Disclaimer: Look at the prior chapter if you want to know.
A/N: I love this story now! I hope you all won't be all angry with me cause I'm delaying the plot until now. Hehe! I'm trying to work this all out so bear with me okay. Hehe! I'm laughing so much. Ah wells, I have to say that this is definitely going to be a V/H story so you all don't worry about Inhestia. And, I forgot to put that in the last chapter that the girl that Van was kissing in his dream was NOT his mother! I'm not that sick... and I also have to say that this is now the regular time line so the flashbacks are done okay? Okay. Now it's time for the real story to begin. Thanks! And don't forget to review. I'm missing my normal flow of reviews.
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Chapter XII: Birth
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Her eyes groggily opened. She felt a warm embrace and a gush of wind around her. The entire room was glowing in wonderful reds and blues, intermingling to create purple hues. Looking up to the strong arms that held her, she smiled to him. "Van? What...where am I? What happened?" she asked, emerging from the blanket that was wrapped around her like a cocoon.
Smiling, he brushed a stray lock away from her face. "I don't know. Nakami started screaming and you started to run to her but fainted in mid- stride. I think that they are almost done with her." he said as he looked on to the display before them. Nakami was laying back in bed, her body slick with sweat and she was breathing heavily. She rolled around a little and settled back down. The priests were keeping up the glow and the guard priest opened a bottle of a silver liquid.
Naka lat naka lai...
The others let the shield dim somewhat and the other walked slowly to it. The others started to chant over and over.
Sukala dakam imp drago yart. sukala dakam imp drago yart.sukala dakam imp drago yart.
The priest let the bottle hover out of his hands and it slowly moved to the top of the shield. It broke loudly with a burst and a silver liquid dragon hovered over and roared. Swiftly, it dove into the barrier and landed on Nakami. When it sunk into her, she screamed and convulsed.
"Red dragon's blood." said Van behind her. She looked up to him confused. "Red dragons are very rare, more rare than the whites. They can only live in the island of Draygos because of a fruit that they feed on only grows there. And the red dragons are considered invincible, their hides are pure mythril and they have no weak spots except for their eyes. So, to have red dragon's blood, you have to be allowed by their herd. The blood is known to give powers of fire and ice when you drink it. That's all I know. I've never seen it before." he said as they watched her convulsing slow.
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Inhestia stood on the platform. Her body was receiving all of the soul energy that they could spare. She started to glow a soft violet color. The spell would soon be able to be conjured and they would be safe. The water was making its way up the mountain and they could feel every thud and pulse. Everything was getting cold and she shivered softly.
"Inhestia..." said her love. He stood in front of her with a soft smile. Giving her a soft hug, he leaned in to whisper into her ear. "You're not taking my energy."
She smirked and sighed into his embrace. Her body was becoming cold rapidly and she felt as if she were dropped into the ice cold sea. "You need to survive while I'm gone to rule my people. My father is old and he cannot live much longer. You must become my Emperor. I will need this from you." she said as she struggled with the last of the spirit energy.
"I will govern your people until my dying day and beyond my love." he said. She smiled and looked to him. Even in times of massacre and chaos, love finds their ways into their hearts. But love came too late. He traced a finger down her soft cheek. A tear trickled down it and she trembled from holding back her sobs. "Im dreykenla..." he whispered and kissed her forehead.
"Im sukala ist nem..." Tracing his lips to each cheek, he let a single tear fall. His eyes held a love that she couldn't imagine anyone to possess in their lifetime. Shaking uncontrollably from the cold and from his vow, she let the tears river down her cheeks.
"Im sakin sey dorat lakul nerat Inhestia... my ciñasteñia..." he said as he pledged his vow of love to her. Kissing her, she cried hysterically. Everything was so good and it had to happen now. Why couldn't she have met Arnin before this all? When they could have married and raised children together to rule in prosperity. Letting her go from the kiss, she looked to him and smiled.
"I love you too. Arnin, don't ever lose faith in me. I will always love you. You are my mate." she said and gave him one last embrace. "You are my Gaea." A violet beam shot into the heavens and exploded, bathing everything in a warm glow. Water started to pool at their feet as they held each other with all their might. Inhestia gave a yell and her body stood rigid. He held her up as the thick beam sucked her soul into a growing ball of violet light. The beam slowly turned blue and Inhestia's golden soul curled up into the core of the ball. The ball sifted into blue, brown and green specks started to grow. The birth of this planet was dazzling to his eyes as clouds rose to the skies of the infant world. Slowly the beam shot the rest of its remains back into the sky and his goddess fell into a dead clump in his arms.
Shaking his head, he traced a finger down her forehead, over her elegant nose, off of her silky lips, and off of her chin. Her body soon began to disintegrate and disappear. A long blue beam shot down and picked up the stunned Draconians and Cellonians and the mourning Arnin.
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Nakami screeched and arched off of the bed in pure pain. Saline tears shot down her cheeks and she sobbed. Crawling into a ball, she shivered and the priests stopped their chanting. Everything was silent. The shield was lowered and a priest held a goblet of dragon's blood and walked over to the bed. Kneeling down, he held the large goblet to her. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at her hands as if they were foreign to her. Sitting up, she looked around the room and noticed the priest.
Silently, she picked up the goblet and drank the blood down without a wince. Dripping of her silver offering traced down her lips and dribbled down her chin. Looking to the floor, she dropped the goblet to the ground with a shatter. "Arnin." She gasped and landed on the floor on her knees. She picked up the body of the fallen leader and cried. Her tears seemed to glow and have the shine of the moon in them.
The first person to stir was Hitomi. All of the waiting for her to acknowledge them was getting the best of her and she wanted to know if Nakami was alright. She stood and slowly walked to her in even steps. The poor Nakami wept over this unknown man but she felt a sense of pity for her. "Nakami? Are you alright?" she asked as she stood over her. The woman sniffed and shivered.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked up to Hitomi and studied her. "Who... are you?" she asked in confusement. "Who is Nakami?" She looked around and shook in fear, holding the leader's body close to her. "Heik noean?!" she screamed scared.
The priests bowed down before her and muttered in a foreign tongue. Hitomi was confused by this all. First Nakami didn't recognize her and now the priests were bowing at her friend's feet. As she was about to speak to her again, the priests quickly picked up Nakami and the leader's body and walked out of the room.
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Celena fell to her knees in the main meeting room. Gaddes was too heavy to carry all this way from the main entrance and she couldn't carry him much longer. Her entire body was cold and she shivered in her thin sundress. The oak floors didn't help either from their stone cold feeling in them. The water that was poured on the floors for cooling off the castle made the floors smooth and almost slick.
Her soft and beautiful platinum blond hair rested around her face like an angelic halo. She let tears spill down her cheeks as she laid in the middle of the oak flooring, holding her fallen love to her chest.
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The curtains swept across the innocent's calm face. It has been three months since Nakami was revived and yet it still remained to snow. It never stopped and she was getting worried. The crops were dying and the villagers were getting sick in their homes. The healers wouldn't leave their posts to tread out in this "supposedly dangerous" snow. It made her feel horrible about the entire situation. Here, she was sitting comfortably in her room with a nice and large fire while people were shivering cold, sick, and starving in their beds.
The Cellonians had stayed in the second and never used shrine. Their activity there was weird. Basically, they separated the shrine into two sections: the general area, and the private area for Nakami to reside in. Only a few of the priests were able to set foot into her chamber. The leader's body was laid on the old altar and was changed into fine clothing. 'He must have been a prince or someone of high importance.' she thought as she stood up.
Celena had kept to herself and her room was locked twenty-four seven. Gaddes had been buried a few weeks ago and Celena had cried all through it. She was distraught and practically alone except for Van and he was busy with the whole snow issue.
Van was another thing too. He was accepted into the Cellonians "sanctuary" with the priests bowing lower than usual. Of course, Van always brushed it off as a thanks for his hospitality but the way they looked to him and treated him was out of the ordinary. They spoke to him as if they knew him all of his life. Also, they even invited him into Nakami's private chambers. All of it was fishy and she didn't like it.
She decided to ask the horrible tarot cards for their counsel. 'What will be the outcome of this all?' she asked in her mind. Pulling out the pampered cards from a small locked box in the drawer next to her bed, she shuffled the cards and placed them out in her custom styled placement. There were four cards in a large circle and two cards in the middle. "The card for Van is... the hermit?"
The card that represents slipping into the darkness to see the light. She blinked at this card and shrugged this off. "Maybe something good will happen from this." she said and continued on. The card representing her was next.
The hooded grim reaper holding a scythe. " The Death card. The card of forced sacrifice?" she said in a gasp and continued to Nakami's card. "The Devil card. The card for lust, ignorance, and to free yourself from your restrictions." she said in a monotone voice.
Celena's card. "The Fool. Innocence and a life lived in your own ideals." Two cards were in the middle of the small circle, side by side. These cards represented the outcome of it all. The one to the right was the Warrior of beasts. "Van's card." she mumbled and flipped the other card over. The Lovers gleamed with innocence to her. Suddenly, she saw it.
He stood in the throne room. Pulling out a beautifully made dagger, he pressed the blade into his chest. Blood shot out and the raven haired youth fell to the ground with a sigh, a swollen and dead female body wrapped in a blanket in his arms.
Dropping the cards, the Ace of Serpents flew to the middle of the two cards. Courage.
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Van stood up. It was midnight and something compelled him to leave his room. Pulling on an undershirt, he walked out of his chambers and out to the hall. All was dark but he felt more at home with it. Something quickly turned the corner. He started to run after it. The chase was on and his training and the times of war gave him a small advantage on it. As he caught up, the body of a woman emerged to him. Her long black hair flapped wildly around her as she ran around the last corner.
Their chase led them to the royal meadows. She tripped and fell to the grass with a happy giggle. He landed next to her and turned her over. Still laughing, she rolled side to side. "No fair. You're gifted with Atlantean speed!" she said mirthfully.
"Inhestia? What are you doing by the royal chambers? You know how much trouble you would be under?" he chided. Both gasping for breath, it took a while for the answer.
"Well, I came upon my... jovial and wondrous mood to tell you... that the *snickers* pyres and dragons will-be-one!" she said and burst out into more fitful laughter. She rolled onto her back and held her stomach. This was all very annoying indeed to him. First she wanders into the royal sector of the caste without permission and sets him onto a large chase, then she's spouting nonsense and laughing like a drunken fool.
"You're drunk aren't you?" he asked in annoyance. She looked up to him and laughed again. His anger boiled over and got to the better of him. Grabbing her shoulders, he shook he roughly. "Will you shut the hell up and talk some sense?! Godamn!" he yelled.
She stopped and smiled to him playfully. "Jeez, chill Van. I just wanted to play that's all. And the priests made me come to you anyway." she said and sat up. Letting go of her, he did a mental double take and pressed the question.
"You're priests made you come to see me? Why is that?" he asked seriously. Standing up, she brushed the grass off of her dress and smiled.
"Oh, something about putting order in it's place. Some shit like that." she said, examining her finely woven dress for stains. "All clean."
"Order? What does that mean?" he asked and turned to her. She suddenly was at the other side of the field and was running to a high cliff area. "Hey! Wait up!" he yelled and ran after her, again.
This cliff region held many good memories for him. He used to come twice a week to practice his flying with his mother and brother. They always would say that he might have to save somebody someday but he never got it until the day at the Dragon's Graveyard. It was a nicely large cliff with a separate grass meadow under it that continued to the back of the canyon. The grass was a sea green, like that of his beloved's eyes.
She jumped and laughed. Fear shot up his veins and he ran towards the edge of the cliff. Tossing off his undershirt, he jumped off as well and flew down to her. Suddenly, he saw a bright lavender bubble rise up from the bottom and head towards him slowly. Inside it, she sat with a grin. Halting his fall, he joined her ascent. "I wanted to show you what I learned today in my meditation." she said innocently with a soft smile. He fumed and glared to her.
"I thought you were going to die! Don't ever do that stunt again or I swear I'll let you drop!" he scolded. She sighed and landed the bubble on the top of the cliff and stood up.
"Jeez, you have no fun Mr. Stick-up-your-ass." she complained. Van frowned to her and put his shirt back on.
"Someone's completely energetic tonight." he mumbled. She grinned and took his hand.
"Come on! Let's play games with the priests!" she said and made a bubble around them two. Suddenly the bubble shot up and made them fall to the bottom of it in a mess of limbs. Speeding off, Inhestia cheered and Van complained about it the entire way.
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Hitomi rose from her sleep. It was a few hours past dawn and the time when breakfast was about to be served. Slipping on a soft pink dress, she brushed her hair long, along with other morning type things, and set off to find company. Passing Celena's door, she sighed at the poor woman's suffering. Continuing on, she stopped at the guards at Van's chambers.
"May you please tell Van that I would like his company please?" she asked in a polite manner.
"I'm sorry Lady Hitomi. I'm afraid he's been out since a few min to midnight." said one of them.
"Oh. Do you know when he might be back? Or where he is for that matter?" she asked concerned. Luckily, she was permitted to know the location of his majesty so there should have been no problem.
"We don't know when he'll be back but I've heard that he was visiting the Cellonian Sanctuary. He may be there still." said the other guard with a worried look. Giving her polite farewells, she walked off to the Sanctuary. The walk was long and she currently disliked the fact of them wanting to be as far from the castle as possible. The large cathedral was bronze with age and the newly rising sunlight. Nestled in a small patch of trees, it was quaint yet regal at the same time. During the Great Fanellian Fire, this place wasn't touched because of the look of abandonment. Heck, it probably would have made it look better.
Inside was much more grand a place. Large curtains were hung from the impossibly high ceiling and acted as a barrier for a few sectors of the place. The pulpit was shined up and decorated with many abstract yet beautiful Cellonian artifacts of worship. The one that caught her eye was the one of two men, one wearing highly decorated robes and the other wearing a Grecian style garb holding an increasingly beautiful woman, nude of course, but beautiful in Hitomi's eyes nonetheless.
Deciding to continue on, she walked past a curtain, which a priest held out for her to a large gallery-like area. Paintings were hung on the walls and pillows were placed under each one. Two candles were magically floating in invisible holders on each side of the paintings, their flames not even daring to flicker. The first one she saw was a portrait of a white haired woman with loose silver drapes of robes sitting Japanese-style on the perfectly painted grass. Her deep blue eyes were set off from her increasingly pale and almost porcelain skin. Upon her head was a silver and delicate crown that seemed more fragile than moonbeams. The setting was dark and in the nighttime, small grey rabbits nestling in the grass warm and comfortable. Next to that painting was another of an entire different kind.
An Adonis-like figure stood tall and in a position like the sculpture by Michelangelo. Fiery red hair was upon his head in a curled manner that went to his mid neck but thick nonetheless. Gold colored fabric was wrapped loosely around his hips and he was finely-toned with warm sun kissed skin. Bold red eyes looked off to an unknown object with fiercity and regality. A multitude of pyres flew in the background in bright and dazzling reds and oranges. Adorning his head was a laurel type of crown. Instead of the broad and vibrant and green leaves, glossy obsidian leaves gave the priceless look of power to his form.
The next one was of the woman she saw throughout her time in the future. Inhestia as she was called. Her long black hair shimmered and shined. She gazed to Hitomi with a soft smile, burgundy eyes aglow. Her warm and radiant body was dressed in a dark black silk with gold ropes tied to accent her goddess-like curves. Behind her was the sun and moon side by side like the MasterCard logo. Unlike the other two paintings, she wore no crown but a glimmering eye decal on her forehead.
Continuing on, she ended up at the bright red silk curtain to the private chambers of Inhestia. As she was about to speak with the guard, the person she was looking for emerged from the curtains. His hair was disheveled, more than normal and he gave a tired yawn. By the way he looked, he looked as if he spent the night. Forcing a smile, she gave her hello.
"Eh? Oh, hi Hitomi." he mumbled in a tired tone. He walked past her and continued out to the entrance.
'Maybe he's just tired.' she said and sighed. Deciding to go and help out the chefs with their cooking, she left the Sanctuary and headed back to the castle. As she left the cathedral, she felt a large amount of sensual power emit from it. As soon as she noticed it, it left her immediately. Shrugging this off, she continued on.
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A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. I put a lot of depth into the last part when Hitomi wakes up. And if you probe into it and find the hidden meanings of it all, you will be able to get the story a whole lot better and be able to enjoy it longer as well. Hehe. Well, I think that the next chapter will be alright and that there will be a more in depth analysis of Celena and others. I guarantee that the next chapter will be a good one! Well, Bye!
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A/N: I love this story now! I hope you all won't be all angry with me cause I'm delaying the plot until now. Hehe! I'm trying to work this all out so bear with me okay. Hehe! I'm laughing so much. Ah wells, I have to say that this is definitely going to be a V/H story so you all don't worry about Inhestia. And, I forgot to put that in the last chapter that the girl that Van was kissing in his dream was NOT his mother! I'm not that sick... and I also have to say that this is now the regular time line so the flashbacks are done okay? Okay. Now it's time for the real story to begin. Thanks! And don't forget to review. I'm missing my normal flow of reviews.
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Chapter XII: Birth
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Her eyes groggily opened. She felt a warm embrace and a gush of wind around her. The entire room was glowing in wonderful reds and blues, intermingling to create purple hues. Looking up to the strong arms that held her, she smiled to him. "Van? What...where am I? What happened?" she asked, emerging from the blanket that was wrapped around her like a cocoon.
Smiling, he brushed a stray lock away from her face. "I don't know. Nakami started screaming and you started to run to her but fainted in mid- stride. I think that they are almost done with her." he said as he looked on to the display before them. Nakami was laying back in bed, her body slick with sweat and she was breathing heavily. She rolled around a little and settled back down. The priests were keeping up the glow and the guard priest opened a bottle of a silver liquid.
Naka lat naka lai...
The others let the shield dim somewhat and the other walked slowly to it. The others started to chant over and over.
Sukala dakam imp drago yart. sukala dakam imp drago yart.sukala dakam imp drago yart.
The priest let the bottle hover out of his hands and it slowly moved to the top of the shield. It broke loudly with a burst and a silver liquid dragon hovered over and roared. Swiftly, it dove into the barrier and landed on Nakami. When it sunk into her, she screamed and convulsed.
"Red dragon's blood." said Van behind her. She looked up to him confused. "Red dragons are very rare, more rare than the whites. They can only live in the island of Draygos because of a fruit that they feed on only grows there. And the red dragons are considered invincible, their hides are pure mythril and they have no weak spots except for their eyes. So, to have red dragon's blood, you have to be allowed by their herd. The blood is known to give powers of fire and ice when you drink it. That's all I know. I've never seen it before." he said as they watched her convulsing slow.
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Inhestia stood on the platform. Her body was receiving all of the soul energy that they could spare. She started to glow a soft violet color. The spell would soon be able to be conjured and they would be safe. The water was making its way up the mountain and they could feel every thud and pulse. Everything was getting cold and she shivered softly.
"Inhestia..." said her love. He stood in front of her with a soft smile. Giving her a soft hug, he leaned in to whisper into her ear. "You're not taking my energy."
She smirked and sighed into his embrace. Her body was becoming cold rapidly and she felt as if she were dropped into the ice cold sea. "You need to survive while I'm gone to rule my people. My father is old and he cannot live much longer. You must become my Emperor. I will need this from you." she said as she struggled with the last of the spirit energy.
"I will govern your people until my dying day and beyond my love." he said. She smiled and looked to him. Even in times of massacre and chaos, love finds their ways into their hearts. But love came too late. He traced a finger down her soft cheek. A tear trickled down it and she trembled from holding back her sobs. "Im dreykenla..." he whispered and kissed her forehead.
"Im sukala ist nem..." Tracing his lips to each cheek, he let a single tear fall. His eyes held a love that she couldn't imagine anyone to possess in their lifetime. Shaking uncontrollably from the cold and from his vow, she let the tears river down her cheeks.
"Im sakin sey dorat lakul nerat Inhestia... my ciñasteñia..." he said as he pledged his vow of love to her. Kissing her, she cried hysterically. Everything was so good and it had to happen now. Why couldn't she have met Arnin before this all? When they could have married and raised children together to rule in prosperity. Letting her go from the kiss, she looked to him and smiled.
"I love you too. Arnin, don't ever lose faith in me. I will always love you. You are my mate." she said and gave him one last embrace. "You are my Gaea." A violet beam shot into the heavens and exploded, bathing everything in a warm glow. Water started to pool at their feet as they held each other with all their might. Inhestia gave a yell and her body stood rigid. He held her up as the thick beam sucked her soul into a growing ball of violet light. The beam slowly turned blue and Inhestia's golden soul curled up into the core of the ball. The ball sifted into blue, brown and green specks started to grow. The birth of this planet was dazzling to his eyes as clouds rose to the skies of the infant world. Slowly the beam shot the rest of its remains back into the sky and his goddess fell into a dead clump in his arms.
Shaking his head, he traced a finger down her forehead, over her elegant nose, off of her silky lips, and off of her chin. Her body soon began to disintegrate and disappear. A long blue beam shot down and picked up the stunned Draconians and Cellonians and the mourning Arnin.
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Nakami screeched and arched off of the bed in pure pain. Saline tears shot down her cheeks and she sobbed. Crawling into a ball, she shivered and the priests stopped their chanting. Everything was silent. The shield was lowered and a priest held a goblet of dragon's blood and walked over to the bed. Kneeling down, he held the large goblet to her. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at her hands as if they were foreign to her. Sitting up, she looked around the room and noticed the priest.
Silently, she picked up the goblet and drank the blood down without a wince. Dripping of her silver offering traced down her lips and dribbled down her chin. Looking to the floor, she dropped the goblet to the ground with a shatter. "Arnin." She gasped and landed on the floor on her knees. She picked up the body of the fallen leader and cried. Her tears seemed to glow and have the shine of the moon in them.
The first person to stir was Hitomi. All of the waiting for her to acknowledge them was getting the best of her and she wanted to know if Nakami was alright. She stood and slowly walked to her in even steps. The poor Nakami wept over this unknown man but she felt a sense of pity for her. "Nakami? Are you alright?" she asked as she stood over her. The woman sniffed and shivered.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked up to Hitomi and studied her. "Who... are you?" she asked in confusement. "Who is Nakami?" She looked around and shook in fear, holding the leader's body close to her. "Heik noean?!" she screamed scared.
The priests bowed down before her and muttered in a foreign tongue. Hitomi was confused by this all. First Nakami didn't recognize her and now the priests were bowing at her friend's feet. As she was about to speak to her again, the priests quickly picked up Nakami and the leader's body and walked out of the room.
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Celena fell to her knees in the main meeting room. Gaddes was too heavy to carry all this way from the main entrance and she couldn't carry him much longer. Her entire body was cold and she shivered in her thin sundress. The oak floors didn't help either from their stone cold feeling in them. The water that was poured on the floors for cooling off the castle made the floors smooth and almost slick.
Her soft and beautiful platinum blond hair rested around her face like an angelic halo. She let tears spill down her cheeks as she laid in the middle of the oak flooring, holding her fallen love to her chest.
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The curtains swept across the innocent's calm face. It has been three months since Nakami was revived and yet it still remained to snow. It never stopped and she was getting worried. The crops were dying and the villagers were getting sick in their homes. The healers wouldn't leave their posts to tread out in this "supposedly dangerous" snow. It made her feel horrible about the entire situation. Here, she was sitting comfortably in her room with a nice and large fire while people were shivering cold, sick, and starving in their beds.
The Cellonians had stayed in the second and never used shrine. Their activity there was weird. Basically, they separated the shrine into two sections: the general area, and the private area for Nakami to reside in. Only a few of the priests were able to set foot into her chamber. The leader's body was laid on the old altar and was changed into fine clothing. 'He must have been a prince or someone of high importance.' she thought as she stood up.
Celena had kept to herself and her room was locked twenty-four seven. Gaddes had been buried a few weeks ago and Celena had cried all through it. She was distraught and practically alone except for Van and he was busy with the whole snow issue.
Van was another thing too. He was accepted into the Cellonians "sanctuary" with the priests bowing lower than usual. Of course, Van always brushed it off as a thanks for his hospitality but the way they looked to him and treated him was out of the ordinary. They spoke to him as if they knew him all of his life. Also, they even invited him into Nakami's private chambers. All of it was fishy and she didn't like it.
She decided to ask the horrible tarot cards for their counsel. 'What will be the outcome of this all?' she asked in her mind. Pulling out the pampered cards from a small locked box in the drawer next to her bed, she shuffled the cards and placed them out in her custom styled placement. There were four cards in a large circle and two cards in the middle. "The card for Van is... the hermit?"
The card that represents slipping into the darkness to see the light. She blinked at this card and shrugged this off. "Maybe something good will happen from this." she said and continued on. The card representing her was next.
The hooded grim reaper holding a scythe. " The Death card. The card of forced sacrifice?" she said in a gasp and continued to Nakami's card. "The Devil card. The card for lust, ignorance, and to free yourself from your restrictions." she said in a monotone voice.
Celena's card. "The Fool. Innocence and a life lived in your own ideals." Two cards were in the middle of the small circle, side by side. These cards represented the outcome of it all. The one to the right was the Warrior of beasts. "Van's card." she mumbled and flipped the other card over. The Lovers gleamed with innocence to her. Suddenly, she saw it.
He stood in the throne room. Pulling out a beautifully made dagger, he pressed the blade into his chest. Blood shot out and the raven haired youth fell to the ground with a sigh, a swollen and dead female body wrapped in a blanket in his arms.
Dropping the cards, the Ace of Serpents flew to the middle of the two cards. Courage.
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Van stood up. It was midnight and something compelled him to leave his room. Pulling on an undershirt, he walked out of his chambers and out to the hall. All was dark but he felt more at home with it. Something quickly turned the corner. He started to run after it. The chase was on and his training and the times of war gave him a small advantage on it. As he caught up, the body of a woman emerged to him. Her long black hair flapped wildly around her as she ran around the last corner.
Their chase led them to the royal meadows. She tripped and fell to the grass with a happy giggle. He landed next to her and turned her over. Still laughing, she rolled side to side. "No fair. You're gifted with Atlantean speed!" she said mirthfully.
"Inhestia? What are you doing by the royal chambers? You know how much trouble you would be under?" he chided. Both gasping for breath, it took a while for the answer.
"Well, I came upon my... jovial and wondrous mood to tell you... that the *snickers* pyres and dragons will-be-one!" she said and burst out into more fitful laughter. She rolled onto her back and held her stomach. This was all very annoying indeed to him. First she wanders into the royal sector of the caste without permission and sets him onto a large chase, then she's spouting nonsense and laughing like a drunken fool.
"You're drunk aren't you?" he asked in annoyance. She looked up to him and laughed again. His anger boiled over and got to the better of him. Grabbing her shoulders, he shook he roughly. "Will you shut the hell up and talk some sense?! Godamn!" he yelled.
She stopped and smiled to him playfully. "Jeez, chill Van. I just wanted to play that's all. And the priests made me come to you anyway." she said and sat up. Letting go of her, he did a mental double take and pressed the question.
"You're priests made you come to see me? Why is that?" he asked seriously. Standing up, she brushed the grass off of her dress and smiled.
"Oh, something about putting order in it's place. Some shit like that." she said, examining her finely woven dress for stains. "All clean."
"Order? What does that mean?" he asked and turned to her. She suddenly was at the other side of the field and was running to a high cliff area. "Hey! Wait up!" he yelled and ran after her, again.
This cliff region held many good memories for him. He used to come twice a week to practice his flying with his mother and brother. They always would say that he might have to save somebody someday but he never got it until the day at the Dragon's Graveyard. It was a nicely large cliff with a separate grass meadow under it that continued to the back of the canyon. The grass was a sea green, like that of his beloved's eyes.
She jumped and laughed. Fear shot up his veins and he ran towards the edge of the cliff. Tossing off his undershirt, he jumped off as well and flew down to her. Suddenly, he saw a bright lavender bubble rise up from the bottom and head towards him slowly. Inside it, she sat with a grin. Halting his fall, he joined her ascent. "I wanted to show you what I learned today in my meditation." she said innocently with a soft smile. He fumed and glared to her.
"I thought you were going to die! Don't ever do that stunt again or I swear I'll let you drop!" he scolded. She sighed and landed the bubble on the top of the cliff and stood up.
"Jeez, you have no fun Mr. Stick-up-your-ass." she complained. Van frowned to her and put his shirt back on.
"Someone's completely energetic tonight." he mumbled. She grinned and took his hand.
"Come on! Let's play games with the priests!" she said and made a bubble around them two. Suddenly the bubble shot up and made them fall to the bottom of it in a mess of limbs. Speeding off, Inhestia cheered and Van complained about it the entire way.
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Hitomi rose from her sleep. It was a few hours past dawn and the time when breakfast was about to be served. Slipping on a soft pink dress, she brushed her hair long, along with other morning type things, and set off to find company. Passing Celena's door, she sighed at the poor woman's suffering. Continuing on, she stopped at the guards at Van's chambers.
"May you please tell Van that I would like his company please?" she asked in a polite manner.
"I'm sorry Lady Hitomi. I'm afraid he's been out since a few min to midnight." said one of them.
"Oh. Do you know when he might be back? Or where he is for that matter?" she asked concerned. Luckily, she was permitted to know the location of his majesty so there should have been no problem.
"We don't know when he'll be back but I've heard that he was visiting the Cellonian Sanctuary. He may be there still." said the other guard with a worried look. Giving her polite farewells, she walked off to the Sanctuary. The walk was long and she currently disliked the fact of them wanting to be as far from the castle as possible. The large cathedral was bronze with age and the newly rising sunlight. Nestled in a small patch of trees, it was quaint yet regal at the same time. During the Great Fanellian Fire, this place wasn't touched because of the look of abandonment. Heck, it probably would have made it look better.
Inside was much more grand a place. Large curtains were hung from the impossibly high ceiling and acted as a barrier for a few sectors of the place. The pulpit was shined up and decorated with many abstract yet beautiful Cellonian artifacts of worship. The one that caught her eye was the one of two men, one wearing highly decorated robes and the other wearing a Grecian style garb holding an increasingly beautiful woman, nude of course, but beautiful in Hitomi's eyes nonetheless.
Deciding to continue on, she walked past a curtain, which a priest held out for her to a large gallery-like area. Paintings were hung on the walls and pillows were placed under each one. Two candles were magically floating in invisible holders on each side of the paintings, their flames not even daring to flicker. The first one she saw was a portrait of a white haired woman with loose silver drapes of robes sitting Japanese-style on the perfectly painted grass. Her deep blue eyes were set off from her increasingly pale and almost porcelain skin. Upon her head was a silver and delicate crown that seemed more fragile than moonbeams. The setting was dark and in the nighttime, small grey rabbits nestling in the grass warm and comfortable. Next to that painting was another of an entire different kind.
An Adonis-like figure stood tall and in a position like the sculpture by Michelangelo. Fiery red hair was upon his head in a curled manner that went to his mid neck but thick nonetheless. Gold colored fabric was wrapped loosely around his hips and he was finely-toned with warm sun kissed skin. Bold red eyes looked off to an unknown object with fiercity and regality. A multitude of pyres flew in the background in bright and dazzling reds and oranges. Adorning his head was a laurel type of crown. Instead of the broad and vibrant and green leaves, glossy obsidian leaves gave the priceless look of power to his form.
The next one was of the woman she saw throughout her time in the future. Inhestia as she was called. Her long black hair shimmered and shined. She gazed to Hitomi with a soft smile, burgundy eyes aglow. Her warm and radiant body was dressed in a dark black silk with gold ropes tied to accent her goddess-like curves. Behind her was the sun and moon side by side like the MasterCard logo. Unlike the other two paintings, she wore no crown but a glimmering eye decal on her forehead.
Continuing on, she ended up at the bright red silk curtain to the private chambers of Inhestia. As she was about to speak with the guard, the person she was looking for emerged from the curtains. His hair was disheveled, more than normal and he gave a tired yawn. By the way he looked, he looked as if he spent the night. Forcing a smile, she gave her hello.
"Eh? Oh, hi Hitomi." he mumbled in a tired tone. He walked past her and continued out to the entrance.
'Maybe he's just tired.' she said and sighed. Deciding to go and help out the chefs with their cooking, she left the Sanctuary and headed back to the castle. As she left the cathedral, she felt a large amount of sensual power emit from it. As soon as she noticed it, it left her immediately. Shrugging this off, she continued on.
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A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. I put a lot of depth into the last part when Hitomi wakes up. And if you probe into it and find the hidden meanings of it all, you will be able to get the story a whole lot better and be able to enjoy it longer as well. Hehe. Well, I think that the next chapter will be alright and that there will be a more in depth analysis of Celena and others. I guarantee that the next chapter will be a good one! Well, Bye!
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