A/N: No one likes my story... TT

Chapter 6: Mixed Feelings

The sky was red. Vengeful cries filled the air as slivers of metal swished here and there, creating a horrific atmosphere. The sounds of metal clanging were everywhere. Knights, crusaders, alchemists, and even assassins were fighting for their lives to survive. The odd thing was, they were not fighting each other; they were focusing on a lone knight that stood out among the rest of them. This knight was not armored like a Pronteran knight. Bedecked with coal-black metal and intricate carvings, the knight emitted an aura of darkness and power.

Posing a casual stance, the dark knight stood aloof as he waited for the next attack. "Come on, you filthy cowards. Think you can beat me?" a raspy, sort-of metallic voice came out from the black visor. He kept a firm grip on his sword as he waited for his foes. Enraged, an assassin dashed forward and tried to plunge her katar into his unprotected side, only to widen her eyes in surprise as the knight evaded her blow and pierced her heart with his own attack. Laughing harshly, he twisted his blade a little to savor her screams before unceremoniously dumping her on top of the pile of corpses.

"So who's next?"

The knight taunted the frightened looks of his attackers, almost daring them to send him to his grave. No one could even touch him without getting slaughtered in the process. He was too fast for them.

"Your time of horror is over, knight! Leave us in peace!"

The knight turned around slowly, his movement betraying his exaggerated surprise. "My, my. Feisty thing, aren't you? So you think you can defeat me? Me, the chosen one from the Dark Master himself? You're giving yourself way too much credit," he mocked as he faced his opponent. Then his eyes widened, not in surprise but in sudden fear. It was him. The one his master had been talking about. But hadn't Succubus killed him already?

"I see you remembered me, knight. Leave this city alone and never darken our doorsteps or you shall perish."

"Think I would actually agree to that, sage? This city is mine to mess around and it shall be that way. So what makes you think you can stop me?"

The sage mentioned smiled grimly as his hands began to glow unnaturally. "So you want to fight, eh? Fine. A fight we shall have then. Prepare yourself, knight!" he said calmly. Snarling, the knight gripped his sword tightly and charged towards the sage, evading the fiery blows from the sage.

"That's the best you can so, you white-haired freak?" he sneered as he dodged another fireball.

"Ah, but that is just the beginning, knight. You haven't seen the best part yet," the silvery-haired sage said softly. He raised his hands upward and mentally prepared a spell. Just as the knight reached him, he smiled sarcastically as white-got lightning bolts charged towards the dark armor, electrocuting him into dust. Placing his hands limply on his sides, he stared at the pile of dust and metallic liquid on the blood red floor.

"Told you to leave already, and my guess if that you're on your way to meet your Master again…"

Alyssa woke up abruptly. Her breathing was uneven as she struggled to recollect her scattered wits. It was that dream again. Only this time it was getting more detailed. "Ouch," she muttered, placing her hand onto her forehead as she realized her head was thumping badly. Her body was sore and ached all over due to her foolishness of sleeping on a chair. Wait a minute, why was she sleeping on a chair anyway? Alyssa frowned and looked at her own bed.

"Oh yeah, cause there's a sage on my bed that I think it's Shenzein but I'm not entirely sure," she said under her breath as she stood up painfully. It was rather dark and when she tried to walk to her cart but stumbled on something in the process. Cursing under her breath, she was regaining her balance when the sage woke up abruptly.

"Great, you're awake. Stay there awhile, will you? I need to get something for my blasted headache first," she said painfully as she felt her head being hammered. The sage looked at her confusedly for a moment. He stared around, as if to recollect his thoughts and then looked at Alyssa shrewdly.

"You're Alyssa, aren't you?"

The alchemist was just about to pick up a bottle of red potion when he popped out that question softly. Her hand stilled momentarily. She closed her eyes and opened them again, almost regretting her little action. Her headache had intensified. Picking up the bottle shakily, she ignored his question as she poured the red liquid onto a piece of cloth and placed it on her head. "Aah," she murmured as she felt the soothing medicine working wonders on her pounding head. Still holding the cloth, she walked back to the nearby chair and faced him with half-closed eyes.

"Yeah, I am. Who else can I be, Shenzein Zephyrthros?" she smiled at him faintly.

He did not return her smile. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a low, intense voice. Alyssa looked at him in surprise.

"I happen to stay here, you doofus! And you, my friend, are the cause of my headache at the moment. So I should say that you should be more grateful that I've brought you in instead of leaving you to rot and be mugged by the streets of Morroc!"

Shenzein stared at her awhile, his mouth twitching reluctantly. "Always the same old Alyssa, aren't you. Hot-tempered as always," he said, his mouth forming a reluctant smile. The alchemist felt her breath leaving her as she looked at him. He was so darned handsome.

"Well, I may be the same old Alyssa, as you said, but you sure have changed, from the say I see it," she said lightly as she switched hands on the cloth. At least her headache was getting better. She sneaked a glance at him. He did change, she realized, not only physically but mentally as well. Gone were the days when her friend sounded happy-go-lucky and his carefree ways. Instead, they were now replaced by a serious look and an unsmiling figure that reminded her of Leon von Frisch from the Academy.

"If this is what happens to mages that advances into study of magical academy, I thank god I didn't join you," she added, giving him a grin. Shenzein looked at her as if she was from another continent. Sighing, Alyssa put down the cloth and muttered, "Never mind."

"So tell me about yourself, Alyssa Quayshua. What have you been doing for the last few years? I see you've become an alchemist already," he noted caustically.

Alyssa stiffened. His tone implied that what she did was dumb, and she hated it. "It doesn't matter, Shein. Look, if you want to be all stuffy and sarcastic, I suggest that you leave now. I'm not exactly interested in helping a friend I thought I once knew only to be insulted by you!" she retorted, stung.

The sage looked at her in surprise. "Eh, Lyss, I wasn't insulting you at all. I was just stating a fact, that's all," he explained, staring at her curiously. She seemed rather touchy at the moment. Shenzein suddenly flung his covers aside and strode towards Alyssa. She looked at him in surprise.

"Eh? What are you-"

He silenced her with a look and placed his hand on her forehead. Closing his eyes, he muttered something unintelligible and gently rubbed her forehead slowly. Alyssa closed her eyes as well, feeling a soft glow of relaxation flowing inside her. Gradually, her headache passed and she opened her eyes once more, adjusting quickly to the bright surroundings. She looked at the sage gratefully and said, "Thanks, Shein. Sorry for being a jerk just now. I'm just rather…touchy lately, that's all."

Shrugging, Shenzein removed his hand and smiled at her. "Don't worry, I definitely know the feeling," he said, bending down and gave her a hug. Startled, Alyssa stared at his back for a while before returning his hug. She felt him stiffen and withdrew away from her. Shenzein looked at her carefully and said, "Sorry, didn't mean to do that. I don't know what had gotten into me these days." He looked surprised at his own actions. Then again, she was surprised as well. Hugging Sheinzen made her feel…wanted.

Smiling at him, she stood up and hugged him this time. "It's okay, hugging is fun, and not a sin at all," she whispered in his ear mischievously. She felt his body tense for a few seconds before hugging her back tightly. He buried his face into her raven hair and murmured, "Oh, how I've missed you, Lyss!"

"Believe me, you're not the only one. Who was the one that traveled solo but never even thought of searching for his friend?" she asked wryly as she detangled herself from his grasp. Shenzein grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, I was pretty busy with my reports and stuff."

Laughing, Alyssa poked him playfully at his chest and retorted, "Yeah, right! Why you became a sage I have no idea. Sages are so boring! All they do is just read, read, read! What do they do for fun anyway?"

Shenzein pretended to be deeply in thought, "Hmm, let's see…us sages usually like to…tickle unsuspecting alchemists!" He made a playful grab at Alyssa as she shrieked laughingly and avoided his hand. "Eh, eh! Don't do anything silly, Shein! Your energy's not fully recharged yet, you know," she said breathlessly as she evaded his grasp again.

He grinned playfully. "All right, if you say so. But on one condition: You must tuck me in."

Alyssa stared at him. Was he serious? She echoed the question aloud. The sage grinned even wider and nodded, looking all dopey. "Hmm, alright. But you must promise not to be silly or naughty, okay?" she said in mock-seriousness. Shenzein copied her attitude and nodded equally serious. She looked at him and they both burst into laughter.

"Ah, now this is the real Shenzein Zephyrthros I used to know, and not the stuffy and boring person you are now!"

"Aie, I missed this a lot. Remember those times when you felt like skinning me alive cause I kept creating havoc in Geffen?"

"How could I forget? My sister gave me a huge lecture on responsibility and choosing the right friends soon after!"

"Serves you right! At least you don't have a brother acting like a wounded baphomet just as soon as you did something wrong," he teased.

Alyssa's smile faded a little as she remembered her sister. She noticed her friend was looking at her curiously and quickly pasted a smile on her face. "Oi, didn't you just said you wanted to be tucked in? C'mon then, I want to get some rest myself," she said lightly.

Shenzein studied the alchemist at the corner of his eye as she stood up. She had grown up to be a beautiful alchemist. Her waist-length hair was as black as ever, he remembered. And her smile…He dreamily remembered the times she used to smile and laugh at his silly jokes. His heart twisted a little as he reminisced the good old days. How he missed those times. Better yet, how he missed Alyssa. If it wasn't for those threats, Shenzein doubted if he would leave her side. But…

He shook his head. Now is not the good time to reminiscence. He looked at Alyssa once more, only to realize that his feelings for her were as strong as ever. How am I going to live through this again, I have no idea, he groaned silently as his emotions wrecked havoc inside him. Sighing, he stood up and went to bed. True to her word, the alchemist did tuck him in, and she even kissed him on the forehead before whispering to him goodnight.

She rose from her seat and switched off the light before pulling a duvet and placed it onto the floor. Shenzein stared at her outlined figure, his forehead still feeling the imprint of her kiss, his skin still tingling from her whispered words. Enough, Shenzein! You must not have any distractions and you know it! How else are you going to defeat him if you don't concentrate? He scolded himself as he snuggled deeper into the covers. But he didn't sleep, not yet at least. He stared above him, into the cracked ceiling, flashes of old time memories chasing each other in his mind…

"For the last time, Shenzein Zephyrthros, stay away from that girl!"

"But why-"

"You do as I say, boy. And no one will get hurt. Unless you wish to follow your parents' unfortunate footsteps…?"

The mage fledgling stiffened. He stared at his mentor unbelievingly. How could he be so cruel?

"Master-"

The wizened wizard raised a hand, curbing his flow of words. "Enough said, boy. Leave now and do as you're told!"

Again, Shenzein stared hard at his mentor. Suddenly, he felt a deep boiling rage slowly making its way up to his head. Drawing a deep breath, he looked at the wizard squarely at the eye and said,

"No."

The wizard stared at him. "What did you say?" he thundered menacingly.

Undaunted, Shenzein stood his ground and replied strongly, "No, master. No more. No more threats, no more unwanted quests. I'm sick and tired of doing your dirty work and I'm not doing it anymore! Go find someone else to be your lapdog, cause I'm leaving!"

He strode abruptly towards the exit as soon as he finished his outburst, only to pause momentarily and turned around. "Oh, and sir? I think I do not want to be a wizard anymore. Perhaps sage is more towards my specialty." And with that, he stalked out from the School of Geffenia Magic.

Stepping outside, the silver-haired mage breathed deeply for awhile, trying to calm his scattered nerves. "I must not tell Alyssa about this," he muttered to himself. He suddenly slapped his forehead. "Alyssa! Oh damn, I forgot!" he cursed silently as he raced past by other students and teachers from the school. Panting, he stopped just in front of the Kapra's receptionist.

"P-P-Prontera, please," he gasped, trying to ease a stitch from his side.

Nodding cheerfully, the receptionist flicked her hand and transported him to the busy city of Prontera. I hate Kapra's teleportation, he grumbled to himself as he picked himself up. Somehow or other, he had managed to once again land not-so-gracefully on his sore bottom.

As he brushed his dusty mantle, he thought back of his former mentor's words. There was something sinister in his speech and the mage felt rather uneasy about it. He didn't want anything to happen to his friend. He didn't want anyone to get hurt anymore because of him. Perhaps it was time for them to part ways…

"Ah, I forgot again! Lyss's gonna be soo mad at me!" he groaned as he remembered that he was supposed to meet the merchant at the center square. He dashed madly, waving his arms about as shouted, "Make way, make way!". His mad antics caused quite a number of gaping and curious onlookers, which he deftly ignored. Finally, he noticed his irate friend standing in front of the Prontera official guide.

"Yo, Lyss! Sorry I was late. My 'caring' brother gave me yet another lecture again before I left house," he lied rapidly as he gasped for breath. The stitch by his side worsened as he drew huge pants.

"Serves you right! You're always late!"

"Sorry, sorry…"

Sighing, Alyssa rummaged her brown, leathery bag and produced a bottle of red potion. "Here, drink this," she offered to the breathless mage. Shenzein took the bottle gratefully and downed the fiery liquid in two large gulps. The potion did wonders to his abating strength. Within minutes, he ceased panting and wiped his sticky mouth with his sleeve.

"Umm, so, shall we start training again?" he babbled, thinking desperately that he should sound normal. To his relieve, she did not suspect anything but merely said, "Right. Let me get some potions before we leave."

Nodding his head, he silently followed the raven-haired merchant into the nearest potion shop. As he watched her haggle for the cheapest price, his mind worked furiously. He needed to get away from her, fast. He knew that if he stayed, his former mentor would definitely make his life miserable; by hurting Alyssa. His heart ached at the possibilities of her getting harmed. No, I must leave, he resolved silently.

They left the shop, and Shenzein thought quickly how he should explain it to her.

"Err, Lyss?I have something to tell you."

"What?" the merchant asked in surprise, looking at him.

"I hate to say this, but I need to carry on solo in order to train myself in becoming a sage. I'm so sorry, but I can't be with you anymore."

He fidgeted uncomfortably as Alyssa stared at him, her eyes betraying her emotions. The mage felt his heartstrings pulling as he saw her hurt feelings. He wanted to pull her close and hug her tight, explaining his problem. But instead, he pulled himself together; telling himself fiercely that it is for her own good.

"It's okay, Shien. Who knows, we might meet again someday," she paused briefly and rummaged her bag for something before continuing playfully, "Here, keep this. Give it back to me the next time you meet me, okay? So you better keep it safe of else I'll bang your head with my axe if I meet you." She handed him a silver charm necklace and looked at him.

Taking the necklace, Shenzein was overwhelmed by his emotions and suddenly hugged her tightly.

"I won't forget you, Alyssa Quayshua…"

Returninginto reality once more, Shenzein pulled something out from his robes. It was the silver necklace the alchemist had given him years ago. He had worn it straight after she gave him the necklace. Somehow, it had become part of him already. "I'll give it to you the next time we meet, Lyss," he whispered to himself, tucking the necklace back beneath the folds of his robes. Right now, he needed to rest first. It'll be a long day tomorrow…