Forever Bound

Rating: T (may or may not go up in later chapters).

Disclaimer: I don't own LoD, but if I ruled the world perhaps it would be a different story.

Author's Notes: And so the plot thickens a smidgen in the chapter. It wasn't all that difficult to write, considering I knew exactly what I wanted to happen here (which is a very rare occurrence for me XD)

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Chapter 1: Of Blood and Life

Night had fallen upon the continent, leaving all streets bare and silent—it was no different for the sleeping village Seles with one minor exception. A lone figure, cloaked in black, walked over the cobbled stone aimlessly, passing one lit window to another. How peaceful this village was, much different from the one that had been nearly put to extinction five years prior—it was a pity that it would have to return to turbulent times once more.

You have the permission of the master to continue.

The figure stopped, parting thin painted crimson lips. "Right," whispered a soft feminine voice. Looking at the path before her, she noted a medium sized home to the right of her. There was something about it that called to her, lured her---some strange power resided within those walls.

Slowly and stealthily, she approached the seemingly silent building. As she walked, the feeling became stronger—she felt the power of the old ones, the dragons, somehow rooted in within the occupants of the house.

Remember, we only want the girl, Alexiel.

The woman nodded, placing a hand on the brick wall. Closing her eyes, ancient words escaped from her lips, causing a pale yellow light to form around her. She took one step forward so that her thin form could press against the rough texture---first her right leg vanished, followed by her arms, and, within seconds, the wall enveloped her.

And the streets of Seles were empty once more.

0.o.o.0

He was excited.

His friends, family, world---he would be returning to them all in a matter of hours. 'I wonder if they still remember me,' he thought stupidly. Lavitz laughed at himself softly. He knew very well that Albert would have a fit—maybe even a heart attack. And Dart, Soa only knew what Dart would do.

"You should be resting you know."

"Ghosts don't need to rest, Soliel," he whispered softly. For some reason, he felt a pang of sadness resound through the room. The girl that he had come to know and tease over the past few years was never very good at hiding her emotions. One would think that the thousands of years his senior would have taught her some form of control. "What is it?"

The girl plopped down on a nearby chair. "I--" she began but her voice trailed off. Walking a few steps to the right, he stood before her with a concerned look on his pale statuesque face. "I don't wish for you to go."

He kneeled beside her. "You mean you are not coming with us?" The girl shook her head slowly, avoiding contact with his eyes. "And why is that, Soliel? We could use your help."

A sigh. "I don't belong in that world, Lavitz. I died before Diaz, before the Dragon Campaign—hell, I was born hundreds of years before the original dragoons were born."

"But that's just it---you have so much knowledge that you could give us."

The girl laughed darkly. "As a nine year old? If I went with you, I'd be given a nine year old's body," she paused for a moment, eyeing the former knight. "I would only be a bother."

Lavitz watched the girl, woman in spirit, rise from her chair. He couldn't help but wonder, at that one moment, what she would look like if she had been given the chance to live her life. Closing his eyes, he pictured her as a tall woman, with her dark red hair bound my a thin piece of cloth so that it would no longer be a bother for her. She would make a very feminine young woman indeed with her body most likely garbed in a long form fitting rosy gown of sorts.

She would be very beautiful, the kind of beauty that may end up lashing out at you and wounding you if you did not tread lightly.

"What are you doing, Lavitz?"

"Just thinking."

The girl chuckled lightly, placing a small hand on his shoulder. "Don't think so much," she whispered. "I wouldn't want you to hurt that pretty little head of yours."

Silence took the room, leaving the pair to muse about their pasts and their futures. Lavitz knew that it wouldn't be much longer until he would be given the chance to say farewell to the land of the dead and hello to the land of living. He would be able to run his hands through the earth once more, feel his feet touch solid ground, revel in the sun's rays as it washed down upon his skin.

"Lavitz--"

"Hn?"

"Please," whispered Soliel. "Promise me that you won't forget about me when you're reunited with your friends." The former dragoon gazed at the girl with a perplexed look on his face.

"What do you mean?"

The girl shook her head. "Just promise me that one thing."

"I promise."

0.oo.0

The inside of the small cottage was 'cozy' to say the very least. It made the shadowy figure known as Alexiel sick to her stomach. Dark crimson eyes carefully glanced over the contents of what seemed to be the living area—there were two oak bookcases in the corner filled with maybe fifty or sixty texts of some meaningless and useless nature. Next to it were two plush chairs strewn with small porcelain dolls and small pieces of cloth (perhaps used as garments for the clothing—she didn't know).

In the middle of the room was a medium sized table, most likely made of the same oak as the bookcases. On it rested several documents consisting of old scholarly articles and a few letters that appeared to be recently opened. Quickly, she scanned some of the pieces of paper noting words such as dragoon, Serdio, Melbu Frahma, The Dragon Campaign, and The Moon Child.

Don't waste your time with such things. Find the girl.

The woman nodded. Her eyes roamed over the room once more out of sheer curiosity—her auburn colored eyes settling on a nearby mantle. On it, she noticed the whitest of stones propped up against the wall. To any normal person it was nothing more than a decoration—but to her, it was something so much more. It was the strongest of all power. With a flick of her wrist, a small flame slowly began to form in the palm of her hand. She smiled from underneath her hood as she willed it to grow.

"And so begins the journey," she whispered. Without any effort at all, she tossed the flame on top of the document ridden table, causing it immediately to combust into flames. With a soft chuckle, her cloaked form dissolved into the darkened crevices of the cottage.

It wasn't long until the screams of the villagers reached the intruder's ears. She smiled darkly, her body dissolving into the shadows of the village. It wouldn't be long now. Within moments, a disheveled looking woman rushed into the room, her eyes darting from side to side. "Dart, go get Claire!" she yelled. The woman then sprinted to the mantle, grasping the stone that had caught the attention of the intruder earlier.

"Mommy, mommy!" She looked over at her husband and child wearily, thanking the goddess that they were safe for the time being. She knelt beside her daughter with a tired smile.

"Everything will be alright," she whispered softly as she pulled the girl into a warm embrace. "You and daddy are going to go visit Uncle Albert, okay?" She looked down at the girl lovingly. "I want you to keep this for daddy okay?" she asked as she placed the stone in her daughter's hands. The girl sniffed pathetically as her father took her into his strong arms.

"Shana.…"

"Now isn't the time, Dart. Please remember what we discussed." The elder man nodded—and within minutes he had vanished from her sight. She sighed, knowing full well what was to come. "You can come out now."

"Clever little pawn."

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