Fantasia

Arc2: The Quest

Chapter6: The prince VS the Shepherd

It was a peaceful night at the royal Clavian palace, but to be interrupted by the vengeful Tsukiname who's seeking an unexplained vengeance from Prince Artemiciano, was unexpected… the raging woman released her wrath on the calm prince.

At this moment a second felt like an hour, as Cecilia tried to catch her fiancée, and Dean tried to hold the wild imp, the prince and in all confidence raised his palm toward the beast saying: "Fall."

And magically Tsukiname's body got pinned to the ground making a large crater, she tried to push herself up but alas, she felt like the ground is holding her tight and the only thing she could do is to listen to Artemiciano's words:

"What a pity! Why didn't you use magic? Aren't you a shadow imp?" he asked with a sarcastic tone.

That's right! Magic! This what flashed in Tsukiname's mind as she started to regain some consciousness, she didn't spare a moment, and went through the floor in her shroud of shadows, and quickly she started slithering on the floor, ceiling, and walls with immense speed that most of the present people there couldn't even see, drawing fear in their hearts driving them to run away like a mad flock of cows to collide with the guards who were about to enter the room.

In this chaos only Tsukiname, Artemiciano, Cecilia, and Dean were attentive, whereas the latter was tilting his head trying to follow the movement of the woman they confronted earlier, with his head creating series of troubling feelings; amazement, fear, excitement, and curiosity witnessing the fearsome battle that's about to occur, as he knew that if he stepped one step between the two fighters… his next companion will be Death!.

On the other hand Cecilia was lost, what's wrong with this night? Why is Tsukiname here? And why does her lover seems to know her? Why is she like this? And since when Artemiciano knows magic? A really powerful genre of magic? NO! Since when her soft poetic lover fights? And what happened to Juan? Yes that kind timid young man who was watching over the injured imp! Did she kill him? Is he…Dead?!

At the same time Juan forgot about his plan to break in the castle, for the imp already sneaked in, upon hearing her loud howl, the guard ordered others to go check on the princess, Juan used this moment to sneak in as well, but the guard pulled his arm tightly scolding him.

Juan felt that he'll be sorry if he didn't save his friends, his hand moved on its own and smashed the guard ferociously to the wall, the surprise caught his mind for a moment seeing his skinny arm turning into a threatening muscular limb, but this is no time to observe and analyze, Cecilia! She's in danger because the targeted one is her fiancée, and any wrathful person won't tell a friend from a foe and in any moment he's ready to kill for his vengeance!

He ran along the halls, he didn't bother asking for directions, he just followed the battle sounds, he saw Marceline who was facing toward him, yet he didn't had time even to ask "Why aren't you with the princess?", the woman just stood idly with sorrow and cold darkness in her eyes saying: "I knew something like this would happen!" yet she didn't move she just stood stunned…"To hell with her!" is what Juan was thinking when he left her behind.

This worry pushed him to run faster, he wasn't that good runner, he used to get tired after few sprints, but now he doesn't even feel his feet, he sure read before that people get faster when they are afraid but!…This is no time to think of this thing! He saw a large door with crowd of people fleeing and guards trying to enter: "This is it!" He told himself, before he did an acrobatic swift jump; he never even wished that he could do.

However, before he landed he felt it!...a threatening feeling, something you might only feel when you are about to be stabbed from the back…but that was for a moment hence now he's in the room.

His eyes first fell on the princess, she was alright! Thank God for that! But what's wrong? Her eyes were widely open, whereas her face was glowing, tears? Yes! They were tears! What's going on here?

He quickly shifted his eyes toward the knight, he saw that expression on the face of his, are those tears too? What the…? His hands, his hip, and his knees were shaking! He's scared! Yes that's fear! Juan could've told because this feeling had accompanied his heart recently.

But then he remembered to look the way his friends where looking at but that was the surprise:

"Impossible!" he murmured…Tsukiname is defeated before his very eyes! He saw the prince, he never knew him before, but he knew that was the prince, holding her skinny childish body from the neck with one hand.

He only suffered from a simple cut under the mole under his left eye, while the poor imp, her blood was everywhere dropping mainly from her waist, the cut isn't completely healed! Tsukiname was reckless, and now her blood is tainting the area.

It was like he described earlier "Darker than a cauldron's soot", droplets of black color were soaking the red carpet under Artemiciano's feet, one would say that it's ink…yes it was ink! The ink that wrote the words of her defeat.

"Ah! If you were in your full power and your full mind…it'd be more fun." The cruel victor claimed showing the cold side of his soul that Cecilia never thought he had.

Fun! This mercilessness has nothing related with fun! Despite he now thought of it clearly; maybe Tsukiname is a criminal, and wasn't vengeance what she wanted but only a dirty crime, but this!

He didn't care whether the prince or the imp had right, but this monstrosity! This brutality! No reason on this living land is enough to explain it! Juan's mind was in deep anarchy! He moved his eyes to see if Dean and the princess made a move, he was about to ask: "Why didn't you stop it!" but let's not speak about the woman whose cheeks were flowing with glowing tears, but what about Dean!? It's true that he only met him few hours ago, but to see a man like him shake in fear made him forgive them, after all, this is what probably be Juan's response to such situation.

"Anyway I cannot let you live, for that I've prepared a quick merciful death" the prince added preparing a light spell with his free hand.

Juan realized that he wants to burn her using a sunlight magic, so he lifted his hand, and in a mere flicker he extended it to hit Artemiciano's chin separating him from the wounded girl and sending him to the other side of the room.

This woke Dean and Cecilia up from their surprise to another one, they were looking at Juan who ran toward the injured imp, he carried her gently crying over her, his tears touched her half-opened eye, and slid to her dried lips, she tasted them and looked at him, she smirked: "Inari…are you there?" she asked, as she tried to touch his face with her blood covered hand but he put it down.

He didn't know who Inari is, he didn't even spend that much time to feel such close to her, but he shred the lower part of his shirt, and banded her waist gently, he knew nothing of medication, he feared even to peel a half cured cut.

But something chased away that silly fear of blood from his troubled mind; it was a mere act of humanity.

Then he walked toward Cecilia and gave her the poor midget: "Take care of her, okay?" he asked the princess with a face soaked in tears, in addition he covered Tsukiname's face with the straw hat he and Dean bought for her, then he faced the prince who stood up wiping his mouth.

"Stop!" was what Dean about to say but what he saw from the prince earlier prevented him, he knew that Juan is one step away from being dead, yet he couldn't help him, he was supposed to be a knight, but is his fear that tall to cover his honor with shades? He just couldn't take it, he had to do something, he wanted to charge but Cecilia pulled his arm, and told him to follow her.

The two started running, Artemiciano wanted to catch them, but Juan's elastic arm collided with the wall like he was boasting: "Here I am!"

"Very well, I don't know who you are, or what do you want but…" the prince said while raising his arm making dishes, utensils, and different pottery hover, and with a flick from his index, they attacked Juan from almost every direction.

This was the moment were Juan retrieved his mental balance, but alas! this state is what makes Juan usually fearful and tense, he waved his arm that seemed boneless like a tentacle, and with one swipe he managed to block some those flying projectiles.

At this very moment he was impressed: "That's right! This is my power! I can finally feel like I'm controlling it!" was what he told himself, and this was what planted a seed of courage and self-confidence in his heart.

He started waving his arms chaotically; he didn't care to follow any pattern since the method seemed effective, on the other hand, the prince seemed so bored, so he wanted to finish this fight quickly, he pressed the ground under him with a powerful punch, making the floor tremble and pulses of waving earth were attacking his target.

Juan jumped high to avoid the moving wall of earth, but this was a really bad decision, because the prince jumped as well, and with a swift move he sent shards of glass toward the shepherd, they were so fast that before Juan's shoulder moved to protect his owner, a piece hit him! And another! And before he knew, his whole chest was dressed in glowing red tainted glass mosaic, but it didn't stop here, for the prince finished his raid with an air wave that sent the shepherd pinned to the floor.

"Ah…this stills no fun!" Artemiciano said pitying his foe who was sliding slowly from the wall leaving a thick line of blood behind him.

"Is this how I end? This is my final? Am I dead?…and this is my blood, so warm…This means I'm still alive, I can feel it, my heart is still pounding, but who cares, I lost…I'll be dead soon…I am sorry, Roné, Demeteri, Zolu, Father, Mother, Old man, everyone…I failed you, I really am pathe…tic…" were Juan's thoughts, which he didn't really know neither care if the prince could hear them.

Yes a horrible silence reigned at that moment, the prince just wiped his hands, and walked by the defeated young man, he broke a tear for him, in a so unexplained way, was it pity? No one could tell at that time.

However, somewhere in that dreary palace, someone cried for Juan, wishing him to live more, a silent elegy, his requiem was played by whom? Tears of a ghost maybe? Or is it present among the livings…

But what was for sure is that this "elegy" provoked the flow of events to take an unrespectable turn, before the prince steps outside the guest room, he noticed that something has changed about Juan, and for the sake of his life he jumped to reach the other door, but he somehow wanted to see what'll happen, he turned his head quickly to see...

It's the unexpected, Juan, the one who was about to cross the rift of life and death to the other side, is standing on two feet, no that was no Juan, because this menace took the form of a raging beast, he had claws for hands, talons for feet, his hair had grown considerably, and the more important, his body got covered with flaming hair, no! They were feathers, and as if this body wasn't enough the scary monster was covered in a fiery shroud.

"This is the gate of the fire bird! This kid, could he be?!" the prince described the situation before Juan charges at him, but his agility saved him and let the mad monster destroy the wall behind them.

For this the prince took a deep breath, and his facial expression turned serious, he took off his shirt, and set his hands with a thick aura of magic readying for the real battle!

To be continued