I learned something new today! At karaoke, people kept telling me how I was singing really high, specifically, one octave higher. And to be honest, I thought I was singing fine… but when I lowered my voice by an octave, they said it was perfect. It's really weird how your head can make you hear your own voice differently than how it really sounds.
Bleh, no work done at all on this fic over this week. Seriously, this fic's gonna grind to a halt a couple chapters down the road, where I'll have to take to updating ASAP instead of updating weekly. Reeaallyy sorry about that, but hey, it's my last year in high school, so it's taking up all my time… summer's really too short XD
Rambling done! Welcome to chapter 19 of The White Wings (it IS 19, right? Yeah, it is XD). I don't think I'll be writing epics like this one anymore. I just lose interest some time down the story… but then again, it's rude to quit in the middle of writing a fic. I hate it when others do that, so others hate it when I do that. Golden Rule… ah, the ultimateness XD. Anyway, enjoy this mainly ExF chapter!
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Ein entered the living room, holding two cups of applecot juice, to find Fia sitting neatly on the couch. He handed her one of the cups and sat down beside her. Fia smiled and thanked him for the juice.
"Rose just ran off a couple minutes ago," Ein announced, drinking a mouthful of juice. "I don't know what got into her."
"I saw her run off," Fia replied. "I guess it makes sense that you wouldn't know what's happening."
"Huh?" Ein lowered his cup and peered at Fia. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Fia grinned sheepishly. "No, nothing! Forget I said that."
After a short pause, Ein looked ahead again. "Ooo kay…"
Fia looked at him and giggled softly. When Ein looked back at her, all he saw was her drinking her juice.
"Got any ideas for fighting Orion?" Ein asked. "We came up with a couple of ideas, but most aren't that good."
"Me? Not really…" Fia lowered her cup and ran her finger along the rim lightly. "Though I've been thinking…"
"Huh?"
"Remember what you said that time you rescued me?" Fia blushed lightly at the memory. "'Seduce the enemies to death'?"
Ein looked down into his cup, blushing. "Uh, yeah…"
Fia looked at him and giggled again. "You think we could put that to good use now?"
Ein stared at her. "What?"
"I don't know…" Fia turned her head away. "What else can we do?"
"Well, I discussed with Ledah and Rose, and one idea we came up with was to have some of the Angels live with us Sprites, like what Ursula did with me," Ein explained. "Maybe we can persuade some of them to defect to our side that way, or at least make them take a neutral stance."
Fia nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I see what you're saying." She sipped the juice. "That's chance work, though, right?"
"And seductive dances aren't?" Ein countered, then looked away to hide his blush. "Um, I mean…"
Fia rested a hand on Ein's shoulder with a smile. "Yeah, you're right. We can't get anywhere without a little luck, huh?"
"I-I guess not…"
Fia said nothing as she finished up her juice.
"Um, Fia?"
"Yes?" Fia set her cup down on the table and got to work with another massage.
"What about we, uh, let the seduction thing be, um, a last resort kind of thing?" Ein relaxed under Fia's fingers.
"Sure, we can do that." Fia rested her head on Ein's back. "But you know what?"
"What?"
"Don't mention the seduction thing to the other girls," Fia teased. "In their eyes, you're still a pervert, and even mentioning seduction won't help."
Ein's head drooped down. "Uh, yeah…"
Fia worked her hands for a few more minutes before getting up. "What say we do a bit of training?"
Ein sat up and stretched. "Yeah, let's." He reached for Oracion.
"Uh, Ein, don't you think that's kind of out of my league?" Fia asked, grinning. "I'm not asking you to kill me, okay?"
"I'm not quite used to the sword yet, either," Ein answered, grinning back. "Don't worry, I have another sword with me."
"Another sword, you say." Fia rubbed her chin. "Wonder what kind of sword?"
"You'll see soon enough." Ein picked up Oracion and flipped it into the air, allowing it to land in the sheath on his back effortlessly. "Let's go."
As they walked to a secluded grassy area near the grove, Fia took Ein's arm. Ein gave her a puzzled look, but she just smiled.
When they reached the field of grass, Ein pulled a sword out from inside his shirt and held it out for Fia to see. She stared at it blankly. "An… Iron Sword?"
"Nuh-uh," Ein replied. "Its design just looks like one. This is a mysterious sword, and the powers it holds are still unknown. I want to try to unlock that power." Ein tossed the sword in Fia's direction, and it landed tip-down, sticking out of the ground in front of her. "Take a look."
Fia tugged lightly at the sword, and it came out easily. The blade was surprisingly light, lighter than an Iron Sword. She whipped it around a few times, slicing through the grass. "There's an odd energy emanating from this blade…" she murmured thoughtfully. She raised the sword over her head and thrust it into the earth. Half-expecting the ground to break apart, Ein backed away a couple paces, then relaxed.
"What kind of power?" Ein asked as he walked over to where Fia was standing. She had pulled the blade back out of the ground and began to study it, running her hand along the smooth blade.
"I… I'm not sure." Fia handed the blade to Ein. "We should maybe ask Claude later. He might know." She pulled the Needle of Light out from her sheath. "Why don't you train with it? That's how we usually unlock powers."
"Yeah, you're right." Ein held the sword at his side, blade pointing out. "Okay, ready when you are."
"I get to make the first move?" Fia teased. "Okay, here I come!" She leapt through the air, twisting sideways and building up power for a thrust.
Ein crouched down and raised his sword. Fia thrust her rapier at him, turning her body to create a smaller target for him. Ein pushed the rapier to the side with the sword and whirled around her, slashing upwards and to the side. Fia blocked the slash and used the force generated to push herself back a couple meters.
Ein felt energy flowing into him. He glanced to the side to see Oracion glowing, its light entering Ein. The light resonated with the sword in Ein's hands, making it glow as well. Ein stared at the sword, puzzled. Fia walked over to where he was standing and watched as the two swords resonated with energy.
"It seems like Oracion is unlocking the power of that sword," Fia pointed out. "Why don't we rest and let them work?"
"I feel like we barely started sparring, though," Ein protested. "But I'm curious to see what happened, too. Okay, let's wait."
Putting the sword down, Ein sat down and leaned against a tree, watching the new sword glow brighter and brighter. Fia sat between his outstretched legs and leaned back against his chest, careful not to block his view. As they watched, the sword began to glow several different colors. Oracion was simply glowing white as usual.
After a couple moments, a wave of energy suddenly burst from the blade, blowing dust into the air. Ein and Fia shielded their eyes from the wind. When it died down, they both looked back at it curiously.
The sword levitated in the air, giving off a colorful aura. Its blade pointed upwards, and shone a brilliant array of colors. The aura disappeared, and the blade turned down, falling to the ground. It stuck straight out of the ground.
"What kind of aura was that?" Ein wondered, approaching the sword carefully. "I didn't recognize it…" He pulled the sword out and studied it.
"Demon Destroyer," Fia murmured.
Ein gave her a confused look. "What?"
"Demon Destroyer," Fia repeated. She took the sword from his hands. "The sword of legend, wielded by a powerful warrior. The legend says the warrior destroyed exactly 1000 demons."
"1000?" Ein stared skeptically at the sword. "Most of the weapons we use break after less than 50 uses."
"Your diviner doesn't," Fia argued. "The blade isn't made of Orihalcon, but it is forged from a metal of the same strength."
Ein rubbed his chin. "But, what use do we have for a demon killer?" he asked. "There aren't any more demons to fight."
"I never said it was forged to fight only demons," Fia stated. "I'm sure it could come in handy…"
The sword suddenly began to give off another aura. The light seeped through Fia's skin, and her eyes blanked out. "Huh? Fia?" Ein asked, worried. "Um, what's going on?"
As if in a trance, Fia swung the blade downwards in Ein's direction. Quick reflexes caused him to quickly roll out of the way towards Oracion, which had begun to glow, too.
"Fia, stop it!" Fia didn't listen, and swung the blade in his direction, her speed growing each second. Ein parried the blows, gliding backwards with each hit. He glanced backwards and saw that he was being pushed almost to the trees. After a parry, he quickly leapt up and shot into the air. Fia saw him fly off and leapt up after him, sword glowing colorfully at the tip.
"Hyaa!" Fia cried as she thrust the sword upwards. A blast of colorful energy shot towards Ein, who stared in shock. The energy hit Ein head on and dissipated, leaving a cloud. When the smoke cleared, Ein could be seen floating in the air, head lowered, both hands gripping Oracion in front of him.
Oracion resonated with light, which Ein channeled into his body. He raised his head slowly, then shot downwards at Fia. With a powerful blow, he knocked the sword out of Fia's hands. Fia's eyes flew open in surprise, and then her body went limp and began to fall to the side.
Ein dropped his weapon and caught Fia in his arms. He gently lowered her to the ground, resting her body on the grass. "Fia, are you alright?" he asked, gently caressing her cheek.
"Mmb…" Fia mumbled, and opened her eyes slightly. "Wha… what happened?"
"I'm not sure," Ein replied. "You seemed to be possessed by that sword, and then you just attacked me."
"Huh?" Fia turned to see the sword lying on the ground a small distance from her. "Possessed, huh?"
"You didn't say anything about that effect," Ein said. "Is there anything about the weapon possessing its user in the legend?"
"I don't think so," Fia answered after a short pause. "It's possible though…"
"Apparently so, because you were just a little while ago," Ein said thoughtfully. "I wonder if we'll be able to control the sword?"
"A sword that possesses its user…" Fia murmured, lost in thought. "We really ought to show Claude."
"We can do that later," Ein replied. He picked up the sword. "What do we need to do to be able to control it?"
"I have no idea… But if we dispel the possessive force, then we might lose the sword's powers, right?"
"What say we ask it to fight on our side?" Ein suggested jokingly. "Hey, sword, want to fight for us?"
Fia giggled. "I don't know if that's going to work…"
"What other choice do we have?" Ein sat down again, holding the sword up to the sky. Its blade reflected a dazzling array of colors. "We could just not use it, I guess. It's not like we can kill demons with it."
"Hey, don't forget those diviners," Fia reminded him. "Diviners were forged to fight demons. Skadi was a diviner too, even if it was fake, but Malice killed off a whole race of sprites with it."
"So it's not to say the sword can only fight demons, right?" Ein finished with a sigh and sheathed the sword inside his cloak. "Let's ask Claude about it later."
"So now what?" Fia grinned. "I can't spar with you if you've only got Oracion, right? You could defeat me with one swing of that thing."
"Well, I think it's a bit strange to be sparring using any other weapon, because Oracion's going to be my weapon of choice most of the time…" Ein pushed with his wings and glided over to where the sword lay. He picked up the sword, which had lost its glow. "I need to adjust to this. Its ultra-light weight means my weight is thrown off, and I could be caught off-balance."
"Do you think I could use that sword?" Fia asked. "The best I could do with Einherjar was throw it, though…"
"Why don't you try?" Ein handed her Oracion, and she held it up over her head.
"It's really light!" Fia exclaimed. She whipped the blade in circles. "You have a point about the weight thing. Couldn't you use your wings to balance?"
"Probably, but I need to practice, you know." Ein lay down on the grass and looked up at the sky with his hands behind his head. "It's not too long before they attack, now."
"Let me see if I can harness the power here…" Fia dropped into a battle stance and closed her eyes, focusing on the blade. She felt her energy flow, and the sword began to glow softly. After a moment, her eyes snapped open, and she lashed out with the blade. A light green flash of energy emitted from the blade, slicing through a tree, which fell over.
"Ah…" Fia dropped to her knees and gasped. "I…"
Ein leapt to his feet. "What's wrong?" He ran to her side and caught her just as she began to fall. "Fia!"
Fia smiled at him weakly. "Ein, that blade… zapped my strength… nngg…" She closed her eyes. "I don't think… I can use that sword."
"Fia…" Ein lowered her limp body to the grass. "Get some rest, okay?" Poor Fia… she seems to need to rest so much lately…
He sat down on the grass next to her, watching her sleeping face and debating what to do next. For a couple minutes, he simply sat there, caressing her face gently.
After a while, Ein got up and lifted Fia into his arms. He then glided into the air in the direction of the house.
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A/N: Hmm, so Fia's got a self-sacrificing attack with Oracion. Honestly, that idea came to my head on the spot. In other words, I wasn't planning for that XD. But hey, it's better than her stupid throw attack with Einherjar, which all the girls use the same way…
A rainbow sword that possesses its user! Now that's interesting XD. I'm introducing so many new weapons, it's getting hard to keep track of 'em all… I'm planning to introduce a new weapon for each of the lv 3 classes. By that I mean sword, rapier, scythe, bow, and staff (corresponds to each of the party members). And oddly enough, all the weapons will be much lighter than usual… which isn't always good, but they aren't weapons that rely on weight, after all, like a chained ball does.
On the next chapter of The White Wings…
Chapter 20: A Tour of the Village part 1 (Release on September 24, 2006)
LxR chapter. Ledah catches up with Rose after she runs off and manages to calm her down. After a romantic scene at the Grove of Repose, Rose decides to show Ledah around the village. While at Kyle and Mylene's house, they try to teach the kids some new vocabulary…