Chapter 23 - Crying Eyes

Orin wasn't quite sure whether he'd died after he passed out, but when his eyes where fully opened, he was greeted by the subtle feel of a soft breeze through his hair and the sound of the birds. The light from the blue sky blinded him for a moment. He almost wondered if he hadn't imagined everything and he was just waking up now, and that his father's comrades where still nearby.

Orin lifted his head to see what he had been dreading. All of his friends lay sprawled out on the ground, all of them having passed out from the intense strain on there bodies only about an hour or so before. Orin stood weakly, feeling his muscles pull painfully back into place as he tried to gain his footing. When he felt he was able enough to move ahead, he began to wobble toward Keith, who was closest to him.

Orin fell to his knees as Keith's side and shook him awake. Keith groaned and lifted his head in pain to look at Orin.

"What…the hell happened…?" Keith asked as he strained to sit up.

When he'd finally gained enough strength to sit and then stand, he looked around at the rest of those that still lye unconscious.

"Those men." said Keith. "Where'd they come from?"

"I don't know." said Orin. "They aren't Exiles…they weren't even human. That one…man. He was the one creating the spirits that are possessing the Shining Force…"

"Yeah…" said Keith as he walked toward Ikara to wake her.

Ikara awoke a few moments later along with Vahn, and soon all of them but Sye where awake and alert, though their bodies had taken a severe beating.

"Orin…" said Tess, who'd gotten to her feet and seemed to appear behind him.

"Yeah?" he replied somewhat weakly.

"Are you…okay?" she asked shyly.

Orin looked at her strangely. It wasn't an awkward question, really, but there was something about the way she said it that made Orin feel a bit nervous.

"Um, I'm…fine." he replied, his face slightly red.

"That's good." she said with a small grin.

And with that, she walked off toward Duran, who was watching over Sye as he slept. Orin watched her walk away with a strange feeling of sadness. Her eyes and her voice had said something a little deeper than just simple worry. Any further thoughts about it on Orin's part were interrupted by another voice, though. This time, it was Jo.

"Who the hell were those two bastards!" she yelled into his ear.

"Gah! I don't know!" he yelled back. "And don't scream in my ear!"

She laughed at him, and then smiled.

"I'm sorry. It's just, they just appeared out of nowhere. And right after you'd told us that story. It was like they came right on queue…" said Jo.

"Queue…?" asked Orin with a puzzled look on his face.

"You mean you couldn't tell? The both of them were devils…" explained Jo. "Obviously the shadowy one was what's called a 'Shade'. They're dark sorcerer's with the power to totally mask their entire bodies in shadows, kind of like myself."

"And the other one…" asked Orin.

"I…don't know. I've never seen one like that before. A devil, but he looked completely like a normal human." she said, but with that, her eyes widened.

"What? What's the matter?" asked Orin.

"Unless…" started Jo. "Unless they aren't extinct…"

"What? What are you talking about?" Orin asked again as he grew slightly impatient.

"An ancient race of devils that looked exactly like humans where born from Zeon." explained Jo "He created a race of devils with human attributes and physical appearance. Though the race seemed undestroyable, and he had created thousands of them in the underworld, none of them survived long. In fact, only a single devil survived. He was called Oddeye…he was killed though. I think it was the Shining Force who finished him, if I recall correctly."

"How…do you know all this…?" said Orin. "You seemed clueless when I explained the story Randolf had told me."

"I knew all of that already, Orin." said Jo with a smile. "Even though I'm part human I still have the attributes of a devil. I'm 130 years old…I've lived through more than you'd know."

Orin's eyes widened. He hadn't realized she had both the physical characteristics and the lifespan of a devil. She looked only to be 19, at the most.

"So…" said Orin. "You think that other one…the hooded man, was one of those devils?"

"I can't be sure. Besides, it's impossible since Zeon is sealed." said Jo. "The only explanation I can draw is that he also survived with Oddeye."

Orin shook his head. In only a day his mind was being flooded with new knowledge and events. He was incapable of accepting it all so quickly.

"We all need energy…" said Jo. "I'm to hunt, now. The food will revive our spirits in the least…"

With that, she disappeared behind her own shadow, and zoomed into the sky and out of sight.

'Again…' thought Orin. 'I failed again. What odds have I got against devils like that, if that is what they are…'

"Orin." said a voice, that broke his concentration.

Orin turned to see Duran, looking at him with wide eyes.

"What is it?" Orin asked, only half concentrating on Duran.

"He's awake…" replied Duran, as he pointed over to Sye. "He's just come to."

Orin walked briskly toward Sye, and kneeled down next to him.

"Where are we…?" asked Sye weakly, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Still on the fields, where we were the other night…you…" said Orin, but he couldn't finish.

"Oh, I see…" said Sye, and his expression tightened in a jolt of pain, but his muscles relaxed once again after only a few seconds. "You…managed to bring me back?"

"We had some help." said Orin, but his own words reminded him that he'd let more of his father's comrades be taken without so much as a fight. "We found you wounded out there, and we brought you back here."

"So…you know?" he said, straining somewhat to get out only a few words.

Orin knew exactly what he meant by that, and he managed to give an answer and explain further their encounter at the same time.

"I remembered you from Granseal. The day we left for Galam, we saw you." said Orin. "Tearing away at a dead man like an animal…how did something like this happen to you?"

"Did I…hurt anyone?" asked Sye, ignoring Orin's question.

"You gave me quiet a gash last night, but I was saved…" said Orin. "But at your expense…"

"Ha…" he chuckled, managing a small grin. "They'd have done better to have just killed me."

"Answer my question…" said Orin. "What happened to you?"

"Curious, aren't you?" he said with another weak grin. "Have you ever wished for something? I'll bet you have. A mind so young always yearns for something, whether it be materialistic or in the heart."

Orin looked at him strangely. He had an odd way of speaking that drew you into the conversation without you having to say a word. His voice was captivating.

"I wanted something too, when I was younger." said Sye.

His eyes finally opened slightly, revealing his almost silver, distant eyes.

"A pact…" he said. "You see, when you're about to die, your mind plays tricks on you. Your wildest dream comes to the foot of your mind and presents itself one last time before you pass on forever. Its almost as if your mind laughs at you, and shows you what you failed to achieve. That happened to me…"

Keith, Duran, and Vahn were hovering over Orin's shoulder as Sye spoke.

"But someone…something saved me from death. A wolf. And in my mind's eye it offered a pact to keep me alive. I accepted without knowing the consequences." Sye explained, seemingly gaining more energy as he spoke. "It gave me life, but it also took refuge within me."

"A werewolf…" said Vahn, his eyes wide.

"One of the few…" said Sye with a grin.

Orin said nothing. He was unsure of what he would do. A werewolf amongst them? And with the smell of blood as a trigger for that night's transformation, Sye was sure to change from human to wolf every time they ran into a battle. It was a huge risk to simply take him with them.

"I'm the way I am because I was foolish. If I'd just died…" Sye said with a grin and a blink of his silvery eyes.

"You're as important as any other person." said Orin. "You're coming with us."

"Fool…" said Sye weakly. "Risking other's lives for mine. You might think you're being kind and helpful, but you're not. You're putting everyone's lives at risk."

"Our lives are at risk every hour of the day or night…" said Vahn. "If Orin wants you in our company, then I agree with him."

Sye grinned again and looked in Orin's direction.

"Sounds like you have a group of loyal people here, Orin." said Sye. "That's a good thing for a prince to have…"

Orin said nothing. He walked away from the situation and off toward the forest they'd come through the night before. He needed to clear his mind. There were so many things happening at once, I thought at the back of his mind began to bother him. Would he be able to do what he intended to? Bowie had disappeared into thin air, and there was so much land to search. What if there were no devils in Parmecia? It would be for nothing that they'd even come this far. Orin felt like he was missing something, and that it was right under his nose.

An hour had passed and Orin had returned to his comrades, now intent on getting something to eat. He was glad to see that the group had saved him something from Jo's hunt.

"Where did you go?" asked Duran as he finished eating the leg of a rabbit.

"Just to clear my head…" said Orin with a small grin.

He felt so tired all of a sudden. He grabbed up some food and sat far from the fire, and gnawed at the meat in his hand as he looked out over the fields. It was a clear walk until the mountains turned slightly inwards to the east. He was hoping to reach a town somewhere before Nazca so that he and his group could rest comfortably for once. He finished his meal and stood, turning to his group.

"Time to move on." said Orin, almost commandingly.

The lot of them jumped up, as if he was their leader. It was true, like Sye said, they would follow him wherever he went. It was strange, though, that he didn't consider himself the head of this band of warriors, and yet over time he'd taken on the role of commanding them.

Duran helped Sye to his feet. Sye hardly said anything as he stood and gained his footing with Duran's aid. He did take his steps unaided, though, but with some effort, he was able to keep good pace with the rest of them. Orin stood at the head with Ikara close by, and Vahn, Tess, and Keith stood together behind them, followed closely by Duran and Sye. Jo, on the other hand, had taken to the skies and swooped in and out of Orin's sight, cloaked by shadows.

"So do we have a known location?" called Vahn from behind.

"Not exactly." replied Orin. "We're heading toward Nazca, of course, but if we find a place along the way, we'll make a stop."

Ikara was quiet, as usual, and the rest of them seemed to be less talkative than usual. All and all, the travel was quiet. As they reached the area where the cliffs turned in, the vast open fields appeared. Miles in the distance sat seemingly endless ocean that they had not seen since they'd passed through Galam. They could now go either to the South, or to the East.

"Orin…" called Sye as he came up from behind.

Orin turned and looked at Sye strangely. He wasn't expecting help from him in his condition.

"To the South is the town of Roft. It will take at least a few hours to get there, but it is worth the rest if you plan to take more than a days walk to the east." said Sye, his eyes to the ground.

"Really…?" said Orin. "Then that's where we'll head for now."

And with that, the group turned south, intent on reaching the city of Roft amongst the mountains.

A long walk and seemingly endless hours had taken the group back down southward and close to the ocean. From their position, the open sea could be seen easily, and the smell of the salty air reached them. The mountains had taken them down through a forest, filled with eerie sounds and a strange aura, but nonetheless they all emerged unharmed and unfaltering.

Now, they stood only a few yards from the cities entrance, worn and aching from the nights they used naught but a thin cot and the hard ground as beds, and from the several battles they'd taken on along the way. And with low supplies and very little brought back from Jo's hunts, they were highly fatigued and hardly energetic. They seemed to even be saving their energy by keeping almost completely silent for the past four or more hours.

The city, at first glance, was small and quiet. The sun was going down slowly by now, and was just along the western mountains. Candles were being lit inside the small homes of the little town, and there was hardly anyone outside of their homes. This group entering just before the twilight hours must have seemed strange and suspicious to them, especially since almost all of them were sporting bloodied and dirtied clothes.

They were first approached by a priest, dressed all in blue and holding a misshapen wooden staff. Orin feared immediately they'd be asked to leave and not make trouble. He was surprised and relieved, though, when he heard the priest's words.

"Young ones, it is good to see new faces about!" said the old priest merrily. "We've already had so many visitors today. I'm hoping you'll enjoy your stay in Roft."

Orin nodded but said nothing. Sye spoke up from the rear in Orin's place, though.

"We seek board, friar. Do you know of an inn?" said Sye, who decided it best to close his eyes.

In the approaching night, he would turn back to a werewolf. His own blood had set off the reaction. At twilight, his eyes had already begun to change from eerie silver to bloody red. Such a sight would scare off the old man.

"Oh, of course. There's a tavern down the road there." said the priest as he pointed a shaking finger in the direction of the tavern. "Have a good night."

The tavern was quiet. Naught but about five men sat drinking various forms of liquor, plus the bartender, who stood leaning forward against the bar, awaiting his next customer. Orin approached the bartender, Duran and Ikara in tow as the rest of the group awaited word outside.

"Any rooms available?" asked Orin, as he looked around at the men who had began shooting glances in Orin's direction.

"Five. Two cots each." said the bartender, his eyes crossing across the three of them.

"We have need of four, then." said Orin. "How much?"

"200 a room." said the bartender as he held out his hand.

That price was pretty hefty, actually, but Orin didn't need money. Despite his current disheveled appearance, he was still a prince. Orin dropped the gold in his hand, still with a lot to spare, and turned to Duran.

"Call them in, then…" said Orin.

Duran left briefly and returned with the rest of the group, except for Sye. Orin understood, though. A in the middle of town was an improper place for him, especially if he was going to transform. The twilight outside had already turned into a purple sky riddled with stars.

They split into groups of two and took a room, while Jo decided to take one room for herself since there was an uneven seven of them in the group. Duran and Keith, Orin and Vahn, Ikara and Tess, each group taking to their rooms and locking the doors behind them.

Orin was tired, but not enough to go to sleep at this point. He was thinking. A man such as Sye really would be a burden, but he wouldn't abandon him. It was up to Sye whether or not he'd come along, and Orin was sure he wouldn't come with them. If the morning came and he was not awaiting them as they took leave, he wouldn't be surprised.

"Orin…" said Vahn, who was also awake.

Naught but a dim candle lit the room, and Orin sat in his bed, while Vahn sat on the floor against the wall, seemingly meditating. Orin didn't respond.

"Have you been thinking about those creatures that attacked this afternoon?" asked Vahn, his face only barely visible against the dim light of the candle.

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Orin.

"They just appeared. It's strange, enemies so powerful just revealing themselves like that…" said Vahn. "You would expect someone of such power and importance to stay hidden until the proper time."

"Maybe that was the proper time. Whoever it was, they were trying to scare us." said Orin. "Jo told me…they were both devils of some kind. I can't see how they could act so clever."

"All devil's aren't simply barbarians, brainless monsters. They're all clever in their own ways." explained Vahn. "Though the ones we've fought in the past were pretty foolish, these are different. They're experience."

"So what do we do?" asked Orin.

Vahn's eyes opened now, having been previously closed as he sat against the wall. Orin was asking him what to do?

"We can do nothing now, except keep our eyes open. Seeing as we were powerless last time, I don't think we'll have any better luck anytime in the future." said Vahn, as he stood and walked to his bed.

"Yeah…" said Orin as he laid down.

Vahn got into his own cot, which was next to the window, and was quite almost instantly, the only sound in the room now were the crickets outside and Vahn's light snoring. He must have been tired, maybe more so than Orin. Orin slowly drifted off as well, but before he was fully asleep, a bump of a door closing lifted him out of bed. He walked to his own door, opened it, and crept out into the dark hallways to see what was happening. The lights from the tavern downstairs had been shut off. Orin thought it must have been the barkeep taking to his own room for the night, so Orin walked back into his room, and closed the door behind him. He hadn't realized he left it unlocked, though, and he laid down again to try and sleep.

He drifted off and a dream took it's turn in his mind. It was strange, him walking down a corridor in Granseal Castle, guards greeting him like they always did, the smell of dinner being cooked somewhere in the castle. The sound of his footsteps sounded so real, and that's when he snapped awake, and the dream stopped, but the sound didn't. Someone was standing next his bed, the candle light so dim by now that all that he could see was a silhouette.

His eyes widened as he tried to figure what was there…was it Sye?

"Hello…?" called Orin, his eyes still wide. "Vahn?"

A grunt came from his left as Vahn turned over in his bed, and a chill shot up Orin's spine. If Vahn was in bed, it could be anyone standing there. And then, unexpectedly, the figure spoke.

"Orin." said the figure, it's voice familiar. "I'm sorry…"

"What?" asked Orin, unaware of whom he was speaking to or what they meant.

"I don't like doing it, but…" said the voice.

"…Tess?" said Orin, as he recognized the voice.

She moved forward toward him, and he sat up in bed to see what she wanted. He suddenly felt a strange warmth in the room as he eyes shined with tears against the dim candle light.

"What's the matter?" he said, as he stood up out of bed.

She said nothing now, but within a moment, and what seemed like hours to Orin, she embraced him. He was surprised at the least, he hardly knew what was going on, but he felt right that way, standing there, and he held her. She sobbed lightly into his shoulder and they stood for a few moments like this.

"I'm sorry, Orin." she said again.

"I…why. I don't understand." he said as she let go of him, and looked down toward the ground.

And they he did understand, for a second, he was numb, and in the next moment, he felt a pain, and he fell to his knees.

"Goodbye." she said, as she turned to the door, her eyes still tearing.

Orin said nothing. He could only barely reach around to his back, where he could feel the hilt of the dagger protruding from his back. His eyes widened as he felt the blood draining from his body.

"V…Vahn…" he gasped, now on his hands and knees, trying to stay conscious.

"Vahn…"

Vahn tossed over unto his side, and his eyes opened a bit.

"Huh?" he mumbled, as he looked at Orin on the ground. "What's…?"

And then he saw the knife, the small bit of metal still visible glinted dimly against the candle light, and Vahn jumped from his cot.

"ORIN?" called Vahn, as he voice became far away, and Orin collapsed.

And Orin's eyes flashed open again, and he sputtered, as he sprung up in his bed. It was still night, and he felt no wound in his back as he felt around for a few moments. Another dream to torment him. But maybe it opened his eyes…Orin remember his dream of the werewolf, and of the one with his possessed father, and now this new one…were they dreams, or premonitions. He would be weary of Tess now, just in case, even though he knew if such an event happened in reality, he would return her embrace even if a dagger would come with it.