Brilliance, A Legend of Mana Story

Nine ~ "Night comes, and she is still awake . . ." ~

Meanwhile . . . .

Elazul slept so soundly that Pearl didn't have the heart to wake him. Instead, she placed herself between the candle and her knight, and began trying to write another letter to Riven. It was much harder then she imagined, since everytime she thought she had come to grips with how she felt – everytime she decided one way or the other – she would remember something he had done, or said.

The way he'd looked at her in the Tower of Leires, or the furiousity with which he'd fought Sandra's Jewel Beasts. Gently chiding her when he found her wandering the Luon Highway . . .

She blushed, and hated herself for it. It was so silly, after all . . . pining after a man she could never truly share herself with. Not with Blackpearl inside of her. Elazul snored, and she jumped, covering her letter with both hands. She knew also that Elazul would never approve, no matter how much he liked Riven. As great a guy as he was, Riven was no Jumi.

Riven,

We're on the move again, spreading out just like before.

I'm scared, and I don't know what to do - I thought the running was over,

but now . . . all of this . . .

I'm sorry, that's not what I wrote to tell you.

Riven, I hope that when next we meet, we can speak freely, but for now,

I can only hold onto the hope that there will be a next time.

Riven . . . If anything should happen . . . I need you to know . . .

I love you.

With a sigh, Blackpearl held the letter over the candle until it burned, then shook it out, dropping it to the floor, and crushing it. I can't keep going this way. She stood up, looking at Elazul briefly before stepping outside. The night air was cool on her face, and she welcomed it. Thinking of Riven always got her so confused, and it gave Pearl a foothold to keep returning. It could not go on.

Something shifted in the woods ahead of her, and she lifted her hammer. Sierra had allowed her and Elazul to hide out in the home of her master, but since Vadise had disappeared with Lucemia and the other dragons, his protection meant very little.

A fairy flitted out of the forest abruptly, and shrieked as Blackpearl swore, pulling her hammer to the side and just missing the little creature. "You shouldn't do such things, little one," Blackpearl said. "Next time you might not be so lucky."

The fairy sniffed loudly, and then flew back into the woods. Something stirred again, and Blackpearl frowned, squinting hard in an attempt to see. Suddenly, a large beast stumbled out of the brush, led and apparently also held up by several more faeries. He was bloody, fur matted together but not hiding his terrible wounds. He glanced up, and Blackpearl could see only one of his eyes was open, the other closed to keep blood out of it. He breathed heavily, and they stared at each other, wordlessly.

Blackpearl grunted, clutching her core, the heart of her being, as it flashed violently, and she slipped back into Pearl. The girl panted, holding onto the jewel for a few more seconds, before wiping a hand across her face, and flicking her tears at the creature.

He shivered, dropping to a crouch as the tears rejuvenated him. They were not much, but his bleeding stopped, and he was able to move without the aid of the faeries.

"Lord Irwin," one of the faeries gasped.

He held up a hand to silence her, and cocked his head to one side. "Neat trick, Jumi."

Pearl nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Blackpearl was fighting inside of her, struggling insanely to become dominant again. Irwin nodded in return, and settled back against the nearest tree. They both rested there, for several moments more, neither looking at the other.

"So . . . You're Irwin, yes?" Pearl asked softly.

He nodded his assent.

"Then . . . you know about Lucemia descending on our city."

Irwin growled low in his throat. "Yes. The Nanten's devil woman, Kana, said she would . . . help me . . ." Finally, he sighed, dropping his head. "I was a fool."

"May I ask . . . how?"

Irwin scowled darkly, turning his head away. "I've rested long enough. I have a giant snake to reclaim." He stood, and the faeries huddled around his feet leapt to attend him. He started off into the forest, before turning back briefly. "I owe you . . . But your boon will have to wait until another day. If I survive, I'll grant it."

"If we survive, I'll think of something," she said sadly, though he was already gone.

The world was falling apart. The Nanten were far more powerful then anyone had realized if they could steal Lucemia from Irwin. Even the Onion Knights were scattered and unwilling to fight. The Jumi were on the verge of disappearing; the Dragons already had. Riven had already done more then any one man for her people, had risked his life countless times. And she was struggling with herself about whether she loved him.

And sitting there, alone in the dark, both Pearl and Blackpearl realized what they had to do.

*************

Riven leaned against Trent's trunk, grimacing at the sharp, shooting pains running rampant through his body. That man . . . that demon of a man . . . how powerful could one person be?

With a shiver, he pulled his hat down over his eyes. "How much stronger can he be then me?"

"You look troubled, Riven".

"Yeah . . . you could say that."

"You fear the one with the Hands of God?"

Riven smirked, thinking for a moment. "Not really. He seemed just like a man. Except psychotically powerful."

The tree "hmm'd" at him, and the branches rustled. Riven shrugged, settling down more against the tree. Tending the garden always made him sleepy, probably because there weren't weapons clashing next to his head.

"I think . . . I think what I'm really afraid of . . . is dying." He yawned. "I can't die when people are depending on me."

"So it is not really death you fear, but failure."

"I never thought of putting it like that. *YAWN* Yeah, I think you've hit the mark that time."

Trent chuckled light-heartedly. "Then in order to be unafraid, you must become stronger."

Riven didn't answer, as he'd drifted off to sleep from the tree's soothing voice.

Lucemia came down, bellowing its fury, the cloud's parting, and Godhand rode astride the massive beast, like a demonic chariot, laughing as the creature began to sing. Its words were so loud Riven thought his ears would bleed, and so quiet he couldn't hear what it was saying. But the words came through, all the same.

Come to me!

Need me!

I am love, and I will give you everything you need!

But he knew Lucemia was none of those things, though he could see others swaying out of the corners of his eyes, some walking, some charging towards the voice. All of them teary-eyed and desperate. He tried to call out to them, but his voice froze in his throat when he saw Pearl, staggering towards him, eyeless, her hands outstretched.

I need you.

Walk with me . . .

I will be everything you need. I am everything you need.

Riven woke, stifling a scream, and sitting in the shade of the sleeping Trent, remembered exactly who HAD said those words.

*************

Emeralda hadn't heard him leave, but when she woke, she knew he was gone. She couldn't say quite how she knew, but it was there, and she didn't question it. She'd been able to sleep, comforted but the knowledge that he was sitting in the garden, only a short walk away. So now she sat up, writing in her diary by candlelight, fighting back tears and wondering why she felt betrayed. He was going to find Pearl, that much was obvious. And it wasn't like Riven had ever showed any of that sort of affection towards me. Pearl's not even a real person! She's a flaw in Blackpearl's core!

She wiped at her eyes, and closed her little book, ashamed at how childish she was being. It was wrong to say Pearl wasn't real, just because she was jealous. Even if – no, I mustn't let myself think that way. Pearl's my friend!

There was a tapping at the door, and she blinked, looking towards the window. Could Elleira and Cervantes be back already? Riven back to confess his undying love? Ha!

"Coming, coming," she said, wiping at her eyes hurridly and rushing to the door. She opened it, and a hand shot out, seizing her core. Suddenly breathless, she dropped to the floor, clutching the hand that was strangling the center of her being. She couldn't scream, or fight back; all she could do was hold on.

The figure stepped into the light, and again, all of Emeralda's nightmares came true. Sandra was standing above her, ready to rip the core from her at any moment. Again terror gripped her heart, just as Sandra gripped her soul.

"I'm sorry. Please know that . . . I don't have a choice." Sandra looked away, and started to pull, and then the screams came, as Emeralda's very essence was being ripped from her.

"GO! PUMPKIN HOARD!!!" Bud cried out, and suddenly the room was filled with pumpkins, bouncing around and leaping for Sandra. She shrieked, and tried to pull away with the core, but a pumpkin latched its teeth into her arm, forcing her to let go. Emeralda curled into a ball, clutching her chest, not even having the strength to roll away.

"So, you try to attack someone in the very home of Bud the Malignant?!" Bud cried, leaping from the foot of the stairs with his frying pan held high. Sandra flung her other hand out, the thrown card slicing his hand and causing him to drop his weapon. "OWWW!!!"

"BOULDER DRUM!!!" Bud yelled, sending boulders crashing towards her, smashing the table, busting through the wall, and becoming lodged in it. Sandra tripped over another pumpkin, falling backwards down the stairs.

"Damn you! I have to have that core!" she snarled. The jewel thief raised both hands, and began throwing cards, one after the other, and Bud was caught up in the hail of slicing paper. Lisa came down the stairs next, broom held high and Lil' Cactus at her side, and shrieked when she saw the woman in green. Sandra seized one of the few unbroken chairs and flung it at the little girl, just as another pumpkin bit ferociously into her leg. With a curse, she leapt for the hole in the door, and was gone.

Bud grumbled as he got back to his feet, wincing each time he noticed a new cut on his clothes, though very few of the cards had sliced the skin. He bolted the door, and turned, resting against it heavily. Lisa gathered herself enough to ask what was going on, what was happening, but he didn't say anything, instead fighting his way through the debris to Emeralda's side.

Lisa cleared her throat, walking over and tapping Bud on the shoulder. "What just happened?" she asked, looking down fearfully at the gasping and sobbing Jumi.

"We're not safe here anymore," Bud said softly.

*************

Just outside the window, Vandal lit a cigarette, and tossed the match into the kindling he had stacked against the house. During the fight, no one had noticed him whistling as he had used firewood to block off the first floor windows. It started to burn slowly, and he patted down his person, before finally pulling out a flask. He popped off the top, taking a quick pull of the contents before splashing it generously on the wall and fire. It burned fast and hard, traveling up the wall quickly.

"No little wizard. You're not safe anywhere anymore," he sneered.