Err, next part up. And, about the whole G-chan says Kharl-sama, everyone else is Lord blah. . . well, it was just so cute when G-chan said that - and Nadil-sama sounds kinds freaky. Not that Lord Nadil is much better. Poor Fedelta! Poor Kharl! Poor Kaistern! I think I've traumatized them. . . . Kharl is Evil. And about the unrevivable thing. . . that will be kind of addressed later, and fully explained in the story before this I plan to write.
Endetheme: Anesthesia
Act V: Red
In the Library at the Castle of the Alchemist of Arinas, little had changed in two weeks. The pile of used books on the floor had grown, the pile of unread books had been replaced with another five stacks of new books, lugged from the upper shelves of the second story where the ladder did not reach. More candle stubs had been dropped to the floor, and candles not needed to light the desk area had been allowed to burn out. The floor and books now had a thickening layer of dust, as no one cleaned any more.
Kaistern was once again propped up in his chair, his eyes still closed, his face still blank.
Kharl still sat at his desk, skimming through and dropping books in systematic order. On the corner of the desk, a small stack of three books waited, a marker in each one, as they contained information that could almost be pertinent.
The door to the library swung open, and a tall figure stepped in.
Red and black hair framed blood-colored eyes, and the lanky body was covered in black. There was a slight, sadistic smile on his lips, and he stopped directly behind Kharl's chair.
"Lord Alchemist of Arinas, Lord Nadil sends his greetings. He hopes to find you in good health."
Kharl stood slowly, and turned around.
Red eyes were resting on the limp form of the Dragon, and Kharl suppressed the urge to slaughter the man for looking at Kaistern that way.
"Fedelta," was all the shadow said.
"The Humans have taken the Dragon Castle as a fortress."
Kharl said nothing.
"Anyone caught entering is detained."
Kharl said nothing.
"Your human - Garfakcy, was it?- was caught, tortured, and killed."
Kharl said nothing.
- Garfakcy. . . . foolish human boy.-
"Lord Nadil extends his hand, and wishes to offer you an alliance."
"An alliance?" Kharl smiled cruelly. "An alliance between the one who killed Rath Illuser, when Nadil is well aware of my interest, and rendered him unrevivable, and myself? Tell me, what would I gain?"
"His power. What you want, Lord Nadil will help you gain."
- A white haired man knelt in a ruined garden, tears pouring from his eyes as he cried. There was no sound, no sound at all. . . . But inside his heart, he could hear a desperate plea, from the man kneeling, a desperate plea for Death.-
"Lord Nadil is going to destroy the humans. He has already destroyed the Spirit Tribe and its like, and with the demise of the Dragon clan, it should take very little time to destroy the humans. The ones who killed your apostle are located at the first target. Will you accept?"
- 'Please. . . . please. . . .'-
- 'Someone, kill me. . . .'-
- 'Kill me now. . . .'-
There was no sign of movement, to hint that anything had changed, but Kharl's pale violet eyes were burning, staring down at Fedelta's suddenly kneeling form.
"-Never-!"
And Fedelta stared up at Kharl in shock, his red eyes contracting. "Y-you. . . ."
There was blood bubbling at the wound in his throat, blood frothing between fingers clutching his chest, blood gushing from the tear in his stomach.
Fedelta fell to his side, still gasping for air, hands clutching at his neck and chest and stomach, and Kharl just stood there, lips curled into a sneer. There was nothing in his hand that could have caused the wounds, they had appeared as if by magic. Fedelta continued to gasp.
"Do you think you'll first bleed to death, or suffocate?"
"Sh-shyd-"
Kharl walked to Kaistern's side, and lifted the Dragon into his arms. He stepped out of the room, over the weakly struggling body in the doorway, and strode with eery calm through the halls of his castle, to the room that was Kaistern's.
He lay the man on the bed, and knelt over him. Kharl's lips touched Kaistern's forehead, anointed the man's cheeks and throat and ears, covering him as though the shadow was trying to ward the man against harm. He kissed the man lightly on the lips, and sat back.
"I'm going to kill him, Kaistern. I'm going to kill all of them. No one will live, not when they've done this. This is unforgivable."
He pressed another kiss to Kaistern's lips. He opened Kaistern's eyes, and the grief and pain and emptiness was still there, within the white on white .
"Watch me, dearest. Watch me. . . ."
Another chaste kiss, and Kharl strode from the room.
Out the window, the moon shown red like blood.
Endetheme: Anesthesia
Act V: End