Don't Go To Sleep...
Chapter One: I Couldn't Sleep Last Night...
It was during the attack
in which the Desians burned everything down and either killed the
citizens or sent them to the human ranch. The Desians gathered around
him. They started circling and chanting, at first too inaudible to
hear. Then it group louder and louder into a deafening roar. 'It's
all your fault, all your fault, Lloyd, hahaha your fault!' The boy
unsheathed my swords, but the blades just ended at the hilts. He
charged at them, broke through their circle, and ran into the
surrounding forest. He could see their torches burning brightly as
they chased after him, still chanting. He jumped into a ravine and
him in a broken log. 'No escape, no escape, hahaha no escape for the
traitor!" they were yelling now. Twigs snapped under their feet,
but they didn't find the boy. Their torches faded into the distance,
and he decided to put more ground between him and the demonic
intruders. He ran from the log in to a clearing. It was like any
normal clearing, only...it was littered with the dead bodies of the
town members. The bodies...they started to get up. But they weren't
the villagers anymore, not quite. Their eyes were all glowing, and
their bodies were going through hideous transformations right before
his eyes. He backed away, but they staggered towards him as one,
chanting just like the Desians. "You did this to us, Lloyd! You
turned us into monsters! You killed us!" They let out piercing
shrieks of agony as they advanced on the terrifies young man. He ran
back in the direction of the burning village. He saw Genis, his back
turned to his face. He tried to call out, but no sound escaped him.
Genis turned and - it wasn't Genis. It wasn't a dark, twisted version
of him grinning demonically. He put his hands on Lloyd's shoulders,
forcing him to look into the glowing red eyes. "You made me like
this Lloyd. It's all your fault!" "N-no!" he shouted
and broke away from his former friend's grip and ran in the opposite
direction as the evil Genis just laughed. He ran right into Colette.
She was hung from a noose, her limp body dangling three or four feet
above the ground. Again he couldn't produce any sound. Her head
lifted; or was it his imagination? No, her body began to twitch and
spasm violently as she began to fade away. "Your fault, Lloyd"
he heard faintly before she disappeared completely. He ran to the
town square, where he was greeted by equally frightening versions of
Sheena, Regal, Presea, Zelos, and...Kratos. They closed in as he woke.
"Hey guys!" Genis shouted, rushing up to Lloyd. "Look what I got!" He was presenting a new kendama, with spiky adornments on the sphere op the weapon.
"Uhm, cool" Lloyd stammered. "Where'd you get that?"
"At the market. I used the last of my share of the money from our journey! Neat, huh?"
"That's for sure. Um, hey Genis? You mind if I have a moment with Raine?"
"That's Professor Sage, to you!" she declared angrily, coming out of her house smacking him on the head.
"Oh, Professor! I didn't know you were there" Lloyd apologized. "Anyway, I was hoping for a word with you."
"Oh, sure. Genis why don't you go play with Colette for a little while?"
"All right!" he happily skipped off, his kendama bouncing as he went.
"Come inside, Lloyd. It's a cold day. Wouldn't want you getting sick and missing your studies, now would we?"
"Of course not." He said a bit too quickly, still rubbing the bump growing on his head.
"I'll make some tea. Sit down, Lloyd. Make yourself comfortable." She left into the kitchen.
Lloyd surveyed the modest home Raine - er, Professor Sage had purchased with her share of the journey's profit. It was a definite improvement from that old one room shack they used to live in. They still were in residence of Iselia, of course. Raine went back to teaching the town's school, and Genis got to stay with his friends. No doubt, a special bond had grown between the members of their quest, an unshakable psychic link to each other. It had been a year since they had defeated Mithos and brought the war over mana between Sylvarant and Tethea'lla to an end. Still...he felt a lot closer to Raine than he had before they originally left Isealia. He found himself watching her when he had the chance of secrecy. He hadn't realized it before, but she was beautiful. He had matured, both physically and mentally over the journey; he was a man now. He had started to have interests and feelings never before experienced in the growing man's life. He could imagine Raine and he together, even, sharing a cozy little home, falling asleep on the couch by a smoldering fire, in each others arms every night-
Whoa, whoa, whoa! He thought. What am I doing? Am I fantasizing about Raine? That's wrong! Although...the thought didn't seem half as wrong as it would have before he was banished. Why was he thinking about such things, especially after what happened last night.
Lloyd was still scolding himself mentally when Professor Sage returned with the tea.
"Here you are, Lloyd"
"Uh, um...yeah thanks" He said too quickly, trying to keep any thoughts about them together out of his mind. He couldn't help it. She was just so...perfect! Beautiful, witty, caring, and not least of all, smart! Really, really smart. They weren't that far apart in age, only two or three years. And what did age matter in love?
What am I thinking? Lloyd wondered, horrified at the thoughts racing through his mind. He was abruptly brought back to reality to Raine's face looking slightly annoyed.
"Huh? Sorry, Rai - er, Professor Sage. Were you saying something?"
"Yes" she said, mildly agitated. " I asked what you wanted to see me about."
"Well, ever since Kratos - Dad, went back to lead the Cruxius angels, I've been having these...weird dreams. At first, they were just that; funny-strange dreams. Until lately, they started getting more serious. Sometimes I wake up in my bed trying to scream, calling for help, but I can't get the air. Through my gasping I can hear a voice whispering 'Don't go looking for him.' It's always a woman's voice, and then she screams...she wails until I have to cover my ears and hide my head in between my legs convulsing with fear..and something else. I don't know why but I feel angry. Then, just last night, I had the worst nightmare so far..."
Lloyd tried to mentally console himself. He took a sip from the mug of hot tea in his shaky palms.
He told her about the nightmare, Raine got up from her chair and knelt down beside him and held him.
"I woke up to the same voice, the same woman screaming-" his voice broke. "I think it's more than a nightmare, I think some force is trying to contact me. It's trying to lure me there, wherever 'there' is. It said it would take someone I care about it I don't come to it"
She held him and never wanted to let go. That was a strange thought. He rubbed her back affectionately.
"It's okay, Lloyd. Don't talk anymore..."
"Thanks Raine, I feel much better just being around you. I - I really like you, Raine" She didn't hit him this time. Indeed, she blushed furiously. What is he talking about? He means as a friend, of course...or did he? On their journey, she had seen Lloyd grow enormously. She had grown fond of him. No, don't think like that! We're just friends! Really? That voice in her head asked her. How do you really feel about him? Oh, this is absurd! She thought back at herself. She pulled away. He was gazing into her eyes. Did he really like her as more than a friend? Did she have feelings for him too? And what was this nightmare about?"
"Raine! Raine! Colette's missing!." Genis came running up, panting. "Phaidra told me she was gone when she got up this morning, and there was a message written in blood on the walls.
"What did it say?" Lloyd demanded.
Genis whispered "Only Lloyd can save her now..."
