The Angel and the Outcast
Within the small hut that he had hastily built himself, Alex pondered his existance on the planet. It was not that he wondered why he had come to be, or why he was. No, that sort of philosophy was not foremost in his mind. If knowing why he was had been his biggest problem, then he would have a near perfect life, or an ideal one.
Sadly, that was not the case. It would also never be the case.
Walking through the single room of his dwelling, Alex stared at the walls. Due to having no assistance other than his own psynergy, his walls had numerous holes, allowing many breezes and rain to enter, not to meantion insects and vermin. His roof had simmilar holes, though he had patched the worse ones to prevent too much rain to enter. His flooring was not that of wood, or of stone. His floor was dirt and grass, his bed a single matress he had constructed over the year he had lived in the house. His table was a smooth stone rock, his bathroom a tree outside.
Often he wondered how his home would have been had he recieved assistance from the villagers of Vale. For a time, he attempted to ask for materials, for food, for tips, for an extra hand or two. For a time, they attempted to suggest courses of action, including the acts of driving a sword into his own belly.
The villagers despised him. And he really couldn't blame them.
In their eyes, he had destroyed all that he had known. He had caused Aleph to crumble, caused their village to ruin. He caused the stars to be taken, caused the "death" of many individuals. He was the one who "killed" Babi.
He was evil incarnate as far as they were conserned.
It really was not hard to understand why the common villager hated him. What was hard to grasp was why the eight warriors shunned him. Then again, it was only hard until someone spent thirty seconds thinking.
Isaac had enough reasons to hate him. To the blonde Venusian, Alex was the one responsible for the kidnapping of one of his best friends, and, as far as Isaac probably knew, responsible for his mother's misery for a time. Alex had once approached Isaac, hoping that he would be able to aid in creating some mud that many houses used for their outer wall coatings, to protect against rain. Alex had walked away with a limp from that.
Felix also had many reasons, though he was nowhere near as harsh as many of the others. When Saturos and Menardi brought the young Felix to Imil for a short time, he and Alex became friends of sorts, each one protecting the other. Then Saturos and his partner decided that kidnapping Felix's sister would convince him to help. This did not sit well with Felix, who never talked to him at great length afterwards. Of course, when Alex had sought a boat to attempt to finish his own quest at power, Felix had found another Mercurian. What hurt most was that Felix really didn't seem to care anymore, and Alex avoided him at every chance he had.
Garet was probably the worst person that Alex could deal with. The Martian had actually assulted Alex whenever he encountered the Mercurian, intent on some sort of personal vendetta. What it was, Alex didn't know, and would never know - noone was willing to tell.
Picard simply never talked. Alex had never needed any help from the Lemurian warrior, though his attempts to say hi usually ended with him facing the back of Picard's head.
Ivan was an annoying thorn, to be sure. Though he never really openly insulted the Mercurian, he usually avoided helping him. Alex privately wondered if Ivan felt sorry for him, but was unable to say it for fear of being attacked by the village. One could not tell, given the company he stood with.
Sheba was kin to Ivan, in that she seemed to sympathize. However, she usually avoided Alex, more than Ivan did. It was possibly over a year and a half since they even spoke to one another.
Mia was a painful memory. His own childhood friend, his own "sister," his closest friend, wished him dead. And several times she openly yelled insult after insult to him, throwing the entire book at him. Oddly enough, she never attacked him, though Alex guessed that Garet was doing that wish for her, given their close relationship.
Jenna was... was... How to put it? Jenna was an enigma, more than the others. Like Ivan and Sheba, she had a sympathetic look in her eyes whenever they were in close proximity. But unlike the two Jupitarians, and many others, she actually provided him with some food and supplies during the time he built his house. Since then, she had ocassionally visited, usually with some food, only to vanish as quick as she visited.
Walking to the "door," Alex placed his hands on either side of the tall slab of wood. Lifting the plate of wood, he moved it to the side, "opening" the door. Lacking many of the tools and goods to build a true door, he had to improvise on what little he had. Being an outcast was hard, moreso than trying to take control of the world.
Ironically, he had realized his dream of being the most powerful being on the planet had been crushed as soon as Aleph fell. In fact, he was shocked when he did not die. Death would have been a mercy compared to this harsh life of scrounging and begging. Not to meantion that getting fresh water usually cost an arm and a leg to get - literally. Garet seemed to take pleasure of late to watch the river, ever looking for a chance to lash out.
Stepping forward, Alex walked over the patches of dirt and grass, staring down at Vale. Because of how the village reacted to his presence, he had built his hut up on the upper roofs, hoping that noone would fling psynergetic attacks at him. From his viewpoint, he could see many structures, from Isaac's family house, to Felix and Kay's small house. Garet had a house near his family's rebuilt mansion, though Alex guessed that Mia lived there as well. Ivan, Picard, and Sheba all resided within one roof on the far side of the viewpoint. Almost strait down from the cliff were two houses - one for the insane sage, the other for Jenna.
Alex still did not know what to make of her. She seemed to care for him, yet she did not speak her feelings. She did not speak at all, actually. He wished that she would, wished that she would let him know why she helped him, why she seemed so sad when she left.
Life is a cruel mistress, and Alex was quickly becoming sick of courting her.
He wished that Jenna would tell him her thoughts, would tell him why she did not live with Isaac, with the house on the far side built for four. Why she lived in a house obviously designed for a small family, yet lived alone.
Staring at the cliff, Alex considered jumping to his fate. It would not take long, and if he did it right, no one would really miss him, save maybe Jenna. But there were others for her to focus on. Besides, how could he hope to be seen with her? His mere presence would be enough to get HER kicked out of the village.
He wondered why he suddenly felt warm. It was not the notion of the two of them being kicked out, but rather, the very thought of being seen with her. What WAS it about that thought that made him feel warmth inside, feel happy, joy? What was it that kept him from leaping off the cliff, to end the horror that he called life?
It did not make sense, this feeling. He suffered so much, yet had a small ammount of happiness after all this time? How was it possible?
Then again, if the world taught him anything, it was that love was never easy.
And on that notion, Alex privately wondered just what made him think of love. Why did the word enter his mind? He knew the answer, but he could not comprehend the relation. Jenna seemed to worry for him, but did she love him? That, he did not know. So why did he think of love?
Live WAS a cruel mistress. He wanted to say he loved Jenna, yet he could not. She never spoke her thoughts, and he could not bear the notion of her laughing at him. Or worse, having Isaac help Garet in beating him to a pulp.
Alex heard the feet coming up behind him, but choose to ignore them. Kneeling on the ground, he closed his eyes, smelling the air, hopefull to see if he could tell the weather for the day. Hints of moisture and a flowery fragrance entered his nose. Flowery...? What?
Opening his eyes, he slowly turned around to stare at the magenta-haired lady standing behind him. In her arms was a small tray of food, the usual soup and a few vegetables grown from the insane sage. Glancing at her eyes, he saw a hint of worry, of fear. She probably thought that he was considering the virtues of leaping off, to end his life.
But if she thougth that, then why did she seem to have fear? Yet again he saw a sign that she cared for him.
Standing up, he gestured for her to walk towards the still-open doorway. As she walked in, he followed, knowing that he could not ask her feelings. Likewise, she would not tell him her thoughts. It was a cruel dance they did, but if he recieved visits from her every so often, then he could tolerate the pain. He could endure the harsh life of being an outcast.
If he saw Jenna every so often, he had reason to live. And if she happened to tell him that she cared for him, well, that would be a miracle. But one that he would not mind.
Maybe life was not so cruel after all...
Unless I get a whopping 15 reviews for this, this is going to be a one shot. I do have an idea how to extend this, but even if I did, it would have to wait while Parallels comes closer to being completed.
I DO NOT OWN NINTENDO OR GOLDEN SUN, AS IF I DID, A GOLDEN SUN GAME WOULD BE ANNOUNCED FOR THE DS. AND SOME OF THE CAST WOULD BE IN THE NEXT SUPER SMASH BROS. AND ALEX WOULD LIVE. YOU GET THE IDEA.
REVIEW!!!
Within the small hut that he had hastily built himself, Alex pondered his existance on the planet. It was not that he wondered why he had come to be, or why he was. No, that sort of philosophy was not foremost in his mind. If knowing why he was had been his biggest problem, then he would have a near perfect life, or an ideal one.
Sadly, that was not the case. It would also never be the case.
Walking through the single room of his dwelling, Alex stared at the walls. Due to having no assistance other than his own psynergy, his walls had numerous holes, allowing many breezes and rain to enter, not to meantion insects and vermin. His roof had simmilar holes, though he had patched the worse ones to prevent too much rain to enter. His flooring was not that of wood, or of stone. His floor was dirt and grass, his bed a single matress he had constructed over the year he had lived in the house. His table was a smooth stone rock, his bathroom a tree outside.
Often he wondered how his home would have been had he recieved assistance from the villagers of Vale. For a time, he attempted to ask for materials, for food, for tips, for an extra hand or two. For a time, they attempted to suggest courses of action, including the acts of driving a sword into his own belly.
The villagers despised him. And he really couldn't blame them.
In their eyes, he had destroyed all that he had known. He had caused Aleph to crumble, caused their village to ruin. He caused the stars to be taken, caused the "death" of many individuals. He was the one who "killed" Babi.
He was evil incarnate as far as they were conserned.
It really was not hard to understand why the common villager hated him. What was hard to grasp was why the eight warriors shunned him. Then again, it was only hard until someone spent thirty seconds thinking.
Isaac had enough reasons to hate him. To the blonde Venusian, Alex was the one responsible for the kidnapping of one of his best friends, and, as far as Isaac probably knew, responsible for his mother's misery for a time. Alex had once approached Isaac, hoping that he would be able to aid in creating some mud that many houses used for their outer wall coatings, to protect against rain. Alex had walked away with a limp from that.
Felix also had many reasons, though he was nowhere near as harsh as many of the others. When Saturos and Menardi brought the young Felix to Imil for a short time, he and Alex became friends of sorts, each one protecting the other. Then Saturos and his partner decided that kidnapping Felix's sister would convince him to help. This did not sit well with Felix, who never talked to him at great length afterwards. Of course, when Alex had sought a boat to attempt to finish his own quest at power, Felix had found another Mercurian. What hurt most was that Felix really didn't seem to care anymore, and Alex avoided him at every chance he had.
Garet was probably the worst person that Alex could deal with. The Martian had actually assulted Alex whenever he encountered the Mercurian, intent on some sort of personal vendetta. What it was, Alex didn't know, and would never know - noone was willing to tell.
Picard simply never talked. Alex had never needed any help from the Lemurian warrior, though his attempts to say hi usually ended with him facing the back of Picard's head.
Ivan was an annoying thorn, to be sure. Though he never really openly insulted the Mercurian, he usually avoided helping him. Alex privately wondered if Ivan felt sorry for him, but was unable to say it for fear of being attacked by the village. One could not tell, given the company he stood with.
Sheba was kin to Ivan, in that she seemed to sympathize. However, she usually avoided Alex, more than Ivan did. It was possibly over a year and a half since they even spoke to one another.
Mia was a painful memory. His own childhood friend, his own "sister," his closest friend, wished him dead. And several times she openly yelled insult after insult to him, throwing the entire book at him. Oddly enough, she never attacked him, though Alex guessed that Garet was doing that wish for her, given their close relationship.
Jenna was... was... How to put it? Jenna was an enigma, more than the others. Like Ivan and Sheba, she had a sympathetic look in her eyes whenever they were in close proximity. But unlike the two Jupitarians, and many others, she actually provided him with some food and supplies during the time he built his house. Since then, she had ocassionally visited, usually with some food, only to vanish as quick as she visited.
Walking to the "door," Alex placed his hands on either side of the tall slab of wood. Lifting the plate of wood, he moved it to the side, "opening" the door. Lacking many of the tools and goods to build a true door, he had to improvise on what little he had. Being an outcast was hard, moreso than trying to take control of the world.
Ironically, he had realized his dream of being the most powerful being on the planet had been crushed as soon as Aleph fell. In fact, he was shocked when he did not die. Death would have been a mercy compared to this harsh life of scrounging and begging. Not to meantion that getting fresh water usually cost an arm and a leg to get - literally. Garet seemed to take pleasure of late to watch the river, ever looking for a chance to lash out.
Stepping forward, Alex walked over the patches of dirt and grass, staring down at Vale. Because of how the village reacted to his presence, he had built his hut up on the upper roofs, hoping that noone would fling psynergetic attacks at him. From his viewpoint, he could see many structures, from Isaac's family house, to Felix and Kay's small house. Garet had a house near his family's rebuilt mansion, though Alex guessed that Mia lived there as well. Ivan, Picard, and Sheba all resided within one roof on the far side of the viewpoint. Almost strait down from the cliff were two houses - one for the insane sage, the other for Jenna.
Alex still did not know what to make of her. She seemed to care for him, yet she did not speak her feelings. She did not speak at all, actually. He wished that she would, wished that she would let him know why she helped him, why she seemed so sad when she left.
Life is a cruel mistress, and Alex was quickly becoming sick of courting her.
He wished that Jenna would tell him her thoughts, would tell him why she did not live with Isaac, with the house on the far side built for four. Why she lived in a house obviously designed for a small family, yet lived alone.
Staring at the cliff, Alex considered jumping to his fate. It would not take long, and if he did it right, no one would really miss him, save maybe Jenna. But there were others for her to focus on. Besides, how could he hope to be seen with her? His mere presence would be enough to get HER kicked out of the village.
He wondered why he suddenly felt warm. It was not the notion of the two of them being kicked out, but rather, the very thought of being seen with her. What WAS it about that thought that made him feel warmth inside, feel happy, joy? What was it that kept him from leaping off the cliff, to end the horror that he called life?
It did not make sense, this feeling. He suffered so much, yet had a small ammount of happiness after all this time? How was it possible?
Then again, if the world taught him anything, it was that love was never easy.
And on that notion, Alex privately wondered just what made him think of love. Why did the word enter his mind? He knew the answer, but he could not comprehend the relation. Jenna seemed to worry for him, but did she love him? That, he did not know. So why did he think of love?
Live WAS a cruel mistress. He wanted to say he loved Jenna, yet he could not. She never spoke her thoughts, and he could not bear the notion of her laughing at him. Or worse, having Isaac help Garet in beating him to a pulp.
Alex heard the feet coming up behind him, but choose to ignore them. Kneeling on the ground, he closed his eyes, smelling the air, hopefull to see if he could tell the weather for the day. Hints of moisture and a flowery fragrance entered his nose. Flowery...? What?
Opening his eyes, he slowly turned around to stare at the magenta-haired lady standing behind him. In her arms was a small tray of food, the usual soup and a few vegetables grown from the insane sage. Glancing at her eyes, he saw a hint of worry, of fear. She probably thought that he was considering the virtues of leaping off, to end his life.
But if she thougth that, then why did she seem to have fear? Yet again he saw a sign that she cared for him.
Standing up, he gestured for her to walk towards the still-open doorway. As she walked in, he followed, knowing that he could not ask her feelings. Likewise, she would not tell him her thoughts. It was a cruel dance they did, but if he recieved visits from her every so often, then he could tolerate the pain. He could endure the harsh life of being an outcast.
If he saw Jenna every so often, he had reason to live. And if she happened to tell him that she cared for him, well, that would be a miracle. But one that he would not mind.
Maybe life was not so cruel after all...
Unless I get a whopping 15 reviews for this, this is going to be a one shot. I do have an idea how to extend this, but even if I did, it would have to wait while Parallels comes closer to being completed.
I DO NOT OWN NINTENDO OR GOLDEN SUN, AS IF I DID, A GOLDEN SUN GAME WOULD BE ANNOUNCED FOR THE DS. AND SOME OF THE CAST WOULD BE IN THE NEXT SUPER SMASH BROS. AND ALEX WOULD LIVE. YOU GET THE IDEA.
REVIEW!!!