It's time Chapter 26, an escaflowne fanfic

Vanel doubled over in pain. Something was wrong. "What is it?"

Loanna caught him as he walked beside her. "It's…" he didn't finish what he said. He saw his mother in more pain than he had ever seen anyone. She was so pale she was almost dead. "Okaasan." It was all he said before he passed out.

"What do you want to do, Lord Meiden?" She knew that Dornkirk even had to have her powers to activate that machine.

"Why I would rule the worlds." His eyes held an evil glint in them.

"In order to do that no one can have a will."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you've already figured out that my workers are soulless and only desire is to fulfill their Destiny."

"Don't I know it." Hitomi muttered.

"What was that?" His hand pushed a lever down.

Hitomi screamed in agonizing pain. He upped the voltage trying to extract the power of Atlantis out of her but the machine was telling him that it couldn't find more than ¼ percent of it. After 20 minutes of nothing more he stopped. The Fanelian Queen's head went down as she whimpered.

"This pain will be nothing unless you tell me where the rest of your power is." He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this wasn't the full extent of it. He had seen some it at full strength 20 years ago. He slapped her. "Where is it?"

Her head rolled revealing a bruised cheek where he had just slapped her. The only response he received was a moan from the passed out queen. "Take her to the sorcerers, they know what to do. She'll be excellent bait to get King of Fanelia and his entourage here." He growled. He gave her this she was resourceful.

"It's almost done." A voice said to the left of them.

"What's almost done child?" Millerna asked.

"Atlantis, as Atlantis gets rebuilt the Mystic Moon will get out of alignment. If it gets too far out of there will be dangers to the Mystic Moon." He answered.

"That's right I remember. They are to remain separated for the rest of their existence because to be combined once more would destroy the worlds as they are known." The boy said.

"That's not good. Do you have a name child?" The boy thought for a while. "I'm sorry I do not remember."

"We can call him Wasuremono." Dryden suggested.

Millerna smiled, that was until she heard an earsplitting echoing scream.

Celena could still hear the breathing but she heard no footsteps as the voice floated around the fog. "Priestess, you have yet to reach your full powers. The life inside of you still fights to make itself known. We are the lost souls of this valley. The souls of the soulless that have died but because we proved to be of major problems pushed aside."

Chapter 26

The group of black robed figures had kept on walking even through his passing out. The fact that Loanna had stopped though completely altogether was more than enough to make them stop. There was no impatience in the stop; it was more like they expected her to leave Vanel there while he was passed out.

'Child go! He will be fine. This is where you part for the time being. You will see him again soon.'

"He just passed out. How can you expect me to leave an injured man here whether I know him or not?"

'You don't have a choice. You're capture will be before your time if you don't. He knows what to do from here.'

Loanna gave a mental growl at the voices in her head. 'You better know what you are doing."

'Have we ever led you wrong?' Several of them said simultaneously.

Loanna didn't answer as she laid his head gently on the ground. "I wish you luck Vanel."

Loanna followed them to the next hilltop which revealed much to her surprise the most beautiful city that she had ever seen. It wasn't awe inspiring or reverent. It was more like it was part of the scenery. There were so many colors that you couldn't have been able to tell what colors were what or what they blended with. Marble buildings glistened with Greek architecture but there was a mix of Egyptian style as well when you look at the pyramid like building that would stand on the hills. The limestone hadn't been touched and shined with a slight green glow that looked almost ethereal. The city took your breath away. There was however one building that would hold your interest even longer.

The effect that it had on her needless to say had none on her fellow companions. They walked through unseeing of the beauty that they had all around them. She this was Alexandria. She wondered where Alexander the Great would be if he had been a real man. Like everything else though it was far more likely a story.

The group stopped in front of a classic Greek building that she assumed was the building that she needed. The white building took your breath away. There was a thinker in front of it sitting on a globe. He was just as white as the building behind him. It was all she could to keep from reaching out and touching it.

If she had been amazed at the outside of this place, she was even more surprised when she walked inside to see shelves that went halfway up the wall. Some of the shelves were filled with scrolls and others were filled with books. There was no way that what they were looking for was going to be found in the front rooms. She knew this instinctively. Tables were sitting to one side of the room where men were studying or talking quietly about whatever the current event would be. Some seemed to be quietly writing and old men that were too old to do much walking or moving around. Women and children were not with them but she was used to seeing things like that. Women did as they were supposed to and stayed home to take care of the children and the household.

Loanna followed them through rooms that became darker and darker. It was getting to the point that they were starting to see torches on the wall. The tunnels were not longer warm but cold and damp but there was an ominous feeling about the area. Pinpointing the place was something else though. Would they get out of here alive? She wasn't sure. Would they end up destroying this place of books? It had to hold all of the knowledge of the world.

There it was. The room felt different. There was a pure air that wasn't even felt in the front of the library. There was a feeling of reverence when you looked and saw the writing on the walls. Someone had been careful when they did the delicate work in what looked like three different kinds of writing. One of them looked like it was a combination of the two. The shelves had been separated from the wall so that the walls were touched by no solid object in the room. There were no books though. They were solely papyrus paper scrolled. She took the clue as to what she was supposed to do when they started to go through the cubby holes that held the scrolls. They were looking for something and she had a feeling that she knew what it was.

The last key to the puzzle of rebuilding Atlantis and she had to find it before they did. She had one reassurance though. Vanel assured her that they would get nothing from her but her name.

-Vanel-

Vanel came to with a sense that there was no one left at his side. He knew that they must have left a few minutes ago. His senses reached out trying to see what direction that they were going in but he found that he was still too befuddled and the pain in his heart had been numbed. It was still there but it was at a minimum. That could only mean one thing. They were doing something else to his mother. "Okaasan, please be alright." He prayed with everything in his heart and soul.

Vanel pushed himself up off the ground. He no idea what that thing was but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that his mother was in danger. There was something else he had to do but he would still get to her.

He unfurled his wings and took flight on the lookout for the group that had left. He wouldn't by rejoining them though. Once he found them looking over a hill at the most magnificent looking city that he had ever laid eyes upon. In his mind this could only be one city, Alexandria. The only other thing that could have stood up to it would have been Rome or Cairo.

In the city Vanel found himself in front of a temple. In side the temple you could see monuments of Athena and people praying the goddess of wisdom. "Excuse me," he said to an old lady that just walked by him. The lady ignored him and kept walking. There was a man that could very likely be the temples priest. Giving respect to the people praying he remained quiet 'til he arrived behind the priest.

"Excuse me sir?"

The man turned around to see a young man. "You have arrived young lord." The man walked away beckoning Vanel to follow. "You speak the language of the mystic Moon, do you not?"

There are many languages on the Mystic Moon." Vanel answered.

The priest nodded in understanding. There were as many languages on the Mystic Moon as there was on Gaea. Vanel followed to a little room where they l9oked upon a book in Latin. Of course, it was the language of the Mystic Moon; the beginning of the romantic languages spoken in Rome. Again it was one of the many languages of the Roman Empire.

The scroll that sat on a stand was open for him to read. It was a strange one to say the least. Once he had read through the entire thing he had an uneasy feeling. The life of his great Grandma, his mother and himself was written before him in far better detail than was kept in a diary. His mother and his story still continued. The one with his great grandmother almost ended, well sort of. There were bits and pieces that showed up here and there.

"What is this and why would my family's life story be written and not complete?"

"Young lord, your family's story has been going on for a while. It will not end. The story writes itself as you go along."

Why do I see it?"

"Only the Chosen one from the Mystic Moon is able to read it. This confirms who you are. I wish you luck on your journey. You will need this." He was handed a helmet done the same way as the chest piece with multi colored dragon scales. Upon careful inspection it showed that it would protect his head better than one of the ancient metal ones that used to be worn by King Arthur's knights. What was coming that he was going to need such armor for protection? He guessed he was soon to find out.

"I would hurry young lord. All that you care about is about being tested."

Vanel closed his eyes and looked to see where they were. His mother was just as the scroll had said and they were about to start their testing on her. He hoped that if he didn't get to her on time then his father would. He wanted nothing to happen to all; that he had come to care for. Loanna was in the library but that couldn't be far from here. Something was there though that was up almost as if this was her lost stop free. He shivered knowing what was going to happen to her. He couldn't allow that to happen. There was far too much at stake and they mustn't find out who she was. She didn't even know who she was.

"You will need this young lord; it will answer your questions."

"Thank you." He bowed to the man before he left the building.

The library couldn't too far from the temple. The library was almost as awe astounding as the temple. "Excuse me have you seen a group of robed figures come in."

"Yes they went toward the back of the library." The librarian answered him.

"Thank you. What do you need at the back of a library such as this?"

He followed down the directed hall only to find several rooms. There was only one room that seemed likely that they would be going in. He found one lone scroll on the floor obviously been dropped. The scroll was on how to finish the building of Atlantis. She must have e found it and fooled them but it couldn't stay here because once they figured out that they didn't really have a plans. They need this; the question was where do you put them?

Vanel smiled and headed back to the back of the room seeing if there was anything else of interest. There was a porthole created that was just about completely closed up. "Oh no, you'll lead me to where I need to go." He said to himself not sure where this was going to lead him. It was painful going through this porthole but it led straight into a special room. She had just been in here but when he was about to leave the room he found that he couldn't leave the room without being caught.

"Who are you? Why do you impersonate one of my people?" A woman had ripped Loanna robes off. Loanna remained silent. "You mock me by your silence." Princess Najeh was saying. "Ahhhhhhhh………" Najeh clutched her head as if some great pain was running through it. "Take her away from here."

Najeh stood up, "What was that?" She stumbled into the room. "

"I know someone's here."

-Van-

"Milord, we are about to come across something." Celena said. The fog was just as thick as it had been when they arrived down here. In order to keep up with each they had tied a rope around their waist.

She was right, they had hit something that was round and rocky and at the same time smooth as if someone had taken the time to smooth out stones. It reached well above their heads, almost as of it was a wall; a wall that led somewhere

Lord Van, can you use the pendant?" Analous asked.

Van was already doing jus that. The pendant swung to the left guiding them along the wall. "I've found the entrance." Van's voice drifted through the fog. 'She's down here somewhere. I know it. The fog cleared as they walked deeper into the earth. They came across what appeared to be an underground city... That couldn't be right though.

People walked about but the city appeared to be thriving with almost life but it was only teenagers. There were not children, no adults, and there was the occasional black robed figure seen walking around. "This is so wrong." Analous's voice came through the dark cavern silently. Beyond this city a magnificent white city lay. There was a road n the middle of the underground city that led directly to this place but when they looked at the shadows that were cast on the walls they saw that there was another path. They followed the wall path, Van hoping and praying that this city wasn't the place that he thought it was. In his heart though he already knew what it was. Two things gave it away. One of the things was the Fate Alteration Machine that stood in the middle of the city. The second was that the buildings that he had seen when he almost died in Escaflowne were just like the ones standing before him. They had found the New Atlantis. To top that off, it was being protected by a three headed dog.

-Celena-

Celena remembered the ominous warning that had been given her and she knew that they had been right. She had known it from the time that she had entered this fog. She had learned how to harness Dilandau's knowledge when necessary but she had never released him. He should never be released. He should have never been placed in the world. He was the evil side of her that had been brought out and made into a sick twisted personality that thought absolutely nothing of killing and was an obsessed pyro.

"Priestess, you have yet to reach your full powers. The life inside of you still fights to make itself known. We are the lost souls of this valley. The souls of the soulless that have died but because we proved to be of major problems pushed aside."

'So you remember your love for fire and how it thrilled you to see it burn? Do you remember the rush of the kill? The faces of the people you commanded? Do you remember how you were betrayed? How you were not taken care of as you should have been? You are a sick, spineless little thing. I would have already carried through with my desires and yet you watch from a distance this city that you would lead to war. A wish is what Dornkirk wanted to see through, all people's desires. Do you know your desires?

Celena shivered at the cold voice in her head. She couldn't control him much longer and yet she was the one to lead these people? How was that possible? Celena could feel her body starting to change as she neared the awe inspiring city that had been so much the center of attention.

"I'm coming out." A cold voice said out loud.

"No." Celena was fighting back. She didn't want him released and yet there was no stopping it.

"Analous get her away from here! Dilandau is being drawn out by the mere presence of this place." Van ordered him. "Be careful, Dilandau was a blood lusting murderer, but don't kill her."

-Dryden and Millerna-

The king and queen of Asturia stood up at the sound of a woman's scream. "Please tell me that wasn't…" Millerna didn't want to finish that sentence.

"I don't know." Dryden said.

"That was the scream of pain. They are trying to rip away someone's soul." The boy Wasuremono said to them.

"Is there anyway to help her?"

"If she is strong they will kill her." The boy looked off into the distance.

-Hitomi-

The table was cold but she knew that she wasn't g going to be seeing her husband before the ball. Her son was here, she knew it and she could feel him. There was a new power building up but that power was going to be beaten because of this. Meiden wanted power but he wasn't getting it from them. There were only two people that he could draw the power of Atlantis from now and they were her husband and her son. They were both here.

The table was cold and she felt tears drop down her eyes knowing what was coming and knowing that she would fight it in every way possible. 'Please Van, remain safe."

I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer. One it is an apology for being so late in getting this up and two there is a lot going on. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Arigato and ja ne! You'll have to forgive me if you find a lot of grammar mistakes and let me know. It's about one in the morning. Just let me know and I will happily work on corrections. Shoot I'll probably be working on corrections whenI have time tomorrow. Arigato and ja ne!