Chapter Two

Van looked out a window and sighed. There was still no news on the whereabouts of Allen, Merle, and Hitomi. Worry lined the young king's features; each of the missing people meant something to him. Merle had been his best friend since childhood, and had never been far from his side. Allen, the first ally he and Hitomi had met on their long, wild journey, had begrudgingly become a close friend over the few weeks they had been traveling. Hitomi stood out above the rest; every time he thought of her, his heart skipped a beat. Was this love? He shook his head as Gadis came into the room, his face pale and withdrawn. They had managed to escape from the Zaibach Empire, but with heavy losses. Millerna was still tending to the wounded in the sickbay.

"I wish I knew where they were. Who knows what they have run into out there." Van said, as Gadis stood beside him.

"If Captain Schezar had been in better health, I would have said that we have nothing to worry about, but, since he's still recovering from being wounded, I am not so sure." Gadis said, grimly. Van nodded, silently, as thoughts and concerns turned towards Hitomi. Where was she? Was she all right? Was Merle with her? Van could only guess at what had happened before the Crusade had been recovered and the Zaibach scared off.

"We can only hope that they are all right." Van murmured, continuing his silent vigil.

Hitomi roused up from a nap. They had made a makeshift shelter using Viole's tent and were now trying to keep dry from the rain that had started falling again. Quietly, she looked over at the spot where Allen had been laid. To her horror, he wasn't there!

"Viole! Merle! Where's Allen?!" Hitomi asked, frantically.

"I don't know. He must have somehow gotten up when I wasn't looking." Viole said, as he started looking around for the wounded knight.

"Sir Allen!" Merle meowed, as worry for the Astorian came to her as well. Little did they realize that Allen was nearby, yet far away.

"Allen…………………………" a voice called, echoing strangely in the air.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Allen asked, his voice calm even though he was shaking in fear.

"I am the voice of your ancestor. The voice of one who flies the skies with the White Dragon. The voice of the chain that binds you to us." the voice replied, sounding closer than before, but still far away.

"I don't understand! Who or what are you?!" Allen asked, as fear started to edge its way into his voice.

"I am you. I am the other half of your blood that flies with angels' wings. I am the one that will purify you." The voice said, closer than before, and closing in.

"First you say that you are my ancestor, then you say that you are me! Make up your mind!" Allen shouted, certain that Hitomi, Merle and Viole could hear him. The voice chuckled, mockingly.

"Your friends cannot hear you. They will not hear you until I have gotten what I want; your purification!" the voice said, as its owner appeared from nowhere, standing just in front of Allen. Allen wanted to scream in horror, but found out quickly that he couldn't move. The one that had been speaking to him until that time looked exactly like him except for one thing; the look-alike had wings!

"Now………………….This is going to hurt a little." The look-alike said, in mock gentleness, as he sank into Allen's body. The first thing that Allen felt was a shockwave of intense pain. He could feel his blood boiling inside his veins and could feel his insides twisting within him as the changes started taking place. His skin felt as though hot irons were searing through him, with heat that could not be quenched with water. He could hear the skin of his back tearing as the dreaded wings came through. Then, all was darkness.

Hitomi ran in the direction of a scream of pain. She had just heard Allen's cries. Her heart pounded as she searched the surrounding woods. But then she got to where a small stream flowed and gasped at what she saw. There, lying on the ground, was Allen, but now he had wings!

"Allen!" Hitomi yelped, dashing over to his side and checking for any signs of life. Allen groaned and looked up at Hitomi, his eyes filled with pain, but not of the physical kind.

"Allen, what happened?" Hitomi asked, taken aback by the mournful look in the Astorian Knight's eyes.

"I have just become a monster." Allen said, softly, his voice having been strained by his screaming in pain only moments before.

"Monster?! Allen! Why do you consider yourself a monster?!" Hitomi asked, suddenly seeing that her vision from sometime earlier had come to pass.

"I don't know what the people on the Mystic Moon think of people with wings, but by now you, of all people, should know that Draconians were and still are a hated people. More than likely, I will never be able to set foot in Astoria again." Allen said, sadly.

"Allen, listen, you are not a monster. Where I came from, people with wings are called angels. They are said to protect others from harm; and you have done that. You risked your life to get Merle and me out of the Crusade when Zaibach was attacking it. Even though you did not have your wings then, you were acting the part of a guardian angel by getting Merle and me to safety, even though your body could not take the strain." Hitomi said, who now sat before the Astorian knight, who now faced her, sitting across from her.

"How can you be so sure, Hitomi? How? I don't even know what I am anymore, so how do you know that I will not turn around and hurt you?" Allen asked, gloomily.

"It because I can't see you hurting me in any way. Your body may have changed, but your heart hasn't." Hitomi replied, gently. Allen looked away, his thoughts drifting. Was what Hitomi just told him true? Was he really the same person? Before he could think about anything more, Merle burst into the glen, startling both of them.

"Found you! What were you trying to do, Sir Allen? Worry us to……………..?!?" Merle trailed off when she saw Allen's wings.

"Mystic Moon!" Viole yelped, when he saw Allen and what were on his back. Merle was awestruck by the sight, while Viole looked clearly shocked. Allen lowered his head in shame, looking away from his friends. The moment was shattered by the sounds of Zaibachian guymelefs flying overhead.

"Chesta!" Viole yelped, realizing that he'd left the wounded DragonSlayer by himself and dashing back out of the glen. With tremendous effort, Allen pulled himself to his feet and ran after the young Zaibach deserter. They all got there just as some guymelefs were descending.

"Viole! Get to the Schezarade! Merle, Hitomi, get out of sight!" Allen shouted, as the wind started whipping around them.

"Allen! What do you intend to do?!" Hitomi asked, shouting over the noise of the guymelefs.

"I'm going to fly Chesta to a nearby town healer! I think he's in this area!" Allen shouted, as he hauled Chesta into a semi-standing position. Hitomi, Merle and Viole could only look on as Allen got a good running start (or as good a one as he could get, considering the load he was carrying) and leaped from the cliff, his wings spread wide to catch the wind.

"Okay, let's get this ball rolling!" Viole said, as he leaped into Schezarade's cockpit and proceeded to attack his former comrades.

"Be careful, Sir Allen." Viole thought, as Merle and Hitomi took shelter in a nearby outcrop.