Gaea Regained Here is something I should have mentioned earlier - for those
of you who don't know, the word "Numen" means a presiding deity or a
Gnostic god (Gnosticism is close to Mysticism); also, I've changed the
numen's name from Avalantis to Aleph (this chapter explains). Confused?
Don't worry, so are Van and Hitomi.
Unfathomable Sea Our destiny, our being's heart and home, Is with infinitude, and only there; With hope it is, hope that can never die Effort, and expectation, and desire, And something evermore about to be. William Wordsworth, "The Prelude"
The spectral illumination of moonshine created a misty halo around everything. On the bed stand next to where Van slept, lay Hitomi's Ra-Maat deck. The Eye of Horus existed on the back of each card, and in the unstained light, it looked alive and blinking, its vision beaming into the inscrutable future.
Even in sleep, Van's brows were knitted in agony and confusion. His body was slightly slanted towards Hitomi, who seemed equally anxious in her dormancy. His head leaned against her shoulder.
Suddenly, Van's body jolted in shock and he instinctively lifted up his right arm and slammed it down on the small bed stand. It fell and along with it went the deck of cards, scattered chaotically on the dark ground. The Eye closed.
The thunderous clatter of the stand invaded Hitomi's sleep, which was on the edge anyways. She sat up and gazed down at the mortified Van who was slowly rising up his languid body. "Van, what was that? What's the matter?"
He inhaled deeply and blinked his sore eyes in rapid successions. "It was this nightmare," he finally said lethargically. "But it felt so real, so familiar somehow. I think you were there also. We were in Atlantis, just like we saw in the Mystic Valley. There we were surrounded by draconians.."
"Who were wearing armours and were ready to attack us."
"How do you know?"
"I just had the same dream, Van. You were wearing these strange looking robes. The warriors closed in on us. It was terrifying. And why does it feel like we've experienced it before?"
"I don't know." He looked out the window and felt an impenetrable immensity of darkness weighing down on the both of them, continually lowering its tenebrous mass toward the earth. "I just don't know."
"Why are we here anyways?" A silent void ensued.
"Ah!" Van let out a sudden groan and gripped his chest as if in physical pain.
"Van! What's wrong?" she tremulously supported him by the arm.
"It's okay, I'm alright. It's just that, Escaflowne.it's moving."
(In flustered madness, Orion ran to his own room, eager to commence his rescue plan. But after seeing the black box, which held the energist, with its red seal broken, he turned towards Van's room, taking off his white shirt on the way. He flung open Van's closet and grabbed one of Van's red shirts and khaki riding pants and quickly slipped into them. The blood red of the shirt brought out the fierce blue of his eyes, impeccably pure and gazing unblinkingly at human frailty. It is thus easy to imagine Orion firmly directing an enterprise in a momentous crisis.
As he headed out the castle, Nestor's frantic voice, mixed with joy and pain, restrained him. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Thank goodness you've returned!"
Orion halted and turned abruptly. "Nestor, it's me."
The old man's grey face shaded to confusion and disappointment. "Oh, commander! But why are you in the king's clothes?"
"Well, its' simply to boost the troop's morale. From far away, I could probably pass as Van. We can't very well have the people know that our leader is gone at such a time of need. It's just a show, waiting for Van's return. I'm also going to try to pilot the Escaflowne."
"What! But you can't, only a king of Fanelia can do that! And the energist."
"Don't worry, it's not like I'll usurp Van's throne. I've read about Escaflowne and Van had told me enough for me to know how to pilot it. With any luck, Escaflowne wouldn't be able to tell the difference between king and commoner," he chuckled nervously. "I think the energist is in the dell. If Van was transported by the pillar of light, it's likely the energist was left behind. Look, if I don't use Escaflowne, I'll have to go on horseback, doesn't sound too formidable, does it? You know that we've been short on melefs ever since the disarmament scheme. Just don't worry, alright?"
Nestor nodded hesitantly and said with a sigh, "Good luck, sir. May the strength of Escaflowne flow within you also." Watching Orion run out of the palace and disappear into the garden, Nestor froze amidst the turmoil and prayed.
Upon entering the dell, Orion saw the energist lying undisturbed yet ominous on the wet grass. He picked it up solemnly and approached the dormant dragon, partly concealed behind the branches. Perhaps his action of using Van's guymelef was a transgression, a sacrilege deserving of punishment, but in his heart he held a clear and candid purpose, unclouded by any rules or matters of right and wrong.
Tremulously, he placed the energist into Escaflowne. The heart began to beat. He sighed in relief - it had accepted him, for all his plebeian blood that made him ashamed he actually masqueraded as a great king. Escaflowne opened and he leapt into the pilot seat, gripping the handles, getting ready in position.
He peered out at the dell through the pilot window. Unexpectedly he was unnerved by an absolute fright, an abstract horror, not related to any physical danger, but to unendurable torment of the soul. The feeling was overpowering, inauspicious in its putrid mess, and he felt like he had bitten into a rotten corpse. It lasted for a mere fraction of a second, after which he lifted his legs and gripped the sword. The Dragon is resurrected.)
"But how can it be moving?" Hitomi stroked Van's arm.
"It's Orion. That's okay, I just hope that whatever is wrong will not harm him or anyone else. I really must return soon."
Gently, Hitomi pulled Van towards her, and he naturally laid his head on her lap. "Tomorrow we'll see the Numen and hopefully we'll have some answers. Get some rest now."
"Hitomi? After all this, will you.will you some back and stay in Fanelia with me?" The question had a tragic aspect of wild sorrow and hopelessness mingled with struggled and half-formed resolve. But he had to ask. Everything closed down to that one question.
She did not answer. The ache nearly paralysed him, but he never asked again. She simply stroked his hair and sang a lullaby in Japanese, the one her mother used to sing to her when she was little. She has never sung to anyone before but all the catastrophes necessitated a lyrical rounding-off of sharp, pricking corners. They were both soothed and believed themselves, for a moment, to escape being Time's playthings. ....
Serenus bore its usual august light and unspoiled harmony of the new day. Even Cyprus felt meditative beneath the vaulting dome. Without much said along the way, save Hitomi's occasional comment upon the panorama, they reached the early morning market and rented three flying horses from the kind merchants.
Flying was no new adventure for Van, but Hitomi sat exhilarated upon the soft back of the Pegasus-unicorn. She placed her hands steadily on the creature's shiny mane and gazed in trepidation at the miniscule landscape beneath.
They followed the silver meander of the thin river that runs through the whole of Serenus like an orbital belt. The river Freya it is called, named after the legendary Goddess of Love and Hope who guarded Atlantis. Shortly, they were in view of Myst, the region where the draconians reside. The source of Freya rose up into the glaciers of the mountains in Myst. Like bridal veils, the water falls cascaded down from the summit to irrigate the valley below where wooden houses were built among the trees. Van thought these sublime peaks were beautifully reminiscent of the Mystic Valley, also clad with snowy glittering hills, shrouded in mist that floated from some dreamland.
They landed in the woods by the foot of the mountains, and Cyprus, with his dainty skips, led them towards the buildings. The scent of the forest after rain swelled to their senses, but the air was too cold to be inhaled deeply. The majestic silence of imperial Nature was broken only by falling pines and the thunder of distant avalanches, reverberating along the accumulated ice that was endlessly torn and remade by the immutable laws of Nature.
A small wooden gate lay at the end of their path. Cyprus knocked excitedly and out came a modest-looking young man. He whispered something to Cyprus who then rushed into the gate and disappeared among the shrubs. The man then approached Van and Hitomi, who felt a certain comfort and security in his quiet, kind eyes. Surprisingly, he unfurled his wings and revealed his identity as a draconian.
"King Van," he knelt down, "It is with utmost honour that I welcome Your Grace and Lady Hitomi to the Garden Stellifer, home of the draconians here on Serenus. My name is Damien, a direct descendant of the Numen whom I now follow," he stood up, "This way please."
Van proceeded, holding Hitomi's hand. They entered a majestic garden of solitary grandeur, with small streams, fountains, pebbled paths and sculptured shrubbery. Just like a traditional Japanese garden, Hitomi thought.
As they walked, Damien gave them a brief introduction. "We've been expecting you for quite a while. Good thing our old friend Cyprus managed to bring you here safely. This is a nice place; it gives us peace that unfortunately, our brothers on Gaea are not able to have. Those of us who are younger have been excited about your arrival. We've heard stories about you ever since five years ago and we've been told to prepare for this time. But of course, the Numen will explain all that to you. Here," he opened the door to the main room of the largest building. "Please wait here." Damien then left them standing in the empty space, stupefied by this strange place called Myst.
"Oh, boy," Hitomi leaned against a pillar. "This is really a bundle, huh?"
"I just wish we were back in Gaea again. It's all so confusing, perhaps too much for me."
"Van, you've survived more than this. I have faith that we can rise above this eventually." Hitomi went over and held his arm lovingly. His wistful eyes turned to look at her and he sighed. As they stood thus in each other's arms, a wind suddenly blew upon them.
Standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the white light was Avalantis, clothed in white robes, his silver beard brushing the ground. Despite his strong, cosmic presence, his ancient eyes glowed with a paternal gentleness that refrained Van from charging at him as he had planned.
Instead, Van gritted his teeth and approached the stellar being. "I demand explanations," he grunted with his incorrigible stubbornness and royal stance.
"Demand? Young one, there is no need to. I'm here to give you the answers," he answered in a sonorous, almost dream-like voice.
'Then tell me why you separated Hitomi and I in that dream. Why did you put us through all the misery and confusion?"
"Ah, Van, surely you know that by now. The purpose was to test your love and to let you experience the travels you did. Apparently, you both passed the test."
"But."
"Shh," he placed a finger over Van's lips. "There are more important things to discuss right now. Hitomi," he reached over and held her hand, patting it slowly. "I know the pain in your heart but I also know your faith and will to strive through all this and to understand things. I believe you can. Now," he stood in between them and guided them outside.
"Before I begin to tell you a most wondrous tale, I must clarify that my full name is Avalantis Aleph. From now on, you will refer to me as Aleph, the reason being, as you know Hitomi, 'Aleph' was used by the Hebrews as the alphabet A. This signifies the primacy of my position, and my connection with the Mystic Moon and hence with you. As you've seen, I'm the one who opened the gate for you and I will be the only Numen to contact you regularly. Yes, there are others like me, powerful and immortal draconians, but they play a different role than I. Here is a nice spot." He slowly sat down on a bench by a fountain and looked up at the young couple in front of him.
"Now, what I am about to tell you will undoubtedly shock you as nothing has so far. Please," Aleph reached out for their hands; Van gave it to him reluctantly. "We haven't much time, so I'm going to tell you all at once. I ask you not to interrupt. Now, it is primary, paramount, that you listen with attention. You must remember everything. It is imperative for your future, do you understand? Someday you will have to tell all this to others. Sit down." Nervously, they dropped on to the bench opposite Aleph and held each other's hands. Van, though confused, impatiently yearned to hear the truth. Hitomi resolved not to react until the end and to take in everything all at once, confronting it as a willow would a storm.
Unexpectedly, Aleph tapped on Van's pendant, burning redder than usual. "I see the pendant has been returned to its rightful owner."
"Huh? What do you mean? It was Hitomi's." Van frowned upon Aleph's unnecessary comment.
"But it isn't. Here, take it off." Van glanced at Hitomi, who nodded in approval.
Holding the precious stone in his wrinkled hand, Aleph held it up to the sunlight that barely seeped through the gathering mists. "Here, come closer, look in the middle, the rosy centre."
Skeptically, they leaned forward and gazed up, only to notice a semi- invisible sign, a word, floating within the stone itself. The passing light revealed its ghostly presence. Hitomi gasped in amazement. Having owned the pendant for so long, she never actually realized that anything was written in it.
"What does it say, Hitomi?" Aleph asked, implying unmistakable confidence in her ability to recognize it.
"Well," her eyes narrowed in scrutiny, "it kind of looks like ancient Hebrew.I believe.the sign for Love?"
"That is correct." He gives the pendant back to Van. "The Hebrews later used the word to mean Love, but it actually has its origin in Atlantis. Back then, each draconian had a sign for his or her name, embedded into the pendant that each owned. This one here is the sign for Vannius."
In astonishment, Van opened his mouth but Aleph blocked any remark. "Before you say anything, hear my tale. You can ask later." Indignantly, Van eased into the bench, mainly because Hitomi squeezed his hand, signalling him to obey.
"My story begins in Atlantis, nearly fifteen millennia ago, at the height of the New Galactica Era. I was a member of the High Council and next to me was a dear friend of mine, Lord Angelus. He was a formidable intellectual, a genius, and a poet who espoused peace and humanitarian principles. Like me, he was suspicious of the growing faction of Atlanteans, called the Fireans, who sought to make Atlantis more powerful. We were close ever since we were young; therefore I was intimate with his family. He had two extraordinary sons: Vannius and Orionis. Their mother died giving birth to the second one. The first son was born on a night when the stars performed the most breathtaking dance in the skies. His name means 'child of the stars'. Indeed that is what young Vannius had, the power of the stars, the ability to see into the unknown, like you Hitomi. But his prophetic powers exceeded any draconian before or since.
"His power aided us in our politics and he too believed in peace, perhaps because he foresaw the destruction of Atlantis. However, his young life was not without sorrow. At his birth, it was prophesied that he would be destined for the future High Priestess, a girl born at the exact same hour as he. She was named Seraphine. Of course, such a love would be forbidden since the High Priestess is meant to stay a virgin, untainted by romance, devoting herself to the people only. Lord Angelus was concerned so he kept Vannius away from her ever since his birth. However, destiny cannot be escaped, and they eventually met by accident, at the age of fifteen, and fell in love. A pair of star-crossed lovers." Aleph stopped to take a breath, and smiled with concern at Hitomi's teary eyes.
"Meanwhile, Atlantis was facing greater problems. The growing rebel group became more ruthless in their lust for power. A young and fiery draconian named Branimir was their leader. The Fireans were the first ones to start employing the Ispano Clan to produce fighting guymelefs. Lord Angelus started the pacifist movement to quell the rebels. The Ispano Clan, though they did business with the Fireans, were on our side in terms of morality, so they made a special guymelef for Lord Angelus - Escaflowne, the Dragon God of Protection. But in the end, Angelus was not protected and was assassinated." Aleph sighed in grief.
"Alas, my poor noble friend. His two orphaned sons were left in my care. Orionis was but five. Vannius was enraged by his father's unjust death, so together with his best friend, Lacour, he sought vengeance by continuing to fight the Fireans with Escaflowne, courageously carrying out his father's ideals. Vannius had an unconquerable spirit and youthful charisma that quickly won many citizens, politicians and soldiers to his side. Of course, Branimir would not let him off easily.
"In retaliation, the Fireans somehow discovered Vannius's relationship with the High Priestess and exposed it to the public. People were outraged that their heroic young leader would commit such an appalling act. Everyone turned on the poor boy, and not even I had enough authority to save him. Somehow, Branimir's animosity towards Vannius had a personal nature - something to do with Seraphine, as you will later find out." Van frowned at Aleph's intentional elusiveness.
"Eventually, the Fireans grew out of control. One fiery night, warriors surrounded Vannius. His best friend Lacour died trying to save him. But Branimir succeeded anyhow. When we all rushed there, we saw young Seraphine clutching the dying body of her beloved. She wailed and cursed; her agony shocked the people. In the end, she made a wish that their love will save them in the life to come. Vannius died in her arms. A sight to break the heart, I assure you.
"The guards proceeded to drag Seraphine to prison, for her moral crimes as they called them. Not much to my surprise, she was actually pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy named Amadis.
"The rebels were eventually repressed. In desperation, they used their will power to create a new world in the heavens, called Athlon. Branimir led his warriors there and he took Seraphine with him, leaving her baby son on the Mystic Moon. I later had a vision that she died of hunger and abuse.
"For the following ten years, Atlantis degenerated slowly but surely. Even without the Fireans, omnipotence and omniscience meant destructive pride; the same sin humans now suffer from. Orionis grew up into a brilliant young man, intent on saving Atlantis. Before Vannius died, he stored his remaining power inside his pendant, the same one you're now wearing. Then he gave it to his little brother. With the power, Orionis and I began the plan to implement his brother's ideal - the creation of a new world called Gaea.
"However, before doing so, a mysterious woman came to Orionis, claiming to have known his brother. I cannot tell you about his woman" - Van straightened his back in protest - "cannot, young king, not unwilling to. It is not supposed to be. All I can say is that she combined powers with Orionis and together they created Serenus, the model closest to the Absolute Ideal. They expended all their strength for the creation so they died in the process. Do not lament, Hitomi, it was appropriately so. After all this, I finally carried out the creation of Gaea, with the help of the citizens who had the same wish to start over."
A death-like silence invaded, mingling with the white mist that newly rose from the river. In all the mysteries, Van forgot to breathe, until the lack of oxygen forced him to inhale deeply. Bu the icy air chilled his hot lungs and he coughed violently.
After Hitomi soothed him, he said to Aleph in a half-whisper, "You don't have to tell me, I know what this all means. It is my past life. I was Vannius, Orion was my little brother, and Folken was my best friend. Strange indeed." Van bit his lip with a contemptuous expression on his face. "What is not clear, is where Hitomi fits into all this. Is she Seraphine? Is Amadis her son?"
"Hitomi and Seraphine are two completely separate beings. I can't tell you any more than that. Hitomi is still the unknown element."
"You're lying!" Van stood up indignantly. "You know! Of course you do! If you refuse to tell you then I see no reason for me to listen to you anymore. I don't care what you did for me in the past life. This life, right now, I know I'm sick of all this!" Dragon-like in his wrath, Van turned to leave.
Hitomi grabbed his hand in time. "Wait, Van!"
"Let's get out of here, Hitomi. He's just playing us. What use is there knowing all these things about the past life anyways?"
"No, Van, we have to know. I feel that you want to know as much as I do. The mysteries are torturous, but at least we will know something. It might be of use someday. Remember the Ra-Maat reading? It said the past will return to influence the future, so this is important. Please, Van."
Hearing Hitomi's plaintive plea and sensing her despair regarding all this, Van swallowed his impatience and returned to her side.
Aleph observed everything with an unaffected air. Befitting a cruel god, Van thought. "There is something more," Aleph proceeded nonchalantly. "When Atlantis finally fell, some of us came to Serenus, while most chose Gaea, perhaps because it resembled Earth more and hence had a feeling of home. Those of us here had better fate. The powers of Vannius and Orionis did after all succeed in creating the perfect world, but Gaea is flawed, as is Earth. It has been our everlasting effort to rescue our homes and our descendants. We planned and waited for millennia. Finally, you were born, as was Orion, Folken etc. Then the elements connected with Dornkirk fused you together again. But, the year of your birth also brought someone else.
"A girl was born out of the sea foam of Serenus. Her forehead bears the pentacle symbol of Atlantis, the same that is at the back of your Tarot cards. She is the reincarnated Seraphine." Van's eyes became hollow, sheer terror chased life out of their shiny spheres. Can everything be dictated by an ancient prophecy? Vannius and Seraphine - destiny? With all the suffering during the past few months, all the strength and hope, is it possible that they've returned to the starting point where they were enslaved by a tyrannical fate? Has the wheel of fortune come full circle?
"Perhaps," Aleph continued, "instead of me describing her to you, you shall meet her in person?" Neither of them made any sign of agreement, but away Aleph went, leaving them cold beneath the thickening mist.
"Van." Hitomi held him, claimed him. Selfishness was irrelevant, morality vain, and she would take her own life if anyone ever robs her of him. This is a matter of fire and ice.
"Hitomi, don't worry. Forget all that talk about prophecies. I'll always be here with you, you know that." His dry lips touched her forehead gently.
Suddenly, as if materialized out of the ether, came a young draconian. Hitomi shrank upon seeing the undying beauty that she herself lacked. Seraphine's head was a sculpture of artistry, decked with waves of silver curls, and framed around her delicate face. Her presence was that of a goddess, aloof and blinding. Van scrutinized her with suspicion. Yet the unearthliness of her radiance, at once effulgent and reserved, made it impossible to know her genuine feelings. She baffles all penetration. She eludes all meaning. She was nonchalant, perfectly poised and never at a loss, capable of calling the winds and moving the stars. Van thought one could not use the word beauty to describe her - she has more than beauty, she has pulchritude. She is utterly different from Hitomi.
Seraphine treaded softly, as if her feet barely touched the ground. She approached Van and attempted to pierce his anger with her pale blue eyes that had a strange tinge of gold. Far from being moved, Van bitterly speculated how any man could love a sculpture. She then reached out her hand and brushed his cheek. "Vannius."
He pushed her icy touch away. "It's, just, Van!" he enunciated roughly. "And don't touch me!"
Something like a smile appeared on her perfect face. "I see Time has not changed you." Her voice was musical, like a nightingale's. "And you!" Seraphine turned abruptly to Hitomi.
Stung by her golden gaze, Hitomi cast her eyes down in trepidation, and stepped behind Van. In a violent turn of temperament, Seraphine grabbed Hitomi's arm, pulled her forward and slapped her hard across the face.
At complete loss of calm, Van forcefully pushed Seraphine away and protected Hitomi in his arms. If he had his sword with him, he would have unsheathed it. "What do you think you're doing? Just who are you! If you so much as touch Hitomi again, you'll be sorry!"
Without a word, Seraphine stood tall proudly and glared at them one last time before fading into the air. He felt a chill down his spine.
"Hitomi! Hitomi, are you okay?" he cautiously cupped her face in his hands.
"I'm.fine." Whatever tears were ready to gush out were not due to the physical pain. The excruciation piled up into a demonic tower, hubristically aiming to pierce the sky. She felt she could no longer contain the immensity any longer. From first meeting Van, to loving him and being separated from him, to being reunited with him here - could all this have been a lucky accident? Could heaven have simply pitied the young girl by giving her a momentary intrusion into someone else's love?
For Van, there could be no doubt that Hitomi is the love of his life, all of his lives. Before he reassured her of his constancy, Aleph reappeared. This time, Van did rush towards him, intent on expressing his pain and rage physically. However, a mysterious sphere surrounded Aleph and Van could not even get close.
He charged on in titanic aggression despite Hitomi's pleas. Completely unaffected by Van's paroxysm, Aleph slowly raised up his arm and placed a hand on Van's boiling forehead. Suddenly, all was silence. Van's thunder died down and his arms hung in motionlessness. With lark-like clarity and angelic strings, Aleph began to sing. The trees and summits joined in the choir. It was in Atlantean and Hitomi somehow understood the words: "Hear the heavens, my child, the sound of beauty, the song of truth. Let it enter you, let Freya's love heal you."
Van's legs became liquid beneath the weary weight of his body. Hitomi caught him in her arms and led him to the bench. Blanks of white were imposed on his mind and he had difficulty trying to piece everything together, to place the events of his life in a coherent sequence. Aleph's song was like a drug. Everything jumbled up into a conglomerate, deranged mass, and there was hardly any distinction between past, present and future. The veil of Time has been lifted. His eyes whirled dizzily.
As a final gesture, Aleph took their hands warmly, and his eyes expressed an unprecedented empathy and even love. "You will come through. You must believe it. I put this upon you because it is the only way to save you and the rest of us, in this life. It was your own will that it shall be so." Aleph looked at Van until the latter was revitalized and returned a steady gaze. "Good, you're better, young king. Here, this is the final piece of the puzzle I shall give you today," he handed Van a scroll. "Scream if you must." With that enigmatic comment, Aleph departed. Rain began to fall on Garden Stellifer. None of Serenus's magic and beauty was in view.
"Open it, Van," Hitomi whispered.
"I.I can't. It's something bad."
"Then I'll do it!" Hitomi snatched the scroll, unsure whether she was courageous or merely curious. She read slowly: "In the ancient texts of Atlantis, there is written a prophecy: the dark-haired young man, part draconian, the king of Fanelia, pilot of the Ispano guymelef, is destined for.for the winged girl from Serenus, a sorceress who opens the portal of Time and guides the unknown elements of the universe." Hitomi dropped the scroll, and went to stand by the fountain. Sounds of fragmenting and cracking ice were heard.
Her gaze ascended the precipitous hills. Some tress lay broken, some destroyed beyond recognition, some leaning against the jagged rocks. The pines towered up proudly but they provided no luxuriant shelter. The scene was sombre, made more serious by the wreaths of mist curled around the pinnacles. Rain descended from the grey sky and melancholy infused the once peaceful garden. Hitomi thought everything looked so unreal.
Van has survived the tempest of war, the agony of loss, the confusion of time, but everything connected with losing Hitomi or hurting her could cause his soul to collapse on itself. He felt the mysteries of existence close in around him, the mysteries that stirred in the dark forest. He knew from then on that he has to live amidst the unfathomable. Yet there is fascination also, fascination with the regret, the longing, the hate, the passion. There is also a fighting within. To survive all this, he knows he must hold her. But he could not even lift up his arms.
Through the trickling of rain, he caught her whisper: "What does this all mean, Van?"
"How should I know? You're the one with the visions." There was something in his rough tone that painfully resembled how he talked to her when they first met on the Mystic Moon. He was not really annoyed or angry, just simply lost.
She turned around; trials of tears were already entrenched in her wan face. "Let me ask you this, Van, is our love eternal? Does it conquer all? Huh, does it, does it?" Then she turned and sprinted out the garden, into the woods.
"Hitomi!" he stood up to chase after her, but his legs failed him. I must go on. He saw himself as holding on to his flooded island of Love and Hope, and on the other side of the ocean is Hitomi, along with his family, all the lodestars of ages. He must drift to her and be no more tormented by the wavering of all good things. Exerting his strength, he stood up and ran on unstably.
She sprinted with her old avid flame for the finish line, except there was no line. Out of breath, she stopped in the middle of the clearing and let the deluge rain on her. I want to go back home, back to Earth. She thought of Van's earlier question about returning to Fanelia with him. But no, it wouldn't be right. It is wrong. He should not think otherwise.
But Van does think otherwise. And unknown to her, she herself does also. He has thought of past, present and future, with all their joy, fear, sorrow, valour and rage - what of these? Emotions sway and wither. But the Truth, Truth stripped of the cloak of Time and Fate alone rises above. Discard principles, banish morality, ignore all words, but the one splendid beacon will remain, pure and unconquerable. She is my Truth.
Searching frantically among the wet trees, Van finally caught sight of her. The rain had poured down so hard that he was scarcely able to open his eyes fully. But his vision of her is clear. Panting and staggering, he approached her, his heart aching to see her this way. Upon reaching talking range, he immediately spoke.
"I went to the future, Hitomi," she stared at him with doubt. "I swear I did. After Aleph separated us in that dream, I completely collapsed and I entered a coma. I was transported to the past and there my family was, alive and happy. Then I came back to the present, and it seemed some time has elapsed of which I have no awareness. Suddenly, I was in a different time, in the palace, with this little girl on my lap, saying she wanted to hear the story of Escaflowne. Her name was Hermione."
"That little girl then called for this boy, Valorick, about ten years old. And he.he has your eyes, Hitomi, and she has mine!" Hitomi expressed concern, still unsure whether to believe him or not.
"You've got to believe me. Even Aleph mentioned my 'travels', remember? I saw you there, Hitomi, in a white dress and I took the children to bed, and you were waiting for me. Don't you see, it's our future," he wiped away the water on her face. "Those are, or will be, our children, we are going to be together. It will be okay. Forget the prophecies, forget the past life."
She saw Van's face through the rain, but the image was not blurred. He became clearer than ever. She put her arms around him and felt the salvation of his warmth. He gazed at her, his eyes softened lovingly and he cupped her face in his hands. She leaned up. Their trembling lips met in the middle. Finally. Even in the awkwardness of their inexperience, the kiss, so long delayed, is ideal. There was an immediate union. They held together, surrendering fate and volition. Her lips tasted sweet somehow and he paused for a second in bliss. Then, he pressed her against his body and kissed her again with strength and determination. Hitomi saw that there is a masculinity in Van other than that of the valiant warrior. She felt she was converted into an angel, unencumbered by gravity, dying without ever knowing it. As they held each other, a figure suddenly appeared from behind Van.
"You believe, don't you?" the figure asked with the voice of Love.
They turned around in alarm. The lessening rain made the sight clear and unmistakable. "F-Folken," Hitomi whispered.
"Am I." Van's words choked in his throat. "Am I in the past again, brother?"
Folken smiled his old, gentle smile, shook in his head and held out his right hand - his graceful, ample, human hand. In aching love, Van staggered over and held his brother's hand tight. It was tangible, real and warm. The scent of the forest after rain smelled like Fanelia.
"Van, Hitomi," she came to their side, "You believe in your Love. I understand what it feels like, you know." Folken let go of Van's hand and went to stand by a tree, gazing off into the distance.
"I guess during the war, we didn't exactly have time for brotherly talk, Van. But I should tell you now. It seems so very long ago, probably when you were only seven. When Dornkirk first arrived in Zaibach, warlords were fighting to conquer that arid land. One of the warlords had a daughter who despised the violence and chose to disobey her father by following Dornkirk and the way of science. Her name was.Nerya." For the first time, Van saw in his older brother, utter helplessness.
"When I woke up after nearly being killed by the dragon, I was devastated to see my mechanical hand, altered by science. I wanted to die, to leave Zaibach. But she gave me hope and persuaded me to stay. Though she grew up amid wars, there was an untainted innocence and beauty in her. She was a physical incarnation of my ideals at the time. For her, I followed Dornkirk's ways."
Then, Hitomi saw it in a bright vision - Folken and Nerya standing in an engine room, binding each other in love. Amidst the cold machinery of Zaibach, their flame blazed as the only breathing and immortal thing. There was something in Folken's eyes that was exactly like Van.
"But one day, Nerya disappeared without a trace. I later found out that the sorcerers destroyed her because she was planning to sabotage their scheme of using kidnapped children for experiments. That was why I've antagonized the sorcerers ever since. For everyday that I stayed with Zaibach, I imagined that she'd come back to me, alive and well. After I died, I was able to see her again, but even in death, we can't stay together. It's hard to explain, I don't even fully understand myself. Perhaps it is only because we're being punished by the universe for our innumerable crimes. It feels just like how the two of you were separated."
Wanting to lend his brother some consolation and strength, Van went over and placed a hand on his shoulder. Hitomi sensed Folken's pain and his love, a side of him she never saw during the war. He even named Naria and Erya after his love, she speculated.
"Brother, are you alive in a world other than ours?" Van asked with a tremour.
"You could say that. So are mother and father. We watch over you, Van, as we've promised." Tears streamed down Vans' face.
"Brother, I don't understand reincarnation. Between the past life and this life there is a span of millennia - what happens during that?"
"Van, you must not understand that now, not yet. I've come only to reassure that you two are right in believing in your Love. Whatever happens from now on, you must remember that you cannot wallow in tragic waters. You must soldier on. The happy future you saw will happen only if you follow the right path. You will feel what is right, not think it, but feel it." Folken took Van's hand and placed it in Hitomi's.
"I know what Aleph has told you about the prophecy. But you should know by now that your Love is not exactly destiny. It is needless of destiny. I saw it that last day in Zaibach, after I died. You held each other and that moment of eternity was not created by fate. Someday you'll understand all this. Until then, Freya's power will bless you." With that, Folken's' gentle face faded into the quiet air.
"Brother." Van whispered to himself, and closed his hand.
"Come on, Van," Hitomi held his arm. "Let's go home, let's go back to Fanelia."
So he held her and saw that their path led towards some infinite splendour, evermore about to be.
On their way back to the garden, they saw Cyprus's bubbly, child-like figure stumbling towards them. "Hallooooo! Lad! Lass! Cyprus be coming!"
Hitomi waved to him. As he came closer, she noticed he was carrying her backpack and Van's sword.
"Yous be going home, Numen said. So Cyprus return to cottage to bring your things."
"Thank you, Cyprus," Hitomi took her bag.
"Here, lad, your cutting knife," Cyprus gave the sword to Van, who did not bother correcting his humorous mistake.
"Are you sure Aleph said we're going home?" Hitomi asked.
"Yes, yes, Cyprus no hear wrong. Cyprus come to say farewell."
"I'll miss you, Cyprus. Thank you for everything you've done for us."
"Oh, no need thanks. Cyprus glad to help."
"Here," Hitomi took a silver ring off he finger. "Keep it as a token of my gratitude. It's not much, just something I picked up at a store. This way you'll have a souvenir from Earth and you can remember us."
Cyprus blushed and took it humbly. "Thank you, lady. What a pretty, shiny circle. Cyprus treasure it."
"Cyprus," Van finally said, "If you ever need any help with anything, remember Van Fanel of Fanelia."
"Oh, yes, yes. But Cyprus remember Van and Hitomi Fanel of Fanelia!" Once again, he sent them into embarrassed laughter.
"Fore Cyprus forget, draconian lady ask to see yous!" he then whistled and from behind a tress came Seraphine.
Van immediately took a position of defence and made clear his animosity towards her.
"Please, Van Fanel," she said, her voice less heavenly than before. "I come in peace. I apologize for what happened earlier. It was my stupidity. Please, I have an urgent message." Her previous godly and impressive stance was reduced and the icy citadel taken down, so she became more acceptable. She signalled to Cyprus who avidly waved goodbye before running off.
Van relaxed his tense position, and agreed with Hitomi that they should give Seraphine a chance. She approached them and held out her long, beautiful hands. "Here, I shall give you instructions and help you get home."
Remembering Folken's words about believing, they held out their hands. The three of them formed a triangle. Seraphine closed her eyes and solemnly began to whisper to Nature, in Atlantean. Wing dai esche irai secum, tu da Freya.
The wind began rising to her command, dispersing the mists and gathering the power. Their pendant blazed in unison. The susurrus of the trees all around them resonated with Seraphine's chant.
She opened her eyes and her voice echoed in the rustling wood: "Remember, this, remember this - when Atlantis comes to you, go to the Tree of Life and Death, and there dig up the relic. The Dragon and the Phoenix shall rise and together rule the sky." The whirlwind rose into a tumultuous gyre, leaving no room for thought or words in its swift rush of air.
The wind gyre spun towards the zenith. A sunpillar swirled down through it, intermingling light with wind. Then both were drawn into the gyrating galaxy above. Seraphine alone stood among the silent trees.
~ End of Part V ~
Notes: Here are just some historical or mythological references related to this chapter: "Stellifer" in certain Latin (Roman) poetry means "starry" Vannius was a king of a place called Quadi, during the time of Tiberius; it doesn't really mean the "child of the stars" The ancient Hebrew sign for Love kind of looks like two figures intertwined in each other's arms In Scandinavian myths, Freya is the goddess of love and marriage, the counterpart of Venus. Her husband is Odin, god of wisdom, war and poetry. Together they ruled the underworld called Valhalla, the equivalent of Elysium, where heroes and good people go after death (this is one of the reasons why I named Van and Hitomi's son Val). The Atlantean is just gibberish I made up - sorry, I don't' know anything about linguistics.
Unfathomable Sea Our destiny, our being's heart and home, Is with infinitude, and only there; With hope it is, hope that can never die Effort, and expectation, and desire, And something evermore about to be. William Wordsworth, "The Prelude"
The spectral illumination of moonshine created a misty halo around everything. On the bed stand next to where Van slept, lay Hitomi's Ra-Maat deck. The Eye of Horus existed on the back of each card, and in the unstained light, it looked alive and blinking, its vision beaming into the inscrutable future.
Even in sleep, Van's brows were knitted in agony and confusion. His body was slightly slanted towards Hitomi, who seemed equally anxious in her dormancy. His head leaned against her shoulder.
Suddenly, Van's body jolted in shock and he instinctively lifted up his right arm and slammed it down on the small bed stand. It fell and along with it went the deck of cards, scattered chaotically on the dark ground. The Eye closed.
The thunderous clatter of the stand invaded Hitomi's sleep, which was on the edge anyways. She sat up and gazed down at the mortified Van who was slowly rising up his languid body. "Van, what was that? What's the matter?"
He inhaled deeply and blinked his sore eyes in rapid successions. "It was this nightmare," he finally said lethargically. "But it felt so real, so familiar somehow. I think you were there also. We were in Atlantis, just like we saw in the Mystic Valley. There we were surrounded by draconians.."
"Who were wearing armours and were ready to attack us."
"How do you know?"
"I just had the same dream, Van. You were wearing these strange looking robes. The warriors closed in on us. It was terrifying. And why does it feel like we've experienced it before?"
"I don't know." He looked out the window and felt an impenetrable immensity of darkness weighing down on the both of them, continually lowering its tenebrous mass toward the earth. "I just don't know."
"Why are we here anyways?" A silent void ensued.
"Ah!" Van let out a sudden groan and gripped his chest as if in physical pain.
"Van! What's wrong?" she tremulously supported him by the arm.
"It's okay, I'm alright. It's just that, Escaflowne.it's moving."
(In flustered madness, Orion ran to his own room, eager to commence his rescue plan. But after seeing the black box, which held the energist, with its red seal broken, he turned towards Van's room, taking off his white shirt on the way. He flung open Van's closet and grabbed one of Van's red shirts and khaki riding pants and quickly slipped into them. The blood red of the shirt brought out the fierce blue of his eyes, impeccably pure and gazing unblinkingly at human frailty. It is thus easy to imagine Orion firmly directing an enterprise in a momentous crisis.
As he headed out the castle, Nestor's frantic voice, mixed with joy and pain, restrained him. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Thank goodness you've returned!"
Orion halted and turned abruptly. "Nestor, it's me."
The old man's grey face shaded to confusion and disappointment. "Oh, commander! But why are you in the king's clothes?"
"Well, its' simply to boost the troop's morale. From far away, I could probably pass as Van. We can't very well have the people know that our leader is gone at such a time of need. It's just a show, waiting for Van's return. I'm also going to try to pilot the Escaflowne."
"What! But you can't, only a king of Fanelia can do that! And the energist."
"Don't worry, it's not like I'll usurp Van's throne. I've read about Escaflowne and Van had told me enough for me to know how to pilot it. With any luck, Escaflowne wouldn't be able to tell the difference between king and commoner," he chuckled nervously. "I think the energist is in the dell. If Van was transported by the pillar of light, it's likely the energist was left behind. Look, if I don't use Escaflowne, I'll have to go on horseback, doesn't sound too formidable, does it? You know that we've been short on melefs ever since the disarmament scheme. Just don't worry, alright?"
Nestor nodded hesitantly and said with a sigh, "Good luck, sir. May the strength of Escaflowne flow within you also." Watching Orion run out of the palace and disappear into the garden, Nestor froze amidst the turmoil and prayed.
Upon entering the dell, Orion saw the energist lying undisturbed yet ominous on the wet grass. He picked it up solemnly and approached the dormant dragon, partly concealed behind the branches. Perhaps his action of using Van's guymelef was a transgression, a sacrilege deserving of punishment, but in his heart he held a clear and candid purpose, unclouded by any rules or matters of right and wrong.
Tremulously, he placed the energist into Escaflowne. The heart began to beat. He sighed in relief - it had accepted him, for all his plebeian blood that made him ashamed he actually masqueraded as a great king. Escaflowne opened and he leapt into the pilot seat, gripping the handles, getting ready in position.
He peered out at the dell through the pilot window. Unexpectedly he was unnerved by an absolute fright, an abstract horror, not related to any physical danger, but to unendurable torment of the soul. The feeling was overpowering, inauspicious in its putrid mess, and he felt like he had bitten into a rotten corpse. It lasted for a mere fraction of a second, after which he lifted his legs and gripped the sword. The Dragon is resurrected.)
"But how can it be moving?" Hitomi stroked Van's arm.
"It's Orion. That's okay, I just hope that whatever is wrong will not harm him or anyone else. I really must return soon."
Gently, Hitomi pulled Van towards her, and he naturally laid his head on her lap. "Tomorrow we'll see the Numen and hopefully we'll have some answers. Get some rest now."
"Hitomi? After all this, will you.will you some back and stay in Fanelia with me?" The question had a tragic aspect of wild sorrow and hopelessness mingled with struggled and half-formed resolve. But he had to ask. Everything closed down to that one question.
She did not answer. The ache nearly paralysed him, but he never asked again. She simply stroked his hair and sang a lullaby in Japanese, the one her mother used to sing to her when she was little. She has never sung to anyone before but all the catastrophes necessitated a lyrical rounding-off of sharp, pricking corners. They were both soothed and believed themselves, for a moment, to escape being Time's playthings. ....
Serenus bore its usual august light and unspoiled harmony of the new day. Even Cyprus felt meditative beneath the vaulting dome. Without much said along the way, save Hitomi's occasional comment upon the panorama, they reached the early morning market and rented three flying horses from the kind merchants.
Flying was no new adventure for Van, but Hitomi sat exhilarated upon the soft back of the Pegasus-unicorn. She placed her hands steadily on the creature's shiny mane and gazed in trepidation at the miniscule landscape beneath.
They followed the silver meander of the thin river that runs through the whole of Serenus like an orbital belt. The river Freya it is called, named after the legendary Goddess of Love and Hope who guarded Atlantis. Shortly, they were in view of Myst, the region where the draconians reside. The source of Freya rose up into the glaciers of the mountains in Myst. Like bridal veils, the water falls cascaded down from the summit to irrigate the valley below where wooden houses were built among the trees. Van thought these sublime peaks were beautifully reminiscent of the Mystic Valley, also clad with snowy glittering hills, shrouded in mist that floated from some dreamland.
They landed in the woods by the foot of the mountains, and Cyprus, with his dainty skips, led them towards the buildings. The scent of the forest after rain swelled to their senses, but the air was too cold to be inhaled deeply. The majestic silence of imperial Nature was broken only by falling pines and the thunder of distant avalanches, reverberating along the accumulated ice that was endlessly torn and remade by the immutable laws of Nature.
A small wooden gate lay at the end of their path. Cyprus knocked excitedly and out came a modest-looking young man. He whispered something to Cyprus who then rushed into the gate and disappeared among the shrubs. The man then approached Van and Hitomi, who felt a certain comfort and security in his quiet, kind eyes. Surprisingly, he unfurled his wings and revealed his identity as a draconian.
"King Van," he knelt down, "It is with utmost honour that I welcome Your Grace and Lady Hitomi to the Garden Stellifer, home of the draconians here on Serenus. My name is Damien, a direct descendant of the Numen whom I now follow," he stood up, "This way please."
Van proceeded, holding Hitomi's hand. They entered a majestic garden of solitary grandeur, with small streams, fountains, pebbled paths and sculptured shrubbery. Just like a traditional Japanese garden, Hitomi thought.
As they walked, Damien gave them a brief introduction. "We've been expecting you for quite a while. Good thing our old friend Cyprus managed to bring you here safely. This is a nice place; it gives us peace that unfortunately, our brothers on Gaea are not able to have. Those of us who are younger have been excited about your arrival. We've heard stories about you ever since five years ago and we've been told to prepare for this time. But of course, the Numen will explain all that to you. Here," he opened the door to the main room of the largest building. "Please wait here." Damien then left them standing in the empty space, stupefied by this strange place called Myst.
"Oh, boy," Hitomi leaned against a pillar. "This is really a bundle, huh?"
"I just wish we were back in Gaea again. It's all so confusing, perhaps too much for me."
"Van, you've survived more than this. I have faith that we can rise above this eventually." Hitomi went over and held his arm lovingly. His wistful eyes turned to look at her and he sighed. As they stood thus in each other's arms, a wind suddenly blew upon them.
Standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the white light was Avalantis, clothed in white robes, his silver beard brushing the ground. Despite his strong, cosmic presence, his ancient eyes glowed with a paternal gentleness that refrained Van from charging at him as he had planned.
Instead, Van gritted his teeth and approached the stellar being. "I demand explanations," he grunted with his incorrigible stubbornness and royal stance.
"Demand? Young one, there is no need to. I'm here to give you the answers," he answered in a sonorous, almost dream-like voice.
'Then tell me why you separated Hitomi and I in that dream. Why did you put us through all the misery and confusion?"
"Ah, Van, surely you know that by now. The purpose was to test your love and to let you experience the travels you did. Apparently, you both passed the test."
"But."
"Shh," he placed a finger over Van's lips. "There are more important things to discuss right now. Hitomi," he reached over and held her hand, patting it slowly. "I know the pain in your heart but I also know your faith and will to strive through all this and to understand things. I believe you can. Now," he stood in between them and guided them outside.
"Before I begin to tell you a most wondrous tale, I must clarify that my full name is Avalantis Aleph. From now on, you will refer to me as Aleph, the reason being, as you know Hitomi, 'Aleph' was used by the Hebrews as the alphabet A. This signifies the primacy of my position, and my connection with the Mystic Moon and hence with you. As you've seen, I'm the one who opened the gate for you and I will be the only Numen to contact you regularly. Yes, there are others like me, powerful and immortal draconians, but they play a different role than I. Here is a nice spot." He slowly sat down on a bench by a fountain and looked up at the young couple in front of him.
"Now, what I am about to tell you will undoubtedly shock you as nothing has so far. Please," Aleph reached out for their hands; Van gave it to him reluctantly. "We haven't much time, so I'm going to tell you all at once. I ask you not to interrupt. Now, it is primary, paramount, that you listen with attention. You must remember everything. It is imperative for your future, do you understand? Someday you will have to tell all this to others. Sit down." Nervously, they dropped on to the bench opposite Aleph and held each other's hands. Van, though confused, impatiently yearned to hear the truth. Hitomi resolved not to react until the end and to take in everything all at once, confronting it as a willow would a storm.
Unexpectedly, Aleph tapped on Van's pendant, burning redder than usual. "I see the pendant has been returned to its rightful owner."
"Huh? What do you mean? It was Hitomi's." Van frowned upon Aleph's unnecessary comment.
"But it isn't. Here, take it off." Van glanced at Hitomi, who nodded in approval.
Holding the precious stone in his wrinkled hand, Aleph held it up to the sunlight that barely seeped through the gathering mists. "Here, come closer, look in the middle, the rosy centre."
Skeptically, they leaned forward and gazed up, only to notice a semi- invisible sign, a word, floating within the stone itself. The passing light revealed its ghostly presence. Hitomi gasped in amazement. Having owned the pendant for so long, she never actually realized that anything was written in it.
"What does it say, Hitomi?" Aleph asked, implying unmistakable confidence in her ability to recognize it.
"Well," her eyes narrowed in scrutiny, "it kind of looks like ancient Hebrew.I believe.the sign for Love?"
"That is correct." He gives the pendant back to Van. "The Hebrews later used the word to mean Love, but it actually has its origin in Atlantis. Back then, each draconian had a sign for his or her name, embedded into the pendant that each owned. This one here is the sign for Vannius."
In astonishment, Van opened his mouth but Aleph blocked any remark. "Before you say anything, hear my tale. You can ask later." Indignantly, Van eased into the bench, mainly because Hitomi squeezed his hand, signalling him to obey.
"My story begins in Atlantis, nearly fifteen millennia ago, at the height of the New Galactica Era. I was a member of the High Council and next to me was a dear friend of mine, Lord Angelus. He was a formidable intellectual, a genius, and a poet who espoused peace and humanitarian principles. Like me, he was suspicious of the growing faction of Atlanteans, called the Fireans, who sought to make Atlantis more powerful. We were close ever since we were young; therefore I was intimate with his family. He had two extraordinary sons: Vannius and Orionis. Their mother died giving birth to the second one. The first son was born on a night when the stars performed the most breathtaking dance in the skies. His name means 'child of the stars'. Indeed that is what young Vannius had, the power of the stars, the ability to see into the unknown, like you Hitomi. But his prophetic powers exceeded any draconian before or since.
"His power aided us in our politics and he too believed in peace, perhaps because he foresaw the destruction of Atlantis. However, his young life was not without sorrow. At his birth, it was prophesied that he would be destined for the future High Priestess, a girl born at the exact same hour as he. She was named Seraphine. Of course, such a love would be forbidden since the High Priestess is meant to stay a virgin, untainted by romance, devoting herself to the people only. Lord Angelus was concerned so he kept Vannius away from her ever since his birth. However, destiny cannot be escaped, and they eventually met by accident, at the age of fifteen, and fell in love. A pair of star-crossed lovers." Aleph stopped to take a breath, and smiled with concern at Hitomi's teary eyes.
"Meanwhile, Atlantis was facing greater problems. The growing rebel group became more ruthless in their lust for power. A young and fiery draconian named Branimir was their leader. The Fireans were the first ones to start employing the Ispano Clan to produce fighting guymelefs. Lord Angelus started the pacifist movement to quell the rebels. The Ispano Clan, though they did business with the Fireans, were on our side in terms of morality, so they made a special guymelef for Lord Angelus - Escaflowne, the Dragon God of Protection. But in the end, Angelus was not protected and was assassinated." Aleph sighed in grief.
"Alas, my poor noble friend. His two orphaned sons were left in my care. Orionis was but five. Vannius was enraged by his father's unjust death, so together with his best friend, Lacour, he sought vengeance by continuing to fight the Fireans with Escaflowne, courageously carrying out his father's ideals. Vannius had an unconquerable spirit and youthful charisma that quickly won many citizens, politicians and soldiers to his side. Of course, Branimir would not let him off easily.
"In retaliation, the Fireans somehow discovered Vannius's relationship with the High Priestess and exposed it to the public. People were outraged that their heroic young leader would commit such an appalling act. Everyone turned on the poor boy, and not even I had enough authority to save him. Somehow, Branimir's animosity towards Vannius had a personal nature - something to do with Seraphine, as you will later find out." Van frowned at Aleph's intentional elusiveness.
"Eventually, the Fireans grew out of control. One fiery night, warriors surrounded Vannius. His best friend Lacour died trying to save him. But Branimir succeeded anyhow. When we all rushed there, we saw young Seraphine clutching the dying body of her beloved. She wailed and cursed; her agony shocked the people. In the end, she made a wish that their love will save them in the life to come. Vannius died in her arms. A sight to break the heart, I assure you.
"The guards proceeded to drag Seraphine to prison, for her moral crimes as they called them. Not much to my surprise, she was actually pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy named Amadis.
"The rebels were eventually repressed. In desperation, they used their will power to create a new world in the heavens, called Athlon. Branimir led his warriors there and he took Seraphine with him, leaving her baby son on the Mystic Moon. I later had a vision that she died of hunger and abuse.
"For the following ten years, Atlantis degenerated slowly but surely. Even without the Fireans, omnipotence and omniscience meant destructive pride; the same sin humans now suffer from. Orionis grew up into a brilliant young man, intent on saving Atlantis. Before Vannius died, he stored his remaining power inside his pendant, the same one you're now wearing. Then he gave it to his little brother. With the power, Orionis and I began the plan to implement his brother's ideal - the creation of a new world called Gaea.
"However, before doing so, a mysterious woman came to Orionis, claiming to have known his brother. I cannot tell you about his woman" - Van straightened his back in protest - "cannot, young king, not unwilling to. It is not supposed to be. All I can say is that she combined powers with Orionis and together they created Serenus, the model closest to the Absolute Ideal. They expended all their strength for the creation so they died in the process. Do not lament, Hitomi, it was appropriately so. After all this, I finally carried out the creation of Gaea, with the help of the citizens who had the same wish to start over."
A death-like silence invaded, mingling with the white mist that newly rose from the river. In all the mysteries, Van forgot to breathe, until the lack of oxygen forced him to inhale deeply. Bu the icy air chilled his hot lungs and he coughed violently.
After Hitomi soothed him, he said to Aleph in a half-whisper, "You don't have to tell me, I know what this all means. It is my past life. I was Vannius, Orion was my little brother, and Folken was my best friend. Strange indeed." Van bit his lip with a contemptuous expression on his face. "What is not clear, is where Hitomi fits into all this. Is she Seraphine? Is Amadis her son?"
"Hitomi and Seraphine are two completely separate beings. I can't tell you any more than that. Hitomi is still the unknown element."
"You're lying!" Van stood up indignantly. "You know! Of course you do! If you refuse to tell you then I see no reason for me to listen to you anymore. I don't care what you did for me in the past life. This life, right now, I know I'm sick of all this!" Dragon-like in his wrath, Van turned to leave.
Hitomi grabbed his hand in time. "Wait, Van!"
"Let's get out of here, Hitomi. He's just playing us. What use is there knowing all these things about the past life anyways?"
"No, Van, we have to know. I feel that you want to know as much as I do. The mysteries are torturous, but at least we will know something. It might be of use someday. Remember the Ra-Maat reading? It said the past will return to influence the future, so this is important. Please, Van."
Hearing Hitomi's plaintive plea and sensing her despair regarding all this, Van swallowed his impatience and returned to her side.
Aleph observed everything with an unaffected air. Befitting a cruel god, Van thought. "There is something more," Aleph proceeded nonchalantly. "When Atlantis finally fell, some of us came to Serenus, while most chose Gaea, perhaps because it resembled Earth more and hence had a feeling of home. Those of us here had better fate. The powers of Vannius and Orionis did after all succeed in creating the perfect world, but Gaea is flawed, as is Earth. It has been our everlasting effort to rescue our homes and our descendants. We planned and waited for millennia. Finally, you were born, as was Orion, Folken etc. Then the elements connected with Dornkirk fused you together again. But, the year of your birth also brought someone else.
"A girl was born out of the sea foam of Serenus. Her forehead bears the pentacle symbol of Atlantis, the same that is at the back of your Tarot cards. She is the reincarnated Seraphine." Van's eyes became hollow, sheer terror chased life out of their shiny spheres. Can everything be dictated by an ancient prophecy? Vannius and Seraphine - destiny? With all the suffering during the past few months, all the strength and hope, is it possible that they've returned to the starting point where they were enslaved by a tyrannical fate? Has the wheel of fortune come full circle?
"Perhaps," Aleph continued, "instead of me describing her to you, you shall meet her in person?" Neither of them made any sign of agreement, but away Aleph went, leaving them cold beneath the thickening mist.
"Van." Hitomi held him, claimed him. Selfishness was irrelevant, morality vain, and she would take her own life if anyone ever robs her of him. This is a matter of fire and ice.
"Hitomi, don't worry. Forget all that talk about prophecies. I'll always be here with you, you know that." His dry lips touched her forehead gently.
Suddenly, as if materialized out of the ether, came a young draconian. Hitomi shrank upon seeing the undying beauty that she herself lacked. Seraphine's head was a sculpture of artistry, decked with waves of silver curls, and framed around her delicate face. Her presence was that of a goddess, aloof and blinding. Van scrutinized her with suspicion. Yet the unearthliness of her radiance, at once effulgent and reserved, made it impossible to know her genuine feelings. She baffles all penetration. She eludes all meaning. She was nonchalant, perfectly poised and never at a loss, capable of calling the winds and moving the stars. Van thought one could not use the word beauty to describe her - she has more than beauty, she has pulchritude. She is utterly different from Hitomi.
Seraphine treaded softly, as if her feet barely touched the ground. She approached Van and attempted to pierce his anger with her pale blue eyes that had a strange tinge of gold. Far from being moved, Van bitterly speculated how any man could love a sculpture. She then reached out her hand and brushed his cheek. "Vannius."
He pushed her icy touch away. "It's, just, Van!" he enunciated roughly. "And don't touch me!"
Something like a smile appeared on her perfect face. "I see Time has not changed you." Her voice was musical, like a nightingale's. "And you!" Seraphine turned abruptly to Hitomi.
Stung by her golden gaze, Hitomi cast her eyes down in trepidation, and stepped behind Van. In a violent turn of temperament, Seraphine grabbed Hitomi's arm, pulled her forward and slapped her hard across the face.
At complete loss of calm, Van forcefully pushed Seraphine away and protected Hitomi in his arms. If he had his sword with him, he would have unsheathed it. "What do you think you're doing? Just who are you! If you so much as touch Hitomi again, you'll be sorry!"
Without a word, Seraphine stood tall proudly and glared at them one last time before fading into the air. He felt a chill down his spine.
"Hitomi! Hitomi, are you okay?" he cautiously cupped her face in his hands.
"I'm.fine." Whatever tears were ready to gush out were not due to the physical pain. The excruciation piled up into a demonic tower, hubristically aiming to pierce the sky. She felt she could no longer contain the immensity any longer. From first meeting Van, to loving him and being separated from him, to being reunited with him here - could all this have been a lucky accident? Could heaven have simply pitied the young girl by giving her a momentary intrusion into someone else's love?
For Van, there could be no doubt that Hitomi is the love of his life, all of his lives. Before he reassured her of his constancy, Aleph reappeared. This time, Van did rush towards him, intent on expressing his pain and rage physically. However, a mysterious sphere surrounded Aleph and Van could not even get close.
He charged on in titanic aggression despite Hitomi's pleas. Completely unaffected by Van's paroxysm, Aleph slowly raised up his arm and placed a hand on Van's boiling forehead. Suddenly, all was silence. Van's thunder died down and his arms hung in motionlessness. With lark-like clarity and angelic strings, Aleph began to sing. The trees and summits joined in the choir. It was in Atlantean and Hitomi somehow understood the words: "Hear the heavens, my child, the sound of beauty, the song of truth. Let it enter you, let Freya's love heal you."
Van's legs became liquid beneath the weary weight of his body. Hitomi caught him in her arms and led him to the bench. Blanks of white were imposed on his mind and he had difficulty trying to piece everything together, to place the events of his life in a coherent sequence. Aleph's song was like a drug. Everything jumbled up into a conglomerate, deranged mass, and there was hardly any distinction between past, present and future. The veil of Time has been lifted. His eyes whirled dizzily.
As a final gesture, Aleph took their hands warmly, and his eyes expressed an unprecedented empathy and even love. "You will come through. You must believe it. I put this upon you because it is the only way to save you and the rest of us, in this life. It was your own will that it shall be so." Aleph looked at Van until the latter was revitalized and returned a steady gaze. "Good, you're better, young king. Here, this is the final piece of the puzzle I shall give you today," he handed Van a scroll. "Scream if you must." With that enigmatic comment, Aleph departed. Rain began to fall on Garden Stellifer. None of Serenus's magic and beauty was in view.
"Open it, Van," Hitomi whispered.
"I.I can't. It's something bad."
"Then I'll do it!" Hitomi snatched the scroll, unsure whether she was courageous or merely curious. She read slowly: "In the ancient texts of Atlantis, there is written a prophecy: the dark-haired young man, part draconian, the king of Fanelia, pilot of the Ispano guymelef, is destined for.for the winged girl from Serenus, a sorceress who opens the portal of Time and guides the unknown elements of the universe." Hitomi dropped the scroll, and went to stand by the fountain. Sounds of fragmenting and cracking ice were heard.
Her gaze ascended the precipitous hills. Some tress lay broken, some destroyed beyond recognition, some leaning against the jagged rocks. The pines towered up proudly but they provided no luxuriant shelter. The scene was sombre, made more serious by the wreaths of mist curled around the pinnacles. Rain descended from the grey sky and melancholy infused the once peaceful garden. Hitomi thought everything looked so unreal.
Van has survived the tempest of war, the agony of loss, the confusion of time, but everything connected with losing Hitomi or hurting her could cause his soul to collapse on itself. He felt the mysteries of existence close in around him, the mysteries that stirred in the dark forest. He knew from then on that he has to live amidst the unfathomable. Yet there is fascination also, fascination with the regret, the longing, the hate, the passion. There is also a fighting within. To survive all this, he knows he must hold her. But he could not even lift up his arms.
Through the trickling of rain, he caught her whisper: "What does this all mean, Van?"
"How should I know? You're the one with the visions." There was something in his rough tone that painfully resembled how he talked to her when they first met on the Mystic Moon. He was not really annoyed or angry, just simply lost.
She turned around; trials of tears were already entrenched in her wan face. "Let me ask you this, Van, is our love eternal? Does it conquer all? Huh, does it, does it?" Then she turned and sprinted out the garden, into the woods.
"Hitomi!" he stood up to chase after her, but his legs failed him. I must go on. He saw himself as holding on to his flooded island of Love and Hope, and on the other side of the ocean is Hitomi, along with his family, all the lodestars of ages. He must drift to her and be no more tormented by the wavering of all good things. Exerting his strength, he stood up and ran on unstably.
She sprinted with her old avid flame for the finish line, except there was no line. Out of breath, she stopped in the middle of the clearing and let the deluge rain on her. I want to go back home, back to Earth. She thought of Van's earlier question about returning to Fanelia with him. But no, it wouldn't be right. It is wrong. He should not think otherwise.
But Van does think otherwise. And unknown to her, she herself does also. He has thought of past, present and future, with all their joy, fear, sorrow, valour and rage - what of these? Emotions sway and wither. But the Truth, Truth stripped of the cloak of Time and Fate alone rises above. Discard principles, banish morality, ignore all words, but the one splendid beacon will remain, pure and unconquerable. She is my Truth.
Searching frantically among the wet trees, Van finally caught sight of her. The rain had poured down so hard that he was scarcely able to open his eyes fully. But his vision of her is clear. Panting and staggering, he approached her, his heart aching to see her this way. Upon reaching talking range, he immediately spoke.
"I went to the future, Hitomi," she stared at him with doubt. "I swear I did. After Aleph separated us in that dream, I completely collapsed and I entered a coma. I was transported to the past and there my family was, alive and happy. Then I came back to the present, and it seemed some time has elapsed of which I have no awareness. Suddenly, I was in a different time, in the palace, with this little girl on my lap, saying she wanted to hear the story of Escaflowne. Her name was Hermione."
"That little girl then called for this boy, Valorick, about ten years old. And he.he has your eyes, Hitomi, and she has mine!" Hitomi expressed concern, still unsure whether to believe him or not.
"You've got to believe me. Even Aleph mentioned my 'travels', remember? I saw you there, Hitomi, in a white dress and I took the children to bed, and you were waiting for me. Don't you see, it's our future," he wiped away the water on her face. "Those are, or will be, our children, we are going to be together. It will be okay. Forget the prophecies, forget the past life."
She saw Van's face through the rain, but the image was not blurred. He became clearer than ever. She put her arms around him and felt the salvation of his warmth. He gazed at her, his eyes softened lovingly and he cupped her face in his hands. She leaned up. Their trembling lips met in the middle. Finally. Even in the awkwardness of their inexperience, the kiss, so long delayed, is ideal. There was an immediate union. They held together, surrendering fate and volition. Her lips tasted sweet somehow and he paused for a second in bliss. Then, he pressed her against his body and kissed her again with strength and determination. Hitomi saw that there is a masculinity in Van other than that of the valiant warrior. She felt she was converted into an angel, unencumbered by gravity, dying without ever knowing it. As they held each other, a figure suddenly appeared from behind Van.
"You believe, don't you?" the figure asked with the voice of Love.
They turned around in alarm. The lessening rain made the sight clear and unmistakable. "F-Folken," Hitomi whispered.
"Am I." Van's words choked in his throat. "Am I in the past again, brother?"
Folken smiled his old, gentle smile, shook in his head and held out his right hand - his graceful, ample, human hand. In aching love, Van staggered over and held his brother's hand tight. It was tangible, real and warm. The scent of the forest after rain smelled like Fanelia.
"Van, Hitomi," she came to their side, "You believe in your Love. I understand what it feels like, you know." Folken let go of Van's hand and went to stand by a tree, gazing off into the distance.
"I guess during the war, we didn't exactly have time for brotherly talk, Van. But I should tell you now. It seems so very long ago, probably when you were only seven. When Dornkirk first arrived in Zaibach, warlords were fighting to conquer that arid land. One of the warlords had a daughter who despised the violence and chose to disobey her father by following Dornkirk and the way of science. Her name was.Nerya." For the first time, Van saw in his older brother, utter helplessness.
"When I woke up after nearly being killed by the dragon, I was devastated to see my mechanical hand, altered by science. I wanted to die, to leave Zaibach. But she gave me hope and persuaded me to stay. Though she grew up amid wars, there was an untainted innocence and beauty in her. She was a physical incarnation of my ideals at the time. For her, I followed Dornkirk's ways."
Then, Hitomi saw it in a bright vision - Folken and Nerya standing in an engine room, binding each other in love. Amidst the cold machinery of Zaibach, their flame blazed as the only breathing and immortal thing. There was something in Folken's eyes that was exactly like Van.
"But one day, Nerya disappeared without a trace. I later found out that the sorcerers destroyed her because she was planning to sabotage their scheme of using kidnapped children for experiments. That was why I've antagonized the sorcerers ever since. For everyday that I stayed with Zaibach, I imagined that she'd come back to me, alive and well. After I died, I was able to see her again, but even in death, we can't stay together. It's hard to explain, I don't even fully understand myself. Perhaps it is only because we're being punished by the universe for our innumerable crimes. It feels just like how the two of you were separated."
Wanting to lend his brother some consolation and strength, Van went over and placed a hand on his shoulder. Hitomi sensed Folken's pain and his love, a side of him she never saw during the war. He even named Naria and Erya after his love, she speculated.
"Brother, are you alive in a world other than ours?" Van asked with a tremour.
"You could say that. So are mother and father. We watch over you, Van, as we've promised." Tears streamed down Vans' face.
"Brother, I don't understand reincarnation. Between the past life and this life there is a span of millennia - what happens during that?"
"Van, you must not understand that now, not yet. I've come only to reassure that you two are right in believing in your Love. Whatever happens from now on, you must remember that you cannot wallow in tragic waters. You must soldier on. The happy future you saw will happen only if you follow the right path. You will feel what is right, not think it, but feel it." Folken took Van's hand and placed it in Hitomi's.
"I know what Aleph has told you about the prophecy. But you should know by now that your Love is not exactly destiny. It is needless of destiny. I saw it that last day in Zaibach, after I died. You held each other and that moment of eternity was not created by fate. Someday you'll understand all this. Until then, Freya's power will bless you." With that, Folken's' gentle face faded into the quiet air.
"Brother." Van whispered to himself, and closed his hand.
"Come on, Van," Hitomi held his arm. "Let's go home, let's go back to Fanelia."
So he held her and saw that their path led towards some infinite splendour, evermore about to be.
On their way back to the garden, they saw Cyprus's bubbly, child-like figure stumbling towards them. "Hallooooo! Lad! Lass! Cyprus be coming!"
Hitomi waved to him. As he came closer, she noticed he was carrying her backpack and Van's sword.
"Yous be going home, Numen said. So Cyprus return to cottage to bring your things."
"Thank you, Cyprus," Hitomi took her bag.
"Here, lad, your cutting knife," Cyprus gave the sword to Van, who did not bother correcting his humorous mistake.
"Are you sure Aleph said we're going home?" Hitomi asked.
"Yes, yes, Cyprus no hear wrong. Cyprus come to say farewell."
"I'll miss you, Cyprus. Thank you for everything you've done for us."
"Oh, no need thanks. Cyprus glad to help."
"Here," Hitomi took a silver ring off he finger. "Keep it as a token of my gratitude. It's not much, just something I picked up at a store. This way you'll have a souvenir from Earth and you can remember us."
Cyprus blushed and took it humbly. "Thank you, lady. What a pretty, shiny circle. Cyprus treasure it."
"Cyprus," Van finally said, "If you ever need any help with anything, remember Van Fanel of Fanelia."
"Oh, yes, yes. But Cyprus remember Van and Hitomi Fanel of Fanelia!" Once again, he sent them into embarrassed laughter.
"Fore Cyprus forget, draconian lady ask to see yous!" he then whistled and from behind a tress came Seraphine.
Van immediately took a position of defence and made clear his animosity towards her.
"Please, Van Fanel," she said, her voice less heavenly than before. "I come in peace. I apologize for what happened earlier. It was my stupidity. Please, I have an urgent message." Her previous godly and impressive stance was reduced and the icy citadel taken down, so she became more acceptable. She signalled to Cyprus who avidly waved goodbye before running off.
Van relaxed his tense position, and agreed with Hitomi that they should give Seraphine a chance. She approached them and held out her long, beautiful hands. "Here, I shall give you instructions and help you get home."
Remembering Folken's words about believing, they held out their hands. The three of them formed a triangle. Seraphine closed her eyes and solemnly began to whisper to Nature, in Atlantean. Wing dai esche irai secum, tu da Freya.
The wind began rising to her command, dispersing the mists and gathering the power. Their pendant blazed in unison. The susurrus of the trees all around them resonated with Seraphine's chant.
She opened her eyes and her voice echoed in the rustling wood: "Remember, this, remember this - when Atlantis comes to you, go to the Tree of Life and Death, and there dig up the relic. The Dragon and the Phoenix shall rise and together rule the sky." The whirlwind rose into a tumultuous gyre, leaving no room for thought or words in its swift rush of air.
The wind gyre spun towards the zenith. A sunpillar swirled down through it, intermingling light with wind. Then both were drawn into the gyrating galaxy above. Seraphine alone stood among the silent trees.
~ End of Part V ~
Notes: Here are just some historical or mythological references related to this chapter: "Stellifer" in certain Latin (Roman) poetry means "starry" Vannius was a king of a place called Quadi, during the time of Tiberius; it doesn't really mean the "child of the stars" The ancient Hebrew sign for Love kind of looks like two figures intertwined in each other's arms In Scandinavian myths, Freya is the goddess of love and marriage, the counterpart of Venus. Her husband is Odin, god of wisdom, war and poetry. Together they ruled the underworld called Valhalla, the equivalent of Elysium, where heroes and good people go after death (this is one of the reasons why I named Van and Hitomi's son Val). The Atlantean is just gibberish I made up - sorry, I don't' know anything about linguistics.