Author's note: Sorry, it took me longer then I thought. Anyhow, the story continues. Hope you all like it! Oh, and please review.
Disclaimer: Yeah, you probably guessed it: I don't own Riviera (sigh I hate having to do this everytime).
Inner Fears
Chapter 2
He ran.
He ran until he almost collapsed from exhaustion.
Letting his Diviner fall on the mossy ground, Ein slowly let himself fall into a sitting position against a large tree. Panting heavily, he stared at his hands.
They were still trembling…
What had happened? That question appeared in his mind over and over again. That thing… When he had looked into it's eyes he became scared. It was as if all the fear and doubt he had ever experienced flashed through his mind at the same time. He couldn't take it, so he ran… just like two years ago.
He didn't literally run away, but that is why he left Riviera. He was scared of his own feelings. Because of that, he also began to doubt himself and his capabilities.
Was he strong enough? Was his victory over Seth-Ra just luck? Was he worthy enough of being a Grim Angel? Was he worthy of such friends? Was he allowed to have such feelings for Cierra?
Such questions were on his mind. Especially the last one was often on his mind. In the end he had even had been afraid to find out the answers. So a month after the last battle, Ein left Riviera. When they asked why, he told them that he still had duty's as an Grim Angel. This was of course not the real reason. He wanted to get away from the questions and the doubts. Doubts that were turning into fears…
Everyone was of course sad that he was leaving. Even though Cierra gave him a smile when they said goodbye, he could see sadness in her eyes. He was sure it was the sadness that one would feel if a friend was going to leave, but still…
He felt like scum.
He felt like crying.
To bring her sadness was the most unforgivable thing he had ever done. To hurt the person he cared most about… But he was too afraid. He couldn't stay. Ein did not know what he would achieve by going back to Asgard, other then getting away from the fears and doubts.
And that was two years ago…
Looking up, Ein saw that it was already dusk. Slowly rising to his feet, the Grim Angel pondered over the situation. Should he stop and rest for the night, or travel some more before it has grown to dark to see? The beast may very well be in pursued of him, so to stop now might not be to smart. On the other hand, he needed some rest. That long sprint took a lot of energy.
After a few minutes, he had decided to move on. He needed to reach that village. Maybe they had some sort of information that could help him against the wolf.
After picking up and sheathing Einherjar, the wingless angel tried to orientate himself. Luckily for him, when he ran from the monster he had ran in the direction he was traveling in. Therefore, he knew he was in the right direction, but he didn't know how far it was to the village from here.
Sighing, Ein had decided he would try to get as far as possible. If he did not reach the village in time, he would make camp in the forest, and silently hoped not to be attacked by the wolf.
"Great," he murmured to himself. Ein was not able to reach the village before the sun had completely set. He had hid himself between two large tree roots of an even larger tree, so that he was less easy to be discovered. Sighing, the Grim Angel pulled out a blanket from the small backpack he had brought, and wrapped it around himself.
It was cold, but he could not make a fire. A fire would be quickly discovered in the vast darkness of the night. It would surely attract the crimson-eyed beast…
Ein tried not to think about it, but instead focused on trying to get some sleep. After a while, he was successful… but even in his sleep, he would not find rest…
Where was he?
Looking around himself, Ein saw nothing but darkness. He did not have any recollection of where he was or how he got here. Thinking that standing around would not change the situation he began to walk.
After a small while, he saw light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. Heading towards the light he entered a familiar environment. The Nelde Ruins…
How in the name of the Gods did he get here? Ein looked around, but saw nobody. It's quiet, he thought, Far to quiet. No birds chirping. No wind blowing. No nothing...
"Hello Ein," a voice suddenly said.
The wingless angel jumped up in surprise and tried to draw his sword. He stopped midway though, when he saw who was standing there.
"Cierra…" he said.
"A bit jumpy, are we?" she asked, a small grin on her delicate face.
"Yeah… sorry," Ein apologized. "I'm a bit-."
"It's alright," she interrupted him. "But I have to go now."
"What? Where are you going?"
"There was a rumor that a rare herb was growing somewhere near the top of the ruins. It's said that it only has a life span of several days, so I have to be quick," the Crimson Witch explained, and with that she turned around and disappeared in the shadows of the large trees.
Ein wanted to follow her, but stopped dead in his tracks. In the shadows where Cierra had just disappeared in, two big red eyes were now shining. His hands started shaking again and he quickly reached for his Diviner, but it was gone. Now that the wingless angel was completely defenseless, the beast used his chance and charged at him.
Ein, who had almost no time to react, was slammed to the ground, with the wolf on top of him. The black wolf let out a loud howl that sent a shiver down his spine. Ein desperately tried to free himself, but the beast was far too heavy.
Then it happened.
The wolf began to slash at him with it's huge, white, sharp claws. It slashed across his arms, his chest, his face… everywhere. The claws went through his flesh like a knife through hot butter. Ein was in a world of pain. A world of pain that only death could relief.
He couldn't take it, it hurt to much. The angel cried out in pain. He wanted the pain to stop. He wanted to die!
Then suddenly, without warning, the slashing stopped… The pain remained, but the attack had stopped.
Slowly, the Grim Angel managed to crack open an eye, slightly. Looking around as much as he was possible, he saw that it was dawn. Ein also noticed that this wasn't Nelde, he was in Asgard. His Diviner lay next to him, on the mossy ground.
Was it all a dream? He wondered. Trying to raze into a sitting position, the angel was greeted with pain, lots of it. Looking down, he saw that his clothes were drenched with his own blood. Had his nightmare become reality? What was even stranger though, was that his clothes were perfectly fine. No tears or anything.
Taking off his shirt and coat, Ein saw that his body was covered with wounds. His arms, legs, chest, and head… Just like in his nightmare. He grabbed his backpack and pulled out his emergency medical supplies, which consisted out of three Elixirs', some bandages and a few herbs against poison.
With some effort, he was able to pull the cork off the bottle of an Elixir. He poured about half of the orange liquid on his chest wounds, and the other half on his arms, legs and face. The wounds soon began to close a bit, and Ein wrapped the bandages around the most serious wounds, which were his chest area and head.
After he finished the first aid on himself, Ein tried to stand up. The wounds still hurt a lot, and when he was about halfway of standing up, they became even worse. The wingless angel almost fell back on the ground, but was able to maintain his balance at the last second.
Staying here was no longer an option. That… thing could able to wound him in his dreams, which was practically his last defense line. If he wasn't even safe in his own dreams anymore, how safe was it to stay here?
Ein had to get out of here. He would be safe in the village, at least for a time. Nevertheless, staying here was absolutely no option.
He could not defeat something like that! Especially in his current condition. That monster was like fear itself. The wingless angel now knew what those soldiers had gone through…
Grabbing his gear, Ein slowly got on his way to the village. It went very slowly. With every step he made, a surge of pain went though his entire body. His lack of rest was not helping either.
The Grim Angel silently prayed to the Gods that he would make it to the village alive… and mentally sane…