Woot! I actually got a chapter up during finals week, shhh don't tell my mom she'll friggen flip! Hot damn, I had to type this chapter at midnight, and at six o clock in the friggen morning, so reveiw it bitches:D Haha, anywho enjoy chapter once de Blue Skied Symphony :P
"As the darkness grows larger, peoples hearts tend to falter. But, what if a person's heart is pure? What if, even though they've been through loneliness, hatred, pain, and suffering, what if…there is still a light at the end of their dark tunnel? Sometimes, love and friends are the only thing that can bring us out of the darkness, which consumes us. Sometimes, it's our friends which save us, how can one live without friends? Those people are the ones whose hearts are pure evil, and thus this brings about a deep, unfaltering hatred."
Presea Combatir
:Welgaia:Past:
"N-N-NO! I don't want to go back! Leave me alone! Let me go!" the small red headed child pleaded as the two emotionless angel commanders dragged him by the opposite arms, they each in turn had spears in the other. A man draped in all black stood behind the small child, his mouth curled into a malicious smile, as he heard the child's pleas, and cries. A bright light, made the child stop, and then slink back in fear, he knew what that light was, the man, the half elf that hurt him before, and gave him this crystal in his throat. A medium tall half-elf with long blonde hair stood in front of the chosen, he smirked as he saw the red headed human try to break free even more. The man draped in the black cloak with the purple stripes on its back, bent down onto one knee.
"My Lord, the chosen of Tethe'alla, as you requested." The man spoke, his voice filled with amusement. Yggdrasill looked back and forth between both of them. Pathetic, how could the chosen be male…worthless wrench.
"See to it that our chosen…gets the proper accommodations, and training, we can't have him bottled up here forever, nor do I want anymore humans here anyway, such bothersome creature." Yggdrasill said with contempt, he tilted the shaking child's head up, tears brimmed the child's eyes. Yggdrasil smirked as he took a step back then, disappearing in a blinding white light.
"You're dismissed, I'll handle him from here." The man said to the angel commanders who let their titan like grip go, leaving marks on the small child's arms. The man smirked at the child, as the angels floated away, he pulled out a dagger from beneath his cloak, and deftly he lashed out at the child, who fell to the floor wide eyed.
"Heh, the first step to fighting, Zelos…is being prepared. Now is your time, you should take it for what it's worth, you're useless anyway, nothing good is coming from your existence, so you might as well…take advantage of this." The man said rushing forward his dagger slicing through the child's tattered clothing and the flesh of his shoulder. The man pinned the child to the wall, he smiled as tears brimmed in Zelos's eyes.
"Once I'm through with you, Lord Yggdrasill will have to give me a crystal…no matter…what." The man pulled away, along with his dagger, blood spilled onto the cold metal floor. The child stood before the man, shaking, and panting.
"Well…at least you have stamina, and a thing for blood. We'll make a fighter of you yet, Zelos." The man walked over to the boy who flinched seeing the man take something from his pocket. Zelos realized it was a dagger, a richly decorated dagger, with a golden hilt studded with rubies.
"Take it, it's yours. I'll teach you how to fight, and kill with them." The man said, handing over the dagger. He bent closer as to whisper into Zelos's ear.
"This dagger is special do you know why? It's the dagger, which I used to kill your wrenched parents." The man said laughing, and the sound of metal against metal, reverberated through the now silent halls.
:Flanoir:
The city of Flanoir, isolated from the rest of Tethe'alla, by its large encasing mountain range. The only way in was by Rehairds, and the only way out was the same way. Most people who came through, either from exploring the ice caverns of the summon spirit Celsius, or because they got lost, were not used to the freezing cold temperatures. Sheena shivered as she threw another log into the grated, the crackling of the fire, was the only sound in the now empty room. A few hours before, everyone was discussing what to do. No one knew of Zelos's aliments, so they all split up, trying to find what means could help the former chosen.
"Alright! We'll get to the bottom of this, won't we guys!" Lloyd cried out, and Genis and Colette agreeded by jumping in the air. Yuan looked at them, and then at Raine, a look of "Please don't let them come with me" expression on his face. Raine smirked, and shrugged her shoulder, as the children talked about their past adventures to the desian base, and how they kicked Yuan's butt in the battle.
"Alright that's enough!" the blue haired half elf, said, shaking with suppressed anger. The children immediately quieted, and looked at the half-elf, and whispered some, if not, bad things about him.
"Alright, so it's settled. Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Yuan, you'll all go back to Slyvarant, and try to find something about this, either in Yuan's library, or some other source, got it?" the three children nodded enthusiastically, and Yuan slapped his face with his hand, as he left, the children following him.
"Great fathering qualities, don't you think?" Regal said and Raine laughed.
"Regal you and Presea, are going to Altessa's house, am I correct?" Raine asked, and Regal nodded.
"Affirmative." Presea answered in her usually bland voice, unchanging voice. The two of them walked out into the freezing cold, the breeze sent some snow and the touch of the pure true Flanorian cold into the room. Raine shivered, and looked at the figure sitting in the chair beside the stone worked furnace. She sighed and walked over to Sheena, resting her hand on the girls shoulder.
"Are you sure you want to stay? Kratos is still here as well you know." Sheena looked at the professor, and gave a slight nod; she turned back to the fire, the flames danced as they consumed the dry firewood.
"Yeah, I'm sure, besides, Kratos is resting." She said in a sullen voice, still looking at the fire. Raine's eyebrow rose.
"I don't think that man knows the meaning of rest, to tell you the truth. He takes his angelic side for granted." She sighed and shrugged her shoulders.
"That's men for you though. Well, I'm going to go to Exire, maybe someone there might know a thing or two about this…aliment." Sheena nodded, and Raine left, the room was deadly silent now, besides the crackling of the fire.
Zelos woke up, gasping for breath and because of the throbbing pain courseing through his body What the hell was that, I haven't had the dream, in so long. He shivered at thinking about his training with that, evil bastard. He tried to get up, but something was holding him down. He turned his head to either side, to find a black gaseous mass wrapped around both his wrists, and ankles. He tried to pry himself free, but it wasn't working. He sighed, and saw a figure form out of the shadows of his room. His eyebrow rose.
"Sorry, pal, but I don't go that way…if you know what I mean." Zelos said, smiling, the man laughed, something about that laugh made a shiver go up and down the chosen's spine. He knew it he heard it before.
"You fool, you can't remember me either? I was the one who taught you how to fight." Zelos's eyes widened as the man laughed walking over to the side of the bed.
"You…" Zelos said in a whisper, he was cut short of finishing his sentence, for the man had put a gag in the chosen's mouth.
"Now, I can finish what I started the other day." He said smiling, as Zelos glared at him, unable to speak. Crap! What the hell does this guy want…why me?
"I can't believe you forgot me too." The man sighing, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a dagger. Zelos's eye shot back and forth from the man to the all too familiar dagger, from his dream. He tried to break free once more, but he was still too exhausted from the poison. Zelos took a few deep breaths as the man placed the tip of the dagger onto his cruxis crystal. Zelos struggled to break free, he felt the dagger being pressed on top of his crystal, and the sheer amount of pressure the man was applying didn't seem human at all. This isn't working, no one can hear me, no one is going to come to help me, and I'm alone yet again. The man laughed.
"That's right, Zelos. You are alone again, some come with me into the darkness." Zelos stared at the man confused. How did he know I sad that? What the hell is he, or it. The tip of the dagger chipped Zelos's crystal a tiny bit, so that a hole was now present. Zelos glared at the man, and then a light bursted from his back, the man shouted, as the black chains uncoiled, falling onto the floor in the form of tiny snakes. The man covered himself with his cape, the light not even penetrating through it. He laughed as the black snakes formed around Zelos's wrists and ankles again, also around his neck. The gag fell out of the chosen's mouth and he cried out in pain, as the man inserted, what seemed to be a seed, into the hole in his cru crystal.
"What…what did, you do…to me?" Zelos gasped, pain contorting his face, as his angel wings disappeared into his back. The man laughed again, as he pushed the seed into the chosen's crystal further.
"Ah!" Zelos's eyes widened and then they grew blank, nor long the crystal clear blue the once were; now they were dull, and bland. His wings grew out of his back again, against his will, he couldn't move, he looked down at his crystal, which was now black. How…what's going on? What the hell is happening?
You work for me now, Zelos. A voice said in the chosen's mind.
No! Not again! Stop it! I don't want…you can't..Ph-Pha…Zelos's mind reeled and then went dark as his normal self was locked away, buried deeply within his crystal.
Hehehe, sorry chosen, but it's for the best.
Sheena who was still in her bent over sitting position, noticed the light from the crack beneath the door. What was that…could it be?
"Zelos." she whispered, as she bursted through the door, her cards in her hands. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, black tentacle like things were holding Zelos to the bed, and that man again stood over him, smiling, his teeth gleaming in the moonlight.
"ZELOS!" She cried, as the man whipped around, now facing her.
"Well, well, if it isn't miss Sheena Fujibayashi, Mizuho's great summoner, I'm afraid you're too late, Zelos is now…my pupil once again." The man said laughing as the snake like creatures uncoiled from the chosen's wrist, ankles, and neck, and slithered back to the man. Almost as if they merged with him.
"What did you do to him! Tell me!" Sheena cried running forward slashing at the man but struck nothing but air, she spun around to find the figure standing before her, he grabbed both her hands and twisted them. Sheena cried out in pain, as her cards fell to the floor, now rendered useless.
"Why don't you see for yourself." He whispered into her ear, and then disappeared. Sheena looked over at the former chosen, his eyes were blank, like Presea's, and his once orange wings were now black. Sheena took a step forward.
"Zel…os. Zelos, it's me Sheena! Don't you remember me?" she said pleadingly, he looked at her with those cold unfeeling eyes, and she shivered.
It's me the banshee…remember! Oh, come on Zelos! Answer me!" Sheena cried as she ran up to him, shaking him, he just looked down at her, saying nothing. A laugh resounded through the room.
"I told you…he's under my control now, no longer free, not that he ever was." The man's cold voice said.
"Liar!" Sheena cried turning and looking about the room trying to find the source of the voice.
"Bring him back, now, you bastard!" Sheena said, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Why? I thought you hated him, or…was that a lie? Maybe you're the real liar…Sheena." Sheena picked up her cards, but a cold hand stopped her. She looked to find Zelos's gloved hand on her arm. He squeezed her arm and she stepped back in pain.
"No…Zelos, stop it!" Sheena said slicing at his hand with her card, he jumped backwards and drew his dagger, his expressionless face, unmoved, at his friend's desperate cries. The laughter began again.
"You see now, Sheena. He is but a lifeless being, nothing more…now he has but one mission to kill, you, Lloyd and anyone who gets in my way. Zelos, if you would, finish her for me?" Zelos gave a curt nod and turned toward the horrified Sheena. Her hands lay limp at her side, as he rushed forward, his dagger in his left hand, behind him.
No…this can't be happening…how, how could I let this happen? Sheena thought to herself as she jumped backwards from Zelos's arching swing. His dagger slammed into the planked wooden hospital floor, and sent splints of wood everywhere. He pulled his dagger out from the floor, tearing most of the surrounding planks around it up with him. He looked at Sheena, his uncaring eyes met her moist caring eyes. He charged forward again Sheena jumped backwards, not wanting to fight her friend, her cards knocked Zelos's dagger away each time it came close to her skin.
"Zelos! Stop it!" Sheena cried out, the dagger caught her off guard and cut into her skin its icy tip colder than her friends empty eyes. Sheena put a hand over her arm as the blood seeped out onto the cracked room floor. Sheena panted as Zelos charged at her yet again; too tired to run away she bent down, an arm over her head. Zelos struck with his dazzling light spear cannon.
"Guardian Seal!" Sheena cried out as Zelos came down striking the shield.
Kratos was just finishing putting on his various buckles, when he heard a loud booming. He looked up; his eyebrow rose he ran to the door, and opened it. He ran toward the noise; it was coming from the main room, with the furnace. He ran bursting through the door; smoke and debris laid scattered everywhere. He shielded his eyes as the wall in front of him, which was Zelos's room, blasted apart.
"Damn, what the hell, is going on?" he said through clenched teeth as he ran through the smoke. He saw Sheena now lying unconscious on the floor, and Zelos dagger poised over her neck, was standing over her.
"Zelos! What're you doing?" Kratos cried, and the chosen shot him a blank look. His eyes, they're empty. No…his exsphere its…black. Kratos thought to himself as Zelos ran forward thrusting his dagger in a silent sonic thrust, Kratos unsheathed his sword and stuck it into the wooden floor.
"Guardian!" the seraphim cried, and Zelos jumped back as his attack was deflected. Kratos pulled his sword out of the floor and ran over to Sheena, she groaned and opened her eyes; her vision was but a blur for a minute then when they focused she saw Kratos standing over her.
"Kr-Kratos…Zelos is, Zelos is…evil." She said in a pitiful voice, and Kratos looked down at her, his head shot up, as an evil laugh filled the room.
"You always get in the way, my god, do you want to die that much? Your time will come…trust me." The man said stepping out from one shadowed corner of the room, which was clear now, since the shadows followed him from the wall as if they were part of his being. He smiled as he rested a hand on the chosen's shoulder.
"How do you like my pupil? Impressed?" he said mockingly, and Kratos got up his sword in hand.
"Zelos…you know what to do." The man smirked as Zelos stepped in front of the man, his stance ready for battle. Kratos glared at the man.
"Coward, what did you do to him?" Kratos said putting his sword up, readying for an attack.
"Whatever do you mean, Kratos? I just used his inner pain, hate, loneliness, oh yes, that made it twice as easy, and of course, his inner evil." The man said his lips curling into a satanic smile. Kratos narrowed his eyes and slashed at the man's feet but, he was too quick, and instead Zelos blocked his attack. Kratos stood looking at the chosen in surprise, both of them were locked, sword and dagger. Kratos was pushing Zelos backwards, Zelos's crystal began to glow a deep purplish black, and he began pushing Kratos back. Kratos jumped backwards, and landed near Sheena, his sword at his side. Zelos jumped back, and landed in front of the man. The man's head shot toward the door, his eyes narrowed.
"Come, Zelos. We have company; we'll kill them later. I have other business to attend to anyway." He said a black cloud in the shape of a snake surrounded both him and Zelos, engulfing them in black miasma. Sheena tried to get up, and Kratos helped her to her feet.
"No…Zelos, don't" Sheena said whispering, as she took a step forward arm outstretched, and stumbled, but Kratos caught her, he looked at both of them the chosen and the man, the miasma then bursted out from its solitary position and it flooded through the entire room, blowing out the window as well. Kratos put up his shield, and the wave of miasma split around the shield as it washed over it. Kratos was sweating from having to hold up his shield for so long. He fell onto one knee, and as the gas cleared neither the man nor Zelos where anywhere to be seen. He looked down to find a sobbing Sheena in his arm.
"So you say that he just started to attack you?" Raine asked as she Regal, and Presea looked at Kratos, and Sheena, who was staring at the floor, sniffing. The others hadn't come back yet from Sylvarant.
"It, it's all my fault…" she whispered, Raine walked over to her and tried to comfort the girl. The silver haired half elf sighed, and walked over to the window, she stared at the snowy-coated city.
"Do you have any idea where they could of possibly have went?" she asked turning to Kratos, who's hand was running through his hair, he was thinking.
"Hm? No, I have no idea…where is everyone?" he asked looking at Regal.
"Lloyd and the others are in Sylvarant, with Yuan." Kratos raised an eyebrow, and smiled slightly.
"You let Yuan, take children with him? My, you are trying to kill him aren't you?" Kratos said, a smirk on his face, Presea just looked at him. Sheena got up and her back was facing everyone's looks of concern.
"Sheena…it's not…"
"I know professor…I think, I'll go lie down for awhile, I'm kind of tired." The summoner said, turning her head back toward them and giving a small smile as she closed the door behind her. Raine sighed.
"You said, his exsphere…was black?" she asked Kratos, who nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, I never saw anything like it before, ever. That's not to say it couldn't happen, but black?" he sighed, and looked at the once beautifully decorated fireplace, it was now blown to bits, bricks lay everywhere.
"The bad part is, is that Sheena believes it's her fault…but it's not." Raine said.
"It's no one's fault, how was Zelos supposed to know this would happen?" Regal stated.
"Lets just hope Yuan finds something within all his books." Kratos said tiredly.
"Sometimes books…aren't the answer, but a persons heart, and memory." Presea interjected, everyone looked at her, and then the door opened.
"Wh-What the hell happened in here!" they all turned to find the doctor wide mouth staring about the two destroyed rooms.
"Um, well…" Raine began, scratching her cheek.
:Great Seed Chamber:Derris Kharlan:
The great open chamber, which once held the seed of the great tree, now as the rest of Kharlan, lay empty, and obsolete, its former purpose discarded and forgotten about. The constant spinning rocks, still circled over the throne in a constant endless loop. They too are forgotten. Although, the children of the future would surely hear the stories of Mithos the hero, and enemy, and how he had brought the seed, which held the goddess Martel's soul within and tried in a desperate attempt to resurrect his sisters soul. The cloaked man now lay, on the throne of the former Cruix leader. He whistled as he spun a dagger on one finger. A giant serpent materialized from the floor and coiled around the throne, now making it pitch black. The serpent laid its head upon its master lap.
"Ah, Obsidian, you have news?" the man asked and the snake let out a short hiss, in confirmation. The man smiled, and looked at the back of the red haired chosen, who had been standing there for quite sometime of course unmoving, since he hadn't give him any order too. The snake reared its flat pointed head ready to attack.
"Now, now Obsidian, he's on our side, hehe indeed, our side." The man whispered, and he smiled. The snake hissed again it's red eyes flashing in the dimly lit chamber.
"So…they're in Sylvarant, again?" he sighed.
"Yuan never learns I suppose. What a pain. Zelos, watch over the seed, will you?" The man said getting up, and the snake slithered around him creating a black sparkling cloud, beneath the man. Zelos nodded, his emotionless eyes on his master.
"Good, I'll be back shortly." The man disappeared along with his summon spirit, and the red headed chosen was left alone, once again, just like when he was young, in the land of the elves.