A/N: Chapter 11's finally here! Hehehe..sorry it had taken so long everyone. I just finished my biology assignment and it had taken me ages to finish! Anyway, my updates will be slower from now on. My teachers are really piling up tons of homework on me..Sigh...So sorry if the story's confusing, Hyuuga and Skye Mihalak. Ain't stories supposed to be confusing? Hehehehe...
Chapter 11: Shadow
"There's still one thing I'm confused about."
Anexia looked up wearily, her tired face illuminated by the flickering flame from the candle. "What?" she asked doggedly. Her head felt heavy at the moment. Probably because she hadn't slept a wink all night, she conceded. She looked at the sage in front of her. He looked just as bad, she thought. Both of them had given up on a good night's rest, as they could not even take a break from their turbulent thoughts. Amazingly enough, Alyssa slept peacefully through her emotional breakdown.
"When you said that Nexxon was Xanothiem's great, great, great-grandson, how is that possible? I mean, didn't you say that Xanothiem had wiped out his clan? How did one survive until then?"
The assassin sighed and nodded her head once. "True, you should be suspicious about that…" she mused.
"Hmm, let's see, where should I start? Remember I had told you once that Xanothiem had a sweetheart that was assassinated by his own kin? Well, there was actually a story behind this. Sylvia, as she was known, was an assassin with a mysterious past. Xanothiem had found her half-dead deep within the Payon caves when he was undergoing intense training. He brought her home and treated her wounds tenderly, despite the strong objections from his family and relatives."
Anexia took a deep breath and continued, "Months later, Sylvia regained her strength and vigor. But that was not all she gained. Somehow, deep inside her cold heart, she found herself falling helplessly in love with Xanothiem. Yeah, this sure sounds cheesy, I know. But well, a fact's a fact. Anyway, somehow, a cousin of his, Kaelan, knew about her affections to Xanothiem, and, oddly enough, was jealous. It seems that Kaelan too, had an obsession over the assassin and hated his cousin under the assumption that Xanothiem was the barrier between him and Sylvia. I'm not going to bore you with the rest of the details. So to cut the story short, Kaelan spread poisonous rumors among the Harlienne clan about Sylvia being a dark agent of Death and whatnots. Fear and anger brought the Harlienne clan together to assassinate Sylvia without Xanothiem's knowledge."
"So then comes the part of story where you know, about how Xanothiem killed his clan, blah blah blah. But little did he know that Sylvia had given birth to a child before she was killed. Fearing her child's safety, she smuggled her son out from the village and handed him reluctantly to a trusted couple, the Quayshuas. And you can figure out what goes on next, don't you?"
Shenzein nodded his head slowly as his brain gears kick to action. "So that means Nexxon was the sole heir of the Harlienne clan, being that…his great, great-grandfather was the child Sylvia gave away?"
"Precisely. So now we can only assume that Xarlienne was woken from his tomb to find the last Harlienne in Rune-Midgard. Who woke him up, I am not so sure. But what I had managed to find out was this: Xanothiem Harlienne is now walking in Rune Midgard under the false pretense of a knight."
The suddenly she frowned, "No, wait a moment. That's not right. His clothes are not the same garments of any ordinary knight. He wears the mail garment unfamiliar to this city, but somehow it shows superiority and power. Odd, huh?"
"Just a question, Anne," asked the sage curiously, "How did you know all of this?"
"Simple. My family's ancestors helped Alyssa's ancestors when they were in trouble. Both sides vowed that whenever the opposite party is in trouble, help would be disposed to their service. I guess this time it was my brother and I," she replied.
Then, the assassin yawned. She stood up and picked up the candlestick. "Okay, enough for now. I desperately need to sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow so I advise you to have some shut eye as well," she said.
Shenzein sighed. She was right. He needed some rest, whether he liked it or not. Nodding his head, he stood up. After bidding Anexia good night, he went to his tiny room and closed his eyes, waiting for the heavy sense of sleepiness to overtake him. "It's going to be a long day…" he whispered to himself.
"Right, is everyone ready? We need to make a move."
Astrexil looked expectantly at the silent party. They were all gathered in front of the entrance of Juno, the city of knowledge. Astrexil had summed up a plan earlier that morning, and had decided to make a head start on their journey. The faster they reached Glast Heim, the better chances they would have from disrupting the peace that reign the kingdom.
"Why are we doing this again, Astrexil?" Shenzein yawned widely. Obviously, he did not get enough sleep that night. He looked at Anexia blearily. She looked fine, he thought grumpily.
"We need to reach there as soon as possible. The faster we leave, the better chances we have that no chaos or unnecessary wars will break loose among the people," came the reply.
Shenzein sighed. This was not what he had in mind when he was elected to figure out the disappearance of King Tristan. But he had made a promise to his mentor, and he would not go back on his word.
They all picked up their belongings; Astrexil his backpack, Shenzein his old leather satchel, Anexia a small pouch containing necessary essentials, and Alyssa with her cart. Silently, they left the city and trudged along the wide expanse of the semi-barren land of Juno.
"Tell me why again we can't use Kapra's Teleportation?" complained Shenzein as, for the fifth time, Astrexil consulted his map. The priest looked up from his map and said rather crossly, "I told you once and I'll tell you one more time; the Dark Master knows how to trace our tracks if we use teleportation!"
Anexia sighed wearily and rubbed her neck ruefully. "Still, I wish we could find a faster way there. You are definitely not a good map-reader. We've been circling around here for the past few hours!" she exclaimed. She stopped walking and took out a water pouch, unscrewed it and drank half of its contents in one large gulp. Capping back her water pouch, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
Then suddenly, her sixth sense quivered. She sensed someone was nearby. Someone that was not in their party. Casually, she glanced around, as though nothing happened, her sharp eyes noting every detail of the surroundings. Nothing. Only a few blobs of pink porings were seen roaming around merrily. But just as she was about to glance back at her own party members, she spied a flicker of shadow on her left. Though she wasn't so sure, she was certain that it was no shadow of any monsters living in the fields of Juno.
Slowly, she walked towards Astrexil, pretending to pass him something from a pouch. She whispered quietly but urgently, "Company." Astrexil looked startled but managed to tone down his surprise before it was obvious. He nodded cheerily at his sister and said aloud, "Well gang, I suppose we'll just have to camp a night here."
Alyssa and Shenzein groaned in unison. "I knew we were lost!" exclaimed Shenzein exasperatedly. He flung down his satchel and sat on the rocky ground. But just as he was about to speak, he sensed something sinister as well. He looked questioningly at the assassin, as if to confirm his suspicions. She smiled and nodded her head, glancing at the silent alchemist staring blankly in front of her. Anexia was worried about her. She hadn't spoken a word since they left the city.
But this wasn't a good time to talk about all that. The eerie feeling of being followed was getting stronger and Anexia sensed someone was deliberately hiding from sight. Out of the blue, a ball of blue flame erupted from midair and circled lazily around them. The assassin glanced at her brother gratefully. Slipping her hands into her katars, she looked around rapidly for any signs of movement.
"Shadow."
Startled, Anexia looked at the alchemist in surprise. She received a bigger shock when an assassin suddenly materialized in front of Alyssa. The assassin was garbed with the typical clothes an assassin would own. But as she assessed him rapidly, she spied an unusual marking on his left arm. It looked like a cross between an eye and some rune symbols. As if noticing Anexia's scrutiny, the unknown assassin deliberately covered his arm with his tattered bandage-scarf that was hanging loosely from his shoulders.
Shadow smiled mockingly at Alyssa. "Hello again, my dear. Been up and early with your wee friends, I see," he noted sneeringly, glancing at each and every member of the alchemist's party. He noted the savage surprise expression of the sage, the tensed priest, and the watchful assassin.
"Who are you and what do you want?" came the savage question from Shenzein. Shadow raised his eyebrows. "Now why should a little, pathetic sissy ask a question like that I wonder?" he pretended to mused. The sage seethed and stared angrily at the mocking assassin.
"Enough!"
Both men stopped and stared at Alyssa. The alchemist ignored Shenzein and walked to Shadow, facing him squarely eye to eye. "What do you want now?" she asked quietly, ignoring the amazed and shocked looks of her friends.
Shadow smiled again. "You're not in the position to ask me that, my dear, remember?" he said mockingly. He watched as she fought to control her composure, her body shaking unmistakably with anger. He thought she looked more endearing than ever as blood rushed to her face, making her look as though she was somewhat drunk.
"Leave, Shadow. Unless you are here to assassinate me, again?"
"Actually, that is what I plan to do. I serve only to the Dark Master now, and he has plans for you, sweetheart. As for the rest, they'll be minced meat for the pecos by the time I'm not with them."
Anexia tightened her grip on her katars and advanced menacingly. "Why you-" She dashed forward, hoping to catch him off guard by sidestepping him at the very last minute. Shadow remained rooted at his spot, unmoving as he watched the blurred outline of the female assassin heading towards him. Then at the very last second, his own figure blurred as he sidestepped Anexia's attack seamlessly and stood behind her.
"What the-"
Anexia stared at him in shock. She never misses her target, not once. And even if they did, a series of cuts and scratches would be evident on her opponent's skin. But this guy…he was fast, she had to admit.
"Is that all you can do, sin? What do they teach you in that guild of yours nowadays, anyway? The dexterity of an assassin is seriously lacking," he mocked. Then he turned to Alyssa. "I'm not in the mood for killing today anyway. Lyss, for the last time, give up what belongs to Dark Master, now!" he said threateningly, his face suddenly dead serious once more.
Alyssa looked at him defiantly. "What makes you think I have them? And even if I do, what makes you think I'm going to give it to you?" she shot back tersely.
"Because…"
Shadow suddenly moved from his spot. Realizing this, Alyssa too moved quickly, abandoning her cart. Just in time too, as Shadow stopped right where the alchemist had been a while ago. Alyssa smiled grimly and took her trusty fire-encrusted axe out.
"You want a fight, you'll get one!" said Alyssa, her eyes boring gimlets into the assassin.
Shadow merely smiled mockingly and slipped his hands into his katars. Once more, Anexia noticed something odd about the stranger. His katars were not like the ordinary ones an assassin would use. Instead of a long, sharp blade, the katar had three blades, shaped like the sharpest arrowhead one could imagine. Even odder still, the katar was glowing in an unearthly color, making it almost unreal and dangerous.
Just as she was about to say something to her brother, Shadow disappeared. Everyone but Alyssa looked around with surprise and confusion. The alchemist, however, merely tightened her grip on her axe. The next instant, Alyssa too, disappeared.
"What's going on?" Shenzein asked in confusion. "Where's Alyssa?"
Both Anexia and her brother shook her head and shrugged. They were both confused as well. A sudden sound of clashing metals from behind brought them to attention. Turning around, Shenzein swallowed an exclamation as he watched his friend battled the assassin.
Alyssa gritted her teeth. Shadow was getting stronger, no doubt about that. She ducked as he punched his hand forward towards her chest, readying herself for a counter attack. Before Shadow could pull his hand back, Alyssa swung her axe with all her might towards his waist. Drops of blood splattered on the ground as Shadow tried to avoid the blow, and nearly did. He clutched his injured side, grimacing in pain.
But injured as he is, Shadow retaliated by trying to stab her unawares. He moved left and right until only his outline could be seen. Alyssa's eyes darted here and there, as if concentrating on his movement. Then suddenly, she muttered something and threw out a bottle filled with acid green liquid. The bottle broke as soon as it touched the ground and its contents splashed everywhere, quickly forming a greenish mist.
She waited for a few seconds, as if she expected something from her actions. She was not let down; Shadow emerged from the thick mist, his skin looked red, as if scalded.
"You've become stronger, Lyss, no doubt about that!"
The alchemist smiled grimly. "I'm not as weak as you once knew, you know," she hissed. She charged forward, mentally summing the golden energy every merchant had with them and infused it with her own strength. Feeling the powerful surge flowing inside her, she concentrated on her weapon, aiming deadly on the assassin's heart. As if realizing what was happening, Shadow quickly swerved to the left, his right arm slashed deeply as he avoided the powerful blow.
He now realized that he was fighting a losing battle. But he grimly carried on fighting. He would not let his master down. He took out a small vial of clear liquid and broke the glass. He poured the liquid onto his katars and threw the broken vial away. He concentrated momentarily on his weapon. As he watched, his katars began to vibrate and changed color. The next instant, his blades had changed color from raven black to a deep violet.
Shadow smiled in satisfaction and returned to his fighting stance. "Come and get me," he taunted at the alchemist. Gritting her teeth, Alyssa gripped her axe tightly once more but this time she took her time. Then suddenly she stopped. She stuck her axe on the ground.
"What-"
As Shenzein watched in amazement, Alyssa produced two small daggers from her cloak. When did she have those? He wondered. Alyssa picked up a relaxed pose and watched her opponent calmly.
Shadow laughed.
"So, you are still more familiar with those two blades, are you? Some things never change…"
"Shut up and attack, you dolt!"
The situation became serious once more and both sides stood grimly, watching each other's every moves. Shadow was the first to move, his arms purposely widespread. He growled out a war cry and charged towards Alyssa. The alchemist dodged easily, her heavy axe did not hamper her moves anymore. She extended out an arm, her hand readying an attack.
The assassin slashed forward, aiming directly at her torso. But she managed to counter attack his blow by using her right dagger to defend and her left dagger to deal a deep cut on his arm. Both were flung back from the force of the attack.
Now tattered and bloodied, Shadow eyed Alyssa grimly. She had grown stronger than he had ever imagined. He doubted if he could ever stop her right now even if he wanted to. Even now, he was badly injured and was in serious need of a blood infusion, whilst she, she did not even have a scratch on her body.
"Giving up so soon, Shadow? That is not your style at all," Alyssa taunted.
The assassin looked at her beadily. Then suddenly he laughed.
"Ah, but I would love to fight with you. But I'll have to skip this one out, my dear sweetheart. Duty calls, darling!"
He mockingly saluted the silent group and mimicked a flying kiss to Alyssa before leaping up and…disappeared?
Alyssa stared at the spot Shadow was just now, her blood still boiling with anger. He knew she hated being called his 'dear sweetheart'. She shifted her glance to the rest of her friends. They were staring at her now. She sighed. More explanation. Great. She turned and faced directly at the rest of the party.
"So, are we going to start our campfire or not?"
Surprisingly, everything turned out fine later on. There were no more sudden, stealthy attacks, no more surprises. The fire crackled merrily and huge chunks of roasted peco meats were passed around.
"So, Lyss…how did you know, uh, Shadow?" asked Shenzein tentatively as he tore a chunk of meat with his teeth. He chewed slowly as he waited for an answer. Alyssa stared deeply at the bright-red fire. She sighed.
"I knew this would come up," she muttered more to herself than to the rest. She looked up to Shenzein.
"Shadow was once my fiancée," she said quietly.
The sage stared at her, not believing his ears. Without realizing it, the meat he was holding slipped past his nerveless fingers. Her fiancée? Dimly, he heard Anexia and Astrexil gasped in surprise as well. He felt a painful stab at his heart. He couldn't believe Alyssa could even think of accepting that bastard as a good soul mate.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's hard to believe that that two-timing piece of crap was a guy I nearly vowed to spend the rest of my life with. Truth is, I don't even know why I agreed to be his fiancée in the first place," Alyssa grimaced.
"So why did you?" asked Anexia curiously. It was the first time she had seen the alchemist so fired up about something. She had been nothing but a wet towel the whole time; always moping around.
Alyssa looked at her and smiled sadly.
"You don't know how it was, Anne," she said quietly, "After Shein left for his training, I became wild and unmanageable. When I had turned eighteen, I ran away from home. Yeah, Shein, I did. Surprisingly, it felt good. For the first time, I could do whatever I want, wherever I want, without having everyone else pointing fingers at me, staring at me. Why? Because my sister's in the Pronteran Army, and I am not, that's why. I had to live up to people's expectations and live under her shadow as well. Oh, you have no idea how it hurts to be reprimanded at every single tiny mistake. 'Why can't you be more like your sister, Alyssa?' or 'Stop fooling around Alyssa! You should be more like your sister.' Each and every time I did a small mistake, everyone would say that. And I hated it!"
She stared into the flames once more, watching the red fingers licking merrily at the brittle wood. She continued, "When I left Constance, the first place I went was Morroc. I have no idea why I chose that place, but I suppose I guessed that Constance could not find me there. After all, she had no connections there. Or at least, she hadn't any at that time. Anyway, when I reached Morroc, I was starved and defiant. I refused to accept any help at all, not even from a city guard there, who thought I was lost. But being a merchant as I am, I didn't know how to fend myself in the city of thieves. No one would come and buy my wares and I had to fend off thieves that tried to steal my items. It all changed one day, however."
Alyssa took a deep breath and went on, "I first met Shadow when I was selling my wares as usual. Even then, my senses had sharpened to pinpoints that I could tell when a thief decides to help himself on my wares. No surprise, I caught him stealing. We fought for what seemed like ages, neither one of us wanted to back down. And, when we were both exhausted, we would roll about on the deserted ground, ignoring each other. Funnily enough, Shadow seemed to think this as amusing and would set off irritating me each and everyday. But all of those had its good sides. No thieves had ever dared to pick on me again. I suspect it's cause Shadow was like a leader to them; feared and respected. Anyway, he had taught me the basics of survival in that city, not to mention a few lessons on managing those daggers thieves usually use. Which is why I could handle those weapons rather easily just now. Pity he underestimated me on my moves and strength. That will always be his flaw, overconfidence. Anyway, after the incident, I got to know him better. That was also the time when I had gotten more trouble than I had ever had in my entire life."
"Shadow," she said bitterly, "was never content with his life. He wrestled through obstacles recklessly, and he brings the consequences to me. Being a stupid naïve as I am, I didn't care much about it. To me, it was all just a part of a wild game. When he proposed, I accepted, thinking that he had, at last, learnt to love me as I had once loved him. But it was all just a lie. Turned out that Shadow merely wanted me to get closer to my darling sister. It seems that Shadow had made a deal, with the Dark Master, as I now presume, regarding Constance. His task was to divulge into my sister's life and find out what is important to her and all. He nearly fooled me for that one. I found out by accident about his plans when I was heading towards his room. His door was slightly ajar and I overheard him talking to some unknown stranger about it. When I confronted him about this, he merely laughed and said, 'Yeah, that's right sweetheart. You're the candy of my eye, but your sister is the prize here, babe.' I could never forget his words. Never. After that, I threw him out, fought with him even, and went back to my sister. I told her the truth and she forgave me, thank heavens to that."
The alchemist stopped and stared at the inky darkness, determinedly blinking back her tears. She didn't even look at her friends.
Shenzein took a deep, shaky breath. This was all so alien to him. He couldn't believe she had changed so much since he left her. Suddenly, he felt horribly guilty for leaving her alone back then. If only he hadn't do so…
"So what now?"
Alyssa stared at Astrexil, her eyes still brimming with tears. "What what now?" she snapped. Angrily, she dashed away her tears with the back of her hand. Anexia too, looked at her brother with surprise.
"I mean, what are you doing to do about it? It seems to me that you do have a connection somewhat with that assassin sent by Dark Master himself. Would it affect your battle? Would it disturb your clairvoyance?" he explained.
The alchemist stiffened. "I can assure you, Astrexil Kristos, that my previous relationship with Shadow would not affect me at all, mentally or otherwise. As far as I am concerned, Shadow is dead to me," she gritted out. Picking up a piece of brittle firewood, she flung it into the roaring fire and watched as it was charred into ashes.
The priest nodded. "I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but I just had to know. Nothing should affect our judgment when it comes to good and evil. Especially not emotions," he added.
"Hey, Trexxy, why not let it be at this moment?" challenged Shenzein angrily. He could see that Alyssa was getting both distressed and angry at the same time. He glared at Astrexil.
The priest shrugged wearily. "Don't think of me as the bad guy, Shein. I'm just trying to do what is right here. I just don't want Alyssa to have any emotional conflict if we are forced to meet Shadow again in a battle to death."
Alyssa took a deep and calming breath. "I understand, Astrexil. I really do. But bear in mind that no matter what happens, I will only have one thing in my mind, and that is to save my sister. Even if you yourself turned evil at that time, I would kill you if I have to," she said quietly, looking at the priest directly at his eyes.
The priest nodded, as if satisfied. Then he got up. "It's getting late. Get some rest, everyone. I'll build a wall of protection around us just in case. Just make sure no one leaves this circle," he said. Astrexil walked around the campsite a few rounds, muttering and marking sigils into the air. Presently, a faint glow could be seen surrounding the campsite. Satisfied, Astrexil went to join the others for a good night sleep. They all felt somewhat protected and safe within the boundaries of the wall.
Little did they know trouble was heading their way…