Dragon Nest: Goddess' Wish

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The Tempest and the Saint

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"Nabiha."

"Sh-Shiro...?"

"Nab-Nab-Nabiha."

"Shiro...Brother."

"I love you."

"Please, end me."

Xxxxx

"Lady Khalil?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, the Tempest turned her head, blinking several times as she slowly recognized members of the elven order.

"Yes?" She turned to face them, "Is something the matter?"

One of the elves took several steps forward, "There is nothing to worry Lady Khalil, however..." She hesitated, "We are concerned about the well-being of both you and your son, Xsayara."

Staring at the elves for several seconds, the blond elf just released a faint smile.

The elves were always worrying about her thanks to the fact that she was their Queen now (though she kept on saying that she isn't) since the fall of Narisila years ago. Thanks to the fact that the tree of Arendel has fallen, the elven population had plummetted, leaving many of the surviving elves with no other option but to marry humes. Though many of the elves fall in love with their human partners, there are some that aren't as fortunate and are mostly assaulted by man (though the same day, the corpse of the human will be found, cause of death unknown.) Khayru (or now known as Khalil by her people) had given birth to a son several years prior. Thanks to this, the elven race showed much concern for their Queen and her son, especially since Xsayara was the first male to be born with elven blood.

"There is no need to worry," the Queen comforted, "my son and I are perfectly fine."

"But where is Prince-"

Khayru raise a hand to silence the elf, "Like I have said before, there is no need to worry, my son is in the hands of Saint Hilal."

"The Saint!? But Queen Khalil! He is a cleric!"

"He is my brother!" Khayru snapped, "now please, excuse me."

With that, Khayru stepped down from her stony perch, brushing past the small group of elves as she did so.

"Just because he's a cleric doesn't mean Hilal is evil as well," she whispered bitterly as she jumped from rock to rock on the dangerous terrain, easily gliding over the sharp points and gaps between the rocks.

The rocky terrain was once the small but peaceful village of Ironwood, the beautiful town reduced to nothing but ash when the influence of Vestinel's nightmares took over. Even Khayru's favorite spot was nothing but shriveled grass and bushes when she had returned to check on it. It was saddening to the Tempest that the place where she had first started out was now gone, but like Hilal, it only made her more determined to stop Vestinel and end the terror the jealous goddess had caused.

Heaving out a sad but strong sigh, Khayru jumped and performed a flip into the air, easily letting her close in the distance between the now approaching underground entrance and herself.

Xxxxx

"So...I hold it like this Uncle Hilal?"

"...Shift your right hand a little up Xsayara."

With a nod, the young blonde shifted his right hand up on the hilt of the toy sword, recieving a confirmed smile from the Saint, "Perfect, now ready to swing?"

Xsayara nodded his head quickly, "Yes."

"Alright then, get ready..."

The blonde shifted himself into a ready position.

"Now swing!"

With a child like roar, Xsayara rushed forward and swung side ways, performing a perfect downward slash.

Seeing this, the Saint couldn't help but release a soft smile, I don't care what the elves say but Xsayara is a better Swordsman than Archer.

A knock at the door interrupted the cleric from his thoughts.

"Xsayara," he immediately spoke, "could you get the door?"

Nodding his head once, the blonde child dropped his toy to the sword and dashed towards the door, opening it with an easy twist of the knob. Instantly, Xsayara lept forward.

"Mother!" he exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around his mother's waist, recieving a giggle as a response.

"How is my little warrior doing?" Khayru asked as she carefully pried Xsayara's arms off of her.

"I'm doing fine," Xsayara replied as he ran back and picked up his toy sword, "Uncle Hilal is teaching me how to wield the sword."

The Tempest gave the Saint a friendly look, "Oh really?"

Hilal shrugged, "There aren't any Swordsman in existence anymore and I thought that since I've been around Nabiha for a while, I should know a point or two about the sword."

"A point or two?" Xsayara frowned, "you know a lot more points than that Uncle Hilal."

The Saint responded with a small smile, "If you say so, kid."

"I am not a kid," the blonde child retorted, "I am 6 years old."

"Still a child."

"No I'm not." Xsayara huffed as he crossed his arms, "you're mean Uncle Hilal."

Khayru released a short laugh, "You hear that Hilal? My son thinks you're mean."

The Saint released a stiff smile, "Well? Are you going to come in or stand at the doorway the entire period?"

"Oh, my apologies," the Tempest apologized as she shut the door behind her, removing her shoes before stepping onto the cold tiled floor, "So how's your arm doing? Has it returned to its original functioning?"

"...No..." Hilal replied sadly as he held up his right hand, its shaking quite visible, "No matter how many times I heal it, it won't stop shaking." He heaved out a sigh, "the nerves are permanently damaged, there's nothing I can do about it."

"...I...I see," Khayru approached her brother and seated herself beside him on the couch, "so...can you still fight?"

"...Yeah," came the Saint's slow reply, "though my aim isn't the same as it was before."

The Tempest placed a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder and opened her mouth to speak, however, Xsayara beat her to it first.

"Don't worry Uncle Hilal," the blonde smiled as he stood in front of the Saint, "as long as you're alive and well, it doesn't matter if your aim sucks or not."

Caught completely off guard, the Saint blinked several times before releasing a short laugh, "Thank you, Xsayara, for the words of confident."

Giving his Uncle a wide grin, Xsayara turned and dashed off to the other side of the room where he proceeded to continue his swordsmanship.

"...You know...he may strongly resemble Nabiha but, he's just way too calm," Hilal pointed out which the Tempest agreed by nodding her head.

It was true, exception of the blonde hair, Xsayara exactly resembles Nabiha but just like what Hilal said, the blonde child was too 'calm' to be his father's clone. If caught in a situation where his father would laugh, Xsayara instead would release a faint smile and where his father would roar in frustration, Xsayara would just frown.

Yes, way too calm to be an exact clone of Nabiha.

"Perhaps it's from his elven blood," Khayru concluded, "The elves are well known for their calm and introverted nature."

"...Maybe," Hilal shrugged, "How are the elves doing anyways? Are they still against me helping you raise Xsayara?"

Khayru frowned, "Sadly yes. Elves live long lives and thanks to this, we also carry long grudges." She sadly sighed, "and thanks to long grudges, I doubt my people will forget the wrong doings of the clerics. And as such, I apologize if the elves are acting rude against you, Hilal."

"It's nothing to apologize about," the Saint waved it off, his blue eyes watching his nephew swing his sword downwards, "it's their decision."

"But..." Khayru hesitated, "but you are practically a pariah not only amongst my people but amongst the rest of your race Hilal. Everyday I see them plotting to kill you behind your back."

Hilal blinked at her in surprise, "Oh really? Heh, then let's see if they can successfully kill a Saint."

"Hilal!" Khayru yelled, startling both her brother and her son, "I am being serious. I fear that they really are plotting to kill you, brother."

Silent for a moment, the Saint released a sad sigh, "What can I do about it, Khayru? Whatever comes out of my mouth they won't believe me and even if you and Xsayara come up and speak the truth, they still won't believe you."

The Tempest hestitated, "Then what about Xithyl? He's-"

"Only 3 years old Khayru," Hilal released a stiff smile, "whatever he says they'll think that I told him to say it, they won't believe him either."

"...Then...what are you to do?"

"...Go on with life as usually I guess..."

"What? But if you step outside they'll-"

"Khayru, I am not going to be a prisoner in my own home," the Saint took in a deep breath, "not only that, I want to fight in this war, I want to fight against Vestinel." He sighed, "and I am not going to let homicidal people stop me from participating." Hilal turned his blue eyes towards his sister, "You understand, right?"

The Tempest hesitated, her eyes full of concern. However, she reluctantly nodded, "I...understand."

Hilal released a soft smile, "Thanks...sis."

Khayru smiled.

"Mommy, there's someone at the door."

The smile was wiped off of her face, her gaze turning towards her brother, a look of confusion on his features as well. They didn't hear anybody knock.

In response, Khayru turned to look at her son whom was standing at the door, his ear pressed against the wooden frame, "What are you talking about Xsayara?"

"There's someone breathing," The blonde replied as he lifted his ear away from the door, "and they're breathing heavily too, like as though they've been running."

A messenger?, Khayru thought as she walked up the door and cracked it open.

"Lady Khalil," a human soldier bowed low as the Tempest completely opened the door, "my apologies for my intrusion but there's been a sign of disturbance at Ironwood Plains and King Cassius wants you and your brother to investigate."

Khayru turned her eyes towards her brother whom locked eyes with her, both reading each other's thoughts mentally.

"We shall accept" the Temptest responded as she turned her eyes back towards the messenger, "My brother and I will leave as soon as possible."

The Messenger bowed again before he turned and ran off.

Khayru heaved out a sigh, rubbing her temple as she did so.

She doesn't want to leave her son, not with-

"Mom?"

The Tempest glanced downwards, only to look into the concerned eyes of her son.

"Are you feeling alright mother?" Xsayara asked, "you don't seem happy."

Blinking several times, Khayru released a sad smile as she knelt down and placed her hands upon the shoulders of her son, "Your Uncle and I are being sent off on a mission, Xsayara. We'll have to leave you with the elves momentarily."

A frown appeared onto the young blonde's features, "I don't like them."

"I know you don't," Khayru pulled her son into a soft embrace, "but who else can I trust to look after you while I'm gone?"

Xsayara was silent for a moment, "...Will Xithyl be there?"

"...To be honest, no," Khayru forced herself to release the hug she had given to her son, "but don't worry, Hilal and I will return soon, alright."

Though a frown was still upon his features, the blonde child nodded, causing Khayru to smile gently.

"Let's go, Hilal."

Xxxxx

In all honesty, though Hilal claims that he was fine heading out with the knowledge that there are people out there to kill him, he can't help but admit to himself that he was scared. Of course, there was no way that he was going to tell his 'overprotective sister' this but the Saint really wanted someone there to support him, to give him words of confidence and protection.

Just like what 'he' had done.

The Saint heaved out a sad sigh as he calmly followed his sister, carefully tracing his steps as they treaded through the maze of large rocks and boulders. If one wasn't careful, they can easily find themselves lost in Ironwood Plains. Luckily, Hilal had the aid of Khayru, whom had been in Ironwood before and after its destruction so being lost was the last thing on his mind.

The thing that was on his mind was 'What the heck are they seeing?'

Though the two weren't even at the location where King Cassius had sent them, the Saint and the Tempest could easily the 'disturbance' from where they are.

The top of a purple and black dome could be easily seen from amongst the high points of rocks and boulders, lightning bursting out every now and then. Hilal could easily sense the dark energies emitting from it.

So that's why his Majesty sent us instead of his regular troops, the Saint mused, anyone one else would of collapsed just from the pure presence of the thing.

But in all honesty, where most people would stay away from a dangerous energy, Hilal can't help but feel slightly attracted. Well then again, when you're a lightning affiliated fighter with the blood of a dark priestess flowing in your veins, who wouldn't?

So in curiousity and awe, Hilal sped up his pace, soon passing his sister out of pure impatience.

"Slow down Hilal," the Tempest huffed, "without me leading the way, you can easily get lost."

"It's nothing to worry about," the Saint retorted, "we're almost there anyways."

"Hilal."

With a heavy and reluctant sigh, the cleric slowed down his pace, once again letting his sister take the lead.

"Thank you," the Tempest gave a single nod of approval before turning her concentration back towards the path.

Hilal sarcastically returned the thank you, "You're welcome sis."

If Khayru had heard the sarcasm, she didn't show it as she turned a sharp left, coming to a complete halt as she did so.

"Uh..Hilal...?"

The Saint turned the corner, "What?" He came to a sudden halt as well.

The Tempest released a nervous laugh, "This 'distrubance'...it's..bigger than we had thought."

Hilal gave his sister a look, "...You think?"

Before they actually laid their eyes upon the dome up close, they had thought it to be big as Saint's Haven Castle, which in their minds is already pretty big. But now that they actually are up close and personal, the two realized that the dome was 10 times the size of Leviatha, something that they realize now isn't a good sign.

"...Do you think that you can purify this?" Khayru asked nervously as she watched her brother cautiously approach the dark energy.

The Saint shook his head, a frown clear upon his features, "Not by myself, I need at least 9 other clerics to purify this. More if the dome is strong as I think it is."

The elf queen released a defeated sigh, "So...what now?"

Instead of answering his sister, Hilal peered closer to the dome, taking several more steps forward. Khayru saw this.

"Hilal...I think you should take several steps back," she warned.

The Saint ignored her.

"It's really interesting," Hilal spoke as he slowly inched his way forward, "there is a dark energy emitting from this but...I sense no evil intentions." He raised his hand.

"Hilal, don't you dare touch-"

The Saint pressed his hand against the dome.

After that, it was all a blur for Hilal. The only thing he does recall after is his sister calling his name, shaking him awake. From the way he was sitting on the ground with his back against one of the rocks and his head and back throbbing, the Saint can only come to the conclusion that he was sent flying. Flying how? He has no idea but from the worry etched onto the Tempest's face, it must have looked like it hurt...alot.

Thank the Goddess that he was a cleric.

"I'm alright," he groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, "what happened?"

"You weren't being smart," Khayru replied, "the instant your hand touched the dome, lightning erupted forth and it practically threw you back." She heaved out a sigh, "It's just a relief that you have strong resistence to light and lightning based attacks otherwise, I would have thought that killed you"

Hilal rubbed the back of head before glancing down at his hand, "I'm just glad the Goddess was with me today."

"Yeah" The Tempest warily turned her blue eyes toward the dome, "but after you touched it, it did something."

"H'm?" In response, the Saint fixed his attention onto the dark energy, only for his eyes to narrow in confusion and curiousity.

Unlike before, where the occassional lightning will flash out, the dome was more active now, lightning spreading out like wildfire. Furthermore, swirls of darkness can clearly be seen within its confines, looking like as though something in the middle was pulling it in.

Then the Saint slowly absorbed the situation.

In that instant, Hilal pulled his sister in, hearing her release a small squeal of surprise as he pressed her against the rock behind him. Then he raised his wand above his head.

"Goddess Protect me!"

A symbol of a shield popped above his head before it faded and Hilal pressed his back against his sister.

"Hilal, what are you-"

A blast cut her off as the dome exploded, the cloud of darkness bursting out in waves, knocking over any unfortunate loose rocks or debri in its path. However, thanks to his fast reaction and the blessing of the Goddess, Hilal's shield protected the Saint and the Tempest, though Hilal had to dig his heels deeper into the ground, gritting his teeth as he struggled to keep his back pressing further onto his sister from the force of the blast.

"Come on," he spoke through clenched teeth, feeling the time tick by, "come one, hold it...hold it..."

Though Hilal was a cleric, the Saint focused more on his healing, meaning that his blocks and defenses were a bit slow or nonexistent. As such, it's the reason why he added the 'Block' spell into his aresenal, giving him a higher percentage and chance to able to stop attacks. But the spell can only hold for so long...

Finally, the cleric felt the force soften until finally, it let up enough to let the Saint release a gasp and then collapse onto his hands and knees, panting from the exertion.

"Hilal!"

Feeling hands upon his shoulders, Hilal breathed out, "I'm alright." He then suddenly stood up and grabbed his sister by the hand, "Let's go! Hurry!"

Completely caught off guard and confused, the Tempest let her brother drag her behind one of the rocks, feeling him pull her closer to his chest. It was only when she heard another explosion when she completely understood.

The two could definately tell that the explosion was smaller however, it was still powerful enough to pick up smaller rocks and debri, the Tempest watching them fly from the safety of the larger (and thankfully, sturdier) rock.

Having his squeezed his eyes shut earlier, the Saint could only listen as the chaos circled around them until finally, he listened to it calm, the winds from the blast slowing down before it came to a sudden halt. Heaving out a sigh of relief, Hilal released his grip on his sister, "Khayru?"

"I am fine," The Tempest heaved out a relieved sigh, "Thank you Hilal."

Returning the thanks with a single nod, the cleric then proceeded to peek over the side of the rock, completely moving out of their hiding spot once the coast was clear before waving a hand to his sister that it was alright to come out. Slowly but cautiously, the Tempest tiptoed towards her brother, coming to a slow stop as she stood next to Saint's side.

Her blue eyes squinted through the swirl of dust, her eyes failing to catch anything in the area where the dome once was. "Can you see anything?"

The cleric shook his head, "No, what you are seeing I am seeing as well."

In that instant, they heard coughing, "...But I guess...that doesn't mean we can't hear."

"Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"What, bro?"

"Can you get off?"

"Oh...my bad."

The Tempest and the Saint heard shuffling, recognizing the sound as people rising to their feet.

Khayru took it as the cue to remove her shortbow from her back, "Do you think they're friend or foe?"

Hilal positioned his wand and shield, "Do you honestly think that I would know the answer Khayru?"

"...Good point..."

More coughing could be heard from the cloud of sand.

"Geez, can't see a thing. Hey bro, can you clear all this?"

"...Do you honestly think that with my abilities that I can clear a blanket of sand?"

"H'mmm...good point...can you at least make a path?"

A heavy sigh could be heard before the sound of sliding metal echoed through the blanket of dust.

Hilal and Khayru readied themselves.

A full on charge is what the Saint and the Tempest were expecting, especially since they could hear the rush of running footsteps coming closer and closer to the location from where they are. But what they hadn't expected was someone popping out from the cloud of dust while twirling around and throwing out an arm with a shield...right into Hilal's face.

The force was enough to send the Saint flying and the sound of ringing metal echoed through the air as Hilal landed with a painful 'thump' several meters away. It not only shocked Khayru but the owner of the shield as he also gaped along with the Tempest at what just occured.

"I...I..." the newcomer was in complete shock, unable to even form words in his mouth.

"How dare you!" Khayru roared as she pulled out an arrow and placed it upon her bow, her intent clear as she pulled the string back and released it.

The elf queen had expected a clear shot, since the man that had appeared through the cloud of dust glanced towards her and his eyes were wide as he saw the arrow coming, a bit too late to react. But to her shock, a figure jumped through the blanket of dust and slashed downwards as he landed, cutting the arrow completely in half.

"What the hell is going on here!?" the second man roared as he held up his large blade, his blue eyes narrowing as his comrade shrugged in response.

"We're the ones asking the questions," Hilal spat as he forced himself to stand, rubbing his jaw as he stood next to his sister, "who are you and what are you doing here?"

Immediately, the two newcomers paused, their blue eyes glancing at each other, hesitation clear in their eyes.

Hilal frowned, "Well, aren't you going to answer?"

The second one, a blonde, opened his mouth, "I am-"

"My name is Edan," The first one butted in, "and this is my brother, Shian." He paused for a moment, "and my apologies for running into you Mr..."

"Hilal," the Saint replied, "Saint Hilal." He then nodded towards Khayru, "and this is Tempest Khalil, Queen of the Elves."

Almost immediately, the cleric saw grieve and sadness pass over the first male's eyes while the second's shoulders sagged, almost like as though he was crestfallen, disappointed about something. Hilal decided to keep that in mind.

"Well... Hilal," 'Edan' quickly regained his composure, "My apologies for running into you earlier, all I was attempting to do was clear a path so that my brother and I can pass through safely. I couldn't see you through the mist of dust and dirt." He bowed his head, "I apologize once again."

"..It's...fine," The Saint eyed him suspiciously, "if it was an accident, it's nothing to be worked up about."

"So are you two travelers?" Khayru suddenly asked, taking several steps forward, causing 'Shian' to shift uncomfortably, "or nomads perhaps?"

Hesitation once again appeared in the two male's eyes once more.

"If you do not mind," 'Edan' spoke, "may I ask...where we are?"

The Saint and the Tempest blinked.

"Where have you been all this time?" Hilal asked, a frown upon his features, "We are in Altera, the creation of the Goddess Althea."

H'mmm...not sure what to say about this chapter :I

I think I placed Hilal a bit out of character (in my mind) since I wanted him to be a bit cold but warms up to his family but...he seemed to carefree 0-0

Khayru...meh...she needs to be bit carefree :p

And yes, it's Aoshiro and Nabiha using the Canon Cleric and Warrior names XD

I didn't know what other names to use and the first thing that popped up was Edan and Shian :p

Oh, also, Khayru has a second name because Archers had to find their Telezia 'before' they turn 20 so Khayru must have found her 'destiny' and changed her name. I wanted another boys name (since Khayru was a boy name) that sounds similar but yet has a similar meaning, since Khayru means 'benvolent.' Then I found Khalil which mean 'friend' and I thought 'Close enough XD'

So yeah

Alright, enjoy

~123arcalas