Child of Darkness, Warrior of shadows
Chapter One: Shift
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of any of the Star Ocean games, though I'd very much like to have some hand in the next one. The additional original characters, especially those involved in Albel's past, are all copyright 2005 to me.
Intro: This is my third fan fiction, if you didn't check my bio. It's still rather rough, and certainly has plenty of mistakes even if I can't find them. Feel free to provide constructive criticism whenever possible and keep in mind that I tend to work faster with motivating reviews. Also, just because the first chapter is pitiably short, that doesn't mean latter chapters won't be long.
"I'm leaving the service," Nel said calmly, keeping her eyes firmly shut. She hardly needed to see Clair to know her response.
"What? Why?" Clair asked, looking up. The unbelievable stack of paperwork left over from the war was giving her as much trouble as ever, and with lazy, sniveling little Lasselle constantly delegating paperwork to top officers, she hardly had a moment to think nowadays.
"Something about my life is, well…" Nel said, looking at the short sword in her left hand. "Let's just say I'm similar to someone I despise."
"You can't be serious! You're one of the most important runological fighters in the country!" Clair said, standing up quickly.
"Next to you, right?" Nel said, smirking, despite Clair's disdainful look. "Clair, look. I know you don't want me to leave, but it isn't like I'm going to abandon you. I'm simply going back to my father's estate."
"Really? I thought you hated that place," Clair asked, staring at her friend, trying to see any hint of what she was really doing this for.
"I'll manage," Nel said simply, sheathing her sword.
Clair sighed. It'd been like this since they were children; whenever Nel set her mind on something, there wasn't a thing Clair could do about it. She knew full well that Nel needed permission from her commanding officer to remove her runes, thus leaving the order, but at the same time, she knew Nel trusted her to make the right decision. To Clair, that trust meant much more than even the faith the Queen placed in her.
"Alright," Clair said quietly. "You win. Stand up so we can get this over with."
Nel obediently stood up and faced her friend. The two of them had been close since they were children, and no matter what Nel said, she knew they would grow apart after this.
"I, Lady Clair of the sacred order of Aquaria, hereby grant Nel Zelpher, private agent of the Queen, permission to remove her runes and her rank," Clair said stiffly. She knew the words, roughly, but no one had ever asked to leave the service before.
Nel stood silently, eyes closed, accepting her final order. All she needed to do now was go to the Moon Shrine for the removal ceremony, and she'd be free of the service forever. She wouldn't have to fight, to compare herself with others, and least of all with him. Any similarity between them ended today.
Clair glanced towards the hidden wall. Nel was bound to return anytime now. It'd already been over an hour since she'd headed through the secret passage located in the main office, and the shrine was a quarter of an hour away at most. The removal itself consisted of simply renouncing the blades and runes that show that one is a runological warrior, all of which took a total of five minutes. Even if some monster had gotten into the passage, which was unlikely, Nel wouldn't have taken long dispatching it.
Clair nearly cursed when she realized she'd just signed three documents without even noticing what they were. It was unacceptable for a Lady in the service to let her mind wander this way, especially when her thoughts were personal.
The door slid open, and Clair nearly knocked over her pile of papers.
Nel hadn't changed at all. She still had her runes and her swords, and didn't look at all upset. It was confusing; Nel didn't just change her mind like that.
"What happened? I thought you were going to leave the service?" Clair asked, standing up and turning to her friend.
"I remembered that there's something I still need these symbols for," Nel said, quietly, touching the runes on her left arm. "There are just a few things left. I'll be ready in a few months."
"But…" Clair said hurriedly, but Nel stalked out of the room without so much as turning her direction. "Nel?"
Clair knew something was wrong with her, but something, perhaps her trusting nature, kept her from following the Crimson Blade. After all, what real reason could Nel possibly have for lying to her?
Author's note: hey, it's a beginning. As a note, if you're some helpless fan who's just looking for a half decent, fairly long fic, this one should do. I've got a rough plot set up already and I've worked out the holes, so it should turn out okay. If I'm messing up Clair, tell me, but I'm using Nel how I choose for right now. As for the rest of the cast, only the ones from Elicoor are even going to have a chance of getting in this fic, and Roger is just out. If you review, I'll let you in on a few secrets about this fic.
Character Talk
Nel: I seem to have lost my grip on reality, just judging from what I just did.
Clair: Who's in charge here? You must be insane if you think I'm doing more paperwork!
Nel: And where'd this "office" come from and who am I supposed to be like?
Albel: ha ha ha…It's so obvious!
Nel: Where'd you come from? Keep out of my kingdom!
Albel: Your kingdom? I thought this place was open to travelers?
Me: okay, okay, listen up. I'm the guy writing this fic. First of all, Nel, you aren't acting normal for the majority of this fic. Albel, you don't come in for a while, but you'll still get a bigger speaking part than Clair and your entire life history, as told by me, contained in the story. Clair, well, you're the main perspective, so I can't exactly say you won't have a big part, but this fic is really about Nel.
Nel: Fic?
Clair: You mean I won't have to do much paperwork?
Albel: Who do you think you are, snooping around in my past?
Me: I'm the guy that can make you jump off a cliff if I feel like it.
Albel: Ah…well, I suppose you aren't as much of a fool as I thought.
Me: Anyways, I'm saying the name of the next chapter now.
Albel: Glorious Duel at Midnight!
Nel: Albel's swift demise!
Clair: Clair's day off!
Me: No no, shut up! It's Murder!
Albel: I haven't touched you yet!
Me: No, idiot! I meant the name of the chapter!