Chapter 8
Hitomi's entire body was being ravaged by excruciating pain. It was everywhere, clutching her muscles like a vise, drilling through her bones, pushing every cell membrane to the limits and even invading her very soul. She felt like her life was slowly being snuffed out in the cruelest of ways. Her mind, however, refused to give up and carefully took control of all the little pieces which were so close to disintegration, strengthening her from the core.
Her voice had given out long ago, the inside lining of her throat raw and sore from all the gut-wrenching screams. After her pleas directed at Sora had gone seemingly unanswered and the mystical woman had been no help in ending the torture, Hitomi was still somehow able to endure this hell she had ended up in, but for how long?
Hitomi's muscles convulsed painfully again, shaking her body in cramps that went through her limbs in waves. Blood pounded in her head which made it feel as though it was close to exploding at any moment.
During this struggle, a soft, ethereal melody began to sneak its way into her head which helped her mind bear the agony her body was in to a great extent. The melody numbed the pain a bit and every time Hitomi consciously took note of it again, the intensity reduced fractionally.
This relief was short-lived because, after a while, the torment intensified again and reached a level far beyond the effects of the melody. It was suddenly worse than ever before, making her lose all bearings. Hitomi was convinced that her end was near. However, as intense as the pain had been just a moment before, it miraculously began to subside, and quickly so.
Muscles which had been shaking in spasms mere seconds ago relaxed in an instant. Her blood circulation normalized and her heart began to beat in a steady, unperturbed rhythm once more, though something was missing in the furthest crevices of Hitomi's mind. There was a new and unfamiliar void she couldn't explain.
While pondering what it was and at the same time being unbelievably relieved that the torture seemed to be over, for now, she noticed an alien warmth resting against her chest. Completely spent and exhausted, she attempted to touch it but her fingers wouldn't obey at all. After slowly opening her eyes and glancing down, she glimpsed a strange pendant glowing in a soft, pink hue.
Again, she tried to touch it but her arms remained stubborn and still at her sides which prompted more anxious feelings. Why weren't her limbs responding?
"Please, keep calm. Your body is exhausted but you're not alone anymore…and you will be safe."
Her eyes widened in disbelief when she heard an unfamiliar voice in her head. The strange pendant pulsed in a soft light along with it.
The young woman's wailing had long since died down while her body was still suspended in the luminous liquid, her limbs quivering in pain and jerking reflexively every now and then. It looked like she had lost consciousness a while ago. The soul-splitting process seemed to continue inside her mind rather than her physical body.
Sora had already lost track of time since the beginning of the experiment. There was no visible progress anymore and Hitomi's body still showed no signs of either a successful or unsuccessful outcome. Granted, no one knew exactly what a successful outcome would look like. She slowly but surely was giving up hope to see Hitomi survive.
Sora's throat tightened and burned at the thought of losing another girl and part of it was her fault again. Only then she noticed something that hadn't been there before. It was a small, glowing light which was casting a blue hue across the girl's chest.
A bit bewildered, Sora moved to directly stand in front of the pillar and her eyes widened in shock and wonder at what she finally saw up close. There it was! The long lost soul of the Escaflowne had finally appeared!
The relief she felt made her face brighten. Now she was sure that the woman at least had a chance to live. Sora turned on her heels and sought out her General who had left the area a while ago along with everyone else, not interested in listening to Hitomi's wailing anymore.
"General Folken!" Sora called to him from just outside the door of the study down the hallway where he was busy reading through a dusty tome on a large, cluttered workbench.
He didn't so much as glance at her as she entered the room with a bright smile on her face. Always stoic, never discomposed.
"You must come! The soul of the Escaflowne. It has finally appeared!"
Folken's face barely showed any excitement upon hearing even those words but he crossed the small room with fast strides and entered the laboratory again where he came to stand in front of the pillar with the woman floating inside it. He seemed satisfied to see the small pendant on a chain around her neck.
"There it is, indeed. It's only a matter of time now for the Escaflowne to materialize," Folken murmured mostly to himself.
Sora stood next to him, observing his aristocratic face with careful glances. Her feelings and conscious were beginning to betray her. Sure, she was pleased that the man she had sworn loyalty to finally was one step closer to what he had worked so long and hard for. On the other side, her deepest sympathy was with the woman in front of her.
Somehow, she had developed protective notions for Hitomi during what little time they had shared together. The blonde woman's captivating aura was indeed powerful. Whether it had anything to do with her harboring Escaflowne's soul or if it was solely Hitomi, Sora was not certain.
After patiently waiting for a while, a deep frown of displeasure grew on Folken's face. "Why is nothing happening? Something must be wrong."
His hand rested against the pillar while deep in thought. "Sora. Leave us."
Sora's brow furrowed in worry but she obediently left the laboratory.
Meanwhile, the small Zaibach leviship had reached the Flying Fortress. Upon exiting, Van was immediately being shoved through the hangar and along several dark hallways. Every now and then his escorts pushed him so hard he almost stumbled over his own feet. When he dared to try and take a look around for better orientation, a soldier struck the side of his head hard. Not being knowledgeable about the route they were taking him would complicate an escape later on.
They were passing several sets of doors leading to what could be laboratories or workshops, judging by their size, when three soldiers talked animatedly amongst themselves in passing. Due to their hushed voices, Van caught on to the tense mood and strained his ears to listened in on their conversation.
"… Escaflowne's soul materialized…or so it seems but they don't know yet what's going to happen with that woman after…General Folken planning to use his magic to…"
Van tensed, his mind on high alert until a fist covered by thick leather armor hit him directly in the face, instantly bruising his cheekbone.
"Keep walking, Abaharaki scum!" The soldier next to him yelled while shoving him forward again.
Van kept his head low, a wry smile plastered on his face despite the stinging pain it caused before he finally gave in. Finally, he could allow the roaring bloodlust coursing through his entire body to take over.
In a most elegant twist, he wrestled his arm out of the other guard's grip and swung one of his long legs around to kick him in the stomach as hard as he could. The sudden attack sent that man crashing into the wall on the side which caused him to hit his head with a sickening crunch and knocked him unconscious immediately.
His companion barely had a chance to register what was going on before Van faced him and retrieved two daggers from the inside of his boots, using one of them to slice the rope his wrists were bound with. His gleaming eyes almost turned black from fury.
After only one swift strike of Van's knife, dark blood poured forth from the soldier's throat, splattering across Van's clothes and face. He grinned darkly while the blood seeping from the man's wound already begun to form a small puddle around his twitching body on the floor. While the soldier still made some gurgling noises before his body sprawled out in a limp heap, enforcements rounded the corner.
The rage had entirely consumed Van and was in control of every move while he lost count of the maimed, fallen soldiers in his wake. Now was finally the time for a bit of revenge after he had restrained himself for so long and he would damn well make sure to enjoy it for as long as it could last.
After a while though, his grin disappeared. This was far too easy. How was it possible for them to have nearly all of Gaea under their control with such a weak army? They were laughable! Hardly even worth fighting against!
Van didn't even break a sweat while he cut down one soldier after the other without showing any mercy. Suddenly, his eyes focused on a man who stood out amongst the others. This soldier was clad in red armor and storming in his direction without a smidgeon of hesitation. In passing, Van struck down the last remaining soldier in front of him only to be met with a powerful wave of energy out of the blue.
His mouth opened in shock but no sound escaped it when he collided with the wall a good stretch behind him at the end of this hallway. Van only groaned when the back of his head whiplashed into the wall and most oxygen left his lungs through the force of the collision. Attempting to gather his wits again, he struggled for much-needed air while black dots danced in front of his eyes and the backside of his skull pounded.
"Magic?! How's that even possible?" Van coughed, "but if you insist!" He added while kindling a source of power deep within his core. As soon as his lungs began working again somewhat, he sheathed his daggers and instead reached for the sword of the fallen Zaibachian soldier closest to him. The weight of the sword threw him off balance for a moment and he nearly failed to counter the move of the red soldier who had reached him, his own sword drawn and ready to strike.
Blood-red eyes gleamed at him and an insane grin adorned his opponent's face.
Van chuckled darkly and met the soldier's stare with an equally intense expression as he infused his own magic into the sword. The shockwave vibrating through Van's parry shook the silver-haired man but he had had enough time to prepare and block it.
Nevertheless, it was evident that this soldier hadn't expected to encounter another individual with magical powers.
They exchanged several fast and hard stabs and thrusts by means of their swords before pausing for a moment, both gasping for oxygen and taking time to assess the other more thoroughly. This was evidently a more balanced fight than either of them had expected.
"Never thought I'd meet someone actually worth fighting…," the red soldier cried with an unusually high-pitched voice and launched another onslaught of attacks, this one even more furious than before. Van countered every move, waiting for a chance to strike his opponent while conserving some energy still.
When he finally saw an opportunity, he pushed through the red-clad soldier's offense and managed to pierce the area where his armor overlapped on the junction of his hip and torso with the borrowed sword's end. A spray of blood seeped out of the wound and spotted the man's red armor like fresh, crimson drops of wax on a seal. The ground at their feet, likewise, was dotted with fresh blood once more and joined that of the fallen soldiers around them.
Van spun away and swung the sword in a wide arch, about to strike the soldier down when he heard a female voice infiltrate his head.
„You have to hurry! She is in danger…come now!"
He had no time to ponder what was going on when a pink pendant already showed him the way in his mind. Without hesitation, Van expelled a quick, powerful pulse of magic, sending the red soldier into a wall on the other, far end of the hallway, knocking him unconscious. He took off in a sprint, aiming for the door the pendant had shown him and barged into the room which lay beyond it. Slamming it closed behind him, Van melted steel bolts into steel hinges, preventing the door from being opened from the outside.
While he did that, he noticed how spent he was from just this short interaction. Using this much magic in a fight was taking a toll on him. He was just about to move further into the room when his eyes focused on the man in the laboratory who was staring directly at him with an equally disbelieving expression. The sight made him freeze in his steps.
Every rational thought left his body as he saw the man with long, silver hair and rust-red eyes staring at him.
„Traitor…," Van finally growled darkly.
Hitomi was still helpless, floating in the liquid and watching Sora and the General who were talking to each other.
She didn't understand what they were saying and only few pieces of their conversation reached her ears. She heard them mention the Escaflowne more than once, though her mind was too addled and fatigued to figure out what else they were discussing. After a bit, she sunk back into deep oblivion and a sleep-like state due to her exhaustion.
Only the loud turmoil which followed not too long after woke her from this state. Warily, she cracked her eyes open a bit, noticing that Sora was gone. The General stood with his back to her, a strange aura surrounding his form which was making the air around him spike in anticipation.
She scanned the area further in the back and spotted another man. A man she had never thought she'd see again after being sold to General Folken. A man she was now unspeakably relieved to see.
What on Gaea was he doing here?
Hitomi had no chance to ponder this further because she now watched in disbelief how the General was attacked by her black-haired acquaintance through a nearly invisible force. In her delirium, she barely registered the waves of energy going back and forth between the two in a heated exchange. Was this…magic? How on Gaea was this possible?
Each man was so intent upon killing the other that neither of them noticed the destruction they were causing around them. Most magical force waves missed their targets as they made quick moves to evade attacks but some ricocheted off counter maneuvers or shield-like constructs of their own making.
Van had been holding a sword upon entering the room but very soon carelessly disposed of it by sending it flying in Folken's direction, its pointy end aimed at his head. The General, in turn, diverted it from its path with the flick of a wrist. It was clear that neither of them needed a weapon to attack the other.
At some point, one of the attacks collided with the pillar Hitomi was trapped in, cracking the glass but not so much that it would break; not enough to free her just yet. Again, she tried to regain control of her overfatigued body. This was a possible chance to get out of here after all.
Hitomi managed to stretch one of her arms out in front of her but all that did was let her brush the tips of her fingers against the glass uselessly. A stream of bubbles escaped her mouth in frustration. She clenched her eyes shut, willing something, anything to happen. When another byproduct from one of Van's attacks shook the pillar, her fingers grazed along the hairline fractures in the glass and just as if the gesture was the last bit of force needed to bring the material to its breaking point, it finally shattered.
Van was so consumed by his bloodlust and need for revenge that he barely cared about his surroundings. He hadn't even noticed the woman floating in one of the pillars in the back yet.
Only when he accidentally broke one of them and a shower of glass and eerie liquid sloshed his way did he take a moment to look more closely. The magical barrier he had erected shielded him from it and the mess plunged in all directions.
He took advantage of the confusion, blindly reaching for however many of the sharp glass projectiles his mind could grasp and commanded them to change direction, aiming them straight at Folken.
Van heard an angry cry of pain and saw that his brother, who had been caught off guard and not felt the need to protect himself with a shield of magic at this moment, had been struck with one of these shards on the side of his exposed neck. Ripping it from the wound without much thought, he sunk to the floor and clutched the area tightly with a hand to prevent too much blood from spilling out.
Having been given a moment to breathe while his brother was distracted by the wound on his neck, Van's eyes searched the room and finally noticed a woman sprawled out face down on the floor. Glass shards littered the area around her too but this didn't perturb her because she was apparently unconscious. Van's anger quelled when he finally remembered why he was here in the first place.
„Hitomi!" He cried desperately and leaped to her side, carefully turning her around. His fingers found a spot on her pale neck to feel her pulse. It was weak but she was definitely alive, for now. Relief washed over him at the discovery and he wasn't even sure why his heart skipped several beats in addition to that.
Van slid his arms around her and lifted her out of the mess on the floor only to finally register that she was completely naked.
Despite the lack of time for propriety, his face flushed slightly while he scanned the area for something to cover her with. Every now and then, Van glanced over to Folken who still was slumped over on the floor, coughing and groaning while a good part of the cloak he wore shone crimson from blood around the upper left side. The wound appeared to be more serious than Van had anticipated. How most opportune.
"So beat up over a small cut?" Van mused darkly.
In a corner, on something like a coat rack, Van found a black cloak which he wrapped around Hitomi's body. Loud, muffled noises filled the hallway behind the sealed door. More Zaibachian soldiers were already attempting to break through it somehow.
Cursing loudly, Van searched for another door to escape through but this one was the only way in and out of here. Or was it? He briefly closed his eyes in frustration. That left him with no other choice. They had to escape by more unconventional means, namely through the wall to his left, which was hopefully the one leading to the outside unless his intuition was failing him in the most crucial of moments.
Van knew that he was almost completely burned out and had only very little reserves of magic left but it was the only way to get them out of here. The turmoil outside the laboratory grew louder by the minute and he quickly glanced down at the woman in his arms. He surely would be able to face a few more foot soldiers even without magic, but not without endangering his precious cargo.
„It's better to just get out of here," he murmured and shifted her weight a bit to free one of his hands. He closed his eyes and focused, collecting every last bit of magic left inside of him. Van was completely unaware of Folken, who had now enough strength again to focus on the fight.
Folken noticed in horror what his brother was about to do and that he had the woman in his arms, ready to make for a desperate escape. He watched as the orb of energy in Van's hand grew larger and larger.
„No!" Folken croaked despite his injury and his free hand crackled with fresh magic, ready to attack.
The Abaharaki heard his traitor brother's outraged cry and grinned while cold sweat dripped down his face in his attempt to gather enough energy to destroy a portion of the flying fortresses wall.
Van was completely unaware of the pink pendant resting against Hitomi's chest underneath the cloak even when it began to glow in a soft light which enveloped both of them slowly. It caused a rush of new energy to wash through Van's entire system. Instead of wondering where it came from, he immediately used this influx of power to call forth a shield to protect himself and Hitomi before he finally unleashed the sphere in his palm straight against the wall in front of him.
Folken only had enough time to duck and roll behind the nearest pile of broken machinery when the wall exploded in a cloud of smoke and rubble, pieces of it flying through the laboratory, destroying even more pillars and contraptions in the process.
The General watched his brother as he calmly approached the new opening which revealed blue sky and clouds and cried almost desperately, "you're too late, Van! She serves me already!"
Van heard him but decided to ignore the meaning behind what Folken was saying for the time being. Instead, he stepped forward while jerking his chin in his brother's direction in a mock goodbye and leaped out into the open sky with a still unconscious Hitomi in his arms.
A/N:
Hello again :) Hope you enjoyed the 8th Chapter of this story! I'm currently at a vacation in Sweden (absolutely beautiful, btw)
40four did her best on this chapter, rewriting the fighting scenes to transport a bit more drama. I'm so grateful to have her as a beta! :) You're great!
Thank you very much for your kind reviews on the last chapter(s)! :D See you soon!