Tic: Yes children, I am actually UPDATING! I'm sure you are all excited
Genis: Ahahaha… right.
Tic: WHAT? If you have something to say, say it :(
Raine: Uhhh, of course not! I'll just… take Genis out of this room for awhile so we can have a talk.
Tic: Goody.
:painful noises:
Genis: NOOOOOOOOO---
Tic: O.o… that was just a little extreme… ANYWAY. Yes I have been totally dead for about… oh, ten years? I hope you'll still enjoy the third chapter of "Guardian Angel" anyhow! My writing style may have changed, so please forgive me… now I guess you want to read the story, so here you go.
Colette: Wait, the disclaimer! Tic doesn't own anything! She's completely broke! She spent it all on video games because she can't plan ahead!
Tic: -.-
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The Living Crystal
I slumped, exhausted, against the wooden crate I had been pushing. My dress was moist with my own sweat and blood, and my stomach felt extremely uneasy. I didn't understand why I had to work like this, so long and so hard. The other prisoners toiled away at keeping the ranch clean and manufacturing the Exspheres that would eventually lead to their own demise. My job was to move huge boxes of unknown materials, and for unknown reasons. I was slaving away for no apparent reason, except to become exhausted. I had spent at least an hour here already with Kratos directing my actions. Perhaps the Desians were just trying to kill me…
"Anna," came his voice again. I continued to lean against the crate, gasping for breath. However, this time I wasn't being defiant. My body begged for rest; I was simply too tired to respond. I sank to the floor, shivering and sweating at the same time.
"Anna!" He sounded terribly angry. I opened my eyes with great effort and stared blearily at Kratos's boots, inches from my nose. I knew what was coming next—a kick in my backside or a blow to my head. I cringed involuntarily, shielding my head with my arms.
Moments passed without anything happening. I looked up, expecting a smack to my face, but only saw Kratos kneeling over me with a concerned expression. Then he grasped my arm gently and pulled me up. "You must get up," he scolded, though his voice was far gentler than I had ever heard it to be. I was surprised, to say the least. He was a high-ranking Desian… now helping me to get up. It was the greatest bit of compassion I'd ever received since I had been taken from my home.
"Kratos… why…" I murmured, still feeling sick.
"We may have worked you a little too hard," he replied softly. But then his voice iced over, his gentler side disappearing as fast as a fleeing mouse. "We need to be careful with the Project, after all. Stay here, and don't even think about moving!"
I flinched at his harsh intonation, still sprawled on the floor. Almost instantly he had walked out of the room. The door wheezed shut and several clicks were heard as it locked. I felt a tear suddenly dribble out of my eye. To be stuck here in this unforgiving ranch… It was hell.
You haven't even been here for a day! An inner voice scolded. Forcystus wanted his perfect Cruxis Crystal, though. He would stop at nothing to get it, and in the meantime I would suffer. I tried to recall what Kvar had told me back at his ranch. "The Cruxis Crystal needs to mature on suffering and strain," he had murmured darkly while flipping through a thick stack of research notes.
Without suffering and strain this lethal little rock embedded in my hand would wither and die. Either the crystal survived or I did. I felt the hard, smooth surface of the stone, then shouted a meaningless cry into the empty room, my voice taut with rage. I threw my hand again and again at the crate, my fingers unfeeling and numb. I was oblivious to the pain. I only wanted this crystal off of me! My sobs mingled with the clinking sounds of the crystal hitting the wooden box. This was how Kratos found me when he returned. My entire hand was swollen and dark red, and I was still crying as I continued to throw it against the crate. The Cruxis Crystal continued to glitter with malicious life, unscathed and unharmed.
I was suddenly wrenched away and pinned to the floor. Through my reckless tears I could see Kratos, one hand effortlessly holding my wrists together while the other held my shoulder down. His shouts for me to calm down seemed distant. Eventually, though, I ran out of energy and stopped resisting.
Gradually the pressure on my wrists relented, and Kratos let me go. I scooted backwards, confused and dazed. What had I just done?
What had he just done?
"Here," he said emotionlessly, as though nothing had happened. His face was rather flushed, although I decided that it was because of our brief struggle. He handed me a square metal container. Liquid was sloshing inside. "Drink this. I thought you might need it… and now I can see that I am right."
I reached out tentatively for the strangely shaped flask and lifted the lid. The liquid inside was clear and sweet-smelling. After a small taste I began to gobble it greedily. Thirst had certainly overtaken me after my strenuous labor in this room. I wondered what this miracle liquid was. It was refreshing and tasty, and seemed to refill my hunger as well as slake my thirst. After my fiery need for water was satisfied, though, I suddenly realized something was wrong. I had physically rebelled against a Desian… and now he was treating giving me food.
"What… is this…?" I asked timidly, lowering the cup. Kratos looked firmly past my shoulder.
"It's a formula," he said quietly. "For your Crystal. You haven't worked hard enough… we have engineered a new brew to help the Crystal develop faster."
Needless to say I was shocked. The flask dropped from my hand smoothly, splashing its contents across the slick white floor with a loud crash. I backed away slowly, wiping my mouth. I had just drunk the equivalent of poison. The Cruxis Crystal would mature even faster now… and I would be nothing more than its cocoon.
I couldn't do anything more than stare at him with terrified eyes, but he just stood there and continued to look at nothing in particular. Loathing filled me then—how could these people treat me like this? Kill me without remorse or emotion? …No, they weren't people. They were half-elves. Half human!
A wicked pain suddenly pierced my hand, causing me to shriek. I stared in horror at the living crystal, flashing with an evil red light. The pain continued to grow and twist, slowly consuming my body. I could do nothing but writhe and twist, at last succumbing to the pain and falling to the floor. My screams must have been terrible indeed, because the last thing I heard were what seemed like hundreds of footsteps closing in. More Desian guards.
But they weren't the last things that I saw. As I fluttered to the floor, still refusing to give up to the Crystal, I stared hatefully into Kratos's eyes. At last he looked back at me, and I thought I saw a curtain lift. Pain, sadness, horror, pity… a river of emotions connected us for one instant. Still, rage was all I felt. And as my body finally fell to the blinding pain in my hands, as my eyes finally closed involuntarily, I felt only the heat of anger and a deep, deep sorrow.
"Why…!"
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Tic: And now I'm done with CHAPTER 3! Dundundun
Colette: goody. Your fans were waiting
Lloyd: Fans? I'm hot, where do I buy one?
Tic: -.- whatever. Anyway I know the ending was very confusing but hopefully it'll all be explained in later chapters.
Genis: Hopefully. Right. Like we can trust you on that one, miss I-took-two-years-to-update!
Tic:O Ignore him, continue to review please :D