Date. 12.21.2002
Time. 5.07 pm
Music. Random mix on my list
Chapter 15
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne.
Author's Notes. Thanks for not killing me! Sigh, I've actually gone out and done stuff this past week! The Two Towers twice within twenty-four hours of each other, Christmas shopping, belated birthday shopping for meself… Its been hectic. I hope for those of you who have seen it enjoyed the Two Towers like I did. I love Legsie-poo.
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid
Chapter 15. Look Into My Heart
* * *
There would be no bringing him back this time. Gaea said so herself, she did not have the energy anymore since two-thirds of the Power of Atlantis were on the Mystic Moon, and Sellie, the last remaining part was to leave her world shortly as well.
He was dead.
The horrifying thought crept through Sellie's mind unwanted. Why was it that her heart still beat? Shouldn't she be dead alongside of her father?
She felt hate, anger, grief, fear, but most of all -- revenge, surge through her veins. But amongst all these feelings and emotions, she remained silent, her cheeks try from unshed tears.
Her fingers held Van's lifeless hand, still warm beneath her touch. Next to their small party, Dralion lay unmoving as well. Although his eyelids were shut tight, smoke still curled and danced from his nostrils. Blood was splattered all over his front claws, blending in with his already-dark red scales. Sellie did not think that it was the dragon's blood, though.
"Gods…" she heard Celena whisper behind her as her arms wrapped around Sellie's waist and held her. Merle sobbed from her captive position, seeing her best-friend lying on the ground. There were no utterances made from either Allen nor Gaddes that she could hear.
"How is it that you still live?!" Tarn accused. "You should be dead as well!" He twitched a finger at an archer. "Gren! If you please."
Quidam's assassin let loose his bow, sending an arrow directly at Sellie's face.
Celena saw the draw of the taunt line, and when it was released, she leapt forward to protect Sellie with her own body as an instinct. She waited for the sharp metallic head to bury itself into her torso, but the impact never came. Breathing hard, she lifted her head to look.
The arrow was hanging in mid-air, still pointed at Sellie and Celena only inches away.
Confused, she looked at the younger girl. Sellie stared at the arrow, her green irises never breaking their contact with the weapon. She looked as though she was concentrating solely on it.
*She's* making it stop… Celena realized. She's using her mind powers…
While the older woman breathed heavily staring down the slowly rotating arrow, scared to death of what was happening, Sellie watched it with a glimmer of humor twinkling in her eyes. Images of the past flashed before her, back when her mother was much younger and in a similar situation.
With a toss of her head, she commanded the useless weapon to the ground.
Tarn's face turned red with fury. "Again!" he screamed.
The frustrated archer released another arrow towards Sellie and Celena, but this time, it hit some sort of invisible force field that surrounded the small party. It was deflected into the forest.
Sellie slowly stood up, her once-sparkling eyes now dull and blank. She took a step towards the retreating soldiers, to where Tarn remained.
"Give me that!" Tarn reached for one of the crossbows and shot the bolt without truly aiming it. The smaller arrow singed through the air, but once again, bounced off of the spherical bubble.
"You're a damn witch! Just like your mother!" he spat at her, fumbling with reloading the bow. His scarlet face was dripping of perspiration created by fear.
Sellie was only mere feet away from him now, the same placid expression on her young face.
Seeing that she was so close, he gave up on the crossbow and drew his own sword. With two hands, he held it over his head and brought it down as hard as he could atop of the crown of her head.
The sword shattered into countless fragments upon impact with the bubble. The collision shook him hard, sending jolts up his arms. Eyes wide with horror, he stared now at the jagged remains of the blade settled upon the hilt, then looked down at the girl.
Sellie held out her left hand and placed it on his chest plate, causing the much larger man to be immobile. Slowly, his feet lifted off the ground as Sellie levitated him.
"You've killed my father," she said coolly. "You've killed my dragon-friend. You've killed my mentor and Advisor. You killed your own son. You took my mother away from me. And now, you've tried to kill my friends. Surely, you deserve to die."
Tarn whimpered noisily. "I was only acting under orders! It was Ashira! She was the one that forced me to do those things!"
"You weren't forced to do anything," Sellie continued in the same smooth voice. "You always have a choice." She paused. "I could have chosen not to do any of this. But I did. And now, this moment in Time is the outcome of my choice."
His once-red face had now paled, but sweat still glistened on his forehead. "And… what have you… chosen to do with me?" he asked.
A brief smile crept onto Sellie's, but disappeared as quickly as it arrived. "Oh, I have chosen your fate, alright. I wanted to show you the same… respect that you showed my family…" She raised her free right hand as if she were going to blast him with some sort of energy build-up.
Allen stepped forward from behind her. "Sellie…" he called to her. "Don't."
She seemed to take in his simple words, but returned to her serene facial appearance. "…but my father taught me something that you possibly cannot understand," she added.
"Which is?"
She breathed in. "Compassion, mercy, and forgiveness."
With her final, quick sentence, she moved past the floating Tarn and looked into the remaining soldiers' eyes. Only five stood behind him, loyal to their king's side, but still defenseless.
"If you would be so kind to move aside so I don't have to do it for you," she said sweetly. The five soldiers parted immediately.
Sellie walked to where Merle was still bound and gagged by Folken's monument. Her bright eyes were brimming with tears, threatening at any moment to spill onto her already-wet cheeks. With her small fingers, she swiftly untied her mouth-gag.
"Sellie!" Merle cried at the first moment that she was free of the cloth. "What's going on?! Where's Hitomi?" As she clamored on, Sellie silently picked up a dropped sword and sliced through the ropes that restrained her hands and feet.
Why is there a dragon over there? What's happened to Van? Are you alright? What's taken over you?" She took the young girl into he r arms and hugged her tightly.
A deep rumble broke Merle's ramblement of questions. Sellie focused her eyes on Dralion as he shifted suddenly from his lying position. Another groan escaped his throat as he lifted his head off the ground and looked around wearily. As soon as his golden eyes spotted Sellie's face, his long neck bolted upright.
"Dralion?" she whispered, breaking out of her relaxed composure and trance that she was in. "I thought you were dead."
* Ha! * the dragon snorted as his voice echoed in all of their heads. * It will take more than just breaking my heart-stone to get rid of me. *
"But *shouldn't* you be dead?" Allen asked him. "I mean, that was one of your energists that shattered. You were connected to it, just like Van and Sellie were."
* Aye, but thee said it theeself: 'One' of my energists. I do have another. Now that both of my hearts do not beat, I am not immortal. Which does not matter, really, since dragons live till extreme ages. * He stretched his front legs.
Sellie had to smile at his recovery, but it soon faded when her sight shifted from him to her father, still except for a faint breeze that ruffled through his dark hair. She felt a fuzzy hand slip into her own as the cat-woman held it tightly.
She hadn't noticed, but when Sellie saw Dralion, the jump out of the trance that she was in made her lose concentration with her mind power. Tarn fell hard to the ground, but was soon on his feet. He pulled a dagger from underneath his boot flap and snuck up behind both Sellie and Merle.
Gaddes was the first one to spot Tarn creeping only feet away. Sellie only needed the look on his face to realize what was going on. That flow of power that she had felt earlier surged through her being once more. This time, she did not return to that spell-like state.
This time, she knew what she needed to do.
As Tarn ran forward, holding his blade up high, Sellie pivoted on her heel and swung her arm upwards against his face. At the moment when it made contact, a bright flash of electrical charges sprang forth from her hand. Tarn was send flying backwards into the Royal Family's monuments. He bounced sickly off one of them and crumpled to the floor.
It was utter silence except for Sellie's hard breathing. She stared at Tarn's unmoving body, making sure that he was not getting back up any time soon. Then, she slowly walked back to where Van lay. She once more held his hand with both of hers. In the matter of minutes, his skin had cooled considerably.
The harsh reality washed over her in sickening waves. She was alone.
A tear trickled loose from her eyes and splashed into Van's dark hair. She tried to stay cool, but Sellie soon found herself sobbing uncontrollably.
Gaddes held Celena in his arms, hugging her close and brushing her silver-blonde hair. Her eyes were damp from crying already. Allen was consoling Merle, who was leaning her strawberry-colored head upon his shoulder. He was whispering something in her catlike ear that only she could hear.
Dralion watched the grieving party with much curiosity. Ever since his first interaction with this species known as "humans", their emotions had always baffled him. Especially with death. Unlike their lower, ground-dwelling cousins that humans labeled "land-dragons", his flying-kind lived much longer. Dralion was practically immortal, thanks to his two hearts. Though, because of this, there were many drawbacks. His kin seldom procreated, making the flying race of dragons rare throughout the lands. The humans had celebrated dragons, but still hunted them down. Even now, he was out-of-place and unwelcome by the vast majority of this world.
He hadn't given death a second notice until at the moment when Gaea awakened him a week ago. When she had told him that he was the last, her words hadn't sunk into him and made an impact until it had done so just now. He felt sore, not from the battle that he just won, but from the endless battles he fought when he was younger, when he was not yet an ally with the people of Siemmena. He was old, weary, and tired.
Young Sellie had lost both of her parents, her only kin, and felt alone in the world, just as he did. Although she was on the verge of leaving childhood behind and entering the beginning world of womanhood, she was still too young to be alone.
Gaea already knew of this tragedy. She had told him that Sellie's fate was linked to his own. She had not gone into entire details, but Dralion could fill in the blanks. He would have to decide whether or not he would make their future become the one that Gaea foresaw. He knew what he had to do now.
On hesitant claws, he crept towards the grieving girl. Slowly, he extended his long neck so that his massive head hung over Van's tranquil chest and his nose was mere inches from Sellie's tear-stained face. She forced a smile as she opened her reddened eyes and looked deeply into his. He nudged her gently and she removed her left hand and placed her open palm on the end of his snout. As soon as they touched, a connection occurred, and Dralion talked only to her, excluding the others.
* How are thee, Child? * he asked softly. * Think. Think only to me so that no one else will hear. *
She let out an exasperated mental sigh. I miss him so much… she thought, strangely finding this way of communication much more easier. I never thought that in order to get my mother back, that I would have to lose my father too… She returned her gaze back down to Van.
* Have thee began to believe in theeself? * he asked.
Her eyes whipped up and looked into his. How did you know about that? she inquired.
He chuckled. * I have my connections with Gaea as well, little one, * he replied.
She looked away. I thought I just did… now… I can feel it now… the Power of Atlantis, that is… I believed in the moment and I felt it unleashed…
* But thee did. Thee wouldn't have been able to control the Power without it. * He moved his head into her hand. * Thee have all the qualities thee need to rule over thee country: trust, compassion, and wisdom. Trust comes from within, compassion comes from thee father, and wisdom comes from thee mother's line. But thee are lacking one more. *
Sellie sniffled. And what's that? she asked.
Dralion paused, trying to find the right words to put into his next sentence. * Knowing when sacrifices are need to be made and when it is right to end it all. * He pulled his head away from Sellie and rose to his feet.
She dropped Van's hand and looked at the dragon oddly. "Wait!" she said aloud, her words startling Allen and the others. "What do you mean 'sacrifice'?"
Dralion swung his long neck around as he slowly walked towards Escaflowne. * Thee will soon learn, little one, that life is a never-ending circle. When one dies, one lives. When one needs to live, someone has to die. *
He turned his attention back onto the Guymelef and stared into the empty cavity that his first heart once occupied for so long. He closed his eyelids and held his head low, concentrating on the task at hand.
Comprehension slowly filled Sellie's bright green eyes. Briefly, she saw a flash of Dralion's idea just when they disconnected. Her pendant about her neck started to warm up, a reaction of something to come. She watched him, not knowing why he was doing this.
At first, nothing happened. But after a moment, his dark red scales emitted a faint glow. With each passing second, the glow grew from a dull red to an overwhelming pinkish hue. Soon, only the outline of the dragon could be seen.
"Dralion!" Sellie cried out, jumping to her feet. She wanted to race forward, but Allen caught her arm and pulled her back. "Dralion! No!"
The intensity of the light shining from the dragon's body was too great. She had to shield her eyes from the brightness. Loose leaves began to dance about in a lazy circle surrounding him. As the glow strengthened, so did the wind carrying the debris. Sellie and Allen's hair danced wildly as he pulled her away from Dralion. She fought him with all her might, wanting so badly to stop her friend from what he was doing.
Or rather, sacrificing.
Suddenly, the wind constricted, pulling everything into the light. It shrunk down, tightening itself into a sphere of concentrated energy. It floated in the air as the wind calmed and the leaves settled back to the ground. In the stillness, it sat, waiting.
Another light shone from the memorials. The smaller energist that Tarn took levitated off of the ground and floated towards the giant ball of light. Without faltering, the jagged jewel merged into the ball, disappearing immediately in its depths. The glow pulsated for a moment, then hovered to Escaflowne's heart chamber. It slipped inside the metal cavity, a perfect fit. The three claws clamped onto the energy-sphere, securing it tightly in place.
At the moment when Allen obviously found it not necessary to hold her back anymore, Sellie broke free from his grip and ran to the kneeling Guymelef. She climbed up its protruding knee and stood just before the new occupant of Escaflowne's heart. As the glow dulled, it revealed the giant energist, its smooth, geometric surface.
Selle's eyes burned as she tried to stop her tears. Dralion sacrificed himself… for her… for the quest. She did not ask anything of him, and yet, he still did it. Why did Allen hold her back? Dralion… what did you do?
A rhythm broke her thoughts, something that she hadn't noticed. She opened her eyes to see the smaller energist beating inside of the larger one. Boom-boom… boom-boom… boom-boom…
It was definitely a heart beat.
She raised her hand parallel to the energist's front facet, holding it only a few inches away. The closer palm was to touching the surface, the stronger the pulsating rhythm became. Fascinated by this, she slowly moved her fingers closer to the gem.
"Sellie!"
Turing her head at the sound of Celena's cry, she looked in the direction of her comrades standing yards away from Escaflowne's giant foot. Only she was looking at her, her deep blue eyes wide and confused. Allen and Gaddes were staring at her father, while Merle was on her knees in the same position that Sellie was just in.
At first, she did not understand why Celena shouted her name so urgently. But a small movement allowed her to comprehend.
Van's hand lifted off of the ground and went to his forehead as he struggled to get up. His other free hand was held tightly by his childhood friend, who was trying frantically not to attack him and cover him with kisses.
Sellie's heart leapt in hope that her eyes were not playing tricks on her, that she was actually seeing her father move, that he was alive. She felt faint at heart and staggered in her stance. She braced herself from falling by placing her hand squarely on Dralion's energist.
It all happened so fast. She briefly felt the smoothness of the stone under her fingers before her entire vision filled with a blue-white light. The pendant reacted and pulsed along with the energist, in time with its beating. She pulled her hand away from the heart-stone and clasped her necklace tightly.
She was no longer aware of her feet being on Escaflowne's metallic thigh. She felt like she had no control over her body, knowing only that she was traveling at extreme speeds. This light was comforting so she did not fight it.
This must be the infamous pillar of light that Dad and Gaea spoke of… she thought, relaxing more as she recognized it. She was aware of Allen, Celena, Gaddes, and yes, Van, being with her, though she didn't see any of them. It was more of a feeling.
This is it. The final part of our journey. Would we be victorious? Or will it be the end of all things?
* * *
Merle's heart had been broken before, but not like this. When she had received the news that Nehte had been killed in the carrier ship accident, she remained in her room for days. She knew it was unhealthy for her, almost on the verge of birthing their children, but she did not want to see anyone. Especially Van and Hitomi. It wasn't like she blamed them for what happened. It was just because they were always so happy to have one another. Seeing them together hurt her so.
But seeing Van so still there on the grass literally made her want to die there along with him. They were best friends… best friends should be together always. She had been by her Lord Van's side constantly since she was two. She couldn't cry, not even into Allen's shoulder. He whispered something about everything was going to be fine but his words took no effect to her.
Van was gone.
Poor Sellie… she thought. She must have found out by now of what she is. Her father is gone, her mother is on the Mystic Moon… how can she even function right now? I know I would be going mad if I were in her position.
That dragon approached Sellie slowly and the girl touched him on the face. They remained like that for a few minutes, looking into each other's eyes without moving. And, just as oddly as they were, he moved away and walked to Escaflowne and lowered his head. She felt so confused what was going on. Sellie asked him urgently what he was doing, but he paid no attention to her.
Suddenly, he started to glow, becoming brighter as each moment progressed. Allen let go of Merle and grabbed Sellie before she could do anything rash. The poor girl was screaming wildly at the dragon, but it was futile. He burned so brightly with light that she had to pull her sensitive eyes away from it.
And then it died down. When she opened her eyes again, the dragon was gone and Sellie was standing on Escaflowne's knee looking at an energist that wasn't there moments ago. It must be that dragon's… she automatically assumed.
A slight disturbance alerted her attention to where Van lay. Her eyes darted down, a surge of hope racing through her. Was that faint moan coming from him? Or was it from her?
No! There it was again! She saw his chest slowly rise as he breathed in air. Breathed in air! He was breathing! Dead men don't breathe!
Instantly, Merle fell to her knees exactly where Sellie was just kneeling. She grabbed his closer hand. "Van?" she whispered.
"Mmmm…" he groaned again. His dark lashes were fluttering as he tried opening his eyes.
The others must have noticed his rousing. Merle heard Celena shout up to Sellie but the cat-woman kept her gaze fixated on Van. He had lifted his free hand to his forehead as if he had a migraine.
"Van?" she repeated. All she wanted to do right now was either beat him senseless for dying or smother him kisses.
His eyes opened and looked into her wet ones. "Merle?" he uttered. "Is that… you?"
"Yes," she whispered, clamping both of her hands tightly around his. "I'm never letting you…"
No sooner than those words had left her mouth, Van was engulfed with a blinding pale blue light. His hand disappeared beneath her fingers as he was pulled away from her. She had to close her eyes again, unable to take in the brilliance.
When she opened them once more, Sellie, Van, Allen, Celena, and Gaddes were gone. She stood in the middle of a clearing along with Escaflowne, the body of a 14-year-old boy, and an unconscious Tarn crumbled beneath the monuments. Her eyes looked heavenwards just to see the remains of a light pillar streaking against the sky towards the Mystic Moon.
She felt small… insignificant to the great beyond. All these things always happened to Van and Hitomi, leaving her behind in the dirt. What was it this time that involved their child, the Schezars, and Gaddes?
"It's alright, Merle. They are in good hands."
Merle cast her eyes from the lightening sky back to the ground to see a strangely clad woman standing before her, raven black locks tumbling down her back. Her soft, forest green eyes sparkled at her as she smiled at the cat-woman.
"Who… who are you?" she stuttered.
The woman smiled harder. "You know who I am, Merle. Look into your heart and you will know the answer." She then pointed to the castle. "Now go and check on your children. You will find them safely with your attendants."
Merle felt odd here, standing in the presence of this woman. First, she appeared out of nowhere. Second, she knew exactly of what she was thinking. And thirdly, she was afraid to find out if her speculations of who this person was were correct. She ran down the pathway on all fours, not taking a second look at the stranger.
* * *
Gaea watched the young cat-woman race off until she disappeared below the level of the path. She exhaled her breath, let go out her strong, proud stance, and stumbled to the ground.
This is all happening too quickly… she thought. She was barely able to send them to Earth with the amount of energy it required to generate the pillar of light. She was already drained and weary. How was it that she would have to hold on for however long it would take Sellie's task to be completed?
She let herself sink into her native soil, back to her home for so long. She was chosen to watch over this new creation, and she was not about to let it all end just like that. She had faith in Sellie. She wanted to believe that everything would be alright, but there was no longer anything she could really do.
The fate of this world relied on the belief in one small girl.
to be continued…
* * *
01.21.2003. Sorry its taken so long. I've had major writer's block. I don't get it. I know how this is going to end. I know what's going to happen up until the ending. BUT THE WORDS JUST WON'T COME OUT!!! Grrrrr… Anyhow, this one is short, I know. But if I added more, it would just seem weird. Sigh. It'll be awhile for the final 2-3 chapters. I have so much work to do. I just completed my first honest-to-God animation and I'm so excited.
Chapter title comes from Dido's song "Take My Hand" which is my personal favorite song by her.
See my eyes… they carry your reflection…
Watch my lips… and hear the words I'm telling you…
Give your trust to me…
And look into my heart…
And show me… show me what you're doing…
Time. 5.07 pm
Music. Random mix on my list
Chapter 15
Copyright. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne.
Author's Notes. Thanks for not killing me! Sigh, I've actually gone out and done stuff this past week! The Two Towers twice within twenty-four hours of each other, Christmas shopping, belated birthday shopping for meself… Its been hectic. I hope for those of you who have seen it enjoyed the Two Towers like I did. I love Legsie-poo.
The Vision of Escaflowne. Parvulus de Crepuscid
Chapter 15. Look Into My Heart
* * *
There would be no bringing him back this time. Gaea said so herself, she did not have the energy anymore since two-thirds of the Power of Atlantis were on the Mystic Moon, and Sellie, the last remaining part was to leave her world shortly as well.
He was dead.
The horrifying thought crept through Sellie's mind unwanted. Why was it that her heart still beat? Shouldn't she be dead alongside of her father?
She felt hate, anger, grief, fear, but most of all -- revenge, surge through her veins. But amongst all these feelings and emotions, she remained silent, her cheeks try from unshed tears.
Her fingers held Van's lifeless hand, still warm beneath her touch. Next to their small party, Dralion lay unmoving as well. Although his eyelids were shut tight, smoke still curled and danced from his nostrils. Blood was splattered all over his front claws, blending in with his already-dark red scales. Sellie did not think that it was the dragon's blood, though.
"Gods…" she heard Celena whisper behind her as her arms wrapped around Sellie's waist and held her. Merle sobbed from her captive position, seeing her best-friend lying on the ground. There were no utterances made from either Allen nor Gaddes that she could hear.
"How is it that you still live?!" Tarn accused. "You should be dead as well!" He twitched a finger at an archer. "Gren! If you please."
Quidam's assassin let loose his bow, sending an arrow directly at Sellie's face.
Celena saw the draw of the taunt line, and when it was released, she leapt forward to protect Sellie with her own body as an instinct. She waited for the sharp metallic head to bury itself into her torso, but the impact never came. Breathing hard, she lifted her head to look.
The arrow was hanging in mid-air, still pointed at Sellie and Celena only inches away.
Confused, she looked at the younger girl. Sellie stared at the arrow, her green irises never breaking their contact with the weapon. She looked as though she was concentrating solely on it.
*She's* making it stop… Celena realized. She's using her mind powers…
While the older woman breathed heavily staring down the slowly rotating arrow, scared to death of what was happening, Sellie watched it with a glimmer of humor twinkling in her eyes. Images of the past flashed before her, back when her mother was much younger and in a similar situation.
With a toss of her head, she commanded the useless weapon to the ground.
Tarn's face turned red with fury. "Again!" he screamed.
The frustrated archer released another arrow towards Sellie and Celena, but this time, it hit some sort of invisible force field that surrounded the small party. It was deflected into the forest.
Sellie slowly stood up, her once-sparkling eyes now dull and blank. She took a step towards the retreating soldiers, to where Tarn remained.
"Give me that!" Tarn reached for one of the crossbows and shot the bolt without truly aiming it. The smaller arrow singed through the air, but once again, bounced off of the spherical bubble.
"You're a damn witch! Just like your mother!" he spat at her, fumbling with reloading the bow. His scarlet face was dripping of perspiration created by fear.
Sellie was only mere feet away from him now, the same placid expression on her young face.
Seeing that she was so close, he gave up on the crossbow and drew his own sword. With two hands, he held it over his head and brought it down as hard as he could atop of the crown of her head.
The sword shattered into countless fragments upon impact with the bubble. The collision shook him hard, sending jolts up his arms. Eyes wide with horror, he stared now at the jagged remains of the blade settled upon the hilt, then looked down at the girl.
Sellie held out her left hand and placed it on his chest plate, causing the much larger man to be immobile. Slowly, his feet lifted off the ground as Sellie levitated him.
"You've killed my father," she said coolly. "You've killed my dragon-friend. You've killed my mentor and Advisor. You killed your own son. You took my mother away from me. And now, you've tried to kill my friends. Surely, you deserve to die."
Tarn whimpered noisily. "I was only acting under orders! It was Ashira! She was the one that forced me to do those things!"
"You weren't forced to do anything," Sellie continued in the same smooth voice. "You always have a choice." She paused. "I could have chosen not to do any of this. But I did. And now, this moment in Time is the outcome of my choice."
His once-red face had now paled, but sweat still glistened on his forehead. "And… what have you… chosen to do with me?" he asked.
A brief smile crept onto Sellie's, but disappeared as quickly as it arrived. "Oh, I have chosen your fate, alright. I wanted to show you the same… respect that you showed my family…" She raised her free right hand as if she were going to blast him with some sort of energy build-up.
Allen stepped forward from behind her. "Sellie…" he called to her. "Don't."
She seemed to take in his simple words, but returned to her serene facial appearance. "…but my father taught me something that you possibly cannot understand," she added.
"Which is?"
She breathed in. "Compassion, mercy, and forgiveness."
With her final, quick sentence, she moved past the floating Tarn and looked into the remaining soldiers' eyes. Only five stood behind him, loyal to their king's side, but still defenseless.
"If you would be so kind to move aside so I don't have to do it for you," she said sweetly. The five soldiers parted immediately.
Sellie walked to where Merle was still bound and gagged by Folken's monument. Her bright eyes were brimming with tears, threatening at any moment to spill onto her already-wet cheeks. With her small fingers, she swiftly untied her mouth-gag.
"Sellie!" Merle cried at the first moment that she was free of the cloth. "What's going on?! Where's Hitomi?" As she clamored on, Sellie silently picked up a dropped sword and sliced through the ropes that restrained her hands and feet.
Why is there a dragon over there? What's happened to Van? Are you alright? What's taken over you?" She took the young girl into he r arms and hugged her tightly.
A deep rumble broke Merle's ramblement of questions. Sellie focused her eyes on Dralion as he shifted suddenly from his lying position. Another groan escaped his throat as he lifted his head off the ground and looked around wearily. As soon as his golden eyes spotted Sellie's face, his long neck bolted upright.
"Dralion?" she whispered, breaking out of her relaxed composure and trance that she was in. "I thought you were dead."
* Ha! * the dragon snorted as his voice echoed in all of their heads. * It will take more than just breaking my heart-stone to get rid of me. *
"But *shouldn't* you be dead?" Allen asked him. "I mean, that was one of your energists that shattered. You were connected to it, just like Van and Sellie were."
* Aye, but thee said it theeself: 'One' of my energists. I do have another. Now that both of my hearts do not beat, I am not immortal. Which does not matter, really, since dragons live till extreme ages. * He stretched his front legs.
Sellie had to smile at his recovery, but it soon faded when her sight shifted from him to her father, still except for a faint breeze that ruffled through his dark hair. She felt a fuzzy hand slip into her own as the cat-woman held it tightly.
She hadn't noticed, but when Sellie saw Dralion, the jump out of the trance that she was in made her lose concentration with her mind power. Tarn fell hard to the ground, but was soon on his feet. He pulled a dagger from underneath his boot flap and snuck up behind both Sellie and Merle.
Gaddes was the first one to spot Tarn creeping only feet away. Sellie only needed the look on his face to realize what was going on. That flow of power that she had felt earlier surged through her being once more. This time, she did not return to that spell-like state.
This time, she knew what she needed to do.
As Tarn ran forward, holding his blade up high, Sellie pivoted on her heel and swung her arm upwards against his face. At the moment when it made contact, a bright flash of electrical charges sprang forth from her hand. Tarn was send flying backwards into the Royal Family's monuments. He bounced sickly off one of them and crumpled to the floor.
It was utter silence except for Sellie's hard breathing. She stared at Tarn's unmoving body, making sure that he was not getting back up any time soon. Then, she slowly walked back to where Van lay. She once more held his hand with both of hers. In the matter of minutes, his skin had cooled considerably.
The harsh reality washed over her in sickening waves. She was alone.
A tear trickled loose from her eyes and splashed into Van's dark hair. She tried to stay cool, but Sellie soon found herself sobbing uncontrollably.
Gaddes held Celena in his arms, hugging her close and brushing her silver-blonde hair. Her eyes were damp from crying already. Allen was consoling Merle, who was leaning her strawberry-colored head upon his shoulder. He was whispering something in her catlike ear that only she could hear.
Dralion watched the grieving party with much curiosity. Ever since his first interaction with this species known as "humans", their emotions had always baffled him. Especially with death. Unlike their lower, ground-dwelling cousins that humans labeled "land-dragons", his flying-kind lived much longer. Dralion was practically immortal, thanks to his two hearts. Though, because of this, there were many drawbacks. His kin seldom procreated, making the flying race of dragons rare throughout the lands. The humans had celebrated dragons, but still hunted them down. Even now, he was out-of-place and unwelcome by the vast majority of this world.
He hadn't given death a second notice until at the moment when Gaea awakened him a week ago. When she had told him that he was the last, her words hadn't sunk into him and made an impact until it had done so just now. He felt sore, not from the battle that he just won, but from the endless battles he fought when he was younger, when he was not yet an ally with the people of Siemmena. He was old, weary, and tired.
Young Sellie had lost both of her parents, her only kin, and felt alone in the world, just as he did. Although she was on the verge of leaving childhood behind and entering the beginning world of womanhood, she was still too young to be alone.
Gaea already knew of this tragedy. She had told him that Sellie's fate was linked to his own. She had not gone into entire details, but Dralion could fill in the blanks. He would have to decide whether or not he would make their future become the one that Gaea foresaw. He knew what he had to do now.
On hesitant claws, he crept towards the grieving girl. Slowly, he extended his long neck so that his massive head hung over Van's tranquil chest and his nose was mere inches from Sellie's tear-stained face. She forced a smile as she opened her reddened eyes and looked deeply into his. He nudged her gently and she removed her left hand and placed her open palm on the end of his snout. As soon as they touched, a connection occurred, and Dralion talked only to her, excluding the others.
* How are thee, Child? * he asked softly. * Think. Think only to me so that no one else will hear. *
She let out an exasperated mental sigh. I miss him so much… she thought, strangely finding this way of communication much more easier. I never thought that in order to get my mother back, that I would have to lose my father too… She returned her gaze back down to Van.
* Have thee began to believe in theeself? * he asked.
Her eyes whipped up and looked into his. How did you know about that? she inquired.
He chuckled. * I have my connections with Gaea as well, little one, * he replied.
She looked away. I thought I just did… now… I can feel it now… the Power of Atlantis, that is… I believed in the moment and I felt it unleashed…
* But thee did. Thee wouldn't have been able to control the Power without it. * He moved his head into her hand. * Thee have all the qualities thee need to rule over thee country: trust, compassion, and wisdom. Trust comes from within, compassion comes from thee father, and wisdom comes from thee mother's line. But thee are lacking one more. *
Sellie sniffled. And what's that? she asked.
Dralion paused, trying to find the right words to put into his next sentence. * Knowing when sacrifices are need to be made and when it is right to end it all. * He pulled his head away from Sellie and rose to his feet.
She dropped Van's hand and looked at the dragon oddly. "Wait!" she said aloud, her words startling Allen and the others. "What do you mean 'sacrifice'?"
Dralion swung his long neck around as he slowly walked towards Escaflowne. * Thee will soon learn, little one, that life is a never-ending circle. When one dies, one lives. When one needs to live, someone has to die. *
He turned his attention back onto the Guymelef and stared into the empty cavity that his first heart once occupied for so long. He closed his eyelids and held his head low, concentrating on the task at hand.
Comprehension slowly filled Sellie's bright green eyes. Briefly, she saw a flash of Dralion's idea just when they disconnected. Her pendant about her neck started to warm up, a reaction of something to come. She watched him, not knowing why he was doing this.
At first, nothing happened. But after a moment, his dark red scales emitted a faint glow. With each passing second, the glow grew from a dull red to an overwhelming pinkish hue. Soon, only the outline of the dragon could be seen.
"Dralion!" Sellie cried out, jumping to her feet. She wanted to race forward, but Allen caught her arm and pulled her back. "Dralion! No!"
The intensity of the light shining from the dragon's body was too great. She had to shield her eyes from the brightness. Loose leaves began to dance about in a lazy circle surrounding him. As the glow strengthened, so did the wind carrying the debris. Sellie and Allen's hair danced wildly as he pulled her away from Dralion. She fought him with all her might, wanting so badly to stop her friend from what he was doing.
Or rather, sacrificing.
Suddenly, the wind constricted, pulling everything into the light. It shrunk down, tightening itself into a sphere of concentrated energy. It floated in the air as the wind calmed and the leaves settled back to the ground. In the stillness, it sat, waiting.
Another light shone from the memorials. The smaller energist that Tarn took levitated off of the ground and floated towards the giant ball of light. Without faltering, the jagged jewel merged into the ball, disappearing immediately in its depths. The glow pulsated for a moment, then hovered to Escaflowne's heart chamber. It slipped inside the metal cavity, a perfect fit. The three claws clamped onto the energy-sphere, securing it tightly in place.
At the moment when Allen obviously found it not necessary to hold her back anymore, Sellie broke free from his grip and ran to the kneeling Guymelef. She climbed up its protruding knee and stood just before the new occupant of Escaflowne's heart. As the glow dulled, it revealed the giant energist, its smooth, geometric surface.
Selle's eyes burned as she tried to stop her tears. Dralion sacrificed himself… for her… for the quest. She did not ask anything of him, and yet, he still did it. Why did Allen hold her back? Dralion… what did you do?
A rhythm broke her thoughts, something that she hadn't noticed. She opened her eyes to see the smaller energist beating inside of the larger one. Boom-boom… boom-boom… boom-boom…
It was definitely a heart beat.
She raised her hand parallel to the energist's front facet, holding it only a few inches away. The closer palm was to touching the surface, the stronger the pulsating rhythm became. Fascinated by this, she slowly moved her fingers closer to the gem.
"Sellie!"
Turing her head at the sound of Celena's cry, she looked in the direction of her comrades standing yards away from Escaflowne's giant foot. Only she was looking at her, her deep blue eyes wide and confused. Allen and Gaddes were staring at her father, while Merle was on her knees in the same position that Sellie was just in.
At first, she did not understand why Celena shouted her name so urgently. But a small movement allowed her to comprehend.
Van's hand lifted off of the ground and went to his forehead as he struggled to get up. His other free hand was held tightly by his childhood friend, who was trying frantically not to attack him and cover him with kisses.
Sellie's heart leapt in hope that her eyes were not playing tricks on her, that she was actually seeing her father move, that he was alive. She felt faint at heart and staggered in her stance. She braced herself from falling by placing her hand squarely on Dralion's energist.
It all happened so fast. She briefly felt the smoothness of the stone under her fingers before her entire vision filled with a blue-white light. The pendant reacted and pulsed along with the energist, in time with its beating. She pulled her hand away from the heart-stone and clasped her necklace tightly.
She was no longer aware of her feet being on Escaflowne's metallic thigh. She felt like she had no control over her body, knowing only that she was traveling at extreme speeds. This light was comforting so she did not fight it.
This must be the infamous pillar of light that Dad and Gaea spoke of… she thought, relaxing more as she recognized it. She was aware of Allen, Celena, Gaddes, and yes, Van, being with her, though she didn't see any of them. It was more of a feeling.
This is it. The final part of our journey. Would we be victorious? Or will it be the end of all things?
* * *
Merle's heart had been broken before, but not like this. When she had received the news that Nehte had been killed in the carrier ship accident, she remained in her room for days. She knew it was unhealthy for her, almost on the verge of birthing their children, but she did not want to see anyone. Especially Van and Hitomi. It wasn't like she blamed them for what happened. It was just because they were always so happy to have one another. Seeing them together hurt her so.
But seeing Van so still there on the grass literally made her want to die there along with him. They were best friends… best friends should be together always. She had been by her Lord Van's side constantly since she was two. She couldn't cry, not even into Allen's shoulder. He whispered something about everything was going to be fine but his words took no effect to her.
Van was gone.
Poor Sellie… she thought. She must have found out by now of what she is. Her father is gone, her mother is on the Mystic Moon… how can she even function right now? I know I would be going mad if I were in her position.
That dragon approached Sellie slowly and the girl touched him on the face. They remained like that for a few minutes, looking into each other's eyes without moving. And, just as oddly as they were, he moved away and walked to Escaflowne and lowered his head. She felt so confused what was going on. Sellie asked him urgently what he was doing, but he paid no attention to her.
Suddenly, he started to glow, becoming brighter as each moment progressed. Allen let go of Merle and grabbed Sellie before she could do anything rash. The poor girl was screaming wildly at the dragon, but it was futile. He burned so brightly with light that she had to pull her sensitive eyes away from it.
And then it died down. When she opened her eyes again, the dragon was gone and Sellie was standing on Escaflowne's knee looking at an energist that wasn't there moments ago. It must be that dragon's… she automatically assumed.
A slight disturbance alerted her attention to where Van lay. Her eyes darted down, a surge of hope racing through her. Was that faint moan coming from him? Or was it from her?
No! There it was again! She saw his chest slowly rise as he breathed in air. Breathed in air! He was breathing! Dead men don't breathe!
Instantly, Merle fell to her knees exactly where Sellie was just kneeling. She grabbed his closer hand. "Van?" she whispered.
"Mmmm…" he groaned again. His dark lashes were fluttering as he tried opening his eyes.
The others must have noticed his rousing. Merle heard Celena shout up to Sellie but the cat-woman kept her gaze fixated on Van. He had lifted his free hand to his forehead as if he had a migraine.
"Van?" she repeated. All she wanted to do right now was either beat him senseless for dying or smother him kisses.
His eyes opened and looked into her wet ones. "Merle?" he uttered. "Is that… you?"
"Yes," she whispered, clamping both of her hands tightly around his. "I'm never letting you…"
No sooner than those words had left her mouth, Van was engulfed with a blinding pale blue light. His hand disappeared beneath her fingers as he was pulled away from her. She had to close her eyes again, unable to take in the brilliance.
When she opened them once more, Sellie, Van, Allen, Celena, and Gaddes were gone. She stood in the middle of a clearing along with Escaflowne, the body of a 14-year-old boy, and an unconscious Tarn crumbled beneath the monuments. Her eyes looked heavenwards just to see the remains of a light pillar streaking against the sky towards the Mystic Moon.
She felt small… insignificant to the great beyond. All these things always happened to Van and Hitomi, leaving her behind in the dirt. What was it this time that involved their child, the Schezars, and Gaddes?
"It's alright, Merle. They are in good hands."
Merle cast her eyes from the lightening sky back to the ground to see a strangely clad woman standing before her, raven black locks tumbling down her back. Her soft, forest green eyes sparkled at her as she smiled at the cat-woman.
"Who… who are you?" she stuttered.
The woman smiled harder. "You know who I am, Merle. Look into your heart and you will know the answer." She then pointed to the castle. "Now go and check on your children. You will find them safely with your attendants."
Merle felt odd here, standing in the presence of this woman. First, she appeared out of nowhere. Second, she knew exactly of what she was thinking. And thirdly, she was afraid to find out if her speculations of who this person was were correct. She ran down the pathway on all fours, not taking a second look at the stranger.
* * *
Gaea watched the young cat-woman race off until she disappeared below the level of the path. She exhaled her breath, let go out her strong, proud stance, and stumbled to the ground.
This is all happening too quickly… she thought. She was barely able to send them to Earth with the amount of energy it required to generate the pillar of light. She was already drained and weary. How was it that she would have to hold on for however long it would take Sellie's task to be completed?
She let herself sink into her native soil, back to her home for so long. She was chosen to watch over this new creation, and she was not about to let it all end just like that. She had faith in Sellie. She wanted to believe that everything would be alright, but there was no longer anything she could really do.
The fate of this world relied on the belief in one small girl.
to be continued…
* * *
01.21.2003. Sorry its taken so long. I've had major writer's block. I don't get it. I know how this is going to end. I know what's going to happen up until the ending. BUT THE WORDS JUST WON'T COME OUT!!! Grrrrr… Anyhow, this one is short, I know. But if I added more, it would just seem weird. Sigh. It'll be awhile for the final 2-3 chapters. I have so much work to do. I just completed my first honest-to-God animation and I'm so excited.
Chapter title comes from Dido's song "Take My Hand" which is my personal favorite song by her.
See my eyes… they carry your reflection…
Watch my lips… and hear the words I'm telling you…
Give your trust to me…
And look into my heart…
And show me… show me what you're doing…
