A/N: Well it certainly has been a good while. For those wondering, there might be a good explanation for my undeclared hiatus. For those who care about me and my well-being, you may continue to read on in this author's note. If you do not care and want to just read the chapter, please skip the italicized and bold print to chapter twelve of Confessional! *clears throat* To begin, I have completed the Destined to Die arc and to be honest, I know it could have been much more than it ended up being. All I wanted was to close it and I pushed it out all too quickly. I am horrible at endings and I wanted to do something spectacular. At the same time I really wanted my frustration to end. So I valued my body and relieved myself of that stress. But this isn't about my other works right now.
Having completed chapter 12, it's easier to swing back into this one, and I supposed I just lacked that momentum for FFIX. But when I can insert a lot more conflict into this story, I am happy. But I'm still sad that FFIX flopped at the end. I'll do my best to not let this one fall in after it.
Personal lives are something I've learned quickly to omit from the outside world. But this isn't the outside world; this is the internet and I am comfortable writing to my readers about my well-being. I ran away from home in July of 2011 and I'm currently living with a friend and her family in Norman, Oklahoma. I've been working and going to school for I was accepted as a Psychology student at the University of Oklahoma. Last week I actually changed my major to Biochemistry and then realized that the field I've interest in would be better off played with a Chemistry major. I'm studying to become a toxicologist. I've had three different areas of work in the last two years. I've worked at Panda Express, Braum's and switched back to Panda Express again. Now I work at JoAnn fabrics as a sales clerk and I'm liking that the most. Having been involved with the Norman Medieval Fair as a Royal Court Cast member I've learned how to sew and put my artistic creativity to the test. I'm also doing cosplay commissions and I really want to work on a Lucian cosplay for myself and finding out how vertically challenged that would make me for his character. This summer I'm involved in a play hosted by the Arthurian Order of Avalon called 'The Tragic History of Doctor Faustus'. I've been cast as five of its characters: Lechery, Devil-Woman, Friar 2, Vintner's girl, and Helen of Troy. So I have a bit more work to get done. I am financially bound by several unavoidable obligations, but I'm figuring out how to solve them ASAP.
I am excited to continue this fanfiction and actually I am looking forward to a collaboration fanfiction for Radiata Stories with my friend and roommate yamijenny. I made her finish the game so we could write a fanfiction together. We often RP on paper and in voice, so hopefully this will be really fun. But I'll still work on Confessional at the same time.
Also! (a little personal side-note) I have a new all-time favorite band. Sonata Arctica. If you don't know of it, then that's okay. It took years of me listening to metal to finally hear of them. They are AWESOME. Tony Kakko—to me—is amazing. I love his voice and so do many other fans. My favorite song has to be "In The Dark". But…
Without further ado, here's chapter 12 of Confessional: The Demon in the Darkness!
Morphinn's Clinic quickly became unnaturally loud and a bit less empty from its normally deserted and hushed state. Rynka and Eon bickered loudly in the lobby while Kain assisted Morphinn with Flau's wounds.
"What kind of ally abandons their comrade in battle!? Septem Cave is the absolute worst place to leave anyone alone!" Eon chastised harshly.
"Actually, Eon, Borgandiazo was the absolute worst place. Flau can handle Septem just fine. Are you undermining her abilities as a bandit?" she argued calmly which contrasted greatly with Eon's rage.
"Of course not! Bandits are strong, but they are more effective in teams. But you shouldn't shovel her into abandonment like she's a knight! Hell, not even an honorable knight would do that!"
Rynka raised an eyebrow, hand on her hip. "What do you know about Flau anyway? All you are is a sad, lost puppy who follows her around like a sick stalker. You're nothing but a sicko! That's what you are, Eon! Flau wants nothin' to do with you! Your behavior creeps her out. If you love her 'oh-so-much', then leave her alone!" Rynka panted from yelling, her throat uncomfortably raw as she swallowed between breaths.
Eon stared down at the woman before him. Her arrogance sparked the anger and hate he held for humanity. Freedom was valued by their kind, but she was treating him like a child and abandoning friends. Bitterness spread over him like icy water and the dripping of acid on open wounds. "Despite what you think," he began, talking through clenched teeth, "it was a cruel thing to do to leave your ally alone in the wilderness. I will be reporting this to Void and may your head soon rest placidly on a metal pike for the betrayal of your allies."
"Thanks for your generous words," she smiled sarcastically. "And the implication that I 'abandoned' her."
"All elements of nature have turned against you," he hissed. "You will be hunted."
She pushed past him nonchalantly and marched to the door. "If I am to be hunted, then I shall do my best to put up a respectable fight."
Once she was gone, Eon turned and punched the nearby wall. It had been a while since he had been this angry. His fist shook as blood dripped from his torn knuckles. Still shaking, Eon left the reception and made his way up to the second floor. His shoes made a heavy thud noise with each step.
Kain was assisting Morphinn at Flau's side. "There shouldn't be any permanent scars. Right now I believe she just needs rest and lots of bandages," Morphinn chuckled.
"So there's no life threatening damage?" Eon asked with a raised eyebrow.
Morphinn turned to him with a frown. "Of course not."
"What about that gash she had across her chest?"
"Oh, that? It healed up very quickly. I noted some very powerful medicinal substances in her bloodstream. Probably administered before she even entered Septem Cave."
"Medicine? So she had been healing all this time?" he blinked several times, trying to wrap his head around the possibility.
Kain smiled. "It is wonderful to know that she was being watched over…" He closed his eyes and uttered a small prayer of thanks.
Eon rolled his eyes. This situation didn't sit well with him. As he looked down to Flau, he noted a silver glint over her head. It disappeared as soon as he saw it, but he continued to glare at the place like it would reach up and bite him.
"Why the scowl, Mr. Eon?" Kain asked as Morphinn left for the reception. He muttered something about a lot of medicines to make.
Eon snapped his attention almost brutally toward Kain. "Scowl? I ain't scowling… I'm simply watching her… and making sure a dirty priest like you can't touch her…"
"Why would I…" he gave a confused look and then sighed, shaking his head. Looking up to Eon with a smile, he said, "If you want her… I suggest you court her quickly. Pain only awaits her if she chooses me."
"Are you saying you feel nothing for her?" Eon grinned.
"No. I do love her… but I love her enough to see the consequences before they occur. I value her life as opposed to my own selfish desires. I've spent many years in training as a High Priest. I have a better capacity of holding back and keeping my childish behaviors from peeking through what's more important. In time, maybe you'll develop that too. But for now… you're young. If you showed her the proper respect, then it should not be difficult to win her hand," he nodded.
These words made little sense to Eon. "What? Win her hand? You mean marriage? Why would I marry anyone let alone a human?" This was not a concept Eon had been prepared to grasp. He really wanted Flau. He wanted her desperately. But as a companion or a pet… not as a wife… He didn't think long-term. Then again, was Flau the kind of girl to want something long term? What did Flau want? The more he thought about it, the more puzzled he appeared.
Kain simply laughed warmly. "Don't think too far ahead. If you do, you'll miss all the wonderful things that may come of this."
"All I want out of this is to show you how small you are, Priest," was his acidic answer.
Kain nodded with a smile. "Very well. Do you really wish to know how small I am, Eon? I am as small as a grain of sand in a vast desert, lucky enough to find a luminous diamond buried beneath the surface. I allowed the wind to take hold and carry me through the desert, dropping me here and there only to lift me up again and carry me away into my destiny. However, I allowed myself choices and decisions, choosing which wind would pick me up and where I wanted to drop. My path as a spokesman of the gods was partially my choice; more so my desire to serve Enjela. My love for her is as great as my love for the gods in which I have come to understand."
Eon closed his eyes and turned away. "I guess… you aren't such a hard-headed jackass." Though he could have done without the poetic lecture. But that was how Kain drew points home. Also, he made it clear that Kain's pride would not be affected if Eon pursued Flau. Was this an invitation? Did he want it this way? He no longer wanted to view Flau as a prize, but the battle was already won… "I won't allow you to shun your love for Flau. It's selfish and absolutely heartless."
Kain blinked several times and stepped back. "Selfish?"
"Yes. Selfish. You are selfish for neglecting your affections. If you neglect your feelings, it will only hurt her. She loves you Kain. She won't have me. Can't even stand my presence. There's no way she'll accept my feelings. But she wants you. She'll cross through fire and deep water for you. I'm even certain that for you she would even abandon her humanity." Eon gave her one last glance and sighed. "But it doesn't mean I will give up either. You better not just give her to me. If you do that I won't ever forgive you…" He stepped out of the room and down the stairs, leaving back toward home. There were things to be done and people to hunt.
Kain walked past Flau's cot and stared out at the sky, wondering what to do about this mess. He contemplated his own feelings, as Eon had subtly requested. Thinking over those moments, he felt an ache billow and grow at the thought of severing those emotions. As much as he desired to keep those feelings he felt were most important, it seemed a struggle to follow through with them. He would certainly be stripped of his status or even hang at a scaffold. That was definitely something he couldn't let her live with…
He looked back to her, observing her slightly flushed face and those fluttery eyelashes. Her perfectly curved lips and the soft, hushed breaths she took from her chest rising and falling peacefully. As he watched, he subconsciously approached. Kneeling to her level, he trailed his fingers over her lips, feeling their soft plumpness beneath them. His fingers trailed lightly over her cheek, smiling at the softness. He drew nearer and only glanced up to see if anyone was coming up the stairs. Though the touch to her lips was brief, he savored it as lengthily as he could. He pulled away slowly and froze. He could swear that her eyes twitched for a moment. Holding his breath, he stayed where he was. It was a fear and an excitement to see if she would awaken. How would he explain this suddenness were she to look up at him with her defiant, yet lustrous gaze? It seemed forever ago that he told her to pursue someone else, but here he was committing hypocrisy. This had to be their last private meeting. No longer would he meet her in their secret rendezvous even if it were behind grated metal windows. For if he continued, his longing would grow steadily. It was time for goodbyes. All the chaos he had started was because of his unbridled feelings.
Turning his gaze from her, he stood, avoided her completely, longing for one last glance. But he knew if he obtained that last glance, he would want her still more than that, craving a second and a third. There was too much at stake to allow his feelings to push through. He left the clinic hastily, heading back to the Olacion Order chapel.
Silence stirred Flau from her rest. There had been so much comfortable commotion that the hushed room made her edgy. Looking about the room lethargically, she tried to sit up, only to realize how much it actually hurt to move. Who had been here? All the voices had been jumbled into a makeshift lullaby for her sleep ease. Her head hurt tremendously, but somehow she didn't mind it too much. There was soft warmth reverberating within her. Probably just medicine, she thought.
Though she wondered when she was brought into the clinic. Someone had obviously found her in Septem Cave. How they knew where she was escaped her logic for as far as she knew, she was lost in a labyrinthine path that led practically nowhere.
~Confessional~
Eon entered the Vampire Club looking quite anxious since his exit from Morphinn's Clinic. As of now, he rested in the mindset of a vexatious Smilodon. Rynka's head on a shiny platter would settle his deadly thoughts; he knew exactly whom to ask for such a deal.
After nodding to Servia, he turned and walked up the stairs to the 'VIP' room. Nocturne was draped lazily over the couch like a sloth. He looked up at Eon when the boy peered around the corner from the stairs. The room reeked of booze and sweat. Eon did not want to think about what Nocturne had probably been doing for the past few days.
Nocturne looked up at Eon, his goatee almost hiding his smile completely. "Eon, my boy!" he shouted, standing and holding his sword pointed against him.
With wide eyes Eon backed away. "B-boss…?" he stammered.
"Do you actually have a purpose in disappearing for days and not checking in?" he growled.
Eon couldn't tell him that he'd been chasing a love interest. Clearing his throat, he said, "I was hunting traitors."
He raised an eyebrow. "Your story greatly lacks evidence. Everyone is here and accounted for."
Eon glared. "Rynka is not."
"Why are you concerned about her? She's not worth anyone's trouble." Nocturne turned away from him and sheathed his sword.
"She's still a member of Void and we have rules here in the guild, correct?" he pressed, advancing toward Nocturne while he was turned away.
"Not a step closer behind me, Eon," Nocturne warned. Eon stopped his advance. It seemed that Nocturne still did not trust anyone at his back. With a sigh, he confirmed, "Yes, we do have rules, or rather pacts in Void Community." He wasn't sure he liked where Eon was going with this. Targeting another Void member usually brought about civil conflict and much unnecessary bloodshed. Nocturne was not sure if he was really ready for such a conflict as of yet. Perhaps when he wasn't feeling so bitter about how many losses were made on behalf of one Jack Russell and his decision to turn against humanity. One young man had cost Void many great assassins. Even ones unbeknownst to most of its members. Trusting the catalyst of guild separation to Eon was like trusting a child with the knowledge of how to kill Nyx. He did not like this. Eon was too immature to make such a decision about inner-working assassinations.
"Rynka led Flau to Septem Cave. Once the two were deep in the labyrinthine tunnels, Rynka abandoned Flau, leaving her for dead," he emphasized. This bit was too delectable for him to edit or leave out. He watched, waiting for Nocturne's cool-collectiveness to bristle.
His muscles tensed and he picked up a bottle of wine from the table, gripping it hard until his knuckles were white. Beneath them, the glass had started to give way into a groaning screech. In a swift motion, he plunged it into the wall, sending shards and red splatters across the room.
Abandonment. Betrayal. There wasn't a person alive, human or non-human that he couldn't tolerate it from. Such decisions were far worse than death and deserved such a punishment. His voice shook as badly as his bloody hand. "Have the bounty placed on Rynka's head. Lay it next to that despicable Priest's!" he spat, turning and almost smacking Eon across the face; he barely had time to get out of range.
Still in his shock, Eon was grinning from ear to ear. This was all too easy; too perfect. Rynka would die, thus leaving his beautiful blossom flower open and unguarded for him to pluck away. "How much should she be worth?" he asked.
"Forty-thousand Dagols if dead. One-hundred thousand if she's alive," he stated.
"With that much on her head, her own son will bring her in," he laughed.
Nocturne smiled. "If only." He wrote out the bounty order and handed the order to Eon whom pocketed it in one of his ninja pockets.
The ninja turned and left, deciding he wanted a well-earned night's rest after placing the price on Rynka. Servia was skeptical of him when he re-entered the bar and passed without a word. He would visit Ortoroz, deliver the order and head home. Simple. Grinning to himself, he entered the Void Community Office and observed Garbella and Ortoroz talking amongst themselves. He slinked off in the corner and relaxed for a moment. That was until he was pulled down by the scruff of his neck and dragged out of the room altogether.
He heard a familiar yell as the back of his head hit the wall with excessive force. "Ah!" he grunted, wincing and then opening one eye to look at his captor.
Two skeptical catlike eyes stared down at him. "What were you doing in there?" came an accusatory question quickly from Elmo's lips. "Well?" He toyed with a dagger beside his brother's head.
"You're joking…" Sarcasm coated Eon's reaction like honey over words. Rolling his eyes, he looked away, shaking his head in disappointment. He moved to stand, only to have the dagger redirected at his neck.
"Answer the question. You're not supposed to be in there when Ortoroz and Miss Garbella are alone together," he grinned through his distaste, almost drinking in the fact that he could punish his elder brother for a misdeed.
Eon lowered his head and let out a warm chuckle. "Huh?" Elmo expressed, lessening his grip on the knife for a moment and trying to peer down to see what his brother was doing. Half a second later, he was pinned to the floor, arms outstretched beneath the claw like hands of Eon. The dagger skidded to the edge of the hallway, landing against the statue that held the switch to Nyx's room. "Ow!" Elmo cried, trying to wriggle out of Eon's grip. The movement only caused Eon to clench harder as he let out a low cat-like snarl.
Immediately Elmo quieted and stared up with wide eyes. His pupils dilated slightly with fear and he peered up into Eon's pupils which ate away at the irises in animalistic shock. His breaths came heavily and hastened. But as he observed his behavior, the grip on Elmo's arms lessened and his breathing slowed. Closing his eyes, he pulled his hands away to clutch his head. "Arrgh…" Pain surged through his body and then suddenly stopped, leaving him exhausted.
Meanwhile, Elmo had gotten away and was leaning against the wall pale as a sheet. "W-whoa…" he breathed. "W-what's the matter with you?"
Eon ignored the question and instead pulled his face mask down to wipe the condensation from his breaths. His mouth had even started to water from a suppressed hunger. This beautiful hunger which devoured his common sense and ate away at his humanity; something he deeply wanted to shed. He breathed deep the rushing of blood and sharpening of senses, longing for it to linger and give him sweet kisses of a life he longed to live. Thriving with those of nocturnal descent. But it was not the time for that. He had a job to complete. Looking to Elmo between his parted fingers, he held out the order. "To Ortoroz…"
Elmo crawled over shakily and snatched the order from Eon. He attempted to open it and then stopped at the growl emitting from his brother. "Okay, fine…" he grumbled. With a light knock on the door, he slid into the Office and disappeared.
In the midst of his mental breakdown, Eon reconsidered his agenda. Perhaps he needed to roam the night. But if he made an encounter with a certain bandit, he was unsure about what would happen to her at the mercy of his hands. Would her blood paint his pale white flesh? Or would she be crying in ways he could only mercifully imagine…? Oh how the possibilities stretched, just as his control started to. Around him the walls seemed to extend higher and then suddenly shrink, but at a slowness of molasses. He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against the eyelids.
Think, Eon, focus, he willed. But the more he tried to think and focus, the harder it seemed to accomplish that simple task. His mind drifted in a haze between morality and desire. Morality of life, desire for death. Morality of restraint, desire for chaos. The conflict within built and layered one atop the other. Something proving impossible to disperse.
Colors blurred. Even space and time evaded his perceptions. Minutes felt like seconds and the pulsing of blood reached his ears, blocking his feather light footfalls. His opened senses were clogged with the neglected noises of his savage desires. All he knew was to keep moving. Forward, left, right, under, over. Even perceptions of distance were unmatched by any known scale. Walking… running… maybe jumping, he was headed somewhere. Somewhere his senses knew to go.
When he finally woke from his trance of desire, he stood in a deep wood, darkness encroaching every edge surrounding him. He lay crouched over something… someone… And dread filled his entirety as he recognized the human-esque shape of a body beneath his own. He pulled away, for he had been laying against the creature's ear, pressing his body heavily into this lifeless being.
His eyes dilated in the darkness as he captured glints of moonlight through the trees, allowing his vision to pick up sight and color. A woman… young and with crisp, blonde hair that fell to her shoulders. Though it seemed like she was sleeping, she lay peacefully with blood dribbling out of her mouth and streaming down her cheeks. His grip around the fatal dagger lessened. His mind numbed with questions. Why had he killed? Who was this girl? Why her? She was so young; not much older than fourteen.
Trembling hands brushed her pale white face, smearing crimson liquid across her nose and mouth. He felt no sentiment toward humanity, but this had no visible explanation… Frustration boiled within him. Control had slipped through the safeguard of his mind at the cost of an innocent life.
Laughter filled the small grove from behind him. Without hesitating, Eon pulled the dagger from the lifeless body before him and turned on his heel, ready to hush that insidious chuckle. Instead, he came face to face with a giant of a man whom stood at least twice as tall as he was. Red hair stood up in thick spokes about the man's head and his eyes were a powerful, piercing orange. He was clothed in what looked like a tribal robe. "Well, well… What's this?" the giant asked in a heavy accent, pushing past Eon and searching about the grove. He stopped and sniffed the air, approaching the dead girl and then suddenly stopping. "Poor lass," he sighed, clicking his tongue. "Humans are so fragile…" He shook his head and sighed. "Aphelion tried to prevent this… looks like he misunderstood the fact that humans are the killers of their own kind…"
Eon glared up at him. "I… I don't even remember doing this!" he yelled, gripping his head. Nothing was recollecting in his memory. He had the scarcest idea where he even was.
"Do ye? What are ye, lad?" he tilted his head to the side.
"I'm a… human…" he muttered, feeling slightly ill. Humans had little concern for nature. It felt uncomfortable fitting himself into that mold. "I… I don't like it… It's very sickening. I don't… I don't want to be human…"
The man looked to him with a frown. The role of the humans had changed. Humans were no longer governed by dragons. "There's no changin' your fate, lad… but I don't see the problem. You're not human to begin with…"
"What do you mean?" he looked hopeful… but scared.
The man smiled. "A distant race… I do smell human blood within you… but the other part is from a distant land. Why, you're a half-demon, lad!" he exclaimed.
"Half-demon?" he blinked, "I'm a…" and then trailed off. "Just… who do you think you are to tell me what I am and what I'm not?" he pointed the dagger at him again. It still dripped with blood.
The large man placed a hand on his head. "Calm yourself. Me name's Parsec. And you are?"
Eon almost opened his mouth and then shut it, glancing back at his last victim. He was certain she was from a nearby village. "According to you… I'm just a demon!" Digging his feet into the ground, he catapulted himself beyond the man, jumping through the trees just to get away from his sin.
Parsec frowned after him and then approached the girl. "Poor, poor lass…" he sighed, kneeling down and scooping her up. "Perhaps Lord Zane feels like being generous…" He thought about it for a moment. "Perhaps not…" he said, following up with a cackle as he walked off. He could at least tell the family of the girl. Turning, he started out of the grove and only stopped when he heard a rustling of leaves. "Huh?" Looking around, he noted that the undergrowth had been disturbed. Someone had been listening.
"I didn't expect… someone like you to show sentimentality toward humans, Parsec… I suppose things like this only happen over time," came a cool, smooth voice that Parsec knew all too well.
Parsec huffed, furrowing his eyebrows. "An' what wonderful timing you have. I was waitin' to see when you'd finally awaken… took ya long enough… not that I'm pleased to see ya…" he closed his eyes, the grip on the dead girl tightening.
The man stepped into the moonlight bristling through the trees. Long, black hair cascaded down his back moving freely without a ribbon in it. He looked tired and paler than usual. He wore a pair of black trousers and a white tunic. White boots covered his feet. "It was a long while of swimming through the abyss of darkness and stream of souls… but yes, I have awoken…" This explained the fatigue.
"Still keeping up that poor advisor's façade? Don't ya think Mr. Hewitt has had enough, Aphelion? It's unkind to use the same man for your selfish devices…"
Lord Lucian approached a little closer. "Ah, but you see… I've spent so long in this human that I've incorporated pieces of him within me… I suppose you could say the two of us are essentially one…"
"Hmph… if that's how the twin dragons operate…"
"If you question how the vessels work, then you clearly do not understand the complexity of our origins… Yes, I am Lucian Hewitt, but I am also Aphelion. And before I was Lucian Hewitt, I was my previous vessel. Through my vessels, I feel and see… If you had the chance to spend time with Ridley Silverlake, then you would better understand the nature of the twin dragons. But you, unlike me, met Ridley after her transpiritation."
"So ye proclaim through one generation that ye are the wisest of them all, eh?"
He shook his head. "Not at all. But my intention was not to speak with you… I have a promise to keep…" Lucian attempted to walk past him and then paused, meeting the glare of the fire dragon. "What is it?"
As he looked up, he received a resounding blow to his cheek. Stumbling back, Lucian cupped his cheek, a look of shock adorning his face. "I feel that ye deserved that…" Parsec said joyfully. "Humans are not under your guardianship anymore, 'Lucian'. So maybe it's time for you to simply find another job…"
Lucian stared at him for a moment in confusion and then he smiled. "Maybe you're right… is there an unemployment department for dragons?"
Parsec did not laugh at the joke and waited until Lucian left the grove before he continued to the nearby village the girl came from.