[A/N: erhem..heh..i suddenly didn't feel like usin d name Mina..fo sum reason..i jus dun like it ne more..soooo..from now on..her name iz Kitassa Syano..heh..sowwiez fo d long wait =P]
CHAPTER TWO – Childhood Disasters: Part I
Lan did not move from his spot, not moving an inch, anger clouding his every thought, until it finally struck him. Havik! Kitassa! They were still in the fire! But he still had a small chance, slight as it may seem, to save them. Reaching through his mind, he searched for Havik again.
'HAVIK! HAVIK! Are you alright!? Answer me! Havik? HAVIK!!??'
'Shit,' he thought to himself. 'Worst to worst, Havik could very well be dead, and so could Kit. But I know he wouldn't die that easily. Well, I'm not giving up on them so quickly. I know I probably couldn't have saved mother, but I know I can still save Havik and Kit from whatever trouble they are in.'
Picking up a stray plank of wood that had flung off the house from the explosion, he tucked it underneath his arm, using it as a crutch to hobble over to the house as fast as he could. The Syano residence lay in ruins. The fire brought the entire roof of the house down and left it in ruins, most of it was still in flames and all that remained of other pieces of the house were in small piles of ashes, turning the sparkling white snow into a dull, dirty shade of gray.
As Lan walked among the still-burning debris, the thick smoke finally got to him, and he started coughing, choking amid the smoke. It stung his eyes, and he half-dragged himself as he walked half-blinded amongst the foggy ruins. Tears streamed down Lan's face as he thought of what could have become of his younger siblings.
'I refuse to believe they are dead. It's impossible! It can't be true! It can't be...'
Throwing snow over the larger flames, he smothered the flames until he finally made out the foot of Havik sticking out in the large piles of burnt wood.
'HAVIK! KITASSA!'
Flinging away his makeshift crutch, Lan fell down on his knees and began digging away the snow and wood planks covering Havik and Kitassa. The flat timber was still aflame, but Lan ignored the heat that burned through his skin to his flesh, and tossed them aside as if they were mere pebbles. The broken lumber left splinters in his large hands, and soon, large, red blisters appeared. His hand felt like it was on fire every time he picked up anything with a firm grip. Within those short five minutes, Lan felt like it took an eternity to recover the unconscious bodies of his siblings as his hands and arms slowly lifted away the wooden pieces, feeling more and more like jelly with each passing moment. When the final piece of wood was taken off Havik and Kitassa, Lan's heart leapt for joy as he noticed a steady upward movement in Havik and Kitassa's chest as they slowly breathed in. Tears welled up in his brown eyes, fogging his vision even more; tears of joy and tears from the smoke threatening to overcome his senses. The smoke finally got to him, and he suddenly felt even fainter than before. Mustering all his strength, he grabbed Havik by the collar (who was still clutching Kitassa to his chest) and half-dragged him, and himself, away from the burning house before darkness finally took him as he fell face down in the snow but a few feet away from the wreckage...
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Carefully opening the frail, old book, Haleth, translated as Hidden Hero in Liendish, once again began his routinely night studies. He would read a book of ancient, spells, given to him by his mother, Corintar Ancalima Irima Chesire (translated as the lovely and angelic Queen of the line Chesire), Queen of Tantarus Forest. His father knew that as a young Liendar, he was always fascinated with the mystical capabilities of the High Atars. Corintur Grythoniel Tarator Chesire (translated as the High King, Father of the blessed winds of the line Chesire) soon discovered the potential of his son's magical abilities. He decided to help Haleth pursue his interest, and allowed him access to the manuscripts forbidden to all but the Corintur & Corintar, and the specific High Atars chosen by the Corintur or Corintar for their own purposes. It would take a lifetime, and a few more, for a human being to be able to master the enchantments of a single manuscript. Fortunately, Haleth was no human being.
His kin, the Liendar, could live forever. Something human kind would never achieve, even with their advanced technology. The most beautiful human on Earth paled in comparison to any ordinary Liendar. With their perfectly smooth skin, their long, flowing, silky-smooth brown or blonde hair, slightly pointed ears, they all looked like the royalist of the royal, standing tall and proud. But alas, none could compare to the beauty of the Queens. An aura of beauty seems to glow around them. Even the plants and animals seem to bow their heads in respect or just gaze at their beauty in awe and admiration.
The only beings you could compare them with, were the angels from up above; the Holiest of the Holy. Like them, the Liendar could never age; their faces always maintain their youthful look. No poison or disease could kill them; they would live on, even after the world and its inhabitants died out. But, like any other mortal, they could die at the hand of a weapon. Their body was human-like in every practical way, and so, were capable of bleeding.
And so, that was one of the many things Haleth studied; how to save another from the brink of death, be they mortal or Liendar. He gently flipped the pages to where he had left off from last night. He had been reading about opening a gateway to another world. He had read it over and over again last night, but every time he thought he understood something, another world or phrase would catch his eye, and the solution lost to the confusion of the words. It was a riddle, and one Haleth intended to solve. He had all the time in the world.
...Stroke it softly, for it will roam; Name the deep blue's only home...
...Find the morning pouring through; Enter soul, be free and true...
'What does this all mean? Wait...the deep blue...that's the ocean! The deep blue's only home is shae alu! I have but one piece of the puzzle. Now what about the rest? Am I supposed to find a secret door somewhere here that will lead to the gateway?'
Getting out of his seat, Haleth walked around the room, inspecting each crack in the wall, looking for a bright light of any sorts, muttering 'shae alu' every now and then.
"Ah...I can't find it!" Haleth said, and he threw his hands up in defeat. He slumped back down into his wooden, elegantly carved chair, closed his eyes, and let his head fall back. Taking slow, deep breaths, he resumed his calm stature, and tried to think things through more clearly when a small glimpse of light caused him to open his eyes fully once again.
"Find the morning pouring through...is that...is that light?"
He lifted his hand and gently ran his fingers along the small crack of light, his sharp eyes never leaving its sight.
"...shae alu..." He whispered, his voice barely audible.
At the mention of its name, the ocean opened wide, and admitted entrance to those pure of heart; it's sea-blue light pouring throughout the entire room.
"The portal!" He beamed at himself for a job well done.
'But now what?' He thought. 'Should I go in? How would I get back though?'
Just at that moment, Haleth caught sight of a wooden house in the middle of a forest in a small clearing, burning brightly and a violent spray of light cast shadows from all around. Off to the side, his keen eyesight sought out a little baby girl, wrapped in a white linen cloth, gently situated in the crook of an orange-haired young boy. Another short, black-haired boy laid a foot away, sprawled facedown in the snow. The little sleeping baby didn't seem to notice the disastrous ruins of her previous home. Her petite thumb was still stuck in her mouth, and little sucking sounds were heard aside from the occasionally gurgle.
"Wha...what happened here?" He looked on in shock at the bloody scenery.
'They are injured!' He thought, and even before he realized it, he ran through the portal and to the unconscious children.
He ran swiftly over the snow, his silk slippers not even leaving a slight indent of a footstep as he nimbly stepped over all the wreckage. He reached the children in but a few long strides and knelt down by their side. His eyes fell on the sleeping baby first; her innocent face instantly melted his heart.
'What a sweet child. Where are her parents? Poor thing...maybe they were caught in the fire. Perhaps I could keep her as my dau– but...I doubt father would even allow me to keep a young mortal with me. I will merely take them back for immediate attention. I can tell they are badly injured. Thank goodness this baby is not hurt. Hmm...how do I get home now? Is the portal still there?'
Turning his head slightly, he hoped to see a blue ocean still floating above the ground, with blue aura surrounding it, but was met with the silence of an empty and sleeping forest.
'Light! Where did it go!? Don't teleportation spells last longer than just a one-way trip? I'm not sure if that enchantment will work again. Maybe it's still there, but I just can't see it. Yea...that's probably it...'
He backtracked a little and waved his arms around him, hoping to find the water feel that he first felt as he passed through portal. Nothing. No watery flow over his arms, no blue light. Nothing. The portal vanished into thin air, as if it were never there.
"This can't be happening..." He stared at where the portal once stood in pure disbelief.
"SHAE ALU!" He spluttered out loud and tried tracing the line for the portal to open, but the ocean never came.
"SHAE ALU!" He shouted again.
'It-it...it's not working... W-what am I doing wrong? What if I can't get home? I have to get home!'
Haleth was panicking now, and he felt beads of sweat slowly slide down from his temple to the edge of his cheek, being stubborn and staying stuck on his smooth-featured face.
'T-this...this can't be happening...I-I...I need to calm down...flame and void...flame and void...'
His breaths came in regular intervals again; his heart beat back to its original rhythm. A small, bright flame formed in his mind, and he fed it all his emotions, those that clouded his judgment, his fears, his doubts, all of them, until the flame became a void, a large blue flame that flickered in the darkness of his serenity. A sense of tranquility overtook him, and spoke in a commanding tone the words to unlock the portal's entry. At last, the oval-shaped blue aura formed in front of him and took shape, allowing admittance to the tall Liendar.
Lifting his arms in the air, he concentrated on a simple elemental spell, weaving a single strand of air to wrap around the boys and then tied off the single flow of air. He picked up the baby, gently cradling her baby girl and rocking her gently in his arms, trying to prevent her from waking up to see the gruesome scene around them.
"Let's go home," He smiled as a father would to his child and stepped through the portal with the baby girl's two brothers floating in the air behind them.
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The long, black limousine pulled up on the large driveway beside the colossal mansion, beautifully decorated by the well-tended garden surrounding it and how bright its exterior sparkled. Its walls were pure white and intricate designs and patterns and sculptors were set into the mansion that would compliment the garden. The three-story building towered over everything seen around it, and the mansion's size bragged to be bigger than a football stadium. Two domed-shaped points jutted out at the west and east wings of the mansion, topped by spiraling towers that glittered like diamonds in the afternoon sun.
Out stepped an elderly old man dressed in a simple, black silk suit with his cufflinks shining bright, the diamonds reflection off the sun, managing to maintain a noble posture as he got out of the car, holding a small bundle in his once muscular arms. Many had heard the local stories about Lieutenant Gil Dincht and his role in defending Balamb in the face of Estharian aggression. He started off as a low-ranking soldier, and quickly worked his way up with his outstanding hand-to-hand combat and tactics skills. His once blond hair was ruffled by the wind, silver locks hung loosely and a few wisps of it dangled right in front of his right eye; his white blond moustache swayed in the cool spring breeze.
"You'll be living here with me now you little rascal you" He teased baby Zell, lightly poking his soft stomach. Baby Zell burst out in little giggles, his tender undersides having been tickled by his loving grandfather. Dolan broke out in a huge grin, happy to see his grandson laugh for the first time.
'He is adorable! Silana would have loved to watch her grandson grow up...' He sighed. 'I miss you Lana. I hope you're watching from wherever you are up there. Watch over this child. Don't let harm come to him as it has already claimed both his parents. He's all I got left...'
In one quick movement, Dolan swooped baby Zell out of the baby carriage and into his arms. His long strides brought them up the stairs that led to his large mansion.
"Well, we're here. What do you think?" He asked, showing baby Zell the scenery around them.
Baby Zell looked around him with a blank look on his face, but his eyes sparkled with amazement at the beautiful scenery. He made small noises of approval and began clapping with his tiny little hands.
"You really like it here don't you," Dolan smiled.
"Nah! Nah! Boo ga ga! Mrbbll...," baby Zell suddenly stopped clapping and pointed at a display case as they entered further into the mansion, a look of urgency and excitement on his face. He waved his right arm as fast as any baby his age could, uttering a language no adult could ever understand.
"Seems you really like my old combat glove don't you boy?" Dolan chuckled. "Here," He said, opening the case. He took out the combat glove and placed it in baby Zell's eagerly waiting hands.
Baby Zell gingerly took them in his small hands and hugged them to his chest as if he would never let go, afraid that it would be taken away from him. He gently nuzzled them and started to gnaw on a small, round metal piece.
"No no no Zell. These aren't for eating." He laughed. "These were my first pair of combat gloves. They are metal knuckles, and as its name says, the knuckles are hardened with a metal so that when you hit your enemy, it hurts a lot more. Maybe you'll grow up to be a famous hand-to-hand fighter just like your ol' Gramps. Wouldn't that be a sight?"
Baby Zell gurgled and hugged his precious metal knuckle closer to his little body.
"Boo da buh! Boo da buh!"
"Heh. It really sounds like your trying to tell me something. I'm glad a few long months in the hospital haven't left you speechless. You think you could tell me how it was to live with that lovely couple for a few months? Ho ho! Well...it's your birthday soon too! Grandpa's gonna get you something real nice. Come on Zell, let's go to the next room. I'm sure you'll like it."
They walked into a large marble-white tiled room, with countless countertops and a dozen stoves and ovens, all polished 'til they sparkled in the bright kitchen light. Large refrigerators and freezers lined one side of the room, filled with all the food you could imagine. Along the ceiling, was another large line of cabinets that held all the little goodies and treats, sauces, spices, and other non-refridgerateable (is that a word?? blink blink..if it aint.. it is now!! n.n) foods.
"Welcome to the kitchen my boy... Whenever you're hungry, Jacques, Beatrice, Garien, and Roberto here..." He pointed to Jacques, Beatrice, Garien, and Roberto who all waved back kindly, "...will whip up the finest dishes for you. I'm sure they'll have fun experimenting with their recipes to see which one you like best." Dolan grinned with a wink.
"I think this will be one of your favorite places when you're older. A growing boy needs to eat, I'm sure of that, and what better place to have then your own personal kitchen with the finest cooks in the country! Not only can they all cook, they are my most trustworthy and loyal housekeepers. I trust them with my life, and who better to take care of you when I can't than they?"
Baby Zell yawned loudly, much to the amusement of all in the room, and closed his eyes. He snuggled in his grandfather's warm embrace and let sleep take over.
"I think the young master should be heading to bed just about now," Beatrice laughed.
"Right you are Beatrice. Here, take him to his new crib for me while I go grab something from my treasure room."
The aging white-haired women untied the apron from around her waist and hung it on a nearby hook. She gently took baby Zell from Dolan and headed for the spiraling, white marble stairs that led up to the eastern wing of the colossal Dincht mansion.
Dolan nodded a polite 'good day' to the remaining chefs/housekeepers and headed in the opposite direction. He took a left turn as soon as he left the large kitchen, bringing him to a long hallway, decorated with statues, flowers in ornate Ming vases, and beautiful paintings of various landscapes, landmarks, and the Dincht family ancestry; the family of each generation painted to look as if they were almost life-like, perfect mirror images.
His black leather shoes made a soft padded noise as he walked down the red and gold-carpeted halls, stirring no dust from its wake, having been vacuumed and dusted multiple times in the past few hours by the many housekeepers. He walked up to the very last painting on the wall. A family of three smiled back at him in a kindly manner. A middle-aged man stood proudly and smiled warmly down on him, in such a gentlemanly fashion. His gray-blue eyes seemed to sparkle and dance in excitement and merriment. The very splitting image of himself, just without the silver hairs and occasionally wrinkles, had one arm around the shoulder of a woman of a petite stature. Her light brown hair complimented her hazelnut eyes, filled with the warmth and love for the family she held around her. She wore a simple peacock-blue satin dress with a pair of matching sapphire earrings and necklace and her hair tied up in a loose half-ponytail to match the gentlemen next to hers white tuxedo. The nails on her hands were painted a dark sky blue where one was placed on the shoulder of a young child; a boy who had barely reached the age of ten but a few days from when the painting was drawn. The boy's usual messy white-blonde hair was matted down into a simple part down the middle and was dressed up in a small black suit, hands held together on his lap, smiling happily in the painting.
'What happened to the wonderful family I once had?' Dolan sighed in remembrance of his long-dead wife, Silana, and recently passed away son, Nicholas.
'I miss you Lana. Wish you were here to watch your new grandson grow up to be another me.' He found himself chuckling at those words, and in mere moments, found he could no longer let out another sound. He felt something small trail down his rough cheeks, and reaching up to touch them, found that he had been crying in memory of his loving wife. She died just a little over ten years ago, her body found mysteriously bloodied and scarred in a forest a few miles north of the Dincht estate. No one had ever found out the real reason behind her sudden death, and most put it aside as wild animals, bears, mountain lions, or wolves, attacking her for entering their territory. But why would she go to a forest in the middle of the night dressed in naught but her nightgown?
He gently dabbed at his eyes and face with a white handkerchief he had taken out from his back pocket and gently brushed the cheek of Silana in the painting.
"Rest well Lana. Keep Zell safe my love."
He walked up to the closest oak table and shifted aside the Japanese jade tree, revealing a small flat green button and seven black switches. Dolan pressed the green button and his family portrait slid open sideways, revealing a small vault-like wheel. He turned the wheel counterclockwise until the arrow pointed to a small 31, then turned it in the opposite direction and stopped at the number 14. Finally, he turned the wheel counterclockwise once again to the number 25 and a small click was heard before a side of the hall opened up to reveal a well-hidden secret passage that led to the depths of the mansion. He pressed a small red button hidden behind the bottom left corner of the portrait, sliding it shut. His attention turned back to the seven switches.
'Up, down, down, up, down, up, down.' He remembered and flicked the small switches in the proper direction to shut off the security system of a few of the lower levels, preventing himself from walking into the traps he had set up to prevent others from walking down those steps if they didn't know the proper codes.
'One more thing,' he thought as he slid the vase back over the hidden switches and headed toward the secret passage.
"Who enters?" A deep voice declared.
"Dolan, Master of this household, husband to Silana Albia Dincht, and father to Nicholas Eamon Dincht. I seek the family treasures below."
Small beeping sounds were heard as the computer processed the sounds to verify whether Dolan's voice and words matched exactly with the records the computer kept.
"You may enter Lord Dolan."
Immediately, hundreds of laser lines flickered a blinding red briefly before disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel, permitting safe entrance to the Master of the House. Deeper down the passage, dozens of locks could be heard unlocking themselves while stone pillars parted to admit Dolan entrance to the rooms further down the passage. Stepping deliberately on a center stone piece that stuck out a mere few millimeters more than all the others, the secret doorway closed shut behind him, preventing any one from entering the passage or retreating back outside.
"LIGHTS!" With a single voice command, dozens of small lights that were embedded into the stone crystal walls glowed a bright yellow color, instantly filling the passage with a golden hue. The walls glowed with a brightness that made them seem to be made of bricks of gold!
There were exactly eleven floors underneath the vast mansion, the favored and lucky number of the Dincht's for countless generations. The Dinchts were well known fighters as the skills and knowledge of the arts was passed through each generation. There was not one member who couldn't defend themselves and their loved ones with their fists and powerful kicks. It was considerably blasphemy if one didn't know the simple basics to defeat an adult Fastitocalon single-handedly with one blow. If you couldn't defeat one of those, you would have to work extremely hard to be able to defeat one and finally regain the respect of the rest of the household. The standards were set pretty high, as the first Dincht to set foot in the newly built mansion (back then) was a high-level commander of a group of elite soldiers in the Balamb army. His skills were well over a level 50 soldier, and he expected no less from everyone in his family.
The founder of the Balamb estate, Tamar Lewin Dincht, understood the unity between two essences; one was not complete without the other – in his case, the battlefield and the fighter himself (or herself in some cases). He couldn't see himself without his counterpart. He lived to fight, he lived for the brutal justice he inflicted on his opponents. Many spoke up to him for his bravery and skills in combat on the battlefield, and others seemed to think he was "wedded" to her. But others spoke in fear of him, saying he was a madman when in combat. As much as he loved fighting the enemy, others could plainly see he loved to hear their anguished pleas before he killed them. Thankfully, his descendants were unlike him in his bloodthirsty ways, only preserving his superior combatant skills and his honor-bound traits.
Dolan walked into a small open area that led to two separate corridors and a single staircase. One corridor curved to the left while the other curved to the right, creating a forked passage in the room. The remaining staircase was set in the center between the two curved hallways, a large spiral that led straight downwards in a smooth circular motion, small torches of light leading every step of the way.
He glanced around the room, finally making up his mind and headed down the spiral staircase. These steps led to the most treasured room in the small maze of tunnels underground. Many would try to sneak below the mansion, hoping to find precious jewels, and instead, find things that were priceless to the Dincht heritage but useless to them. After every few flights of steps, a few doors would appear in a row, and each time, Dolan would pick the door on the very left. Each time, more doors would appear to lead to more steps, more doors, or, a hideous trap for any thieves who thought any door would lead them to the riches of the Dincht family. By the eighth door he entered, it finally led to a single, straight pathway instead of more staircases. It was a short path, hardly even twenty paces, leading to gigantic adamantine doors with large golden handles.
Taking a small silver key with a large D engraved where one would hold a key out of a pocket on the inside of his black suit, he placed it in the center of a large, bronze shield-like lock and twisted the key to the right. The entire alphabet was written clockwise around the edge of the lock, and Dolan turned the key around in opposite directions every time to spell out the word 'Kaishen'. As he turned the key clockwise to reach the letter N, a loud click was heard and the key slowly turned to meet the A at the top. Dolan took the key out of the socket and a large golden bar that stuck out from both sides of the "shield-lock" slid out from behind with a loud metallic sound. Several more clicks and jangling sounds of chains were heard before the large adamantine doors slid open to reveal an enormous room that branched off into several sections.
Inside, hundreds and hundreds of objects of all sorts lined the walls in large cases that put some order into the room. Some contained various ornate trinkets, tokens of gratitude of many important people from the past given to a member of the Dincht household for some generous deed they had done. Another showcased various pictures of the family and friends with a bottomless pit of many other photos kept labeled in neat photo albums. The certain case Dolan looked for was labeled 'A Baby's Fortune'.
There were, as described, a large collection of odds and ends only a baby would love. Rattles, small stuffed toys, some of the finest baby clothes made from the hair (or fur) of a Mesmerize, a few different sets of baby toys and gadgets, and many other things that any family would want to pamper their child even more so. Dolan moved the objects aside, searching through one pile here, then through another there, until finally, he came up with two small pillows and a blanket that could fit the largest baby crib perfectly. The inside of the blanket was made of the softest and finest silk from all around the world, and the other side had a coat of warm, snow lion fur. The small rectangular pillows were stuffed full of light chocobo feathers and were wrapped in a layer of soft Torama fur with a large golden D stitched onto the front.
He tucked all the items under his arms carefully, and retraced his steps back to the main level. As he exited the large chamber, the large adamantine doors slid shut as they detected his departure and locked themselves back together.
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"My my...I should tell Garien to oil all the hinges in this manor before all the doors start falling down on all of – OW! Now young master, my hair isn't a play toy for you. Now st – OW! Ooo..." She sighed while rubbing her head.
Baby Zell merely giggled at Beatrice's antics as she tried to dodge his anxious hands from grabbing her silvery gray locks again.
"Now let's just put you into your crib and be done for the day hmm? I thought you were asleep earlier too! Look at you now! There's more life in you than a fish on shore trying to get back into the ocean. Okay...now that's a good boy. Stay in your crib. Your grandfather will be up soon. He's gone to get you a little surprise."
Baby Zell seemed to understand the last word 'surprise' and immediately stopped tugging on Beatrice's locks and sat down quietly.
"What lovely blue eyes you have. Must be from your father's side of the family. Sigh... You'll do him proud one day. I swear, you're the splitting image of him when he was a baby, but I think you're the cuter of the two. I think you'll grow up to look like him, only with the sweet nature of your mother. Elyena was a good woman, very pretty too you know? Won't little Zelly be a wittle handsome prince when you're older, what with your mother AND father's good looks." She said chuckling.
Baby Zell burbled and squirmed around in his crib, acting like a puppy rolling around on the floor.
"Ohh... Do be careful Zelly dear. I don't want you banging your head against the sides. I better get some pillows for you."
Beatrice bent down to pick Zell up, preventing him from hurting himself, and a single golden pendant fell out from underneath her shirt collar. The golden glint of metal caught Zell's eye immediately, and he reached up and kept a firm grasp on the pendant. He tried drawing it closer to himself, but Beatrice wouldn't permit him to cause her to fall over.
"Master Zell, please do let go of that. It's quite important to me. No. Whoa!" She cried, nearly falling face first into Baby Zell's crib.
"HAHA! I see Zell is causing some trouble already. He reminds me of myself when I was a young little buck."
"Yes he is. I'm quite out of practice when dealing with children. There hasn't been anyone of a young age here for ages!" She exclaimed as Dolan dropped off the pillows and blanket into the crib before swooping Baby Zell into his arms.
"I shall return to my other duties Master Dolan, as it seems that you already have the young master occupied." She bowed and exited the room, tucking the golden pendant under the collar of her shirt and fixing her hair on the way out.
"Well then my little trouble maker. Let's say you take a little nap now alright? Give your old man a wee break before dinnertime. That's a good boy now. Oops! I almost forgot. Another gift from me." He winked and from underneath the crib, took out a large orangey-red egg that was close to the size of a football.
"This little guy is going to grow up to be real big and strong, just like you are. Hang onto him and of course, I guess you won't let go of my old metal knuckles either."
Dolan laid Baby Zell gently into his crib onto the soft pillows, and tucked him (and the baby egg) under the large blanket. He affectionately stroked his little cheek, humming a soft lullaby the entire time until Baby Zell finally fell fast asleep.
"Sweet dreams my boy." He said and kissed him lightly on the head, and silently walked out of the room.
From up above, a dark shadow was hidden in the corner of the room. Large claws sunk deep into the walls, and slanted mahogany eyes filled with the flames of hatred gazed down on a tiny figure sleeping beside a large, round object.
"Sssss-o... I've found your...weakness-sssss Dincht. That sssss-pecial little boy of yours-sssss. The sssss-cales are tipped in my favor now. Soon...very soon. Haha...I can taste my revenge. The sweetest thing I've ever had." It hissed and with a flick of its "hand", a fiery orb burned brightly in between his claws.
"Now now Dolan... what are you up to...?"
To be continued...
[A/N: erhem...u mite hafta wait long tyme again =P heh..i got most uv d story in mah head alreadies..jus matta uv tyme in how i put it down dat got me stuk..]