The quiet sunrise over Henesys was not the usual bustling affair for Athena that it had been in the past. In the weeks past, she had been up well before the sunrise, organizing rations and dealing with disputes over various domestic problems. She sighed and ran her lithe fingers through her wavy blonde hair. Her desk was overflowing with death reports. Monsters were appearing more and more often, and the normally reclusive, powerful monsters who dwelled in the Dungeon started appearing out in the open. She sighed and rifled through them. Her heart dropped as she saw the amount of people killed, and all because of one man who decided to go into the Sanctuary. Dammit... Why did it have to turn out like this? She thought desperately. She looked out her window and saw a slow procession of mourners. They were dressed in the traditional black, watching as two warriors lowered the casket into the ground. The park in Henesys had been turned into a massive burial ground, the headstones appearing as small white dots, peppering the grass.
She noticed three people standing a little distance away from the funeral. One, a woman, knelt weeping on the lawns of the park. Athena's heart wrenched then. She had a feeling the woman was not one of the many mourners that hovered over the graves of their beloved, the ones who had been stolen away by the icy talons of death. The other two, men, she noted with her hawk-like eyes, were standing uncomfortably nearby. One was kneeling down and patting the girl on the shoulder half-heartedly. The other was shaking, though from grief or some other emotion she could not tell. She felt the man was somewhat familiar, though she had no idea from where. She turned away and began organizing the sheafs of paper upon her desk when a primal call of fury shook Athena's humble abode. "DAMMIT!" The man, detached from the others raised a bow towards the sky, and in a motion so fast Athena almost doubted it happened, nocked and arrow and released it into the sky. It arced upwards, then burst into flames. The flames took the form of a huge phoenix, wings outstretched. The form nearly took up the whole sky, but it disappeared a moment or so its creation. Athena gaped at the man, then hurriedly put on her jacket and rushed headlong down the stairs.
She very nearly knocked over her elderly assistant who was creeping up the stairs. The woman threw a startled glance at Athena's back then turned and continued her ascent up the stairs with a grumble that sounded something like: "Young people have far too much energy! Aye, that's for sure..."
Athena didn't give her a backward glance but instead continued on her mad dash. The cemetery soon was in view, the mourners scrambling to leave the area, hoping to escape the fearsome wrath of the stranger. The trio came into view, the angry man crouched on the ground, his fists clenched and furiously punching the ground. "Dammit, dammit, dammit..." He moaned angrily. The woman put a hand on his shoulder and muttered a word of consolation.
Athena drew up to them, her hair billowing behind her. The other man turned towards her and gave her a warm smile. "Well, if it isn't the beautiful lady of the hour... Hey! Where you going! Ya don't have to ignore me!"
Athena brushed past him and knelt beside the woman and the furious man. She was surprised to find herself staring into the vengeful eyes of Akuji. "A-Akuji!" She stuttered.
Akuji glanced up, tears streaking down his face, leaving the dimmest ghost of a trail upon his flushed cheeks. "Athena..."
She looked up and smiled brightly at the woman. "Hello, Aradia," She greeted.
Aradia wiped her eyes upon the sleeve of her shirt. "Hey, Athena... When did this happen? I don't remember the park being one big cemetery..."
Athena sighed sadly, then knelt back beside Akuji and softly rubbed his back. "The death toll has spiked since..."
"Since I fought Kronos," Akuji finished miserably. "I'm the cause of all this! All this... Death! And you know what?" He paused as if waiting for an answer, Athena opened her mouth to respnd, but he spoke again. "I didn't want this! I actually turned them down when they told me what I had to do! And look what I did! How could I have been so STUPID!" To punctuate this, he pounded the ground again with renewed vigor.
Athena gently grabbed Akuji's bloody hand. "Shh... This isn't your fault! If you truly must blame someone, blame Kronos. He was the one who caused all these deaths! He was responsible for T--"
"Don't say her name!" Akuji hissed. He stood abruptly and walked away.
The other man sighed and patted Athena on the shoulder. "Its 'k, Athena. He's just shook up. He just remembered the whole incident a couple days ago. He just needs some time to recover."
Athena looked sadly up at Ryker. "Yes... Yes, I'm sure. Well, do you have any place to stay?" She watched as Ryker and Aradia shook their heads. "Then stay with me! And don't you dare say no! I--"
Ryker held up a hand to silence her. "It's about Akuji isn't it? You want a chance to confront him. You know what's going to happen at the end of this little quest you and all the Elders have sent Akuji on. We're not stupid, Athena. And neither is he. He knows he's going to..." Ryker stopped and shook his head angrily.
Aradia took up the conversation. "We'll be glad to stay with you Athena! It would be an honor! And don't worry about Akuji, I'll take care of him." She smiled assuringly at Athena, then gently led her towards her home.
XxX
Caden walked quielty down the main street of Henesys. People hailed him and he waved quietly back. The balrog's voice sounded in his head, a piercing annoyance. He gritted his teeth when Kronos spoke. What was that about a piercing annoyance?
Nothing.
You will address me as 'Master' at all times, slave.
Yes... master...
Very good. Akuji is near, I can feel the magic of the Mark I gave him through you...
Of course, master...
Was that sarcasm I detected there, worm?
Of course not, master.
Hmph. Whatever. Hurry along, I want visual confirmation on Akuji soon.
As you wish master.
Deep inside Caden's mind, the only party of him still under his control squirmed angrily against the intrusion of the monster. It fought against Kronos's will, desperate for freedom. Mark my words Kronos... I will get out of your control, no matter the cause. Even if I have to foil your little plans, I will. If this Akuji must die to stop you, he will...
AN: Alright, another chapter knocked down! This one was kinda boring (to me), but hey, its like almost building up to the bigger scenes later on. Theres like, a semi-climax, then it falls, then it builds up again. This story's gonna be loong. I'm goin' for at least 30 chapters. That's lots more than the original 22 chapters. And I'm adding more stuff to the story as I go, so it's getting longer. Hopefully you guys have enjoyed the story so far... and if ya haven't... Sucks for you! Nah, I'm just kiddin'. If you don't like it, review, and tell me all about it. Anyways, please review!
