Chapter Five
Set in stone the sun will comeAnd I hate the light
You know I hate the light
To me it looks so pretty burning
The Used- Take It AwayThe cool autumn winds blew throughout the town, shaking the tall trees which stood shedding their leaves ready for the winter months, giving them a more sinister look as the many branches cast waving shadows down on the ground. He stood under one of the trees for some time, watching as the shadows waved at regular intervals of the strong winds. It had been ten weeks since he had awoken, only to find himself kept in solitude away from the war he had been fighting in. Kept trapped away in a normal looking town, where the people didn't live in visible fear of being taken away from their families or even worse, killed. They kept their distance from the political disagreements going on within the rest of the world; it was something he simply was not used to.
During the past few weeks he had lost all hope of going back to war, of returning to the normal life he had lived before he had awoken. For the past few weeks he had kept his mind away from most things, getting better was his main priority. Although sometimes it was hard not to feel at ease in this town. He knew that he clearly didn't belong here; his views were very different to those of the people living in Balamb. But sometimes if he tried hard enough not to think of war, or what he could be doing if he were not here. Sometimes it felt right being here. It was peaceful, he felt like he was safe and away from the torment of war.
The sounds of footsteps clashing against the gravel of the ground made him look up from the dancing shadows. The man slowed his pace and nodded his head in acknowledgement as he came to a stop a few meters in front of Squall. "I've been looking for you," the Mayor stated as he studied the lone man for a moment.
Squall kept his gaze firmly on the middle-aged man. Over the last few weeks, the events of Dollet and the fight had become nothing more than a memory to both of them. He no longer felt like such a prisoner within the town, although he had noted how he was never alone for very long when outdoors, before someone would come to check what he was doing. Usually Seifer would reluctantly make short conversation with him, whilst at the same time directing him back towards the 'safety' of the town. That fact angered Squall, yet his freedom was gradually progressing as trust between the people within the town was starting to build.
"You seem to be a lot fitter than when I first met you," Caraway stated. He had not been in the town much throughout the last few weeks, it seemed that 'business' always required him visiting places outside of Balamb. Although he hated leaving the false safety, which the Balamb always seemed to give, he had his reasons for leaving. He didn't see why, he always ended up back in Dollet. Reminiscing whilst looking at the remaining buildings, as the smell of burnt corpses had gradually faded, his memories from that brutal day of seeing all the mess were still indeed very vivid.
Squall looked at the Mayor for a brief moment, wondering exactly what the man wanted from him as he very much doubted that he was just having a friendly conversation. Squall guessed that perhaps he didn't quite trust him outside the walls of the room he had been given, as much as Seifer. "I'm feeling better." He spoke dryly, not in the mood to be in the company of others.
"I've been thinking that now would be the time to start discussing that job you agreed to do," the Mayor said, seeing the young mans once stern gaze turn a little softer. "That is if you're still wanting to do a job for me. Once it's over, you can leave."
"And if I don't want to do your job for you," Squall stated harshly, eyeing the man. He couldn't help noticing that he looked as if he were challenging Squall. "If I just get up and leave myself. Then what?" As tempting as it was to do what he was told in Balamb, he knew his business was not here. This Mayor had no authority over Squall, whether they had looked after him or not.
"Then I kill you," his words came out so simple as if it were nothing; it silenced Squall for a moment, unsure of what to say. Still the Mayor's burning gaze was on him, never breaking. "You may be feeling better but you haven't fought for a long time, whereas there are people here who train everyday. Not even a skilled fighter like you could handle a battle without your weapon."
Letting out a small sigh, Squall turned away from Caraway's harsh gaze and looked out on the horizon where he could just see the endless lapping of the waves in the green sea. For a brief moment, he felt tranquil, it was one of them moments where he knew that maybe he would hate to leave this place. Ignoring the thought, he turned back to the Mayor. "Tell me what to do."
"Not yet," the Mayor spoke, seeing an aggravated look in the soldier's eyes. "I'll make sure you understand soon enough. I'd like to show you something first."
Squall obeyed silently as the Mayor led him down a small path towards the edge of the town. It was a route he had seen a number of times on his short walks around Balamb, yet he had never seen what was beyond the path. Never even had the chance to wonder, overgrown trees hid the pathway entrance as if it hadn't been used for a long time. Pushing aside the branches blocking the pathway, the two men made their way down the stony path.
Making the short walk, Squall saw a small building in front of them. It was an old looking building made from red wood, at the entrance there were ancient symbols and calligraphy engraved in gold paint, the gold now scratched and worn showing the buildings age. The entrance had been padlocked closed, which Caraway opened with a key he brought out of his jacket pocket.
"I suppose you don't really see these Shrines where you live," Caraway said whilst dealing with the lock. He looked up briefly to see the young man shake his head slowly, his eyes seeming to be transfixed on the Shrine's architecture. Pushing hard on the tall door, the entrance creaked open revealing the religious artifacts inside.
Squall watched as the door opened, and reluctantly followed as the Mayor went inside the Shrine. As soon as he stepped inside he couldn't help looking in awe at the many statues inside which occupied the inner part of the Shrine. A cold chill ran down his spine, and for a moment he was sure that there was someone stood beside him, their cold fingers resting gently on his back. It seemed in that moment in time that there were more than two people stood within the ancient Shrine. Turning to look behind his shoulder, as expected Squall saw nothing but the open doorway leading back to the outside. There never had been anyone behind him, only his paranoia making him believe there was. Don't be stupid, he told himself.
"This is the only Shrine left in Balamb," Caraway started, "There used to be at least two Shrines here at one time, but the other got destroyed during a battle many years ago. There used to be a Shrine on every continent, until the end of the Sorceress war over a hundred years ago. Do you have any knowledge of the Sorceress War?"
Squall nodded his head slowly, feeling a little uncomfortable in the current place they were inside. There was something about this place; it really made him feel like he didn't belong. "A Sorceress named Ultimecia tried to achieve time compression. She was allegedly defeated by a group of the strongest men that were around at the time," Squall said, thinking back to what he had been taught. "The story is nothing but a myth, along with all of the other stories to go with the Shrines."
The Mayor smiled slightly, "I guess religion is all a bit of a myth at times," he said softly "What's the point in believing something you can't prove?" The Mayor eyed the young for a moment before turning to one of the many statues around the world.
Squall observed a female statue, delicately made from gold, one of her golden arms stretched outwards towards the center of the room, almost as if reaching out for him. He stayed still for a moment, feeling unable to move as if under a spell from her slender fingers.
"Her name is Shiva."
Squall turned around to see the Mayor stood behind him, also taking in the view of the mysterious woman. "It is said that the Sorceress could master the art of controlling the elements. Each element has a guardian force protecting it, along with protecting the owner of the power. Guardian forces were allegedly controlled by the Sorceress, that was until she was killed," he stopped for a moment, as if reflecting back on the days that he wouldn't have been alive to see. "Without a Sorceress who can master the elements, there are no guardian forces."
"That's the belief," Squall said, matter of fact. He never really had believed in all the myths he had heard as a child, he didn't see why. His opinion of whether or not something was true in the past had no relevance to life of today. Time was changing, nothing of that sort happened anymore. "What exactly did you bring me here for?" Squall asked, wondering what the point of all this was.
"Many of the elderly people in Balamb still keep their faith," he spoke softly. "Whilst all the rest of the Shrines were destroyed, Balamb seemed to be the only place that wanted to remember a part of the past, not rule it off as if it had never happened."
"It would have been a mistake to put a Sorceress in control," Squall spoke plainly "perhaps people just wanted to forget about their mistakes and move on."
"Maybe so," Caraway said in thought "but legend says here in Balamb is where Ultimicia died. I'm sure in time people will forget, but at the moment Balamb wants to keep the memory, whether a myth or not." Taking slow steps, he walked around the small Shrine, admiring all of the elegant statues around the room. "I'm not here to make judgments on your beliefs, I just wanted to make you aware of the peoples view on such matters in Balamb," turning back to the entrance of the Shrine, Caraway gestured for Squall to follow. "Lets go back into Balamb."
Following Caraway out of the Shrine, Squall couldn't help feeling alone. It felt like someone had been stood next to him when he had been inside the Shrine, the presence making the air thick, almost suffocating. It was as if someone had forced him to stare into the eyes of that golden statue and feel her power. Make him believe her power, as her long slender fingers stretched out towards him. The presence had seemed to disintegrate as soon as his body had left the aged walls of the shrine. Now he was alone with Caraway and the rest of Balamb. And he truly believed the latter.
He saw Caraway's eyes watching him, a silent knowing look within them. As if they knew what he was thinking, and had sensed the same presence he had. For a moment, they both stared at each other, then without word they walked away from the Shrine. It was a moment for Squall, which was amazing to see such a building that no longer exists on every other continent, and terrifying at the same time. Just like everything else in this town, it would be something he would keep locked away and never talk about if he ever left.
As Squall followed Caraway's lead his mind went back to his previous thoughts. If he ever left. At one stage he wanted nothing more than to leave this place, to get back to his duty and fight the war like he was supposed to. Now he only wanted to run away from this place, to get away from the people and the strange presences that lurked around. His thoughts did often drift back to war, but he already knew inside that his days of being a soldier were over.
He followed silently until they reached beyond the overgrown trees, and felt a little bit of comfort envelope his body as he saw the familiar surroundings of Balamb. It was then that the Mayor stopped briefly and looked back at Squall.
"I have work to do, you can do as you wish in Balamb for the rest of the day. Just don't do anything stupid," Caraway said gravely, before walking away once again leaving Squall alone, the voices of his inner demons running around his mind.
In the distance, Squall saw the features of a raven-haired girl stood watching him suspiciously. She was leaning against the wall of a building, watching a group of children playing within the cool wind. It was then he saw her say something to the children, waving goodbye to them, before making her way over to Squall. She smiled as she approached the stiff looking man, something which she had noticed since he had started to get more active within the town. She couldn't help but watch him many times walking on his own around the town, always deep in thought. Sometimes she wished that she could know what he was thinking. He never had made much conversation with the people in Balamb; she guessed he just felt uncomfortable in a town that was so unfamiliar to his usual lifestyle. A lifestyle she would never have.
"It's nice to see my father taking a liking to you," she said light heartedly. "When he takes walks with someone, it usually means he likes them."
He watched as she laughed before him, her smile seeming to make the previous experience in the Shrine nothing more than a faded nightmare. The kind that seemed to be the most terrifying in the dream, yet once you awoke your logic made you realize that there never was anything to fear. He shook the thought away, and thought that he was just being stupid. "Whatever," he responded coolly.
Rinoa shook her head, "I'm glad though," she said softly. "He trusts you, you know?"
Squall looked at the young woman in front of him, he looked into her brown eyes that held so much emotion yet at present seemed so serious at the same time. "Wasn't I the one who killed his friend?" Squall responded. He felt confused at times, why would anybody want help from the person who killed a close friend? He guessed he would never know. Some things in life Squall never really wanted to find out, and this was one of them. He didn't want to be in the same situation.
"Maybe so," she spoke softly, barely inaudible "but we all make mistakes, don't we?"
Not wanting to continue the conversation any further, Squall nodded his head "Maybe," he said. There was a moment of silence that passed between the two, the kind of silence that always seemed to pass whenever the conversation of war was brought up when Squall was in earshot. He had noticed that for a town that tried to keep away from the troubles of war, a lot of people knew what was happening. It was as if they were keeping him away from it all, hiding things from him. He wandered if they knew of something that had happened since he had last been fighting. Perhaps there were people searching for him?
She stood gazing up at him for a brief moment, seeing his blue eyes look distant, she realised that he was deep in his thoughts again. For that moment, she stood silently, secretly wondering what he was thinking like she often did. Her thoughts were distracted when her previous suspicions came back to her. "What were you and my father doing?" she asked, seeing his eyes focus back on her again.
"He took me to the Shrine," Squall said quietly.
A look of shock flashed through Rinoa's eyes as the words escaped Squall mouth. "He did?" she found herself saying. A nod from Squall's direction gave her the answer. "I've never been to the Shrine before, he really must trust you," she said in thought. Noticing Squall's confused face, she traced imaginary circles on the floor with her foot suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "The Shrine is sacred, my Father doesn't let just anyone walk into it," she said, trying to explain herself "I'll be able to go inside the Shrine sometime soon, I just have to wait my time."
Squall kept his eyes on Rinoa, as her once happy features turned silently serious. "A Shrine is for worship," he said. Although he didn't know why, he suddenly felt the need to make her feel better. It usually didn't bother him what other people felt, but today, he couldn't stand to see the serious and hurt look on the raven-haired girls face. "You should be able to go in whenever you want."
"You think?" Rinoa asked. She watched as Squall gave a nod, and she couldn't help the small smile form on her face. A smile that graced her features in Squall's eyes, and he couldn't help the thought reach his mind. She shrugged slightly, returning back to a more playful tone, "That place always freaked me out anyway, I'd rather leave it to the older people who it means something to."
A cold wind blew by, sending shivers running through her body. She turned to the darkening sky, looking at the thickening rain clouds in the distance, then glanced back at Squall. "It looks like it's going to rain," she said crossing her arms tightly over her chest, in an attempt to keep herself warm.
"Maybe we should get back inside," Squall said, noticing the young girl in front of him shivering from the cold. She nodded her head silently, and Squall turned in the direction back to his residence.
Rinoa began to follow Squall, when she suddenly felt unable to continue from a growing curiosity. She stopped in her tracks and looked back over her shoulder to the path that Squall had walked out of only moments earlier with her father. The many trees surrounding the path blocked most of her view, making it difficult to see what was beyond the crooked branches that cast crawling shadows dancing on the ground. She didn't know why, but she felt like she was being watched by something hidden deep within the hidden pathway. Waiting for the right moment to expose itself to her. She shuddered at the childish fears that had begun to play on her mind and turned her head away, quickly making her way back to the security of Squall. Just recently she had begun to fear her own shadow, yet whenever she was around this stranger, he gave her a sense of comfort. And that was all she needed at this moment in time. Comfort.
Authors note: Yeah, it sucks. It seems to be taking me so much longer to write these chapters recently, I always lose my inspiration and get stuck. Oh yeah, sorry if this chapter was a little confusing, I like to confuse my readers, so if you're a little confused at the storyline, it's a good thing. Knowing my luck it won't be confusing at all lol. Anyway, thank you for all the encouraging reviews! You're all such nice people! Thankies!