Bonds of Fate
I should've known, Shindri moaned inwardly. I should've tried to protect them, I should've done so many things, and now it's just too late...
She suppressed the urge to burst into hysterics as she listened to the dying whispers of breath from her two zans. "I'm so sorry guys, I wish there was something I could've done. It's all my fault, please forgive me, wherever you are."
She brushed her hand over Seta's forehead, then Dante's, screaming at herself not to let them go, crying to herself it was the only way, over and over in a ceaseless cycle. The barn was utterly still, she was the only soul awake, and she felt the loneliness, the eerie silence press into her at all sides. It was as if the world was blaming her now.
Murderer. Killer. Unworthy.
Moonlight lanced down around her from cracks in the ceiling, illuminated shafts mocking her. Shadows crept in around her, glaring, accusing. Silence, like an executioner, waiting to swallow her up. She was so miserable she wanted to die.
Die.
Murderer. Killer. Unworthy. Murderer. Killer. Unworthy. Murderer. Killer. Unworthy.
Voices now, voices repeating those words over and over and over, whether in reality or her tortured mind she could not tell. She clasped her hands over her ears, her eyes squeezed shut, wringing out the last dry tears for she had cried out her oceans.
"Stop," she whimpered softly. "Stop, please. Stop, stop, stop..."
But they continued, stronger, louder, chanting it like a curse. Now the shadows pressed closer, the moonlight licking her brittle, salt filled tears.
"Stop it, now! Just go AWAY!!!!"
Then suddenly it stopped. Shin opened her eyes and found herself staring at the center of the floor. The shadows there were starting to spiral upwards. Higher and higher they rose, then melted together for an instant, then broke apart and disappeared, revealing what they hid. Oberon.
"You!" Shin nearly shrieked, instead it came out as a loud, hissing whisper. She didn't know why she didn't yell and set the monsters on him. "Get away from here!"
He fixed her with those garnet colored eyes, the look behind them impossible to figure out. "I came to help them."
"How, by putting them out of their misery?! I think you've done enough!"
"If you won't let me help, then they will die. I can give them back their life, just let me alright?"
Don't trust him, Shin thought. But then again, what's the worse that could happen? They're already dying, and he doesn't seem like the type to lie...
She moved aside. He walked, almost glided, over to the two monsters. He turned to her. "Come here."
"Why?" she asked, suspiciously.
"In order to give them back their life I need to channel it through someone with a strong life force, namely you."
"Why not just do it yourself?"
He looked at her, smiling coyly. "I have lost most of what humanity remains in me. I might kill what I'm trying too save."
She gulped and walked over. Gently, she lay her hands across Seta's chest. "Like this?"
He said nothing, just put his hands over her shoulders. She shivered slightly at the touch, it was cold, icy even. But suddenly they warmed, burned. She almost cried out in pain as the fire seemed to lance through her veins. She looked down at her hands to see them glowing a fiery gold, and she felt it radiate into Seta's body. Moments passed, seeming like hours, then Oberon's contact broke and Shin was left staring at her hands. "That was amazing..."
"A Phoenix's life is strong," Oberon answered, his voice tired. "It is often too much for anyone too handle, but you held your own. Come, we have the other."
Shin turned around, strangely enough feeling the warmth in her veins still. She lay her hands across Dante's and waited for Oberon to grasp her shoulders. This time though, his touch stayed cold, and she felt ice through her veins. So cold, she thought. So cold even if she were burned a thousand times she would never rid the freezing from her body. Darkness pulsed around her hands this time, and when it was over, her body flashed hot and cold and she shivered.
Oberon leaned against a wall for support. "They should be better by the morning's light."
"Why did you help them?" Shin asked, rubbing her hands across her arms, trying to rid them of the burning-freezing feeling.
"I was sealed away because I could steal the lives of others, and I ended up destroying the only person who ever understood me. I promised myself I wouldn't ever kill like that again. But then I was punished too obey whoever released me, and I couldn't stop from taking their lives, but I could restore them." He looked at her. "You were there when I was unlocked, were you not?"
Shin blushed. "Yeah, hiding in the bushes. Everybody tells me I'm way too curious."
Silence ensued after that, one of the awkward kind. Shin glanced upwards at the crack in the ceiling. The sky was getting lighter.
"I want to thank you," she whispered. Oberon glanced down at her again. "If it wasn't for you they would've been dead."
He stared at her in silence, then spoke quietly. "Keep your thanks. If it wasn't for me they wouldn't have been hurt in the first place."
He turned to leave.
"Wait!" Shin called. He turned around again. "I was wrong about you, Oberon, and I hope we meet again."
The shadows wrapped themselves around him and he was gone, but Shin thought she heard a whisper as he vanished.
"Don't hope that, because it will mean death for you."
***
"Where were you?"
Devon's cold voice greeted him as Oberon materialized in the study. The monster glanced at him, equally cold, equally cruel. "Seeing the ranch."
Devon smiled. "Instilling a sense of fear are you?"
Oberon didn't answer. Devon sighed. "No matter. I trust you still have the life taken from the two monsters?"
"Yes," Oberon lied, calmly. "I still possess them."
"Very good," Devon said, smoothly with a tint of cruelty and delight in his voice. He walked around to the back of his desk and drew out a goblet. Oberon started in surprise. It was a simple chalice, made of black crystal, silver twining around the handle and shards of silver decorating the rim. "Do you recognize this?"
Oberon nodded, tense with anger. Devon smiled again and admired it nonchalantly. "This is the Chalice made by a simple glassworker, but he was inspired by the Goddess. He put his whole life into it, and died upon the second of completion. It is made too hold the elixir of life, which melts all chalices but this. The elixir that only a monster with the ability too steal life is able too produce. Thousands of years before a tyrant created such a monster and it almost gave him immortality. But then his only child, silly thing, gave her life to attempt too destroy the Chalice. Obviously, it didn't work, which makes it quite something too laugh about eh?"
Oberon was shaking with rage by now, but was careful to try too hide it. Devon continued in his nonchalant, conversational voice tinged with malice. "Well anyways, the father died and the monster was sealed away. The heart of gold conquered and so on and so forth, quite a bedtime story. But that is beside the point."
Devon stopped admiring the Chalice and looked straight at Oberon, his eyes cruel and greedy. "You are that monster Oberon, and you must give me my immortality."
"As you wish," Oberon replied cooly, regaining his composure.
He took the Chalice. Holding it gently, he raised his hand over it, then suddenly dashed his palm upon the razor edged rim. He quickly shifted the cup under the wound, and clenched his hand. When he reopened it, white light poured into the Chalice instead of blood. It filled the cup, then he clenched his hand again. When he opened it, the wound had healed as if it were never there at all.
Devon smiled devilishly and took the Chalice, holding it regally, watching the liquid light shift and swirl. "Fit for a king Oberon, this elixir. And I soon will be, king of the world."
He lifted the cup too his lips and drained it. It was like drinking gold, Oberon remembered his former master say. Like drinking the purest gold...
Devon set the Chalice back on the table with a bang, his eyes burning with a new light. "You are dismissed Oberon."
The monster bowed fluently, then once again took too the shadows. He glided into one of the nearby rooms and collapsed, finally giving in too his exhaustion.
***
Seta awoke to the sunlight filtering in through the ceilings. His eyes opened a crack and he was temporarily blinded as the light seemed too jet directly into them. "Aw shit..."
"Thank Goddess!!!"
The next thing he knew he was knocked backward and Shin was locked tightly around his waist. "Your alive, your alive, your alive!!!"
"What?! Get off!!!!" Now he was thoroughly embarrassed. Shin let go and he was surprised too see there were tears in her eyes. "What's the matter?"
"What's going on down there?!" came a voice from above. Zephyr peered down angrily. "Some people are trying to-" He stopped short as he saw Seta. "You..." His face broke into a smile and he turned around, yelling too Dis and Shade. "Seta's okay!!!"
Silvern had woken up too all this commotion and for awhile had been frozen in shock. Now she moved quietly over too Date's side and put her hand on his shoulder. "Dante? Wake up."
Dante's eyes snapped open and he sat up. "What?! Silvern? But we were-Oh..."
"It was that bad," Silvern replied softly, as if reading his thoughts. "They said you weren't going too make it. I-I'm glad you're alright."
The mood was disturbed as Shin tackled Dante with a tearful hug and Loki woke up and started screaming about zombies which got Seta mad, and he began too chase the troublesome mixbreed around despite his weakened state, thus setting one of the spare stables on fire. Zephyr tried too blow it out and resulted in making it bigger, and everyone panicked until Shade had the good sense to bring in the hose, but lost control of it and everyone was drenched. So it was moderately a normal morning despite the going ons of the night.
After fifteen minutes everything calmed down enough for Shin too hand out breakfast. Then, of course, came the questions.
"So how exactly were we healed if that monster stole our life force?" Dante inquired calmly, acting as if nothing had happened.
Shin stared at the floor awhile before answering. "He came, at night, and he returned it. It turned out he only did it because Devon had ordered him too, and he's bound to obey whoever unlocked him. He's really not that bad..."
Seta snorted. "Sure."
Shin glared at him. "He risked his life trying too save you, you should be thankful. Devon probably going to hurt him if he finds out you two are still alive, and he can't do anything about it."
Seta subsided angrily. Dante rolled his eyes. "Never mind Fireball, he's still upset that Oberon beat him. I agree with you Shin, when he was fighting he was holding back his true power, I could sense it."
"Yes," Shin said, thoughtfully, worriedly. "The thing is, Devon has all that power too call on for his every whim. And I don't think he'll use it for just tournaments."
"More like taking over the world," said a voice from the doorway. Corren stood there looking tired. Shin stared at him in shock.
"What?!"
"He plans to conquer the world."
I LIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gomen a thousand times for the delay. . I had a huge writer's block, and I'm soooooooooooooooo sorry. Well, from the reviews it seems you all hate Devon. So too blow off your steam I'm holding a contest. Write a story of any length entitled "Devon's BAD Day", and bash him all you want. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! Anything goes, and the winners will be used as interludes too the story. E-mail me your documents in .htm/l format and have fun! Be sure to include your pen-name!!! Bash on!
