Chapter Eight: Destruction

She unconsciously snuggled closer to his warmth, and he had to smile. Like a child, she was. She fit so perfectly in his arms.

She stayed in the state of sleep until he reached the farm again. Darius breathed in the scent of fresh air and looked up at the sky, which was perfectly blue and serene.

Until you saw the black menacing shape of the Dragon hovering over the house itself. The wings were flapping wildly and he could feel danger in the air.

"Rose!" he hissed loudly, shaking her. "Rose, wake up!"

She made a slight whimpering sound and shifted. Still too tired to do anything.

But he couldn't just let her sleep. She was the only one who could help.

"Rose, wake up now!" He dropped her and she landed on the freshly plowed field.

"Not the proper way to wake someone up." She muttered, rubbing her backside as she got up and glared at him.

But she saw the fear in his eyes as he looked at a space above her shoulder. Rose already knew before she turned around to see her Vassal Dragon above the house. "That's Michael, isn't it?" Her voice was resigned, and she was asking a statement.

"They're still in there." Darius realized and started running toward the house. Rose was right next to him. "Kata! Kristoff! Get out of there, now! Get out of the house! Hurry up!"

"Michael, stop!" Rose screamed, broadcasting her thoughts as far and as loud as she could. "Stop it! You're killing innocents!"

Years before, he would have stopped immediately. Now he pretended not to hear. Or maybe he really didn't.

"Kata! Kristoff!"

Michael fired the black laser. Its vaporizing force collided directly with the house.

"No!"

The recoil was coming toward them. She could feel it. With this close range it might as well kill them.

-No. I refuse.-

Rose called on Spirit, on darkness, on power, and on herself. With it she formed a barrier, a sphere that went around her and Darius, above them and below them, into the dirt. To a normal Human's eyes, it was a transparent barrier tinged with a deep dark violet color, casting its insides in shadow. To a person with magic, it was a shield, formed hastily but powerfully, made of assorted forms of Spirit. She kept the shield up, trying to make it solid, but there wasn't enough energy.

"It's…not enough." She gasped.

Darius put his hands on her shoulders and she drew on his power, his Spirit. Like his eyes, his Spirit reminded her of amber sap. It helped to form the last parts of the barrier, so that when the recoil reached them, the shield was solid and strong. The shockwave collided with her defense and she screamed, bracing her feet and her mind to stay.

When it subsided to a gentle rocking, like ocean waves, she let go of the energy. Darius helped her to her feet and then they were both off, running quick as the wind that swayed the dead stalks of corn.

"Kata! Kristoff!" The house itself was demolished, an empty shell. The roof was already gone and so was the second floor. The first floor looked as fragile as a thin sheet of ice and Rose was sure that if she breathed on it, it would fall apart on her.

"I'll check around the house. Maybe they got out. You check inside."

She nodded and ran up to the steps. Wary, she slowed and gracefully walked up, keeping her steps light and fragile. The door crumbled when she touched it and she raced inside.

-Is anyone here?- she was afraid that if she said it out loud, the sound waves might knock apart the house.

There was no response and no psychic activity to show her that anyone was still alive. She sincerely doubted that they would be. Michael's attack was…very final.

Something caught her eye and she picked up a tiny golden pendant shaped like two crescent moons.

"No." Kata answered quickly, before her brother could intercede. With her right hand, she toyed with a necklace that was fastened to her throat, a pendant in the shape of two crescent moons.

-Shit-

She hadn't expected to find a body, seeing as how most of the victims were vaporized, but she did. Or rather, something that vaguely resembled a body.

Rose stood next to it, staring down at the prone form. Was it even a body?

Her mind answered the question. –Yes, of course it is. You've seen enough of them-

She knelt down next to it, and swallowed a rising of bile in her throat. What was the left of the body was too delicate to bring outside, and she couldn't possibly let Darius see the charred and peeled flesh, the sunken facial features, the mouth opened in silent screams, the blood that had poured out as her arteries burst open.

-May the gods forgive me. Miraroshi Miranda, goddess of compassion and kindness, guide her soul peacefully to the next incarnation.- Rose spoke a quick prayer and left the house as quickly as she could, stopping once only to release the bile that had welled up in her throat. The body was just too…disconcerting for her to deal with.

She wasn't even surprised when the walls fell down as soon as she got out of the house.

Darius was waiting for her outside. A limp form lay on the ground behind him. Kristoff, as far as she could tell. She moved swiftly and checked for a pulse. Shallow, but still there. His head was caked in dried blood. The recoil must have physically thrown him against a tree or a rock.

"He's alive." Darius told her. "Kata?"

Rose could only shake her head.

She watched him nod and opened her arms. He walked into her embrace as if that could take away any of the pain. "I'm sorry."

"It won't bring them back."

"I know. Nothing ever does. But I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you into this."

"No. You had no idea that this would happen." Darius pushed away from her and went to kneel by his brother. "We'll need another place to stay."

"Can he make it to town? Or to the next one? I can pull strings from there."

"We shouldn't come to the main parts of Ceplao. They think you're crazy."

"I'll hide."

"No. Kristoff can make it to the next town. He's unconscious, is all. He's tough. Can't you just fly us over to the next town? Your wings looked strong."

"No. It's impossible for me to call on Michael's power when he's in this state. I haven't been able to change into a Dragoon for a while now. If I do, I'll end up like him. Soa knows how much damage I could do if that happened. The last time I did it was when he was sane for just a few seconds, when I spoke to him. But I can't draw on his power anymore, which means he's still in bloodlust, most likely resting someplace, or else he would be rampaging again. We'll have to do it the old-fashioned way. I'll carry him." Rose took the limp body from Darius, who did not protest, and slung Kristoff over her shoulder, as easily as she had the bear. "Do you have a weapon against monsters?"

"I brought my bow and arrows when I went after you, but I'll run out before we reach the next town."

"Here." With one swift motion, Rose pulled out her own sword and tossed it to him. "Use mine. I won't be able to fight as well carrying him. Don't argue. Let's just go."

Darius tested the weight of the sword in his right hand. "It's a heavy sword, nicely forged."

"It was a gift from Zieg."

o

The next town was Tatren, and the doctor there was highly recommended. They left Kristoff there under his care, but the doctor reminded them "I don't heal people for free, you know."

Pushing Darius aside, Rose replied coolly. "We know. You'll get your payment, considering that you do your job right."

He snorted in contempt and turned to his patient. Rose left quickly, with Darius behind her.

"We don't have money to pay for the doctor and for an inn." He told her, returning her sword, which she quickly sheathed.

"Calm yourself. We will. I brought some Gold that I saved up from a few jobs I held. I was going to pay you for letting me rest at your house. We'll use it to pay the doctor."

"How much do you have?"

"275 Gold."

"It's just enough to pay the doctor, but not enough to pay for food or a two-person room. You can take it, I'll sleep outside."

She glared at him. "If anyone is going to sleep outside, it would be me, seeing as how I'm used to it. But neither of us will need to. Stand aside. I'll take care of it."

She ducked into the inn and returned a few minutes later with a confused look on her face. "I couldn't. He resisted me." She mused thoughtfully, tapping one long finger against her lips. "Strange."

"What are you talking about?"

"My mind control. Usually I can slip in a couple of thoughts into a person's mind, sort of a manipulation without actually possessing. But I couldn't do it. I guess I'm too weak."

"Now what?"

"Now I try a different method." She slipped into the shadows, and two minute later was back with a small leather pouch full of Gold.

"You stole?!" Darius asked, incredulous.

"I need to. I don't get enough money at times to survive, so I've learned to pick pockets. Besides, I think we have good reason." She lowered her voice and her smile slowly spread across her face. "Seeing as how I save them every 108 years."

"Fine." Darius was obviously rather shaken at her method but he smiled. "Well, the inn looks rather cozy, and I'm tired. After you, my lady."

She tossed him a shaky smile and entered. The innkeeper studied her warily. "What is it this time?" Obviously he had not liked Rose trying to mind control him, though he could have no idea what it was. He must have only felt a tickling at his brain when she appeared, followed by her asking if she could have a room.

"Take it easy." Rose told him casually, reaching into the money pouch and tossing 200 Gold at him. "A two-bed room for three nights."

The old man swept the Gold into his pockets and smiled warmly, his attitude switching from openly annoyed to friendly and genial. Amazing what money could do to a person. "This way please." He said graciously, sweeping his arm out in a generous gesture.

Exhausted from all the mind techniques she had done today, Rose fell asleep as soon as she fell into her bed, but gentle crying that woke her in the middle of the night.

She lifted her head and realized that the crying was in the small room. Turning to the only other person in the room, she watched Darius lying on his side with his back to her. She thought he was shivering at the night cold, since the innkeeper had left a stingy amount of coals for the small brazier at the foot of the beds, until she heard him sniffling as he silently wept.

"Darius?"

She rose and went to him, crawling next to him. She didn't ask if he was okay because she knew that he wasn't, instead, she simply gathered him into her arms. He slipped his own arms around her waist, hugging her to him the way a child hugs a stuffed animal at night. He reminded her of a half-drowned puppy she had found after a storm a few years ago, shivering and whimpering.

"She's dead, Rose. My sister is dead." His voice was quiet and shaking.

Rose nodded, her chin resting on the top of his head. She didn't say "it's okay" or "I'm sorry". She said, "I know. Just cry." The initial shock had faded from him and now only sorrow was left. And Rose, the most powerful being in existence for the time being, could only hold him. She nestled his cheek to her breast and rocked back and forth gently, the way her nanny had done so long ago. It was one of the few things that she liked about her nanny, the way that the old woman could relax her.

Darius let out a long shaky breath and she released her hold on him, laying his head back onto the pillow. She smiled at him warmly. "Just sleep. It's the only time when pain goes away for a while." He smiled back at her, tentatively, and she got up to leave, but he grabbed her wrist, jolting her to a stop. Confused, she turned back to him. "What is it?"

"Will you stay with me tonight?" he asked her.

She tilted her head. –Uh-oh-

"No, not like that. Just…will you just lie beside me? So that I know you're there? Please?" He was like a child, his eyes wide and his aura just so frazzled and delicate.

Rose smiled. "Of course, Dar."

He moved over so that she would have room, and she slithered underneath the covers. The bed was barely big enough to hold two people, but she was a slender woman. Darius sighed slightly, and she waited until he was calmly asleep before she closed her eyes.

She'd seen the reactions of people after deaths. But Darius really reached her. She smoothed back a strand of his hair and convinced herself into a dark sleep.

o

The morning sun shone on her face, warming her skin until she woke up.

Darius was still asleep, peacefully. Had her presence beside him really lulled him into a gentle slumber?

She slid out of bed, quietly so as not to wake him, and walked over to the metal basin full of water that the innkeeper had filled for them. She took her time washing up, then strapped on her sword and left the room.

Tatren didn't seem like a bad town. It was nicely built, and the people greeted her good morning even though they were all strangers. She smiled and nodded politely, enjoying the sense of being not-hated. She checked up on Kristoff. His condition had improved and he should be waking up later that evening, the doctor told her. She gave him his payment after he said that Kristoff could stay until his head fully healed.

She entered the clock tower, climbing out the small window and up onto the sun-warmed tiles of the sloping roof. Bracing her feet against the roof she lay back onto her elbows and studied the sky. It was a perfect day, not a cloud in sight, well except for that little poof over there by the horizon.

-Am I learning how to relax even if Michael is not here?-

"Hey!" A voice called from below. Rose started, and then rolled onto her stomach and leaned over the edge. Darius's head poked out from the window.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, watching as he struggled.

"Trying to get through this blasted window. How did you fit?" He demanded.

She laughed, grabbing hold of his hand and pulling him through. "Your shoulders are broader than mine." She told him as he settled next to her on the roof, long legs stretched out against the tiles.

"I'm sorry if my…request last night was…inappropriate. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"Don't worry. You needed comfort. Besides, it's not like we did anything." She sensed his shifting of thoughts. "What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"I thought you might be lonely."

-I'm always lonely. It's an effect of what has happened to me.- "You lie." She told him easily. "You forgot what I am. I know you're lying. The real reason you came up here was because you wanted my help in killing Michael."

He was silent, obviously surprised at her accuracy. He chose his words carefully. "I won't demand your help, Rose. I'm asking you to help. He killed my sister."

Now it was her turn to be silent.

"What would you do if you were in my place? Pretend that it was Zieg that was in that house and he was killed."

"Zieg was killed by Melbu Frahma." She told him through tightly clenched teeth.

"Okay, say that you came face-to-face with May-bu Frahma," he stumbled on the first part of the name. "The person who killed your fiancé, someone you cared about. Wouldn't you want to avenge Zieg by defeating him?" He was staring at her face but she kept it turned away.

"Melbu Frahma was killed alongside Zieg."

"Damn it, you know what I mean! If you had a chance to kill him and avenge your fiancé, wouldn't you take it?"

"That's exactly what I mean. I can't defeat Melbu Frahma by myself any more than you can kill Michael by yourself."

"I know I can't kill the Dragon by myself." He stated, calmly, patiently. "Which is why I'm asking for your help." When she didn't reply, he continued. "Rose, please. He killed my sister."

She took a deep breath. "I am tired, Darius. Tired of watching people die, families mourn, the dead forgotten. Tired of killing and carrying guilt. Tired of betrayal and tears. And I am bloody damn well tired of losing my friends." Her voice was laced with her weariness and the force that she put on the emphasis seemed to be able to knock her over.

"I know. But wasn't it you who said that you held life in high esteem? I know you love Michael desperately, and pardon the cliché, but if he's not stopped, more people are going to die, like Kata. Do you really want to trade one life for thousands?"

Her eyes flared. "Don't," She hissed, deadly, turning to face him. "Ever tell me about that balance. I traded my own life for the millions on Endiness. I destroy a town every 108 years to protect the rest. I know far more than you do about the balance of life."

"Then you must know what we have to do." Darius said, point-blank. "Please, I'm asking for your help."

"You're asking me to kill my only friend."

"Not your only friend. I will still be here."

She made a big show of staring at her hands.

"Rose—"

"Fine!" She screamed. Her voice dropped. "I'll help you."

o

Kristoff woke late in the afternoon.

They had bought lunch with the last of the stolen purse's money, and were eating in the doctor's office, when he came into consciousness. "Where am I?" he groaned.

"In a doctor's office in Tatren, the next town." Darius told his brother.

"What happened?"

"What do you think happened?"

Kristoff's head shifted to the other side. "I…I was coming back from town. Kata asked me to buy some groceries for her. When I was coming back, I heard Darius screaming. I started running, and then something hit me and I blacked out. What happened, Dar?"

"The Dragon attacked the house."

He opened his eyes all the way and rose up to his elbows. "Kata! Where is she?"

Darius shut his eyes and walked over to the wall, staring at a particular spot. Knowing it would pain him to speak, Rose knelt next to Kristoff's bed so that she was eye-to-eye with him. "Michael attacked while Darius and I were out hunting. When we came back, we saw Michael about to fire the black laser. Darius yelled for you and Kata to get out. We found you outside later on. I went inside to find Kata."

"And?"

Rose held out the crescent moons pendant. Kristoff took it gently, and pocketed it.

And suddenly he was on his feet, pushing her against the wall, his hand around her throat, so that her feet didn't touch the floor. Though she could have easily knocked him out, hell, in his weakened state, she might as well kill him, the angry agony in his eyes stopped her.

"You bitch!" he yelled furiously. "Ever since we rescued you, our lives have changed! We should have left you out in that field! Kata is dead! If you never came here, demon-woman, she would still be alive!"

"Kristoff!" Darius pried his brother's fingers off Rose's slender throat, and she slid to the ground, coughing. "Stop it! Trying to kill Rose won't bring Kata back! Kristoff, stop."

His brother collapsed, and Rose fled.

o

"Hi." Darius said quietly, sitting down next to her in the front pew of the empty church. "I didn't expect to find you here."

She didn't say anything, so he continued. "Are you praying to the gods?"

Silence.

He sighed. "Rose, Kristoff didn't mean it. He was just angry."

To his surprise, she spoke. "I had long since stopped believing in the gods. They say that we are all children of the gods, but if I am their daughter, why do they push this responsibility and this pain onto me? Would they do that to their own children? I've lost my faith in the gods long before."

"Rose?"

"He was right, you know. I dragged you guys into this the moment I accepted your offer when I woke up. Why do you think I didn't fight back? It's because I knew he was right and I deserved it."

Darius tilted her head upward with a light touch on the back of her neck, a sensitive spot. He winced as he studied the red imprints on her pale throat. "Ow… Listen, I explain to Kristoff that you were going to help us get revenge for Kata, and he sent more or less of an apology."

"Okay." She said dispassionately.

"Well…are you going to help us with Michael?"

She sighed. "Yeah. Come on. I have a plan."