I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled tomorrow (as in, the day after I post this chapter). Good luck to me! I've heard nothing but horror stories about wisdom teeth, except from those whose teeth grow perfectly and don't need pulling. Makes me a bit shaky just thinking about it… Well, I'll tell you all how it went in the next chapter foreword. (Wow, I could almost use this as a public diary… if there's any such thing)
Somebody has to manga-ize Riviera. Seriously, this game is awesome, and I bet a manga/anime based on it would be awesome too. I'd gladly pay $20 (USD) per volume for a manga based on this game. That's just how good it is XD.
Anyway, welcome to chapter 7 of The White Wings. As promised, this chapter is much longer than the previous chapter. Now, I feel like I have to say this…
WARNING! This chapter contains nudity! Not recommended for young children! (perhaps…)
Okay, done. Disclaimer, see chapter 1. Now, enjoy!
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"Argh, no one's seen her!" Ein was frustrated. He'd searched the whole village twice over.
"Ein! Ein!"
Ein spun around. Flying towards him was Serene, with Lina in her arms.
"Ah, Serene! Lina! Did you find her?"
"No, we didn't, but we have a pretty good hunch that she was kidnapped," Serene responded as she landed lightly. "Can you stand yet?" she asked Lina.
"Yeah, I think so," Lina answered. Serene gingerly set her down, and she stretched a bit. "Thanks, Serene."
Ein managed to recover, and now asked, "Kidnapped? What do you mean?"
"I mean, she was taken out of the house during the night," Serene explained. "She seemed to have just disappeared out of the bed, and her sword was still in her room."
"Damn it!" Ein drove Einherjar into the ground. "Who would have done that?"
"Ein, relax," Serene coaxed. "I know you're upset, but control that anger. It won't help solve a thing."
Ein took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm fine. Now, what the heck could have happened…"
"I don't know, but she might be in the village…" Serene suggested.
"Ein's searched the whole time we were at the house," Lina reminded her, done her stretching.
"Well, it doesn't hurt to look again," Ein sighed. "I might have missed something twice."
"Yeah, it's possible, but I doubt we can miss it a third time," Serene winked. "Especially if we're looking too."
Serene headed to the Grove of Repose, Lina to Undine Spring, and Ein set off for Crystal Caverns.
Once in the cave, Ein marched to Ritz and asked for the third time that day, "You haven't seen Fia, have you?"
"No, I haven't," Ritz answered. "This sounds pretty serious though. What happened?"
"She just disappeared without a trace overnight, and was missing this morning."
"Oh my… Well, I'll contact you if I find any information, okay?"
"Please do," Ein thanked him and walked to the back cave where the magic circle was.
Suddenly, a dark aura formed in front of him, and a figure appeared, dressed in crimson red like Ledah, but with the attire of Hector. It held a staff taller than itself.
"A… Magus?" Ein asked with wonder.
"That's right." The figure's mouth didn't move, but Ein heard the words. "I am Andreia (and-DRAY-ah), one of the female Magi in the group of the six Magi. You are Ein, the Grim Angel wielding Einherjar, correct?"
"Uh, yeah, that's right," Ein answered warily. "What exactly do you want?"
"I have Fia with me," Andreia said. "Come with me, and I shall return her to you if I deem you worthy."
"A-all right, I'll do it."
"Then here comes your first trial."
Andreia waved the staff in the shape of a magic circle, and Ein became surrounded with fog. When the fog cleared, he was in a clearing. Grass covered the ground, and where there was no grass there was a light colored dirt. A few trees were scattered around. The sky was red-orange, and clouds covered parts of the sky. The sun shone behind him, and he faced Andreia, who was some distance away from him.
Andreia chanted a spell in Asgardian. Clouds of smoke appeared, and as the smoke cleared, Ein could see several figures. As the last of the smoke disappeared, he recoiled from shock.
"What… what is this…"
Standing in front of him were 101 Fias, or copies of Fia, each dressed in different attire. One was wearing a kimono; another dressed in a t-shirt and shorts; another in her usual green dress. Behind him was Fia wearing a miniskirt, Fia in a bathing suit, and most striking of all, Fia completely naked. He stared for a couple seconds before shaking himself out of his reverie.
"Your task is to find the real Fia in this group," Andreia explained. "There are 100 copies, but only one real Fia here. Find her, and you both leave her alive. Fail, and you'll never see her again."
"What the hell kinda test is that?" Ein yelled.
"This is to test how well you know Fia," Andreia replied. "Every copy has her exact physical form, and each has a different part of her personality. Only one is different from the others. You must find that one."
"Oh, Gods…" He turned in several full circles. All of the Fias simply looked at him with blank eyes. He closed his eyes. A voice reached out to him in his head.
"Ein, you can do this. Follow your heart. The one that is completely different from the rest is the one you're looking for. There is only one existence to a being, so don't let the copies fool you."
I don't know who that is, but it sounds so familiar. Those words make sense too. Okay, I think I got it.
Ein's eyes opened slowly. One by one, he eliminated each copy in his mind.
"This is easy!" Ein shouted. "The real Fia… is her!" He reached out to grab an arm.
"Eek! Ein! What's going on?"
Ein turned to look, but quickly turned away. He had grabbed the arm of the naked Fia, who had been half-asleep during the test, but was now wide awake.
Ein turned again, willing himself to not gawk and stare. "This is a test that that Magus invented," he explained, indicating Andreia, who was now approaching. The copies disappeared with a wave of her hand.
"Test?" Fia asked.
"That's what she called it," Ein said, now strangely calm. "She made 100 copies of you and asked me to pick you out."
"How did you know it was me?" Fia wondered.
"It was easy," Ein smiled. "You're the only one that radiated kindness, compassion, and love. I knew it had to be you."
"Wow, Ein…" Fia looked down and blushed, and, for the first time, noticed she was completely naked.
"Or was it because of this…?" Fia teased, indicating her bare body.
"Aack! No! No way!" Ein turned beet red.
"Hee hee, you're so fun to tease," Fia giggled. She took his arm and pressed up close. "Thanks, Ein…"
"Uh, yeah…"
"Okay, that's enough talk for now," Andreia said. "There is one more test to perform."
"What, another one?" Ein complained. "What is it this time?"
"You fight," Andreia replied. "If you complete this test, I shall give you new wings. Unlike the previous test, you can yield anytime you want, but you will not get your wings back. You have to defeat all the enemies here. If you do not protect her, she will be attacked. Also, Fia's survival isn't necessary to complete this test."
"Hm, sounds simple enough," Ein reasoned. "Okay, I'll give it a shot. Getting my wings back, huh? That's reason enough."
"Get your wings back?" Fia murmured. "Okay, I'll do whatever I can to help you, Ein."
"What? What can you do without a weapon… and completely naked too..." Ein blushed again. "Dance some seductive dance? Seduce the enemies to death?"
"I don't know, but I'll do my best."
"Well, okay, I can't stop you, but stay out of danger, okay? Here we go…"
Andreia chanted another spell in Asgardian. "50 spirit copies!" she finished.
"Wha, 50!" Ein yelled. "Isn't that a bit much?"
"You can yield whenever you want, Ein. Get ready."
"It's no use, Ein," Fia assured him. "Come on, just do your best."
"Yeah." Ein nodded in her direction, and quickly turned away. Fia giggled from behind him.
"Begin!"
With a flash of light, a spirit appeared, brandishing a spear. Behind it, several others appeared, each with a different weapon.
Damn, I don't know about this… Ein thought as he charged into the fray. Behind him, Fia began chanting a healing spell.
Oh, right! Fia's got my back with healing spells!
Ein dashed out with Einherjar at his side. He shifted to the right to dodge the first spear attack, and thrust through the chest. The spirit and the spear disappeared.
"Hmm… this might be tough…"
He continued to hack through the fray, but went too far and became surrounded. A scythe hit him in the back, and an arrow shot from a bow grazed his waist.
"Ow…" Ein winced. He leapt backwards through the air. He pulled out a Gran Saber from his side in midair, and with a sword in both hands, hacked through a spirit on each side of him.
"Heal!" Fia shouted. A soft white light covered Ein, and his wounds disappeared.
Without missing a beat, Ein lunged out again and hacked through the bow spirit's head with Einherjar, and spun around and stabbed an axe wielding spirit in the chest with the Gran Sabre. Both vanished. Recovering, Ein quickly jumped back into the air, dodging several attacks on the spot where he was standing, flipped, and drove the two weapons through another two spirits while landing, and spun quickly, slashing another three.
"That's ten down," Ein panted. "Man, this is tiring."
"Ahh! Ein!"
Ein spun around to see Fia surrounded by spirits. One of them had hold of her, threatening to kill her.
"Fia!" Ein yelled. Damn…
"What will you do, Ein?" Andreia asked. "She does not need to survive in order for you to receive your wings."
She doesn't need to survive? "I…"
"What the heck, Ein? This fight… what is its true purpose? What are you fighting for in this fight? Your wings? Or her life?"
It's that voice in my head again… "I'm fighting for…"
"Don't ever forget, Ein, or you shall fail as Hector did."
"I got it."
The spirits charged at Fia, ready to finish her off.
"Stop! I yield!"
The spirits stopped their charge.
"Are you sure, Ein?" Andreia asked.
"Of course. My wings aren't worth Fia's life. She's much more valuable to me than the wings I've lived without for such a long time."
"Ein…" Fia blushed.
"Spirits, I recall you!"
The spirit warriors disappeared.
"Fia!" Ein rushed to her side.
"Ein… thanks so much…" Fia, still blushing, said weakly. "Ah… I'm so sorry…" Tears welled up in her eyes.
"It's alright now. Don't worry about it."
Fia squeezed her eyes closed, and the tears ran out. She threw her arms around Ein's neck and sobbed lightly on his chest. Ein put a comforting hand on her back before looking up at Andreia, who was now coming over to where they sat.
"Just what I'd expected from the purehearted wingless angel," Andreia commented. "Ein, wielder of Einherjar, you have the power of your diviner at its most powerful level, because you use it to protect. Doing that brings out the full potential of your diviner."
"Well, isn't that what we're meant to do with our diviners, as Grim Angels?" Ein asked.
Andreia nodded. "Yes, that is the intention of the diviner, but most Grim Angels do not realize that. They simply see it as a weapon to kill, not protect. That limits their power. You have proven me your might. I shall grant you..."
She chanted a spell softly. Ein began to glow with a soft light.
"Einherjar! Become his wings! Wings of Light!"
"Whoaa!" Fia, who had just fainted, was gently pulled out of his arms as he was lifted high into the air, completely enveloped by a bright, blinding light, but the light did not hurt his eyes. He felt two wings pierce through his back. He looked up but could only see light. Beyond his vision, feathers spawned out of the light and attached to his wings. After a moment, the light disappeared and, losing the support of the light, Ein began to fall to the ground. Calmly, he tested his control over his wings, and began to flap. He slowed his descent quickly, and landed gently. His back hurt a little from the suddenness, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.
"Ein, wielder of the Einherjar, the Wings of Light belong to you, the savior of Riviera."
Ein pulled his wings up in front of him to see what he had just received. His wings emitted a soft glow. The light originated from the soft feathers that covered the wings. The wings themselves were a pure white, and strangely, he felt stronger than he had before. Then, he suddenly realized something was missing.
"Uh, Andreia, where's my diviner?"
"Einherjar has become your new wings, Ein," Andreia explained. "Einherjar was forged from your past wings, and although those wings were black, you were given a holy diviner. That's why your wings are now the purest white possible, spawned from a pure being with a pure heart. So now, you're a Light Angel, one level above the Grim Angels."
"Light Angel… I… see… but why? Why did you do that?"
"You, Ein, are one of a kind. There is no other Grim Angel in Asgard who understands his true duty. As the one who understands, you deserve this power, and one day, you may need to lead them."
"Me? But I just want to live in peace here in Riviera…"
"If Riviera is ever threatened again, possibly by another selfish Magus, you need to defend it. That is the true will of the Gods."
Ein didn't respond, but thought about it.
"I'm sure many of the Grim Angels will be able to help you, but I'm also sure that some will oppose you," Andreia stated. "Because of that, you need a weapon, the weapon of the Light Angels."
Andreia chanted another spell, and out of another bright flash of light, a glowing sword appeared, floating in front of Ein. It took the shape of his old diviner, but glowed a snow white rather than yellow. The sword pointed downwards and landed about a meter in front of Ein.
Ein proceeded to pull his new sword out. It came out easily, and felt as light as a feather in his hand, but through him it pulsed the power of several diviners.
"This power… it's like… 10 Einherjars…"
"I present to you, Ein, the pure white Angel Blade, Oracion, the sword of justice and freedom, forged in the shape of Einherjar so you wouldn't need to adjust to a new shape."
"Oracion…" Ein murmured, and swung it. The sword moved much faster than his eye could follow at the moment. Each time he swung, a small blade of light emerged from the tip and traveled a few meters.
"That's one of Oracion's powers, producing a blade of light, allowing you to hit an enemy from far away. In addition, your execution skill Disaresta has become one of the normal attacks with Oracion, and there are several levels of attacks you can perform. Your new execution skill at full power is enough to defeat Seth-Rah in one blow."
"Wow," Ein said, genuinely amazed, his head spinning at the new turn of events, absorbing all that he'd just heard.
"Urgh…"
"Fia?" Ein rushed to her side. She was just beginning to come to.
"Ah… Ein…" Fia looked up at him and gasped. "Wings! Wha… and Einherjar! It's… glowing white? What happened?"
"I can explain later." Ein gave her a soft, gentle, caring smile. "For now, let's get out of this place so you can rest."
"Um, okay…"
With a wave of Andreia's hand, the clearing disappeared, and he found himself standing with Fia in his arms in the magic circle cave in the Crystal Caverns. Fia had drifted back to sleep with exhaustion, so Ein carried her home, the whole way wondering what that voice in his head was.
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A/N: Weird voice in his head! Yeah, I didn't mean it to be random. I'm gonna build on it in a future chapter, so for now, place your bets on who the voice is! XD
How's that for transformation? I'd have to say this is the best chapter so far. Well, I guess it's not surprising that no one came up with this idea in a fanfic yet, considering the tiny number of Rivvy fanfics.
By the way, if you haven't noticed, I've changed the genre of this fic from Romance/General to Romance/Action/Adventure. Small change, yes, but I feel like it's moving more in that direction.
Anyway, on the next chapter of The White Wings (which is almost as long as this chapter)…
Chapter 8: The Wings Reborn (Release on August 3, 2006)
Almost as soon as Ein brings Fia to safety, a new threat arises. Ein puts his new powers to the test against this threat. How does he fare?