So here's chapter 3
Thank you to anyone who's read the story so far for giving it a chance. Any feedback you can give would be much appreciated but not expected.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy :) xx
Chapter 3
Celena was pacing in her room, trying to calm down. Her anger at Dilandau being unavailable when the meeting started and showing up at the end had her unsure of how she could school her reactions to things. So, once the meeting was over officially, she came straight back to her room lying that she needed to lay down for a while. They understood it so they had let her go without a second thought. She'd ignored Dilandau as she headed back when he continued to ask what happened even though he could have just plucked the information straight out of her head anyway. But he thankfully stayed quiet when her got the hint.
'Where have you been?' she asked angrily.
'Where do you think I can go? I'm stuck in your head, I can't go anywhere,' he answered.
'You keep disappearing. Am I going to lose my body again? My life?'
'How would I know?'
'Because somehow you're keeping a secret from me and I can sense it. I needed your memories, and I couldn't even feel you in my head.'
'Well what did you need to know?' he asked calmly.
'I needed Zaibach history. About the 'Crusaders' Unit. You should already know what I need to know.'
'Why? You'd have to tell them I'm in your head if you tell them how you suddenly know. I'm giving you a way to deny it all, so you don't get trialled for my war crimes idiot.'
She sat on the bed with a huff and laid back, closing her eyes to envision him in front of her. They had done this a few times and every time they'd appear in a luxurious room from the Vione. He was stood by the window that was blacked out whereas she was sat in the armchair. She stood up and stormed right up to him with a glare in her eyes.
"Just tell me," she growled out.
"You want my intel to give them an upper hand, not to know what we learnt or went through. That's the reason we can keep our memories and thoughts separate from each other. You play the guilt card that you'd be bored without me, but you don't want me here anymore than I want to be," he stated angrily.
"So? You think I want to remember the fighting, the war, the pain, your madness and who you killed."
"No and I wouldn't want you to remember it. You'd end up as insane as I was. But you don't even ask about the memories that would be easier for you to live with. What I would want you to remember. I'm just a toy to you," he sneered.
She took a step back and sighed as she let him turn away to look out the dark window at nothing. She didn't want to argue with him. Especially with how torn he looked over this. She couldn't blame him. She was the only way he could continue to live and although he'd been quite nasty at first, he had kept her from remembering the worst of his memories. He'd been selfless like that and had grown to be protective of her to a degree.
"I didn't want to remember because it was time stolen from me. I came home to find my mother passed after my disappearance whilst my father died on his travels. But just this once I need to know what you know first and then any other time you can show me the safe memories," she stated cautiously.
"Fine but I'm disappearing after this for a few days," he said without turning back to her, "The Crusaders were a unit like the Dragon slayers. Official records would state they were a secret unit or that they were Emperor Dornkirk's first army after he established Zaibach as an empire. They were lethal, more than me. The Dragon Slayers were modelled after them with differences to keep from an insubordination occurring. The history mainly focused on how they conquered small villages to add to Zaibach's land and people. I burned kingdoms, they slaughtered anyone who could be a potential problem without hesitation from the start. They were starting to defy the Zaibach regime, by taking the rules and teachings to extremes I couldn't even reach. In a last effort to get something out of them, they were ordered to invade Atorantisu and secure it for the Zaibach empire. 1 man out of 5000 came back confirming they had found it and it was more advanced than Zaibach itself. He told of how the Queen had managed to evacuate the Kingdom before the attack had started so only a few remained to create a diversion long enough for the Queen of it to sink it into the ground, trapping the unit to die."
"Atorantisu? That's the name? Why?"
"Your friend told you. It was believed to be Atlantis. Dornkirk needed their power and technology before he could do what he needed to do. And you already know how that turned out. Either way we're done. Go speak to your boyfriend."
His body faded away until it was gone completely, and she opened her eyes. Going by the shadows, she'd lost an hour to a 5-minute conversation. She sat up slowly with a sigh, running her hands through her hair to make it look less like she'd been asleep. She could only hope Van had calmed down from earlier. Being unable to fight in a war when he'd been the main person involved last time must have been tough. He felt a duty to his people to fight for them and with them.
She sighed again, she should go find him and see if he was alright. The last few weeks they'd been moving closer towards something and whilst he seemed to be at ease not feeling Hitomi, she had held back in respect of his feelings towards Hitomi. Truthfully, they'd been inching towards this point so slowly over the last year and they didn't really talk about Hitomi much unless something caused them to. The last few weeks it had picked up speed and honestly it had scared her a little at the advances they were making, and the flirting as other women called it. She stood up with a determined look and brushed off her skirt in time for a knock to come at her door. She was more than surprised to find Van the other side with a warm smile.
"Want to go for a walk in the gardens with me?" he asked.
"I'd love to," she answered with a smile of her own as she closed her door.
He offered his arm and she took it graciously, placing her hand in the crease of his arm as they started to walk. They both stayed silent until they were somewhere private where they could speak without fear of being overheard.
"Celena, can I ask you something personal?" Van asked, faking his uneasiness.
"I don't see why not. We know each other well enough to not worry about formalities," she joked.
"That is true, but you seemed uneasy at the meeting when Dryden asked you those questions from your time as Dilandau. Why was that?" he asked.
"I can't remember Dilandau's memories," she answered quietly.
"You remember a few though."
She stopped walking, letting him walk ahead a bit so her hand slipped free from his arm. Her face held a sad expression and for a moment when he looked at her, he worried he had offended her. To her he looked devastated.
"I need to tell you something, but I need you to promise you won't tell anyone," she stated fearfully.
"Tell me what?" he asked curiously.
"Dilandau is my head," she blurted out, "Although lately he's been disappearing. When I remember things it's because he told me them."
"Celena you…"
"I know. I shouldn't listen to him, I should have told someone sooner, but I was scared. When I'm in Austuria, I'm alone a lot and he's literally stuck. He can't be reborn or get his own body, has been since I came back. And he's not so insane now, I promise."
"I was going to say you must be going insane with all the things he probably says about us all," he said with a smile.
She stood stock still, completely shocked. She hadn't expected him to react like this. To be worried, yes. But not accepting.
"I don't understand," she whispered.
"I'm not going to lie. I'm concerned but he's been in your head for a few years now. You've got control," he said confidently, "And I promise to keep this between us."
"I… I'm speechless… I must be dreaming still," she muttered.
Van chuckled and moved closer to put his hands on her arms gently.
"You said he's starting to disappear, it's not how I'd wish for anyone to go, even Dilandau. But to be stuck in someone's head can't be easy either. If it becomes a problem, then we'll figure it out."
"Are you sure?" she asked unsurely.
"Yes, I'm sure. I trust you so I'll trust what you say. Was that the only thing you were so worried about?"
"Yes, I mean… I'm not thrilled that there could be another war but…"
As she started to ramble, he could only smile. Only he got to see this side of Celena. Except this time, he could deal with it how he'd wanted to the other times without feeling guilty. She was still rambling when she was stopped and frozen in place by his actions. He pulled back with a smirk on his face.
"Did you just kiss me?" she asked.
"Do I need to do it again for you?" he joked.
"Would you?" she asked back quickly before covering her mouth with her hand, "I'm sorry."
"Are you sure about that?"
She giggled as she shook her head and he smirked. He was flirting openly with her at last, but she couldn't just go headfirst into it like she wanted to.
"What about Hitomi?" Celena asked seriously.
Van sighed and stepped back, letting her go to take a quick glance at the family grave behind them in the distance with a sad smile before turning back to Celena.
"I'll always love her, but I can't keep waiting for her. I have to move on and the love I have for her just isn't the same as it was once was," he stated, "I think I already had moved on to some degree, but I was being stubborn and holding onto that last tiny bit of my connection to her."
"And that kiss?" she asked, a flash of hope consuming her.
"There's something between us Celena. Tell me you've noticed it."
"I did but I need to hear it from you Van," she stated with confidence she didn't know she had, "I don't want to be the choice you make because you don't have any other options. I don't want to be the last resort."
"Do you really think I'd do that to you?" he asked softly.
"I just spent nearly 3 years listening to talk about Hitomi," she answered, "I don't want you to regret this if it's not what you really want or if Hitomi does someday come back."
"I can understand that, but I never did tell you who I've imagined when I was told I need to marry," he stated with a small smile.
"I assume it was Hitomi."
"It was at first. The last year it changed. I used to feel guilty about it and honestly, I still do a little. But Hitomi isn't coming back and if she ever does, I'm sure she'll understand."
"Van…"
"Celena, I've imagined you as my wife for a year and I've had feelings for you longer than that. It took me too long to figure that out though. I'm sorry I kept yo…"
She pulled him to her and kissed him as hard as she could. He quickly reciprocated it, his arms moving around her to hold her close to him without crushing her. They continued until they needed to breath.
"So, what now?" she gasped.
"You let me flirt with you publicly," he stated huskily as he held her to him still.
Her eyes snapped open as she woke with a start, sitting upright and looking around frantically. She was in her room. The last thing she remembered was her conversation with Varie and that sudden fire around her. She huffed and got up, swaying slightly. Why did she feel so drained? She headed downstairs, finding her father drinking a beer at the kitchen table.
"Dad?" she called out, "How did I get home?"
He jerked as he looked up at her before moving to help her sit in a chair of her own when she swayed on her feet.
"You fainted at the Cemetery. Someone managed to catch you before you hurt yourself. I brought you home," he answered.
"Did they say anything?" she asked worried.
"No just that you were heading down the hill when you fainted. Why? Did something happen?"
"No."
"You're exhausted mentally and physically. I expected it to happen sooner but at least you've managed to get some sleep at last."
"You should have been at work though, why was you…"
"I got given a week off work," he said in a snipped tone.
He busied himself making tea for her and she watched him worried. He only did this when he wasn't sure how to talk about something. Something she had developed at one point.
"Dad…"
"Just let me make your tea first," he said.
She stayed quiet, even once he set a mug in front of her. She continued to wait until he sat down and was ready to talk.
"Work are sending me to England for 2 weeks. They gave me this week off to prepare and make sure you were ok for me to go," he blurted out.
"So soon?" she asked.
"I can tell them I can't go if you need me to," he stated.
"No. No. I don't want to get in the way of your work," she said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'll be fine."
"Ok well I'm going to get someone to check on you so you're not completely alone. I'll pack tonight so we have the rest of the week to spend together."
"Sounds good dad," she answered hiding her unease at the situation.
Dilandau was in the void pacing. He hadn't wanted to argue with Celena, but he refused to open all his memories to her. His plan needed to stay with him and the less she knew the better. That way there'd be no risk of her finding out then. Besides, he didn't want her to remember their more disturbing memories. She deserved a normal life even if he couldn't.
He finally stopped pacing and took a calming breath. He just needed to put it past him and focus on what he was doing here. Since he now had a few days, he was going to make the most of it. His first day/time here he'd found out exactly what this place could do. The man who'd brought him here hadn't explained how Hitomi had paid Celena's price, he'd shown him what had happened and her reaction to the news. He was quite intrigued by her anger.
'The Void' itself was able to show anyone the memories of whoever they wanted. The man hadn't shown himself again after outlining he wanted Dilandau to watch over Hitomi, learn about her and the Mystic Moon. He wouldn't question it; it'd been a while since he had privacy. Knowing she's lost her mother, brother, friend and family friend made him sympathise with her. She didn't deserve it as much as he had once wanted to kill her. At that point he knew it was official, Celena had made him soft.
But that was only the start. He had watched her memories of the war first, his curiosity of her gifts spurning him on. For the majority of it he was angry. Not at her for thwarting his plans and teaching Van to dowse but that she had been used like a weapon. Between her upbringing ingraining her need to help others and her friends then relying on her, it was hidden well but not to his eye. Sure, he'd have done the same thing as well, but he'd have at least given her a choice as he taught her to defend herself. He moved on to earlier memories before changing to after her return from Gaea.
It amused him that she did end up learning self-defence and he was impressed by how she pulled herself through being made an out-cast from her own life. He sighed as he sat on a sofa that appeared. He really wanted to rush this along so he knew everything he could but at the same time, watching her had taught him a lot about her as a person but also made him feel like she deserved better than what she got. There was no way she would survive a second war. It would ruin her, and he quite liked her as she was.
"How long do I have to keep doing this?" he asked himself, "That's if this even works. I'm fucking insane. What life could I have possibly be meant to have had before Dornkirk?"
An image appeared on the floor. A city appeared that he'd never seen or heard of before. It looked like a blend of Gaea, Atlantis & the Mystic Moon. He watched as an army trained on the grounds, watched from a balcony by himself and his dragon slayers in their Zaibach uniform as they discussed plans. They all looked older, including himself but only by a few years.
"DAD!" a voice called out as a miniature version of himself ran out from the doors of the castle to the balcony. He turned to crouch and catch the boy, lifting him as he stood.
"Weren't you with your mother?" he asked.
"She's busy doing queen stuff and I might have made her mad."
"What did you do?" he asked with a smirk.
"I burned the book of Fanelia's history," the child beamed.
"He's definitely Lord Dilandau's son," Miguel stated smugly.
"Down to the pyromania," Chesta added.
"Well, it's a backwater little country," he growled, "I'm surprised it hasn't been burnt down already."
"Dad, you should go save Mom from the advisors," the child piped up.
"Oh, why's that?" he asked.
"When she got mad, she was muttering about setting their clothes on fire."
He laughed and turned to his dragon slayers, setting the child down on the edge of the balcony with Gatti keeping a close eye on him.
"Time to pull the 'King' card. Watch over my little hell spawn, he needs a lesson on Fanelia's history," he ordered.
"But dad… that's why I burnt the book. Just because all of Gaea knows about us now doesn't mean I want to learn about a country even you want to burn down," the child argued.
"Who says I won't when we got there soon?" he questioned with his hands on his hips.
"Mom," the child stated bluntly.
"You think your mother would stop me?"
"Yeah. She did last time when that Knight from Austria tried to hit on her and set you up with his sister when we were in Palas. You stayed in your room all night after that," the child stated with nods as his dragon slayers agreed with him, whilst chuckling at their Lord's smug grin.
"So, I'll see you in the morning then since I've got to stop your mother. Your lesson should be done by then, right?" he asked as he headed to the doors.
The image disappeared and he stared in shock. He'd have been a king? With a family who had pyromaniac tendencies like him? This wasn't fair. Why was his future the one that got screwed? Trying to calm down he focused on Hitomi and her memories for the day. He was floored when he saw her 'create' fire without anything during her conversation with the woman, but it seemed like Hitomi was going to be dragged back kicking and screaming to Gaea to settle their war once again. It was then he came up with his own plan. Which caused an evil smirk.
That's it for this chapter - thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.
Again, any feedback would be appreciated but not expected.
Next chapter will be uploaded on August 10th.
Until next time xx