My second fic! Wow, I feel so accomplished already! Hee… Please read and review—I'd luv to know what you think! Enjoy!
Ephidel
I walked the corridor towards Lord Nergal's chamber. He had summoned me for a mission concerning the Pherae whelps. Lord Eliwood of Pherae, Lord Hector of Ostia and the Sacaen Lady Lyndis of Caelin… They were getting considering dangerous to our plan even though Lord Nergal would never admit it. Neither would Sonia or that other morph, Limstella.
Sonia…a rather stupid morph really…still thinks she's human even though it is apparent how wrong she is. She is the only mistake Lord Nergal has ever made. Morphs are supposed to be strong, smart and beautiful…well; he got the beautiful part at least… But her intelligence has greatly suffered because of it. Can she not tell from her glittering gold eyes, ivory skin and ebony hair that she is not human? Perhaps from her lack of obvious intelligence she is not competent enough to realize. Or perhaps Lord Nergal made her more human like than Limstella and I, another mistake. Humans are weak and imperfect, they have faults and blemishes. Morphs are the perfect beings, superior to all. But maybe she has feeble human flaws…like denial—pathetic.
I reached the door to the room and overheard Lord Nergal and Limstella talking. He was telling her how perfect and flawless she was in her beauty and strength. I snarled. Limstella was indeed beautiful…even more so than Sonia. Her strength though? It is not even hers! Lord Nergal has given everything to her! She is a mere construct, built by human hands and given abilities. Nothing is hers and no credit should be given hence this.
Angrily, I gripped the door handle and walked in casually with a hooded face. I bowed to Lord Nergal and merely acknowledged the fact that Limstella was even in the room. Lord Nergal smiled evilly at me and I felt something swell…it was weird…it was as if I was feeling something humans call emotion. Couldn't be, however, I am a morph, devoid of all feeling!
I must have made a face at my thoughts because Lord Nergal questioned my look. I mumbled a 'nothing' and went back to my thoughts. Milord started issuing orders at a rapid pace.
Soon orders were given and Limstella left with her mission. I was told to stay here.
"Ah…Ephidel…my second creation… Almost perfect yet not fully there…lacking in something…ah well, you cannot expect to get everything right on the first try, yes?" he stated conversationally.
"Of course, my Lord Nergal," I said calmly. Inside I was boiling with unknown feelings. Almost perfect…? I AM perfect! I am the perfect being! The only one of my kind! None other than myself…except…Limstella. Why is she perfect? I am the only male morph he has ever created, cunning enough to do his bidding! Strong enough to do his deeds! I should be the perfect one—not Limstella!
"You understand your orders, yes? I find you interesting my young morph…you are much like Limstella yet I see much more Sonia in you. It is peculiar as to why this happens, but I think it makes a good experiment for now… How do you feel towards your fellow morphs, dear Ephidel?" Lord Nergal questioned. It was a question that threw me off guard and by his smile I knew he had caught my surprise. He never asked about our thoughts…we were here to do his needs and that is all. Then why all these probing questions…?
"How do I feel, milord? Morphs cannot feel…it is part of what makes us superior to humans," I said. His smile deepened.
"But I am human—are you superior to me, my Ephidel?" he asked. Words caught in my throat.
"N-no, of course not! You are my creator and my maker, you are better than human…I meant to say better than the human refuse Sonia refers to!" I replied quickly. What is this feeling of…relief? What is happening to me? Lord Nergal laughed.
"Do you like Sonia? You even use her term for humans…perhaps you have even fallen for her. She is very beautiful." My mind was in shreds. Fallen for her? Quite the opposite! I despise her! But again, isn't 'hate' another foolish human emotion? Just like love is? And why am I using terms that Sonia uses? Am I so like her I must use her words to express my ideas? Beautiful…yes, for a shrewd snake. But that is what also makes her attractive…wait! Attractive?! Sonia?!
"I can see that I have confused you…like I said, almost perfect. You are dismissed." I left without hesitation and mumbled a quick and almost unnoticeable 'thank you'. In my rush to get away I bumped directly into Sonia who was looking at her painted nails…another stupid human ritual. I didn't waste my breath for a 'sorry' and continued on my way. She grabbed me by the hood.
"Where do you think you're off to in such a rush you ungrateful morph? You hit me in all your carelessness! Say you're sorry!" she screeched. She wore a disgusting expression to show her 'superiority'. Anger was building and I could control it no longer.
"Can you not even see it? Are you so blind? You are a morph just as I am and Limstella is. It's your own stupidity that brings you so close to humanity! You parade yourself as if you are like a human but it is your own ignorance that masks the truth! Get over yourself and embrace the facts, you are not human and will never be!" I roared, my voice getting stronger with every word. She just stood there with her red lips wide open. Suddenly she slapped me—hard.
"How dare you talk to me in such a way! Have you no idea who it is you are addressing? I AM human and damn you for calling me a…morph. Why waste my time and energy damning you to hell when there is hell for a morph. You are not living! You are body parts put together like a puzzle to create the perfect henchmen for milord's deeds! Nothing else, nothing more! How I despise the word morph! If I ever catch you calling me a morph ever again…it will be your last. No one will miss you…no one ever does miss a lost doll. Especially when one such as my lord, can make more."
With that she walked past me with an air of supremacy. I stood there, frozen in my tracks. My mind was in shambles from Lord Nergal and now it had stopped working all together. What was happening?
Dazed and confused I teleported away.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Welcome Eliwood. You're just in time to see your father's final moments," Lord Nergal said. That was my cue; I drained him of his quintessence and fed it to Ninian's dragonstone. It glowed with ancient power and Ninian began chanting strange words. Eliwood looked on with fear and wonder while milord was the picture of glory. Finally…finally his dream is coming through…
"Here come…come…the children…of fire…" Ninian said softly. Her eyes had glazed over and she was in a trance. The gate was glowing and slowly opening to the other side…the world of dragons. A roar entered the room echoing throughout the grand halls. A mighty claw came out and shattered the floor around it. A vicious head had pushed through, its glittering scales reflecting flames.
"Stop! I won't let you do this! Ninian! Snap out of it!" I turned to see that pesky boy Nils.
"Ephidel! Stop him!" Lord Nergal commanded. I ran to catch the lout but he wriggled out of my grasp. Meanwhile, Ninian was coming out of her trance.
"Nils…?" she whispered.
"Come on everyone! The dragon is crumbling!" Nils, Ninian, Eliwood and his friends ran off to safety. The dragon was indeed falling apart. It made another screeching roar before being drawn back into the collapsing portal.
"We were so close…Nils…" Lord Nergal hissed before teleporting away. How could he leave me? I am his creation…he needs me! Sonia's words echoed in my head. "No one will miss you…no one ever does miss a lost doll. Especially when one such as my lord, can make more."
"My Lord Nergal! Help! Help me! Ahhhhh…….!" I felt my body being torn asunder from the forces of the gate. My body…or my constructs…they were never mine…only Lord Nergal's… They were slowly disintegrating. Could I have been so wrong? Could I have underestimated a human? For I have gone through many of the weaknesses of humans… But morphs cannot feel…we are not real…we are not human… Then why all this…this…this hated emotion?! Why do I feel such things?! As the last of the gate closed, Ephidel was decimated. Why do I feel pain…?
Limstella returned to the site of the collapsed gate some hours after. She had heard about what had happened and she wanted to see the area herself. The news of her partner's death did not faze her. All morphs die sooner or later, she thought. Ephidel's just came sooner. She reached the gate and saw what ruin it had made. Such a pity, she thought after seeing the destruction. All this work and not even one dragon made it through. Now milord will have to start over. At the bottom of the gate she saw Ephidel's torn body. It lay in a strange position, the remainder of his limbs bent at weird angles. His head was severed from his body and frozen in an expression of fear. She snorted in pure disgust of the deceased morph.
"Morphs cannot feel…we are constructs. Our mind, body, heart are not real. You have no soul…no quintessence that I can take."
She turned and left, leaving her fallen comrade, sad and broken, at the bottom of an esoteric gate.