A/N This is my first Fanfiction, I think it's a little basic personally... but I'll get better I guess. >>
I dunno how big this will be, but hopefully I'll finish it.
Disclaimer: I refuse to write a disclaimer!
Chapter 1: Stories and dreams
The floor was cold.
It's funny the trivial things people will notice sometimes. When his mother was ill abed, delirious from fever and illness and being read her last rites, he remembers her suddenly exclaiming, "Oh… it's only four in the afternoon... I still have to make tea… what a bother!" He smirked softly to himself with that memory, his ears perked, a soft rat-a-tat on the door drawing his attention away.
Opening the creaking door, he faced a young, ten year old girl clutching a little brown bear for dear life, he knew her as Tracy. She had the most peculiar hair, "Like Serra's" he often noted to himself. It was short and straight at the moment, not done up in the large pigtails that his cleric friend used to have, but still candy pink; she also wasn't nearly as loud as Serra.
"What is it little sister?" the tired bishop asked with a warm smile, noting that his timepiece on his dresser said it was past midnight.
"Brother Lucius..." she spoke with such anxiety and fear that it could've melted any man's heart to see, "A man... A man was chasing me! And he was big and mean and he said I'd never see my family again!" her voice trembled as she began to sob out her nightmare.
She breathed heavily and shook as Lucius took her hand ever so gently, kneeling down and lifting her chin. Tears rolled down the young girl's face as their eyes met, "Well why don't you come in here to sleep with me then." he suggested kindly, smiling ever so softly, "I can protect you from any evil men who want to do that." She nodded seriously in response.
He smiled as she entered slowly, trembling as she walked, as though the ground might swallow her up with every step she took. Lucius often wondered about this new orphan Tracy, something about her always reminded him of one of his friends he used to fight with. Florina's timidness, Serra's hair, Kent's seriousness and Priscilla's quiet kindness. A good ten or fifteen years had passed since those days, but it felt like yesterday he was staring down the nose of a fire breathing dragon, daring it to test his might and the might of his light magic.
Nergal, yes, Nergal and his crazy morph creatures. It's all so clear to him, he remembers how many tiles were on the floor in dragon's gate, how Nergal's bad eye used to roll around, the pupil looking at everybody and nobody at the same time. He remembered every little detail with such frightening clarity that sometimes he could lose himself in his memory and almost feel the cold, lifeless stares of Nergal's morphs. When something bad happens, time always seems to slow down... Canas explained it to him once, saying that there was an increase in a certain type of brain wave that we don't use much, causing our eyes to perceive more, faster, and our ears to hear more. All our senses are heightened and our hearts race faster as we prepare to "Fight or flee" as he put it. He must get so much from those dark magic books.
The thing he will remember most though, is when he struck down the morph Druid with a powerful divine spell. He prayed fervently from fear and determination to win, and His spell met it's mark, killing the druid. As the druid's body crumpled to dust, his dark tome gespenst was left. Hurriedly He took gespenst and thrust it to Canas, who used it to finish off the Kenneth morph. He returned the favour by handing Lucius Luce. Gespenst and Luce, two of the most powerful spells the world had ever known. Lucius, in those brief moments felt the power of darkness emanating from Gespenst, it's intoxicating power filling his senses, touching his soul, tugging at it. Teodor's words running through his head, "Dark magic wielders sacrifice themselves for power, the thirst for more power." And then there was Luce, holiest light written by Saint Elimine herself… which he had used, it was so--
"Is something wrong Brother Lucius?" He heard Tracy's timid little voice call, he was so glad she only inherited Serra's hair, and not her voice.
He turned and smiled, coming out of his reverie, "No little sister, just you remind me of old friends I once knew." He saw that little Tracy had already taken up his creaky old bed, and was hugging her bear tight, staring intently at him through her deep azure eyes. "Where are they now?" she asked in a quiet little voice.
Lucius sighed, "Oh I don't know, we parted company some 15 years ago now..." he trailed off as he moved to sit on the bed, ruffling her hair, "I shouldn't bore you with my little tales."
"No! I want to hear..." she said quite forcefully, holding her bear tighter, "Tell me why you all parted company brother Lucius..."
Lucius could only smile, she was clearly excited after her nightmare, a bed time story would do them both a bit of good.
So he told her about Marquess Pherae and Marquess Ostia back when they were younger, how they traipsed about the countryside, looking for Lord Eliwood's father. About Raven and Priscilla, how he met the young lords and all about the black fang. He was pleased that Tracy's eyes widened and she listened intently to his story, her heart choking with fear when he spoke of Nergal, tears welling in her eyes when he told her of Ninian's death, giggling when she heard of Serra and Sain. All the while he wore down her resolve, and her eyes slowly began to shut, it was indeed a good and long story, hopefully it would give her something else to dream about, other than evil men. He smiled as she drifted off to sleep, gently kissing her forehead, he stood and wandered out of the room.
His door quietly creaked shut behind him, he heard the clock strike 2 down the musty corridors of his little orphanage and sighed softly. While the story of his past was all well and good, the story of his present was none too pleasant. Lucius had managed to acquire a lot of gold travelling with Marquess Pherae and Ostia, in fact, they sold all the weapons they did not want, and the lump sum of their earnings was at least 300,000 gold! Split evenly amongst the members of the group who wished for gold left Lucius with a good 10,000, and what he'd already earned in salary from Lord Hector and Eliwood, along with the big fat bonus everyone received from the greatful house of Ostia, Lucius had earned 75,000 himself alone!
However, being the sole proprietor, curator, teacher and fundraiser of an orphanage is no easy, or cheap, feat. Being as frugal and as hard working as he could, he still managed to rack up thousands in debt. The banks, the taxes, it had all eaten away his money slowly and decisively, until he didn't have a penny for bread. Lucius had earned over 250,000 by working so hard over the past 15 years, indeed he barely had a minute to spare, caught between working, caring for the children and feeding them. But still he and the children were still starving, soon he would have to close the orphanage.
"Oh Elimine..." He sighed, looking at the ceiling, "Please have mercy on your humble servant..." He could almost weep, no bank would lend him money, Marquess Araphen refused to let him hold a fundraising event unless the proceeds went towards his debt and backed taxes, and he was sure that the children wouldn't be able to pay him to live in his orphanage. He had slowly been ruined after all these years.
His stomach rumbled ominously, he'd eaten little for breakfast, giving most of his food to the children. In fact, he'd only had a biscuit cake and a half the entire day. His body felt very weak, and he leant against a nearby wall for support. "I cannot give in," he said with his eyes shut, unbidden images of his childhood summoning themselves. "I-If I hand this orphanage over to the church… oh… the horror these children will suffer." He blinked a tear out of his eye as he slowly came around again. "N-no, this is my orphanage… nobody can take it… not the banks… the Marquess…" his voice was weak, he was weak, stricken with hunger and fatigue. He held his stomach and toppled forward, "Ah… I…" and crumpled to the floor.
Dreams… memories… what's the difference?
Renault approached him before the final battle, Lucius immediately stood and took Renault's hand, kissing his ring, "Your Excellency."
Renault almost smiled; almost, and did the same, "Your Excellency."
Lucius blushed slightly, "Old habits die hard brother Renault... I-I'm still not used to being a bishop of Saint Elimine." Lucius stroked the dagger dangling around his neck softly whenever he talked of the burdened bishop Renault. He'd fashioned it into a sort of necklace, he wore it always with his Star of Elimine. The two closest things to his heart in the whole world. (Read Renault/Lucius supports if you want the story on the dagger)
"The final battle is tomorrow..." he said softly to Renault.
The bishop nodded in return, "It's what I wanted to speak with you about, our tactician told me to tell you that he's selected you over me to be the light magic user in the coming battle..." Lucius went a little pale at this news, but Renault continued, "I hear that Archsage Athos has brought Aureola, the holy light of Elimine to help us in this battle... and I sense that another powerful light magic, Luce, is in the air." Renault's face looked a little grim, "Let me tell you this and tell it to you once, young Lucius. Light magic, as we use it, brings us closer and closer to the god's above... which Saint Elimine taught us of. I feel... somehow, that you will be receiving the tome of Luce in the midst of this chaos, and when you do I beg you not to open it, or you will be more burdened than I am."
"B-but why brother Renault?"
"The books of Luce was written by Saint Elimine himself, there were only five in existence, but two were destroyed soon after Elimine's death, due to the books' power… As for the other three, one is kept under close guard by the papacy of Elimine, one is kept deep in Arcadia's library, and one is right beyond those gates."
"W-what do you mean the books' power?"
"The book of Luce was designed as the final test for the papal selection process, only the holiest of men can read upon it and not be corrupted and twisted, as my young acolyte Kenneth was..."
"Kenneth was your student!?"
Renault nodded gravely, "And he was as good and kindhearted as you Lucius, before he read the book of Luce I could swear he'd turn out to be the next Saint Elimine."
"What happened!? What could be in that book that would turn him into a madman!"
Renault's eyes were overcast, "Maybe it's the true nature of the Gods, he got so close to the Gods' power that it corrupted him, maybe he was suppressing his demons instead of overcoming them. I've not dared read Luce, and if I could atone my sins in any way, I suggest you not read it also."
But in the heat of the battle, Lucius had been forced to open the tome and read of a few words, before praying to the God's and screaming "LUCE!" hence casting the light magic spell, he never forgot the words he read.
"If evil truly exists, it lies within the hearts of men. And it is the Gods who extinguish evil."
The memory faded, as memories do. Lucius felt a blackness like he'd never felt before after casting that single spell. The burden of Luce was that, upon reading, whoever read it felt a dim, roiling hatred. Hatred towards corruption, lies and evil. To read the book of Luce was to read about the hypocrisy of men, the evil facades that must be shattered before true light can exist in the world. The book of Luce does not cause madness, it opens eyes.