A/N: Behold! I live!...-cough- ...yeah, a lot has been going on in the past few days, especially if you've been keeping up with my deviantART journal entries. xD;; But...the semester is finally over! And Christmas is coming up! What's more, Final Hikari is offering to beta my fics! Thanks so much Final Hikari ^-^ My writer's block is now less severe compared to how it was before, so here goes. xD
One more thing - I pretty much passed all the courses this semester! xD I'm sooo happy =3
Warnings: Some slight bloody violence...AND THE INTRODUCTION OF OCs. I -try- not to make them too Mary Sue or Gary Stu-ish, so bear with me. and I hope I didn't overdo the violence...
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean...but I do own these OCs, I guess you could say.
Notes: Some of the OCs introduced are related to characters in FD. You'll see which ones soon enough.
What It Means to Make Amends
Chapter 4
And So It B e g i n s
Eleyna Farrence was sitting on a bench in the Tropp town square, looking at the sky. Her expression was impassive and her eyes calculating. It was a rather pleasant day - hardly any clouds could be seen in the clear blue sky, and a gentle breeze blew through the town. Yet, Eleyna was not exactly calm.
Why do I feel so nervous right now? Eleyna wondered with a slight frown. Is it because of the events to come...the events I saw in my auguries? And that man...Crowe...could he really be Roak's savior? And... She shook her head. Why...why can't I stop thinking about him?...I just need to calm down. Maybe if I head back home and tell someone their fortune, that could help me take my mind off of all this. She stood up and began to walk back toward her house when she happened to overhear some young men talking. What they were talking about piqued the Fellpool woman's curiosity, and she stuck around to listen.
"Hey, did you hear? There's been a suspicious group of men in black sighted heading toward Tatroi!" the one said loudly.
Could they be talking about...?
"Yeah. I heard that they've obtained many followers during their travels," the second remarked.
"Wanna know what I heard? I heard that they've committed many crimes while on the Van continent, including thievery and murder! What's more, no one has managed to catch them! They just strike unexpectedly and vanish as soon as they appear, from what I've heard. It's like they're...demons."
"Ya know, this sounds just like the whole Church of Sydonai business two years ago."
"Rumor has it that their goal is to revive the Archfiend, Asmodeus, just like those Sydonai idiots. It's a load of bullcrap if you ask me."
That's...! Eleyna walked away as calmly but quickly as she could, and headed for her house. As she entered her house, she leaned against the door and thought, I guess there's no escaping it...This is the turning point for all of Roak. All of a sudden, she could hear a ringing in her ears, and she started to have a severe headache. "Ahhhhn...what...?" She collapsed onto the floor as several images began to flash before her eyes.
"...! Is this...?" The ringing stopped, and Eleyna saw all that she needed to see to know what to do. "There is no doubt. I have to let them know...but...I can't head back...there...just yet." She stood up, walked over to a table and, taking a pen and paper, began to write a letter.
...
"...There." Folding the paper up, she walked outside and, sighting a carrier pigeon nearby, held the pigeon and attached the letter to it. She cast a symbol on the pigeon, and told it, "Go to wherever Sarah Jerand may be, and give this letter to her." As she watched the bird fly off, she thought, I hope you three can handle yourselves...the fate of this world depends on you.
As Meracle, Sarah, and Crowe entered Tatroi, the first thing they noticed was a crowd of people gathered as far back as the town entrance. No one seemed to be moving.
"What the hell...?" Crowe pondered. "What's going on?" He walked over to the closest person in the crowd. "Excuse me," he said, tapping the Fellpool man's shoulder. "You wouldn't happen to know what's-"
"Watch it, kid!" the man shouted, turning around. "I wanna know what the hold-up is as much as the next guy, but I've been stuck here for quite a while now. So just wait in line, like everyone else, will ya?" He shoved Crowe and turned back the other way.
"Some manners..." Crowe muttered sarcastically. He noticed Sarah flapping her wings, preparing to fly. "Sarah, what are you...?" he asked her. Sarah replied, "You two wait here. I'll try to get a view from the air." Sarah flew straight up and continued to flap her wings to keep herself airborne once she could get a decent view. "Ah hah..." She descended, and told Crowe and Meracle, "They're not standing around for nothing, that's for sure. There appears to be some sort of accident up ahead."
"An...accident?" Crowe said under his breath. Could it have anything to do with...? He immediately began to barge through the crowd, one person at a time.
"Hey! ! You got some nerve, punk!" the man who Crowe talked to earlier yelled angrily as Crowe pushed past him.
"Crowe! Where are you...?" Meracle cried. She transformed into her cat form to get through the crowd easier while Sarah began to fly toward the accident area.
"E...excuse me...pardon me, sir..."
After what seemed like hours of pushing through the crowd of people when in fact, it was only mere minutes, Crowe emerged from the bustling crowd at the accident site. Meracle showed up shortly after, transforming back into her normal self. Sarah saw her two friends from the air and landed close to them.
"Huff...huff...man...you've gotta be kidding me..." Crowe murmured, almost breathless. "Just what kind of 'accident' could cause a throng of people to gather around - ! !" He suddenly gasped in shock.
"Crowe...what is it?" Meracle asked the red-haired Earthling, who started to look disturbed. Once she and Sarah looked ahead, they had the same reaction.
Lying there in plain sight was the body of a man in his mid-40s, with a large, bloody sword plunged into his chest. Judging by the clothes he wore, he had to have been someone important. His eyes remained wide open even in death, reflecting the fear he felt in his final moments, and a small stream of blood trickled from his gaping mouth. Perhaps most disturbing about this spectacle was the fact that foreign symbols were carved onto his arms and below the stab wound. Whether or not the bloody etchings were made before or after the man died was unknown. Regardless, doing such a thing was unimaginable to the citizens of Tatroi, normal people who were just minding their everyday lives. Seeing this struck great fear into each of their hearts.
"Dear...God..." Crowe muttered in terror. "Who or what could be capable of...?" There is no doubt. Those Sydonaists are the only ones capable of doing such a thing.
"Okay, what's the problem here?" an unfamiliar voice echoed from afar.
Sarah looked in the direction the voice was coming from. "Hey, you guys," she told Meracle and Crowe. "Here come Lias and Ashlay of the Astral Knights!"
"The Astral...who?" Crowe was unacquainted with the term.
"Lias Warren is the Captain of the Astral Knights," Meracle informed him. "And Ashlay is one of the best soldiers in the coalition. You know, Crowe, Edge actually met Lias!"
"Huh...really?"
"Here they are," Sarah whispered to Crowe and Meracle.
"I'll tell you more later," Meracle whispered. Crowe nodded, getting the message.
Lias, Ashlay, and a small band of soldiers walked over to the accident site. "Urk..." Lias was at first unsettled when he saw the victim's body, but then regained his composure. He turned to his soldiers, and said, "Alright, carry the body away for further investigation." His loyal subordinates followed the order.
Hearing the entire crowd murmuring, Crowe began to feel unsettled. An accident like this...is capable of causing normal townsfolk to become apprehensive...? What could happen if somehow, they find out I'm not from here...?
Lias turned to the crowd and said, "Citizens of Tatroi, do not be alarmed. We are investigating this case currently. However, I advise you all not to let your guard down, either. Currently we have no leads as to what these 'men in black' are plotting, but if you see any suspicious activity, please report it to the Astral Knights as soon as possible. I repeat, this is not a cause to panic." Seeing that the crowd had calmed down, Ashlay added, "We would also like to inform you that Tatroi is holding its 9th annual Astral Tournament, where warriors from all corners of the world gather to compete in an all-out arms competition. Any fighter is welcome to join. I wish you the best of luck. That is all." The crowd began to disperse.
Noticing Sarah still standing there with Meracle and Crowe, Lias walked over to her. "Well, if it isn't the Sacred Wings herself! It is a pleasure to see you."
"And you," Sarah said, shaking Lias's hand.
"Sacred...Wings?" Crowe asked.
"Oh," Sarah said. "Lord Lias, I don't believe I've introduced you to another one of my friends yet. His name is Crowe." She said to Crowe, "I guess I forgot to mention that I'm the good-will ambassador for my people in Astral. You could say I'm a...celebratory?"
"Heh...I think the word you're looking for is 'celebrity'," Crowe corrected her with a slight chuckle. He turned to Lias, and said, "Nice to meet you."
"Hmmm..." Lias murmured, looking at Crowe.
"What is it?" Crowe asked.
"...Nothing," Lias replied. "It's just...I've met some people like you once."
He must mean Edge and Reimi, Crowe pondered. "I see..."
All of a sudden, a pigeon flew toward Sarah, holding a letter. "Oh...what's this?" Sarah wondered. She took the folded-up letter, which had written on its sides,
"Urgent! Deliver to King of Astral"
"Oh," Sarah said. "Looks like I have to deliver this letter to the King." She released the pigeon, letting it fly back to where it came from.
"Can we come with you?" Meracle asked.
"With this suspicious activity around, it could be dangerous," Ashlay interjected. "Miss Jerand, allow me to accompany you to Astral."
"Sure," Sarah said. "Well, see you two soon," she said to her friends as she and Ashlay headed for the docks.
"...Will she really be okay?" Meracle wondered.
"She'll be fine," Lias reassured her. "Ashlay is the second-in-command of the Astral Knights. She'll be in good hands." He began to walk off. "Well, good day to you both, and take care."
"You too." After seeing Lias walk off, Crowe asked Meracle, "So...what do we do now?"
"Hmmm...how about a walk around town?" Meracle suggested. "It's better than just waiting here doing nothing."
"Heh, you do have a point..."
However, after walking only a short distance, Meracle noticed something unusual. "Hmm? What's that?" she muttered, glancing toward the alley.
"What's what?" Crowe asked her. She ran into the alley, and Crowe followed her. What they found surprised them.
A young woman was lying face-down on the ground, unconscious. She had long, somewhat curly pink hair; pointed ears; a slightly bushy pink tail; and was wearing a green and pink dress and brown boots. Thankfully, she did not appear to be wounded. She did, however, take quite a beating.
"Is she alright! ?" Crowe exclaimed. He knelt down and touched the woman's wrist, feeling a pulse. "She's still alive. That's good."
"Uh...uhh..." the woman moaned as she awoke. "Who...who are you?" she asked, turning over slowly and looking at the two people who found her.
"We're here to help you," Crowe answered the young woman. "What happened?"
"I...I can barely remember," she murmured. Looking around frantically, she suddenly exclaimed, "Wait...where are they? !"
"Where are who?" Meracle asked.
"There were these two children I was walking around with before-"
"Just calm down," Crowe said to her. "You're not in very good shape. You need help. Do you remember anything that happened before?"
"I...I remember there were these two men...they ran off with-" and then she passed out.
"Hey, hold on!" Crowe turned to Meracle and told her, "See if you can get someone to take her to a nearby inn, and stay here once she gets help."
"Okay..." Meracle said. "Where are you going?"
"She said something about some children being kidnapped. I'm going to check it out." He ran off.
Heeding Crowe's instructions, Meracle slowly carried the woman into plain sight and called out, "Can anyone help? This woman needs to be taken to an inn, pronto!"
...
Crowe continued to run through the alleyway until he saw two men, garbed entirely in black, holding two children, a boy and a girl, both no older than thirteen years old, captive. Once he saw them, he hid behind a trash can and listened to their conversation.
"Heh heh...think these two could be the ones?"
What are these men up to...?
"Certainly...they could be the sacrifices that will awaken our Lord!"
They're...! Crowe immediately came out of hiding and faced them. "What do you think you're doing!" he shouted. As the two cultists turned toward Crowe, he saw the faces of the children they held hostage, and was suddenly overcome with a certain feeling. Those children...they look just like...!
"Who the hell are you?" one of the garbed men asked. Immediately, Crowe ran toward the cultists and managed to slam both of them against the wall, forcing them to release the children they held in their grasp. He whispered to the children, "Run, you two," glancing in the direction he wanted them to run. As they ran, Crowe pulled out his daggers and faced the Sydonaist men.
"You...!" one of the Sydonaists exclaimed as he pulled out his weapon, a large tomahawk. "Try to ruin our plans, eh? Prepare to die!" His partner pulled out his own weapon, a cleaver, and charged toward the Earthling. As the cultist with the cleaver swung his weapon at Crowe, Crowe dodged as quickly as he could, the blade just barely grazing his crimson hair as it swooped past and became lodged in the wall. Crouching, he then tripped the cultist wielding the tomahawk, causing him to drop the weapon, and Crowe hacked at the tomahawk with his short swords until it was reduced to pieces of metal. The one who wielded the tomahawk gasped as he saw his weapon shattered to pieces.
"What?" the other Sydonaist exclaimed. He pulled his cleaver out of the wall and charged at Crowe, but Crowe blocked the blow with his short swords, overtook the remaining ruffian, and knocked the cleaver out of his hands. The cleaver hit the ground and broke in two. "Uh...uwaaah..." the other ruffian cried. Pointing one of his short swords at the cultist who wielded the now-broken billhook, Crowe shouted, "Okay, tell me who sent you and what you are doing here!" Both cultists only laughed sinisterly. "Answer me!"
One of the cultists only replied, "You have no idea of what is to come..." After that, they vanished in a plume of dark flame. Crowe could not believe what he saw. Just what are they...? To have that sort of power... Just then, he remembered about Meracle and the children. That's right, I have to see if they made it to safety. He walked out of the alley calmly.
As he walked into the sunlight, Meracle said, "Oh, there you are, Crowe." She walked toward him, along with the two children he saved earlier.
Good, Crowe thought as he noticed the children with Meracle. They went to her after I saved them. He looked at them for a second, and thought, They look just like Edge and Reimi...
"Hey, mister," the boy said to Crowe. "Thanks for saving us back there."
"You're welcome," Crowe said, crouching down. "I just couldn't turn someone in need down."
"U-um..." the little girl murmured. "Where's Miss Arianna?"
"Who?" Meracle asked.
"You see, we're orphans. Miss Arianna Chliette is our caretaker."
"I see..." Crowe thought, They must be referring to the woman we saw earlier.
"Yeah...we got separated," the boy added.
"Oh, her?" Meracle answered. "She's fine. I got someone to take her to the inn. Would you like to see her?"
"Sure," the little girl said.
As they all walked toward the inn, Crowe said to the orphans, "I don't believe I got your names..."
"Oh, I'm Mikhail," the boy said.
"And my name's Fionne," the girl added.
"Nice to meet you, Mikhail, Fionne. You can call me Crowe," he said.
"And I'm Meracle," Meracle chimed.
"Nice to meet you guys," Mikhail said. Fionne nodded, smiling.
As they entered the inn, Meracle saw the young man who volunteered to take Arianna to the inn when she and Crowe found her unconscious in the alley. "Oh, hello," the young man said.
Meracle told him, "We're looking for Arianna...the woman we asked you to help."
"Oh, her," the young man replied. "She's in room 201, where she's currently being taken care of. It would be best to let her rest for a while."
"I see..."
...
The group sat down on some chairs in the waiting room. "Excuse me...Crowe?" Fionne asked.
"Yes?"
"I don't think we got to tell you...we had a friend who sort of looked like you."
"Is that so?" Crowe asked.
"Yes. His name was Marius. We've been close friends since Arianna took all three of us in. But..." she paused.
"But...what?"
Fionne continued, "A year ago, Marius was adopted, and he left for Eckdart with his new parents. He said he would write us letters from time to time, but we haven't heard from him recently..."
"I see..." Crowe paused for a moment, and said, "I hope this doesn't sound odd, but...I have two friends who look like you two, actually. The three of us have also been close friends since we were young. You see, we got separated, too, and I hope to see them again someday."
"I know how you feel," Mikhail said. "We both miss Marius a lot, and we really hope to see him again someday."
"Heh...I can tell."
"So...what do we do now?" Meracle asked. "Just so you know, you two, Crowe is...kind of new in town, and I was going to show him around while we wait for a friend to come back, but you two can come along, as well."
"Oh, we'd love to!" Fionne said enthusiastically.
"Heehee...then come along!"
However, as the four left the inn, they ran into someone unfamiliar. He was a young man, slightly younger than Crowe, with white wings; braided blonde hair; blue eyes; and garbed in a light blue garment. He seems to be the same race as Sarah...a Featherfolk, Crowe thought.
"Excuse me...are you Crowe?" the Featherfolk youth asked.
"Yes, that's me," Crowe replied. "Did something happen?"
"It's Sarah...she's hurt!"
"What?"
...
"Oh, pardon me, I failed to introduce myself. My name is Marcel Jerand. I'm one of Sarah's two younger brothers."
"What happened, Marcel?" Meracle asked, anxiously.
"It all started in Astral..."
Upon arriving in Astral Castle Town, Ashlay said to Sarah, "I trust you'll be fine from here on out. We haven't had any reports of suspicious activity here in Astral, so you should be fine. Besides, our knights will always protect you when the time arises, Sacred Wings."
"Thank you, Sir Bernbeldt," Sarah said. She walked toward the castle.
"Hey! Sarah!" a familiar voice called out.
As it turned out, it was Sarah's two younger brothers: Marcel, the oldest of the two; and Lucas, the youngest.
"Oh, Marcel, Lucas. What brings you two here?"
Marcel said, "Sarah, Father has been worried about you. I mean, you just left one day for flying practice and didn't return right away. He would like you to come home."
"Heehee...I would really like to, but I can't right now. I have some very important things to do." She walked off.
"Typical Sarah..." Lucas chimed. Marcel nodded in agreement.
...
"Greetings, Your Highness," Sarah said, walking into the throne room and bowing before the King.
"Ah, the Sacred Wings has graced me with a visit," the King of Astral said. "Is there something of concern?"
"As a matter of fact, there is, Your Highness," Sarah said. She walked up to one of the soldiers and handed him the letter she received earlier. The soldier walked up to the King and gave him the note.
"Hmmm..." the King murmured as he opened the letter. He began to read it. "...What?" he said.
"Is something the matter?" Sarah asked.
"...It appears that, according to the auguries recorded in this letter, that a new Sydonaist cult is planning to attack Astral Castle Town...who knows what they could be capable of..." The King turned to Sarah, and said, "I thank you for letting us know of this in advance." He turned to one of his soldiers, and said, "Argosy."
Del Argosy, otherwise known as the Crimson Shield, one of the Astral Knights' most renowned swordsmen, said, "Yes, my lord?"
"Could you head for Tropp and let Eleyna Farrence know that she is summoned to Astral Castle regarding this matter?"
"It would be an honor, my lord." He walked out.
"Well then, until next time, Your Highness," Sarah said.
"Until next time."
About ten minutes after Sarah walked out the door, a soldier barged into the throne room. "Bad news, Your Highness!"
"Yes?"
"There's been a security breach! Apparently, our treasury has been broken into!"
"What? !"
...
As Sarah waited at the docks, she noticed several guards were shouting, "Stop! Thief!" As she turned around, she saw a burlesque man garbed in black fleeing from the guards. "Oh my..." Sarah murmured.
The thief continued to run toward the docks. As he approached the docks, he saw Sarah, and shouted, "Get out of my way!" He shoved Sarah against a crate and jumped on the boat as it arrived. Holding his weapon to the ferryman's throat, he said, "Take me to Tatroi, and I promise not to kill you."
Immediately, Lucas and Marcel ran to their sister's aid. "Sarah...you okay?"
Sarah had taken quite a beating from the thief. "Uhh...c...could you tell...Crowe and...Meracle..." She passed out before she could finish her sentence.
"I will tend to her wounds here, brother," Lucas said to Marcel. "You go ahead and inform Sarah's friends about what happened. I believe their names are Crowe and Meracle."
"...And that's what happened," Marcel concluded.
"Where is he?" Crowe asked. "Where is the man who attacked Sarah?"
"I understand you want to get back at these men for harming your friend. And... Sarah is my sister, and I'd do anything for her. But you shouldn't just rush into matters like this without knowing what you're up against," Marcel said.
"I'm aware of that," Crowe replied. "But...at the same time...before I came here, I was doubting myself. I had made so many mistakes in the past, and now I wish to make up for them...I want to be able to protect those around me at any cost."
"I admire your determination." Marcel paused for a moment, and said, "I asked around, and the people said they saw him heading into the Coliseum."
"Alright, then," Crowe said. "I have to do this...And...I feel I am prepared."
A/N: I'm sure you all know what's coming up next...yes, the Coliseum part! If you remember the "Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand" PA, "the traveler [aka Crowe]...eventually wound up fighting a bad guy in the coliseum". It could be a little tricky writing the next part but I think I can manage xD
In case you're wondering, Sarah does have two younger brothers, according to her Dictionary Entry. It states that she is not the mother of Ioshua (and Erys) from SO1, but most likely her aunt through one of her brothers, which, ironically, are unnamed. I gave them names, as you see. And I personally imagine that the youngest (Lucas) is the father, as the dictionary entry does not actually specify which of the brothers is Ioshua and Erys's father. And also, Arianna Chliette is Millie's ancestor, since, as you can tell from this fic (or what is going to come anyway), Eleyna and Crowe are essentially Roddick's ancestors, and, according to a PA in FD, Dorne had an ancestor named Dirne (I'm serious xD). So I was asking myself, "Who could be Millie's ancestor?" There ya go xD
And the cleaver business?...yes I admit to watching a lot of When They Cry, so yeah XD See you all in the next chapter!