Disclaimer: Shining Force is Copyright © of Sega Enterprises Ltd. I claim no ownership of it.
The Shining Darkness
Chapter Two
Kane went to the forest outside of Protectora in search of strength. What he found amidst the rigid trees covered in the untainted snow was anything but.
Kane trudged through ankle-deep snow until he heard a distant crackle. It was piercing and loud like rolling thunder of the clouds throughout a storm. He slowed his footsteps as he shifted from tree bark to tree bark, following the sound.
Deeper into the dense forest, the air became chillier. When a cold breeze of the icy wind traveled down his spine, he adjusted his cloak. Once the snow grew deeper, Kane reacted by quickening his pace. Suddenly, he saw a light peeking through a nearby tree. Kane slowed until he found himself at a clearing of the forest.
Bright like neon, a bolt of radiant pink lighting, created from the fingertips of the elf, was shot into the frigid air. It stayed put in mid-air for seconds longer then logic would ever permit and then, it burst into small, glittering sparks that eventually burned out.
With his own fingertips clutching the rough bark of a near by tree, Kane watched it all in awe. Being only a mere swordsman, he had always admired the spells of mages. Each spell they preformed was like a small sample of a rainbow; their colors so vibrant and furbished to perfection.
The elf sighed heavily as she let her arms drop to her sides. She was well aware of Kane's presence for some time, but she decided to keep on the low until now. "The man from the inn, have you followed me all this way?" Her voice sweetened suddenly. "What is your name?"
Kane blanched in abashment as he knew her aesthetic beauty only was what had given him the impulse to stop and gaze upon her. She was as spell bounding as she was rousing. He knew that he could not tell her the real reason for him presence in the forest so he quickly made up something and managed words, "K-Kane. I'm headed to the port at Rudo."
"You are?" He gained her interest. She ruminated for a moment before continuing. "I am also going to Rudo and a bit of company surely won't hurt. Will you join me on this venture?"
Their red eyes met as she spoke. Had she just asked him to join her on an unnecessary quest to a destination he never intended to go? It was irrational, but he was tempted by her smooth voice. "I can't decline such an offer." Kane smiled smugly.
"My name, by the way, is Mishaela."
XxX
The unwieldy silence that floated between the two was too unsettling for Mishaela. She broke it with small-talk. "You are a swordsman?" She gestured slightly to the sword that Kane carried.
"I am. No. Actually, I'm training to be one."
"You are? Under whom? Certainly, there aren't many swordsmen around anymore. There's no need for them in these times of peace."
Kane was once again embarrassed by the fact that he was training under a mage. Amidst his rosy cheeks he said, "His name is Darksol," His words were filled with ignominy.
Her utmost interest was grabbed once more; she stopped dead in her tracks. "Darksol of Marinarina?"
His complexion paled. "Darksol of Marinarina."
Mishaela began to laugh from the absurdity of the concept. "A swordsman training from a mage? You must forgive me, but I find that quite ridiculous!"
Her face, resplendent behind her lovely smile, brought ebullience to Kane. He cracked a smile followed by a small laugh in spite of himself. "You're forgiven."
XxX
Day changed to night and the sun dazzling in colors of gold and orange slipped past the rigid, empty branches, stealing the light with it in a small dissolve. The faint lavender-colored clouds had drifted away leaving only wisps amidst the navy sky lit by the thousands of stars from space. Among them was the full moon that was embellished in a lustrous mist which covered it. Alas, it was also a harsh winter night and with that came the tenacious wind.
Mishaela clutched her cloak tighter as a result of the weather conditions. Kane watched her from the corner of his eye. At the very moment that he lifted his hand out to touch her, she recoiled; admonishing him. She then discountenanced him to add to the guilt.
Ahead, there was a large clearing where the trees thinned until there was nothing but an abundance of pure, untouched snow. The darkness created thick shadows that distorted the leaf-less tree branches into long, pointed finger nails outreaching forward. As the drafty wind blew, the shadows lurched forward as if to seize them us and never let them go.
Kane and Mishaela shuffled through the piles of snow across the clearing, ignoring the bloodcurdling sight that they crushed beneath their feet. On the other side, the two were greeted by another dense forest engulfed almost completely in darkness. They reluctantly continued forward. Inside, there was no moonlight or stars to glow a path of light.
Kane knew in the back of his mind that he was going to far. Rudo was past the small lavender mountains, the dense forests, the dirt hills, and finally a fresh, grassy plain. It was a journey of many months and he knew that in Protectora he had an onus. The only thing that was holding him back was her beauty.
"Maybe we should stop for the night. It's getting too dark to s--" He was stopped short of finishing his sentence.
"Are you afraid of the dark? Besides, we must first find somewhere much more sheltering to stop at."
"No," his voice was stern and confident. "But there was a cave just about a half of a mile back."
"You want us to backtrack on such a long venture because you are tired? Surely you can walk a few more miles."
Kane's face blushed in embarrassment once more, but before he could defend himself, a sinister voice spoke up from behind.
"Kane. Leaving Protectera even before our last lesson? I must say, I'm offended." Red eyes, dark and terrifying, stared at Kane so closely as if he saw right through his thoughts. His cloak, powdered with snow, was like a shadow in itself. In a whole, his entire appearance screamed atrocity right into their ears.
Astounded, Kane drew backwards. "Darksol? I..."
A smirk, disturbingly wicked, crept upon his lips. His goal was to create trepidation in Kane and Mishaela, and he knew well that he had accomplished that. "You don't need to worry, though, for there won't be a last lesson!"
Deranged laughter erupted from his lips as suddenly the ground beneath their feet started to shake. Mishaela glanced fretfully at Kane whose own face was scrunched in fear.
"What the hell happened to you!" Kane shouted into the thin darkness although he expected no logical reply.
"Behold the first wave of the Runefaust army! Amidst the darkness that will soon overcome Rune, Dark Dragon will rise once again!"
Darksol had truly lost his sanity. Psychosis lured in his eyes and voice. His threatening words would have almost been humorous if the ground hadn't had fractured open, releasing the darkness that he had spoke of. Demonic creatures broke through the barriers of light and darkness.
One creature, resembling that of an enormous olive green earthworm, had several bright eyes encircling its large, round mouth which housed a set of what appeared to be razor-sharp teeth. Red tentacle-like objects also traced around its mouth.
Hideously enlarged bats, awoken by the alteration from day to night, swept down from the snowy branches in a smooth motion to the treeless land.
From the forest on the opposite side of the clearing, dark green colored short goblins wearing only a thin brown cloth over its groin appeared. They had lifeless yellow eyes, elf-like ears, tiny horns bulging from the crowns of their heads, and carried swords that were almost the same size as them.
Behind them emerged another dwarf dressed in darkness, only this one was significantly larger, and carried a huge hand axe. Its complexion was blue in color and he wore a faded red cloak and a stone helmet.
Kane's breathing increased as he removed the board sword from its hilt. His palms were soaked in sweat and the skirmish hadn't even begun. He turned to Mishaela who gracefully moved into a spell casting position.
"This is truly the test you've been waiting for. But your chances of passing are slim!" He then swiftly moved aside into safer grounds in a mere motion. His laughter echoed through the branches and finally faded out at the clearing.
Without a plan at all in mind, Kane and Michaela burst towards the creatures at their fasted speeds. Kane started on the goblins that had approached him without wasting a moment. He sprinted right before one and it simple motion he swiped the board sword right through it down the center vertically. Defeated, it burst into thousands of particles of darkness.
After defeating a few more goblins, the large worms began to advance forward promptly, treading through the snow and dirt mixture.
Michaela stepped forward in its path with her arms extended in preparation for her bolt spell. "Bolt!" she hollered as the familiar pink bolt of lightning was created. The worm's positions were juxtaposed, allowing the bolt's radius blast attack all three. Only one dropped, but the rest were wounded enough for Kane to easily attack them.
After all of the worms were reduced to ashes, Kane and Michaela, carrying small wounds, wasted no time moving on to the next nuisance—the giant bats. Michaela once more preformed her bolt spell. Now, none of the bats was killed. As a replacement, one came uncomfortably close to her. With the bat so close to her, she could see its every detail and especially the drool that fell from itself mouth. She was frozen in fear, unsure of its intentions. Instead of wounding her, it cast a spell of its own, sending her into a deep slumber.
As her body began to plummet, Kane's reflexes activated and allowed him to catch her tender body into the safety of his grip. For a short moment, he forgot about the battle, Darksol's insanity, and the frigid temperatures. All he could see was Mishaela's beautiful face, stilled in sleep, amidst the snow on the most gorgeous winter night he ever remembered. Suddenly, the sounds of battle returned and Kane returned to the reality of what was happening now. He placed on body on the ground carefully as if she was glass and withdrew his board sword.
In the time that Kane had wasted in the fantasy of his own thoughts, the remaining enemies had gathered together to pummel him with all of their remaining strength. He managed to slice through the bats, but the dwarf had all of his health untouched by the horrors of war to his advantage. Right in the torso, Kane stuck his sword. However, in its last moments, the dwarf sent his axe right into Kane's side.
At the same moment that the dwarf disappeared, blood gushes from Kane's wound. Before he was able to react to the pain, he remembered what Darksol had said about strength. It was pointless now considering that Darksol was mad probably to begin with, but something in his mind told him to have that strength now. No cries of agony passed through Kane's lips. Instead he closed his eyes, letting in the darkness of nothingness and giving in to the reaper of death.
That was how it was supposed to end.
But Darksol just would not allow it.
Kane's eyes opened once more only to find Darksol on top of him. Confused and in great pain, he closed his eyes. Right over Kane's battle scarred face, Darksol placed on a mask of darkness, crafted to fit any face shape perfectly. With that, Kane's mind would never be the same, changed by thoughts of the desire to conquer, murder, have sex with any beautiful woman he came across, and to hate. Hate the light, the sky, the ground, and anyone who dared to go against him. He had become the mirror image of Darksol himself.
In his sleep, he felt none of the pain the mask also bought upon the possessor with it was first attached. No pain at all.
XxX
What happened?
Michaela roused only to find herself on a king-sized bed in a dark bedroom, lit by the moonlight that passed through the panes of the window. The sheets beneath her, velvety and dark, felt pleasant and inviting. She thought of the millions of things that could have happened on these sheets times before, but the thought only made her tired. Down on the pillow, she dropped her head.
"Where…am I?"
From a shadow in the corner of the room, Darksol slinked over to the foot of the bed. His voice was calm and sweet. "My dear, there's no one to run. You mustn't fear either, for your lover is here with me as well. He's just not feeling like himself..." In the darkness of the room, Michaela could not see his smirk.
Despite the events that took place just hours before, for some reason she couldn't comprehend, she felt comfortable—almost safe in Darksol's realm. "My lover!" She snapped, forgetting entirely know she was talking to. "Kane is not my lover. I know just his name and that's it. But tell me! Where is he? Is he alright? Can I see him?"
Darksol crept around the bed right to where Michaela lie restlessly. He ran one cold finger down Michaela's rosy cheek. Looking down at her, he almost felt guilty for taking advantage of her vulnerability. "Of course… But first you must do something for me," he whispered.
"Anything," she whispered.
"Anything you say? Will you help me? Help me lead the forces of darkness?"
Michaela knew nothing of what he spoke of, but she knew that what she wanted was to see Kane once more. Something was telling her to. To add to her confusion, at the moment, she was unsure of where she belonged and what she was supposed to accomplish in life. Darksol was offering her a purpose. Despite his insanity and the war he waged upon her and the rest of Rune, she couldn't say no.
"Of course."
XxX
Author's Note: Ah! It's been sooooo long since I updated this! So sorry if anyone was keeping up with it. I've just been so busy and I had no inspiration at all to work on this. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I introduced some of the darker themes here, but I will warn you: It only gets darker.
That one guy standing behind you – Spelling mistake? That doesn't surprise me: ) Anyway, the reason for the closeness is because I want to snow the intimacy of darkness (as oppose of light which is more free). But I can see where you're coming from.
Demonic Weasel – Honestly, I hate that part of the previous chapter as I can't seem to get it right. In fact, I even avoid it all together because I know how awful it is. Lucky, King Ramaladu isn't really going to be in the story anymore.
Have a good weekend, guys! -- Tokay