OK . . . I have read (past tense) the book of Revelations (yes, I read – as in the present tense – the Bible) one too many times . . . not to mention I have reread Rober Jordan's Wheel of Time series one too many times.

So, if you don't like guys like me writing prophetic sentences, just skip all the way to the chapter title (it's in bold format so you can recognize it) and share your opinions . . . please?

----------------------------

RAGNAROK ONLINE FANFIC

Version 2

TRANSGRESSIONS OF FATE

By: RAGNAR (that really is my name)

And it shall come to pass that all things hath gone to dust as all Creation must

And there shall come a cry across the land calling forth his name

Blood shall be his carpet and Death shall be his herald

The Mirrors of What Is shall bring forth great troubles and signs of his coming

And behold, I saw him that whom must never be seen or ever heard

Blood shall be his carpet and Death shall be his herald

Who can stand against the might of his Power? Who can go against his Will?

The Guardians shall stand aside yet the one above shall take him as his own

Blood shall be his carpet and Death shall be his herald

And I saw a great shadow cast upon the land and the light was covered by this shadow

And the land wept and bled with blood of the mighty and the vanity of the slain

Blood shall be his carpet and Death shall be his herald

And the ones that serve the one above shall spill upon the land a thousand fold a thousand

And the stars shall be swept away by the passing of his hand

Blood shall be his carpet and Death shall be his herald

- Prophecy extracted from a torn page from the Age of Storms. Date unknown

Chapter 25: Questions of Forgiveness

The night lay heavily on the caravan as the people walked around with their business. Mainly, to care for the injured and comfort those that had lost companions when the bandits attacked. The moonlight streamed through the gaps of the forest roof and bathed some of the wagons.

One in particular, held a very special guest.

"How is she?" Meshido asked while sparing a quick glance at Mae's – Freya's still body.

Elonis, the Blacksmith who led this small group leaned back on the wagon's door and looked at the red-haired girl lying on the bed. "She'll be fine, I think. Freya was never the type to give up. Of course, you should know that by know." The Blacksmith said that last part with a grin.

Meshido shook his head ruefully. "No, I don't," he replied.

Elonis shuddered. Meshido didn't blame the man. If forces not known in this world suddenly possessed his friend, he would probably feel the same way.

Speaking of friends . . . Meshido suddenly felt the weight of the ruby necklace on his chest. It has been two years since he last saw Mara and he felt a great twinge of regret that the only time he met her was that brief moment when he was thrown out of the Guild.

Strange though, he was still able to Heal the sick and wounded. When he arrived at camp, there were too many injured on the ground for the available Priests and Acolytes to tend to. It was as if he was not discharged at all; the way he went from this place and that, healing whoever he could find.

As soon as Freya is fully well, Meshido decided that he would go back to the Sanctuary and have a talk with the High Priest.

"So, how did you know her?" Elonis asked so suddenly that Meshido almost jumped.

Careless fool! Letting your thoughts run around like that! What are you, anyway, a Sage? "I met her when Geffen was attacked by the Undead." Meshido replied.

Elonis arched an eyebrow while crossing his large arms, expanding his chest even more. "Geffen was attacked? I didn't know Glast Heim has gone active . . . Light take me! What's with the world today? Every city is probably under attack for all I know." The Blacksmith grimaced at that. He was probably remembering what happened in Alberta.

"What do you mean every city is under attack?" Meshido asked worriedly.

Elonis tsked loudly before answering. "Alberta sunk to the sea, Morroc taken by the dusts, Geffen's walls infiltrated . . . Damn it! I even caught a whiff of a rumor that Al de Baran's clock tower spilled out every imaginable nightmare it could conjure and that Juno has been smashed to the ground!" Elonis' fist slapped loudly when he punched his left palm. It was a very tangible sign of the man's frustration.

Meshido just sat on the stool next to Freya's bed and stroked her forehead while looking for any faults to her health. At least she was all right, for the most part. But as for her acceptance to Sodos' and Degedos' presence however . . . that would be a big problem. As far as she knows, the Fateless Ones are the enemy. Not that he blames her of course; the Sodos did kill her cousin.

"What about the one in black?" he heard Elonis ask.

"Marus?" Meshido asked in return. The Blacksmith nodded and Meshido replied, "He would be fine I think, although, I don't understand what brought him into unconsciousness in the first place though."

Elonis shook his head and sighed in resignation, "Too many troubles then, too many troubles now, and most likely, more troubles after. Tell me Priest, how does your company add up to the equation? I have this bad feeling that you are a big part in all of this."

It was Meshido's turn to raise an eyebrow, "You sound like an Alchemist. 'Add up to the equation'? I thought you're a Blacksmith."

Somehow, Elonis managed both a scowl and a grin, the kind that infuriated most women for being to . . . mischievous. "Well, I'm both. If you don't like it, you could call a magistrate and sue me."

In spite of himself, Meshido laughed. It has been a while since he talked to a man with a sense of humor that was different from Kevin's coarse language.

He was about to stand up when Freya moaned. When he looked at her, her eyes were already fluttering open.

The grin on the Blacksmith's face grew wider. "The goddess awakens."

At least this was well and good. Meshido smiled as well.

----------------------

Pain stabbed every part of his body when Marus jerked awake. The first thing he noticed was that he was only in his smallclothes and that his uniform was neatly folded on a small cabinet on the opposite corner of what seemed to be the inside of a wagon.

The second thing he noticed was the Huntress sitting on the stool next to his bed. Actually, what really caught his attention were her eyes. Yellow irises and a slit of a pupil made the eyes looked too much like that of a cat's. Slightly slanted eyelids and petulant lips that were most likely permanently curved at the sides only increased the impression of – strange as it sounds – a human cat.

Before he could even blink, before he could even regain full awareness of his surroundings, there was an arrow lodged a few inches away from his head. The still quivering arrow fanned his face so lightly that it almost made him ill at ease.

"Who are you, scarface? I sense too much evil in you to find comfort." She spoke with an eloquent grace, a smoothness that was only marred when she clipped her words at the end of each sentence. She stood up, her bow at her side as if she hasn't used it yet – although Marus can wager that the bowstring was still vibrating.

Too bad he can't sense her soul at the moment, if he did, his eyes would turn pitch black and she might mistake that for something different. Instead of answering her though, Marus gave a different response. "You should be telling me your name first." his eyes flickered to the arrow, "since you woke me up so nicely."

Speaking was tough, especially when the Sograt felt like Lutee compared to your throat.

She didn't look like it, but it surprised him that she actually blushed out of . . . embarrassment? "Tell me, Huntress," Marus continued, "are you truly into the habit of using recovering patients for target practice?"

She scowled at him as if he grew demon's horns. She seemed ready to draw that bow any second, it seems. "My name is Monique, scarface, and I'm taken."

Marus could've shrugged if he didn't recall that he was hurting all over. Instead he slowly extended his hand towards her. "Marus Rain-Seeker," he introduced himself and added, "and I didn't ask if you were taken." He said that with a tight smile. It was the least he could do for her embarrassment.

Another arrow pierced the wall next to him – much closer than the last.

Light above, woman! If you want to kill me, do it now!

Marus just raised an eyebrow in response.

"You still didn't tell me why you have the feel of evil all over you," she said as if she wasn't the one who shot the arrow.

Marus fixed her a level stare and replied, "I don't know, and if I do, that would be none of your business." When she stared back at him, he added, "But I'm no demon, if that would be of some comfort to you."

Monique sniffed as if to tell him of her opinion of that. She then moved over to the other side of the wagon and looked out the window. From the way she looked, Marus thought she might actually want to rush over there, bow ready and arrows flying.

For the first time, he actually saw how she dressed. It was strange, even for a Huntress. Really though, is it absolutely necessary to wear a pair of boots that probably weighed at least ten pounds each?

His head still swam though, and it was getting harder to think with each passing minute.

Suddenly, an explosion knocked the wagon so hard everything slid to one side – even the bed Marus was lying on. He struggled to stand up but he found Monique's restraining hand over his chest. What she obviously didn't know, was that her touch sent waves of pain all across his body. He should be screaming if his throat didn't feel so sore at the moment.

"I think your Mage friend is having one hell of a tantrum at the moment. I just saw a fireball the size of Midgard fly right out of her wagon's roof . . ." That seemed to be explanation enough. Marus got enough information from Meshido that Freya wasn't actually in good terms with the Fateless. Not that he blames her, of course. Freya's reasons are legitimate, after all.

He was about to try to stand up again when Monique pushed a mug into his mouth. The thing was filled with some vile concoction that almost made him gag if it wasn't for the fact that it was choking him. At the moment, it would be better if he just swallowed it.

Does medicine have to taste so . . . vile!?

He knew exactly what she just fed him.

Sleeping potion . . . for the pain.

It didn't take long for him to flop back in bed like a rag doll.

------------------------------

Alright . . . now this was weird.

The moment Elonis saw Freya's eyes widening when she saw Sodos come into the wagon . . . well, it was weird. Or maybe he just felt it was all too weird because he was still trying to register what was happening when he just landed ten feet away from what was left of the wagon.

His eyes were blurry when he stood up. Not to mention his black and white vision is not really helping him sort anything out. Colorblindness, so Monique told him, renders the trick of recovering focus in a split second useless.

Elonis felt the fireball before actually seeing it. How couldn't he? The thing was three times bigger than the last one when he finally laid eyes on it, probably bigger, judging from how far it was now from the ground.

Smoke streaked everywhere as Freya threw even more of those damned fireballs in what seemed to be every direction. Elonis saw the Priest running from behind her in an attempt to restrain the Mage, but was thrown back by what seemed to be an invisible barrier.

The camp was full of people running here and there, shouting for water and other aid. Most probably, the caravan was still not aware of what was happening.

When Elonis saw Freya's face, he felt a stab of pain for her. The Mage's face was contorted to ugliness by sheer fury and hate. Liquid fire dripped from her clenched fist as she walked slowly towards a downed Sodos. The Assassin's body was half-torn to shreds. Blood spread into a puddle beneath the man's body as he lied there, seemingly unconscious.

Suddenly, as if it never happened, without any visible healing, the Assassin was up on his feet. The fireballs were no longer shot at random locations. This time, they were all fired towards Sodos.

Every fireball that hit the Assassin exploded with enough force that even Elonis – who was standing a good distance away – felt them as if he was the one being shot at. Sodos' body ripped apart limb by limb, as more fireballs slammed against him in rapid succession.

Trees flattened behind the man from the force of the explosions while the trunks of the bigger oaks split in two.

Dust and smoke rose up from where the Assassin stood when the barrage was finally over. Sheets of glass dotted the forest where the fireballs landed and charred forms marked where trees should have been. Sodos stood there on the same spot where he had landed. Half his face was missing, so was his left arm and shoulder, and most of his right waist, the rest of him was simply charcoal.

"I don't expect you to forgive me for what I have done, Freya. Neither do I expect anyone else to forgive me for the deaths I have caused." In the blink of an eye, Sodos was whole again. Although by what means, Elonis still couldn't understand.

The Assassin took a step, glass crunched beneath the man's boots. "I have been a fool. One that deserves a sentence that cannot be delivered." There was a different light in the man's eyes. Something Elonis didn't catch the first time he met him. It was a grim acceptance . . . and peace. It was as if Sodos had found something lost within himself for a very long time.

In response, Freya just screamed and a whip of what seemed to be lightning appeared in her hand. She cast her hand forward and . . .

Elonis and everyone else close to Freya ducked to avoid the whip from going through their heads. All except Sodos, who just stood there and was sliced in half by the lightning. By the time the whip finished flying, the trees near Sodos toppled with a loud crash.

The Assassin just kept on coming closer to Freya. Elonis didn't know but for an instant, he spotted tears falling down the Sodos' cheeks. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, after all, other than his eyes, no emotion seemed to come out of the man's face.

"You have the power to destroy me, however. Mae left that as much within you." Sodos bowed his head and kneeled just a few steps away from Freya. "If it is your wish to . . . kill me. I will accept your punishment."

Elonis didn't need Monique's eyes to see that Freya was trembling visibly. Her face showed every ounce of hate she have pent up inside her.

What happened to you, Freya? You're no longer the girl I knew.

"You deserve death far more than any person who ever lived." Freya's voice was cold, unforgivingly cold. "Give me on good reason why I shouldn't banish you to the Rift, Fateless!"

"I have none."

"So be it."

As Freya's face hardened, a black hole in the air began to form behind Sodos. Elonis can only watch as the hole grew larger. Even though he felt no wind against his face, he saw Sodos' clothes whip about as if in a hurricane.

Then, Sodos was lifted into the air by an unseen hand. Both the Assassin's knives fell to the ground as he floated towards the hole.

"STOP IT, FREYA!!!"

Meshido's voice boomed across the forest as he wrapped his arms around Freya and pulled her to the ground.

Before the two of them could hit the dirt, however, a powerful force threw the Priest a good distance from the ground. Elonis didn't know where the man landed, but he heard Meshido's grunt somewhere within the camp.

"You are going to pay for killing Kareel." The black hole grew more ominous by the minute. Sodos, never giving any sign of resisting the force that was holding him, slowly floated closer to the portal.

There was no emotion on the man's face.

Suddenly, Freya's head whipped back when a stone hit her. Elonis turned to see who threw the rock and saw Jarade, with Michelle helping him stand up, walk closer towards the Mage.

There was a hint of contempt on Jarade's face. "Keeper!" the words seemed to seethe out of the man's mouth like a hiss. Elonis was half-surprised to hear Jarade speak like that. Even Michelle looked at him with shock.

That note of hate was all Elonis needed to spring into action. He didn't know how he did it, but all it took was five strides to get himself between Freya and a charging Jarade.

His right hand blocked Jarade's left katar by grabbing the Assassin by the wrist. A quick left hook to the face sent the man reeling. A follow through with a right uppercut to the gut made Jarade double over. Elonis then quickly grabbed Jarade's head and brought his knee to the Assassin's forehead.

As Jarade staggered backwards, Elonis didn't hesitate to punch him even harder to drive the man further back.

Elonis was not the type to frighten easily, but at the moment, he was terrified. If Jarade activates that Doppelganger card, he will most likely be the next thing on a worm's menu – if there would be much left to eat.

He charged and slammed his shoulder to Jarade's stomach. With all his strength, he tried to push the Assassin to the ground. Elonis didn't know how the man did it, but he was kicked away.

Elonis had seconds to clamp his hands on the wrist-blade that was clearly aimed to stab his skull. Years working at the forge didn't help on trying to stop the thick steel from inching closer towards him. A few inches more and he would be dead.

How did the Assassin manage to be so strong?!

Bright white light filled his vision to the point of almost blinding him. For a moment, he felt so light, he though he was flying. For a moment, he was flying.

Jarade floated away from him with excruciating slowness. His strength slowly escaped him. His eyelids felt so heavy.

Is this how it feels like when you die?

---------------------------

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

GUYS! PLEASE! AT LEAST LET ME KNOW YOU'RE READING MY FIC . . . IT'S NOT THAT HARD TO POST A REVIEW . . . OR ARE THERE LESS READERS OUT THERE NOW? /SOB

ANYWAY, JUST WANTED YOU GUYS TO KNOW I'M STILL ALIVE AND WRITING . . .

AGAIN, PLEASE POST A REVIEW (EVEN FLAMES ARE WELCOME)