Part One: The Black Esper
An Esper should not use his or her power for evil.
An Esper should use his or her power for good intent.
This is Esper Law.
Those who do not adhere to it shall be stripped of their powers and banned from Esper Mansion for all eternity...
Chapter One: The Journey Home
Chaz had said his good-byes to everyone except for one."Chaz...I guess it's good-bye."
The young Hunter turned towards the blue-haired man that was responsible for helping him carve out his destiny. Though they had started off on the wrong foot, Chaz had grown to like the man and he had no doubt that Rune felt the same way. He was saddened by the fact that he was leaving. "Rune..."
The man sighed. "Even though the battle against the ultimate fiend is over," he began, "my mission as Lutz must continue... You see, I must watch over all Algo. I'm still lacking in training and experience. I must continue to improve myself, and eventually pass it on to the next Lutz..."
"Won't we...meet again?" Chaz asked hesitantly.
"Probably not," Rune replied bluntly.
Chaz was further saddened by those words. Rune then saw the young Hunter on the verge of tears. "You silly!" he chided as he playfully punched Chaz on the shoulder. "Don't cry... You can live now without anyone else's help..."
Chaz sniffed and was about to reply when a shadow fell over both of them accompanied by loud roaring. Both men looked up and saw the Landale. The hatch was open and standing there was..."Rika!" Chaz shouted, his tears forgotten.
"Chaz!" Rika shouted in return. She turned to look back at Wren. Tears began to brim her eyes.
"Rika!" Chaz shouted again. At the sound of his voice, Rika turned back and leapt from the Landale, her tears streaming away from her eyes. She fell for what seemed like minutes, but in reality it only took a couple of seconds until she was caught by Chaz.
"Rika!" Chaz exclaimed again once he caught her.
"Chaz!" Rika returned happily.
They stared at each other for a long while, but soon notice that Rune was leaving.
"So long, Chaz... Take care!" Rune said as he waved back at the couple.
"Rune..." Rika whispered to herself, thinking of how lonely he will be.
But Chaz harbored no such thoughts. Instead he waved and shouted, "Rune...thank you... And good-bye!"
Rune waved briefly then walked away while the Landale blasted off into space...
That happened five years ago...
During those five years, Rune had traveled around Motavia alone and---he wouldn't admit to himself---depressed.
He had secretly watched Chaz and Rika's wedding in Aiedo, three years after the defeat of the Profound Darkness, and was happy for them. He wanted to give his congratulations to the young couple, but he moved on in his travels. In truth, he was disturbed by the look of affection Chaz and Rika gave each other.
This was true for both Gryz and Hahn as well.
Molcum was rebuilt right after the Profound Darkness incident. Rune passed by once in awhile to see how they were doing. He had spoken to Gryz and was surprised to find the big Motavian happily married.
The Motavian soldier couldn't stop talking about his wife and how happy they were together. Gryz was also excited about their future plans together such as raising children. Rune felt envious towards the Motavian for finding such happiness. Before he could show his bitterness, he quickly left but not before congratulating Gryz and wishing him the best of luck.
He then had stopped by Krup to visit Alys' grave, as he had done so many times. But he was afraid that habit would soon have to end. He knew from the villagers that Hahn had married Saya, as was the young professor's intent. But he also learned that the beautiful young teacher was pregnant a couple of months after their wedding.
Rune was surprised to see Saya at the grave one day, leaving some flowers at the base of the marker. He had approached her slowly and had placed a couple of flowers he was carrying besides that of hers. He then stood silent as he stared at the grave.
Saya looked from the grave to the man. She saw the sadness and loneliness in his light blue eyes. Then she was surprised to see him starting to walk off. "Rune!" she called after him.
The man stopped, but kept his back towards her. "What is it, Saya?" he replied over his shoulder.
"I was just wondering,"she began a bit hesitantly, "if you would like to come over for dinner. Hahn will be glad to see you."
Rune lowered his head as if he was thinking. Then he looked towards the north, where he planned to head off to next. "No, thank you," he replied. "I don't want to be a burden." He then turned to look at her and smiled. "Besides, you have someone else to think of," he said, pointing at her slightly bulging belly.
Saya slightly blushed at that comment. "No, it won't be a burden at all!" she protested.
"I'm sorry, but I must decline," Rune reiterated as he again turned his back towards her and began walking away.
"Then I hope you find happiness again!" Saya shouted to him.
Rune stopped at that comment. How did she know?, he thought surprised. He then sighed and muttered, "Alys was my only happiness."
Somehow, Saya managed to hear that one comment. "That may be," she said, "but she doesn't want you to be depressed forever. You must go on living! Living for her! Alys must be turning in her grave now seeing you so sad and lonely. I'm sure she wants you to be happy, Rune." She smiled at that last comment.
Rune thought on that as he resumed walking. Saya only watched as the man disappeared into the sunset...
Rune never visited the grave again after that. He was perturbed of what Saya said about Alys wanting him to be happy. But how could he forget her so easily? During the years, he continued to observe his friends in the shadows and saw how happy they were in their lives. This made Rune sink deep into his own thoughts of his life.
"Maybe I've been staying on this planet for too long," he muttered one day as he entered Ladea's Tower, his link between the planets. "It's time for me to see how things are in Dezoris."
He climbed the tower in silent musing until he reached the floor where the Psycho Wand once resided. He climbed up to the center of the platform towards the empty treasure chest. Once he reached the treasure chest, he moved it aside revealing a hidden control panel beneath it.
He knelt down and typed something on the panel. He then replaced the treasure chest afterwards and stood back. A magical column of bluish-white light suddenly appeared before him that led up to the sky much like the Aeroprism's light. All he had to do was step into the light and he would be whisked away to Dezoris.
Rune took a deep breath. "Five years..." he muttered. "It's been five years since I last stepped onto icy soil. And it's been five years since I last visited the Mansion." He grew hesitant then at the thought of Esper Mansion.
It was there that he was born and it was there that he was chosen to become the next Lutz. And it still stood as a reminder to himself and his fellow Espers about his mission. He was harboring doubts about going back. But he didn't want to stay on Motavia.
He had grown bitter and envious of his friends' lives. He didn't want to be reminded of that. He then came to a decision. With a determined look on his face, he stepped into the light and he was shot forth from Ladea's Tower towards the surface of Dezoris...
Rune gently landed at the entrance to Myst Vale. "Why can't that thing land me in one spot instead of landing me at random locations?" he complained as he dusted himself off. At times he would land at the town of Tyler, Gumbious Temple, and more often than not, Esper Mansion.
But he was glad he didn't land there this time. He could use the long walk to the Mansion to clear up his mind. He then shivered as he noticed the cold winds for the first time. "You're not in Motavia anymore," he said as he wrapped his cape around himself and began trudging off to the nearest town of Zosa.
The days passed as Rune continued his journey across Dezoris. One day blended into the next, but the Lutz never noticed the passage of time. Each day was the same to him; his mission in life never changing. He sighed at that thought as he watched another sunset alone and brooding.
On his third day out of Zosa, he reached the Parmanian town of Reshel. He went into the inn and booked for the night. Afterwards, he walked around the small walled town. It seemed that the town had prospered greatly after their recovery from the Black Energy Wave.
He then noticed some children running around, pelting each other with snowballs and laughing. Then one child fell, a young girl, who started crying because she scraped her knee. The children stopped playing and they began to surround the young girl with looks of worry on their faces. Then a boy knelt besides her and offered words of comfort before escorting her to a house, presumably to get a bandage for her scraped knee. All the other children waited outside. They would not resume playing without their other friends.
Rune smiled as he continued on his way to the item shop. Such is the beauty of friendship, he thought. He then thought of his childhood.
Esper children rarely had time for recreational activities. They were restricted from going outside the Mansion. Training started at the age of seven and could take as long as over ten years to complete.
He remembered his training. He was very talented, the top of his class, and very much respected among the elders. But it was his talent that got the attention of the current Lutz.
The fourth generation Lutz saw a lot of potential in Rune and had decided to name him his successor. So at the age of fifteen, Rune had inherited the will and memory of all the past Lutzes and was made Lord of Esper Mansion. And that's when his strict training truly began.
Day after day of grueling magic and mental training for two whole years. At first he was honored to become the next generation Lutz, but during those two years of training, he had begun to detest it. After completion of his training, he decided to go to the desert planet to broaden his horizon and further his training on his own.
It was on Motavia that he met Alys and her teacher, the Hunter Galf. The three had spent four years together and Alys and Rune grew close. But after the Hunter's death, they went their separate ways; he going back to Dezoris and Alys continuing with her profession as a Hunter. Five years would pass before they would meet again...
Rune's mind came back to the present. Those four years with Galf and Alys were the happiest years of his life. So how could he find happiness again?
He then snorted as he finally entered the item shop. He bought some Moon Dews and thanked the clerk before returning to the inn. He would have to answer that question another time.
After two days of travel from Reshel, the Esper Lord finally came to the town of Meese. As he entered the town, he was surprised to find Espers strolling its streets. He would have thought that they would have returned to the Mansion since the illness was over.
He hoped that none of the Espers would recognize him, as he quickly went to the inn. The clerk looked up when he heard Rune enter. "May I help you, sir?" he asked politely.
"Yes," Rune replied as he tried to blend in. Espers smiled to him in greetings as they passed by and he would return those smiles. He then turned back to the clerk as he said, "I want a room for the night."
"Very well," the innkeeper nodded. "You're an Esper, right? There are not that many people with blue hair and the other Espers seem to acknowledge you as one of them. Besides, if you are one, then your room is free. It's the least I could do for helping us five years ago."
Rune smiled at the offer. "Thank you for your generosity. Yes, I am an Esper and I'll be staying for one night."
"That short, eh?" the innkeeper muttered to himself. "Well, it's not really my business." He then handed Rune a key and said, "Your room is on the last room down the hall up on the second floor."
Rune nodded and thanked the innkeeper before heading towards his room. He would rest awhile before exploring the town and gathering information of the past years from the other Espers. He would also have to gather more supplies for Meese was his last stop before reaching Esper Mansion. It would take another three days to reach his home but, unfortunately, he was not looking forward to it.
In the hours before dawn, a figure could be seen exiting the town of Meese. Rune had decided to get a head start as he wrapped his cape around himself for these were the coldest hours. He trudged along the snow as the Dezorian winds blew around him.
It was true that he could Ryuka to Esper Mansion to save him the trouble of traveling on foot, but he wanted to be reminded that he was human too. Everything cannot be solved by magic and, therefore, he must learn to rely on his physical strengths.
During noon on his second day of travel from Meese, he finally reached the ice flow blocking Esper Mansion. If he had the Ice Digger, he could make it by the end of the day, but since he does not, he would have to climb one of the many mountain paths to the Mansion.
The climb would be brutal since the winds there tend to be overwhelming. Rune also had to be careful not to slip or he would plummet to his death. He could decide not to climb and just Ryuka to the Mansion, but again he wanted to strengthen his physical self.
"Time to get going," he muttered as he headed towards the nearest mountain path.
As he walked towards the path, he mentally prepared himself for the climb. When he reached it, he began climbing. He wanted to get as far into the mountains before the day was through.
He hiked along the slippery pathway, carefulnot tofall and break his neck in the process. He took out his rod and used it as a walking stick. The sun was beginning to set when he finally reached the summit of the path. Luckily it was a flat plateau with a cave towards his right. Before he went for the cave, he looked to his left as he watched the sun disappear into the horizon and night took over. He was one day closer to his goal.
Rune started early the next morning. For some reason he could not define, he was anxious to return to the Mansion. Maybe because of the dream he had last night.
Alys had appeared in his dream. She had scowled at him and said, "Hey Rune! It's not like you to be so sulky!" She then smiled at him. "You should stop thinking of the past and look forward to the future. Stop grieving and start living! Look at Chaz! He has found a new life with Rika and I'm proud of him! I'm happy to know that I have accomplished something in my short life, but saddened at the fact that you have not moved on. Saya was right you know. I am disappointed in you."
She had paused then as if she was listening to something. "My time is almost up," she explained to Rune. "I just want to tell you that a special someone is waiting at Esper Mansion." She then smirked and winked. "She's a special young lady so don't disappoint me! You know that I'll be keeping an eye on you since I reside within Elsydeon! Well, I'd better get going. Bye and good luck!" She had waved and faded away.
There was a light spring to Rune's steps as he walked down the remaining pathway. Just seeing Alys again brightened his mood for the day. But he did wonder about that 'special someone' that the Hunter had mentioned. Who was she? Was she someone he knew?
He stopped walking at that thought. The only female Esper he knew was Kyra Tierney. He then shook his head as he resumed his walking. "It couldn't be her," he muttered to himself. "She's just not my type. And besides, she called me insensitive. That shows there's not much love there."
Gray clouds began to break up as the sun began its ascent into the sky. Rune stopped at a point in the path that offered him a view of the land before him. He watched as the mist dissipated before him and the sun's first rays shone through. He looked on in awe as Esper Mansion slowly appeared through the mist.
When the mist was gone, there stood the Mansion in all its splendor. Snow glistened off its roof and the hanging icicles radiated many colors as the sun shone on them. The Mansion looked like it was surrounded by a forcefield by the way the icicles were shining.
Rune smiled softly as his hair and cape wavered in the wind. After five years of traveling, he was finally home.