The Grand Tournament
Chapter 10
"I'm just cold now, really." Remarked Koren carelessly when Heath asked how he was, "Just freezing." Heath remained quiet, wringing the corner of the bed sheets in his hands. Koren blinked.
"Heath?"
Silence.
"Heath, what's wrong?"
Heath suddenly felt a pang of anger at the magician, which showed in his eyes when he looked at his lover. Koren's normally calm expression was now startled.
"You almost DIED, that's what's wrong!" Shouted Heath, throwing his hands into the air. "You almost died, and you don't seem to care, NO ONE seems to care but ME and...and..." the Mirage Mage stuttered, and broke into hard sobs. Koren sat there, stunned, before placing a hand on Heath's shoulder.
"...I didn't mean this to happen." Was all he said, and Heath whipped his head up again.
"Then why don't you stop?" He choked, "Don't you see how painful it is?!?"
"It doesn't hurt."
"It hurts ME."
Koren blinked hard. It was one of the few times anyone had ever said that to him. No one ever did anything to stop him most of the time. No one dared. And at the beginning, it didn't matter what other people felt when he did it. But now...seeing him...
"...It's just so hard though." Said Koren, no emotion in his voice. "It's hard to stop." Heath cried harder into his hands. "...But...but what you've done for me, it has helped..."
"Some help." Sniffled Heath, "You're sitting here in bed after you nearly died."
"That's not your fault!"
"It's not yours either!!" Exclaimed Heath, brushing away another tear. "Just...I want to let you know I will keep trying for you. I don't care how long it takes, Koren." Heath paused and looked into the blonde's eyes, "I don't care how long. I'll stay forever to make you better."
Koren burst into tears. Heath placed his hand on the Crimson Wizard's. "What's wrong?"
"No one has ever said that...I used to think no one cared..."
"What are you talking about, silly?" Asked Heath playfully, "Of course I care." Koren looked up, smiling, and the two embraced.
~*~
"So the officials announced Heath's gonna fight that Quinn guy tomorrow." Hawk said bluntly, putting his legs up on the breakfast table. "I hope he gives him hell."
"What do you have it out for that Quinn guy anyway?" Asked Angela, munching her toast. "You've been talking trash about him all morning." Hawk and Lise glanced toward each other before Lise leaned in and sighed.
"We were checking on Heath yesterday morning..." She began, tracing her slim finger around her juice glass. "He has a thing for Heath. He's trying to break those two-Heath and Koren-apart. It's sickening." Lise slammed her fist down. "He has no dignity whatsoever! All he cares about is lust!"
"Yeah! What a jerk!" exclaimed Hawk angrily, "I can't believe guys like that." Angela rolled her eyes at the thief.
"Stop talking, idiot." She growled, "Look in a mirror sometime."
"At any rate," Lise interrupted, "We're all cheering for Heath in the fight, we can't let Quinn win at all!"
"Righ'!" agreed Darkshine, eyes glowing happily, "S'no way we're letting a pointy-eared, serpent eyed...hey waitaminute..." The Knight paused, his eyes showing confusion. "What's an Elf doing here anyway?"
"We asked ourselves the same thing earlier." Replied Lise, shrugging, "We have no idea. Heath would know, of course, since he knows practically everything about the different races of Fa'Diel...and yet..." she trailed off, then looked at Carlie, who wasn't paying attention at all.
"Carlie, dear," purred Hawk sweetly, making the girl look up, "What do you know about the elves, sweetheart?" Carlie stuck her tongue out thoughtfully.
"Carlie know that Elves stay away from Humans; Elves no like Humans because of BIG war waaaay before Carlie was born!" she said cheerfully, as if talk about wars was like discussing the weather. "But Carlie also know that some Elves come to Human Cities, not caring about past wars and stuff! And Gran'pa even say..." she lowered her voice, causing everyone to lean in, "That some Elves come to kill Humans, to make them go to Time-Out for bad stuff they did to Elves before!" She resumed eating, obviously done speaking. Hawk blinked.
"Lot of help she is," nodding his head towards the Halfling, "We still have no idea why Quinn is here."
"Well, let's think then." Darkshine suggested, and rest his head in his hand. "What's the one reason everyone is in this tournament?"
"That's easy!" shouted Duran, punching a fist into the air in excitement. "It's for the cash!"
"Exactly." Darkshine replied, nodding. "So Quinn is here to win the money, but what is he going to use it for? Elves don't use our currency of Luc." Everyone thought for a while.
"Perhaps..." began Hawk, "He's not here for simple greed of money...maybe he's here for the money, but there's something else as well. Maybe he'll use the money for something?"
"That's it!" exclaimed Lise, "He's going to use the money for war!" Everyone seemed to understand now, "He's going to start a new war against Humans and Elves!"
"Aye, so that's it." Nodded Darkshine. "What a plan."
~*~
Closing the door quietly behind him, Heath left his room to let Koren rest for a little. Sighing, and placing his hood over his head, he walked out to the hotel garden and sat near the fountain.
'Why has this all been happening?' he thought, 'Why does fate bring us together? Why is fate still existent even as Mana fades?' He glanced at the flowers, still moist with morning dew. 'And why...why did this have to happen to him? He of all people? What happened in his life that made everything suddenly change? Why am I asking myself...I don't know the answer.' Heath wiped away a tear that had creeped out of his eye uninvited. He looked out to the horizon, seeing the ocean glimmer back at him. The morning was quite pleasant, only a gentle breeze stirred the silent air. However, suddenly a rush of cold wind blew around him, startling him. He turned around swiftly, causing his hood to fall back and squinted against the cold air to see a bright sparkling shining through the window of the highest tower of the hotel. Frowning in thought, he rushed inside to find the source of the light.
~*~
"But why start another war? It causes more harm than good most of the time." Stated Lise, sipping at her juice.
"Maybe it's just to get revenge for the war before." Shrugged Hawk. "Or maybe they just don't like us."
"War always has a motive, thief." Explained Darkshine. "There has to be a good reason for someone to make such a rash decision." Pausing, Lise thought hard.
"...I think I read once that during the war against the Elves and Humans, the main conflict was centered over something of possession. All I saw on the page though was a large crystal."
"Wait...I know this!" Angela piped up suddenly, "Jose told us about it in class. Thank god I didn't skip that day..." she received a glare from Lise. "Anyway, he said that the Elves were fighting to get control over something called a Mana Crystal. It's not at all like a Mana Stone, which is only used to contain the God-Beasts. It's pure Mana concentrated into a solid form and is very, very powerful. There are only three in existence, he said, and they originally belonged to the Elves before the Humans took them. And that's how the war started!"
"So THAT must be the reason then!" Hawk yelled triumphantly, "Quinn must be here to get money, and then use that money to start a war and get the Crystals back!"
"Aha...tricky little Elf." Darkshine agreed. "So that's the plan."
~*~
Pausing before the great door leading to the tower room, Heath kept staring at the crack of the door, still shining bright with a holy light. Out of the blue, he felt a warmth against his forehead and touched the warm spot, to find himself holding the crystal of his tiara.
"Huh?" he said aloud, and removed his ornament and gazed at the crystal, which was glowing with the same intensity of the light in the room. "What...what is this...?" he asked, half-expecting the crystal to give him an answer. Not wanting to wait any longer, he opened the door and threw it open.
Floating before him was a large crystalline object, radiating a pure power Heath had never felt before. It was absolutely perfect; every edge of the object was smooth and pointed. Except for the crystal, there was nothing else in the room. Taking a step forward, his tiara began to vibrate. With no time to stop it, it flew out of his hands and rested near the gem, floating in mid-air. The Mirage Mage was puzzled at this, for he had always believed the crystal on his headband was simple Alexandrite. The glow increased, and Heath was forced to shield his eyes from it. Slowly, the glow receded, and when Heath looked up, he gasped aloud.
The crystal on his tiara, once green, had turned the same color of the object; a brilliant Sapphire. It drifted back to him, and placed itself on his head with no help from Heath himself. Slightly afraid now, he turned to leave but heard a high-pitched ring through his head. Trying to continue on, he realized in horror that he could not move.
"What's going on! Who's doing this?!?" he exclaimed angrily, desperate trying to move his feet in vain. All sound then ceased and Heath heard a melodic voice enter his mind.
Heath of the Holy City, protector of Light.
Born of evil, and raised in the sun of good,
You are heir to this power.
Your mind has turned, but your soul has not,
Resist what he has transformed you into,
And rejoin the light that fills your spirit.
Heath, Priest of Guiding, we give you this
Power, for you have carried this shard of us
For long, and kept it safe and unscathed from
The evil that surrounds you.
This, Son of Evil Who Brings us Hope, is
The Shard of Elders. May it guide you to
The way of peace.
The voice faded and Heath found himself able to move again. Dazed, he took one last glance at the Crystal and left in haste.
~*~
"I can't sleep, I can't sleep...I can't dream and I can't sleep..." sang Koren, playing with one of his rose orbs he brought from Altena as a reminder of his home. The rose bud inside the oil within the ball twirled in elegant dance as Koren rolled the orb around his fingers. "I can't sleep and I can't dream, fatigue left me so it seems..." Humming, he continued to weave the Orb in his hand.
Heath burst through the door and tripped over himself in his rush. Koren dropped the orb in surprise on the bed and sat up more to look at Heath.
"Something the matter, love?" Koren asked, slightly amused. Heath jumped up and ran over to his belongings, which consisted of many books, sheets of paper and writing pens, and a few personal mementos. Picking up a heavy red book, he flung it down onto Koren's bed, and began to flip through it.
"...Uhm..." Koren murmured, "What...are you doing...?"
"The thing!"
"...Ah yes the thing." Koren replied sarcastically, his ailment never suppressing his playful and yet sardonic nature. "Yes, when I was a lad, the thing was ALL the rage..."
"No no no! Heath yelled, flipping through the pages like a madman. "It's the thing!"
"Oh. THE thing. With more emphasis on THE, then. Ah yes, that was popular too..."
"Oh Koren!" Heath exclaimed, not so much cross as happy his boyfriend was well enough to make jokes at his frantic search. "Just gimme a sec."
"Okay. One. Now tell me." Coincidently, Heath had found the page. "So?"
" 'The Crystal of Elders'", read Heath, scanning the text, " 'The Stone of Elders is one of the three legendary Mana Crystals which also include the Crystal of Life and the Crystal of Knowledge. These Crystals contain a highly mysterious power that can only be unlocked by one of bloodline to Elvish royalty...'"
"...And...this relates to you because..." Koren asked, twirling his hand in drama. Heath paused and looked up at the Crimson Wizard.
"My mother was an elf...so...that means..." He touched the Crystal on his forehead, and suddenly Koren understood.
"...You're the heir?"
"Must be. Long story."
"Oh, please do tell," Koren smirked, "It's been quite boring here in bed with nothing to do."
*~*
Heath, finding out his link to the legendary Mana Crystals, now has more understanding of what fate truly means. But could this be the reason that Quinn is so interested in him? And what of the fight, that begins the next day?
*~*
BAH! I hate school...I apologize for the large gap between chapters...I hate school...
See, I'm taking so many classes it's insane...so...not pretty. Yeah, hardly anytime to write, however...I HAVE been drawing a lot lately, which has turned into comic strips about my misadventures. If I get a scanner, I'll get them online and give you the link! Webcomics rule!
Review please! Or I'll do something...like...THE THING!
Chapter 10
"I'm just cold now, really." Remarked Koren carelessly when Heath asked how he was, "Just freezing." Heath remained quiet, wringing the corner of the bed sheets in his hands. Koren blinked.
"Heath?"
Silence.
"Heath, what's wrong?"
Heath suddenly felt a pang of anger at the magician, which showed in his eyes when he looked at his lover. Koren's normally calm expression was now startled.
"You almost DIED, that's what's wrong!" Shouted Heath, throwing his hands into the air. "You almost died, and you don't seem to care, NO ONE seems to care but ME and...and..." the Mirage Mage stuttered, and broke into hard sobs. Koren sat there, stunned, before placing a hand on Heath's shoulder.
"...I didn't mean this to happen." Was all he said, and Heath whipped his head up again.
"Then why don't you stop?" He choked, "Don't you see how painful it is?!?"
"It doesn't hurt."
"It hurts ME."
Koren blinked hard. It was one of the few times anyone had ever said that to him. No one ever did anything to stop him most of the time. No one dared. And at the beginning, it didn't matter what other people felt when he did it. But now...seeing him...
"...It's just so hard though." Said Koren, no emotion in his voice. "It's hard to stop." Heath cried harder into his hands. "...But...but what you've done for me, it has helped..."
"Some help." Sniffled Heath, "You're sitting here in bed after you nearly died."
"That's not your fault!"
"It's not yours either!!" Exclaimed Heath, brushing away another tear. "Just...I want to let you know I will keep trying for you. I don't care how long it takes, Koren." Heath paused and looked into the blonde's eyes, "I don't care how long. I'll stay forever to make you better."
Koren burst into tears. Heath placed his hand on the Crimson Wizard's. "What's wrong?"
"No one has ever said that...I used to think no one cared..."
"What are you talking about, silly?" Asked Heath playfully, "Of course I care." Koren looked up, smiling, and the two embraced.
~*~
"So the officials announced Heath's gonna fight that Quinn guy tomorrow." Hawk said bluntly, putting his legs up on the breakfast table. "I hope he gives him hell."
"What do you have it out for that Quinn guy anyway?" Asked Angela, munching her toast. "You've been talking trash about him all morning." Hawk and Lise glanced toward each other before Lise leaned in and sighed.
"We were checking on Heath yesterday morning..." She began, tracing her slim finger around her juice glass. "He has a thing for Heath. He's trying to break those two-Heath and Koren-apart. It's sickening." Lise slammed her fist down. "He has no dignity whatsoever! All he cares about is lust!"
"Yeah! What a jerk!" exclaimed Hawk angrily, "I can't believe guys like that." Angela rolled her eyes at the thief.
"Stop talking, idiot." She growled, "Look in a mirror sometime."
"At any rate," Lise interrupted, "We're all cheering for Heath in the fight, we can't let Quinn win at all!"
"Righ'!" agreed Darkshine, eyes glowing happily, "S'no way we're letting a pointy-eared, serpent eyed...hey waitaminute..." The Knight paused, his eyes showing confusion. "What's an Elf doing here anyway?"
"We asked ourselves the same thing earlier." Replied Lise, shrugging, "We have no idea. Heath would know, of course, since he knows practically everything about the different races of Fa'Diel...and yet..." she trailed off, then looked at Carlie, who wasn't paying attention at all.
"Carlie, dear," purred Hawk sweetly, making the girl look up, "What do you know about the elves, sweetheart?" Carlie stuck her tongue out thoughtfully.
"Carlie know that Elves stay away from Humans; Elves no like Humans because of BIG war waaaay before Carlie was born!" she said cheerfully, as if talk about wars was like discussing the weather. "But Carlie also know that some Elves come to Human Cities, not caring about past wars and stuff! And Gran'pa even say..." she lowered her voice, causing everyone to lean in, "That some Elves come to kill Humans, to make them go to Time-Out for bad stuff they did to Elves before!" She resumed eating, obviously done speaking. Hawk blinked.
"Lot of help she is," nodding his head towards the Halfling, "We still have no idea why Quinn is here."
"Well, let's think then." Darkshine suggested, and rest his head in his hand. "What's the one reason everyone is in this tournament?"
"That's easy!" shouted Duran, punching a fist into the air in excitement. "It's for the cash!"
"Exactly." Darkshine replied, nodding. "So Quinn is here to win the money, but what is he going to use it for? Elves don't use our currency of Luc." Everyone thought for a while.
"Perhaps..." began Hawk, "He's not here for simple greed of money...maybe he's here for the money, but there's something else as well. Maybe he'll use the money for something?"
"That's it!" exclaimed Lise, "He's going to use the money for war!" Everyone seemed to understand now, "He's going to start a new war against Humans and Elves!"
"Aye, so that's it." Nodded Darkshine. "What a plan."
~*~
Closing the door quietly behind him, Heath left his room to let Koren rest for a little. Sighing, and placing his hood over his head, he walked out to the hotel garden and sat near the fountain.
'Why has this all been happening?' he thought, 'Why does fate bring us together? Why is fate still existent even as Mana fades?' He glanced at the flowers, still moist with morning dew. 'And why...why did this have to happen to him? He of all people? What happened in his life that made everything suddenly change? Why am I asking myself...I don't know the answer.' Heath wiped away a tear that had creeped out of his eye uninvited. He looked out to the horizon, seeing the ocean glimmer back at him. The morning was quite pleasant, only a gentle breeze stirred the silent air. However, suddenly a rush of cold wind blew around him, startling him. He turned around swiftly, causing his hood to fall back and squinted against the cold air to see a bright sparkling shining through the window of the highest tower of the hotel. Frowning in thought, he rushed inside to find the source of the light.
~*~
"But why start another war? It causes more harm than good most of the time." Stated Lise, sipping at her juice.
"Maybe it's just to get revenge for the war before." Shrugged Hawk. "Or maybe they just don't like us."
"War always has a motive, thief." Explained Darkshine. "There has to be a good reason for someone to make such a rash decision." Pausing, Lise thought hard.
"...I think I read once that during the war against the Elves and Humans, the main conflict was centered over something of possession. All I saw on the page though was a large crystal."
"Wait...I know this!" Angela piped up suddenly, "Jose told us about it in class. Thank god I didn't skip that day..." she received a glare from Lise. "Anyway, he said that the Elves were fighting to get control over something called a Mana Crystal. It's not at all like a Mana Stone, which is only used to contain the God-Beasts. It's pure Mana concentrated into a solid form and is very, very powerful. There are only three in existence, he said, and they originally belonged to the Elves before the Humans took them. And that's how the war started!"
"So THAT must be the reason then!" Hawk yelled triumphantly, "Quinn must be here to get money, and then use that money to start a war and get the Crystals back!"
"Aha...tricky little Elf." Darkshine agreed. "So that's the plan."
~*~
Pausing before the great door leading to the tower room, Heath kept staring at the crack of the door, still shining bright with a holy light. Out of the blue, he felt a warmth against his forehead and touched the warm spot, to find himself holding the crystal of his tiara.
"Huh?" he said aloud, and removed his ornament and gazed at the crystal, which was glowing with the same intensity of the light in the room. "What...what is this...?" he asked, half-expecting the crystal to give him an answer. Not wanting to wait any longer, he opened the door and threw it open.
Floating before him was a large crystalline object, radiating a pure power Heath had never felt before. It was absolutely perfect; every edge of the object was smooth and pointed. Except for the crystal, there was nothing else in the room. Taking a step forward, his tiara began to vibrate. With no time to stop it, it flew out of his hands and rested near the gem, floating in mid-air. The Mirage Mage was puzzled at this, for he had always believed the crystal on his headband was simple Alexandrite. The glow increased, and Heath was forced to shield his eyes from it. Slowly, the glow receded, and when Heath looked up, he gasped aloud.
The crystal on his tiara, once green, had turned the same color of the object; a brilliant Sapphire. It drifted back to him, and placed itself on his head with no help from Heath himself. Slightly afraid now, he turned to leave but heard a high-pitched ring through his head. Trying to continue on, he realized in horror that he could not move.
"What's going on! Who's doing this?!?" he exclaimed angrily, desperate trying to move his feet in vain. All sound then ceased and Heath heard a melodic voice enter his mind.
Heath of the Holy City, protector of Light.
Born of evil, and raised in the sun of good,
You are heir to this power.
Your mind has turned, but your soul has not,
Resist what he has transformed you into,
And rejoin the light that fills your spirit.
Heath, Priest of Guiding, we give you this
Power, for you have carried this shard of us
For long, and kept it safe and unscathed from
The evil that surrounds you.
This, Son of Evil Who Brings us Hope, is
The Shard of Elders. May it guide you to
The way of peace.
The voice faded and Heath found himself able to move again. Dazed, he took one last glance at the Crystal and left in haste.
~*~
"I can't sleep, I can't sleep...I can't dream and I can't sleep..." sang Koren, playing with one of his rose orbs he brought from Altena as a reminder of his home. The rose bud inside the oil within the ball twirled in elegant dance as Koren rolled the orb around his fingers. "I can't sleep and I can't dream, fatigue left me so it seems..." Humming, he continued to weave the Orb in his hand.
Heath burst through the door and tripped over himself in his rush. Koren dropped the orb in surprise on the bed and sat up more to look at Heath.
"Something the matter, love?" Koren asked, slightly amused. Heath jumped up and ran over to his belongings, which consisted of many books, sheets of paper and writing pens, and a few personal mementos. Picking up a heavy red book, he flung it down onto Koren's bed, and began to flip through it.
"...Uhm..." Koren murmured, "What...are you doing...?"
"The thing!"
"...Ah yes the thing." Koren replied sarcastically, his ailment never suppressing his playful and yet sardonic nature. "Yes, when I was a lad, the thing was ALL the rage..."
"No no no! Heath yelled, flipping through the pages like a madman. "It's the thing!"
"Oh. THE thing. With more emphasis on THE, then. Ah yes, that was popular too..."
"Oh Koren!" Heath exclaimed, not so much cross as happy his boyfriend was well enough to make jokes at his frantic search. "Just gimme a sec."
"Okay. One. Now tell me." Coincidently, Heath had found the page. "So?"
" 'The Crystal of Elders'", read Heath, scanning the text, " 'The Stone of Elders is one of the three legendary Mana Crystals which also include the Crystal of Life and the Crystal of Knowledge. These Crystals contain a highly mysterious power that can only be unlocked by one of bloodline to Elvish royalty...'"
"...And...this relates to you because..." Koren asked, twirling his hand in drama. Heath paused and looked up at the Crimson Wizard.
"My mother was an elf...so...that means..." He touched the Crystal on his forehead, and suddenly Koren understood.
"...You're the heir?"
"Must be. Long story."
"Oh, please do tell," Koren smirked, "It's been quite boring here in bed with nothing to do."
*~*
Heath, finding out his link to the legendary Mana Crystals, now has more understanding of what fate truly means. But could this be the reason that Quinn is so interested in him? And what of the fight, that begins the next day?
*~*
BAH! I hate school...I apologize for the large gap between chapters...I hate school...
See, I'm taking so many classes it's insane...so...not pretty. Yeah, hardly anytime to write, however...I HAVE been drawing a lot lately, which has turned into comic strips about my misadventures. If I get a scanner, I'll get them online and give you the link! Webcomics rule!
Review please! Or I'll do something...like...THE THING!