Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. Don't own a bit of Escaflowne.
The Healing of the Angels Part 10
"Attention Atlantians! Pay attention my countrymen for this announcement will affect all your lives! Listen!"
Jani stood in the center of a hastily erected stage with the veiled Atlantis Machine and his two co-leaders Galne and Rena. He fought for the crowd's attention and won easily. Jani had that kind of effect on people, Altasni decided. When Jani wanted you to listen you did, it couldn't be avoided. He had charisma even by the heightened standards of the Riyujinbito. Even right before the whole world is going to be destroyed I can't stop thinking about him! That bastard!
The crowd quickly grew silent, stirring restlessly, looking curious, but not afraid or even alarmed. Then again, what do they have to fear? They're dead!
Jani waited for their curiosity to reach the boiling point, and when he judged the time was ripe, he spoke.
"We are in the land of the dead; called heaven in some places. All of us have gone through life and remained good, or we have redeemed ourselves before death. But many of us died before we got a chance to really live. Now we are forced to watch the living go about their lives. All we have is memories of what was and visions of what could be if we were still living. This world we're in is a poor substitute for life. Is this any way to be? Are we happy here? Really happy?
"The creators of Atlantis were teasing us! Like dangling an apple just out of reach of a starving man! Who among us deserves that kind of cruelty? None! But we don't have to take the torture anymore! The answer is here!"
Four men came up on either side of the veiled machine and pulled off the canvas
* * *
Naria and Eriya watched the canvas float to the ground in lazy ripples. It seemed like forever before it hit the ground, unveiling the Atlantis Machine that they knew so well.
Their stomachs fell in unison as they realized what this meant. Another one of their homes destroyed, along with everyone else's. No more lucky breaks, for them or anyone else. We must stop this! The thought echoed in both their minds. They knew what they were going to do about this.
"Sister, are we feeling lucky?" Naria asked with a small grin, happy in part to be back in action.
"I believe we are. The question is are they feeling luckier than us?" Eriya said, positioning herself into a fighter's crouch. Her claws and teeth were bared and her thoughts were grim, yet she too displayed a smile.
"There's only one way to find out," Naria answered her. They linked their thoughts, ready to think and act in unison to defeat their enemies. "Sister, what is after the afterlife?" Naria asked.
"There's only one way to find out," Eriya replied, grinning wickedly as they readied for their sneak attack.
* * *
Author here. I hope you don't mind if I take a brief interlude to explain some things that you might not have picked up on yet. If you do mind too bad BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T READ THIS YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON when I go back to the story.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
+Jani, Galne, and Rena are the three main voices in the darkened room.
+Altasni is Atlantis brought to life by the will of the Atlantians. Their will kind of seeped into the city and gave Atlantis a mind and a will of its own. When the conspirators came along Atlantis decided to take things into its own hands to stop them and to accomplish this it became a she. I tried to make the name pretty obvious. Yes I did forget to put a T in her name if anybody noticed.
+The Atlantians are dead. They are not made of real material. They are made of the energy of their wills.
+When an Atlantian "dies" their energy escapes in rush resembling a small nuclear explosion.
+What Fun.
Sorry for taking all the mystery and confusion out of the story but it was brought to my attention (by one of my more dense friends, no offense meant) that NOBODY GOT IT! oops. Bye now.
* * *
"Turn on the Machine, Galne!"
"Nooo!! Die traitors!" Chaos erupted in one section of the audience to the left of the stage. Two figures blurred onto the platform, motions so perfectly attuned that they were barely distinguishable from each other. One gold and one silver.
"Galne lookout!" Rena shouted a warning but too late. The two figures fell on him, slashing his throat before he could even turn around to see what the danger was. Galne fell, choking and gasping out his last breaths. (I'm sure he was getting a strong feeling of deja vue).
"Galne!" Rena screamed in rage and leaped at the two figures with no weapons but her bare hands.
Naria and Eriya swiped her out of the air with two powerful arm movements made as one. She landed up against the side of the machine.
Suddenly things began to whir and move as the machine was activated. Of course she would have to fall on the switch. Altasni thought in silent horror, frozen in place by fear and twisted fascination. What will happen to Galne?
An enormous but highly centralized explosion split the air, obliterating Galne's shriveled remains and the righteous leopard twins. The Atlantis Machine was shot back by the force of the explosion parts of it flaming and smoking, but it still worked.
Altasni began to feel confused and hazy, like she was floating above her body, swaying in an unfelt breeze, drifting downward.
"Atlantis is falling," Jani whispered in awe and horror as he realized what he had done. Atlantis began to break a part and shift causing fires to break out and buildings to crumble. He was to blame for all of it. He caught Altasni as she fell, looking as if she were about to faint. "Altasni? Snap out of it! Everything has gone wrong Altasni!" It's all my fault. The risks weren't mine to take and now I've killed us all.
"Help me Jani. My power is diminished because of my human form. I need more power. Give me your power and I will forgive you for what you have done," Altasni said in a faint whisper that sounded as if it were quickly dying. What was she talking about? She's delirious.
"No. Take my hand and put it over your heart. I'll do the rest." He hesitated. "You said you trusted in me."
"Altasni..." Al-tas-ni? At-lan-is? No Atlantis! Could it be? "Okay."
He put her hand over his heart and abruptly his stomach fell. His perception of the screaming Atlantians, the fires, the beautiful stone buildings breaking apart in chunks, as Atlantis shifted, and began moving toward Gaea. His mouth went dry, and he lost sense of temperature and touch. Spots formed in front of his eyes, and the sounds of crashing stone, raging infernos, and screaming people, faded from his ears. His energy drained away, and everything went black.
The Healing of the Angels Part 10
"Attention Atlantians! Pay attention my countrymen for this announcement will affect all your lives! Listen!"
Jani stood in the center of a hastily erected stage with the veiled Atlantis Machine and his two co-leaders Galne and Rena. He fought for the crowd's attention and won easily. Jani had that kind of effect on people, Altasni decided. When Jani wanted you to listen you did, it couldn't be avoided. He had charisma even by the heightened standards of the Riyujinbito. Even right before the whole world is going to be destroyed I can't stop thinking about him! That bastard!
The crowd quickly grew silent, stirring restlessly, looking curious, but not afraid or even alarmed. Then again, what do they have to fear? They're dead!
Jani waited for their curiosity to reach the boiling point, and when he judged the time was ripe, he spoke.
"We are in the land of the dead; called heaven in some places. All of us have gone through life and remained good, or we have redeemed ourselves before death. But many of us died before we got a chance to really live. Now we are forced to watch the living go about their lives. All we have is memories of what was and visions of what could be if we were still living. This world we're in is a poor substitute for life. Is this any way to be? Are we happy here? Really happy?
"The creators of Atlantis were teasing us! Like dangling an apple just out of reach of a starving man! Who among us deserves that kind of cruelty? None! But we don't have to take the torture anymore! The answer is here!"
Four men came up on either side of the veiled machine and pulled off the canvas
* * *
Naria and Eriya watched the canvas float to the ground in lazy ripples. It seemed like forever before it hit the ground, unveiling the Atlantis Machine that they knew so well.
Their stomachs fell in unison as they realized what this meant. Another one of their homes destroyed, along with everyone else's. No more lucky breaks, for them or anyone else. We must stop this! The thought echoed in both their minds. They knew what they were going to do about this.
"Sister, are we feeling lucky?" Naria asked with a small grin, happy in part to be back in action.
"I believe we are. The question is are they feeling luckier than us?" Eriya said, positioning herself into a fighter's crouch. Her claws and teeth were bared and her thoughts were grim, yet she too displayed a smile.
"There's only one way to find out," Naria answered her. They linked their thoughts, ready to think and act in unison to defeat their enemies. "Sister, what is after the afterlife?" Naria asked.
"There's only one way to find out," Eriya replied, grinning wickedly as they readied for their sneak attack.
* * *
Author here. I hope you don't mind if I take a brief interlude to explain some things that you might not have picked up on yet. If you do mind too bad BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T READ THIS YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON when I go back to the story.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
+Jani, Galne, and Rena are the three main voices in the darkened room.
+Altasni is Atlantis brought to life by the will of the Atlantians. Their will kind of seeped into the city and gave Atlantis a mind and a will of its own. When the conspirators came along Atlantis decided to take things into its own hands to stop them and to accomplish this it became a she. I tried to make the name pretty obvious. Yes I did forget to put a T in her name if anybody noticed.
+The Atlantians are dead. They are not made of real material. They are made of the energy of their wills.
+When an Atlantian "dies" their energy escapes in rush resembling a small nuclear explosion.
+What Fun.
Sorry for taking all the mystery and confusion out of the story but it was brought to my attention (by one of my more dense friends, no offense meant) that NOBODY GOT IT! oops. Bye now.
* * *
"Turn on the Machine, Galne!"
"Nooo!! Die traitors!" Chaos erupted in one section of the audience to the left of the stage. Two figures blurred onto the platform, motions so perfectly attuned that they were barely distinguishable from each other. One gold and one silver.
"Galne lookout!" Rena shouted a warning but too late. The two figures fell on him, slashing his throat before he could even turn around to see what the danger was. Galne fell, choking and gasping out his last breaths. (I'm sure he was getting a strong feeling of deja vue).
"Galne!" Rena screamed in rage and leaped at the two figures with no weapons but her bare hands.
Naria and Eriya swiped her out of the air with two powerful arm movements made as one. She landed up against the side of the machine.
Suddenly things began to whir and move as the machine was activated. Of course she would have to fall on the switch. Altasni thought in silent horror, frozen in place by fear and twisted fascination. What will happen to Galne?
An enormous but highly centralized explosion split the air, obliterating Galne's shriveled remains and the righteous leopard twins. The Atlantis Machine was shot back by the force of the explosion parts of it flaming and smoking, but it still worked.
Altasni began to feel confused and hazy, like she was floating above her body, swaying in an unfelt breeze, drifting downward.
"Atlantis is falling," Jani whispered in awe and horror as he realized what he had done. Atlantis began to break a part and shift causing fires to break out and buildings to crumble. He was to blame for all of it. He caught Altasni as she fell, looking as if she were about to faint. "Altasni? Snap out of it! Everything has gone wrong Altasni!" It's all my fault. The risks weren't mine to take and now I've killed us all.
"Help me Jani. My power is diminished because of my human form. I need more power. Give me your power and I will forgive you for what you have done," Altasni said in a faint whisper that sounded as if it were quickly dying. What was she talking about? She's delirious.
"No. Take my hand and put it over your heart. I'll do the rest." He hesitated. "You said you trusted in me."
"Altasni..." Al-tas-ni? At-lan-is? No Atlantis! Could it be? "Okay."
He put her hand over his heart and abruptly his stomach fell. His perception of the screaming Atlantians, the fires, the beautiful stone buildings breaking apart in chunks, as Atlantis shifted, and began moving toward Gaea. His mouth went dry, and he lost sense of temperature and touch. Spots formed in front of his eyes, and the sounds of crashing stone, raging infernos, and screaming people, faded from his ears. His energy drained away, and everything went black.