Disclaimer: I do not own SSO. Just my OCs and the storyline for this fic :)
Author's Note: Hi guys! Thanks for the reviews so far, it's always nice to know that people enjoy the story! As much as I am excited about continuing this story, I am taking my time with it to make sure I do it right :) I hope you enjoy the next instalment, please R&R!
Chapter Two:
After the night that Cleao had survived with Orphen, Jeremy Verdhel had retreated back to Bandit City, far enough from Totokanta that he was hoping they couldn't track him down too easily.
Things clearly did not go as planned. He sighed as he leaned back against his makeshift bed in a cave he created for himself and had hidden the entrance to with a cloaking spell – enough to deter any travelers passing through. Resting his ebony head against his jacket that he had bundled up to be his pillow, he looked up at the roof of the cave and stared into the crevices of the rock, tracing the cracks with his eyes.
The past three days had been quiet to say the least. Eran hadn't bothered to grace him with His presence, but that was fine – it gave Jeremy time to think things through and regroup.
Magically, he was fine. Emotionally was a different story altogether. He had been prepared to kill the girl he was beginning to fall for – hook, line and nearly sinker. But he had decided that in order to defeat Krylancelo and prove himself to the Tower of Fangs, and to Eran, Cleao was to be collateral damage. More fish in the sea, right? Not that the thought he would fancy another girl like he did her.
What was bothering him the most was that he couldn't definitively say that he regretted the outcome of that night. If Eran were with him, he knew He would call Jeremy a fool. So he kept telling himself that, and he kept reminding himself that Cleao was bound to Orphen in a way he could never fully comprehend or could even break, even if he tried… again.
After he left the Tower of Fangs, he travelled around the continent for over a year learning magic from other sources, always plotting the day he would meet the beloved pupil of Childman, and how he would crush him with his powers that he knew were growing by the day. But as much as he plotted, nothing really ever came of it. He had heard whispers in the streets of a sorcerer travelling with a young boy and girl, and didn't think it could possibly be Krylancelo since he seemed to be the loner type. But when he heard more of this trio and how they were on a journey tracking down the Bloody August monstrosity, he knew that he had found his rival.
Jeremy caught a glimpse of the group once, in Alenhatan. They seemed to have been visiting a friend there, and as much as he wanted to confront Krylancelo, he knew that he was not yet ready for that challenge. So he continued on his own journey, vowing that he would one day meet Krylancelo and face off with him then. On his way out of Alenhatan, he was immediately drawn to a power that he could feel pulsating in the atmosphere, calling to him. He was wary, but followed the vibe until he came upon an excavation site. It was a ruin, so he couldn't really tell if anyone had been there or not. The power he felt was much stronger there, and with his curiosity getting the better of him, he explored the site, secretly hoping to meet someone or find something that could increase his own powers.
Instead he found ancient text written on the cave wall. To say he was disappointed at this discovery was an understatement. He studied it briefly, quickly recognizing it as the ancient runes used by the Heavenly Ones. Thinking that it might actually be useful information, he scribbled it down and tucked his note away to decipher later on, if he could find someone to do so.
It was then that his life changed forever.
Here lies Eran, punished to sleep for a thousand years, a voice spoke to him quite clearly. Jeremy spun on his heel and scanned the area before him, yet he saw no one and sensed no one, but the power he felt, which he had assumed was because of the ruin he was in.
"Who's there?" he demanded, not liking the feeling of being taken off guard.
A time after the monster has been reborn, the lights will hit the earth and all shall tremble. Then the innocence that once was shall be turned, the voice continued as if Jeremy hadn't spoken at all, Blood will be shed and a life it will cost as the battle of two powers will be lost. The Gifted One shall be The Catalyst and The Angel of Life and Death shall be born.
At the mention of The Gifted One, Jeremy couldn't deny that his interest had been drawn out of him. Standing his guard he waited for more.
Life will be taken and life will be restored. And once the transformation is complete, Eran will walk the earth once more. Thus, he will make his power known. His vengeance shall bring pain and destruction. We shall be blessed with Death. So it has been written before time began.
"Who are you?" Jeremy repeated.
Were you not paying attention? I am Eran and this is my tombstone. Or at least the one those bastards erected on this lowly realm. For some meaningful purpose, I'm sure.
"Is this not a Heavenly Being ruin? If you are who you say you are, why are you still bound to this place?"
It is never that simple, fool.
Jeremy glowered at this.
I have been bound by potent magic. And while I am quite powerful, my abilities have been dormant for quite some time so I cannot escape myself, which is where you come in.
"You think I can free you?" Jeremy sounded quite doubtful.
You are of my essence, so I see no reason why this would be a problem.
The young sorcerer was taken aback. Was he being fooled by a voice in his head?
You do not have to believe me, Jeraine. But we can help each other, and I can give you the power you so desperately desire.
Jeremy tried to hide the disbelief on his face when Eran spoke his name, after all, he never mentioned it.
The enemy you seek and the enemy I seek are one and the same. Just like you, Krylancelo is descended from a Heavenly Being – my brother, Ryn.
How could he not be convinced at this point?
"What do you need me to do?"
It is easier for me to communicate with you like this because of where you are and of the essence we share. For me to be free, I need you to dispose of the one person whose death can weaken this spell further. If Cela loses her connection to this realm, this ruin will cease to exist and a portal will open between your world and mine.
"Who is Cela? Is she the one I'm supposed to kill?"
Cela is of no importance at this stage. The person you must focus your attention on is the woman that Krylancelo travels with. Cleao Everlasting.
Jeremy vaguely recalled her face, but he definitely remembered her golden hair that flowed behind her as she walked away. She seemed like an easy enough target. And it might even give him the upper hand against Krylancelo, if she was of any importance to him. The problem would be getting her away from Krylancelo and that other guy they travelled with in the first place. But he could cross that bridge when he got there, he supposed.
"That's it? That's all I need to know?"
For now.
Jeremy sighed heavily as he reminisced and settled in for another cold night. If I knew it was going to be this much trouble, I might not have bothered in the first place, he thought as he shifted onto his side and closed his eyes. You better show up tomorrow Eran, he added silently, deciding a nap was in order. It was already late afternoon and if he ended up sleeping through the night, so be it. Closing his eyes, he waited for sleep to come.
"I see that Eran is no longer with you," an older woman with fading emerald hair greeted Ryn and Cela when they entered the Council room in the north wing of their fortress.
"He has been sealed away," Cela confirmed, unable to mask the sadness that seeped into her voice. Ryn squeezed her hand reassuringly, sharing the feeling of loss. "Where are the rest of the Council members?" Cela asked the Elder politely.
"They have been dismissed for the night."
"You looked troubled, Akai," Ryn observed realizing that she must have seen something.
"That prison will not contain Eran forever," Akai noted, looking at the two with glazed white eyes. No matter how many times she dealt with the Seer and head of The Council, Cela always felt uneasy in her stomach looking into those opaque eyes – she felt as if her soul had been exposed.
"So it's true? Eran's threats are not baseless?" Ryn asked seriously, dread slowly rising. With the temper that Eran had, he could just imagine the destruction that would be unleashed upon them all when he was freed.
"It will be a very long time before we hear from your brother again," Akai replied flatly.
"He will not be happy," Cela noted, "Something has to be done to prevent his return."
"The only way he can be stopped is to face him once he is free," Akai informed them flatly.
"He will most certainly attack the Earth once he is out," Ryn added grimly, "We, ourselves, cannot await his return on Earth. We will need to arm the humans with… guardians, you could say."
"Guardians?" Cela contemplated this idea. Would it possible to have someone watch the humans to make sure they were safe from Eran? "Who will we send?"
Akai stood then, and even though she was getting older, her posture was of one with power – regal almost. "With your powers, you were able to seal him away," she said to them, "And it is with your powers that he will meet his demise. So it has been seen."
"You want us to go to Earth?" Cela's voice rose incredulously. Even Ryn was surprised at this.
"I will send a part of your essence to the Earth, where it will be born into the chosen human it deems fit to wield your powers when the time for Eran to appear drawns near."
The two Heavenly Ones were amazed at the idea Akai had presented to them. Something like this had never been done before.
Skepticism quickly took over Ryn's expression, "How will we know who they are?"
"You will not. It is not necessary for you to, until the time comes. Now go," the Seer dismissed them with a wave of her frail looking hand, "I must gather the Council members and prepare for the task at hand."
Ryn nodded understanding and led his partner out of the Council chambers.
"Pretty good, Majic," the dark haired sorcerer commended his apprentice, "Keep it up, and maybe your barrier will be good enough to stave of a small attack."
"Really, Master?" the blonde haired boy beamed happily, appreciating the praise he was receiving from Orphen – especially since they were few and far between.
"Maybe I'll ask Hartia to throw some attacks at you next week…" Orphen thought aloud as they began to make their way back to the Everlasting mansion. He glanced up at the sky noticing that it was getting darker with the setting sun.
"Next week?!" Majic's spirits dropped and anxiety kicked in, "I don't think my barrier spell will be strong enough by then!"
Orphen shook his head disapprovingly. "Have a bit more confidence, kid. You're learning from the best," the sorcerer half-scolded. "Besides," he added as an afterthought, "Worse comes to worst, I'm sure I can expend a bit of energy and heal whatever wounds you receive from lack of practice."
Majic sighed heavily, mentally preparing himself for the ordeal he'd have to face the following week.
"Now hurry it up," Orphen ordered as he picked up his pace, leaving Majic to trail behind him, "I have things to do and people to see."
Majic perked up at this. "By the way, Master... have you and Cleao made up yet?" he asked cautiously, knowing he was treading on dangerous waters.
The first response he got was just silence. "I don't know yet," Orphen replied slowly and honestly.
The young apprentice decided it would be best to drop the subject. He was sure that things would work out for the best.
As they walked into the mansion, the aroma of a delicious dinner wafted towards them.
"Guess it'll be dinner time soon…" Orphen mumbled to himself.
"Master?" Majic said questioningly, unsure if Orphen had said anything or if he was just hearing things – it had been a long day after all.
Orphen was already heading towards the stairs that would lead him to the bedrooms. "Go see if they need help preparing for dinner," Orphen ordered his apprentice, taking the steps two at a time.
Before Majic could reply, his Master had already disappeared around the corner. He could only assume that Orphen was going to see Cleao.
Cleao could hear the bustling downstairs and knew that her mother was probably in the middle of preparing dinner. Earlier that day, she had spent some time going through her wardrobe, sorting through her clothes to pick and choose the ones that were out of season. It actually took her a bit of time, and when she had gone through all her clothes, she decided that another shopping trip was in order – something that she would have to plan with Mariabella for some sister-bonding time.
After that, Cleao decided to take a bath – a luxury she didn't often get while on the road with Orphen and Majic. She savored every moment of it. She tried not to think too much about everything that had happened to her recently, not wanting to stress out too much. They did, after all, have to face Jeremy again later on if and when he decided to turn up. So instead she zoned out in the bath, so much that after an hour in there, she was starting to fall asleep. Cleao got out of the bath and into a white cotton camisole and headed for bed for a little lie down. She had only gotten up around half an hour ago to see that the sun was starting to set. Gazing out her window, she was looking upon the tree where she first officially met Orphen, having thought that he was peeping at her with binoculars. Cleao wondered if they would still have their talk tonight.
The blonde's attention was quickly averted when there was a soft but firm knock on the door. Completely lost in thought, she didn't even hear her visitor come up to her door.
"Cleao?," she heard Orphen venture uncertainly, she had to admit, it was a little bit refreshing to see this side of him. "It's me," he stated.
Cleao's heart began to beat faster in her chest, realizing that he had actually kept his promise and was here to talk. "Just a m-minute," she called out, cursing herself inwardly when she heard her voice falter at her own nervousness. She quickly went to her dresser and pulled her sky blue robe off the back of the chair, then slipped herself into its welcomed warmth and cover.
She treaded softly to her door and opened it slowly to see Orphen waiting patiently. He gave her a crooked smile and ran his hand through his ruffled hair. Cleao's heart seemed to go into overdrive and she felt her cheeks flush – she hoped that Orphen couldn't hear her heart beating against her chest.
She quickly looked away so he wouldn't see her embarrassment, "Come in." Cleao led the way into her bedroom and sat gingerly on the edge of her bed.
Orphen stood around awkwardly for a time, not sure where to go, but decided to sit himself down on the chair by the bed.
"How was training with Majic?" she asked, getting the small-talk out of the way.
"He's improving, which is good. At least, now, we can show Bagup some results so he won't stop the paychecks."
Cleao gave a small laugh, "I thought he paid you in ice-cream floats?"
"I'm sure he'd be happy to, it'd definitely be cheaper," Orphen replied, "Did you do much today?
Cleao shook her blonde head, "Not really. Just spent the day at home and rested."
"That's good," Orphen nodded approvingly – they all definitely needed a good rest after the ordeal they'd been through.
Better get it over and done with then, Cleao thought and braced herself for the conversation she was about to start.
"Thanks for coming, Orphen," she started and gave him a small smile to show that she meant it.
Orphen was about to reply, but she held up a slender hand to silence him.
"I think I should just say what I need to say before I lose my nerve," Cleao explained. When Orphen didn't say anything, she continued, "I'm sorry for the pain I caused you, and I know I did. But I was hurting, and confused. I love you, Orphen, whether you want me to or not – it's not something I can help. When I heard you say that you didn't love me, it was really hard to hear and it tore me up inside." Cleao got up and started to pace, "I know you told me that you do love me, and when you said it, I really wanted to believe you. But I thought to myself, what if he's only saying that so that I'll go back to him for the convenience of not having to deal with the person that Jeremy had changed me into? I think Eran was trying to convince me that you were lying, but I'd be lying myself if I said that I trusted you then." She looked at Orphen with sad blue eyes. "If you don't want to be with me the way that I want to be with you, I'll understand. Completely. I know I can be brat, selfish and hard to deal with. So if you think things have changed so much between us that you'd prefer not to have me travel with you and Majic anymore, then I'll completely understand that too. But if you'll still have me, then I promise I'll try to be a good girl – I won't complain so much, and I'll try to listen to what you say, and I'll try to keep out of trouble so I won't be a burden on you anymore.. but I really do want to stay by your –"
Cleao was abruptly interrupted when Orphen came up to her and stopped her in her tracks by grasping her gently by the shoulders.
"Stop ranting Cleao," Orphen ordered her in a soft voice – not a tone he had used often during their time together. She blinked her azure orbs at him like a deer caught in headlights, not sure what he was about to do or say. It amazed Orphen at how quiet Cleao was capable of being.
He chuckled to himself and saw a scowl form on Cleao's features. Then Orphen got serious. "Cleao," he said in a gentle but serious voice, "What I said to you that day, I meant every word of it." Orphen held her gaze in his and continued, "Yes, you're a brat and you make life practically a living hell for me…" Cleao's scowl deepened, so Orphen hurried to get to the good parts, "But I think you bring out a better me.." Orphen stumbled to find the right words for what he was trying to say, "What I mean is, I want to be a better person when I'm with you. I couldn't imagine not having you by my side, you've become such an important person to me. And when you were taken away, I realized that… I love you and I don't want to lose you."
Cleao's features softened as his words sunk in, her scowl disappearing. Replacing it was a mischievous smirk. "I think the amount of feelings you've just expressed has filled your quota for the next two years," she teased lightly.
"Cleao!" Orphen said her name exasperatedly and released her shoulders.
"Wait," Cleao replied and caught his hand in her own. They looked down at their connection briefly. Orphen looked at her, not sure what to think anymore, since her reaction was not what he was expecting.
In one smooth movement, Cleao closed the gap between herself and Orphen, got up onto her tiptoes, and did something she had dreamed of doing for so long.
Cleao's soft lips met Orphen's and they both seemed to feel an electric current go through them. She felt Orphen's hand cup the back of her head as he pulled her in deeper. She welcomed it hungrily, surprised at the lust building up inside her. His touch sent tingles up her spine, and all she wanted was to melt into him. She felt Orphen's grip on her tighten, like he couldn't get enough. It made her dizzy. And as much as she wanted to keep going, she needed to come up for air or she'd be overwhelmed. Cleao was the first to pull away. She knew her face was flushed red, but she didn't care. Still in Orphen's arms, she thought she had seen a brief look of disappointment cross his face when she had pulled away.
Cleao exhaled slowly, trying to catch her breath.
"That good, huh?" Orphen smirked at her.
Still in a daze, Cleao let that one slide and gently laid her head on his shoulder.
Having Cleao in his arms this way felt good to him. As if she completed a part of him he hadn't known was incomplete to begin with.
"So about that quota," Orphen began, a tone of mischief in his voice, "I'd say I've filled about 3 years worth."
"I'm not going to let you ruin this moment for me, Orphen. One profession of love is good enough," she informed him lightly, and he felt himself grin.
"Is that right?" he asked doubtfully, with a playful smirk on his face.
She looked up at her partner and gave him a thoughtful look. "For now," she nodded with smile of her own. Cleao leaned back into him, knowing all too well how important it was to savour the time they had together, unsure of how long it would last.
Author's Note: How was the chapter? I didn't want it to get too long, but a backstory is always nice, I think :) Please R&R (and please don't be too harsh on me :P)