Author's Note: Wait a second. *checks last chapter* Um... nope. It does not
say anywhere in there that Eclipse is gone. So where did you people get
that idea? Yeah, so he got all scared and ran away, but that doesn't mean
he's gone. I think the biggest question is, is he still sane? I mean, if
you had all that stuff transferred into your mind at once, one would think
you'd become a little crazy. Unless, of course, you were already crazy to
begin with. But that's beside the point.
As for the whole updating thing, I took a break for a couple of days, sheesh. I spoil you people with my fast updates. Maybe I should slow down just to be mean. Nah, I'm kidding.
Just so you know, signifies thought-speaking. Yes, Kyra is having a very lengthy mental conversation with herself. There's nobody in her mind or anything like that. Why she's having a mental conversation with herself is something not even I quite understand. Maybe she's the one going nuts. Of course, I'm hardly the one to talk. I have conversations with myself all the time. When someone asks me why, I always say that I make better conversation than most people. O_o Right, I'm done ranting.
Chapter 60
Eclipse sat on the snowy slope of a mountain, several hours after his confrontation with Shade. Thoughts raced through his mind, thoughts his creators had tried to rid him of permanently. But Shade had given them back. It had not been an easy process for either of the Dark Dragoons. Shade had seen his indecision and confusion when he had entered Eclipse's mind. He thought making Eclipse a true human being would allow him to come to peace with himself.
But he was wrong, Eclipse thought bitterly to himself. This was hardly the peace he had wanted. Indeed, it was quite the opposite. The memories, the thoughts, the ideas all clashed together in his head, making a godawful noise in the process. Eclipse thought his head would burst as the raging turmoil of his mind blended into a discordant cacophony. It hadn't used to be this loud before. Everything was nice and silent.
If anything, his wrestling with indecision had become even worse. He had no idea what to do anymore. Before, everything was so simple; the difficult part was justifying it to himself. Everything was ambiguous with his new knowledge. Things that had seemed straightforward now became infinitely more complex.
Eclipse curled into a ball, but not because of the cold. No, the chill wind could blow all year round and he would not have noticed. He was struggling with himself. All the while, Shade's ironic gift surged throughout his mind. No, he had not gained peace within himself. All had become chaos.
He just wanted the noise to go away...
************************************************************************
Shade felt the eyes of the other Dragoons upon him. Their gazes irritated him. It was over now, why were they still gawking? "Will you people stop staring? I'm not about to fall over dead."
Rayen cleared his throat nervously. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine, damn it! Why wouldn't I be?"
Rayen sighed. "Listen, I know how you must feel..."
Shade shook his head. "No. You don't. But I appreciate the thought."
Rayen lapsed back into silence. Shade let the silence hang in the air for a moment before speaking again. "Listen, I know what you're all thinking. I've managed to accept myself for who I am now. I'd rather be stuck in this ugly inhuman form than be like him, a soulless killing machine."
Rayen spoke again. "But he's not a soulless killing machine anymore. You fixed that."
"It makes no difference. Even if I could undo what has been done, I would not. This body has taught me things I never would have learned."
But the shape was not the only thing that taught me, Shade thought privately to himself. It was all of you as well.
Kyra watched the scene grimly. Just like Rayen, she thought to herself. Never minds his own business.
The Wingly heard herself answer, to her great surprise. It is his business. The fate of the planet rests on him and the army. He needs to know what's going on in his own ranks as much as he needs to know what the enemy is doing.
Still, he's always been prone to sticking his nose where it doesn't belong.
You're just still mad because he noticed you acting weird in Ulara.
Kyra began to get angry with herself, without stopping to think about how that was possible. I had nothing to hide!
But he didn't know that. Besides, you do have something to hide.
I'm no traitor!
That's not what I'm talking about and you know it. Don't bother to deny it. Think and you'll figure it out.
That has nothing to do with Ulara or the army, or this entire damn war!
Still, it would explain why you were acting so strange.
Kyra's mental debate subsided. She watched the others begin to get up and file out, her burgundy eyes fixed on Rayen. What was he thinking right now? Was he arguing with himself as well? No, of course not. He wasn't insane, at least not yet.
Heaving a heavy sigh, the Wingly got to her feet and left.
************************************************************************
Rayen stood on the crystal parapets of the Millie Seaseu capital, overlooking the snowy fields below. So far, the war had been going well. Their ranks were swelling, and there had not been one casualty so far. Of course, all of this could be contributed to the awesome power of the Guardian Dragoon. Despite their victories, Rayen knew they were only scratching the surface of the enemy's true strength.
Rayen had a feeling something bad was about to happen, and Rayen's feelings were rarely wrong. He had no idea where these feelings came from. At first, he thought it was some sort of instinct. Then he thought it came from being a Dragoon, a sort of sixth sense only given to Dragon Knights. But none of the others mentioned anything about it. If it was a common trait of all Dragoons, all of the other Dragoons were doing a damn good job of covering theirs up. No, he just couldn't place where this came from, but he was both grateful for it and disturbed by it at the same time.
Regardless of where it came from, it was there, and Rayen paid careful attention to it. It was true they had only beaten a small fraction of the opposition, and he knew that the legions that were still waiting to attack were much stronger. The power of the Guardian Dragoon was leveling the playing field, but what would happen if the Apocalypse Dragoon reared its ugly head? Soa only knows how much destruction he could cause if he released it on accident in the middle of a battle.
Rayen wrenched his mind from those dark thoughts, and he glanced over at the portal, which hung in its usual place, lightning dancing around its edges. He had always wondered about that gateway. Was it one-way only, or could they get onto the other army's side? There was only one way to find out, really, but it would take a lot more successful victories before he could possibly convince the citizens of Endiness, and indeed the soldiers themselves, to go on the offensive. Damn, how he hated politics. Still, he couldn't help but wonder...
He shifted his gaze to the snowy mountains. They were right next to where Kyra had brought them after Eclipse showed up. He wondered if Eclipse was still out there, and what was going through his head. Of course, he would never quite understand the true gravity of what Shade had done to Eclipse. In order to do that, he would have to know Shade, and the Dark Dragoon was about as easy to pry open as a giant clam. But at least you could use a crowbar on the clam.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of feet landing hard on the crystal floor of the battlement. He looked up, and saw Phil heading towards him. The Jade Dragoon skidded to a halt, panting. "We got problems, man. Check out the hole."
He didn't need to ask what 'the hole' was. He knew. Rayen turned his eyes towards the portal, where a huge wave of black was slowly seeping forth. He swore as his hands fled to the hilt of his weapon and his Spirit. "Son of a bitch. Alert the troops. We've got another battle on our hands."
************************************************************************
"The next division of troops have been sent through the gateway, Lord."
"Excellent. Only I want you to send something else. Something more powerful. I don't want those pathetic fools thinking that an army of demonic angry wasps is the best we can throw at them."
"Shall I send one of the..."
"No, not yet. Always save the best for last, as they say. Send something more powerful, yet expendable. A three-eye, maybe. Yes, send a three-eye."
"Of course, Lord."
Author's Note: Sorry if that chapter was really confusing, it'll all make sense... eventually. Anyway, no, Kyra doesn't have a split personality or anything like that. Don't you people have arguments with yourselves? I do it all the time. Of course, I really am insane, but I'm sure sane people do it too. So yeah. Nevermind, I'm rambling again.
As for the whole updating thing, I took a break for a couple of days, sheesh. I spoil you people with my fast updates. Maybe I should slow down just to be mean. Nah, I'm kidding.
Just so you know, signifies thought-speaking. Yes, Kyra is having a very lengthy mental conversation with herself. There's nobody in her mind or anything like that. Why she's having a mental conversation with herself is something not even I quite understand. Maybe she's the one going nuts. Of course, I'm hardly the one to talk. I have conversations with myself all the time. When someone asks me why, I always say that I make better conversation than most people. O_o Right, I'm done ranting.
Chapter 60
Eclipse sat on the snowy slope of a mountain, several hours after his confrontation with Shade. Thoughts raced through his mind, thoughts his creators had tried to rid him of permanently. But Shade had given them back. It had not been an easy process for either of the Dark Dragoons. Shade had seen his indecision and confusion when he had entered Eclipse's mind. He thought making Eclipse a true human being would allow him to come to peace with himself.
But he was wrong, Eclipse thought bitterly to himself. This was hardly the peace he had wanted. Indeed, it was quite the opposite. The memories, the thoughts, the ideas all clashed together in his head, making a godawful noise in the process. Eclipse thought his head would burst as the raging turmoil of his mind blended into a discordant cacophony. It hadn't used to be this loud before. Everything was nice and silent.
If anything, his wrestling with indecision had become even worse. He had no idea what to do anymore. Before, everything was so simple; the difficult part was justifying it to himself. Everything was ambiguous with his new knowledge. Things that had seemed straightforward now became infinitely more complex.
Eclipse curled into a ball, but not because of the cold. No, the chill wind could blow all year round and he would not have noticed. He was struggling with himself. All the while, Shade's ironic gift surged throughout his mind. No, he had not gained peace within himself. All had become chaos.
He just wanted the noise to go away...
************************************************************************
Shade felt the eyes of the other Dragoons upon him. Their gazes irritated him. It was over now, why were they still gawking? "Will you people stop staring? I'm not about to fall over dead."
Rayen cleared his throat nervously. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine, damn it! Why wouldn't I be?"
Rayen sighed. "Listen, I know how you must feel..."
Shade shook his head. "No. You don't. But I appreciate the thought."
Rayen lapsed back into silence. Shade let the silence hang in the air for a moment before speaking again. "Listen, I know what you're all thinking. I've managed to accept myself for who I am now. I'd rather be stuck in this ugly inhuman form than be like him, a soulless killing machine."
Rayen spoke again. "But he's not a soulless killing machine anymore. You fixed that."
"It makes no difference. Even if I could undo what has been done, I would not. This body has taught me things I never would have learned."
But the shape was not the only thing that taught me, Shade thought privately to himself. It was all of you as well.
Kyra watched the scene grimly. Just like Rayen, she thought to herself. Never minds his own business.
The Wingly heard herself answer, to her great surprise. It is his business. The fate of the planet rests on him and the army. He needs to know what's going on in his own ranks as much as he needs to know what the enemy is doing.
Still, he's always been prone to sticking his nose where it doesn't belong.
You're just still mad because he noticed you acting weird in Ulara.
Kyra began to get angry with herself, without stopping to think about how that was possible. I had nothing to hide!
But he didn't know that. Besides, you do have something to hide.
I'm no traitor!
That's not what I'm talking about and you know it. Don't bother to deny it. Think and you'll figure it out.
That has nothing to do with Ulara or the army, or this entire damn war!
Still, it would explain why you were acting so strange.
Kyra's mental debate subsided. She watched the others begin to get up and file out, her burgundy eyes fixed on Rayen. What was he thinking right now? Was he arguing with himself as well? No, of course not. He wasn't insane, at least not yet.
Heaving a heavy sigh, the Wingly got to her feet and left.
************************************************************************
Rayen stood on the crystal parapets of the Millie Seaseu capital, overlooking the snowy fields below. So far, the war had been going well. Their ranks were swelling, and there had not been one casualty so far. Of course, all of this could be contributed to the awesome power of the Guardian Dragoon. Despite their victories, Rayen knew they were only scratching the surface of the enemy's true strength.
Rayen had a feeling something bad was about to happen, and Rayen's feelings were rarely wrong. He had no idea where these feelings came from. At first, he thought it was some sort of instinct. Then he thought it came from being a Dragoon, a sort of sixth sense only given to Dragon Knights. But none of the others mentioned anything about it. If it was a common trait of all Dragoons, all of the other Dragoons were doing a damn good job of covering theirs up. No, he just couldn't place where this came from, but he was both grateful for it and disturbed by it at the same time.
Regardless of where it came from, it was there, and Rayen paid careful attention to it. It was true they had only beaten a small fraction of the opposition, and he knew that the legions that were still waiting to attack were much stronger. The power of the Guardian Dragoon was leveling the playing field, but what would happen if the Apocalypse Dragoon reared its ugly head? Soa only knows how much destruction he could cause if he released it on accident in the middle of a battle.
Rayen wrenched his mind from those dark thoughts, and he glanced over at the portal, which hung in its usual place, lightning dancing around its edges. He had always wondered about that gateway. Was it one-way only, or could they get onto the other army's side? There was only one way to find out, really, but it would take a lot more successful victories before he could possibly convince the citizens of Endiness, and indeed the soldiers themselves, to go on the offensive. Damn, how he hated politics. Still, he couldn't help but wonder...
He shifted his gaze to the snowy mountains. They were right next to where Kyra had brought them after Eclipse showed up. He wondered if Eclipse was still out there, and what was going through his head. Of course, he would never quite understand the true gravity of what Shade had done to Eclipse. In order to do that, he would have to know Shade, and the Dark Dragoon was about as easy to pry open as a giant clam. But at least you could use a crowbar on the clam.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of feet landing hard on the crystal floor of the battlement. He looked up, and saw Phil heading towards him. The Jade Dragoon skidded to a halt, panting. "We got problems, man. Check out the hole."
He didn't need to ask what 'the hole' was. He knew. Rayen turned his eyes towards the portal, where a huge wave of black was slowly seeping forth. He swore as his hands fled to the hilt of his weapon and his Spirit. "Son of a bitch. Alert the troops. We've got another battle on our hands."
************************************************************************
"The next division of troops have been sent through the gateway, Lord."
"Excellent. Only I want you to send something else. Something more powerful. I don't want those pathetic fools thinking that an army of demonic angry wasps is the best we can throw at them."
"Shall I send one of the..."
"No, not yet. Always save the best for last, as they say. Send something more powerful, yet expendable. A three-eye, maybe. Yes, send a three-eye."
"Of course, Lord."
Author's Note: Sorry if that chapter was really confusing, it'll all make sense... eventually. Anyway, no, Kyra doesn't have a split personality or anything like that. Don't you people have arguments with yourselves? I do it all the time. Of course, I really am insane, but I'm sure sane people do it too. So yeah. Nevermind, I'm rambling again.