Alright. Another chapter... I thought this up while I was listening to "My Immortal" by Evanescence. Enjoy. ;) (By the way, the memory will be in italics... So it won't get confusing.)
"Ein! I-" Fia woke up and all around her was a dark gloom. Still thinking that she was back in Nelde with Ein, she looked around in confusion before reality dawned upon her. It hit her hard... it hit her like a ton of bricks. Slowly, as she realized that everything that had seemingly experienced was merely but a memory, Fia's contented smile was slowly replaced by an expression of utter despair... Her eyes which were bright from the joy of the memory darkened with sorrow again. Drawing her knees up close, such that she was merely a tiny huddled ball on her bed, she closed her eyes and fresh tears flowed again.
Just then, Lina timidly poked her head into Fia's room and looked at Fia worriedly. Stepping in quietly and plonking herself next to Fia, Lina hugged Fia and said in an uncharacteristic manner, very much unlike her usual self, "Fia... Lina's here for you..."
In spite of her sorrow, Fia was deeply touched by Lina's gesture of sisterly love. Forcing out a smile, in which she had intended to be a grateful smile, it came out to be bitter looking instead... very bitter...
Brushing Lina aside gently, she stood up and said, "I... just need to be alone for a while..."
With that, she left the house with Lina looking at her with a worried expression. Walking briskly towards the crystal caverns, she looked around and saw some of the local children playing around, by which she recognized Molan and Gill. Under normal circumstances, she would have found such a sight heartwarming and it would have made her laugh. However, she now felt dead cold inside... the warmth within her heart had been snuffed out and frozen over ever since the disappearance of Ein.
Turning away from the group of children, she continued towards the Crystal Caverns as tears brimmed over her eyes and threatened to spill over. As she walked on moodily, she unwittingly stepped into the Crystal Caverns without realizing how quickly she had reached it. This didn't matter to her however, nothing mattered to her now...
Just then, she noticed the person she was looking for. Shuffling her feet and moving over to the person, she whispered, "Cierra... Could you help me set up a magic portal to Tetyth?"
Cierra merely looked at her and was about to protest when Fia interrupted her, "Please Cierra... This is important to me..."
Sighing heavily, Cierra led Fia deeper into the cavern and muttered an incantation. Soon after, a blue circle manifested on the ground before them and the magic circle seemed to be etched with arcane runes, all of which were the same blue in color. Stepping into the portal, Fia looked at Cierra with eyes full of gratitude. Cierra was about to follow, but was stopped by Fia yet again, "I... just want to be alone for a while..."
With that, there was a bright flash of light and Fia was gone. Cierra frowned and shook her head. Ein had already been missing for so many months... It wasn't likely that he had survived the collapse of the maze... and Fia was suffering from this... The joy that Fia always had had now vanished... like Ein. Shaking her head, she whispered to herself... and to the air, as if wherever Ein was, he could hear, "Ein... where are you? Fia's slowly fading away because you aren't here..."
Meanwhile, Fia had arrived at Tetyth... and the entire area was in ruins... it seemed that the sea had finally started its final course of action to reclaim Tetyth. Smiling bitterly to herself, she spoke out loud, "How ironic... There's no hope left for this place... as there is none for me now..."
Walking across the crumbling ruins of Tetyth, she stumbled upon the Coloseum. Looking around, she could help but notice the grandeur of the structure, whereby every single detail had been put into everything within the Coloseum. Recalling the route that their group had taken in the past, she slowly walked through the maze of tunnels. As she looked around moodily, she suddenly noticed a stone lion's head poking out of the wall. Stepping over to it, she slowly placed her hand over it and rubbed the head of it gently, taking in ever detail.
Just then, as her hand neared the mouth of the stone lion, a memory flashed through her mind...
"Ein! Are you okay?" Fia rushed over to Ein as he stumbled from the lion after putting his hand in its mouth.
Looking relatively dizzy, Ein smiled giddily at her and replied, "Yeah... I just feel a bit weird... It's like as though this lion is trying to look into my soul..."
Fia was about to say something when a deep growl resonated from the stone lion. Drawing his hand back in panic, Ein stared at the lion head in bewilderment. After a moment, he commented weakly, "It just growled..."
"Indeed I have young one... You might not have the strength of a true warrior as yet... But you carry great potential... Your love for your beloved has been unsurpassed in a long while... This has impressed me much and you have my blessing..."
Smiling sadly to herself, Fia withdrew her hand when a low growl came from the lion's head. Looking at it in mild surprise, she whispered, "I didn't know you were able to talk without being invoked..."
"I do not need to have a hand put in my mouth to speak... I sense great distress within you... However, you must leave this place at once... Head to the temple at once... This city is sinking..."
"I have no purpose to live..." Fia replied weakly.
"As you have no purpose to die..." Then, the growl turned forceful, "Now go! Before it is too late... as it is too late for this doomed city..."
Fia was about to move on and head to the temple as instructed when a gentle growl came from behind her, "Precious one... It was a pleasure having known you... As it has been to knowing your beloved... Goodbye is never forever... With the last of my power... I shall help you escape this accursed city..."
With that, a wisp-like form manifested before her... It twisted and formed till a body of a great lion could be made out. "YoUnG oNe... Do NoT gIvE uP oN tHe HoPe ThAt He Is StIlL aLiVe..."
The lion then formed into a mist once again and surrounded her. Her surroundings slowly faded away and were replaced by an eternal stretch of whiteness in front of her. Sitting down, she merely stared at nothing when her surroundings started taking form again. Stone walls surrounded her and jewels sparkled in every corner and Fia recognized it... she was back in the Crystal Caverns.
Sighing to herself, she trudged back home, with her head hung low... Unknown to her, a vapor-like form of a lion watched her leave as it purred softly, "StAy StRoNg YoUnG oNe... It Is FaR fRoM oVeR..."
Yeah... I've done some minor changes to certain parts of the game in this chaptef (like I haven't in the other chapters... :P) Ihope you guys enjoyed it. Please read and review.
God bless, Azarethian Titan