I couldn't think, and it took every ounce of courage within me to take the next step forward. I hated. Power in every sense is corruption. Minister Prozen, the Dark Kaiser could tell you that certainly. I remember crying so that I soaked a puddle into the pillow. I had tried to sleep and as a last resort, I'd cried to calm myself.
Van comforted me. He's always one I can trust. But when I found myself weeping in his arms, it didn't feel right. He was consoling, but he couldn't feel what I was feeling.
Ryss. Why does she appear in this dream? It's fate that we are the last remaining Zoidians, cruel fate will bring us together. She'll just stand there and watch me cry. That's what she does.
-----
End Chapter 2
-----