Disclaimer: I don't own those who come out in game, but those are kinda hard to find, so make sure you dun get wrong impressions.
AN: So, this one is not so action packed, I'm not sure if you will enjoy it. I promise the next one would have much more interesting character.
-x-x-x-x-
Alyss
Four years ago,
"Hush now. It will be painless." Gently, as if caring, Tablesse slit the woman's throat. Blood gushed in silence, as if complying with the assassin's words. His victim shuddered once, and her beautiful eyes closed as her last breath left her body.
Suppressing the remorse he felt killing such a young, lovely woman full of future, Tablesse set her down. He turned to the reason he had to kill the lady. The merchant cowered in fear and rage as the assassin's gaze fell on him. Tablesse saw the fear, but felt no joy observing it.
"I have killed your eldest daughter, Ligust. Next shall be your second daughter. Give me the documents and her life will be spared." Even to him, his voice sounded cold and cruel. It was like the whispers of winter wind that threaten the lives of those in the wild and then goes to carry on the threat. Lifeless.
"I swear to Elimine! I don't know what you are talking about!" The merchant's eyes shifted. The fingers fidgeted. The voice slightly trembled when he denied the knowledge. He was lying.
With a sigh, Tablesse reached for the unconscious second daughter of Edmund Ligust. The sleeping poison had taken a good hold over the girl; she did not wake even when he gently tilted her head back, baring her throat to the very dagger that had claimed her sister's life. At least you won't be awake to experience your murder.
The blade was about to enter when Edmund bellowed, "no! Stop!"
Tablesse halted immediately. He was hoping any excuse not to kill this girl.
"It's there in the drawer. The false bottom. Just don't kill Alyss, please!"
Releasing his light grip on the girl's hair, he went to the indicated drawer. After smashing it into bits, he found the documents. He recognized the seal on the parchment. It was authentic.
Knowing he had betrayed his secrets to his allies, Edmund did not repress his fury.
"Curse you, Tablesse! Damn you to the Pits! How could you do this to me? How could you do that to Elizabeth? I used to trust you!"
Tablesse was now browsing through the document, making sure his new possession was no elaborate forgery. This gave time for Edmund to continue.
"It's all after you became an assassin! Is being the Harbinger of Blaze that great? Enough to make you turn back on all you hold dear? Enough to make you a monster?" Try as he might, Tablesse could not ignore the last bit of the merchant's rant.
"I acknowledge we were very close in the past. However, let me emphasize that those times are gone. Now, I am, as you have stated, just a Harbinger of Blaze." He stored the document on the inside of his fireproof shirt. Then he took out a spell tome from his bag.
"What are you doing?" The fear grew in Edmund's eyes. He had realized what the Harbinger was doing.
Tablesse set a bunch of paperwork on the table ablaze. They grew quickly, feeding vigorously on the aged parchments. He then turned to the merchant, intending to finish the man's life so as to spare him the pain of slowly burning to death.
He did not expect the man to be kneeling.
"Please, Tablesse. Save my daughter. Spare Alyss." Tablesse hesitated. Edmund saw the hesitation and pounced on the opening.
"I beg of you, Tablesse. For the old time's sake when I was your mentor. Just my daughter's life. You promised me she will be spared if I gave you the documents." Tablesse found himself being swayed by the pleading.
"I'm sure your employer did not request death of mere fifteen-years-old girl." Edmund made his last effort.
"No, I cannot say he had." The words came out slowly, as if the speaker was relaxed with relief. His eyes met the old man's. He could see merchant sighing with relief at his answer.
Another ball of fire was conjured. Edmund Ligust died instantly.
Tablesse's eyes turned away from his dead mentor to the man's daughter. What have I done? Carrying her in a bridal style, Harbinger of Blaze exited the building that was now being devoured by his namesake element.
-x-x-x-x-
It was deep in the middle of the night when Alyss regained consciousness. The first face she saw was that of the assassin.
She was scared.
"I see you are awake." The man put down the dagger he had been sharpening. Slowly, he approached her.
The terror gripped her throat, preventing any of the questions in her mind to be asked.
Harbinger of Blaze had reached her. His shoulder gripped her shoulder and he softly whispered, "your family is dead. I killed them. Your home is gone. I razed it to the ground." The voice showed no glee, no regret. No emotion.
The man raised the dagger, causing Alyss to tremble in fear. He's going to kill me.
The dagger cut into her cheek, causing massive amount of pain, but did not end her life. It was not a simple cut; he wounded her left cheek from multiple angles. At the time, Alyss did not understand what he was doing, so caught up she was at the prospect of death.
As quickly as he had brought up the dagger, he dropped it to the side. "Now you bear my mark, Alyss. The mark you now bore is one of shame. Remember who had killed all you love. Never forget him and never forgive him." With those words, the Harbinger pulled himself away from her and vanished into the darkness.
Alyss collapsed, her legs no longer able to support her weight after the tense moment. Ignoring the aching of the dagger wound on her cheek, she drew her knees to her chest and cried.
It was only when she witnessed for herself the mark of Harbinger on her cheek – weeks later from that moment – that her sorrow transformed into rage.
-x-x-x-x-
Present day,
Alyss gently lowered herself into the room through the window. She did not make a single sound as she entered the house of her intended target. Once inside, she surveyed her surroundings.
In was a plain room, sparse with decorations. Rows of books on the bookshelf caught her eyes immediately. Quick skim through the spines of the books revealed that majority of the books discussed magical theories of anima. Rest seemed to discuss theories of the dark magic. I wouldn't be surprised if he practiced dark magic. She soon lost interest on the books.
She was currently carrying out her plan to assassinate Tablesse. She was waiting for the Harbinger to enter his domain, the last place he would expect danger, and to ambush the man when his guard was down.
The first phase of the plan had been difficult; it was no small feat to discover the location of the assassin. This task was especially so since the man had skipped Eturia – after killing his last employer, according to rumors in the industry – and settled down in Lycia.
The second phase was much easier. The man was in the country incognito, and that meant he had not been able to be too elusive lest he drew unwanted attention. Alyss had been told that he even had an apprentice once, although she doubted the apprentice learned the man's real trade.
The third phase was what she was doing now; waiting until the Harbinger returned to his home and eliminating him once he did so.
Alyss was jumpy. She had been told multiple times that she was far too impatient and direct for the line of work. She was never really an assassin material. But who cares? It's not as if she intended to continue the occupation after she avenged her family anyway.
In her boredom, her attention returned to the room she was in and then, inevitably, to the bookcase. While she was not much for reading, that did not prevent her from browsing through the titles. At the edge of the third row, a book caught her eye; it had no title. She pulled it out, and flipped through the content. Then she realized that she had in her hands the assassin's diary.
Not being able to hold back her curiosity, she flipped through the book. They were mostly stories of his childhood and his apprenticeship under her father. Not wishing to be reminded of him, she was about to shut the book when one entry caught her eye, one of the last in the diary.
I have played with fire. Monstrous, demonic, devilish fire. And everyone knows that if one plays with too much fire, he's going to be burnt. I, one of the most promising fire magic-castor of my time, am no exception. I must leave my mentor's service immediately before my curse kills them.
Alyss returned to the beginning of the entry and began to read.
-x-x-x-x-
Eight years ago,
Tablesse knew he was not going to fail as he glanced through the magical workings he had written down on the parchments. The calculations were correct. The magical theories he had referred from were reliable. The hypothesis he had set was coherent to logic. He knew it was going to work.
His heart trembled with excitement.
Documented in front of him was the theory he had been working on for the better part of the year; it was a theory to augment anima magic with destructive power of dark magic.
When he had first suggested his idea to Master Edmund Ligust, the man's reaction was flippant. His mentor did not believe the idea was possible; in fact, he felt the attempt was a waste of time. Knowing he won't receive support from anybody, Tablesse had worked on the idea by himself, hiding his research from all the others.
Tablesse was talented; he was recognized in the Eturian magical community as one of the most promising fire anima user among the younger generation. While grasping the theories of dark magic – or 'elder magic', as the man who had provided the tomes on the subject had termed the magic – was quite a difficult task, he persevered. Eventually, he knew enough to be able to invoke some of the simpler dark magic and understand the workings of the more complex ones. After that, he began to incorporate the magical theories of both magics he had deemed compatible with each other and his theory. He had carried out mild experiments as much as he dared.
Now, he had the finalized theory laid in front of him. He had checked through the procedures multiple times. He did not believe they would fail.
Never one to have self-doubt, Tablesse began.
The chanting was more toiling than he had expected. At every opportunity, the two magics tried to tear away from each other. He had to make sure they weaved around each other in a manner that assimilated them beyond their natural tendency to dissipate each other.
When he believed he had merged the two well enough, he released the spell.
The blast was astonishingly powerful. He knew. He had used Excalibur once before, and the feeling he had was similar, if not surpassing the legendary tome. He dropped the tome 'Hephaestus'– as he had chosen to title the tome – and approached the crater he had made.
When he reached the enormous crater, he felt faint. I must be too excited. I need to get some rest. He turned back to return to his tome when he suddenly detected magic from the crater. He recognized the dark magic essence that emanated.
However, there was nothing he could do.
Before he could even turn around to face the source of magic, the tendrils of the dark magic devoured him.
-x-x-x-x-
You are a fool, Harbinger of Blaze.Tablesse turned, trying to see who was speaking to him. All he saw was endless stretches of darkness.
Who are you? He heard a strain of fear in his words.
What is this? Fear? From the all-knowing Harbinger of Blaze? The voice was booming in its mocking tone.
I am no harbinger of anything.
Humility does not suit you, Harbinger. Where is the hubris of yours?
I am not arrogant!
You are not, Harbinger? I beg to differ. Only the arrogant seek to merge my magic with the pathetic magic of the spirits. Those and the fools. And you are no fool. It was then that Tablesse realized that he was speaking to one of the elder gods that fueled the dark magic. He was overcome with trepidation. He had heard of how druids and shamans had their souls snatched away by the magic. He thought that was what happened to him now.
But I did not cast any dark magic! You have no claim on my soul!
Hahahahaha! You did not cast any elder magic? With the amount of my magic you've spent on your little 'spell', I could have snatched the souls of multiple lesser shamans.
But… His tongue froze at elder god's remark.
But… I do not seek to snatch your soul. Tablesse held his breath in hope.
No, I do not. Your little spirits demand I return you to them. As your magic was mostly anima, my claim on you is insufficient. Tablesse waited tensely, suspecting there was a catch. From his research, he was given the impression that elder gods were no compassionate beings.
I see you suspect I have designs on you. You are right. All of sudden, Tablesse sensed magic swirling all over him.
I place a curse on you, Harbinger of Blaze.
Know that your fate is sealed now in more ways than one.
You are now forever doomed to be Harbinger of Blaze.
To defy is to deliver more death than you would when you comply.
I have claims on you, Harbinger of Blaze.
Live forever as deliverer of death, or become vessel of mine.
Now you bear my mark, Harbinger of Blaze.
The mark you now bore is one of shame
This curse I place on you, he who sought the magic of Nyvoclair.
Tablesse had no chance to even protest as he felt his consciousness faded once more.
-x-x-x-x-
Back in the present,
The curse is true. What's worse, it's powerful. I have tried to resist it but then my body is taken over and mass murder happens. I know that from experience.
I was arrogant. I have played with fire. Monstrous, demonic, devilish fire. And everyone knows that if one plays with too much fire, he's going to be burnt. I, one of the most promising fire magic-castor of my time, am no exception. I must leave my mentor's service immediately before my curse kills them.
You killed them anyway. Alyss thought bitterly. She flipped to the next page, which turned out to be the last entry for the entire journal and seemed to have been written much later than the penultimate entry.
Today, I killed Edmund Ligust, my mentor. Alyss breath caught, and she kept on reading.
His murder made me think back on the day I was cursed by Nyvoclair, which is why I had searched for this journal and this entry is being written now. In the end, I killed him after all. The irony.
However, his death was necessary. My employer was right. Eturia cannot afford a war against Bern. Many Eturians still suffer the aftereffects of the famine last year, and to wage war is to murder all these people. The documents pertaining to the distribution of Eturia's resources could not afford to be hidden a day longer, and so I had to force those documents from his hands by all means necessary.
I am ashamed I had to kill Elizabeth. However, she was also too involved and would not have been able to avoid execution along with her father. No. I am just excusing myself. I am ashamed.
I just wish my master was not involved in the whole conspiracy group that was trying to invoke war between Eturia and Bern. It's a nasty business.
I think of the hypocrisy in me. I claim to kill for the greater good. For me, murder is a necessity, and so, if I am to kill, may as well kill the few whose death can save the many. For the greater good. It's a lie. A murder is a murder.
I saved Alyss. The one I liked, four years ago. I did not save her because of that though. Nor I did not save her because my mentor requested it neither. It was all for me. I want her to kill me. Since suicide is impossibility for me, I want the girl to kill me. That's why I marked her. And maybe because I was so frustrated at my life and I was taking my anger out on her.
I am such a mess. I am sick of killing. I am sick of my improvement in killing. I am sick of my indifference to killing. It is not like I could change. I cannot. I tried. The curse cannot be lifted. Even the old hag said so. I am such a mess.
I have a theory, although I am aware how well my last theory turned out to be. But I still have a theory. If I have a target that I could not kill even with the best of my abilities, I won't need to kill anymore. I would forever be trying to kill the same target, and as long as I am trying, Nyvoclair cannot claim my body. But this theory is stupid. It's not something I can just initiate. I am just wasting time with theories.
I should probably throw this diary away.
That was the end of the diary. Alyss tossed it onto the bed in the corner of the room.
"Please be careful, I like that diary." The voice brought chill through her spine. She would have turned around to face the man, had it not been for the feel of the edge of the dagger at her throat.
Making sure the fear did not make her voice tremble, she replied, "I am sorry about that."
"That's alright. It's been through worse." Alyss felt the blade leave her throat. "Turn around, Alyss Ligust. I won't kill you."
Expecting to feel the blade enter her at any moment, she slowly complied with the assassin's command. The man that she saw was undoubtedly the same man she had been yearning to kill for the last four years. The same haunted look, the same tired face, the same tension in the movements. It was as if the four years had not touched him once.
"I usually don't bring pretty ladies into my house. I go to their places." He opened the conversation.
"Shut up." She was feeling more vocal without the dagger at her throat. Her hands reached for the throwing knives in the sheath at her back.
"I would rather not have to burn my house, Alyss. Nor do I want to burn you. Don't reach for your weapons." His tone was cold and sharp. Knowing she's been found out, she retracted her hands.
"I read your diary."
"You read my diary." He nodded.
"You saved me because you wanted me to kill you."
"That is correct."
"So why not let me kill you?"
"It does not work that way. You have to kill me despite my best of attempts to protect myself. That is how it's going to happen. And sad to say, you are nowhere near the standard you can kill me." Alyss bit back her retort because she knew the statement to be true.
"So what's going to happen now? Are you going to kill me, Tablesse?" She felt her inside tighten as she said those words.
"I should, considering you will no doubt kill me otherwise. But I am still smitten by you, so you get to leave." As to emphasize his point, he stepped to the side, allowing Alyss an unobstructed passage to the door. Warily, she proceeded to the exit.
"I will still kill you."
"You have no idea how much those words are music to my ears." Before the door was shut, he whispered. "A pleasure to see you, Alyss. It puts me at ease to see you so well."
Alyss wanted to be angry at those words, but found that she could not.
-x-x-x-x-
That man has been watching me for awhile. I hate being in tavern bars. Alyss kept her attention on the man, all the while not letting the man know she was keeping an eye on him. She knew from the past few days' experience that a drunken man was inclined to hit on lone ladies in such places. Where the hell's my contact?
She hoped this contact was a solid lead, not another one of those wild goose chases.
For the last few months, her search for the Harbinger of Blaze was not progressing at all. After the encounter, the man had razed his house to the ground and disappeared in the night. Alyss had no clue where he had gone ever since.
The contact today was supposed to put a stop to all that.
The man who had been watching her was getting up. From the expression on his face, Alyss could guess what was coming. Desperate men… However, just before he could begin his approach, someone came to her table and set down, thwarting his attempt before it began.
Alyss looked at the newcomer, all the while berating herself for being too distracted by the lecherous man to sense this man's presence.
The new man was quite a dashing blond man and from his posture, Alyss knew the man was very aware of the fact. From his expression, she knew he found her attractive as well. She made a mental note not to let the man get carried away.
"What do you want?" Her tone was frosty.
"An ice queen, from the look of it." He did not seem fazed by her glare.
"I am waiting for somebody, so beat it." She suspected this was her contact, but said so anyway.
"I'm sure I am better than whoever you are looking for." This was her contact.
"I doubt it."
"True, I'm no match for the Harbinger." The man buried his face into his hands, as if he was depressed.
"Very funny. I want my information." She had to make sure she did not encourage his theatrical acts, even if she found them amusing.
"Yes, yes. All business, no pleasure. Although you look as if you could do with some."
"Now." She growled; she was not going to allow his flirting.
"No. You first. I give you mine afterwards." Damn. He's not an amateur.
"How do I know you aren't bluffing?"
The man was all serious now. "You don't. However, you are in my city, full of my friends, and alone. You will just have to trust me."
She gritted her teeth. "Fine. But if you are playing me, you will regret it."
"I don't play with woman. I take my relationships seriously." Alyss rolled her eyes at that.
"Harbinger of Blaze is indeed an anima magic-user whose preference is flame magic. However, his most potent magic tome, the one termed Hephaestus, is endowed with dark magic. That's why his flames are rumored to be as powerful as Excalibur."
"It is." There was no doubt in the spy's words. Alyss wondered who he worked for.
"However, most of the time, he simply prefers to use 'fire' or 'elfire' tomes. Additionally, he would not be creating more of such tomes to be distributed."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely." The man's eyes examined her, likely trying to detect any signs that she is lying or is unsure of her claim.
"Alright. You kept your part of the bargain. Here's mine." Apparently, she passed. "From the last I heard, the Harbinger is heading to Bern."
"Bern?" This was totally unexpected.
"Yes. He seems to be working for a Bernese lord."
"Where in Bern?"
"We don't know."
"What?"
"Remember that I promised I knew where he's headed. To expect an exact location is hoping for too much." She knew what he said was true.
"Alright. I guess our business is done." She stood up.
"It seems so." He gestured to the door, and they walked out of the tavern.
Alyss was about to head her way when the informant called her, "by the way, Miss…"
She turned back, wondering what he wanted with her. "Alyss. What?"
"Miss Alyss, if you need supplies to head to Bern, you might want to see the merchant called Merlinus. He's a merchant from Pherae, but he is currently in the city and has connections in Bern as well."
"Ahh, I see. Thank you." She smiled a little at his advice.
"No problem. I just felt bad giving you so little information. Well, have a nice day." He gave her a bow.
"Wait, what's your name?"
"Hmm? My name? My name is Matthew." With a wink, the man set off. Alyss watched him go, and turned her attention at the matter at hand. Who the hell is this Merlinus?
Now she had a lead.
-x-x-x-x-
AN: Haha. A girl assassin. Go figure. I wanted this to be from Tablesse's prospective, then decided I should save that for later.
Also, It's cuz I do plan to write a full story of FE7 story, and to do it from Tablesse's point of view would be to give spoilers.
I am glad I chose to do mostly JTT series, cuz now I feel much more fun making simple story lines. It's quite fun, try it.
I have nothing planned for the next story(lie) so you might have to wait a while before the next one(truth). Unless you demand I do it quick(truth).
That's about it ppl, desoldeben out.