Chris: Look! It's another one! And it's about Nergal! WHOOOOOOOO! Ness.
Green Paladin: Thanks for liking my fics! Glad you enjoy them!
Min the Noodle: Yep, lucky Hector. I hope you like the alternate ending as well!
Nightmare3: Thanks for the compliments!
DotDotDot Man: I know who you are! And I'm glad you liked the original version.
Disclaimer: Don't own Fire Emblem. Also, if you're offended by the f word, then don't read a part of it. Cause the f word is in it. So yeah. Also, you might think this is graphic too. I don't. And I'm not going to bother changing the rating to M. Cause this whole thing isn't a M fic.
Know Your Sins, and Repent: I Just Wanted…Everything
"Urgh!" Nergal staggered backwards, his heart pierced by Eliwood's sword. The Dark Druid could feel his life's blood filter out through the wound, staining his black robes crimson. Nergal looked up from his wound and glared at the people assembled before him. "You…"
"I thought he was dead!" Hector gaped at Nergal, who slowly stood up straight.
"My magic…has sufficient power to keep me alive." Nergal smirked at the lord. "Maybe if your brother was a magic user, he would still be here today. Too bad, huh?"
"Grrr…Bastard!" Hector readied his axe for a killing blow, but Eliwood held up a hand in front of Hector's body.
"Hold, friend. He is near death. He only hopes for you to make it quicker." Eliwood kept his steady gaze on Nergal.
"Ah…Cunning, calculating Eliwood. Smart as a whip. Too bad you weren't smart enough to save your father." Nergal's smirked became wider.
Eliwood's eye twitched and his face paled. Hector noticed this and was about to charge at Nergal when Eliwood held him back again. "Not now, Hector. His time is up. He just wants to goad us into doing something stupid."
Nergal struggled to shrug as he felt more of his life slip away. "He's right, you know. I'm just an old rogue. In fact, I know the old rogue that killed your family, Lyn. Perhaps you'd like me to tell you who hired the Taliver bandits?"
Lyn's eyes widened and her grip on her sword tightened. She glared ferociously at Nergal. "Spit it out, blackheart!"
"Nuh, uh, uh…You've got to do something for me first before I tell you." Nergal waggled a finger in front of Lyn, who shuddered with rage.
"Calm down, Lyn." Eliwood continued to stare at Nergal. "Don't give in. Don't give him the satisfaction."
"I'm trying not to! But I'm getting a really tempting feeling to bash his head in!" Lyn trembled again, glaring at Nergal with hatred in her eyes.
"Awwww…Did I upset you, little Sacaean? Look, look! I'm playing a song on the world's smallest violin, just for you." Nergal continued his teasing, hoping to see one of the three lords break. But none of them tried attacking him, and Nergal heaved a sigh.
"Eliwood truly has taught you well." Nergal shook his head, wincing at the amount of energy that little movement cost him. "Now I have failed in my task…If only…I didn't crave the power…"
"What?" Eliwood stepped forward.
"I just wanted…everything. For my friends, for my family…I assume you don't understand. I wouldn't understand either. But I have no regrets." Nergal shook his head, feeling more of his blood leak out. Nergal sighed. Soon that blood would be replaced by his magic, and he would quickly disappear.
"Nergal. What do you talk about?" Eliwood cocked an eye towards the Dark Druid, who sighed.
"Now, when I'm about to die…I see it all. And now people wish to hear my story…But you may as well forget it. History will remember me as a tyrant and as an evil man, and I have no wish to change that." Nergal grasped the hilt of the sword still embedded in his chest. "History will remember!" He pulled out the sword, releasing the flow of the rest of his blood. Nergal gasped in pain and staggered backwards, falling to the floor. 'And so will I…I will remember…My want.'
---------------
"Ninis! Ninis! Where are you?" Nergal, a young man of around twenty years, looked around the castle, yelling out the name. The man's shaggy black hair fell around his face and the wizard pushed it out of his eyes. "This isn't funny, Ninis!" The man's expression was worried, and his nondescript brown robes brushed against the stone floor.
"Hee hee…"
An unrestrained giggle revealed the location of Ninis, who was a young woman with sky-teal hair. The girl dropped down behind Nergal, a broad smile on her face. "Hi Nergal!"
"Ninis!" Nergal whirled on the girl, his face angry. "Don't fool around like that! What if…you know! I don't want to lose you!"
"Don't worry about it, Nergal! You worry too much, you know!" Ninis's crimson eyes flashed merrily. The girl went behind Nergal and ruffled his hair playfully.
"Tch…It's only that I care about you." Nergal flushed, half from anger and half from embarrassment. "Man, what my friends would say if they saw me now."
"They'd probably be cheering you on, okay? I know you like magic, Nergal." Ninis hugged the wizard from behind. "And I'm glad you really don't care about what I really am."
"Why should I? I mean, you're not that much different from us." Nergal reached behind him and patted the girl's long hair.
"Thanks, Nergal!" Ninis kissed Nergal from behind, giggly merrily. "Your world is so much different from mine! It's so…exciting here!"
"Yes, well, sometimes excitement is overrated. I'd better get to class." Nergal sighed and pushed Ninis off of his back. "I'll be back later, okay?"
"Okay, Nergal!" Ninis smiled and ran off, presumably to explore more of this 'exciting' world.
Nergal sighed and rushed off to his magic class. Chances are he was going to be late, and it was all that dratted mamkute's fault.
------------------
"I can't believe it! There is so much power in the realms of magic!" Nergal gasped as he searched through the thousands of books inside of his school's library. "Some day…I will own such knowledge! I will help the world with my magic!"
"Shh! Quiet!" The head librarian glared at Nergal, who flushed.
"I'm sorry." Nergal pulled out an old, thin book. "Hm…Treatises on Alchemy and Magic…That sounds interesting." The wizard opened the book and flipped through it, searching for anything important that he could use. Nothing struck him as particularly mind-breaking until he came to the end of the book, to a section titled, 'Synopsis on Elder Magic'. Apparently, the author of the book was an elder magic user himself, and explained numerous benefits to pursuing elder magic. The author disdained how people termed elder magic, 'dark magic'.
"As studies have shown, elder magic, derived from the druidic magics of the ancients, has been known to increase life span, deal devastating power, and, in some instances, even create life. People who claim elder magic comes from the hands of the devil are woefully uneducated to the ways of magic. The term, 'dark magic' comes from the fact that elder magic utilizes the past and the night, not the devil or demons. Elder magic was first discovered a long time ago, approximately three million years before the event called the Scouring. And who discovered it, you may ask? The current Etrurian bishop of that era, Lord Riath Emander, discovered the nature of elder magic, and imparted it upon the people. While the Elimine clergy would dearly love to see this whole thing covered up, the fact remains that one of their bishops discovered their so-called 'Dark Magic'. Interesting, no?
However, elder magic does have one downside. Because it calls upon the past and the night, some weak-willed people who desire power have followed this path of elder magic. Unfortunately for us, they succeeded in their quest and went promptly insane. Because when you utilize elder magic, you are throwing a part of yourself into the past and into the night. Many elder magic users have seen images of the past in their eyes as they slept or thought it was night when it truly was day. However, for one that is strong-willed, controlling these images is easier than reading this book."
Nergal continued reading the book, enthralled by this outlook on elder magic. The wizard decided to check the book out to gain more information. And maybe, if he was strong enough, he'd walk the path of elder magic himself.
---------------------------
"Congratulations on finally graduating!" Ninis leaped towards Nergal, who was proudly holding his magic tome.
"I can't believe it! This is so amazing…Look at this…My first tome…Everything that I learn…Every magic spell will go into this." Nergal grasped the tome tightly, tears falling out of his eyes.
"Awww….Nergal is crying. Here, Ninis will cry with him." Ninis leaned on Nergal's back and began crying as well. Her sky-teal hair, which had grown darker and silkier over the years, fluttered in the breeze.
Nergal laughed and wiped his face. "That's okay, Ninis. Come on, let's go home. I can't wait to inscribe my first spell in this book." Nergal's face lit up with expectations. "Ninis…Thanks for staying with me through all this."
"Don't worry about it! You accepted me, Nergal. That's all I can ask for." The girl kissed Nergal on the cheek, smiling happily. "Show me your magic when we get home, okay? Pleeeaase?"
"Of course, Ninis. Of course."
-------------------------
"Ninis? Are you…busy?" Nergal walked up to the mamkute, his black hair waving in the wind. Ninis stood up from her work, smoothing her dress, which seemed to mold itself to the girl's lithe form.
"What is it, Nergal?" Ninis's crimson eyes seemed faded and she sighed.
"What's wrong…Ninis? Lately…You just haven't been yourself. I miss your old personality." Nergal gazed helplessly at Ninis, who cracked a smile.
"Sorry Nergal. I don't know…It's just that…Lately, I've been seeing more and more things that make this world less endearing. And…Well, someone found out about me." Ninis looked at the floor, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm going to have to leave…I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"Leave! How…Why? If anyone tries to hurt you, I'll use my magic to make sure you'll be okay. Please, Ninis. Don't leave." Nergal pleaded with Ninis, his eyes wide.
"Nergal…" Ninis shook her head rapidly. "No, I can't stay. What I think you feel…What I think I feel…No one would approve. I better go. That way, we can just live our lives in peace."
"But…But…I would approve! And…Without you, my life won't be peaceful! Please, Ninis! Don't leave!" Nergal rushed up to the dragon woman, holding her closely to him. "I don't want you to leave.
"…" Ninis's eyes softened. Ninis wrapped her arms around Nergal. "Very well…I won't leave. If you want me here, I will stay. The only opinion that matters…Is yours, Nergal."
"Thank you, Ninis…What you said earlier…About love…Does that mean…Ninis?" Nergal shook Ninis slightly, brushed her long sky-teal hair.
"Yes…Nergal. I would be happy to." Ninis nodded into Nergal's shoulder, tears of happiness falling out of her eyes. "I would be more than happy to." Ninis ran a hair through Nergal's bushy black hair and kissed him passionately in the lips.
-----------------
"Nils! Ninian! Come on in, children!" Ninis called out from the home they had built on the Isle of Valor. Time had been kind to both Nergal and Ninis. Ninis had grown slightly taller and her figure looked just as fine as a couple of years ago. Nergal had also grown slightly taller, and now his black hair reached the back of his neck. Plus, they had been blessed with two children.
Nils, a young, somber boy of around six years, ran up to his mother. His wide, bright-red eyes gazed at their house as he hugged his mother's waist. Ninian, a young girl would was one year older than Nils, danced up to her mother. Both children had inherited their mother's hair color and eyes, although Ninian had lighter colored hair and darker eyes while Nils had darker colored hair and brighter eyes.
"Where's father?" Nils looked up at Ninis, who smiled.
"He's inside…Why don't you go look for him? I think he's got something for you."
"Yay!" Nils and Ninis rushed inside, squealing with excitement. They ran around the house, searching every room together.
"Ha ha! Gotcha!" Nergal popped out behind them and grabbed them, scaring the hell out of the two children.
"Father! Don't do that!" Nils looked unhappily at Nergal and Ninian simply nodded agreement.
"Very well. But look what I got for you!" Nergal pulled out a couple of gifts he had gotten them. "You didn't think that I'd forget about your birthdays, now did you? What kind of father would I be then?"
"Yay!" Nils shouted excitedly and opened his package. Lying inside was a miniature flute and a small tambourine. "Hahahaha! Thanks Dad!" Nils picked up his new instruments and began playing with them, blowing out a simple tune.
"Ooooh…Thank you Daddy!" Ninian pulled out a small dancing shawl and some dancing clothes. The young girl left to change into her new clothes and when she was finished, Nils and Ninian put on a little show for their parents.
Nergal clapped his hands, his face bright and merry. Everything was going well for him. His practice with elder magic showed no signs of madness and his wife was as beautiful as ever. They lived a nice, quiet life inside a castle on the Isle of Valor and while their neighbors weren't the friendliest of folk, they had a good understanding of each other and helped each other out in a pinch. But something was going to change all that…
A year later, everything collapsed around Nergal. Now thirty, the shaman had gained a little weight and didn't move as fast as he used to be able to. However, he was still a formidable magician and he was happy with his life. Until now, that is.
"What are you doing?" Nergal called out to the people at the front of his castle. "Why are you doing this, my friends?"
"We're not your friends!" One of the people, a man from a villager nearby, waved a pitchfork at Nergal. "When you first came here, we thought you were normal! We didn't know you were married to…a freak!" The villager pointed his pitchfork at Ninis, who froze.
"But…I…I didn't do anything!" Ninis looked helplessly at the mob, clutching her hands to her chest. "I..."
"Shut up, you…monster!" A random person in the crown shouted angrily, and Ninis turned, crying.
Nergal put an arm around Ninis, hoping to shield her. "Don't you dare insult my wife!"
"Your wife! Oh, that's rich! Not only did you marry her, you had sex with her! And made a couple of freak children too!" The man with the pitchfork, who apparently was the leader, leered at Nergal. The shaman shuddered angrily, enraged by these insults to himself and his family.
Nils tugged at the hem of Nergal's robe. "What's wrong, father? Why are they calling us freaks?"
Ninian nodded, standing next to her brother. Her eyes were wide and her lower lip was trembling. Nergal leaned down and patted her on the head.
"It's okay, children…" Nergal smiled at them. "Just a little argument between adults. Why don't you go practice your dancing?"
Ninian and Nils nodded energetically, the last traces of fear fading from their eyes. Nergal turned back to face the angry villagers.
"What have we done to earn such disrespect?" Nergal spread his arms wide in a gesture of peace. "We have not harmed you in any way."
The leader paused, thinking of a rebuttal to Nergal's calm statement. "You…You just want us in a state of peace so you can kill us later!"
"But that's foolish!"
"You're calling us foolish now? Come on, boys! Let's get them!" The leader raised his pitchfork and the mod swarmed the castle, throwing rocks and various other things against the castle walls. Ninis turned and looked mournfully at Nergal.
"I knew this would happen…It was too good to be true…" Ninis sighed and slid off a ring on her finger. "Give this to the children…I'm sure they would have wanted it. I might as well go out there and face my punishment." Ninis shook her sky-teal hair sadly. "…If only dragons weren't reviled in this world…We could live in peace…"
"But we can still leave in peace! I can use my magic and take these villagers far away!" Nergal protested, but Ninis shook her head and placed the ring in Nergal's hand.
"No…My time is now. Besides, it was fun, right? I'm glad to have met someone like you." Ninis smiled and kissed Nergal one last time before walking towards the castle gates. Nergal held out a hand to stop her, but he shook his head and lowered it.
"Good luck…My darling." Nergal ran after the children, where he found them practicing their music. "Come on, kids. We're going to have to go on a vacation for a while."
"Really? Why do we have to leave? And where's Mother?" Nils looked up from his flute.
"Yeah. Where's Mommy?" Ninian looked up as well, her shawl draped around her shoulders.
"Mommy's going to be coming in a couple of minutes." Nergal ruffled their hair slightly to calm them down. "See? She gave me this ring to give you." Nergal placed the ring into Ninian's palm and led them to a large portal standing in the middle of the castle. "Okay, if Mommy and I aren't back in a couple of minutes, I want you two to go in, okay? Ninian, I already showed you how to open it, right?"
"Right, daddy." Ninian nodded bravely and took Nils' hand.
"That's my girl." Nergal smiled. "I'm going to go help Mommy pack, okay? Remember, if we're not back in a while, go inside. We will be back there soon."
"Okay, daddy. I hope Mommy finishes packing soon." Ninian nodded and smiled, but her eyes showed that she knew what really was happening.
"I hope so too." Nergal smiled back and rushed off to help his wife against the mob.
As he rushed back to the front of the castle, Nergal paused as he looked at a painting hanging on the wall. A friend of his, a very good friend of his, had made a portrait of him and Ninis. And strangely enough, his friend had asked Ninis to go into dragon form. He said that it would show people that humans and dragons could like in peace. Nergal shook his head. He doubted the painting could show the mob about how dragons and humans could coexist.
When he finally reached the location where the mob was, Nergal stopped, horrified. His wife was being tied to a stake and a couple of villagers were torturing her, punching her in the stomach and face. Ninis was bruised all around her body, but she still seemed to be alive. Nergal felt a kindling of rage burn within his heart.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?" Nergal rushed outside, his eyes flashing.
"You shut up! It's time to kill the freak!" The leader grabbed a sword from one of his comrades and waved it in front of Ninis' face. The dragon woman sighed sadly, her eyes faded from pain.
"Sorry…Nergal." Ninis closed her eyes and waited for the sword to pierce her body. The leader smirked.
"It's a good thing you're here! You can watch your bitch die!" The leader stabbed Ninis straight through her heart, driving the sword through her body. Ninis gasped once, blood flying out of her lips before she died. Nergal shuddered angrily and pulled out his magic tome.
"I thought I could use my magic to help people! I thought I could use it to make this world a better place! I WAS WRONG! People are bastards! Just plain, fucking bastards! I left you in peace! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Nergal's eyes glowed and he…pulled with his magic, ripping the leader's head from his shoulders. The rest of the mob looked horrified and began scattering.
"You think you can just run after what you did to me?" Nergal shouted angrily and waved one of his hands in the air, calling up shadows that enveloped some of the mob, choking them to death. "I JUST WANTED TO LIVE IN PEACE! And this is what you do!" Nergal raged, shooting his magic around indiscriminately, blowing up sections of the ground and the castle. Some of his magic sliced into the villagers and some of his other magic delved deep into the ground, only to spring up and destroy the landscape around it.
Nergal lowered his arms and sank to the floor, sobbing. "Ninis…Oh Ninis…They…They will all pay for their actions!" Nergal stood up, filled with a feeling of vengeance burning in his body. He stopped beside Ninis's body, stroking her cold cheek. "And…When I am done, I'll lay you to rest…In the world you thought was so exciting…"
------------------------------
Nergal stood outside of the village that had attacked his castle and killed his wife. He used his magic to amplify his voice and shouted a warning to the villagers. "Because of your stupidity, my wife is dead! Because of the fools from your village, all that I've worked so hard for has been destroyed! Because of you all, you shall die!"
Men, women, and children rushed out of their homes, looking fearfully at the shaman, who glared at them. Nergal called upon his powers again, darkening the sky so that everything looked close to pitch black. Shrieks of terror and fright resounded through the village, and Nergal smiled.
"I'm glad you think this is scary. How scary do you think it will be when someone else comes and finds all of your bodies lying on the ground?" Nergal cast his spells again and formed a sword purely of elder magic into his hand. "DIE!" Nergal rushed into the village, swinging his sword.
----------------------------------
Nergal placed the last stone on the grave, using his magic to fashion Ninis's grave. The shaman sighed sadly. "Oh…Ninis…Why can't we…?" He stood up, looking at the abandoned castle. After he had returned from his massacre, he had found that Ninian and Nils had already left, gone back to the dragon world.
"…Everyone will pay…And thanks to my magic…I have the capacity to do that. I have learned even more from my rampage. People are stupid and boorish. Only a being that has been created from magic is pure. One that looks like a human, acts like a human, but has none of humanity's flaws." Nergal's eyes glinted. "Looks like I have more studying to do."
Nergal whipped his cloak over his shoulders and disappeared.
Nergal sighed as he saw his actions fly past him. His first morph, Kishuna. Renault, the man who had helped him research his dark studies. His battle with Athos, which earned him his infected eye. Athos, coincidentally, was the one who had painted that portrait of him and Ninis. Nergal hoped that the painting was still around.
"So it all ends…For naught…For naught…" Nergal closed his eyes and rested, searching for his beloved Ninis. 'Love, peace, happiness, joy, family...Too much...Too much to want.'
Chris: Ooooh…Weirdness. If you've gotten a couple of supports and the extra level, you'll know everything that I've put in here. Except for Nergal and Ninis. Cause I added those. Cause…I don't know. I felt like it. And I just found out that if you put the borders in italics, QuickEdit doesn't take them off. Awesome. Review please!
