Disclaimer: I don not own LOD, or any of the characters associated with it.
Viridian Moon: Meru and Guraha are still alive because I'm operating on the idea that winglies have a much longer lifespan than humans do. They won't be around for the whole story, but I do have a few things for them to do before they go. Besides, I have this obsession with Guraha that resurfaces from time to time. I thought someone would notice the thing about having to kill all the people in the area when the Moon Child was born. I did remember the fact, but when Dart said that he was trying to make excuses more than anything.
Dart's POV:
I woke the next morning to Meru smacking me fiercely about the head with a pillow. "Up! Upupupupup! The Ancestor wants to talk to you!" She hopped down from her perch on the end of my bed, landing in a pirouette that would have been graceful had she not slipped and fallen at the end of the spin. Making a face, she climbed to her feet and brandished her pillow threateningly at me. "C'mon, get up! Now!"
Yawning, I pushed back my sheets and climbed out of bed. If you can call wingly beds real beds. Sometimes I wonder about them: they're almost universally regarded as the most technically advanced race in all of Endiness, and they've yet to design a truly comfortable bed. I rubbed absently at my ribcage, touching the dark purple bruise left from when I had rolled onto a protruding piece of metal. /At least the beds in Ulara were moderately comfortable. I feel like I've been sleeping in a u-bend all night/
//Quit complaining. You've gotten too soft//
/Soft my ass. You don't have to sleep in this thing/ I glanced at the pod-shaped bed.
//No, I don't// Ragnarok sounded rather smug about this fact. //Now get moving. The Ancestor and I haven't been on speaking terms for a while; I'd love to know why he suddenly became so sociable//
/ "Haven't been on speaking terms for a while?" Ragnarok, how old is he?/
//I'm not really sure you want to know that//
Meru led me through the seemingly endless maze of passages and warp tunnels of the village, slowly making her way to the top chambers that traditionally belonged to the Ancestor. Crossing an open balcony, another wingly lifted me to the platform outside the Ancestor's home. Flying up after us, Meru withdrew her wings and grabbed me by the wrist, towing me forcefully inside. "I got him!" She announced triumphantly.
Guraha was already there; he stood beside the ancient form of the Ancestor, head bowed and deep in conference. His eyes were serious, but he kept his voice low and level. When we entered he stopped speaking abruptly and straightened. With a nod to the ancestor he strode over to Meru, took her by the wrist and led her protesting from the room. I raised an eyebrow. "What was that all about?"
"I was speaking with Guraha about certain matters that may have to be taken care of later. He isn't too fond of what he'll have to do, but he'll do it if I ask it of him." There was a flash, and the Ancestor appeared directly in front of me. "It involves the permanent removal of this 'Moon Cult' from the human city of Furni."
"I won't argue with you on that point. That cult is seriously starting to piss me off. They almost ruined my job in Lidiera."
The Ancestor smiled, almost sadly. "Is that what it truly is to you now? A job?"
"That's as good a word as any."
"Is it a job that you enjoy?" The Ancestor's eyes were suddenly intent.
I opened my mouth to say 'no', but something held me back. In a very real way, my only real existence was on the battlefield. I lived to kill; nothing more. I realized with a shock that on some level I had actually reveled in the devastation I had wreaked on Lidiera. When blood flowed over my hands, when my muscles burned with fatigue and pain: that was how I knew that I was alive. I thrived upon the deaths of others.
I shook my head hard. Again the thoughts that weren't my own had seeped unbidden into my mind. They couldn't have been my own; after what had happened at Neet I would never find even the slightest enjoyment in any of this death. I knew what the survivors where going through. The pain that comes with the loss of your hometown, your roots, is worse than being shot by a thousand arrows, simply because of the fact that you survived while others perished. The memories of Neet and the years following before I came to Seles and met Shana would keep me from ever deriving any pleasure from such destruction. And yet, in my mouth, all I could taste was blood.
The Ancestor watched me closely for a moment longer, than straightened. His eyes grew flinty. "Ragnarok, could I speak to you privately for a moment?" In response to his question I was shoved aside to the back of my own mind, blind and deaf to what was happening around me, as Ragnarok took over.
Ragnarok's POV:
"What do you want, Blano?"
There was steel in the old wingly's voice as he spoke. "You have to stop forcing your mind on that young man. He's not prepared to deal with it."
"He's been my host for a hundred years or so now. Of course he's ready. "
"Then you're a fool. Don't you see? His mind is bearly compatible with your own as it is. Push his limits too far and he'll break."
I laughed. "That's what I've been aiming for all along. Once he breaks, he'll be perfect for me. No sentimentalities, no moralities, nothing to get in my way."
"You miss my point, Dragon. He'll never bend to your will, simply because it is not in his nature to do so. All you will accomplish is your own eventual destruction."
I will admit that that got my attention. "What do you mean by that?" I snapped.
Blano smiled thinly. "You must be losing your touch, divine one, if you didn't feel it. If you continue with your mind games then sooner or later he will lose his sanity. But more importantly, he'll know this before you do. And then not all the mind games in the world will stop him from ending his life."
"I won't allow him to."
"Do you really think you'll be able to stop him? Have you ever tried to compel him to act or not to act when he is in complete control of himself? I think you will find yourself unable to anything more than watch as he ends his misery. And then you'll go back to that stone for all eternity."
"You're wrong. I can choose a new bearer," I said, but I was going out on a limb here. I had no idea if I could.
Predictably, Blano answered my question. "You truly are a fool. He is the only one you will ever be able to share minds with. Any other being will die within a year or so of possessing you. As many conflicts or disagreements you two have, you will find that no one else who can bear the weight of your mind."
"There must be another. There are millions of people out there, and millions more to come. Another will be born." I was bluffing, and I knew that Blano knew it.
"No they won't. This was Soa's way of limiting your power, divine one. Dart is the only being that will ever be the least bit compatible with you. If you throw his life away, there will be no other that can survive." Blano's face was expressionless, his tone flat and cold. "Are you really willing to go back to that stone?"
Of course I wasn't. Being incased in that stone was a fate worse than death and under no circumstances would I willingly go back to that inanimate hell. "All right," I growled, "but he'd better change his opinions some. All they do is get in the way."
Blano sighed. "I guess that will have to do for now. At least if you stop forcing your emotions on him it'll keep his sanity intact. The world's resting very heavily on his shoulders about now Ragnarok, and if your own poisoned mind involves itself too much, everything will come crashing down."
"I love you too, Blano." I told him sarcastically. "Was that what you wished to speak about, or do you want to talk to Dart?"
"If he's ready, then yes."
Dart's POV:
//Dart?//
/What?/
//Are you all right to come out?//
/I'm fine, but I wish you hadn't done that/ I paused, thinking for a moment. /Why did you do that anyways?/
//Blano saw that you were having some trouble with your thoughts. He asked me to come out and we took care of it//
/You're not telling me everything/ I accused.
//You're right; I'm not. Why don't we leave it at that? Now talk to Blano//
I sighed and resumed control of my body. Ragnarok wasn't going to tell me anything right now. The Ancestor still stood before me, watching me critically. When he seemed sure that I was fine, he nodded and returned to his seat at the end of the room. "Dart, how much do you know about the Moon that Never Sets?"
That was a stupid question. During the campaign against my father and Lloyd the Moon had been underlying, if not central, to most of the quest. We had discovered more things about that damn place than Fester had learned in his entire lifetime of study. Most of the knowledge was of how things seemed on the surface of the Moon, but we still knew a fair amount about the Moon in astrological terms. "I know enough."
"Good. Then could you tell me why the Moon has stayed in the sky, even though two Moon Children have already been born?"
I hadn't thought of that. According to everything we had heard or learned, the Moon should have fallen from the sky the moment the Moon Child was born. Without the cygnets, nothing was preventing it from falling. " I don't know. Maybe it doesn't fall right away, or maybe the Child has to be recognized by the Moon first." I shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I'm assuming that the Moon doesn't fall right away, though. It stands to reason that there would be some delay."
Blano rubbed his forehead. "So if that's true, whenever a Moon Child is born, you're working on a timed deadline. And we have no idea when the cutoff point is." He leaned back in his seat. "This cannot be allowed. We'll have to re-make the cygnets."
"How're you going to do that? You said before that the power of the winglies is slowly fading. Do you have enough power to seal the Moon?"
Blano rose. "We don't. You, however, do." He walked around to the far side of the room. "While our power is fading, because this power was never ours in the first place, the power of the dragons has never lost any of its potency. And of all the dragons, the Divine Dragon was the most powerful in terms of both magic and power. Ragnarok will be doing much of the actual work, but he will need someone to channel his power through. His own mind, though quite subtle, is still too forceful. He'll need you to do much of the work."
/How is that going to work?/ I asked.
//I'll show you when the time comes// Ragnarok's words were sure, but I thought I detected a hint of worry in his tone.
/What's wrong?/
//Nothing// He replied flatly. //Now listen to what Blano has to say. He'll not be saying this twice//
Blano watched me a moment longer to make sure I was listening again before continuing. "We need to travel to Aglis. It has the equipment we need to create the cygnets themselves; it'll be up to you to cast the spells that seal the moon."
"I take it you're sending someone along? To operate the equipment, I mean?"
"Yes. Probably Guraha and a few of his friends. They work well enough with magic powered machines. If I let Ragnarok try it, he'd probably wreck the place."
For some reason, that last statement seemed to make Ragnarok profoundly embarrassed.
Argh! Short chapter! The next one's going to be longer, I promise.
Viridian Moon: Meru and Guraha are still alive because I'm operating on the idea that winglies have a much longer lifespan than humans do. They won't be around for the whole story, but I do have a few things for them to do before they go. Besides, I have this obsession with Guraha that resurfaces from time to time. I thought someone would notice the thing about having to kill all the people in the area when the Moon Child was born. I did remember the fact, but when Dart said that he was trying to make excuses more than anything.
Dart's POV:
I woke the next morning to Meru smacking me fiercely about the head with a pillow. "Up! Upupupupup! The Ancestor wants to talk to you!" She hopped down from her perch on the end of my bed, landing in a pirouette that would have been graceful had she not slipped and fallen at the end of the spin. Making a face, she climbed to her feet and brandished her pillow threateningly at me. "C'mon, get up! Now!"
Yawning, I pushed back my sheets and climbed out of bed. If you can call wingly beds real beds. Sometimes I wonder about them: they're almost universally regarded as the most technically advanced race in all of Endiness, and they've yet to design a truly comfortable bed. I rubbed absently at my ribcage, touching the dark purple bruise left from when I had rolled onto a protruding piece of metal. /At least the beds in Ulara were moderately comfortable. I feel like I've been sleeping in a u-bend all night/
//Quit complaining. You've gotten too soft//
/Soft my ass. You don't have to sleep in this thing/ I glanced at the pod-shaped bed.
//No, I don't// Ragnarok sounded rather smug about this fact. //Now get moving. The Ancestor and I haven't been on speaking terms for a while; I'd love to know why he suddenly became so sociable//
/ "Haven't been on speaking terms for a while?" Ragnarok, how old is he?/
//I'm not really sure you want to know that//
Meru led me through the seemingly endless maze of passages and warp tunnels of the village, slowly making her way to the top chambers that traditionally belonged to the Ancestor. Crossing an open balcony, another wingly lifted me to the platform outside the Ancestor's home. Flying up after us, Meru withdrew her wings and grabbed me by the wrist, towing me forcefully inside. "I got him!" She announced triumphantly.
Guraha was already there; he stood beside the ancient form of the Ancestor, head bowed and deep in conference. His eyes were serious, but he kept his voice low and level. When we entered he stopped speaking abruptly and straightened. With a nod to the ancestor he strode over to Meru, took her by the wrist and led her protesting from the room. I raised an eyebrow. "What was that all about?"
"I was speaking with Guraha about certain matters that may have to be taken care of later. He isn't too fond of what he'll have to do, but he'll do it if I ask it of him." There was a flash, and the Ancestor appeared directly in front of me. "It involves the permanent removal of this 'Moon Cult' from the human city of Furni."
"I won't argue with you on that point. That cult is seriously starting to piss me off. They almost ruined my job in Lidiera."
The Ancestor smiled, almost sadly. "Is that what it truly is to you now? A job?"
"That's as good a word as any."
"Is it a job that you enjoy?" The Ancestor's eyes were suddenly intent.
I opened my mouth to say 'no', but something held me back. In a very real way, my only real existence was on the battlefield. I lived to kill; nothing more. I realized with a shock that on some level I had actually reveled in the devastation I had wreaked on Lidiera. When blood flowed over my hands, when my muscles burned with fatigue and pain: that was how I knew that I was alive. I thrived upon the deaths of others.
I shook my head hard. Again the thoughts that weren't my own had seeped unbidden into my mind. They couldn't have been my own; after what had happened at Neet I would never find even the slightest enjoyment in any of this death. I knew what the survivors where going through. The pain that comes with the loss of your hometown, your roots, is worse than being shot by a thousand arrows, simply because of the fact that you survived while others perished. The memories of Neet and the years following before I came to Seles and met Shana would keep me from ever deriving any pleasure from such destruction. And yet, in my mouth, all I could taste was blood.
The Ancestor watched me closely for a moment longer, than straightened. His eyes grew flinty. "Ragnarok, could I speak to you privately for a moment?" In response to his question I was shoved aside to the back of my own mind, blind and deaf to what was happening around me, as Ragnarok took over.
Ragnarok's POV:
"What do you want, Blano?"
There was steel in the old wingly's voice as he spoke. "You have to stop forcing your mind on that young man. He's not prepared to deal with it."
"He's been my host for a hundred years or so now. Of course he's ready. "
"Then you're a fool. Don't you see? His mind is bearly compatible with your own as it is. Push his limits too far and he'll break."
I laughed. "That's what I've been aiming for all along. Once he breaks, he'll be perfect for me. No sentimentalities, no moralities, nothing to get in my way."
"You miss my point, Dragon. He'll never bend to your will, simply because it is not in his nature to do so. All you will accomplish is your own eventual destruction."
I will admit that that got my attention. "What do you mean by that?" I snapped.
Blano smiled thinly. "You must be losing your touch, divine one, if you didn't feel it. If you continue with your mind games then sooner or later he will lose his sanity. But more importantly, he'll know this before you do. And then not all the mind games in the world will stop him from ending his life."
"I won't allow him to."
"Do you really think you'll be able to stop him? Have you ever tried to compel him to act or not to act when he is in complete control of himself? I think you will find yourself unable to anything more than watch as he ends his misery. And then you'll go back to that stone for all eternity."
"You're wrong. I can choose a new bearer," I said, but I was going out on a limb here. I had no idea if I could.
Predictably, Blano answered my question. "You truly are a fool. He is the only one you will ever be able to share minds with. Any other being will die within a year or so of possessing you. As many conflicts or disagreements you two have, you will find that no one else who can bear the weight of your mind."
"There must be another. There are millions of people out there, and millions more to come. Another will be born." I was bluffing, and I knew that Blano knew it.
"No they won't. This was Soa's way of limiting your power, divine one. Dart is the only being that will ever be the least bit compatible with you. If you throw his life away, there will be no other that can survive." Blano's face was expressionless, his tone flat and cold. "Are you really willing to go back to that stone?"
Of course I wasn't. Being incased in that stone was a fate worse than death and under no circumstances would I willingly go back to that inanimate hell. "All right," I growled, "but he'd better change his opinions some. All they do is get in the way."
Blano sighed. "I guess that will have to do for now. At least if you stop forcing your emotions on him it'll keep his sanity intact. The world's resting very heavily on his shoulders about now Ragnarok, and if your own poisoned mind involves itself too much, everything will come crashing down."
"I love you too, Blano." I told him sarcastically. "Was that what you wished to speak about, or do you want to talk to Dart?"
"If he's ready, then yes."
Dart's POV:
//Dart?//
/What?/
//Are you all right to come out?//
/I'm fine, but I wish you hadn't done that/ I paused, thinking for a moment. /Why did you do that anyways?/
//Blano saw that you were having some trouble with your thoughts. He asked me to come out and we took care of it//
/You're not telling me everything/ I accused.
//You're right; I'm not. Why don't we leave it at that? Now talk to Blano//
I sighed and resumed control of my body. Ragnarok wasn't going to tell me anything right now. The Ancestor still stood before me, watching me critically. When he seemed sure that I was fine, he nodded and returned to his seat at the end of the room. "Dart, how much do you know about the Moon that Never Sets?"
That was a stupid question. During the campaign against my father and Lloyd the Moon had been underlying, if not central, to most of the quest. We had discovered more things about that damn place than Fester had learned in his entire lifetime of study. Most of the knowledge was of how things seemed on the surface of the Moon, but we still knew a fair amount about the Moon in astrological terms. "I know enough."
"Good. Then could you tell me why the Moon has stayed in the sky, even though two Moon Children have already been born?"
I hadn't thought of that. According to everything we had heard or learned, the Moon should have fallen from the sky the moment the Moon Child was born. Without the cygnets, nothing was preventing it from falling. " I don't know. Maybe it doesn't fall right away, or maybe the Child has to be recognized by the Moon first." I shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I'm assuming that the Moon doesn't fall right away, though. It stands to reason that there would be some delay."
Blano rubbed his forehead. "So if that's true, whenever a Moon Child is born, you're working on a timed deadline. And we have no idea when the cutoff point is." He leaned back in his seat. "This cannot be allowed. We'll have to re-make the cygnets."
"How're you going to do that? You said before that the power of the winglies is slowly fading. Do you have enough power to seal the Moon?"
Blano rose. "We don't. You, however, do." He walked around to the far side of the room. "While our power is fading, because this power was never ours in the first place, the power of the dragons has never lost any of its potency. And of all the dragons, the Divine Dragon was the most powerful in terms of both magic and power. Ragnarok will be doing much of the actual work, but he will need someone to channel his power through. His own mind, though quite subtle, is still too forceful. He'll need you to do much of the work."
/How is that going to work?/ I asked.
//I'll show you when the time comes// Ragnarok's words were sure, but I thought I detected a hint of worry in his tone.
/What's wrong?/
//Nothing// He replied flatly. //Now listen to what Blano has to say. He'll not be saying this twice//
Blano watched me a moment longer to make sure I was listening again before continuing. "We need to travel to Aglis. It has the equipment we need to create the cygnets themselves; it'll be up to you to cast the spells that seal the moon."
"I take it you're sending someone along? To operate the equipment, I mean?"
"Yes. Probably Guraha and a few of his friends. They work well enough with magic powered machines. If I let Ragnarok try it, he'd probably wreck the place."
For some reason, that last statement seemed to make Ragnarok profoundly embarrassed.
Argh! Short chapter! The next one's going to be longer, I promise.