Chapter by Orangepotato
Ilene Capella: As the Chosen, it's my duty to save this world…
She kept Kratos' pace, sword clenched in her hands.
The temple was spooky, cobwebs covering the ceiling and dust circling behind her with each step. The smell of decay was obvious, almost making Ilene gag. She'd never smelled something so rancid before, but now it felt like it was acidic, eating away at her skin as they walked deeper and deeper into the temple.
"This used to be a temple for the Goddess?" Her voice came out as a whisper, but one of the preachers heard her.
"Long ago it was built in her honor. However, it was abandoned when monsters started roaming around. Since it's not inside the city's protective walls, it became impossible to protect." The man's voice shook as he explained, only adding to Ilene's unease.
Isn't this supposed to be a holy place?
She didn't want to think about what kind of monsters would be strong enough to penetrate Martel's sacred barrier. Instead, she refocused her thoughts, glancing around for anything unusual. She'd trained with her brother, Holtz, for many years. Even though this was her first experience with real monsters, the techniques were the same.
Always remain vigilant, he'd said, right before Ilene would playfully poke him in the side with her weapon.
You're guards down. She'd state with a smirk.
Just because I was talking to you, sis, was always his response.
"Chosen!"
Kratos' warning shout caught Ilene off guard, making her jolt. It was then that she noticed the trouble that they were in. Several monsters surrounded them, beady eyes glaring. One had darted straight for her, the mercenary giving a shout just in time for her to throw up her sword and block the monster's assault with a clang.
She swung out, the tip slicing through the monster's forehead. Blood spilled on the ground, the rest of the enemies dashing forward.
Ilene took a deep breath, throwing up her guard and deflecting an assault from a clawed demon and cutting one of its arms off in a twirl. Just as she finished it off, she sliced her blade across the air, cutting another monster's barrel shaped chest, black blood oozing out of it.
Kratos seemed to be handling himself well, fending off monsters as he protected many of the priests. Most had flocked over to him by now, fearful of the creatures that crawled from the darkness to devour them.
One, however, remained close to Ilene.
"Chosen one," he whispered as she killed another monster.
"Get to Mr. Aurion," she said, blocking a fireball that a creature had spat. It dissipated in the air, "Hurry." The man nodded and hurried past her as she blocked yet another fireball. The disgusting looking monster that had shot the magic glared at her with beady eyes, scurrying towards her on multiple legs in anger.
Jumping out of the way, she heard Kratos shout off a spell.
"Create blades of wind around my enemy… Wind blade!"
Mana swelled around the monster, green energy surging forth and cleaving the monster multiple ways. Dark red ooze splattered out of it as Ilene moved away from the mess, keeping her sword up in a defensive stance. As soon as the attack was over, the creature gurgled and collapsed to the ground, pieces of it landing near the Chosen's feet.
Swallowing back a bit of bile that rose to her throat, she glanced up at Kratos and the priests.
The monsters had been destroyed. Everyone was safe.
One of the priests spoke up, "We survived!"
A few others cheered, but Kratos, the one who'd done most of the work, remained silent. His rust colored eyes stared hard at Ilene. She could tell he was judging whether or not he regretted giving her a sword.
As if to prove it to him, she swung the blood off her blade and walked forward, carefully stepping over the carnage left in their wake.
"Thank you for the warning, Mr. Aurion," she gave him an honest smile. She didn't let his questioning worry her. If she wanted him to believe she was capable of handling a weapon, she'd have to prove it to him.
After a long pause, he simply nodded and sheathed his weapon.
Half an hour passed uneventfully after that, Ilene keeping her wits about her as she regarded the ever darkening temple. It was creepy. When they'd first started out, the torches they lit in front of them seemed to do the trick, but as they crept deeper into the forgotten temple, it seemed the flickering red flame couldn't stand up against the inky darkness.
"Keep close," Kratos said into the silence that group had fallen into, "We're getting close to the heart of the temple."
One of the priests whispered, "It's almost time for the Oracle to arrive."
Another continued, "Yes, an angel will descend, just like last time…"
Ilene ignored the hovering statement: hopefully the Chosen will succeed this time.
Minutes later, as if to prove Kratos right, a round room greeted them. Stain glass windows circled the altar, which sat in the middle, light from an unknown source filling the room with dazzling colors. The sight took Ilene's breath away, bringing a hum of nervousness and awe into her stomach.
Walking forward, it felt as if her feet propelled her towards the waiting altar.
The priests gave off soft noises of approval, Kratos the only one remaining silent. As she tossed a glance over her shoulder, she saw the mercenary looked passive, as if he'd seen a sight this marvelous millions of times before.
Taking a deep breath, she stared straight ahead, feeling rather than seeing white mana filling the room around her.
"It's time," one of the priests whispered, followed by a chorus of agreement from the others.
It's time… time for my destiny to begin. The thought was sorrowful, but at the same time, a cause for celebration. It meant that the Desians, the droughts, the hatred, the anger, everything- would be stripped from the land with each seal she unlocked.
It meant the world would be reborn.
At that moment, white light rained down from above, shimmering towards the earth with individual sparks.
Ilene shielded her eyes, barely making out the figure that descended.
A man, robed in tan and green, gazed down upon her. Brow wavy hair floated in his face, though he didn't seem to register them. At once, he announced himself, voice booming through the glassed room. It filled the space, seemingly washing it of sin as angelic words flowed from his mouth.
"I am Archard, an angel of Cruxis, sent down to be your guide Chosen one."
She felt a shiver go through her, but remained still. Determination crossed her face as she watched the holy being flap his powerful feathered wings.
"Are you ready to receive your blessing?"
"Yes."
Spreading his arms, a light fell in front of him, heading straight for Ilene's throat. In a flash of blinding light, a small pain echoed through her veins. As it faded, she felt something metallic clasped around her throat. Tentative fingers brushed the metal, feeling the smooth edges and the pointed stone; she knew immediately that it was a Cruxis Crystal. The priests had told her about it…
"We of Cruxis hereby bless this event by bestowing the Tower of Salvation upon Tethe'alla."
There was a sudden change in the atmosphere. Mana swirled around her, compelling her to glance out one of the many windows. It was like a physical tug on her body, eyes beholding a pure white building as it appeared on the horizon.
Heart fluttering from fear and wonder, she brought her hand to her chest, turning back to the angel as everyone else remained staring at the glorious tower.
For a second, she thought she saw something sinister cross over the angel's face. But then, it was gone. The rest of the priests turned back to the angel, the being speaking again. His words boomed through the entire building, echoing thorough the Chosen's bones.
"Chosen of Regeneration. Head South, to the mountainous regions where shadows lead the way to unpaved land. Unlock the seal in that distant land."
The words were baffling, but before she could say anything, the angel ascended to the ceiling, body glowing and flickering, finally vanishing in a blinding light. The Chosen was left stunned, Kratos shuffling behind her.
"Let us go, Chosen."
Looking back at the mercenary, she furrowed her eyebrows. He seemed unfazed by the events of the day. In fact, he looked bored.
Nodding, she turned and took a step towards him, "Yes. Let's go."
They traveled through the dark passages of the temple, monsters having scurried from sight. Even they seemed to have been awed by the appearance of the heavenly being. However, it seemed even creepier without the creatures. The halls were empty, echoing their solid footsteps as they made their way to fresh air.
A priest came up beside Ilene, muttering under his breath, "I'm sorry for what you have to go through, Chosen One."
She gave a small smile, "It's alright."
"Chosen, please don't say that. It's not alright… nothing will ever make this alright."
"What?"
Looking over to the priest, she saw he was shaking. His hands trembled even though he was still pretty youthful. The air was still and warm, making his shivering awkward. Concerned words pressed to her mouth, but she never got the chance to speak them.
The priest spoke, "Martel. Forgive me."
Right as they step foot out of the temple and into the red light of the descending sun, a wave of men leaped out from all around them. Each one had a silver helmet on, brown and gray uniforms effortlessly proving their identities. Desians.
The pieces came together.
Ilene turned to the priest, who'd already started distancing himself from her, "You-"
"Forgive me," he stammered, quickly turning on his heel and darting from the area. Many of the priests accompanying them also turned tail, weaving through the group of Desians as the enemies slowly stepped closer, closing their strangle hold on the remaining companions.
The Chosen shot a look to the mercenary, who looked truly surprised. His wine colored eyes were wide and his skin had visibly paled in the red sunset. He looked shaken to the core… Was it because they were now forced into fighting people? Even if they were half elves, they still bled with the same blood as anyone else.
Perhaps all the auburn had had to face during his years in his line of work had been monsters.
She didn't have more time to think on it. The Desians gave a low chuckle and she gripped her sword tighter in her hands.
Kratos gave a low hiss, "Chosen. Get behind me." There was something demanding –almost distressing – in his voice that made her obey.
The priests had betrayed her – no! – They betrayed all of Tethe'alla! If she died here, how much longer was the world going to be able to hold on without regeneration? Already the people were tired of holding onto false promises and empty dreams. Already they were burying their children, crying for the newly lost and suffering at the hands of the Desians. How much longer until their fragile spirit broke?
Would her death be the catalyst for the world's changing?
"Get the hell away from her!"
A familiar figure leapt into the air from behind the group of Desians. Several turned to see one man get stabbed in the back, his leather armor no match for the steel blade that stuck out from his spine.
There, at the start of the carnage, was none other than her brother, Holtz Capella.
A/N: Hmmm, so Kratos is surprised, is he? Soon they'll start the actual journey, which will bring to light some of the issues that they're going to face, but for right now, we'll just leave it at this. As for posting twice a week, both Emil Lime and I will be beginning school soon, so after we get a feel for how our classes are, then we'll decide if we can keep up with that rate of posting, otherwise it'll remain every Friday.
For anyone who's wondering how close we're keeping this to Colette's journey (plot wise and all), never fear. We both understand that no one wants to read a rehash of Colette's journey simply with another Chosen, so be patient. Several things have already been put into motion.
If you enjoyed the chapter, drop a review, even if it's something short like 'cool' or 'wonder what's going to happen'. They're always appreciated. And thanks to our wonderful readers and to Curls923 and The German for posting reviews. It's all of your support that keeps us motivated.
Till next time,
Orangepotato