There was no time for Allen's words to really sink in when Gaddes yelled the Flaying fortress is approaching. Van ran to the hangar but stopped at sight of Merle standing in front of Escaflowne sobbing quietly. Van understood her; for the rest of their lives the Ispano guymelef will remind them of… of her…
Getting in a guymelef was never this hard, but as soon Van stood opposite of Dilandau and his Dragon slayers sorrow vanished and was replaced by pure rage. 'It was their fault… Everything was their fault! They destroyed Fanelia and killed Vargas… They made hundreds of people homeless… They made me to a brutal, cold-blooded warrior I was now… A war king! It is their fault… Hitomi is gone!'
Swinging his sword Van attacked the closest slayer and killed him without blinking. The second one didn't have more luck either. But no matter how many of them Van killed he knew he wouldn't be satisfied till the red guymelef is lying in front of him.
"Dilandau!" he saw the albino's guymelef and attacked at instant, making his enemy to step back under the pressure of the attack. Van was filled with blind rage, and didn't really care if Escaflowne got damaged again, as long he managed to put an end on Dilandau's life.
He lifted his sword to strike, and kill his enemy when he felt someone is holding his hand. Turning around he saw faces, dead faces of Dragon slayers he killed just few moments ago.
"Get away from me! Leave me alone!" Van started to jell and waive through the air in attempt to chase them away, leave him alone. And they did leave…
…And took Van with them.
Crusade landed when the Flying fortress disappeared, and the crew ran to Escaflowne, Merle on the head of the group running on all fours.
The Ispano guymelef was lying on the ground, motionless and with no signs of life inside the pilot chamber. The drag-energist wasn't glowing; instead it was dull making everyone unease around it.
"Lord Van! Lord Van, please come out!" Merle jelled, and before Millerna managed to stop the young cat-girl, she had already climbed up on the guymelef and was pulling on it, desperately trying to open the door.
"Merle, come down!" Allen jelled.
"No! I won't leave Lord Van inside!" she slammed a fist on the doors of the pilot chamber "Lord Van!"
Van was sitting on a grass hill, but he could also sitting on the edge of a volcano and it wouldn't matter, cause he was completely unaware of his surroundings. He didn't care either. He didn't care cause he was alone there, all alone.
He was always alone, ever since he could remember…
"Folken! Why didn't you look for me?" a little dark haired boy walked in the study wiping the tears.
"Your brother doesn't have the time for games Van, you know that. I have already explained it to you." A serious voice answered back.
"But father…"
"No but, Van. Go outside, I need to speak with Folken about foreign politics."
So alone…
"Mother, why did you leave? Why did you leave me alone?" a boy was kneeling in front of a open chest hugging a piece of dark fabric that still holds the scent of a beautiful Draconian.
They all left him, everyone he loved…
"Lord Van, get out of here with Escaflowne. And someday, revive Fanelia... ...the people of Fanelia..."
They left…
"I like your wings. They are beautiful."
She… she left too…
"She said she never want to see you again."
Hitomi left…
"I like your wings. They are beautiful."
Did she really left…?
A desperate cry echoed around Van. It was Merle; she was jelling for him, calling him. But what was she saying? What was she…?
"Come back Lord Van! Come back! She couldn't have done it for nothing!" Van stood up, listen to the voice of his childhood friend "If you give up she did it for nothing! Hitomi left for nothing!"
"Hitomi…" Van mumbled "She gave away her freedom for me… for nothing…?"
Merle fall down of the guymelef in shock. The energist glowed and Escaflowne turned white again. She ignored the pain in her rear; it wasn't matter anyway. Nothing mattered, as long Lord Van was well.
The door of the pilot chamber and Van slowly came out. His eyes fell on the group of people that gathered around his guymelef. In that moment he realized how wrong he was. He wasn't really alone…