The Concept of Forever

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Author's Note: I realized that the summary was too depressing and changed it, hope you guys don't mind!

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Chapter Two: History

"And so, this year, I would like to focus more on…"

Elie sighed gently, leaning her cheek against her palm. They had all had this particular teacher for history all the previous years of high school, so the class was more of a continuation than anything new. On top of that, Sieg loved history, so she had been learning all sorts of history lessons her entire life, which made the required history courses of high school almost irrelevant.

In an attempt to lessen the boredom (and make it look as if she was just interested in history), the brunette flipped open the textbook sitting on the desk, allowing it to land on a random page. Chapter Ten: The Great War.

Huh. Don't remember Sieg saying anything about a 'great war'.

Actually interested, Elie began to read the short introductory passage.

The Great War began in the year 0015 when the large and powerful nation of Raregroove, under the rule of King Shakuma Raregroove, began to expand their kingdom through means of conquest. It is said that they would have succeeded had the small country of Symphonia rose up to stop them. Led by King Marakia Symphonia-Glory V, the people of Symphonia and the world defended themselves against the tyranny of the Raregroove family.

"Elie, are you paying attention?"

Startled, Elie snapped up in attention, her cheeks flushing. "Oh," she stammered, "Well, I was actually just reading ahead in the book. Looking at a chapter we hadn't covered before."

The teacher's expression went from annoyed to interested in a flash. "Really?" he asked. "There's actually something that the great Sieg Hart has yet to teach his little sister?" A few giggles went up around the class, including Elie. Having the same teacher for four years did have its advantages, after all, and familiarity was certainly among them. "Okay, then, let me know what it is that has you so interested?"

"The Great War. Between Symphonia and Raregroove," she said, grinning up at him. "I mean, you know, the names all sound familiar, but I'm pretty sure we haven't learned anything too in depth about them all."

"Sieg never told you about the Great war?" the teacher repeated in shock, adjusting his standing position. "Well, alright, I guess we can skip ahead and talk about that for the first day. We all know each other, right?"

A resounding 'yes' sounded through the classroom, and the young man became animated as only a true lover of history can become at the prospect of old wars. "Well, like the passage on the chapter page says, it was a world war, but it was primarily between Symphonia and Raregroove. See, these two nations actually lived on the same continent, so when Symphonia refused to allow them to take over, they centered all of their manpower onto them.

"Unfortunately for them, the people of Symphonia were greatly outnumbered in comparison. They were a pretty small nation, didn't have enough people as it was. But, even worse than that, if you can imagine, was the use of Dark Bring, a magic stone used by the Raregrooves that gave them an edge. Each stone has a different ability, and they were almost impossible to destroy.

"But, the Symphonians also had a very powerful source of magic as well, much more powerful than any Dark Bring – Etherion. Now, we've all heard about Etherion, the magical life force that basically created the world and everything else and was able to destroy pretty much whatever it wanted. Now, like I just said, Etherion also created everything that is in the world today, meaning that even though it can destroy everything, it can make something out of literally nothing. But, you guys all know about that, so enough about that.

"The reason I brought it up is because a young girl by the name of Resha Valentine was born with the power of Etherion inside of her. A lot of people speculate that she was just an incredibly powerful mage, however, it's this next point that pretty much refutes it – Resha used her power to create what they initially called Holy Bring. See, many mages and wizards have attempted to use their power to create something, and none of them have ever succeeded; except for Resha.

"Resha made five of these Holy Bring's before it became too much. She was only fifteen years old, so you guys can only imagine what that was like on her. Eventually, it became too much for her and she slipped into a coma for an entire year. During that year, the people of Symphonia changed the name from Holy Bring to Rave, to honor her for her services to the kingdom. Not much is known of her life after that, but it is assumed that she went on to have a peaceful life away from Symphonia.

"After the creation of Rave, the war took on a new turn. The Dark Bring were more plentiful, but Rave was stronger; Rave could destroy any Dark Bring, while it is not known if the opposite is true. Another difference between the two was that anyone could theoretically use a Dark Bring, while Rave was only useable by one man. Now, I say theoretically because some people were better than others at it, and some required more skill or experience. But, yeah, Rave was designed to be a one-person sort of gig, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."

Before he could continue, the bell sounded and the students all broke out of their respective trances. The teacher sighed and went back to sit down at his desk, waving as the students walked out. "We'll actually start the lessons tomorrow, guys," he called cheerfully. "Have a good day!"

Elie swept all of her materials into her bag again and went to the front, still deeply interested. "What happened with the war? I mean, did Symphonia win?" she asked, deeply interested. There was something very familiar about a lot of those names that he had said, especially Resha Valentine – after all, they shared a last name.

"That's up for debate," he answered with a sigh. "See, both countries were destroyed in the final battle, you know, in the Overdrive."

"The Overdrive was from the Great War?"

The teacher nodded. "Yes, it was. It didn't actually destroy one-tenth of the world, as romantic as that sounds to some historians, but it did basically wipe out that entire continent. It still exists, but it's all a barren wasteland now. So, yeah, I guess they did win, because they stopped Raregroove from taking over the world, but the cost was so great, can you really call it a victory?"

It was a rhetoric question, and Elie chose to answer only by nodding. "It's weird that your brother never told you about that, though. He's told you about pretty much everything else I was supposed to teach you," he teased, grinning.

"He might have mentioned it a few times," Elie admitted. "And I just didn't really pay attention."

The two exchanged a laugh for a second before the brunette waved and headed off to her next class, her thoughts still thinking of the Great war and, specifically, Resha Valentine.

By lunch time, she was so lost in thought about what she had learned in second period that she nearly forgot about Lucia and everything that had happened in the period before. So, when she finally made it to the cafeteria, her friends were all anxiously waiting for her with a lot of questions.

"What happened after first period?" asked Julia as soon as she sat down, looking concerned. Elie blinked up at her, trying to remember what exactly had happened that would make her so confused. "With the new kid, that blond guy!"

"Oh!"

"Did you forget about that?" laughed Musica, shaking his head. "Jesus, it's amazing how air-headed you can be sometimes, kid."

Elie laughed, shrugging. "I don't know, he just asked to walk me to class and we talked a bit. He seemed, I dunno, he seemed kind of nice. Like, you know how sometimes people act really different around their family than they do around their friends? Sort of like that," she explained, looking between her friends. "I know he sounded kind of creepy in the note, but, I dunno anymore. He was really nice."

"Were you even paying attention to what he was saying in class?" asked Let sharply, his frown deepening at her words. "His father is the owner and co-founder of Demon Card, one of the most influential and evil organizations in the world."

"What do they do that makes them so evil?"

For what had to be the billionth time, her friends gave her a look of pure shock at her ignorance of the outside world. Elie fidgeted in her chair for a second, sighing. "Sieg doesn't like having television," she mumbled out, shrugging.

"Don't worry, Elie," said Haru cheerfully, appearing behind them. "It really isn't important what Demon Card does, all you really need to know is that it's filled with a lot of really bad people and they do a bunch of evil stuff to good people."

The blond sat down next to her and gave her a pleasant grin. He was the only one of their friends to know of her financial situation, so he was usually the one that swooped in when the conversation looked as if it was about to turn towards her home life. Not that Elie didn't trust her other friends with her personal problems or anything; she just didn't want them to know that the real reason she was so ignorant of life outside the island was because of money problems.

"Anyways, his dad, King, was actually my dad's best friend for a really long time," Haru continued, frowning. "They started Demon Card together, but my dad didn't like the way King was trying to take it, so he left and came back here and got married and had Cattleya and me."

"Wait a second, King Raregroove was your dad's best friend?!" repeated Musica in shock, sputtering on his food for a second before regaining his composure. "Are you sure?"

"Wait," Elie interrupted, her eyes wide, "His last name is Raregroove? Like, from the Great War?"

Haru nodded. "Yeah, he's one of the only surviving family members of the royal family or something," he said. "Dad said that he wants to create the nation of Raregroove again one day, that's why he started Demon Card, so that he'd eventually have enough people to populate the country once he had enough land."

"They were the bad guys, though!"

"That's why I felt so tense around him," said Julia, shaking her head in disgust. "He probably grew up around Dark Bring, and has used them all his life. They aren't natural," she explained to Elie's questioning expression. "Dark Bring, they do weird stuff to your mind. It, like, corrupts you and makes you do stuff you normally wouldn't do."

Elie nodded slowly, not sure if she completely agreed with them. If what they said was true, however, then she would definitely stay away from him. But, it was a little judgmental to just assume that because his dad wasn't necessarily the nicest man, he was the same way. "I don't know, I think it's a little unfair to just assume that Lucia is a bad guy. I mean, it'd be like saying that the Emperor is a good guy because his father united the world fifty years ago. He could be a total jerk for all we know."

Her friends thought about it for a second and then conceded that she did have a point. "I know it's not a good thing to just automatically not trust someone based off their family," agreed Haru, "but I just have a really bad feeling about him. Like I need to be constantly watching by back around him."

"Well, yeah, a little bit," agreed Elie, remembering the way he seemed to lure the class in when he spoke. "He does seem sort of spooky."

The five of them sat in silence for a few seconds collecting their thoughts. "He certainly does seem to enjoy the attention," commented Let after a second, nodding past them. They turned to look, watching as Lucia strode into the cafeteria, surrounded by various other students. None of the near sheepish side that he had shown to Elie when they were alone was visible now. It was like he could flip a switch and go from arrogant and suave to shy and gentle in just a second.

His eyes met with Elie's for a second and he smiled, but it was more of a smirk than an actual smile. Despite her best efforts to remain open minded about him, the brunette saw something in the smirk that sent a shiver down her spine.

He took a seat across the cafeteria from where they were sitting, clearly in command of the small horde of people around him. As Elie was about to look away, she saw him turn to a man sitting beside him and nod towards her, but she was entirely too far away to make out what had been said.

"What a tool," Musica declared, rolling his eyes. "I don't even care that his dad's the leader of Demon Card at this point. Kid seems like a royal ass."

Julia nodded, leaning back in her chair. "Can we all agree that Lucia, regardless of the rumors surrounding his family, seems and acts like a tool and just move on? I'm sick of discussing him." A unanimous agreement went around the table and she nodded again. "Good. What's the plan for tonight? We going to Reina's party or not?"

"Hell yeah we are," replied Musica quickly. "I'm so close to convincing her to go on a date with me, I can feel it. Just a few more parties like these and she'll be dying to go out with me."

Julia snorted; Elie giggled; andHaru rolled his eyes. "Dude, you've been saying that since sophomore year. If she wanted to date you, she'd have said yes by now," he said, leaning back to avoid his smack. "Besides, what happened to Melodia? I thought the two of you were talking about getting back together a few weeks ago."

"We were. But a little birdy told her I had a thing for Reina and she freaked out and won't talk to me," the older man said, sighing. "I mean, it's not like me an' Reina are actively talking or anything, we just flirt around when we're near each other. But Mel said she didn't want to get involved in anything like that, and we could talk about getting back together as soon as I got my priorities straightened out."

"Well that doesn't seem very fair," Elie said, frowning. "Especially after all the stuff you did for her to prove that you were serious."

Musica shrugged. He flirted around a lot, but he was a very faithful boyfriend when he was serious about a girl. Melodia was his first girlfriend, and they dated all through middle school, but they broke up when she started getting too jealous of his flirtatious personality about three years ago. Though he flirted around, and occasionally slept around, with a lot of women since, he hadn't been serious with anyone since the breakup.

"Ah well," he said lightly, "Can't change how she feels. Besides, I really think that I have a shot with Reina."

"Girl that gorgeous? She could have anyone, dude," Julia pointed out. "Not saying she's out of your league, but you have to admit, she's got plenty of options to choose from.

"Yeah, yeah, I know that," he grumbled. "But, enough about me. Haru, you got any lady that's caught your strangely colored eyes?"

Despite herself, Elie perked up ever so slightly at the change of conversation. Haru, however, seemed to have sunk away. Before he could respond, Julia jumped in. "If you need some help finding anyone, I can think of a very cute brunette that I'm sure would love for you to ask her out," she said, eyes gleaming.

Just as the two of them were about to argue, the bell sounded for lunch period to be over, and the conversation ended. "Saved by the bell this time," called Julia over the noise of the crowd. "See ya' later!" she called as they separated, herself, Let and Musica heading towards their class, and Haru and Elie heading towards theirs. The two of them waved goodbye once before the crowd swept them away.

"How's the hangover?" he teased as they walked, nudging her gently.

"Gone," Elie replied happily, giving him a thumbs up sign. "Thankfully. I don't even want to think about how upset Sieg would be with me if I came home with a hangover again." The brunette groaned at the prospect of having to sit through another one of his endless lectures about underage drinking and the effects it has on the growing brain and how he had never drank when he was younger and how their mother would be so distraught to learn that her only daughter was drinking.

Haru laughed at her shudder, shrugging. "Cattleya got mad at me the first couple times it happened, but now she just doesn't really care. She says that so long as I'm not driving or causing a commotion, she doesn't mind," he said, laughing as Elie rolled her eyes. "Hey, I can't help it that my sister is so much cooler than your brother."

"Yeah, right!"

The blond laughed again, raising his arm to deflect a blow. "Can you believe we ever thought the two of them would make a good couple?" Elie asked after a second of silence, pretending to gag. "That'd be such a horrible couple."

For some time during their childhood, not too long after Elie's parents had died, the two of them amused the thought of Cattleya and Sieg dating. In hindsight, the brunette realized that much of her fantasizing had been due to the absence of losing her mother, and the allure of being able to spend as much time as she wanted with Haru. However, around the same time they were plotting ways to bring them together, Cattleya met Shuda, a man that was near Sieg's age that had befriended Gale during one of his many visits to the mainland and decided to settle down at Garage Island due to his admiration of him. Cattleya and Shuda started dating almost immediately, and had gotten married about three years ago.

The two bantered on for the rest of the walk to class before they were forced to sit through another forty minutes of introductions and first-day formalities. Despite their earlier agreement to sit near each other, Elie and Haru had been separated by alphabetical seating, which sent Haru right up front and Elie all the way in the back.

Some ten minutes into the class, the brunette felt her pocket begin to vibrate, snapping her out of a daydream. Sieg had given her a cell phone in case of emergencies a few years ago, but she didn't use it very often. It was a prepaid phone, the type where you bought minutes as you needed them – texts cost a half minute each – and she generally didn't use them often. There were weeks where she forgot that she even had one.

Checking to ensure that the teacher wasn't paying attention to her, Elie pulled the phone out of her pocket and checked the number. It wasn't one she recognized, and she opened the text.

"Are all schools such a bore? –Lucia"

Elie blinked at the screen. How did he get her number? The brunette glanced up at Haru, worried that he would know somehow and be upset that she was talking to him. Whatever his reasoning, he really just did not seem to care for the newcomer. "I dunno about other ones, but this one is pretty dull, yeah." She texted back, her fingers clumsy on the keyboard.

"Wanna ditch with me?"

Again, Elie stared down at her phone blankly. The idea of ditching class was completely foreign to her, something that she had never even imagined doing. However, before she could gather her thoughts and make a decision, the screen flashed again with another text.

"Meet me by the cafeteria after class."

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Author's Note: Alright! Now, I got a bunch of questions (well, one person asked several different questions) about whether or not there is magic. I decided that it's still in the same universe as Rave, HOWEVER, with one big difference; Shiba was able to destroy the Sinclair Dark Bring fifty years ago. Instead of it being the end of Dark Bring forever, all it did was significantly weaken their power, making them not quite as threatening as they were before. As for the magic issue, that's a secret! :D
I hope you guys all like the chapter, and I will try to have the third one up a lot sooner than this one was!