Title : Is It Really You?
Summary : What would happen if there had been a girl in Martin's past who had broken his heart when she died? How much confusion would ensue if she were to suddenly reenter his life?
Rating : T for brief language, and confusing information that confused the authoress sometimes
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
TT : TaterTot, here! PotatoPuff's taking a rest, cause she's kinda sick, and asked me to take care of typing and submitting it. FrenchFry hasn't come back from her visit with her family over the Christmas break yet, so it's just me. I don't have much to say, just that PotatoPuff is actually using her profile for a constructive purpose! She'll make sure that she puts her progress on each chapter up there, so if she's hit a patch of writer's block, or is just taking a long time to write it out, she'll put it up there. She'd also like to apologize if this chapter seems a bit boring to you, she was just trying to fit all the information in. Oh yeah, we do not own anything copyrighted by anyone else, too bad, because if we did, holding Martin in that room for this long, which PotatoPuff thinks is a secret, wouldn't be kidnapping. We also don't own the Luciendar or the Morthoseth, well, that'll be explained. Happy reading!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chapter 10 : The One She Has Chosen
Martin opened his eyes to see a roof made of straw and mud over his head. His bed was made of straw as well. He sat up to get a better look around, and immediately felt a jolt of pain shoot through his head. He groaned, lifting his hand to feel the bandages. The pain was rapidly growing, becoming so intense that he had to lay back down.
"Martin awake!"
He turned his head a tiny bit, just enough to see Diana and Java walk in, looking relieved to see him awake. He groaned again.
"What happened?"
"A part of the ceiling hit you on the head as you were running for the portal. You're lucky that it only knocked you out. Java had to carry you out of there."
Martin groaned again. That would explain why his head felt about ready to explode.
"How long have I been out?"
"Three days."
Martin bolted upright.
"Three DAYS!"
He realized what he had just done as the pain in his head seemed to triple, making his vision turn blurry. He winced, and gently lowered himself back onto the pillow as Diana frowned.
"Yes, three days. You still shouldn't be moving much. That was quite a nasty wound you had. And, because I can see the question on the tip of your tongue, we're back in the same village where we found Rachel a month ago."
Diana was right. He had been about to ask where they were, because it most certainly was not Torrington or the Center. Her answer confused him though.
"Why are we back here?"
"We don't know. This is where the portal dropped us off. The chief didn't seem surprised to see us though, but refuses to tell us why until you're there to hear it too."
"What happened to Rachel?"
Diana looked over at Java, and Martin could tell that she wasn't sure of what to tell him.
"The last time we saw her was when Daniel teleported them both away from the temple, along with that sword we saw."
Martin couldn't believe it. He had failed her. Once more, she had been snatched away, right from under his nose.
"Just never leave me again, okay?"
"Wouldn't dream of it."
She had left again though. This time was going to be different from the first though. He knew that she was still alive this time, and he was going to do everything in his power to get her back.
Diana saw determination glow in her stepbrother's eyes that had become so dull and lifeless when he had turned his back on Rachel in the temple three days earlier. She couldn't help but inwardly smile even as she attempted to wrestle him back into bed.
"You shouldn't be walking around yet! You still need to rest!"
"I can't just lie here while that bastard's doing god-knows-what to her! I have to go after him!"
Martin groaned and fell back onto the bed, stunning Diana. The pain in his head had grown so intense that he had nearly blacked out. His voice was weak as he spoke.
"You know what, you're right Di. There's no way I can do anything when I'm like this. I mean, I can barely sit for 30 seconds, let alone take out some evil guy, most likely with magical powers of his own. It's just, compared to what he's probably doing to her right now, a little headache is nothing. I feel like such a wimp, so weak. Listen, I should get some rest, so, do you mind?"
He turned his back to them, signalling that he didn't want to talk anymore. Diana gestured to Java that they were leaving, but he had to say one more thing.
"Martin not weak."
Martin gave no sign of hearing them, so they left him, not noticing the tears silently running down his face.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Daniel sat, watching the woman mutter in her sleep. Rachel had turned out to be stronger than he thought, if she was still holding on after this long. An image flashed through his mind.
Rachel's stream of fire was racing towards the three agents standing by the door. The girl dropped to the ground and curled up in a ball, while the caveman just dropped to his stomach and covered his head with his hands. The blond was the one that interested him the most though. He just stood there, almost like he had accepted his fate. He closed his eyes and raised his arm, almost as though he was shielding his eyes from the light. Daniel noticed the watch on his wrist when it began glowing with a pure, white light. He gasped. That woman must have infused some of her power into it for it to be strong enough to hold off that attack.
Obviously she had chosen the boy as the one to save her if she trusted him with that much of her power. He would be a problem as long as she still believed that he would save her, and he continued to try.
Daniel was snapped out of his thoughts when the woman was finally silent, and began sleeping peacefully. At a single glance, he couldn't help but smile.
Azrael had won, and Rachel would soon wish that she was dead.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was another week before Martin was feeling well enough to fully function with no pain again. That was when the chief approached them, and gave them the biggest shock they had recieved in quite a while.
"You should follow me now."
In perfect English. No accent, no stuttering, absolutely perfect, almost like he'd been speaking English all his life. He saw the surprise on their faces and smiled.
"All will be explained. Now, follow me."
He turned, walking away, leaving Martin, Diana and Java with no choice but to follow.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
They walked out of the village, and towards the same grove of trees where Rachel and Martin had talked the first time they were there. Instead of stopping in the clearing though, they continued walking towards the spring. That was the first time that Martin noticed the stone path leading through the water, and the way it continued through the trees on the other side.
At the end of the path, there was another clearing, with a huge temple standing in the center of it. If Martin hadn't known any better, he could have swore that it was the exact same one they had gone to in India. The biggest difference between the two was that it was bright inside of this one, lit by the sunshine streaming through the holes cut in the walls. The layout seemed to be exactly the same as the other one though, filled with confusing passageways, and dead ends, but the chief seemed to know exactly where he was going, and how to get there, not once making a wrong turn.
Eventually, he led them to the main chamber. They all gasped. It looked exactly the same as it had in the other temple, complete with circular platform in the center of the room and altar at the opposite end. There was even a sword sitting on top of it.
The illustrations were all different though. They showed more peaceful times, instead of times of war. The highlight of the room seemed to be the biggest image out of them all. It was a lifelike image of two women standing back-to-back. One was dressed in a robe of pure white, face upturned to catch the sunlight, while little people went about their peaceful lives below her. The other woman was dressed in a robe of pure black. She was looking up at the moon in the night sky, while little people were running on a barren plain beneath her, with flames, and men on horseback with swords. There was only one way you could look at that scene. With fear that the war it depicted would come true. It looked like pure, massive chaos.
The chief gave them some time to examine it before explaining.
"The people of this village are the guardians of this temple, just like the inhabitants of that village in India by the other temple you went to were its guardians. They were both built by ancestors of your friend Rachel, even though by that point they were split, depending on their beliefs, whether they were on the side of the light, or the shadows. This one was built as a shrine for the Luciendar, the Sword of Light, until the day it was needed to fight off its brother, the Morthoseth, the Sword of Shadows, which resides, well, resided, in the other temple."
Diana cut in before he could say anymore.
"Wait a second. There's one thing that's really been bothering me. How did you become such a natural at speaking English? The last time we saw you, you were struggling to tell us to follow you!"
The chief smiled.
"I did a good job fooling you, didn't I? Along with all of the villagers. It was Rachel's request that we pretend to be unable to speak English, I think to help hide the fact that she had any connection to us other than the fact that this is where her resurrection took place. And, when a descendant of the Lionheart asks a favour of us, we listen."
"Are you still talking about Rachel? 'Cause 'The Lionheart' sounds like the title of some king from the Medieval Ages, and I really don't think Rachel's blood goes back that far."
"You see, that's where you'd be wrong. Maybe I should just start from the beginning. It's quite a long story, so I'd appreciate it if you'd save your questions until I'm done. Okay? Good. Alright, many centuries ago, during the Medieval Ages, there was a race of people who could harness the power of the elements by using what we now call magic. Some were skilled at using water for healing, others with earth for beautifying the land, growing flowers, crops, and the like. Wind was mainly used to create energy, like the wind farms now, and fire was mainly used for defense, cooking, and hunting. All four elements had the capability to be used in battle though. Some people, although they were very few in number, were even skilled at using all four elements.
"The people who could wield these powers used them for the better of the world, and those people who could not wield them, but there are always those disagree with the ways of the light. A group of rebels began forming in the village. Their leader was a man named Daniel. They stayed quiet, gathering more people to their cause, until, one day, they attacked the village. Artem, the leader of the village, led the attack against them.
"Daniel's aim was to capture Artem's sword, which, when he was not using it, rested in the altar in the center of the village. In his haste, Artem had no time to grab the sword, so Daniel saw it as free for his taking. The sword's name has been lost in history, so we simply refer to it as the Lionheart, for it could only be wielded by one with a pure heart, and the intention to cleanse the world of evil. It combined the forces of light and shadows within one sword.
"During the battle, Daniel managed to sneak through to the altar. Not realizing that the sword would not allow itself to be wielded by someone with a heart as unpure as his, he grabbed the Lionheart, intending to make it his own. He immediately recoiled from pain upon touching the sword, having been rejected by the light side of the Lionheart. But, his touch had a very unfortunate effect on the sword.
"You see, there was a very delicate balance between light and shadows in the sword, and just being touched by someone who had very nearly been consumed by the shadows was enough for the hidden dark side to leap forth, and break out of the prison the light had encased it in. The force it used was enough to split the one sword into two. Luciendar, the Sword of Light, and Morthoseth, the Sword of Shadows.
"Morthoseth, seeing the shadows within Daniel's heart, flung itself at him, while Luciendar flew towards Artem, sensing the purity of his heart, who was currently running towards the altar, not realizing he was too late to stop Daniel.
"Daniel had already run from the altar, taking his army with him, for with his goal accomlished, the Morthoseth now in his possession, there was no need for that distraction. Whether he had seen the woman laying on the altar or not, is a question that only he can answer, for there was now a woman lying in the spot where the Lionheart had lay, born of the power the Lionheart could summon before it was torn asunder.
"When Artem saw how the Luciendar reacted to her presence, he realized that she was somehow connected to the sword, and took her in. As the village was recovering from the battle, he was nursing her back to health, attempting to pull her out of the coma he had found her in.
"Eventually, she did awaken, and it soon became clear that she suffered from a case of split personality syndrome. One second, she would be laughing at a person in distress, most likely caused by something she had done, and the next second would rush over to help them. The most distressing of all the evidence had to be that in battles, she attacked both sides, not caring whether she hit friend or foe, as long as her target was dead. When asked about it afterwards, she would have no memory of fighting any battle at all.
"Slowly, Artem put all the pieces together, and came to the conclusion that she was the physical form of the Lionheart. Even though the Lionheart had always been a holy sword, one that defeated darkness, because it had the ability to be turned towards the shadows, and the shadows had not been encaged when the Lionheart had created this physical manifestation of itself, both sides, light and shadow, shone clearly in her. Due to this, she was given two names, for in a way, she was two completely different women in the same body. The light side was given the name Serafina, meaning heavenly, winged angel, while the shadow side was given the name Azrael, meaning angel of death.
"In the presence of the Luciendar, Azrael began to recede, for it gave Serafina, the woman who was its match, enough power to overwhelm the shadows. What happened in the rest of that lifetime is unimportant. What is important is that after Serafina, and therefore Azrael as well, died, she was reborn. Due to the lifestyle she had followed in her previous lifetime, Serafina was born the dominant personality, although with a different name and look, but, due to the lifestyle she changed to during that life, Azrael slowly took back control. They have continued this cycle throughout history, constantly being reincarnated to new families, with new names and looks, never knowing about their previous lives, until now. The reason that it continued is that the Luciendar and Morthoseth both long to regain their former power, and the only ones who can reunite them are Serafina and Azrael, for as long as the power the Lionheart placed within them remains there, the swords cannot be reunited. The swords use their power to reincarnate the girls every time they die. So, Rachel was wrong in her guess of what she thought was the reason she was resurrected. It was actually the Luciendar's power, bringing back its physical form, and the Morthoseth bringing back her shadow. The only thing..."
Martin couldn't hold in his question any longer.
"How does Rachel fit into all of this? You said that this Serafina was the light side of the duo, and the one connected to Azrael, so how did Rachel get pulled into the mix?"
"Have you not figured it out? I personally thought it was quite obvious. Rachel is the current reincarnation of Serafina. They are one in the same. It just so happened that, this time, Serafina and Azrael were born back into the same blood line that first nurtured them back to health, giving them powers that will make the final fight that much harder, for there will be a fight. By this point, Azrael has most likely taken over Serafina, or Rachel, if you prefer. She was strong, but nowhere near strong enough to hold off Azrael while in the presence of the Morthoseth, and during a lunar eclipse."
"WHAT! So, you mean, Rachel's..."
Martin's voice trailed away, fearing the worst.
"No, Rachel is not dead. Of that, I am certain. She has most likely just been shoved off into a corner of her mind along with memories that she wishes to forget. They will have made sure that she probably wishes that she were dead right now."
Silence filled the room before Diana asked her question.
"Before Martin interrupted earlier, you were saying something about 'the only thing'. What were you talking about?"
"The only thing...? Oh, yes. The only thing we don't quite understand yet is why Rachel was resurrected this time, instead of Serafina and Azrael being reincarnated as someone else. The only theory we have so far is that the two swords realized that their battle will be fought in this lifetime, not in another."
"Ok, now that we're all caught up, what about this battle? Got any information on it?"
"We don't have much, but what we have is all that we need. We know that there will be a certain man, not Daniel, for he will be on our side, who will play a major role. Without this man, Rachel will not be able to conjure the strength needed to break out of her prison, and without her, Azrael will win. She will somehow gain possession of the Luciendar, and shall reunite it with the Morthoseth, turning them into a sword meant solely for aiding the forces of evil. There are also hints that the two swords will be used against each other, Morthoseth wielded by Azrael, and Luciendar by this mystery man."
Martin got up off the floor where he had made himself comfortable.
"Well, if this guy is so important, then why aren't we out there looking for him, or any clues as to who he is?"
Diana and Java nodded in agreement, but the chief just smiled.
"Why? Because we already know who he is. He has a deep emotional attachment to Rachel, and would do anything to save her. She has also marked him as this special man."
"Well, if you already know who he is, that'll make it even easier to find him! But, wait, why haven't you found him already if you know who he is?"
The chief sighed, shaking his head.
"There are times when I seriously question her choice. Are you really that blind, Martin? Your U-Watch. How do you think it gained the power to deflect magical attacks? Rachel placed some of her power into it before she went to the World Trade Center, along with a charm that would ensure that the watch made its way to you, no matter what, if something were to happen to her! That is her mark! You are the one she has chosen!"
The trio was shocked, Martin worst of all. He found it hard to find the words to say.
"But, but, why me?"
"She believes that you have the strength to save her, and, after hearing the tale of how you would go chasing after her, even with a headache that would have caused you faint before you even left the room, I believe she made the right choice. This is why the U-Watch opened a portal back to our village. Rachel's power sent you here so we could give you your final test."
"Test? I should warn you, I'm not that good at tests."
Martin was feeling slightly nervous, but the chief gave him a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. It's quite simple, really, but will give us a definite answer as to whether or not you are the man that we are looking for, just in case we made a mistake. The Luciendar lies on the altar behind me. Pick it up."
Martin had to fight down the urge to laugh as the chief stepped out of the way.
"So, I just, pick it up? That's it? What is it, a test of my strength? If I can't pick it up, I'm obviously not ging to be able to wield it in a fight, right?"
"It is a test of strength, but not in the way you are thinking of. Remember, the Luciendar and the Morthoseth have the ability to judge our hearts. If they find the heart of the person who is trying to wield them unworthy, they will reject them. The Luciendar will only accept a wielder with a pure heart, who has no thought at all of using its power for their own ambitions of power and greed. This final test is a test of the strength of your heart."
Martin walked forward to stand in front of the sword, taking a moment to take a good look at it. The scabbard was gold coloured, with a white lightning bolt down the center of it. The hilt seemed to be made of white gold, with black flakes, and a golden gem in the center of it. It looked much brighter than the sword in the other temple, that he now knew to be the Morthoseth.
"Well, here goes nothing."
He took a deep breath, and grabbed the hilt of the Luciendar, picking it up off the altar. He had a moment to think about how light it was, before he experienced what was probably the weirdest sensation he had ever felt in his life.
The only way he could describe it was that it felt like everything around him had frozen in place. There was no more sound, or just that feeling of movement that you dont realize is there until it's gone. He turned around, and sure enough, Diana, Java, and the chief were all frozen in place, watching him, unmoving, and unblinking. He suddenly sensed someone behind him, and spun back around, the Luciendar held out in front of him threateningly, to see a woman standing there, gazing fondly at him.
His breath caught in his throat. She was wearing a white robe, identical to the woman in the picture above her. Looking at her, Martin realized that she WAS the woman in the picture. He gasped in shock. Her slightly wavy, blonde hair fell nearly halfway down her back, and her sparkling blue eyes reminded him so much of Rachel's. She also had a pair of white wings, identical to Azrael's in every way but colour.
She leaned forwards, and placed her hands over his.
"Now, let's see if you are worthy of the Luciendar's power."
Martin felt as though his entire life was flashing in front of his eyes, too quick for him to figure out what any of it was. All he knew was that what felt like 18 years to him, went by in a couple of seconds. He felt exhausted as the woman let go, stepping away. He wasn't quite sure how he was staying on his feet. She nodded.
"There is no malice in your heart. You only wish to use the Luciendar's power to save the love of your life, for, even if you don't realize that she means that much to you, your heart does. After you save her, as long as this power does not fall into evil hands, you don't give a damn what happens to it. Don't let the darkness taint your purity, and use the Luciendar to save me. To save Rachel."
She faded away, and Martin felt time return to normal, as he fell to his knees, panting, his right hand firmly gripping the Luciendar.
"Serafina."
His voice was a hoarse whisper. Diana rushed to his side.
"Did you say something?"
"Serafina. She was standing right in front of me. She told me to use the Luciendar to save her, and Rachel."
He looked down at the Luciendar, the sword that had basically just been given to him, as the chief spoke up.
"Of course. The Luciendar would have to pick a form of some sort to act as judge, and Serafina is, basically, its human incarnation."
He sounded more like he was just realizing this himself than like he was lecturing them. He looked over at Martin, who was still kneeling on the floor, panting heavily.
"Perhaps the two of you should aid Martin in getting back to his room. He needs his rest tonight, for we shall start lessons in the morning."
He left the room, leaving Diana and Java to help Martin back to the village.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Martin was laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about everything he had learned. He still found it kinda hard to believe that he was destined to fight against Azrael to get Rachel back.
After Java and Diana had basically carried him back to the village, he had only stayed away from his bed long enough to clear a space on his dresser to place the Luciendar in. He had been out before he had hit his pillow, so now, sometime around midnight, he was wide awake.
He flipped over to look at the Luciendar, remembering how Serafina had appeared before him. Her resemblance to Rachel had been clear, at least to his eyes. Her voice even had the same musical quality that Rachel's had. Their eyes were exactly the same too.
"Martin."
He bolted upright. He could have swore that he had heard Rachel calling him from outside. That wasn't possible though, because Daniel had her, didn't he? He dismissed it as just a figment of his imagination, because he had been thinking about her, and laid back down.
"Martin."
He shot out of bed. That time he was positive he had heard her outside that time. Knowing he wouldn't be able to rest until he knew whether it really was her or not, he went outside to investigate.
He was shocked as hell when he saw her standing inbetween the hut he was in and the one across from him, smiling. When she saw him walk out, her eyes lit up, and she ran towards him. Martin was frozen with disbelief as she ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I'm dreaming, aren't I? You're not really her, and I'm going to wake up soon, right?"
She giggled, and looked up into his eyes.
"It's not a dream, Martin. I'm standing here, in front of you. Daniel seriously underestimated my powers, so I managed to slip away from him without a problem."
Martin felt confused.
"But, the chief said..."
"Does it really matter what the chief said? Listen, Martin, I can see the doubt in your eyes. You want proof that I'm me? Kiss me then. That should be all the proof you need."
She began gently pulling his face towards hers, and he gave into temptation, ignoring all his common sense that said she shouldn't be there, that something was wrong, and closed his eyes, fully intending to savor the moment.
Therefore, he didn't see the smirk that crossed her lips, or the way that her sparkling blue eyes suddenly became a menacing red.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
TT : Alright, finally done! And it only took three late nights to do it! PotatoPuff left you with a huge cliffhanger, didn't she? I'll have to have a talk with that girl about how evil she can be. I will admit, she did think of a pretty good way to bring you back for the next chapter, whenever she gets it up, cause she's taking a little break, to think of ideas for the next chapter. If there was anything that confused you, or anything you think we missed, just let us know, and we'll try to straighten things up, k? Well, don't forget to review, and see you next chapter!