I'm so very, extremely, incredibly, excruciatingly sorry!!! I'm so ashamed of myself for not updating any sooner! *sobs guiltily* Whatever can I possibly do to atone for it?
Damon: You could make it up by cutting short your long-winded ramblings and getting into the story.
Me: Who are you?! How did you get here?!
Stefan: Relax. Me and brother Damon are your first and newest muses.
Me: Now there's TWO of you??? *faints*
Stefan: Oh dear. She's out like a light. So I guess I'd better handle the things around here until our revered authoress decides to wake up.
Damon: Who says that YOU should handle things? I'm the older twin here!
Stefan: Alright already. You thank the people who reviewed, and I do the disclaimer. Fine with you?
Damon: Okay…Thanks to Darth, Mei Cera a.k.a. Gensui Meia, Urika, Luna's Meow and Arcia for your kind reviews. *mutters under breath* I never knew that the little twerp actually has people who LIKES her story…
Me: *eyes snap open* LITTLE???!!!! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE CALLING LITTLE??!!! I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!!!!! *whips out a mallet and chases after Damon*
Stefan: *sweatdrop* They're a little occupied at the moment…so I guess I'll do the disclaimer now…Elenaholyfire owns nothing here but the plot and her own characters. BoF belongs to Capcom. Any questions?
*Elena and Damon still running around in circles around the room*
Legend:
+++~Change of scene~+++
^^PoV^^
^~*^~*Flashback*~^*~^
*~Dream Sequence~*
The Dragon Warrior Chapter Five: A New Beginning*~ Ryu's Dream (or more appropriately, Nightmare)~*
^^Ryu's PoV^^
Huh? What? Where? How? What's going on?
I was sitting on a ledge. A ledge that was very high up in the sky. It appears that I'm on a mountain. How did I even get here in the first place? The last thing I remembered doing was being knocked off my feet by a blind man. How humiliating.
I rose unsteadily to my feet, trying not to look down. Then suddenly I felt a great force come from behind me and knock me off the ledge.
I was falling. The sheer speed of the rapid descend was making my stomach heave, and my head was spinning wildly. I felt sick. If I could, I would vomit right there and then.
Then, a voice, "…do you accept…?" Again I was completely baffled. Accept what? But before I had even realized what I was doing, the fatal words slipped out of my mouth, "Yes…"
Pain! Agony shot through my very consciousness, sending fractured images to my dazed eyes. I felt like someone was pouring boiling pitch into my skull, then setting it on fire. It was excruciating.
Then, I felt someone, or something, slide into my mind. It didn't seem very friendly to me, and when our both our awareness touched, I gasped. Hatred seared in that malicious being whose soul had begun to entwine itself with mine. And that moment of contact revealed that the hatred had lasted a thousand, thousand years, or more.
I felt infinitely tiny in the face of that immense presence, completely helpless, like a little mouse being held at bay by a venomous snake intent on making me its lunch. I did not like the feeling, not at all.
Thus it was that I sought to force this unwelcome visitor to my mind. However I met with a great resistance, a resistance so powerful that it threatened to overwhelm me and consume me utterly.
My power was fading. I could only sit back in a corner of my mind and watch as the being took control. As it imposed its utter dominance, I could see it's memories flashing across my mind's eye.
Blood, entrails, vultures circling overhead. A battlefield full of carnage that was the customary aftermath of every battle. Dismembered corpses, severed limbs, and loose heads with wide, staring eyes. I watched, unable to tear myself away from the gory images.
Revulsion rose from the deepest pit of my stomach. But the alien presence in my mind would not let me turn away. I clenched my teeth and looked on as more images came to life.
A new scene flashed in front of me. A void, anger from a new awareness. A strangely alien and ancient awareness. It was just waiting, that much I could gather, but for what?
Mindless shrieking echoed through the enclosed space where my mind was, erasing all thought. Then a high-pitched, spine-chilling laughter ensued, before a deranged-sounding voice rang out, "You spineless weakling! Dost thou truly believe that thou canst challenge mine strength? You are nothing! And the day will come where thou shalt be bent to mine will, and then all the world shall bow before mine wrath!"
The world spun once again, and I lost consciousness, but not before I saw a single eye gazing at me, and a soft voice…
*~End Ryu's Dream~*
^^Normal PoV^^
Ryu sat bolt upright, even as rivulets of cold sweat streamed from his forehead. He was profoundly chilled by the images in his dream.
Most dreams that every human experience, no matter how horrifying, are shaped by our own minds, so there always is a sense of familiarity to them. However, in Ryu's case, he could most clearly feel that the nightmare had been externally imposed by a hostile awareness, twisting what had at first felt vaguely familiar to something that made his blood run cold.
"Boy, are you alright? You were screaming in your sleep. Was it a nightmare?" The blind man's voice had a touch of concern in it.
Ryu turned his gaze towards the source. He then timidly asked, "Who are you?"
"My name no longer means anything. I am no better than a dead man living here in this place. You never did tell me your name, boy." The old man's reply was almost indifferent, but there was just a hint of bitterness when he said that his name no longer meant anything.
"My name…I can't… remember…" Ryu's head began to throb again as he strived to recall.
The man must have somehow sensed his distress, for he quickly added, "If you cannot remember, then don't try to force yourself to. Perhaps in time you can regain what you have lost…"
"Alright, but how can I address you? It would be very impolite of me not to address you properly."
"A boy with a sense of propriety… How refreshing. Just address me any way you want, I am not easily offended. Besides, it's good to have company after so many years…" The man mused.
So it was that Ryu came to settle down in the valley, and very soon he had struck up a firm friendship with the man, who could have easily been old enough to be his father, and soon twelve years had passed…
+++~Twelve Years Later, in the valley~+++
The clear sound of a flute floated across the air. 18-year old Ryu sat on a rock near the spring as he played the tune his master had taught him.
His master was of course, the blind man. Over the years, Ryu had been learning battle techniques and other skills from him, and Ryu had almost unconsciously taken on that form of address.
The learning of the battle skills had happened all because of an accident. Ryu had been out gathering some berries for food some twelve years ago, when a huge wyvern had swooped in from the sky, talons outstretched, to attack him. He instinctively retaliated, but was still no match for the wyvern. Just when he was about to collapse, his master had arrived on the scene and easily defeated the wyvern. His master had then decided that he had better teach him how to defend himself before any other accidents happened.
One thing led to another, and with Ryu proving himself to be an extraordinarily gifted student, his master began to branch out, honing his other skills, to make him an even more deadly warrior. He had even gone as far to help Ryu develop his innate Dragon abilities, and now Ryu was already able to utilize the level 1 Dragon spells. Also, with the help of his master, he had been able to learn how to exercise more control over his dragon form and not let the dragon's instincts take over entirely.
Ryu, after all these years, had progressively matured into a fine young man. His blue hair was fairly long and had a streak of bright silver through it, touching his shoulders, and he customarily kept it tied up loosely. His eyes were now a silvery color, with just a hint of blue in them. A strange symbol adorned his forehead, but did not do anything to mar his handsome features. At way over six-and-a-half feet tall, he cut quite an impressive figure. Had he been in the outside world, he would have been the object of many a young girl's desire.
He, however, did not know, or even care, how he looked like. What he really wanted was to find out about his own identity. Even after so many years he had been unable to recall anything useful about himself, although strangely he had managed to remember when his birthday was, except sometimes he would get flashes of the dreadful nightmare, varying slightly, while in his sleep. He had long sought to puzzle out it's meaning, but to no avail.
Ryu sighed and stood up. It was almost evening, which indicated that he ought to return to his master to share the meal which had been made out of what Ryu had caught while out hunting in the valley (1).
A strong disturbance in the calmness of the energy fields in the valley startled him out of his brooding state. It was quickly followed by a rumbling sound, and then the sound of tumbling boulders came quite clearly to Ryu.
Drawing the sword his master had given to him as a present on his 18th birthday (2), Ryu started towards the disturbance. He knew that whatever it was, it needed to be investigated.
He followed his senses to the far side of the valley. Previously, when he occasioned to be in the same vicinity, he had noticed that there was a cave mouth whose entrance had been sealed up by large boulders. Now, however, the boulders had somehow been freed from their original positions and had been scattered around, leaving open the previously sealed cave mouth.
Ryu was about to go into the cave to investigate when he vaguely heard a human voice within the cave. A female voice, it seemed. It was quickly followed by a thunderous detonation. Startled, Ryu quickened his steps.
The sight that greeted him was to put it mildly, a disaster. A young woman with wings on her back was being cornered by a bunch of monsters. Ryu was convinced that if he had been in that position, even with his superior combat skills, he would have taken ages to get out of that nasty little situation.
The young woman was, however, holding out fairly well on her own. She even looked like she could handle all the monsters without any help, that is, if she had noticed the fairly large, and terribly ugly, monster sneaking up on her.
She didn't notice. The monster pounced, fully intend on ripping her apart.
Unfortunately for the monster, Ryu was there. With a single downward sword stroke, he clove the offending creature in two.
It split apart, and its blood splattered all over the place. The girl then spun around slightly in response to the blood splattering on her. Her clear, sapphire eyes widened with surprise when she saw Ryu. Ryu also paused as he saw her.
However, this was no time for gawking. In the single instant that the girl had taken to look at Ryu, a snarling lizardman had leapt forward with claws outstretched, heading straight for the girl.
"Look out!" Ryu was in front of her in a flash and blocked the blow with his sword. He then ran the lizard through with another quick twist of his mighty blade.
The girl also quickly reacted to another slime-like creature right behind the fatally wounded lizard, blasting it with the Cold spell (3). The slime froze, literally, as it was turned into a block of ice. Ryu, almost nonchalantly, then kicked it out of his way as he moved on to confront the next monster, not noticing that his kick had smashed the frozen creature into smithereens.
Within a few minutes, with the combined strengths of Ryu and the girl, the monsters had been reduced to bloody corpses, some of which were even either frozen or charred by the girl's spells.
Ryu lowered his sword, after making sure that the surrounding was clear of any monsters, and turned back to the girl. She looked a little pale, and her aura betrayed a kind of exhaustion that indicated that her extensive use of spells during the fierce battle had taken a lot more energy out of her than he had thought earlier.
There was a kind of tense silence between the two of them, as they looked each other over, both not knowing what exactly to say. It was just beginning to get awkward when Ryu decided that this was getting just a little ridiculous, and he then broke the silence.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Ryu asked, feeling a little silly for being so direct, but just by looking at her had somehow robbed him of his ability to speak.
The girl took a deep breath, and then answered, "My name is Nina (4). I am from the Wing clan, as you may have already guessed. My purpose here is to gather some herbs as medicine for my father, who is ill." She spoke with an easy confidence of someone who was used to public speaking, and even her answer had sounded a little like she was addressing a crowd. This was however, totally in conflict with her true feelings, which she was currently trying to come to terms with over the handsome stranger in front of her.
Ryu nodded slowly, but was immediately stuck over what he had to say next. Evidently he was going to have to introduce himself to the gorgeous young lady in front of him, but he had absolutely no idea who he was, much less what his name was, so he was in quite a dilemma.
^^Nina's PoV^^
I gazed nervously at this mysterious-looking young man in front of me. Somehow, he had managed to evoke feelings in me that I have yet to experience. I believe that this was what my mother was talking about when she said that all women go through 'stages' that often lead them into more trouble than anticipated. Perhaps this was one of them?
It was odd though. Throughout my years of growing up, I have yet to meet a member of my clan that I have felt any attraction towards, and now here comes a total stranger from another clan that has somehow wormed his way into my heart. This was completely absurd. What would mother think of this?
Attempting to break the silence that had immediately stemmed up after he had asked me who I was, I asked for his name. The uneasy expression on his face turned to one of intense concentration, as if he was trying hard to recall something. I frowned. Surely such a simple question would not elicit such a reaction?
Suddenly, I felt a strong surge in his aura. The slightly confused expression twisted to one of intense agony, and his sword dropped to the floor with a great clatter. He groaned, clutching at his head with one hand, while the other was tightly clenched into a fist.
Worried, I stepped forward. As I laid a hand on his trembling shoulder, trying to comfort him, fractured images suddenly hit me with the force of a speeding arrow.
It passed in a second, but I would never forget what I saw in that single instant. Blood reeked in those images, and faces filled with despair and horror was abundant. There were other things which I had no name for, but they would also no doubt haunt my dreams. I also instinctively sensed that these were the images flashing through the young man's mind, although I could only guess at the amount of pain it caused him.
But a single question bothered me. Why was it that I could see those images? And yet another question also loomed large in my mind. How did someone like him manage to suffer so much when he was so young? For some reason I just knew that whatever had happened to him occurred when he was only a child. This rare flash of insight too troubled me very much.
^^Ryu's PoV^^
Ouch. Yet another memory flash coming back to haunt me. These were the same images from my dreams, of course, but this time I saw something else. A face, I think it was, and it was vaguely familiar.
When it finally passed, I looked up through bleary eyes to gaze at the beautiful angel in front of me. Her icy blue eyes were filled with worry and concern, but I also managed to see a faint hint of shock and horror in those sapphire orbs. I wonder why…
Anyway, I straightened, and after assuring her that I was perfectly alright, I picked up my bloodstained sword. After I got rid of the worst of the stains off it, I re-sheathed it and turned towards the entrance to the valley I had come to call home.
^^Normal PoV^^
As Ryu turned away, Nina blurted out, "Wait! You still haven't told me your name!"
Ryu smiled sadly, and without turning, he replied, "I have no name that I can remember. You can enter the valley to find the herb you need."
Without another word, Ryu left, although deep down he had wanted to stay and talk to the girl Nina.
Nina stood silently in the shadowy depths of the cave. I have no name that I can remember… His words echoed inside her head. Does that mean that he has amnesia? Or was it something else?
Shaking her head, she strode into the valley to find the Full Moon Berry (5) that was the last missing ingredient for her father's medicine.
+++~At the cave where Ryu's master was~+++
Ryu stepped into the cave. His master sat silently in one corner, the meal already laid in front of him.
"I'm sorry to have been late, master. There was something that I had to investigate," Ryu apologized even as he sat down opposite his master and surrogate father.
"What was it? I felt a great disturbance, and then I felt your aura moving towards it. There was also another unusually strong aura nearby."
"Well master, I found an exit from the valley. A young woman that I met when I went to investigate caused it. She said that she was here to look for a herb to cure her father's illness. Also, she was from the Wing Clan," Ryu then went into further detail of what had transpired just now.
The man nodded. He was strangely unexcited about the fact that an exit had finally been found. All these years he had yearned to leave the valley, but now, faced with that option, he hesitated, unsure whether he should go forth to face his future or stay in blissful ignorance until he died in this peaceful valley.
Ryu sensed some distress from his master. Privately, he suspected that it probably had something to do with his master's past, of which he knew very little. What he did know, however, was that his master had ended up in this valley, blinded and half-crippled (6), because one of his best friends had betrayed him and left him to die.
The man sighed pensively, trying to pull himself away from his unhappy thoughts. Instead, he faced his pupil and basing something on a hunch, he tentatively probed, "So, the girl you mentioned, she was beautiful, was she not?" He said it with a sly smile on his face, knowing that the next question would no doubt embarrass his pupil, "You do like her, don't you? That's why you are trying to avoid her, because you are not sure how to behave around her."
Ryu blushed deeply, and he was suddenly profoundly grateful that his master could not see his reddening face. It had never even occurred to him, however, that his master did not need to see his face to determine his emotions. The discomfort in his aura in response to the question had already betrayed what he felt about Nina to his blind teacher.
Ryu's master smiled beneficently. It was perfectly natural, of course, for his student to have such emotions for the first young girl he meets, after so many years of isolation in the valley. He was fairly sure that it would fade in time, if he had been out in the world for some time, although there was a distinct possibility that the feelings might not diminish.
That thought also suddenly jerked him to an abrupt conclusion. His pupil, whom he had come to regard much like his own son, would eventually leave the valley. It was inevitable. He was reluctant to let him leave, of course, but the boy was still young and adventurous, and it would be unfair of him to force his pupil to stay with him in the valley for the rest of his life.
Eager to change the subject, Ryu then asked, "Master, now that we can leave, do you want to? I mean, I could help you seek revenge on whoever left you here to die…and I can also try to find my past…"
Sighing deeply again, the man's reply was sad, even weary. "I am getting old, my child, and revenge doesn't really matter anymore. It would be better for me to live out the rest of my life here in this valley peacefully than to go out into the world and wrestle with the harsh reality again. You, however, are free to leave. Just remember what I told you about the outside world, and trust no one but yourself. Perhaps one day you will find someone whom you can trust, but until then it is much safer to rely on yourself…"
Ryu was shocked, but at the same time, elated. He was torn over being able to leave the valley and leaving his beloved master alone in this valley. He wanted to see the world, certainly, and to try to rediscover his past, but leaving his master alone in the valley would be most un-filial, for over the years he had come much to regard him as his own father.
"But master, how can I leave you here alone?" Ryu protested.
"Are you afraid that I cannot survive alone by myself here in this valley? You can put that worry to rest. Don't you remember that I lived here for many years before you came to me?"
"It's not that, master. It just…just wouldn't be right…"
The blind man smiled at his protégé. Here was a boy who was well schooled in courtesy and the fine trait of loyalty. He felt a burst of pride run through him. He had raised the boy well, and in some regard, this was the kind of person he would have wanted the son he had never seen to be like.
The rest of the evening was filled with silence, for there was really nothing to be said between the two. They had been around each other long enough to know what the other was thinking and feeling, which generally made words largely unnecessary.
"It's going to be a full moon tonight," Ryu observed, looking out from where he was sitting at the edge of the cave. He was thinking about the girl, Nina. He had never had any real experience with girls, since his master was the only person he was with for those interminable twelve years. Thus, naturally, he had no idea what to do or think around her, nor what to say without giving offense. It was a very awkward situation.
"Maybe you should take a walk," his master commented.
"Okay…maybe I'll feel better if I did…" Ryu mumbled half to himself.
+++~ Now let's see what Nina's up to…~+++
The winged girl stood at the face of a cliff. She was gazing up, waiting, for the full moon to arrive in all its glory.
"Luckily I made it here on time…if not I would have to wait for the next full moon before I can pick the flower…" Nina muttered absently to herself.
The sun's baby sister decided then to make an appearance. The forbidding clouds pervading the gloomy sky slowly parted like stage curtains, and the softly glowing disk almost shyly peeked out from behind them. Then, growing in confidence, the luminescent orb seemed to glow brighter, slicing through the obscuring veil of clouds that masked it.
Nina stood almost in awe of the beautiful sight. She had seen many appearances of the full moon before, but none could beat the sheer artistry with which this particular full moon had appeared.
A single ray of moonlight seemed almost to fall on a specific spot on the cliff-face where Nina was standing, illuminating a single flower. The lopsided petals, which had appeared somewhat limp before, seemed almost to be rejuvenated by the moonshine bathing it. Then, slowly, the flower hesitantly opened its petals one by one, glowing like a pale flame and refracting the moonlight into iridescent shades. In the precise middle of the flower lay a berry that had a faint violet tinge to it.
Nina drew a deep breath. That was the berry, all right, but now she was going to have to retrieve it. That was easier said than done, even with her wings, since she had no wish to damage the flower in the process. Full Moon flowers were rare and had immense medical and healing properties, and there were only few of them left in the world.
But Nina had a job to do. She spread her wings, bent her knees slightly, and leapt up. Her wings helped her stay in the air, and she worked her way up slowly to the flower. It would be much easier for her to fly by simply changing into a bird, but she was not yet old enough to do it. Only when she was past her eighteenth birthday, which was only a mere two months away, could she change form like her elders.
Three feet, two feet, one more, and then she was level with the flower. Up close, the flower looked even more enchanting than it had before. Nina steadied herself and reached out with a shaky hand to grasp the glowing berry that would save her father's life.
As she slowly descended to the ground, floating down like a leaf borne aloft by the wind, she silently contemplated the prize lying in the center of her palm, which she had come so far for. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she failed to notice a shadow looming behind her…
"Screeeeeyyaaaaaa!!!!!!" a wyvern, its talons outstretched, dove directly towards the oblivious Nina!
Nina looked up just as the strike was about to tear into her. Reacting instinctively, she dodged to one side.
But it was still too late. The cruel talons wrenched a foot-long gash along the side of her wing (ow!), and the sheer force of the attack slammed her slim body forcefully against the unyielding earth. (OW!)
Nina felt light-headed and more than a little nauseous. Miraculously though, she had somehow managed to keep a hold on the Full Moon berry. Only to death would she surrender the berry that would heal her father.
Her vision faded in and out. She could faintly see the outline of the huge wyvern gearing up for another strike.
The blurred image lunged at her. And that was when she blanked out.
Footnotes(1): What do you think he survived on for twelve years? Vegetables? Yeah right. And he probably learned how to fish from his master.
(2): The sword he got for his present belonged to his master. I don't think there are any weapon shops in the vicinity. And btw, the old guy (Ryu's master I mean) can't use a sword anymore because the SOB who left him to die cut certain tendons to make sure that he would never have the strength to lift a heavy weapon anymore. Poor guy.
(3): Me using the spell list from BoF1. I might also decide to throw in a few other spells just for the heck of it.
(4): Yes! It's Nina! Duh. Did you think I was going to leave her out of this? Besides, no BoF story is ever really complete without her…and also, I (obviously) decided to let her be a kickass magic user. I thought the Nina from BoF2 was really cool! Nina as a healer is nice, but I have already someone else in mind covering that particular spot…
(5): Yeah. It's a lame name. But I couldn't think of anything better. Besides, the fact that the flower blooms on the full moon gives me a chance to show off my vocabulary a little bit (Damon: Yeah like anyone cares. Elena: I'm still not FINISHED with you yet! So SHUT UP!)
(6): The guy's crippled, but only in the sense that he has some difficulties with lifting heavy stuff. And also his movements are sometimes stiff and awkward because of the fact that some of his tendons were cut (see above explanation in (2)). But over the years he has managed to heal himself partially so he could at least move about easily. Yes he can use magic. But he can't use his battle spells anymore because his ex-best friend sealed it somehow. But he can still use certain types of magic. Which will be VERY useful in some of the later chapters. And try to hazard a guess about who this guy is. He will play a pretty large role in the fic.
Elena: Well, finally! The chapter's done! I'm so happy! Although I'm not so happy about the fact that my mid-year examinations start tomorrow…
Stefan: Hey cheer up! Nothing's gonna faze you in some stupid exam. You weren't the First in Standard last year for nothing ya know.
Elena: *winces* You just HAD to bring that up, didn't you? You're just as bad as the rest of my classmates…
Stefan: *smirks* Oh ya, did you see Damon anywhere? I've been looking for him for at least half an hour now…
Elena: Oh, that. I defenestrated him.
Stefan: *pales* You WHAT?! That's a horrible thing to do!!
Elena: *confused* What? What's wrong with defenestrating someone?
Stefan: YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! IT'S A TERRIBLE THING TO DO TO A MAN!!!
Elena: *even more confused* Why would throwing an annoying person out of a high window be that terrible??
Stefan: YOU DON'T…wait what did you say? You threw him out of the window?
Elena: Yeah. Off the top of a 70-storey building to be exact.
Stefan: So you didn't… *blushes*
Elena: So I didn't what? What did you think I did to him? *suspicious look*
Stefan: *still red in the face* Oh…it's nothing…don't mind me…I'm just nuts…
Elena: Men! All such big babies! No offense to any guys out there though. It's just a personal opinion. XD And I almost forgot something. To Darth, I just wanted to inform you that Ryu IS of royal blood. His mother is the daughter of the previous king after all. And I'm sure that everyone caught all the hints of a possible Ryu/Nina romance…but it isn't really decided yet. Remember Riana? She MIGHT cause some problems…*evil grin* So be prepared for a love triangle…not going to be much angst though, I'm not good at that, but there will be some verbal battles between the girls, with a totally clueless Ryu smack in the middle of the 'battlefield'. *eviler grin* I love myself…
Damon: Yeah you are some stuck-up pompous ass.
Elena: YOU?! I thought I got rid of you!
Damon: Yeah right. It takes a lot more than that to kill me.
Elena: Well why don't we talk about that… *advances on Damon*
Damon: *backs away nervously*
Stefan: This looks dangerous. I think I'd better end this here. Who knows what those two would do if this went on any longer. Please read and review people, and I'll try my very best to drag Elena back on to type up the next chapter. Adios amigos!
*Elena and Damon giving hide-and-seek a whole new image*