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(Again, thanks to all those who reviewed and lent me their opinions, they mean a lot!)
Chapter 12: Reminiscence 3 - The Value of Life.
"Damn! How did this happen!" Drake pounded the table with his fists. Three of the Four Beasts were inside the command tent within their small camp.
"26 soldiers and 18 Shadows remaining. Among those, only 12 soldiers and 14 Shadows are capable of fighting." Rena reported.
"...and what of Shu?" Drake asked darkly.
"We... have no idea. Ever since that, that, terrible fire, at least I think it was a fire, everythings been rather quiet down there. That's all we know." Rena answered.
"Feh, probably got himself killed, the fool." Kain smirked with a hint of satisfaction, earning him a glare Rena.
"Even if he is still alive, there is no way for us to reach him in our current situation. Kain, go around as many bases as you can and try to get as much men as possible. Rena, you go directly to his majesty near Aquios and inform him of the current situation, and request immediate reinforcements." The two Beasts nodded and left the camp. Drake sighed and slumped down on his chair.
'Shu, you had better be alive. Don't you dare throw away your life fighting mindlessly over there...' He then got up and prepared to move further away from the city of Airyglyph.
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Amelia entered her room quietly. She carried a tray that bore some soup, medicine, and water. For about a week, the figure in the bed have been unconscious, and she had been slipping the soup and medicine herself into his open mouth. The door opened again and her sister, little Ameena, came tiptoeing in. The two stared at the still boy. It still surprised Amelia, and her entire family for that matter, that the rumored murderer was just a kid. They have kept his presence a secret, knowing that if word got out the Black Lance was in their house, the soldiers would come barging in. Her father was all for it, but her mother, sister, and herself quickly snuffed the notion out of his head.
Ameena left the room carrying the tray back. Amelia carefully rearranged the sheets on Shuyin's bed as Ameena returned with a small bucket of cold water and a towel. She wet the towel in the water and proceeded to place it on Shuyin's forehead. Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, and the red head leapt up from the bed, his eyes gleaming dangerously. His other hand lashed out and grasped her neck, strangling her. Ameena screamed in alarm, which brought Shuyin back to his senses, and caused him to release his deathgrip on Amelia. He leapt away from the two girls. What happened just then was due to pure reflexes. He had been attacked in his sleep several times so when someone approached him in his sleep suddenly, his reaction tended to be deadly. Hurried footsteps were heard and a man and a woman came rushing into the room.
"Amelia!" The mother dashed towards her daughter, who was sitting on the floor clutching her throat, gasping for breath. The father pointed a finger furiously at the attacker, but had huge difficulty hiding the panick in his voice.
"How, how, how dare you do-do that to m-my d-daughter!" He stuttered wildly.
"...where am I?" Shuyin asked. The family noticed how faint and strained his voice was. Obviously, he has not yet fully recovered.
"The city of Airyglyph, this is our house." The mother answered quietly, her arms around her daughter. Shuyin began walking towards the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" The father demanded shakily.
"None of your business, get in my way, and I'll kill you..." He glared at the poor man, then turned to exit through the door, but suddenly slumped onto the floor. Blood was coughed out as the Rising Dragon shook violently.
Amelia detached herself from her mothers grip and ran over to the shivering warrior. He pushed her aside, but this made him cough and jerk even worse. Seeing the youth suffering so terribly, Amelia's father lost his rage and became concerned. He helped his daugther put Shuyin back on the bed, and watched as she applied medicines and hastily put the towel over his head. A few minutes later, Shuyin had calmed down, but was still shaking slightly.
"Just rest now, just rest." Amelia said softly. He frowned a bit.
'Why? Why is she helping me? We are on opposing sides, it would make more sense to kill me right now. So why bother trying to heal me?' Still confused, the young warrior drifted off into a deep slumber.
It took a few more days for Shuyin to recover enough to be walking around. Still, he was in no condition to be fighting just yet, Amelia had said that it'd probably take another month or two for his body to completely heal. During his treatment, the kindness he received from the sisters and Joseph, Amelia's fiance and a very kind-hearted young man, seemed to slowly change him. At first he would do nothing but either glare at them threateningly or simply ignore them, but as time went by he became a good deal less hostile. In fact, he has been spending most of his time keeping little Ameena company while Amelia and her father (Garen) were out working and her mother (Lien) was busy with housework. Living in such a bright and friendly environment, although it was rather awkward at first due to Garen's attitude against him, has brought considerable change in his behavior and appearance. His countenance had softened from his previous emotionless face. His eyes had also reverted back to their blue color, and the cold death glare was gone as well. He even smiled and laughed now. The siblings had become his good friends before he knew it.
One day Amelia decided to let Shuyin follow her around as she went grovery shopping. Of course, Shuyin wore a blue cape she had made with her sister, so that he could conceal himself. If Kirin Magnus was found strolling around the street, who knew what pandemonium might erupt. Fortunately, the weather being so cold, being covered in a cape drew little attention. As the two made their way to the store, Shuyin noticed that majority of the people out were women. Hardly any men, at middle aged ones, were to be seen, only the old or the young were present. Puzzled at this, he asked Amelia the reason for such lack of males. Her gaze saddened as she explained.
"Most men were drafted into the army because of the war. The only ones that remain are the elders and the children. But recently the children are being drafted as well." Shuyin was mentally struck as he remembered all those soldiers he had slaughtered so far.
"...what about Joseph and your father?" He asked quietly.
"Father has a heart problem, he wouldn't last a day doing something as strenuous as fighting. Thankfully, the king exempted him from military duties. And Joseph..." She trailed off for a moment. "Actually Shu, Joseph is a captain of the imperial guards..."
"What! Then why didn't he turn me in?" Shuyin blurted in surprise.
"Well, he considered it at first, but when he saw Ameena playing with you, he thought that you couldn't be all that bad. So, he turned a blind eye, for my sake as well." She smiled lightly.
This piece of news baffled Shuyin even further. It was one thing to receive compassion from a civilian, but from an enemy officer? Slowly these events began unlocking something within him. Experiencing all these kindness and such had somehow caused him to think about what he had been doing so far. Killing countless without mercy, causing others to suffer without a trace of pity or mercy... Had he made an error in judgement since he joined the army of Greeton. Come to think of it, why had he began such a despicable murder spree in the first place. He had forgotten the reason three years ago. When they returned home, Shuyin had lots going on in his mind.
The time came when Shuyin decided to leave. Although he had rather enjoyed his time here, and also felt somewhat refreshed, he was still duty-bound to serve the Kingdom of Greeton. He had half expected Joseph to try and arrest him, but the Guard Captain merely said "Hope I don't end up having to fight you." jokingly. After spending one last night with his new friends, he left quietly once everyone asleep. He had overheard Joseph speaking of Greeton reinforcments heading towards Airyglyph, and knew exactly where they would gather.
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The next day, Drake watched as countless men and machines march towards him. Two figures sped ahead of the others and appeared before him
"About 900 gathered from nearby bases and camps." Kain reported.
"His majesty had granted us 2,000 soldiers as well!" Rena piped up cheerfully as usual.
"Good, we'll be needing the soldiers. I've been keeping an eye out on the enemy, and it appears that approximately three to four thousand troops had arrived there." Drake informed the two. "Now remember, this is strictly a rescue mission. We march in there, find Shuyin, and haul him out. His majesties other commands come afterwards."
"What makes you think he's still alive?" Kain smirked.
"Because, do you honestly think the enemy would keep quiet if they had killed off our most powerful warrior?" Drake emphasized the most powerful part, which caused Kain to mutter darkly under his breath.
"Anyways, this is the plan, we-" He was interrupted by someone entering the tent.
"No need for that Drake, I'm here." Shuyin greeted his comrade as he came in. "I see that you retreated here just like I told you to."
Everyone stared at him, completely stunned. Then Rena leapt up and ran right into him (just as she had done so many times before the war began). Once the war had changed him, he usually dodged or stopped her with a menacing glare, but this time he just let her catch in a vice-grip. Drake snapped out of his daze and returned the greeting. The only person who didn't look pleased to see him was Kain, who greeted him with a scowl.
"Kyah! Shuny! You're okay, thank goodness!" Rena squealed as she held onto him tightly, causing Shuyin to turn red. Drake stepped forward quickly to save him from his sister's grasp.
"Whoa, calm down sis. Hey there Shu? You feeling alright?"
"Well enough" The siblings noted with surprise as they examined him more carefully. The cold, harsh fighter that they had gotten used to over the last 2 years was gone. Instead, there stood a young man that greatly resembled a child they had met before the war began. No, even more than that, Drake thought, for that cold gleam within his eyes had weakened as well.
'Just what the heck happened to him back here?' He wondered, then immediately got to business.
"Well, it certainly is good to see you alive and well Shu. Since you are here already, I guess we can get on with the next goal." Shuyin gave him a questioning look.
"His majesty has ordered the assassination of the king of Airyglyph. Once he is out of the way, the Airyglyph army will crumble. Now, this isn't going to be easy, but if we try hard enough, it is plenty possible." The Viper explained. Shuyin's eyes clouded a bit upon hearing this.
'Great... I had hoped to avoid fighting in there if I could help it..." he thought.
"So, any ideas Shu?" Rena inquired.
"...we can have the soldiers lead a direct assault against the enemy. Using that as a distraction, two of us will infiltrate the castle with the remaining Shadows and attempt to assassinate the king." Shuyin proposed.
"Hmm... That sounds pretty good. So, who's going to attack and who's going to infiltrate?" (Drake)
"I suggest that you and Rena lead the attack, while I go in with Kain." Shuyin knew that he and Kain never got along very well, but considering Kain's ferocity and efficiency at assassinations (almost TOO efficient), he was the best choice. As for going there himself, he wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to the city and those he had befriended back there.
"Aww... I wanted to go with Shuny..." Rena pouted.
"Ok, so when should we do this?" Kain wondered.
"Tonight."
Everyone once again stared at him in amazement. Drake scratched his head.
"Tonight? You sure? You just got back." Shuyin nodded.
'The faster I get this over with, the better it will be.'
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Night had settled in before long. The vast majority of the soldiers of Airyglyph were still busy removing the horrid pile of corpses and fixing up the deep crater in the field. They were so occupied with the task, even though they wished they were anywhere else than with these horrible burnt, shriveled bodies, that they didn't notice about 20 people moving around on the mountain nearby. Shuyin and Kain's small group of assassins swiftly scaled the mountain and dropped down onto a section of the castle wall. Though there were guards nearby and Kain was eager to wet his claws in fresh blood, Shuyin had firmly ordered that they kill no one unless absolutely necessary. He had said that excessive killing would alert the sentries to their presence, but in truth, deep within him he wanted to avoid murdering any more people than they needed to. Kain kept an eye on him, and had a fairly good idea what was going on.
The security within the castle was extremely tight. Guards were posted in every corridor and members of the imperial guards made constant patrol checks. Positioning themselves right outside the windows of one of the rooms, the assassins waited for the signal. Soon , they heard loud battle cries from outside the city, and saw many of the soldiers within the castle hurrying towards the city gate to help in the battle. The battle raged for a while and then they saw what they were waiting for. Drake had unleashed a blast of lighthing up into the sky. The moment they saw this, the group burst into the room throught the windows and quickly eliminated the guards before they could shout out. Even so, someone was bound to have heard the shattering of glass. Wasting no time, they hurried out into the hallways and made their way to the audience hall, killing any guards who tried to stop them. It didn't take long for them to finally appear before the king, surrounded only by a few soldiers.
"Hehe, this is too easy, what incompetence." Kain chuckled as he took a step forward.
Suddenly almost every door within the castle burst open and the imperial guards came pouring into the hall, completely surrounding the infiltrators. A young man in blue gleaming silver armor and wielding a lance stepped forward.
"I could say the same to you." Joseph retorted, then his eyes settled on Shuyin.
"So... I guess my hope was useless eh?" He said casually, referring to the words he said before they last parted. Shuyin didn't look him in the eye.
"Enough chit-chat! I'll just kill you all in the process!" Kain cried and charged.
Immediately soldiers attempted to stop him, but the Lupine's rabid attacks eliminated them one after another with ease. In the meanwhile, Shuyin and the Shadows were fending off the enemies from behind. Shuyin chanced a glance back over his shoulders. Kain had engaged Joseph in a duel, and although the young captain was managing to fight back, it was clear he wouldn't last long against the fury of Kain's claws.
"Not bad, but how about THIS!" Kain leapt back.
When he charged forward this time, about 6 of him seemed to appear. Taken by surprise, Joseph dropped to his knees as huge gashes appeared across his face, his chest (the armor had been pierced through), and on other parts of his body. Kain stood before his shuddering form.
"Hmph, a rat like you dared to challenge me? Regret it in the afterlife, fool!" Kain drew back one claw, planning to skewer the young knight.
Before he knew what happened, Kain was hurled backwards as something struck him in the face. Grunting, he got up to see who had hit him. There, next to the bloody knight, stood Shuyin, who had apparently stopped Kain from stabbing the heart out of the fallen captain. He seemed shock at what he had just done.
"What, what do you think you're doing Kirin!" Kain snarled, getting back on his feet and glaring at the stunned lanceman.
Everyone present seemed just as confused as he was, and had stopped fighting as of the moment. Shuyin did not answer, but just continued to look shaken.
"Ah... I see, I thought it was something like this. It's the only explanation as to how you survived here for so long. They must've spared you in exchange for your surrender..." Kain speculated smugly.
"No, Kain, it's not-" Kain ignored him and continued.
"So the reason you brought us here was all a trap, wasn't it? I wouldn't be surprised to see Drake and Rena being ambushed out there right now as well..." There was a malicious glint in his eyes.
"Kain, just listen to-" Again, he was cut off.
"No use denying it Kirin! I've spent the whole day investigating what had happened here during your stay. I know all about that family and about that fool over there!" He jerked his head towards Joseph."
"You're getting it all wro-"
"The penalty of betrayal... is DEATH! Prepare yourself, traitor!" Kain bellowed and struck the floor with his claws.
The floor shattered and the two dropped down to the first floor of the castle. Kain began slashing madly, forcing Shuyin into the defensive. The duel lasted for a few minutes until a loud noise came from the outside. One of the Shadows said it was more Airyglyph soldiers, coming to reinforce the battle inside the castle. Even though he would love to shed more blood, Kain was not stupid enough to think he could handle an entire battalion of soldiers, a captain of the Black Brigade, and the accursed traitor by himself. Growling in displeasure, he and the surviving Shadows rushed out of the castle.
"You'll regret this traitor!" Kain shouted back as he retreated.
For a moment everyone just stood there, still not entirely sure as to what had just happened. Then Shuyin remembered his friend and raced to his side. A medic was already checking up on him when he arrived. The physician shook his head and stepped away. Joseph's breathing was labored, but when he saw Shuyin next to him, he grinned.
"Haa, haa... Eh... hehe... S-see? I knew you w-weren't a-all that b-bad..." He managed to mutter.
"Joseph..." Shuyin could feel the life ebbing away from the knight.
"S-say sorry t-to Amelia for me... Friend..." Then his eyes closed and he said no more.
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Shuyin trudged miserably towards Amelia's house. This feeling... he didn't know how to deal with it. He had murdered so many, seen many deaths, yet he hadn't felt even the slightest bit of remorse, pity, or anything. Until now... Now, he was filled with misery, but having been foreign to it for so long, he was having a hard time handling himself. He was so confused that he didn't realize a group of people and sounds of wailing ahead of him. Wondering what could've happened, he quickened his pace. Then he realized with a jolt where the crowd was gathered, in front of Amelia's house. Immdiately he sped through the small crowd and found Lien and Ameena huddled together, crying. Garen was pounding his fists on the ground, howling and sobbing. Amelia was nowhere to be seen. A feeling of cold dread gathering within him, Shuyin asked them what had happened.
"It was terrible, a young man just came running by and then suddenly grabbed their daughter and ran off." A woman among the crowd told him. Shuyin froze.
"D-did he have anything peculiar on his hands?" Shuyin asked praying that it wasn't the case.
"Now that you mention it, he had something with him... Looked like claw or something." Shuyin's heart nearly skipped a beat. Then he remembered what Kain had said earlier, I've spent the whole day investigating what had happened here during your stay. I know all about that family and about that fool over there!
"Oh, by the way, he also said something to poor Garen as he left." The woman added.
Shuyin thanked her shakily and walked over to Garen. The devastated father saw him coming and slowly got up.
"What happened? What did he tell you?" Shuyin asked carefully.
"He said... If you want her back alive, come to the summit of the mountain." Garen's voice was barely more than a whisper.
Shuyin led the three back into their houses. Little Ameena was sobbing and clutching onto his arm. She asked him if she would see her sister soon. Shuyin lowered himself so he was level with her, then assured her softly.
"You will see your sister again soon, I promise."
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It was dawn and the sky was slightly lit by the time Shuyin had managed to get close to the summit. The moment he reached a clearing, however, 10 figures leapt out from behind boulders and trees, surrounding him. Upon closer look, they turned out to be the last remaining members of the Blood Shadows, whom he had trained himself. Without a single word, they all charged at him, striking with their daggers. The Shadows were essentially assassins and infiltrators, like ninjas. This meant that, coupled with the training they had received, they were extremely swift and effecient. Of course, they were still no match for the members of the Four Beasts, especially not the supposed 'Strongest'. Even then, being tired as he was from the lack of rest and the previous battle (His opponents had rested on the mountain as he was searching for them), they did quite a bit of damage to him before they were annihilated. Panting and soaked with blood, both his and his now enemies, Shuyin quickly pressed on to the summit.
There stood Kain, the Prowling Lupine, the most dangerous and ferocious of the Beasts, the most blood-thirsty, and the one who hated Shuyin the most. Amelia lay unconcsious behind him, and he smirked in pleasure as he saw Shuyin approaching him, obviously suffering from his wounds and fatigue.
"Let her go Kain! She has nothing to do with this!" Shuyin demanded. Kain stood silent for a few seconds.
"All the time... all the time... No matter how hard I tried, you always outdid me, you always caught everyone's attention!" He spat bitterly.
"But no more... Oh yes, no more... I had one Shadow report your betrayal. Now you are nothing more than an enemy to his majesty... And if I destroy you right now, I'LL be the strongest! Oh how I've waited for this day..." Kain seemed quite maniacal with either glee or madness.
"I told you! I haven't betrayed his majesty, I haven't betrayed Drake, Rena, or you!" Shuyin yelled.
"Silence! No excuses will save you!" and he prepared to fight.
"Normally, I won't be able to beat you. It was infuriating, but that is the truth. You're simply more talented than I am. But now, I've seen the way you fight back in the castle... You've gone soft. And that has bred weakness in you. As you are, there is no way that I can lose!" He sprang forward.
Had it been in the past, such as the tournament held 3 years ago, Shuyin would've emerged as a victor in this duel. However, the Shuyin in the past was a cold-hearted murderer who had no problem unleashing death and destruction upon all. The current Shuyin was no longer that murderous beast and was restraining his powers because he wasn't sure what might happen if he let himself fall into his old self again. On top of that, he was in a very bad condition, whereas Kain was rested and fresh, and had no problem what-so-ever shredding the Rising Dragon to bits. Not surprisingly, Kain held the upper hand.
But the dreaded Kirin Magnus was still a marvelous warrior, and one thought also gave him unexplainable strength: Save Amelia! Soon, much to Kain's bewilderment, the two were fighting on equal grounds. Frustrated, the Lupine pressed even harder, unleashing one wave of destruction after another.
"Howling Shredder!" the claws seemed to multiply before Shuyin's eyes, as each one began striking him from all directions. Unfortunately for Kain, he was so focuses on attacking, he didn't notice the glow in Shuyin's palm.
"Polaris Blast!" A ball of condensed energy blew Kain backwards several feet. However, the small amount of time and focus he had required for the spell cost Shuyin as well. Deep cuts were scattered across his body, and his blood was seeping into the snow on the ground.
Kain, with his entire will bent on his revenge, charged again the moment he got back up. Shuyin knew that the chance of him winning was slim, but he wasn't about to die without trying. A pair of claws came steaking forward against a single black lance. The lance wasn't quick enough, assuring the death of the wielder... if not for the unexpected intrusion. Blood splashed onto his face, as he stared in shock and horror at the claws, soaked in crimson, protruding from the body of a young woman, his friend. Amelia tumbled onto the ground, blood spilling from her wound.
"Hmph, foolish woman, stepping into our battle." Kain muttered nonchalantly.
Shuyin let out a terrific howl and faced Kain. Kain was startled at the look on his face. Those tear-streaked eyes, held some kind of burning flames within. The flames of rage. He dashed right in front of the startled Lupine so quickly, that Kain wasn't able to do anything in response.
"What, what the hell?" was all Kain ever said as an enrage Shuyin held up both hands in front of him.
"Solaris Burst!" A huge pillar of golden energy shot out, enveloping his foe. There was a brief shriek, then the light dissipated. No trace of Kain remained. Shuyin swiftly staggered to Amelia, who was becoming pale white and ice cold.
"Amelia, hang in there." He choked.
"Shu... I knew you would come... You shouldn't have... troubled yourself like so..." Her voice was faint. Shuyin tried to cast a healing spell, but he lacked the energy to do so. Even if he could use it, he knew it would be useless. But something within him refused to believe that.
"He's... gone isn't he? That man... said so..." Shuyin was puzzled as to what that meant. Then it hit him, Joseph's death, Kain must've said something.
"Amelia, you have to live on, for his sake..." Tears flowed as he felt her life force grow faint. She touched his cheek with a trembling hand.
"I'm glad... that I met you... Shu... please... find a happy... life... You... deserve... it." Her hand fell to her side, and her breath ceased.
He remained still there for a while. Tears fell freely as he held her still form. The person who had led him into the light, the one who had given him happiness after years in the dark, was no more. Shaking horribly, he thought back to everything that's happened so far. This is my fault... If I had realized it sooner... If only I hadn't become what I am... If only I knew earlier... He then threw his head back and cried out.
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Garen supported his sobbing wife as the funeral took place. Joseph and Amelia were buried in one grave, so that they will be as least united in death. They were loved by many people due to their kind hearts and cheerful personality. Many came to mourn their deaths. Shuyin was also present. The more he watched, the more his heart ached. Amelia's parents went hysteric when he had returned with her lifeless body. Once they had calmed down, they started planning for the funeral. They had assured the apologetic young man that it wasn't his fault that this happened when he constantly said that it was so. Indeed, they had said that they were thankful that he had retrieved her body from the cold mountain. As his emotions threatened to overtake him again, he felt a little hand grab his own. Looking down, he saw little Ameena, who's eyes were red and watery from all the crying.
"...I'm sorry, I wasn't able to keep my promise..." Shuyin said. Ameena shook her head.
"No, I did see her again, right? So you didn't break your promise." Shuyin was taken aback by her reply.
"Don't blame yourself Shu... My sister wouldn't like it if you do... She wanted you to live happily, remember?" Shuyin gave a small smile and nodded.
At that moment, memories, those before he had arrived in Greeton, came flashing past before his eyes. It was then that he realized what he had forgotten. How a man and a woman cared for him lovingly. How that those same people gave their lives trying to save him. How another man and numerous kids had accepted him and treated him as family... He had forgotten about love. He had forgotten about compassion. But no more.
'I vow to use all my strength in ending this war. I will repent for the suffering I have caused in Graitt. Then I will leave... I will wander around and help whoever I can in atonement...'
As he vowed this, Shuyin had rediscovered the value of life.
Continued in Chapter 13: The Darkness Within.