Author's note: Since this is the first chapter, I will have a short author's note to give you, reader, some background before you begin.

This is an alternate universe of Escaflowne. This story stands on its own, so you need not know what the Escaflowne anime is really about to understand this story (but knowing would give you a greater sense of the characters, of course). There will probably be some minor mistakes here 'n there that I failed to pick up (despite re-reading and re-editing for the millionth time) so I will apologize in advance for them.

It has been a year since my last story, so I hope I haven't gotten too rusty. Well, enjoy.

Disclaimer: Vision of Escaflowne and its characters and likeliness is copyrighted to its respective company(ies). But the characters I created and this story is copyrighted to me.

Rating: PG-13

FATES' JUDGEMENT

By Cosmos

Prologue

The song of death rang loudly across the crimson field like sirens' voices luring the souls of the many dead from their earthly graves, while an ashen coloured miasma swept across the motionless bodies resembling a white sheet of mourning. The pale face of a distant setting sun sent tears of light upon the soldiers that have lost their innocent lives on this tragic day as well as for those who would soon fall in days thereafter.

The light of sunset revealed the raging agony of pain storming within a pair of desolate garnet eyes as they observed the tragedy that befell upon a beloved home and people. The dripping crimson blade of his beautiful weapon pointed dejectedly toward the red earth as he watched the field of battle absentminded that the war still raged dangerously around him.

In the end, it all comes to this?

His grief-stricken gaze scanned the horrific horizon upon which each body, each cry of pain, stripped his will to continue the battle where victory no longer held any meaning. Beside him stood a young woman whose expression mirrored the horror burning in his dark eyes.

"Why?" her whisper barely reached his ears amidst the roar of battle. He turned his gaze to her and, upon seeing the look in her eyes, his heart bled even further.

He reached out and held her protectively in his arms while she cried out her misery into the dirtied fabric of his sleeveless red shirt. "I had hoped," he whispered sadly into her ears, "that I would be able to prevent this from happening. I had believed," his grip on her tightened as rebellious tears reached the surface of his mournful eyes, "that I could change our fates. But in the end…"

"Van," she softly whispered his name, "is this the end? Have all our struggles come to this?"

He sighed sadly.

"So this day has finally arrived," she continued in the same lost tone. "She will be free after all."

His brows furrowed with concern and misery.

"No," he spoke determinedly, "she will never be free." Looking down at the beautiful woman, whom has so captured his heart, he continued, "You will live, Hitomi."

She watched his mournful face with great sorrow. Then to her surprise, she noticed his eyes drifted down to the crimson face of his sword. A fearful thought immediately surfaced in her mind. "Van! No!"

Present…

I am here again. I should not be surprised. My rebirth means that the trial has already begun…once again. I let out a sigh in a feeble attempt to ease the sorrow my destiny has brought unto me.

A lifetime ago, I had foolishly believed that my own will would free me from these chains that bound me to Fate. I had earnestly believed that any decision I make, was made by me. But now I know; it was never that way. It had never been that way. I have now come to realize that one cannot fight against this mysterious entity, which controls the very fabric of our souls.

Returning my gaze to the dying light of Aurora's last arrow, a frown surfaces to my face. The faint images of a past long desired to be forgotten, but never could, resurfaced again and again in my mind. Its history haunts me day and night while thoughts of the future mock me constantly because I know I will never reach one.

Perhaps, it is best to start my story from the very beginning. I remember clearly the very conversation that fueled the fire from which my destiny was born more than two lifetimes ago…

"It is the Judge," an old man spoke, "who will decide our fate."

"How will this Judge decide our fate?" I asked coldly. "And how does she determine this verdict?"

"She?" a feeble old woman chirped; her blind white eyes gazed at me from beneath half-closed lids. "Why do you assume the Judge to be a 'she'?" She cocked her head to the side in amusement, eager to hear my reply.

"What do you mean?" I asked incredulously, "The Judge has always been known to be a female."

"Ah," the old man raised his shaking, gnarled finger at me, "but we do not know." Pausing, he took his long crooked redwood cane in his hand and poked at a piece of wood from within a fire burning brilliantly in front of him. This caused a few sparks to fly into the cold night air. Surprisingly, when he removed his cane, I could see no charred marks on the wood. Phenomenally, it was unaffected by the intense heat of the lapping flames. Soon after, he continued, "The people have come to visualize the Judge as a woman only because a great prophet had once been able to see her in his dream."

"But it is a dream of the future," another old man sitting beside him spoke up. His blind gaze lay on the fumes of dark clouds escaping the lighted tips of the hungry flames. Then those faded grey spheres turned to me as he continued, "Perhaps one day the Judge will reside in the body of a female, but that day remains to be known. As always, the identity of the person in which the Judge resides will be hidden from the world."

"I can sense your confusion, youngling," the head elder finally spoke. Her fogged vision placed directly on my face. Before I could speak, she continued, "You know that the Judge's life is eternal. No mortal hand can end her existence. No power can end the trial she now dictates. It is through reincarnation that the Judge obtains her immortality, yet into whom she will be reborn will be determined by the hands of fate. Even Goddess Varie, the creator of the Trial, does not know the Judge's mortal identity."

"Then how does one mere mortal prophet come to visualize the Judge's future reincarnation?"

"That we do not know," the head elder replied in a concerned voice. "Our future, it appears, has already been determined."

"It is destiny," one of them whispered.

"It is fate," voiced another.

They soon fell silent, letting the words sink into the minds of those who listened. Immediately, an apprehensive mood settled over us like ancient dust covering statues society had long forgotten. On the curved red clay walls of this small cylindrical hut, our shadows performed eerie dances as the large fire burning at the centre flickered to and fro. Soft crackling of the burning wood resounded unnoticed around me as it gave its life's energy to feed the hungry flames. I could sense my elders study me with their old eyes, whose sights have faded for some and disappeared altogether for others; yet despite their handicap, I knew they could detect my every motion. They seemed to have developed the ability to perceive my emotions before hearing my voice or ever seeing my face. And at this moment, they could sense the blind anger that slowly built up deep within my heart as well as the passionate love I have for my world even before the words escaped my mouth.

"I will find this Chosen child," I proclaimed in a strong voice as cold as the night wind wailing just outside the cotton flap door. I held my gaze steady at the fire. Its chaotic dance reflected in the raging pupils of my eyes as I continued to speak, "I will hunt the Judge down and I will kill her before she is able to pass judgement."

"How?" the elders asked in amusement of my childish act of heroism, but their voices could not hide the fear they had of my determined retaliatory nature. "We have told you the Judge could never be killed by any mortal. Her life is endless."

"No, you are wrong," I argued, holding my tone steady and hard. "As a mortal, she can die. And if I can stop her for one lifetime, then I will. I will continue to fight for every minute, every second, and every breath that I can give to our world." And in a harsh, deadly tone I added, "Goddess Varie will not hold fate against us!"

"Hush, foolish child," they chastised me. "Never forget that the Judge lives among us. In outward appearance, she looks just like any child, adolescent, man, woman, or elder; but when the time of judgement comes, her insignia will reveal who she really is. So never speak harshly of the Goddess, or the Judge will pass her verdict ever sooner!"

One elder, sitting quietly on the far side of the circle, suddenly looked up at me with clear, sky blue eyes. She was the only one of whom age did not rob away her gift of sight. But her eyes were strange, and I could feel it penetrate into the very core of my soul. Finally she spoke.

"Your soul is pure and your heart is good," she began in a steady, gentle voice full of wisdom that reaches far beyond the mortal realm. Then with a slight frown of concern, she continued, "but you will choose to sacrifice an innocent life for the sake of your own cause."

I was stunned into silence.

She continued, all the while her gaze remained on my face, "I sense that you are confused. You love this world and you love its people, but you are unsure of what to do. If you choose to save it, you must shed an innocent's blood. But if you choose to spare the vessel's life, then you will condemn all others to die."

I tightened my fists in frustration against the obvious truth she spoke of. I turned aside to hide the turmoil that I knew revealed itself all too clearly in my eyes.

"It is a difficult decision but one you will have to make." She sighed dolefully. "My dear child, your fate is a long and lonely one, so full of sorrow and pain. And at the end of it all, I fear you shall find no happiness."

All the other elders turned to look at her quizzically. Their gazes begged her to explain the statements she just made. But she spoke no more except for the single tear that escaped from the corner of her eye.

Silence fell over them like an unnatural cloak. For the longest time, no one spoke. Slowly, I broke the silence with a voice wavering in indecision and frustration. "Then you will simply accept this doomed fate, Elder Sora?" I asked her softly, but I could still sense anger beneath the surface of my grief.

"We do not accept it," another elder replied in Sora's place, "but what you want to fight against is a power far too great to be defeated. It is best to live our lives as we are given and change what we are able to change, instead of blindly creating a conflict that will end only in blood and tears. Our people are living happily right now with no more want than a good harvest in the fall and a gentle winter after. Although your intentions are noble, your fervent actions will draw our people into a great miserable battle full of pain and sorrow, where they will become wretched when initially their lives are full."

"For how long?" I asked in a low tone, desperately trying to maintain my emotions and quickly forgetting the words Sora spoke of only minutes before. "For how long do you think their lives will remain full?" They remained silent, unable to reply to a question whose answer was hidden in the dark future beyond the morn.

"You would prefer to live the remaining moments of your lives in a dream," I whispered solemnly, "because that is exactly what we are leading right now. A dream. And like every dream, the time will come when it must end and all awakens. What will you do then?" I turned to gaze directly at them. Although they were blind, I knew they could see me as clearly as if the fog in their eyes was lifted. I said in a determined tone that ended any further arguments, "When the dream ends, there will be greater pain. All will suffer then. Is this the future you are willing to let our people head towards? Or do you have enough courage and heart to change this fate?" Turning away from them, I whispered, "If you will not answer this to Fate, then I will."

I turned swiftly toward the door, not wanting to listen to their ignorance any longer. I irately ripped the flap aside and stepped through, letting it fall silently behind me. I was sick of hearing their excuses. At the time, there was nothing they said that could have deterred me from heading onto a path I had chosen.

Walking with deliberate steps, I remember heading in the direction of the temple of Gaia where I stood gazing solemnly at the great stone statue of the Goddess. It was a mere stone figure carved by a skilled sculptor who saw her in his dream, yet the beautiful stone figure was so life-like I had believed it to be real. I was looking toward her for comfort and for guidance. I remember seeing her kind face once in a dream, crowned with thin silver willow leaves. She was dressed in a plain but elegant gown consisting of the mighty ocean waves. Her hair resembled the subtle morning mists and her eyes were as clear and calm as a dawning sky. At the time, I had passed the vision merely as a child's dream, but I later realized it was more than that.

Cloaked in the full darkness of a moonless night, I continued to stare at the statue while the hateful words about the great trial whirled in my mind not allowing me to forget. Even now, I can still clearly recall the last words my elders have spoken to me.

"We are now living through the ordeal of a great trial," they told me, "where the defendant is the very world; where the evidences are our own actions; and where the verdict will determine the future of all life."

Being young and rash, I was easily angered by the injustice Goddess Varie has inflicted upon us. The numerous lives in this world was to be determined by one individual alone, ordained by the three Lady Fates! I could not stand to accept such prejudice. My fate was my own to determine. My life was my own to live. My destiny was my own to create.

I would accept no other to lead me, let alone determine the future of my very existence.

Alas, that thought and the actions that followed have cost me so much. And now I stand here to reminisce the very events that have led me to where I am now…all that I have lost…and all that I am determined to regain once again.

Next: Chapter 1: "The Chosen"

Cosmos 2004