RAGNAROK ONLINE FANFIC

TRANSGRESSIONS OF FATE

By: RAGNAR (that really is my name)

Chapter 05: Pain of the Fateless

"Sodos! Wait!"

Sodos turned around to see Mae running towards him, her long golden hair flowing behind her. She stopped in front of him, handing him her newest piece; a teardrop shaped onyx suspended by a fine gold chain. The symbols decorated around the edges catching the sun's rays and making the black stone seem to glow from the inside.

Of all the goldsmiths and jewelers that he has met, Sodos has still to find someone better than Mae when it comes to the art. Also, she is not only a great artist with gold trinkets, she was also the best at the arcane. There was no doubt in Sodos' mind that this was another good luck charm/ weapon.

"Thank you, Mae." Sodos took the necklace with a smile, "what does it do?"

Giggling, her full, red lips in a shy smile, Mae pushed the necklace closer to him. "Silly, that thing isn't even charmed. I'm giving it because it just..." turning around quickly so that he cannot see that she didn't blush, "...it just suits your new uniform... that's all."

Smiling, Sodos stroked her hair from behind. He liked it when she blushed like this. It makes him feel warm for some reason.

It has been just yesterday that Sodos has been proclaimed the new Head Captain of the Council's bodyguards. To him, that was the highest honor to be achieved by any man, to be trusted with the life of the world's protectors. He still isn't used to his new uniform, it's purple cloak shining and resplendent in the early morning sunshine. The new wrist-blades resting on his forearm were shining brightly. And his sword and daggers were polished to the point where he can see his own reflection on them. To Mae, he looked... noble.

To him, he feels rather uncomfortable with all the trapping around him.

Then, as if she knew what he was thinking, Mae suddenly said, "Oh, Sodos, you look really handsome in those clothes." she said teasingly.

Now it was his turn to blush. "Really?"

She nodded.

Now that wasn't something you didn't see everyday. Mae wasn't exactly this... forward. There was once a time when Mae would rather bite his head off than to admit to someone that he was good-looking, why, he doesn't know.

Giving out a mental sigh, he brought together the necklace's locks together and it was done. Give it a close look, and you might even say that the thing was made of one piece... He was right, Mae was one of the best.

Smiling, he brought her lips closer to his and gave her a goodbye kiss. They wouldn't be able to see each other for the rest of the day, one of the things he regrets being promoted for.

At least, they were getting married next month, that, he will never regret. Even if the Council finds out that one of the High Born has eloped with a lowly soldier... he will defend her... or die trying.

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Sodos awoke from the empty yet conscious oblivion of the Rift to the dead halls of Glast Heim. It's ancient halls made cavernous by the echoing of his boots.

Always, that same memory came to him in the Rift. Always, the pain that went with that memory haunts him in the abyss. Your body may not exist in the Rift, but your mind... and your soul still does. At a time very long ago... when he was still a gullible, naïve young man, being imposed a sentence such as that would be the greatest suffering to visit anyone. Conscious oblivion was enough to drive anyone mad, Degedos was proof of that... and maybe even him.

Tracing the symbols on the onyx in his necklace, he tried to count the years... since the Council has decided to banish him, along with the Rebels, their families, friends... since he last touched Mae's smooth soft skin.

He still remembers those last moments before they were all thrown into the Rift, before they were doomed to be Fateless.

The memories came to him like a crushing wave. He tried to stop them, but they still came anyway.

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"Mae!" he tried vainly to struggle out of his shackles as they were standing at the edge of a cliff, while the tattered cloth of his Captain's uniform fluttered in the wind, the black oblivion of the Rift can be seen below. "Let her go, you bastards! She doesn't deserve this!"

He can still recall the pain of the betrayal during his wedding day, even though it was already two weeks ago.

Mae was kneeling on the ground, her face was wet with blood and one eye was beaten shut, her once white wedding clothes was in filthy disarray while her hands were bound to her feet, making her unable to stand. He can tell that she was very weak from hunger. She was unable to speak because of the torture they received in captivity. Their captors looking as if she was beneath their notice.

Desperation started to settle in "Please, I'm begging you... let her go."

"You do know that we do not pardon traitors, Sodos", a voice spoke behind the soldiers.

The soldiers started to form ranks as he could see the silhouette of a man approaching them. He didn't need to look closer to know who it was. He already recognized the man dressed in the robes of the Council's head Wizard.

"You're the traitor, Leish. You're the one who handed over Mae to the Questioners..." rage started to boil up in him, "how could you!? YOU'RE MY BROTHER!" He tried to lunge forward and strangle the man but he only ended up landing flat on his face when the butt of a spear hit him on the gut. Gasping for air, he can only say "Why, Leish? Why? You're family... why?"

Leish rushed to him, grabbing a fistful of his hair while pulling his head back at a painful angle. He then whispered angrily to his ear, "Do you want to know why!? I'll tell you! For years I have served our father, ceaselessly! Day and night I have stayed at his side... and where were you? You were always out with the army, basking in all the glory! Yet he still gave you the inheritance!"

"And then, there's Mae... When the to of us saw her, I begged you that I can have her. And you said yes." Leish's features twisted in anger, and he screamed at his face, "BUT YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!!! JUST LIKE YOU TOOK EVERYTHING ELSE!!!"

Sodos couldn't believe what he was hearing. His brother... his BROTHER!... betrayed him for this?

Sodos was never more disgusted in his life, "So, all this for jealousy, Leish? You're a fool. I stayed true to my word that I wouldn't take Mae, but it was not my fault that she chose me instead of you. As for the inheritance, father knew you were only in it for the money"

Enraged, Leish slammed his face to the ground and took out his knife.

"You're the bigger fool, Sodos!" he waved the knife in the air like a madman, "this is all your fault! Her blood is ON YOUR HANDS!"

Then, before he knew it, Leish's knife was driven through Mae's stomach and then he slashed it sideways, spilling her blood and guts on the ground. Her scream was the only thing he heard. The look she gave him was enough to kill him at that moment.

Since a guard was holding his chains, he could do nothing as Mae thrashed on the dirt, drowning in a pool of her own blood. After what could have been an eternity, her struggle stopped, she was dead.

The guard let go of him as he crawled his way to Mae's motionless body. "Mae? Mae? Please, talk to me. Mae." She can't be gone, no! "Mae! Please!" tears stung his eyes as he desperately called her name, but she never answered.

"No... Mae... why?"

Leish turned to a soldier while wiping his knife clean with a piece of cloth. "Get the rest of them, and throw them all in."

The soldier replied, "what about the body, Councilman?"

Looking at Mae's body, Leish sneered, "The vultures can have it... you have your orders, now I expect you to carry them out."

It didn't take long for Sodos to be accompanied by more people, accused to be part of the Rebellion that took place three weeks ago. The Rebellion gave the Council of Guardians a sense of unease and a degree of paranoia. This led to mass executions and arrests. The Rift was the Council's "ultimate" solution to the problem of the Rebels, an example to be set to whoever dares to destroy their way of life.

Mae and he were arrested for those same reasons. They were both innocent, but Leish has found a way to make them look like the leaders of the whole thing.

The cries and pleas of the people around him were loud enough to be heard from afar. Sodos hardly gave them any notice; in fact, he couldn't feel anything. Mae was dead and there was nothing for him in this world.

"You must be Sodos", a man beside him asked, "I heard all about you from the inmates. I just wanted to see the man who would be given the title of infamy that was supposed to be mine. My name is Degedos." The way the man smiled, it was like he wasn't going to be executed today. Sodos hardly gave him any heed.

He knew Degedos by reputation only. The man was rumored to be the leader of the Rebels and was also one of the Council's bodyguards.

He didn't have time for chitchat, though, as the soldiers started to shove the people off the cliff and into the abyss of oblivion. He can hear their screams trail away as they fell down into the pit.

A powerful hand grabbed him as he was dragged towards the end of the pit.

Suddenly, something in him snapped. His feet dragged and kicked across the dirt as he was pulled towards the Rift.

"LEISH, YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL COME BACK AND KILL YOU! YOU HEAR ME? I'LL COME BACK AND KILL YOU!!! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID YOU MAE!!! I – WILL – MAKE – YOU – PAY!!! EVEN IF IT TAKES ME AN ETERNITY, I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!!!"

Then, he felt weightless as he was thrown down the cliff. The darkness of the Rift is surrounding him. He can feel the icy chill of oblivion crawling up his spine and across the side of his vision as he began to sink slowly into madness.

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Mae...

He can feel the onyx being crushed in his palm as the pain of the memories came to an agonizing climax. His hand has become bloody with pieces of black stone all over his palm.

Before he could even feel pain, though, the stone was whole again and his hand was uninjured.

Reaching his destination, Sodos came upon a twenty foot high by ten-foot wide door. By the standards of the people today, this would probably pass for fine art.

An undead skeleton approached him as two more of his companions started to push the door open. "The Massster issss waiting." it's voice sounded like dry rotten parchment crumpled by a child's hand.

Before the door was completely opened, he took the first steps to meet the being that has released them from the Rift.

Whatever it takes... he will make the Guardians pay for what they have done.

TO THOSE WHO READ THIS CHAPTER BEFORE I CHANGED IT....

I changed the opal around Sodos' neck to an onyx.... just found out a few days ago that an opal was actually white.... gume (/swt).....

anyways.... thanks for the reviews, i'm trying to save up for another diskette but my pockets feel rather light nowadays....

i already finished two chapters back home so don't worry, i'm gonna update ASAP.

so to everyone who reads my fic.... thanks

by the way...

if you had read the first version of "ToF", The Coming Darkness, please tell me your reactions... the files are still gathering dust in my "under consideration" folder.... /sob.... and i kinda like Marus.... /wah

for Harry Potter fans....

Byakko told me that the Rift was used by Voldemort to eat up Harry... now i'm not that much of a Harry Potter reader, but, my Rift has nothing to do with the boy, so please, if you have any gripes with that, leave me be....

also....

BYAKKO!!! NAKAKITA KO SANG RAGNAROK NGA MANGA...... BEEEEELAAAAT!!!! WHAHAHAHAHA!!!