Chapter 4

By:Zosocrowe

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

I have merely borrowed a couple characters to create

a silly fan story. I have no money either

Firstly, thank you to OneOfTwo for drawing that amazingly beautiful picture of Kasia and Kaine! Incredible! I think I'm even more amazed I managed to inspire someone so. Oh, I apologize for formatting errors in advance...I seem to be having issues with them. I'll fix any I find ASAP. To everyone else who has made it this far reading. Thank you. I wish everyone the happiest of holidays! Take care!

"I wish for Albel to accompany you."

Nel stared at the old solider. His words were completely unexpected and certainly not plausible. Not after what she had just witnessed. "That's impossible," she stated, waving a hand in negation, "he would be more of a liability to me than an asset. I see that now."

"Albel has always been a bit of a liability." Woltar tried to make it a joke, but the words just came out tired and sullen.

"You know what I mean," Nel countered, not missing the irony, but instead, not finding it very amusing at the moment. She'd come to Kirlsa, hoping to gain the aide of a powerful and competent ally. Despite their past differences, she knew Albel would get the task completed. Hell, she'd even begrudgingly admit that she trusted him on some twisted level. However, the man she saw today was not the man she sought. He was something totally different. Perhaps even more frightening than he'd ever been in the past.

Woltar sighed, looking away from Nel's doubtful face. He laid his hands neatly on the oak desk and laced his withered fingers together. "I will admit, I can't vouch for Albel's predictability, though it pains me to say so. None of us these days is certain what goes on inside his head. However, I do believe that accompanying you on this mission may be the key to provoking his recovery." He gave her a hopeful look.

"Recovery?" Nel shook her head. He made it sound like Albel was ill. He certainly hadn't looked sickly to her, but then again, most of the events of that morning were a mere blur to her. She hadn't gotten a good look at the tall warrior before she'd laid him out with that spell. Yet, not all sickness was of the body. The mind could grow ill as well. Had Albel finally gone insane? It wouldn't surprise her, really. She'd always questioned what went on upstairs when it came to him. Still, he hadn't sounded mad, just incredibly angry and utterly defeated. "What is exactly wrong with the Captain," she asked cautiously.

Woltar hesitated. He'd hoped she wouldn't ask many questions, but it was a false hope, he knew. Nel Zelpher wasn't so reckless as to agree to let an unpredictable wild card have her back in an important mission. He couldn't fault her for that. In fact, he almost praised her, but then thought better of it. His aim was for her to take Albel to Greeton, not scare her away from the idea entirely. He sighed, his face full of lines, and motioned for her to take a seat. When Nel just looked at him, he waved at her impatiently, "You might as well, this story is a bit lengthy."

Nel's curiosity moved her to the chair and she crossed her legs, frowning at Woltar. Time was not on their side, and Fayt was waiting.

"Shortly after the incident with Luther," the old man began, "we discovered a mass of catacombs beneath Airyglyph. We sent troops, and they never returned. Albel went to investigate, and discovered a horde of demons living there. He and their master, a monstrous being named Romero, clashed many times over the years, neither ever coming close to being defeated. Nearly three years ago, Nox manor was razed to the ground by this very horde. It was a massacre...everyone except Albel was killed, including his wife and infant son. Romero dispatched of them personally, while Albel was incapacitated. He watched them die...No, be tortured and butchered...while he was helpless to protect them." Woltar cleared his throat and stared at a knot in the oak of his desk. "Since that day, Sir Albel has changed, as you saw. He is determined to have his revenge...in his mind and memories...but not in his heart."

Nel was to astounded to speak. She stared at Woltar, weighing the truth of his story. It was almost too outrageous to believe. Demons? Albel married? A father? It was all so absurd. "That's a sad story," she started, "but you mean to tell me that Albel the Wicked, is mad with grief because a pack of ghouls killed his woman and child? You do know how ridiculous that sounds, don't you?"

Woltar's dark eyes hardened and he glared over his long nose at Nel. "You call me a lair, Miss Zelpher? What part is so difficult to believe? I would expect that you, of all people, would understand that there are some things in this world that we just cannot explain."

Nel leaned back in her chair. He had her there. Perhaps there were miles and miles of catacombs beneath Airyglyph. Maybe demons lived there. She's seen stranger things.

But...

She shook her head. "I cannot imagine Albel grieving...over anyone. Not to mention being married and a father."

Woltar's face eased somewhat. "Ah, I see, " he replied, "You, like so many others, see just the monster Albel is and forget that he is merely a human being like the rest of us. Strip him of his weapons, take away his status, etch away his skills, Miss Zelpher, and all you have left is a man. A simple man, naked to the very emotions all humans possess."

Nel started to object, but Woltar waved her quiet.

"But in some aspect, you are correct. Albel's trouble isn't from grieving, but the lack there of."

Confused, Nel frowned. "What?"

"He feels the pain of loss, but it is the guilt that tears at him. The guilt that he couldn't help them. That he couldn't protect them as he was sworn to do. His insufferable pride...his narcissism, has confused this feeling, turning it into a burning rage that centers around his defeat. The sad reality is, he hates himself for being weak, for succumbing to his pride and putting those he was to protect into the line of danger. He blames himself, yet he doesn't even know it. In turn, his blindness doesn't allow him to lick the wounds upon his heart. Instead, they fester and swell, spreading the infection through his soul." Woltar shook his head and gave a weak shrug as if to say he wasn't sure what to do.

A profound pity settled itself deep inside Nel's heart. It made her uncomfortable, hearing Albel's darkest secrets. It was as if she'd stepped into a forbidden place and would be punished if found. "So," she replied hastily, trying to find a safer subject of discussion, "How did he come to be married?"

"It was an arranged marriage, an agreement made between the King and his father when Albel was but a child."

Nel gave an uncomfortable chuckle. "I thought he hated arranged marriages?"

Woltar shrugged and then smiled slightly. "Despite rumor, Albel is a man of honor. It was his duty to fulfill the contract made by his father, and he did it with little complaint. I do suspect though, that little bit of peace was because it was his father's wish. It helped as well that he knew his betrothed from childhood."

"So they were...friends?" Nel asked, not hiding her surprise.

Woltar chucked then, his smile a bit wider, but still sad around the edges. "Of sorts, I suppose. Glou Nox was friends with Kasia's father, the Kings cousin. When Albel would visit here as a boy, he'd spend hours pulling the young lady's braids, stomping on her dolls... He was always making her cry for some reason or another."

Nel gave Woltar a look and cringed inwardly. The poor girl. Married off to the courtyard bully. She had to have been miserable at her parents for making her live a nightmare like that. "I hope Albel stopped tormenting her after they were married," she muttered.

Woltar pursed his lips, obviously offended. "Albel is many things, but an abuser of women, he's not."

Nel almost argued, recalling the brutal treatment of her subordinates at the hands of Albel. They'd been women, but they'd also been soldiers. There was no discrimination when it came to war. Those who took up arms as soldiers, regardless of gender, were rightfully treated of as soldiers. It was the honorable thing to do. She couldn't fault Albel for treating her army like enemies just because they were female.

"Lady Kasia was quite pleased with Albel," Woltar continued, "She was well provided for, protected, and blessed with a son. Her stature couldn't have been better."

"A loveless marriage of convenience," Nel scoffed. She hated the custom of marrying off young girls to the highest bidder. It was no better than slavery and women were nothing but cattle for auction. It disgusted her. It disgusted her even more that so many women just excepted it as part of their fate. No doubt, Albel's wife had been one of those willing sheep, doing her duty to her family and kingdom.

Woltar raised his brows at her vehement reply. "And what is love, Miss Zelpher?" he asked. "Surely you do not presume that your definition of the word should be everyone else's definition?"

Nel could only shrug. She'd never been in love. She hadn't really thought about it much either. She was hardly an authority to lecture the subject. "I don't presume anything, but I imagine there's a bit of feeling involved in the process."

"Indeed," Woltar replied, "but love can be many feelings. The desire for comfort and security. The need to protect and provide. Not all love is flowers and poetry. Quite the contrary."

"Are you insinuating that Albel..."

Woltar laughed at the incredulous look on Nel's face. "Not in the sense you are thinking, young lady, but in his own way... perhaps, yes. As I said, not all love is about romance and niceties. Some people take a more practical approach of need and necessity. It's no different. The sad thing, in Albel's case, is he never even realized it himself. Not even after the passing of Lady Kasia and Master Kaine."

Woltar paused, his smile fading from his lips once again. "He blames himself for their deaths. He hides his hatred of himself behind a shield of selfish vengeance and indifference. His guilt eats at him like a disease...We thought he would cope and move on..."

"Like he did with his father," Nel finished. She knew Albel held himself responsible for his father's death. That tragic accident shaped him into the cold, ruthless man he was when she first met him. In many ways, the events were similar, as if history was repeating itself again. She couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him. No one should have to suffer such atrocities twice in their lifetime. Not even Albel the Wicked.

Woltar nodded. "Yes, but it appears that twice the tragedy is too much for even the likes of Albel. A man can only bear so much pain until he breaks. Albel is no different. To tell you the truth, he's actually quite sensitive. I'm surprised he made it through the death of his father. We expected him to be worse than what he turned out to be..."

Nel arched her brows. Worse? She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or worried. However, Woltar's story touched her somehow and she knew the old man wasn't lying. Albel needed help. She didn't like him much, but he was a former comrade. He willingly gone to give his life for their worlds...no their entire universe...just as Fayt had done. What kind of person would she be if she chose one over the other?

"How will accompanying me be of any help?" she asked, her tone firm.

The elderly Captain's face lifted, the lines of his weathered face lessening somewhat. "I believe it was his travels with you and the other's that helped him see through darkness he'd wrapped about himself. He was able to conquer the sword by understanding himself. That alone, spoke volumes to the King and I. Albel had finally become the man we knew he could be. It was all due to Master Fayt and the others. But since the death of the Lady and young Lord...Perhaps, if he were to travel with you once more, he might remember himself."

Nel remained skeptical. This mission would be nothing like the trials that Luther pitted against them. All of them had come away, learning a bit about themselves and life, but at that time, the stakes were higher and there was more to lose. A simple rescue mission wasn't the answer to saving a man drowning in grief. Then again, who was she to say it wouldn't? Woltar seemed desperate. She was his last hope. Admittedly, she was disgusted with the creature Albel had become. A ghost of a man. A shell of a warrior. Whether she liked it or not, she'd already started down the road to aiding Woltar. She was already involved.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "How do you know he'll agree to come with me?"

A true smile erupted from Woltars face. "Oh, he'll agree. I plan on offering him a proposition he can't refuse."

"Proposition?" Nel wasn't sure if she liked the sound of that, nor did she care of the gleam in Woltar's eye.

I wasn't going to do this chapter, but instead jump right to Albel, but I thought some things needed explaining first. Too much stuff was up in the air. Now that it's out of the way, I can move on and not fret over it so much. Next chapter is based around Albel and Woltar's "proposition". He's going to be all sorts of happy...heh... This story is turning out to be darker than I wanted, but I can hopefully lighten it up a tad (not totally) once they begin the mission. Like I said, I tend to write long stories, nor do I do anything "fast". Rushing things just makes a mess...Thanks again!