Black Hearts
May you find what you seek with all that hatred in your heart
Chapter Seven
"Lloyd…listen to me." He said getting up. Lloyd looked up no emotions in his eyes at all. Kratos paused backing away a bit; he turned away from his son knowing that he shouldn't. He tightened his fists.
"It wasn't your fault damn it!" Kratos blurted out everyone looked at him, he sighed and spun on his heel and rushed up the stairs. Zelos eyed Sheena who shrugged. I wonder what that was about…hmm. The red rubbed his chin in thought and looked at Raine who was still tending to the dormant dwarf. Noishe was panting, and shivering by the fire. He let out a low moan and Lloyd walked over to him and rubbed behind one of his bandaged ears.
"It'll be alright boy…I promise whoever did this, they won't get away with it." He whispered and Noishe turned his head weakly and licked the young swordsman tear drenched face.
He slammed the door with such a force he thought it might get knocked off its hinges. He tossed his long sword onto his bed and began pacing his cape flying out behind him.
"Damn…what the hell is his problem why did he attack-" he stopped his eyes wide, the box on his dresser was open as was the window, the breeze sent the tiny pieces of paper rustling. He stepped cautiously over to the box as if it was some unknown vicious animal ready to strike. His footsteps echoed as if all other noise around him was muted, dulled to a point were it felt it was just him and that long, yet short, walk to that glinting black box. His breath came out in shallow gasps he was unable to understand his sudden panic at seeing that box open. But, he didn't want to walk forward, no, he wanted to run, run the opposite way because he knew, he knew that in that box he would no longer be able to hide, no longer be able to forget about the past and all the pain he…no not just he but them as well, all the pain that they went through and then his whole world would come shattering down like a pain of glass in a window, like a sleek glass bowl from centuries long ago, fragile and delicate his world was about to crash and he had nothing to break the fall nothing to easy the pain.
He slammed his hands on either side of the black box, he head hung down his auburn hair falling over his eyes. He gripped the rim of the dresser and pushed away not wanting to read the dried old ink on those pieces of parchment.
"Damn it…" he wiped his forehead which was beaded with sweat. He turned away from the box, and let out a shaky sigh as he sat down on his bed, the wooden floor panels creaking with his weight. He put his head into his hands and sat there for a long time.
His coughing echoed through the now empty Slyvarant base, he got up his right arm shaking badly. He grabbed a glass and downed a few glasses of rich cool water, his blood drenched throat quenched. His left hand released from its position over his chest. He half sat half fell into his chair his head lying lifeless on the chairs plush back. His blue ponytail fell over his uncloaked, but armor shoulder. His eyes turned to the big glass window and he saw the sky dyed with blues, magentas, yellows and red, a beautiful sunset for a time faced with so many hardships. He smiled at the irony, thinking that the sky should just be black for the rest of eternity since that's what was also going to reoccur. He looked lazily at the book residing on his desk, an account of all background information on every single person in Derris Kharlan, at least it was the ones that mattered he still remembered the day Mithos gave it to him.
The great purple designed doors to his study suddenly flew open and there walking at an alarming pace was a man with long flowing blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Yuan jumped up and bowed totally taken by surprise.
"L-Lord Mithos I wasn't expecting…" Mithos held up a hand.
"Cut the formalities Yuan, and call me Mithos. I have a job for you." Yuan sat down in his chair nodding numbly. He looked at Mithos and saw the half elf drag out from behind him a giant book, it was at least a thousand pages, if not more. The cover was silver with a giant lock in the center of a clasp in the shape of a tree. Yuan's eyebrow rose.
"It's a book…" Mithos sighed and threw the heavy thing onto his desk scattering his papers about in a tornado.
"Of course it's a book. Your book to be exact." Yuan looked up perplexed.
"Um…why?" Mithos sighed and began pacing.
"In this book you will record everyone who joins Cruxis history, understand." He stopped and leaned on the desk. Yuan nodded unable to speak at the suddenness of this request.
"May I ask why?"
"Well, you did, and the reason…just to make sure there aren't any secrets being untold." Mithos's eyes flashed dangerously the door opened for a second time and Kratos paused he stepped to the side as the leader of Cruxis hovered out of the room.
"What was that about?" the auburn haired man asked walking up the desk, Yuan sighed rubbing his temples. He pointed silently to the book.
"You're in charge of story time?" Kratos replied a slight smile on his face, Yuan's headshot up and he growled.
"More like break everyone's privacy, including you, and have a background check made on every single person in Cruxis." Kratos winced.
"Wow…that sucks." He began to walk away waving his hand back at his friend.
"Good luck with that!" He sighed as the heavy doors closed leaving him in the peaceful silence of his chamber in Derris Kharlan.
He stared glumly at the empty page whose only writing was the name Phanos. He flipped back to Kratos's biography and stared at it for a long time. A loud beeping made him half jump and he could've sworn his heart stopped. He reached for the radar like device, whose center was a screen he pressed the red blinking button.
"YUAN!" He shut his eyes at the voice.
"Raine…how are you?"
"Don't give me that! Why are you at Slyvarant Base! You're supposed to be resting!" Yuan's eye twitched a little.
"Well I'm sorry mother but I had some business to attend to." Yuan replied sarcastically, he heard what seemed to be laughter and Raine turned back to the screen glaring.
"Get over here…NOW." He gulped at the fury in her voice, wondering if it was wise to retort back with another smart-ass comment, he refrained.
"Something happened…and we need you…to look after Dirk." Yuan's eyebrow rose.
"What exactly happened?" he asked his hands folded under his chin supporting his head. Raine sighed and looked around then she finally turned to the screen and whispered.
"Dirk's been attacked. Kratos hasn't come out of his room since we got here, I was thinking that maybe you could…" Yuan nodded his eyes half closed.
"So, someone attacked the dwarf? But why?" he saw the silver haired half elf shake her head in defeat, unable, for once, to give an answer. He sighed and got up stretching he heard his back crack and he moved to go and get his cape.
"I'll be there in a few." She heard him reply, his side of the screen was blank but she knew he was there, listening.
"Listen Yuan…be careful, please? We don't know what this lunatic will do next." He paused, as he was halfway done with putting on his cape, he smirked and brushed a blue bang out of his eye.
"Heh, don't worry…I'll be careful." And with that he closed the connection. He looked at the book whose page was opened to Phanos's biography empty and untouched.
"Just who are you really? Phanos." He sighed and tucked the book firmly under one arm and with a flick of his cape he stormed out of his cozy sun drenched room and headed for Dirk's.
He spun the dagger, point down, on the hard oak desk. He sighed uncrossing his legs and he got up taking the dagger with him. He watched it do somersaults through the stilled air and land hilt down neatly into his palm. He paced, the low moaning of an animal filling his ears, he turned on the dog like creature and a sadistic smile spread across his face. He walked over and bent down on one knee leering at Noishe.
"My…you haven't changed a bit, have you?" he laughed as he got up again.
"What-what do ye want…with Lloyd." His black eyebrow rose at the sound of the dwarfs pained question.
"LLOYD! You think this about some spoiled little child! Oh no Dirk this is far more complicated then that. I want to do everything that'll cause him pain…anger and fear. I'll destroy him just like he did to me!" the half elf cried his head spun around at the sound of voice breaking the silence. He smiled and walked over to the dwarf and kicked him in the stomach.
"Can't have you calling out to anyone…" he slammed the dagger into the table, its once silver blade now glowed red with blood. He ascended the stair and opened the door farthest down the hallway.
"Kratos…you fool you didn't even open my present. I guess you're too busy to do that too, huh? Oh well I'll do it for you." He grabbed the key and stuffed it into the lock. He heard the familiar click of it unlatching and he smiled. It quickly faded as he heard the cries of the brown haired swordsman.
"I'll be seeing you soon…Kratos." He faded into the black smoke that surrounded him and with a pop he disappeared.
"Prepare to die half elven scum!" the command of a thousand strong roared, the human army stood before him, just him alone. He had ordered the desians to stay back and watch. He smiled a broad grin spreading across his face.
"Well now, I knew you couldn't help yourselves but just a thousand? Is that all you could muster?" the human growled.
"Impudence! I will not allow you to create another reign of terror you monster!" the half elf shrugged.
"Too late for that…you're a bit to late to save anything." The guards lowered their spears and the general held up his hand.
"In the name of Tethe'alla and Slyvarant! I, general Hideyoshi, shall not let you to continue this goal!" the half elf laughed.
"So, both Slyvarant and Tethe'alla are sticking their noses into this…together. What a blatant lie you tell general. I'm surprise a man of your stature would tell such a hideous lie." The general looked at the half elf perplexed.
"What are you talking about half elf, Tethe'alla and Slyvarant have been working together for years." The half elf stopped laughing and his eyebrows rose at the man's stern voice.
"Interesting…very interesting." A black cloud erupted around his hand and there nestled in his palm was his whip; he let the long leather rope fall to the grassy floor soundlessly. The armed men took positions and the archers behind them knocked their arrows.
"Ha! A whip! Is that all you'll be using half elf?" the half elf's eyes glowed.
"That's all I need general. Now show me the true power of the so called Tethe'alla and Slyvarant armies." The general scowled his brown eyes narrowing in the sun's light. His now raised hand flew downward.
"ARCHERS! FIRE AT WILL!" The noise of bows being plucked was all he heard, as he watched a torrent of arrows wiz, soundlessly, through the air. They rained down upon him. He looked up with amusement glistening in his eyes. His right hand, with his whip handle gripped lightly within in it, rose high above his head, and with a crack that erupted through the silent field the arrows seemed suspended in motion millions of them right above his auburn black hair and a few seconds later, as his whip landed curled about his feet, they all split in half.
"WHAT!" He heard the human general cry out as the shuffling of surprised soldiers indicated their uneasiness. The half elf's head was turned down his long hair falling over his face, his headshot up and with a laugh he charged forward.
"Swordsmen attack him! I want this crazed lunatic DEAD!"
"YEAH!" The cry of war hungry soldiers ran forth, to victory, or to their doom. He ran as well his black blue striped cape flying out behind him.
"You fools! You think you can kill me!" His left hand extended a giant ball filled with blue electricity formed before his hand.
"BLACK WAVE!" A giant wave uprooted the ground behind and in front of him as he slammed the orb into the ground cries of flung soldiers filled his ears as he spun around kicking a spearman in the stomach. He swung his whip above his head in a circle lashing out at a bowman who was about to fire upon him. He tossed the bow to the side and spun to his right where a swordsman leaped into the air his gleaming silver sword above him. Triumph sparkled in the humans eyes. But the half elf's narrowed his smiled widening.
"Satra! Suna! Combine!" two black gaseous snakes one with blue eyes the other green twisted around the airborne swordsman.
"What! What's happening!" the swordsman cried panic in his eyes now as his sword landed a few feet away. The snakes enveloped his body, and with a sickening pop they flowed into his chest. The young mans eyes glowed one green one blue.
"Do as you please." The half elf said lazily, the man bowed now being controlled by the dark snakes.
"Yesss, my lord." He bowed and spun around punching a nearby swordsman in the stomach, he grabbed the fallen warriors sword and ran it through his body.
"DIE YOU MONSTER!" The half elf leered as he saw, from the corner of his eye, a spearman dashing forward. He let his whip loose again and it wrapped around, the now possessed swordsman, sword hilt. He pulled forward the sword dragging up bits of dirt and soil, as it flew towards him. He sidestepped out of the way as the sword flew point out towards the spearman who gasped and paused in his running. The last thing he saw was a sword neatly nestled in his throat. The half elf gave one final tug and his whip unwrapped itself.
"Holy…shit. What the hell is this guy?" Hideyoshi whispered seeing another one of his soldiers fall to the blood-drenched floor, a sword embedded in his throat. The half elf sighed as another man ran up to him, he ducked as the he saw a sword fly out at him. He kicked out the swordsman legs with a spinning heel kick and he grabbed the young boy by the neck.
"N-No! Please! Don't kill me!" the half elf leered at the pathetic boy, whose hair was chocolate brown and his eyes as well, the boy's hands gripped his in a struggle to break his titan like grip.
"Pathetic, human…submit to darkness!" the half elf's hand shot into the boy's chest and he pulled out the boys heart, it was pure white.
"There, now…you fight for me." The half elf stated dropping the dulled eyed soldier onto the grassy floor.
"What did you do to Nesik! You bastard!" he cracked his neck and pulled a concealed dagger from his waist, he let it fly through the air and it landed with a thud into another young man's arm. He had bright blonde hair and crystal blue eyes.
"AH!" the young man dropped his ruby studded sword and fell to his knees the gasped in pain unnoticing of the looming figure of the half elf. His whip rushed through the air and made contact with the boys soft, unprotected neck. He heard him gasp as his good arm tried to break the whips hold. The half elf leered his face inching towards the boy.
"So…you want to be like your friend…is that it boy? I'll give you what you want…" His eyes widened as he spun around an arrow flying straight for his head.
"God damn annoying!" he hissed as he knocked the steel tip arrow away with his hand, the black orb surrounding it blinking in and out of view. The archer gulped and backed away. The half elf extended his left hand a black ominous pool formed underneath his outstretched palm.
"Etsuei! Attack!" a loud howl caused the now surrounding group of soldiers to back away in sheer fright. A beast on four legs dashed up out of the ground it's silver clawed feet ripping chunks of dirt and grass from the ground laboriously, and attacked the archer, ripping through armor, flesh, muscle, and bone, leaving but a torn rag in it's wake. Cries of other soldiers being attacked filled the battlefield.
"Heh, humans…all of you are so pathetic." His left hand rose into the sun's glaring light and all the boy could see was the shadowed figure of the half elf, and then darkness.
He sighed as he pushed open the door to the dwarf's house, his head drenched with sweat.
"What the hell is going on with the mana…" he stated, winded and tired.
"Yuan! My goddess! Are you all right! You look positively awful." A silver haired half elf stated bringing over a cup of ice cool water. Yuan looked up at Raine.
"H-Hello to you too." He panted covering his mouth as a wave of coughing fought its way up out of his exhausted lungs. He tired not to double over in pain, and succeeded, for now; he turned to look at a worried healer and the others as well. He noticed that Kratos was indeed, not among them.
"Is…he…still up…" he coughed again and shook his head holding out an armored hand, as Raine walked forward staff gripped in her hand.
"Yuan! Let Raine heal you!" Genis cried, the blue haired renegade leader shook his head back and forth he got up unsteadily.
"I'm…fine." He whispered wiping the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
"You all just go find out whose doing this, I'll be fine." He stated louder now, clearing his throat. He kept from gagging, as he tasted the coppery flavor of blood in his mouth, and then down his throat as he swallowed again.
"Are…are you sure you're all right? We could wait another day."
"NO! There's no time! Just go now, and get this over with! I'll be fine." Raine bit her lip, forcing herself not to retaliate with another comment. She looked at Lloyd who turned to her, his eyes filled with worry. But he reluctantly nodded and moved towards the door.
"Thanks a lot Yuan. You're a good friend." The young swordsman replied. Yuan smirked and tossed his cape onto an empty chair, he saw a bushy green tail and peered under the stairs. A loud whimper told him it was Noishe.
"God…he attacked you too, huh?" Yuan whispered extending a hand out towards the dog, which winced and whined loudly shaking at the sight of his hand. But he saw Noishe's eyes lingering on his ears, his pointed ears. Yuan sighed and backed away, he straighten as he heard creaking coming from upstairs.
"Kratos…" he placed one booted foot on the planked staircase and began to climb the wooden stairs, to start what he felt would be the most tedious, and long conversation in his life. But they had time…or did they?
The giant doors to the castle flew open as three guards rushed up to the throne of the King of Tethe'alla. In the arms of two soldiers was a bloody beaten swordsman. The boy's golden yellow hair dripped with sweat and his own, and other fellow comrades, blood.
"My god…get a healer in here…now!" the king cried as servants hurriedly ran to into the adjacent corridors.
"What the hell happened!" he cried eyeing both guards, who stood there silently.
"WELL! Answer me, damn it! What regiment is this boy from!" one cleared their throat as the other shifted on his feet. The queen was on the floor next to the boy, who moaned and shook his head back and forth in a fevered dream.
"The…the Hideyoshi regiment your highness." One finally whispered, the king gasped. He turned downward as the boy began to speak.
"There…there was only one…one half elf! He killed them…killed all of them! Only one…h-how, Nesik…gone, everyone!" the Queen stepped away worry in her eyes as the healers took the young boy to a separate room. The King followed.
"Your majesty we kindly suggest you refrain from asking him anything today. He's in too much pain to make much sense of things." The king's eyes narrowed at the glint of something metal in the boy's belt. He grabbed it as the healers shut the door quietly. He looked at it his eyes widening.
"The letter…the letter P."
"Dear! What's wron…" the Queen paused hands over her mouth at the sight of the dagger, a note was tied to its hilt. He unwrapped it with shaking hands.
Is this all that Tethe'alla and Slyvarant have to offer? My, gods, if you wish to beat me at least try. Do you really think I'd go down that easily…your majesty? Try sending in a competent opponent next time…I'll be waiting…your highness.
"Son of a bitch…" he crumpled the paper into a tight ball, and let it fall to the floor. He spun around and stormed back to his throne.
"Get me Lloyd Irving! And his friends…I think it's about time we stopped fooling around."
They looked up from their work; the humans with their dulled eyes continued onward though, as if the army of a thousand soldiers didn't even exist. The desians however gasped, some even dropped their tools.
"Well…now you have more than enough people aiding you. Of course they'll probably be sending a bigger army next time, that's when I'll need the help." The half elf replied walking forward and leaving the zombie like army behind him.
"Y-You took out…that many people…by yourself?" one desian asked terror in his voice. The half elf chuckled.
"I had help." He replied a black dog like creature appearing under his pale hand it whined and disappeared into the ground leaving a black stain of decayed grass. A soldier with two different colored eyes walked up silently to the half elf, the desian drew his weapon at the human threat.
"Don't worry, he's possessed. Nothing to worry about." The half elf smiled, the green and blue-eyed man behind him smiled as well letting out a hiss. He bowed and two gaseous serpents floated lazily out of the human's body a white heart in the jaws of the green-eyed snake.
"Good job, Satra…you can eat it if you wish." The snake's eyes lit up as the blue one hissed indignantly, snapping at the other they both fazed out of view, and the human was left lying on the floor unconscious.
"Now…how's the building going?"
"Uhm fine sir, it should be up in a few more days."
"Excellent I'll leave you with the rest, use the humans as you please, I have business to attend you, a certain swordsman is getting in my way." The desian watched as he saw the black caped, black haired half elf walk away and once again disappear in a cloud of black smoke. He silently prayed for whoever that swordsman was, he prayed that he'd get out of this alive, and he wondered just what the hell had he gotten himself into.
Nyahaha fighting! BLOOD! GOORRREEEE! Sorry...I get worked up sometimes ya' know? I was reading this chapter over and I said to myself (silently mind you my mother already thinks I'm insane...I wonder why) I said...wow he's mean, hes just down right nasty...geez and then the part with the sword going through the guys throat, yeah that makes me laugh and wince at the same time HAAHA! Funny, okay, so, anyway, I like commas and I LIKE REVEIWS TOO! Which I'm not getting, but I have almost 300 hits and 10 reveiws...COME ON PEOPLE I'M DESPERATE! And hyper...and I need to sleep...man that has to hurt, a sword right through the throat! Okay, I'll stop, I promise...
Me: Whimpers: Reveiw! I beg thee!
Kratos: There's something wrong with you...
Me: grips Kratos around the waist: THE REVEIWSSSS I NEED THEM!
Kratos: sigh: You're so overdramatic sometimes.
Me: Hehe I know :prances away: Read and Review Please! Yeah beginning quote...not from a song this time homies...it's all from the brain :)