Disclaimer: I've told you about a thousand times already, I DON'T OWN
ESCAFLOWNE. How many times do I have to say it before you get that through
your head?
The Healing of the Angels Part 8
Dilandau's sword came down quick as lightning and Van could not block it in time.
The fact that he was going to die barely had time to register in the instant before Folken raised his metal arm and blocked Dilandau's killing blow.
Dilandau stood frozen in his shock and anger. Then he recoiled from the force of his own strike turned back upon him by Folken's block. Hitomi's arm bumped up against Van's reminding him to take action.
Van pulled his sword out of the sheath as Dilandau made to strike Folken and leaped under Folken's arm.
Their swords locked for a moment then Van struck with a swipe from the right trying to get at Dilandau's stomach. Their swords locked again and this time Dilandau reacted first. As his sword swung for Van's throat Van ducked and leapt forward, his sword sliding cleanly into Dilandau's midsection.
His face twisted into a grimace of anger and pain. He opened his mouth to scream in rage and blood dribbled from his mouth. His expression changed to one of pure shock and pain as he dropped his own sword and Van's slid out of his stomach as he dropped to the ground .
The spell! The voice of the Riyujinbito man who had come to him before came again to him now in the moments before his death. Turn his triumph into ours! Use your own death to resurrect Dornkirk! Could he? Why not? If he could not get revenge then he would make this victory bitter for Van.
"Dornkirk! Rise from the depths I call you! Live again! My death will bring trouble for you Van! You'll regret all you ever did to me!" Dilandau screamed insanely too close to death to feel any pain. He lifted his sword with weak arms. He shoved it into his wound and moved it up. He shuddered, coughed up blood, and died.
As he died a light shot down from the sky and burned his body to ashes. The ashes flowed up into oblivion as the light vanished. An explosion sounded from somewhere far off and the ground shook.
"What was that?" Hitomi asked as she stared up at the flares of light the swirled in the sky, like a flame with no candle under it.
"Is that what happens when some one is resurrected?" Van asked Folken grimly also staring up into the sky.
Folken looked even grimmer as he nodded. "I think we have a problem."
* * *
Dornkirk was alive, rebuilt from the ashes of Dilandau with a renewed sense of purpose. His plan hadn't worked out the way he thought it would, but now he was young again and he had at least 200 years to reason things out.
These were his first thoughts, as he lay unmoving on the floor of an enormous room that looked like an audience chamber that was in bad need of structural repairs. Many people sat around a large oval table, and a lamp hung on a chain above the center of it. The rest of the room was brightly lit by balls of light suspended in midair and the natural sunlight that filtered in through many large windows on three sides of the room.
He blinked slowly several times and studied the people carefully. None of them he knew. One of the three sitting at the head of the table spoke first.
"Welcome back. I know you've got your own plans but we've got a job for you to do, and we brought you back from Hell so you could do it. You are in our debt and you must heed our orders," the young man said calmly, as if he were commenting on the weather. The young man's eyes studied him closely, measuring his worth.
Dornkirk met his gaze and studied the man as well. He had brown curly hair and white skin, pale as if he had not seen the daylight in weeks. Despite this he did not look withered or unhealthy. He was strong and self- assured, standing up to his full height he was quite tall and very handsome.
Suddenly Dornkirk remembered the tales of how the Atlantians had sculpted themselves into perfect beings. Could they also bring someone back from the dead? It was a possibility.
"Exactly right my friend. We are members of Atlantis and you are going to help us get back to the real world," the young man stood over Dornkirk now and his mouth formed a smile that never reached his eyes. He held out his hand, and Dornkirk took it knowing when he did this that submission was the only way to achieve his own ends. Perhaps their plans even tie into my own.
"What would you have me do?" Dornkirk asked amiably.
"We need you to draw the blueprints for your Fate Altering Machine. To get out of this place we need that power," this was another of the three sitting at the head of the table. It was a woman thin and gaunt. Her mouth was a thin line and her eyes had a steely glint. She looked as if she had spent her whole life nursing some private hate; frowning from birth.
"I will require privacy and writing supplies. You may not have some of the things required to make this machine work," Dornkirk warned them crossing his arms over his chest.
"Whatever we don't have we can get. Supplies are no problem and neither is privacy. We have a set of rooms already prepared for you with all the necessary things," this time it was the third person sitting at the table who had spoken. He must have been proud of his paunch because his body was obviously not sculpted. The man snorted in response to Dornkirk's thoughts. "By the way I am Galne, this young man here is Jani, and this woman is Rena. If there's nothing else, Jani will escort you to your rooms."
"In that case lead me to them and I'll get started right away."
* * *
"Are you not happy? Our dreams have finally come to pass," Jani spoke softly to a small woman with long black hair down to her ankles and vivid green eyes. She held a lock of hair and fiddled with it nervously. Every muscle betrayed her tenseness, and she looked as if she were fighting hard against total panic.
The woman looked up at him and searched his face for any sign that his question was not just simple concern. She breathed in deeply and forced herself to relax. What would be the answer he would most believe? Remembering what he had said about conditioning she sighed and made her face look worried, which wasn't too hard because she was.
"I just don't know... if what we're doing... if it won't... if it might be the end of us all not the beginning!" she rushed out the rest of her sentence in a hysterical burst of emotions and looked up into his face with silent tears welling up in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.
Jani's expression was one of pure shock. Then his face became dark but still infinitely calm and dangerous. He grabbed her roughly by the upper arms and looked deep into her frightened eyes, the suspicion that she was not one of them rising to the surface of his mind. His expression abruptly changed to one of remorse. He sighed and turned his gaze at the floor, his voice sounding weary for the first time.
"Honestly, neither do I Altasni. Do not be afraid of me, because I trust you still. I know that every one of us has the same fears. For all of us the desire for freedom and the fear of each other has kept us silent. You are new to us, so you don't have the same control," he brought his head up. She was painfully aware of how close his face was. So close their noses almost touched, and she could fell his breath on her face. Her heart fluttered briefly, and she clamped down her emotions, angry with herself for it. How could I let myself like him? He's my enemy! He's going to destroy the world to achieve his own ends! He's... she thought of him standing so close to her. HOW COULD I!
"So trust me now. I believe this will work with all my heart," having said this Jani made no move to let her go. He just looked at her. Oh gods let me go PLEASE! Whatever you do don't kiss me. Or maybe... oh let me go please! Please, please! She groaned mentally as she lost total control over her emotions. her neck began to feel hot and she breathed faster. How can humans LIKE this! It feels like being roasted alive! But that's such a pleasant sensation in my stomach... oh gods NO!!!
"Jani-" she started to speak but he cut her off as he placed his mouth on hers. The incredible shock left her numb for a few seconds then she closed her eyes. It felt like she was melting. I should've never gone human. I wouldn't be having any moral dilemmas right now if I where as I was. The kiss ended and she stepped back a pace. She wouldn't meet his eyes. Her resolve wouldn't last much longer if she did.
"I hear Dornkirk's thoughts. He's finished with the blueprints. I have to go." Jani looked as if he didn't want to go. Staying would probably be a lot more interesting than going. Jani thought. He took his hands off her upper arms with great reluctance and headed in the direction of Dornkirk's rooms.
Finally I thought he would never leave! But if I really wanted him to go why do I feel so lonely now that he has? DAMN YOU, JANI!
She felt sick. Not because he had kissed her. She touched her lips in remembrance, and felt her neck grow hot again. She blushed deeply. Damn. Damn. Damn. She had been so sure that the job she was doing was the right thing. Now it didn't seem so right anymore. They were fanatics, they would never give up until they were dead, Jani too.
She felt a growing sense of horror and nausea as she remembered various times she had thought of Jani for no apparent reason, or gotten up in the morning thinking only of seeing him, or stayed awake at night reliving conversations they'd had. Oh damn. Is this love? how can I possibly feel love? I would not even be alive if it had not been for the will of the Atlantians. I would not be a Riyujinbito like Jani if it had not been for my own wish.
How can a place feel an emotion? I am only Atlantis in my soul. I shouldn't even have a soul. I am only Atlantis. Altasni, ha. How obvious. And pathetic. Damn.
The Healing of the Angels Part 8
Dilandau's sword came down quick as lightning and Van could not block it in time.
The fact that he was going to die barely had time to register in the instant before Folken raised his metal arm and blocked Dilandau's killing blow.
Dilandau stood frozen in his shock and anger. Then he recoiled from the force of his own strike turned back upon him by Folken's block. Hitomi's arm bumped up against Van's reminding him to take action.
Van pulled his sword out of the sheath as Dilandau made to strike Folken and leaped under Folken's arm.
Their swords locked for a moment then Van struck with a swipe from the right trying to get at Dilandau's stomach. Their swords locked again and this time Dilandau reacted first. As his sword swung for Van's throat Van ducked and leapt forward, his sword sliding cleanly into Dilandau's midsection.
His face twisted into a grimace of anger and pain. He opened his mouth to scream in rage and blood dribbled from his mouth. His expression changed to one of pure shock and pain as he dropped his own sword and Van's slid out of his stomach as he dropped to the ground .
The spell! The voice of the Riyujinbito man who had come to him before came again to him now in the moments before his death. Turn his triumph into ours! Use your own death to resurrect Dornkirk! Could he? Why not? If he could not get revenge then he would make this victory bitter for Van.
"Dornkirk! Rise from the depths I call you! Live again! My death will bring trouble for you Van! You'll regret all you ever did to me!" Dilandau screamed insanely too close to death to feel any pain. He lifted his sword with weak arms. He shoved it into his wound and moved it up. He shuddered, coughed up blood, and died.
As he died a light shot down from the sky and burned his body to ashes. The ashes flowed up into oblivion as the light vanished. An explosion sounded from somewhere far off and the ground shook.
"What was that?" Hitomi asked as she stared up at the flares of light the swirled in the sky, like a flame with no candle under it.
"Is that what happens when some one is resurrected?" Van asked Folken grimly also staring up into the sky.
Folken looked even grimmer as he nodded. "I think we have a problem."
* * *
Dornkirk was alive, rebuilt from the ashes of Dilandau with a renewed sense of purpose. His plan hadn't worked out the way he thought it would, but now he was young again and he had at least 200 years to reason things out.
These were his first thoughts, as he lay unmoving on the floor of an enormous room that looked like an audience chamber that was in bad need of structural repairs. Many people sat around a large oval table, and a lamp hung on a chain above the center of it. The rest of the room was brightly lit by balls of light suspended in midair and the natural sunlight that filtered in through many large windows on three sides of the room.
He blinked slowly several times and studied the people carefully. None of them he knew. One of the three sitting at the head of the table spoke first.
"Welcome back. I know you've got your own plans but we've got a job for you to do, and we brought you back from Hell so you could do it. You are in our debt and you must heed our orders," the young man said calmly, as if he were commenting on the weather. The young man's eyes studied him closely, measuring his worth.
Dornkirk met his gaze and studied the man as well. He had brown curly hair and white skin, pale as if he had not seen the daylight in weeks. Despite this he did not look withered or unhealthy. He was strong and self- assured, standing up to his full height he was quite tall and very handsome.
Suddenly Dornkirk remembered the tales of how the Atlantians had sculpted themselves into perfect beings. Could they also bring someone back from the dead? It was a possibility.
"Exactly right my friend. We are members of Atlantis and you are going to help us get back to the real world," the young man stood over Dornkirk now and his mouth formed a smile that never reached his eyes. He held out his hand, and Dornkirk took it knowing when he did this that submission was the only way to achieve his own ends. Perhaps their plans even tie into my own.
"What would you have me do?" Dornkirk asked amiably.
"We need you to draw the blueprints for your Fate Altering Machine. To get out of this place we need that power," this was another of the three sitting at the head of the table. It was a woman thin and gaunt. Her mouth was a thin line and her eyes had a steely glint. She looked as if she had spent her whole life nursing some private hate; frowning from birth.
"I will require privacy and writing supplies. You may not have some of the things required to make this machine work," Dornkirk warned them crossing his arms over his chest.
"Whatever we don't have we can get. Supplies are no problem and neither is privacy. We have a set of rooms already prepared for you with all the necessary things," this time it was the third person sitting at the table who had spoken. He must have been proud of his paunch because his body was obviously not sculpted. The man snorted in response to Dornkirk's thoughts. "By the way I am Galne, this young man here is Jani, and this woman is Rena. If there's nothing else, Jani will escort you to your rooms."
"In that case lead me to them and I'll get started right away."
* * *
"Are you not happy? Our dreams have finally come to pass," Jani spoke softly to a small woman with long black hair down to her ankles and vivid green eyes. She held a lock of hair and fiddled with it nervously. Every muscle betrayed her tenseness, and she looked as if she were fighting hard against total panic.
The woman looked up at him and searched his face for any sign that his question was not just simple concern. She breathed in deeply and forced herself to relax. What would be the answer he would most believe? Remembering what he had said about conditioning she sighed and made her face look worried, which wasn't too hard because she was.
"I just don't know... if what we're doing... if it won't... if it might be the end of us all not the beginning!" she rushed out the rest of her sentence in a hysterical burst of emotions and looked up into his face with silent tears welling up in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.
Jani's expression was one of pure shock. Then his face became dark but still infinitely calm and dangerous. He grabbed her roughly by the upper arms and looked deep into her frightened eyes, the suspicion that she was not one of them rising to the surface of his mind. His expression abruptly changed to one of remorse. He sighed and turned his gaze at the floor, his voice sounding weary for the first time.
"Honestly, neither do I Altasni. Do not be afraid of me, because I trust you still. I know that every one of us has the same fears. For all of us the desire for freedom and the fear of each other has kept us silent. You are new to us, so you don't have the same control," he brought his head up. She was painfully aware of how close his face was. So close their noses almost touched, and she could fell his breath on her face. Her heart fluttered briefly, and she clamped down her emotions, angry with herself for it. How could I let myself like him? He's my enemy! He's going to destroy the world to achieve his own ends! He's... she thought of him standing so close to her. HOW COULD I!
"So trust me now. I believe this will work with all my heart," having said this Jani made no move to let her go. He just looked at her. Oh gods let me go PLEASE! Whatever you do don't kiss me. Or maybe... oh let me go please! Please, please! She groaned mentally as she lost total control over her emotions. her neck began to feel hot and she breathed faster. How can humans LIKE this! It feels like being roasted alive! But that's such a pleasant sensation in my stomach... oh gods NO!!!
"Jani-" she started to speak but he cut her off as he placed his mouth on hers. The incredible shock left her numb for a few seconds then she closed her eyes. It felt like she was melting. I should've never gone human. I wouldn't be having any moral dilemmas right now if I where as I was. The kiss ended and she stepped back a pace. She wouldn't meet his eyes. Her resolve wouldn't last much longer if she did.
"I hear Dornkirk's thoughts. He's finished with the blueprints. I have to go." Jani looked as if he didn't want to go. Staying would probably be a lot more interesting than going. Jani thought. He took his hands off her upper arms with great reluctance and headed in the direction of Dornkirk's rooms.
Finally I thought he would never leave! But if I really wanted him to go why do I feel so lonely now that he has? DAMN YOU, JANI!
She felt sick. Not because he had kissed her. She touched her lips in remembrance, and felt her neck grow hot again. She blushed deeply. Damn. Damn. Damn. She had been so sure that the job she was doing was the right thing. Now it didn't seem so right anymore. They were fanatics, they would never give up until they were dead, Jani too.
She felt a growing sense of horror and nausea as she remembered various times she had thought of Jani for no apparent reason, or gotten up in the morning thinking only of seeing him, or stayed awake at night reliving conversations they'd had. Oh damn. Is this love? how can I possibly feel love? I would not even be alive if it had not been for the will of the Atlantians. I would not be a Riyujinbito like Jani if it had not been for my own wish.
How can a place feel an emotion? I am only Atlantis in my soul. I shouldn't even have a soul. I am only Atlantis. Altasni, ha. How obvious. And pathetic. Damn.