Summary: There are always two paths on one road. It's the path you choose that will change the outcome. The two paths may reconnect again, or they may be separate altogether. Which road will you have? Which road have you taken?
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss. I never had, and never will.
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Hah. Hah. Hah. Hah.
-I have to get away!-
Hah. Hah. Hah.
-Why? Why are they doing this to me?-
Hah. Hah. Hah.
-No! I-I have to move! Move!-
Hah- hah-
-MOVE!-
Luke gasped awake. He shivered. It wasn't true, he thought. They didn't want him dead. His mother wouldn't allow that, would she? He shivered again.
Wherever he was, it was very dark. Luke was petrified. He never did like the dark. A lot of bad things happened when it was dark and he wasn't in bed. What if his father saw him? No. His father wasn't here. He never was. No! No, no, no! He shouldn't think like that! His father would save him, he would! He promised!
Yes, Father promised he would. He never broke his promises, ever. But...no, he shouldn't think of it. It wasn't true! They didn't want him dead. They didn't want him dead. It was all just lies to make him doubt. Yeah, all just lies.
Click clack, click clack.
Luke flinched. He thought he was alone. What were they going to do? He thought he'd lost them. But if he did, who was coming towards him? Actually, what was it?
Click clack, click clack.
What was he doing here? Why wasn't he moving?
Click clack, click clack.
Luke slowly stood from his sitting position. He spread his hands like wings and felt the air around him like a blind person. There was nothing contacting with his skin. He slowly, slowly toed his way away from the footsteps. The stone floors were a reassurance to his balance.
Cold air rushed in suddenly from Luke's right. Startled, he yelped. He covered his mouth in horror. Panicking, he blindly ran towards his left, hands still feeling the air around him. The noise he made while running echoed loudly. Whoever who was following him continued walking in a steady pace.
Click clack, click clack.
He though he heard a low snarling sound coming in front of him. It steadily grew louder until he realized that it wasn't his imagination. An orange monster who looked like a tiger except for its leaner face and extra colored fur was blocking his way. Luke trembled in fear. His body shook so much he was afraid he would fall and get attacked.
Was this how he was going to die? He thought it was a sad way to go. He still had many years left to live. Over half of them weren't even in use yet! He wondered if he was going to be eaten? Would his mother cry for him? Would his father and brother? Would they even notice he was gone?
A hand touched his face. He startled. His hand was wet. Was he crying? Why? Why now?
The monster snarled angrily at him, its saliva dripping as it calmed to a low growl.
Click clack.
Luke jumped as he forgot about the person following him. Seized by terror, rational thought fled him as he ran headfirst towards the monster. In a move that he would later ponder over, he feinted to the right before quickly turning towards the left and sprinting full pelt. He felt unnaturally light. Dare he say, as light as a feather? The wind behind him seemed to blow him forward. It aided him, caressing his hair as it passed him by. If Luke wasn't so terrified, he would have enjoyed the wind. Alas, it only spooked him more.
Whoosh~
"My~ childe~"
W-What was that noise? Was he starting to hear things now?
"Listen~ to~ Heed my~"
Luke's lungs were burning. His legs felt like jelly. It hurt to move. He couldn't get enough air. He couldn't breath. It was straining his eyes to see in the dark, but now his eyes couldn't see anything at all.
"Listen~ Voice~"
A golden glow encased Luke. He wondered if his eyes were deceiving him? Looking up from the ground, he saw that he was about to crash into a wall. Before he could halt, or even blink, he vanished in glowing pyre flies. The last of him was an agonizing screech of pain that rocked the whole of Eldrant.
Hah. Hah. Hah. Hah.
-I have to get away!-
Hah. Hah. Hah.
-Why? Why are they doing this to me?-
Hah. Hah. Hah.
-No! I-I have to move! Move!-
Hah- hah-
-MOVE!-
Luke screeched. Pain filled all parts of his body. It was hard to breath, he couldn't see, he couldn't hear, and he couldn't feel anything but pain. It was like he was being burned alive with pin needles poked through each and every part of him. Ice so cold flew through him before he was burned again. Over and over again. His skin felt like it was bubbling over. He could feel his bones crack and mend, again and again.
If this was death, Luke didn't like it. Maybe he went to Hell, even though he didn't believe in it? Maybe this was his punishment for being born? The Score of Lorelei didn't predetermine his birth. He heard the servants whisper when they thought he couldn't hear that his mother was supposed to have birthed a dead child. He couldn't imagine how painful that must have been for his mother. For her to have known that she wouldn't have another child because it was suppose to be dead.
But he didn't die. He was unnatural. Everything about him was never supposed to have happened. And now he was probably in the seventh chamber of Hell for those who were punished. Though, to be honest with himself, he didn't think being born alive deserved being punished this brutally.
Life really wasn't for him. Maybe this punishment was why he was told to have died during birth, hmm?
Thinking aside, Luke screamed his throat raw. His skin was popping and regrowing, turning black and slipping off his muscles before growing again. His bones started breaking grotesquely as his sight was granted to him again. The horror he felt would forever stay with him as he viewed his still-breaking body. Strangely, but gratefully, his head remained unscathed.
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Author's Note: So? How'd it go? I wasn't sure if the world was called Eldrant or Auldrant, so you'll have to forgive me for this error. I realized as I remembered about the Score that it didn't exactly fit in with the whole 'Fate' and 'Destiny' thing I had going. If you want to know more about Fate and Destiny, sorry, but I don't think they'll show, much. Tell me if you don't like this story anymore 'cause I just realized while typing this chapter that I had no idea where to go from the first chapter. Oh yeah, and tell me if I have any mistakes since I just typed this without actually looking to edit it.