Notes: Well, it's Wednesday, and I've started writing. That's always a good sign, right? This will be the last chapter before I go to Florida on Saturday. Even though this is my main focus now, I still have a few other things I'd like to write.
Drifting Destiny: Chapter 7
I have no time to ponder over my new engagement plans as I am forced into the trials. Purity of light? Do I look as if I'm shrouded in darkness? I can just imagine how Folken did on this one. Alarm bells were probably going off as soon as he stepped into the door…er…ring. For a moment, all I can see is light. Then, darkness cloaks itself around me. I want to turn away from the images assaulting me, but there is nothing I can do except to stand and watch in horror.
A young Merle is backed against the wall with several spears pointed at her throat. She glares and raises sharpened claws, but the men taunting her press the spears closer. One of the weapons draws blood from her exposed throat. My breath catches in my throat as another cat figure throws himself onto the spears. He is instantly killed, but his sacrifice gives Merle the chance at escape.
The young Merle goes into a violent rage, and my heart reaches out to her. I see a bloodied collar digging into her fur, and I finally understand. Merle had been bought into a slave faction along with her family. The man who saved her was probably her brother or a cousin. Several of the animal folk go into a hissing bawl in an attempt to cause a distraction. Merle tries to throw herself back into the fray, but arms reach out and pull her into the shadows.
A much younger version of Van presses a finger over her mouth, and Merle tries to bite at him. His whispers soothingly in her ear for a moment, and her guard drops. Several men pour out of the shadows into the battle, and I nearly sigh with relief. King Gaou addresses the few men who are left, and the men try to flee. They are captured soon enough, and I turn to see how the cat people did.
To my astonished horror, all of the cat people are dead or dying around my feet. I drop to my knees as I hear Merle's wails behind me as Van drags her away. I can feel the darkness surround me, and I let it take me. I know they wish me to fight against the darkness, but not this time. These people need a moment of tribute. Even if the Atlanteans are impassive people, I am still human. I can still feel human regret.
The scene dissolves around me into the night, and I close my eyes against the bright daylight. The smell of freshly dug graves surround me, and I do not wish to harbor this deep sadness I can feel radiating from the people around me. Someone places a hand on my shoulder, and I tense under the touch. I sigh as I force myself to open my eyes. A ring of people surround me, and I realize I am sitting upon a memorial.
"I did not wish for this tribute in my name, and yet they gave it freely. I did not understand why they would want to honor me after all the bloodshed I had seen. I knew my husband tried to shield it from me, but I always saw the battles he willingly threw himself into. I requested a monument to be made to all the slaves who revolted against their masters before I left to seek out Folken," Varie said behind me. I did not turn to meet her gaze.
"Why? Why would you honor the slaves of all people if they revolted against the people who owned them? From what I've seen, slavery is perfectly acceptable in some parts of Gaia. I do not agree with it, but if I spoke of it before, I might've been thrown in a cell," I ask. Slavery used to be a common thing on Earth. I had never seen it first-hand until today, but I think I am beginning to understand why it is such a terrible thing.
"No human should own another creature. No creature should own a human or another creature," Varie says behind me softly. "We outlawed slavery in Fanelia long before anyone else on this planet did. We did our best to root out the slave factions, but sometimes we were too late. When the factions found out we were coming, they killed all of the slaves and their bodies for us to find later. Merle was lucky that night."
"Is that why you took her in? Were any of the slaves members of her family?" I ask softly. I can feel the gentle breeze die down in mourning. Several of the people drift away from the Fanel monument. I know Van is here, but I do not wish to see him in such pain. His loss ebbs away at my soul, and I turn to look at Varie. She offers a hand to me, and I decline it politely by turning my head away.
"Almost everyone killed in the revolution were members of her family in some way or another. People died needlessly for a few humans' greed. Merle herself nearly died alongside her family, but Van was too attached to Merle. My son found the faction, but it was still too late to save her family. Only one of her brothers survived, and she does not know about him. She will find out in due time, but now is not the time, nor was then.
"So Merle does have some real family left. Is this the end of my trial?" I whisper in a hushed voice. I can feel the presence of people moving forward, but I stay stock-still after bending down once more. I turn to look away, and I claw at the dirt beneath me. The grains of dirt leave stains across my hands and scratches begin to form across the palm. I didn't know I could feel anything here, and I marvel at the few drops of blood.
"Just watch, Hitomi. We have much to see after this, and we are already late. My son, it seems, has no perception of time in his unconscious mind. You should have been through it all hours ago with time to spare," she says as she clenches my shoulder. Is this the motherly affection Van had to suffer through? Did she show him any emotion at all when he was growing up?
The young Van stumbles forward toward his mother's tomb. Oh no, not this. Why couldn't it have been anything other than this? "Why, Mother? Why did you leave me? How am I supposed to go on without you, Mother? I can't look after myself," Van sinks down to the ground and cries into the earth. Balgus stays a few meters back as he watches Van impassively. Balgus gazes upwards at the statue.
"I'm sure she had a reason, Van. All mothers have reasons for the things they do. She probably thought she could save Folken from his fate. I'm sure she's at peace wherever she is," Balgus whispers. I'm not even sure Van heard him, but his shaking stops. It looks as if he might take off flying on his own somewhere, but his sobbing subsides. He wipes angrily at his tears, and my heart reaches out for him.
"Did you have a reason?" I ask softly as I stand once more. I know Van and Balgus cannot see me, but I stride over to them in any case. "Did you have a reason for leaving your youngest son to his own fate while you journeyed off after a lost cause? You knew Folken was beyond your help even before you left Fanelia. Why did you leave Van all on his own?" I knew my anger was getting the better of me, but there was nothing I could do to stop it now.
Varie sighed behind us as Van and Balgus walked out of sight. "I had to leave Van. It was foreseen Folken was going to be captured by Zaibach, and I wanted to try everything in my power to stop it from happening. I wasn't thinking about the son I had; I was only thinking about what I had lost. I faded away from grief when I knew Folken would never be returned to me. I never thought twice about what it would do to Van."
"If there is one more part of this trial, I shall like to get it over with. The longer we linger here in the past, the longer it will take for us to move on to the future," I say. My jaw sets in determination, and I hope for a quick retribution before we move on further. I haven't noticed it before now, but my robe has been changing ever so slightly. It is tinged with black at the seams, and I force the shadows away from myself.
"Very well. The last part of this trial will be on your own; however, it is not a part of the past you have seen. It could very well have been the consequences of recent events had you not realized what you had been doing the entire time," Varie says impassively. She walks away from the monument, and I am struck by a sudden sense of loneliness at her absence. It does not last long as the world melts around me.
I fight back the darkness surrounding me as I watch the scenes around me. Amidst the lightning raining down on the combatants below, a white and a black dragon claw at each other above. Battle rages around me as I follow the dragons' every move. The white dragon has been injured, but the black one isn't in much better shape. I know I'm at the edge of a cliff now, and I can follow no longer.
Merle calls for Van above, and I physically hold her back. This isn't some dreamscape any longer; this is real. I can feel the coarse fur beneath my fingernails as I dig into her shoulders. She throws herself into my arms and cries for all it's worth. I can't say I blame her at this point. I want to scream for Van too. The black dragon is slowly gaining ground on him, and I don't know if he can hold out much longer.
I throw everything into one thought of hope. I believe in Van, and I know he can win this. He has to. The ground shakes around Merle and I as Dilandau and Allen fight to left of us. What happened to Celena? Why isn't she still here? The possibility of another world. This world isn't based on wishes any longer. The Zone of Absolute Fortune was broken long before this outcome existed.
There's so much bloodshed. I could never comprehend why mankind always wanted war. Is there something wrong with peace? Do people find it such an illusion that they don't even try to strive for it? There's no rain because the memory of the bloodshed cannot merely be washed away with water. If only this were a wisp of a memory. I've cried all my tears, and not a single drop will fall.
Time completely stops for me as I see the white dragon fall. The tail curls under magnificently as the wings curl outward. The black dragon lets out a screech of triumph at its foe's demise, and it flies off toward Dornkirk. Dilandau lets out an insane laugh, and Allen lunges at him harder. Merle goes completely still in shock, and I let her slack down. She drops to the ground, but I notice the dragon still has not yet hit. I already know what I must do.
In a split second, I let my wings unfurl from my back. I jump off from the ground, and the skies beckon to me. I ignore the urge to glide with wind, and instead, I fight against the winds the dragon is causing. My wings are causing me agony beyond anything I've ever felt before, but I push the pain away. I have to get to Van, and there's nothing in this moment that can stop me.
I reach the Escaflowne, and I pry the door open to reach Van. "No, Van," I say in horror as I reach into the cockpit to pull him into my arms. I know we'll be crashing onto the world below soon, and his blood is already staining my robe. I gather him into my arms and push off from Escaflowne. "Hitomi," he whispers weakly into my shirt. I stroke his back comfortingly. The black dragon turns around and flies back towards us. His opens his mouth to let out a wave of fire that I know will consume both of us.
"No!" I scream as I turn to shield Van's body with my own. A pillar of white light envelops us and takes us back to the temple. My robe is now a shining white, and I notice Van no longer has any blood on him. He opens his eyes and grins up at me sheepishly. Varie applauds from across the room. "Congratulations, Hitomi. You successfully passed the first two trials. It's now time for your third." I look at her in stunned belief at the prospect of another trial and promptly pass out. Van will be explaining to me later how exactly I passed these first two trials.
Author's Notes: delightfully watches as the readers pass out What? The author wrote two chapters in one week?! How is this possible? Sorry, couldn't help myself. Ja ne Insane Pineapple from Naboo
Responses:
Lil Neko: Pizza! grabs onto pizza and starts munching away Hm…. Good pizza… See? It was a quick update, so it makes up for the cliffhanger. Yup, Hitomi has wings now. Mentioned that a few chapters ago.
Jossi-31: Hitomi's not completely dependent upon people; they just make her seem that way in the show. Of course I wouldn't just leave Merle out! She's just loves her Lord Van…
Kyaa77: grabs some popcorn Oh, I can just imagine an angry Hitomi yelling at sheepish-looking Van. Wow, I have a patient reviewer. I'm flat-out amazed. Where were you when I was getting all these death threats from people? I'm still here, so it's all good.
Lavisnu: Welcome, new person. I hope this was detail enough for you on the trials. Hitomi didn't seem to get much of a warning…
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