Swords of Revolution
A/N: I apologise for the delay with this story. A little bit of advice – don't bother with planning them, then you'll forget what you were writing about. As you can see, this happened to me. It took me awhile to find the plan for this story, but now I'm ready to finish it… or at least to try to finish it. This is chapter three, told from Telian Reine's point of view.
Chapter Five
The Reality of the Legend
My name is Telian Reine. When you look at me, you see a typical girl here at Ohtori. The one who is quite beautiful, with waist length red hair, stunning blue eyes, and amazing figure.. My looks often make most of the boys at Ohtori turn around. However, I always find a way out of the crowd. I am the newest Student Council member and Student Council had always been a centre of attention here.
At the first look I am just an average girl. Well, besides the small fact that I wear the SC uniform consisting of white piece with red stripes. I also have a recent addition – a ring of the Duellist with crimson rose signet on it. There is a fairy tale behind that Signet, one which I learned from our President, Kaoru Miki.
I received the Signet in mail yesterday morning. It was stating that I am to report to the Student Council meeting today, at eleven in the morning, exactly the time I suspect my letter arrived yesterday. All that was in the letter was a card stating time and place of the meeting as well as the Rose Signet ring. Apparently, the Student Council members all have one.
"Once you're a Duellist, you're always a Duellist, so think carefully," Miki had said once he found out about all five of us. We had exchanged amazed glances of uncertainty. Something of a warning was in Miki's voice that day, as though he knew more than he let on about all those things.
"You know something about this whole Duellist thing, don't you, Miki?" I asked the President then.
Miki gave me a pointed look but relented.
"Let me tell you a story," he started off. "Once upon a time, there was a Princess, who lost both her parents. A Prince on the white horse came and washed her tears away. He then said, 'If you keep your heart nobel, and your thoughts clear, perhaps we will meet again.'
"The years passed and the Princess decided to become a Prince. She grew strong and wilful, caring and kind. Once, the girl met a Princess, the sister of her Prince. That other girl was very unhappy. She was the Rose Bride, the prise with a power to revolutionise the world – a tool for one person to use.
"There were the others. The Duellists. Most of them wanted the Rose Bride for their own. They fought over her with each other, until one day, the Princess challenged the Victor of the Duels for her friend, not knowing what she got herself into.
"The Princess became the next Victor of the Duels and one by one the Duellists fell to her. But the threat of the Black Rose was soon upon the Princess and the Rose Bride. The Black Roses used those who were dear for the Duellists, drawing on their weaknesses through them. Then all of them fought the Princess, and were defeated, their roses cut away.
"Lucifer appeared then. End of the World he called himself, and even through some ideas were clear, the Duellists, the Princess and the Rose Bride were his marionettes. Of course, none of t hem knew it. Lucifer then managed to seduce the Princess, being so alike to the Prince she once knew. If not for the Rose Bride regaining her soul at that time, the Princess would have remained in Lucifer's control forever. But the mere presence of the Rose Bride during the Princess's captivity gave the Princess the necessary strength to break the spell she was received the power the Rose Bride had wielded.
"There was a catch in the story." Miki frowned and clicked his stopwatch he started using again shortly after placing his old signet back on.
"The catch?" Ria Lenerad prodded him. Miki gave a slight smile at Ria.
"The Rose Bride deceived the Princess. Once the Princess's back was turned, the Rose Bride run a sword she had through the Princess. By all rights, the Princess should have died then. But sheer determination made her to go on to the gate that held the Rose Bride and her power."
Miki paused once again, glancing around the Duellists. We all listened intently, each in our own way. Michael was the most relaxed of us all, his eyes trained on Miki, as he usually concentrated on the person who was talking. Daniel was leaning back on his chair, a relaxing pose if one had not noticed his intense violet eyes. Ria eagerly leaned forward, her green hair spilling forth and obscuring her black eyes sparkling with genuine curiosity. I knew then I was sitting way too straight, and tried to relax a little. However my curiosity was piqued. So far, Miki was telling the truth.
"I do not know if the Princess and the Rose Bride had survived," Miki said finally. He smiled at our collective groan of disappointment. "However, I do know that the two of them disappeared. Nobody heard of them ever since, and the people begun to forget about the Princess as time passed by. The Duellists forgot that they were Duellists, and some of them also disappeared. The Black Roses were also freed from their bonds and vanished just as mysteriously.
"Some think now that this was just a legend. Some cannot remember what exactly happened then. And yet the others still believe that the Duellists, the Black Roses and the Princess are still alive out there."
Miki leaned forth, his blue eyes turning serious. We huddled around him, anticipating the conclusion of the story.
"The Duellists may have vanished, but they're here. And so is Lucifer. Beware of him."
"Hwy tell as all of this, Miki? What do you mean, the Duellists are still here? Where are they?" I had asked.
Miki gave a small smile and raised his own hand, showing me the blue Rose Signet he wore, just like the rest of us.
"We are the Duellists," he replied. As the members of the Student Council gasped, Miki continued calmly. "We are the Marionettes, unless we break Lucifer's hold. But first…."
"But first we need to find Lucifer, right?" Daniel had asked.
"Exactly." Miki's eyes narrowed. "And I have a very strong suspicion that I know who our Lucifer is."
Even through I and the others all begged him to elaborate, Miki would say no more.
"These are only my speculations," he replied. "I will wwarn you if they are correct. For now though…"
He got up, signalling their meeting was over. "We have classes to attend, homework to be done, and normal life to be lived." He gave us a warm smile and went to the exit from the Arena.
"Miki, wait a second." He stopped without turning back. "How do we know the Lucifer?" I had asked.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll find him, all right,": Miki replied, not turning. "After all… He is the one we will have to fight at the end."
A forthnight passed since then. I had given all the story a lot of consideration. From what Miki told us, it seemed as through the story was soon to repeat itself, but under different sircumstances. I tried long and hard to figure out the mysterious Lucifer but so far I failed. Until today.
I had collided with somebody on the stairwell while on my way to the fencing club.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Reine," that person said. "I hope you are all right?"
Warning bells went off in my head. The Lucifer was standing right next to me, being all noble and polite. But of course, I couldn't let him know that I had recognized him.
"I am quite all right, Sir," I replied instead. "If you'll excuse me now, I have somewhere to go."
He raised his eyebrows at my hasty retreat. Apparently, I overplayed it, as I slightly glanced back and watched a smirk on his face. The Chairman of Ohtori Academy only gave me a small salute, as in promise to meet again. I nearly gagged and rushed all the way into the gym, where the fencing club was held.
I arrived there at top speed, bursting through the door, with the warning bells ringing off in my head. To my shock, the Chairman was calmly standing in the middle of the gym, discussing something with Miki. Our Captain had a guarded expression on his face. He noticed me and gave me a light nod as acknowledgment. I tried to look calm and begun my stretching exercises.
"So you noticed him, huh?" Miki's voice asked me right into my ear. I jumped in surprise.
"Yeah. What did he want with you?" I asked. Miki shrugged, as the guarded expression he wore before this conversation melted away.
"The usual Student Council business. Oh, and he said he'd issue the challenger to us the next week. It seems that I'm first on his list."
I shuddered. That man was dangerous, and the small fact that he already managed to rope people into doing his bidding was quite impossible to place – but here was Miki, awaiting his first challenge…
After the day, I paused, twisting the ring with the red Signet. Perhaps, this time, the Revolution will finally come around. All I had to do was not to fall into the Lucifer's clutches, like the others did a long time ago.
I knew there was more to Miki's story, but I also knew that I would figure it out… eventually. For now though I realised I should put the legend of the past to rest.
"For the sake of revolutionizing the world," I whispered now, as the shadows of the night crept upon Ohtori , wrapping it in its tight blanket of darkness.
I did not worry about the night. The light from the Rose Signet shielded me
from it as this school's walls shielded me from the rest of the world…