Chapter 73
"I can tell by your tears that you will remember it all"
Megali
This chapter will officially end the 1st half of the story. More of this news can be read below, just like always. The poem Drifter's Melody belongs to Megan R. Bokowski. And I only own this story, not Ragnarok Online Game. Whoever dares to copy this story without me knowing and/or accuses me of anything wrong regarding the game and this story, Elraven will come for you. He will take off his purple glasses and show you how transcendental he really is….wait, that part supposed to come out later. Great, now I've spoiled something for the 2nd half of the story…
Tears from the heavens bore death like cannonballs ignited under the misery of hate. Like meteors sentenced to the fate of the world, these burning embers fell—fist-sized, amorphic masses of light ripping through plane. They poured through the hull and people alike with effortless elegance, spewing portions of things into a cataclysmic collage of mingling elements.
Beelzephir The Chaos is having an evaluation meeting with his usual companions, Albert Gahn (Satan Morroc), Ifrit, Great Demon Baphomet, and Thanatos Phantom. They are all facing the high wizard, quietly standing.
"Let's start by congratulating ourselves for the success of this war" The white high wizard opens the meeting, "In the last three months, Sagramore have cost us Lethe Guild, Leonid, and Kathryne. Today, they cost us Elysion guild although the leader is pretty much alive. It's a good news we won today's war, but I must remind you that we defeated 60,000 of their soldiers after losing a guild and by the combined efforts of two guild leaders, Thanatos and Gahn, and also one of The Tertium leaders, Sieger. And yet with the help of the gunslingers, four of them survived. We didn't defeat all of them. What does that tell you? What does that tell you?"
"THAT TELLS US TO BE MORE CAUTIOUS IN THE FUTURE OCCASION, BECAUSE WE FAILED TO COMPLETELY WON TODAY'S WAR" Great Demon Baphomet answers, representing his allies, "I BELIEVE YOUR POINT IS TO BE AWARE OF THE THREAT OF REBELLION GROUPS OTHER THAN SAGRAMORE POSSESS, BECAUSE THERE'S A POSSIBILITY OF SAGRAMORE ASKING FOR THEIR COOPERATION AFTER TODAYS' WAR".
"Right on, Baphomet" The void user rights the demon's deduction, "Just like what he said, Sagramore's success of defeating our two guilds and two of our Quarter Kings might trigger the other rebellion groups from the whole world to act against us. Among those groups, I envisioned four of the biggest rebellion groups other than Sagramore as our possible threat. The first is Arbalest, a rebellion group of skillful snipers armed by ballista bows, led by a young man said to be the world's finest sniper, The Black Falcon, Marcus Vidar. The second is Kurogane, a group of katana wielders lord knights, led by The New Queen of Amatsu Kingdom, Fujiwara Hikari, The Moon Princess. The third group is a group of Assassin Guild survivors from Morroc. I don't know about their name or their leader, though. And the last but not the least, a rebellion group which is also regarded by their people as the strongest rebellion group on earth, Millennium. I've heard that their power match even The Military of Einbroch. They use many unknown jobs as their source of fighting our soldiers. We pretty much conquered the middle continent on earth. Juno, using its Military of Einbroch, rules the north continent of this world. Sagramore, Arbalest, and Kurogane rule their own territories of this world south continent. But Millennium, which is only a single rebellion group, rules the whole west continent of this world. I daresay perhaps they are the biggest threat for us. They are stronger than Sagramore and any other rebellion groups. And as far as I know, they are led by three young warriors known as The Triumvirate. Imagine if Sagramore could ask these four groups to unite against us, our task for a better world would be harder than it already has".
"NOT IF WE CAN HELP IT" Ifrit quickly responds, "WORMS ARE STILL WORMS NO MATTER WHAT. THEY ARE WEAK, WHEN THEY UNITE, THEY NOT ONLY UNITING THEIR POWERS BUT ALSO THEIR WEAKNESS. AND WORMS' BIGGEST WEAKNESS IS THEIR VULNERABILITY. THEY ARE FRAGILE, BY SENDING EITHER EREBUS GUILD OR STYX GUILD, OR EVEN BOTH, TO FACE THEM, JUST LIKE WE DID AGAINST PRONTERA FIVE YEARS AGO, THE REBELLION GROUPS ARE NOTHING AGAINST US. EVEN THE GREAT PRONTERA KINGDOM WAS NOTHING AGAINST US"
"It's true, Ifrit. But these groups, no matter how weak they are, would be much more dangerous than Prontera Kingdom" Beelzephir reminds the fire creature and continues, "All and all, let's not forget we are only a year away from the promised day...the promised day for our heaven. It is about time we finally embrace our dream. That's why; we cannot let anything stop us...not now".
"Our utopia" Gahn says with smile. His companions seem to like the topic of this discussion too, "So, our 'True Lord' has spoken? Does that mean we can stop this kingdom plaything?".
"True. There's no need of the formality of calling me 'Lord' anymore in front our underlings. . I will let The Tertium and The Pythons to do the war for us for the next one year, excluding Naght Sieger. He spared Alexandria and that was against my deal with him. So, I think I will send Beelzebub to Endless Tower to take care of this matter directly; this is also the chance for Beelzebub to prove his worth, in the meantime we can wait to seize our own chances against our enemies" Beelzephir answers with smile.
"OUR SACRIFICES, BEELZEPHIR. OUR SACRIFICES" Ifrit rights him, he would smile had he possesses some facial figure.
"Oh, sacrifices indeed…" Beelzephir smirks as he creates a warp portal and enters it, followed by his four companions.
These vessels of execution uttered strange calls as they voyaged between the lives of those who would live no longer. Their unidentifiable forms billowed chime-like twinkles of melody mixed with discord. It was the baroque sound of demise.
Several minutes after the grand rescue...
Pegasus is a military airship consists of four stories. Quite different from normal traveling airships, Pegasus is made of combined metals to build its structures and armed by dozens of military weapons all over the ship, inside and outside. Four giant cannons on both its wings and several long railed heavy rifles on its bottom complete its function as a battle airship. The dock is on the third floor alongside the engine room, the pilot room is on the fourth. The second floor is used to provide medical facilities, conference room, and the first floor is for hangar, and living, with around 20 bed rooms for the soldiers, and weaponry. Currently, Pegasus is hovering because the next destination isn't set yet.
Emilio, by the order of Gen Ed, escorts Fiorentin and Felicia to one of the bed rooms in the first floor. Both Sagramore and Ropera really have much to say, but Gen Ed decided it would be proper for both sides to recuperate for the rest of the evening. The meeting between them is postponed until tonight. Emilio opened one of the rooms and allow the two girls to come inside. "The others will have the unused rooms on your right and on your left. The bed is quite large, fit for two. So, you two can sleep together here" Emilio turned the lights on and shows the girls their room, "The shower room is beside the bed and there's a TV if you want to watch something. I'll escort you to the meeting room tonight".
Fiorentin: "What's a TV?"
Felicia: "What's a shower?"
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot they come from a different world" Emilio remembers and answers, "We don't have bath tubs in here, so if you wish to take a bath, you can use this 'shower' by turning the valve to left for hot water and right for cold water. The water will spray you from above. And TV is…an electronic box that shows us news and entertainments. And there's an air conditioner too if you want to…make this room a bit cooler, the switch is right behind the TV over there".
Fiorentin: "Oh, so many differences with a usual room in Rune Midgard. You have to remember that much just for one room? It's so hard with these…what do you call it…technologies isn't it? Even the technologies itself is hard to spell"
Felicia: "This is the only time I think a gunslinger finally looks smarter than us"
"Thank for the compli…hey, wait a minute! What does that suppose to mean?" Ropera's captain protests much to the joy of the other two girls.
"Come on, it was a joke" The paladin slightly apologizes, "So you will get us tonight, right?"
"Me or Elraven. And there are some formal clothes in the drawers for tonight so you two can put good dresses, both of you" Elraven points the blood soaked attires of the swordsman class trans, "You two are so full of blood. Especially you, princess, your lord knight uniform has turned red. Now, I shall excuse myself"
Elraven leaves the two girls alone by themselves. "OK, since he isn't here anymore….would you mind telling me how exactly the war ended back there, Felicia?" The lord knight turns serious.
"Well…although I think you won't like it…here it goes…" The paladin slowly replies and begins the story….
Meanwhile, in front of the meeting room, Ropera Squad and Gen Ed have assembled…
"The mission was quite a success. You saved as much people as possible, maybe not less than eight people, but…the situation didn't let us save more than that. Well, I cannot say anything other than…good job, soldiers. Let's give yourselves a round applause" Gen Ed applauses follow by the whole squad.
"Oh, I almost forgot. We still need to find out who won the Ropera Bet" Emilio seems so spirited to know and speaks. Right after he speaks, a young female gunslinger on her mid-twenties, with a round glassed and short brunette hair comes out from the meeting room bringing a white paper on her right hand. "Oh, that's Patricia. She must have finished counting our numbers" Ty mutters with a sly smile, knowing that if he wins the bet and one of the girls is on the bottom of the table, he will have both girls tonight. Sasha and Martina angrily look at him, hoping anyone to win but The Gray Seraph.
"OK, pay attention soldiers" Patricia announces with a serious tone, "The winner of today's Ropera Bet after being recorded from Pegasus live is…"
The entire gunslingers stay silent, even Gen Ed wants to know who the winner is.
"Congratulation… Senor Emilio" Patricia finishes.
"Yeaaaaah! I won! I won!" Emilio jumps and expresses his happiness as he quickly celebrates it with Clyde and Hugo, much to Elraven and Ty's dismay (of course Sasha and Martina are glad).
."Senor Emilio won the first place with 503 victims. Vice Captain Sinclair is the runner up with 501 victims. Ty is third with 496 victims. Martina is fourth with 437 victims. Sasha is the fifth with 412 victims. Clyde is the sixth with 381 victims. The last is Hugo with 367 victims. That's all" Patricia finishes and heads to the pilot room.
"There's gotta be a mistake! He could not have won!" Elraven wails.
"Elraven, don't be a sore loser, buddy." Emiliop pats Elraven's back and turns his attention. "I think we have agreed that the winner can choose one member to grant the winner's wish" Emilio smirks and reminds.
"And…who will you…choose?" Elraven trembles asking it. Emilio stares at him victoriously like a tiger eyeing a helpless deer.
"You buddy" The answer from Emilio turns everyone's attention to the two best friends. "You cost me half a million zenny when you did your girlfriend several times" Emilio calculates, "And you also cost me another half when you and your fellow Sagramore friends failed to actually defeat Valdomir soldiers and forced my father to help us…so…you owe me one million zenny, Elraven! My wish is, give me one golden coin right now! You will have to make up for your sin! Wahahahaha!"
Elraven dropped his jaw and forced himself to pick one golden coin from his wallet, admitting his defeat as Emilio gladly takes it (Elraven's jaw is still dropped and Emilio is still laughing devilishly). The others could only wish the best of luck for Elraven in the future.
But when everyone sight Alphard, unsheathing his Tegron after watching sternly over them, standing in the corner of the corridor, everyone knows Elraven have something to deal with first. "This will be a long talk, huh?" Emilio says seeing Elraven preparing his Tristan and Lancelot, "This ship is made of high quality materials, especially this floor, but don't damage it too much. We don't want the meeting for tonight to be cancelled, right? And have a nice 'conversation' with that guy, El"
"Thank you" Elraven replies as his comrades start leaving the floor, allowing him and the lord knight to have the 'conversation' as long as they wanted.
"You act pretty tough, huh?" Alphard plays his sword, "Just for you to know, I taught one of your underlings a lesson not too long ago. So here's the deal, fight me. I won't tell anyone or exaggerate the result of this fight. And this won't affect tonight's meeting, what do you say?"
"Fine!"
Back to the ship...
"I see…so that's what happened" Fiorentin couldn't help but expressing her disappointment about the war, "We lost, huh? I couldn't believe only four of us survive. Five if you count Fenrir as George. But even Olivia…"
"Please don't worry, Olivia is still alive! I can tell that much!"
"But we lost because I left the battlefield to fought Naght Sieger and left the soldiers alone, right?" An undeniable fact stonily spoken by Fiorentin, whom almost choked herself saying it, "I was so careless to do so! Had I stay with all of you maybe we didn't have to…"
"Stop it! That's enough! Don't say anything anymore!" Felicia shouts to the younger girl with anger, telling her to discontinue speaking her guilt. "Look at me, Fio! Look at me!" Felicia forcefully locked her eyes with the lord knight's; she can clearly see Fiorentin is feeling that today's defeat is her responsibility.
"But..." Fiorentin doesn't show any signs of stop blaming herself, "I'm the one who is responsible for this loss. If I…"
PLAKKK!
A very hard slap from the blue eyed paladin silences the lord knight. Fiorentin slowly puts her hand to her red cheek and touches it, feeling the pain. One hit was more than enough to inflict a sore on it. "Don't….blame…yourself" Felicia slowly says, catching Fiorentin's attention.
"Don't blame yourself, Fiorentin. None of our comrades' deaths were your fault!" Felicia speaks to the former princess with a very serious tone, "We are responsible for our own lives and our own deaths. We lost not because you left us. It was Sagramore against Elysion Guild, not you against Elysion Guild! Didn't you forget how we swear to devote our lives for the freedom of Rune Midgard just a year ago?! Did you forget how you said you wouldn't let any deaths become a vain by regretting it?! Please don't blame yourselves! If you blame yourselves, then what about the rest of us?! We couldn't do anything against their high rank warriors too, right?! This is not your own war, Fio! This is my war too, our war, Sagramore's war, Rune Midgard's war! Don't blame yourselves for their deaths. If you blame yourself, then what about them?! If they were so weak, they shouldn't have been fighting on a battlefield?! Where were their responsibilities for their own lives?!"
Fiorentin looks pale listening to the paladin. She had never thought Felicia could be this angry. But she knew one thing, Felicia was right. No matter how hard the fact is, Felicia was right. This is not her own war, its other's too.
"When we swore to devote our lives for Midgard's freedom, I promised myself that I will always be watching over you. I will always be by your side, supporting you! Not only me, we…Sagramore, we will always be by your side! So…" Felicia is starting to tremble, mixed emotions wail inside her, but she must finish what she started, "Don't you ever blame yourselves again! If you dare to even think about it or if someone dares to even think of blaming you for this loss, then with God as my witness, I swear I will unsheathe my sword and do what I think is right".
Fiorentin had known for a long time that Felicia is a very kind and motherly. But for the first time ever, she could see fire on the paladin's eyes. Not the fire of anger or hatred, but the fire of courage. Those eyes tell her to move on, to become stronger, and to live. Just like how the white clothed man taught her to value her own life. Just like how Naght Sieger encouraged her to see what resides within her heart. Today, she learned something, that in order to win this war, to finally bring Rune Midgard back to its freedom, its hope, she needs to move on. And to move on, she needs to live. And to live, she needs to become stronger. How arrogant she was to think only herself suffer because of this war. Felicia must have felt the same as her, because Olivia was abducted. The same goes for the other survivors. Fiorentin realizes how egoistical her statement was earlier. Feeling that she could no longer contain her emotions, she embraces the dark skinned woman and buries her face deep within her comforting hug, sobbing. "Just cry if you want, just…cry as much as you want…" Felicia slowly speaks as tears start falling down from her eyes, much like the former princess.
In the fourth floor…
Inside the pilot room, Gen Ed along with Martina and Ty are receiving some messages from Einbroch in the form of a secret code written in a piece of paper sent by facsimile. Earlier, Patricia informed them that the message they have been waiting for will arrive soon, so they hurry themselves to the pilot room. "Can you read this, Martina?" Patricia takes the paper and gives it to the gunslinger, because reading secret codes is also Martina's cup of tea.
"This message is from 'The Deep Throat'" Patricia tells the other three, "It says, due to the absence of the president of Schwaltzvalt Republic…Rekenber Corporation's Highest Executive High Minister Jose Martinez has been elected by the council of Juno as Schwaltzvalt's newest president…".
"Holy cow…" Ty mutters while shaking his head in an utter disbelieve, "I knew this is just as we expected, but really…that sly bastard as our new president?"
"And…" Martina reads the rest of the news, "To increase the security of the new president, The Pythons just received four new members, numbered 7 to 10, as the new president's means of safety. The new president is expected to ignite some actions against anyone disagrees with Juno for choosing him…especially those inside The Military of Einbroch"
"Thank you, Martina" Gen Ed speaks with his usual calm smile, "Well, you can rest for now soldiers. It's been a terrific day today, with the war and with this news".
Meanwhile, in the medical room…
Vanessa opens her eyes and finds a blinding light the moment she wakes up. "Where is this?" She looks across the room to find many medical tools and found herself lying in a surgery bed. "Why am I here? The last thing I remembered was…my right arm got cut off! That's right! My r…" She stops talking to herself when she witnesses her right arm is still intact, although she has a circling scar on the part when it got cut due to the reattachment surgery.
"It's still…intact?" Vanessa couldn't believe what she saw and slowly moved her right arm to ensure herself this is not a dream. "Oh? You're awake?" A voice from her behind surprises her, it was Clyde. "You! You are that gunslinger!" Vanessa jumps from the bed and advances to a stance (without her katar of course), threatening Clyde not to come any closer, "What do you want?! Why did you save me?! If you want to ask me about the high priest or anything else, you are wasting your time! I'm not going to tell no matter what!"
"Take it easy, lady. Just take it easy, no one will harm you here. And I don't want to ask you anything for now" Clyde shows her his hand, allowing her to see he doesn't bring any weapons with him, "You shouldn't move too much for now. Or else your arm would fall off and you will have to undergo another reattachment surgery".
Vanessa doesn't reply Clyde. She chooses to think what she should do, "Is he playing tricks at me? Does he expect me to believe him? But if I play along, maybe I can get a chance to escape from here. But, still…you haven't answered my question, gunslinger! I'm your enemy, why did you save me? Was it merely to gain some information from me?" Vanessa still refuses to believe The Throttle just now.
"…It…it was because…" Clyde sighs and reveals, "You didn't kill me".
"Didn't kill you? What are you talking about?"
"You attacked me with Enchant Poison, right? You could have strike me with a deadly poison but you only paralyzed me, and now I'm healed. You didn't kill me, that's why I didn't want you to get killed either" Clyde answers with all his honesty.
"Wha…what?!" Vanessa speaks in disbelieve, "Is this some kind of a joke?! Are you stupid?! You…you saved your opponent merely because of that stupid reasoning of yours?! This is ridiculous! Didn't you remember I was about to give you the taste of my Katar before someone shot my hand?!"
"I remember it well, lady" Clyde still with his sincerity, "I knew what an assassin cross capable of. You could move your limbs in the speed of sound or even faster. You could have killed me if you wanted to, but I can tell, the moment you had the chance to finish me off, you were hesitating".
"Hesitating?! An assassin cannot hesitate!"
"But you hesitated, just a second before you strike, you wasted your time too much by threatening me and…" Clyde confidently responds, "I saw your eyes back there. You were afraid…of something; I don't know what that something was, but that something gave Sasha enough time to shoot your fast arm. And that alone is more than enough reason to not kill you. You didn't kill me, so I didn't let her kill you".
Vanessa is in lost words, still not knowing whether Clyde's doing was sincere or stupid, but she refuses to look weak nonetheless, "Gunslinger…don't you ever think…I will thank you for this".
"Fine" Clyde suddenly pulls out a tranquilizer gun from behind his right sleeve and shoots it, perfectly hit Vanessa on her left shoulder and soothe her unconscious. Clyde quickly catches her before she falls to the floor and puts her back on the bed. "It's all clear" Clyde informs Emilio and Sasha, who were waiting behind the door this whole time.
"She didn't believe you, huh? As expected" Sasha observes the sleeping assassin, "It's a good thing we hid her weapons".
"Well, trust is never easy to gain" Hugo cheers his comrades, "Your sincerity is what counts. Let her sleep for now, we can think on how to deal with her later. I still have to check whether the two generals and the two spies are still resting or not".
"Alright" The two siblings answered.
And the last but not the least, in the dock…
Emilio, leaning over the safety wall, could be seen having a conversation with someone using his talkie.
E: "Well, my father and two of my men have just received the message, pretty much like we wanted"
R: "Good and you better keep your damn eyes on them. I'm sure you still remember our godforsaken deal, am I correct?"
E: "I remember it as much as I remember my own yard, chill out!"
R: "Barragan, this is not a kid's joke. You better stop being so lenient before something we don't want to happen….happens"
E: "I know, how many times I must tell you to relax? Oh, by the way, please send our new president my best regards"
R: "You still want to lick his ass after all the agreements? You sure are greedy, Barragan"
E: "I'm not being greedy; I'm being polite and nice"
P: "Your act of innocence sickens me"
E: "Thanks for the compliment, but I don't want to hear that from a demon like you"
P: "Demon like me? You maybe right, but I never sold my comrades and my own father to rule the military completely, Barragan. How greedy you are. You kid, are the real twisted demon"
E: "You never sold your comrades, but you never hesitated to finish them off too, right? Especially when you didn't feel the need of them any longer"
P: "Heh, smart ass! Fine, but what about your greedy part?"
E: "Well, living under the shadow of my father's greatness my whole life made me tired. At least by pretending to be a good son to him and a good old captain to my comrades, it would be easier for me to finish them off when the time finally comes. You know, just like we planned?"
P: "Your act of innocence really sickens me, Barragan. But I like the way you attempt to reach your goal. Other than that, I don't like anything about you at all"
E: "Man, that's news. Why don't you get laid to lighten up your mood?"
P: "I got laid pretty damn good last night. I'm in a good mood. So, you may consider this as a service, I will tell you something interesting. Martinez is one sick son of a whore, but he is a man of his cursed words. There's no need to worry about the deal, once The Ropera Squad have been taken out, the position of General inside The Military of Einbroch will be yours"
E: "Thank you, that's comforting"
P: "Well, keep in touch, demon"
E: "Ditto, Valdes"
Emilio and Red Valdes turn off their talkie at the same time, ending their conversation. The Sphere of Death grins and entertains himself by imagining how smooth his way to the General's chair would be, because all he has to do is annihilate his comrades, who believe in him, when the time finally comes…
Alphard blasts his Hurricane Slash throughout the corridor with full power, but Elraven swiftly dodges the winds by lowering himself to the floor when he runs and shoots the lord knight back. Alphard easily strikes down the bullets but unnoticing Elraven has already appeared in front of him and landed a hard kick right to his head. But just a moment before he falls, Alphard slashes Elraven and wounds his stomach.
Quickly standing back, Alphard sternly watching as The Spell of Dionysus heals the gunslinger, "The Spell of Dionysus…just like The Quarter Kings, that really helps you, I guess".
"Anytime, anywhere" Elraven responds with a big smile as he starts preparing his guns as smashers and advances to a stance. Alphard readying his long sword for a melee combat. Without wasting their breaths, the two quickly engage themselves in a close quarter combat by trading blows as the guns and the sword greets each other numerous times, making loud clashing sounds all over the corridor. Alphard strikes the floor with another wind attack to blow Elraven, but as the impact explodes, Elraven quickly jumps to the ceiling after leaving some 'souvenirs' in the form of three smoke grenades. The grenades explode and smokes cover the corridor, forcing Alphard to sway the smokes with his winds to regain his visibility.
But what he didn't expect is Elraven suddenly strike him with HAVOX, using it as a smasher, and knocks him down to the ground. "Ugh!" Alphard, although his head is bleeding he doesn't feel like losing, quickly moves his hands to control the blood on Elraven's arms and explodes them. Blood splattered everywhere as Elraven quietly watching his ruined arms and dropping the HAVOX to the floor. He can't feel his arms, let alone lift something weights half a ton.
"So, that is 'The Stream' Felicia told me about. The special ability every Pendragon possesses…amazing, now I know why normal warriors had a hard time battling him" Elraven quietly recalls when he sees the lord knight stand back with a victorious smile on his face.
"I don't know whether your normal reaction was for real or you're acting strong, but that should teach you a lesson not to mess with me on future occasions" Alphard proclaims with a victorious tone, although The Spell of Dionysus quickly heals Elraven's arms.
"This only taught me that you really hate us gunslingers for whatever reason. And I wasn't acting strong or anything like that" Elraven replies back, "Of course it feels hurt when you explode both my arms, but why would I show the pain to you? That would be a total waste of time".
"Not showing pain? That's your choice, but seeing you like that, it would only hinder Sagramore even more to have you gunslingers as an ally".
"Hopefully Alexandria is more open minded than you are, although I believe she is".
"Ah, again with the 'you talk like you know all about her'. As expected from a smartass like you. The way you believe her like that…is it just me or you take quite a liking on her, Angel of Darkness?" Alphard cynically asks the gunslinger, "The soul linker isn't enough? You didn't do her enough and now you want to do Fiorentin too?"
"I'm not being a smartass. What kind of thinking is that? You're being nonsense" Elraven couldn't believe him, "Is that how you talk about someone you will…"
"Will what?! Marry?! Disgusting!" Alphard angrily cuts Elraven's line, "You know what?! I never liked Fiorentin! I hate her! I despise her! I want her to die! I want her to die so much! I want that naïve slut dead so I can live my own life freely without having to marry her by force!"
"If you don't want to marry her, then say it" Elraven calmly responds, "It's ridiculous to think you hate her because a stupid arrangement, an arrangement that you can cancel anytime".
"That's why I said you are being a smartass. It's not that easy to maintain this nonsensical arrangement" Alphard still with his sarcasm, "You never know the truth about Sagramore and Prontera Kingdom, huh?"
"The truth about how Prontera was split into two sides of power? The Adlers and The Pendragons? I knew about that, thanks to a trustful source" Elraven takes his chance being cynical.
"Oh, but you don't know about that 'sides' is also the way Sagramore works" Alphard's statement resulting in Elraven raises his eyebrows, "The 60,000 soldiers on Gonryun…just like they were in Prontera…split into two sides, my side and that naïve slut side. No difference at all. That's why I hate her. I don't just hate her because of the arrangement; I hate every inch of her existence! I hate her naivety! I hate her way of thinking! I hate her wishful thoughts!".
As insensitive as he could be, Elraven understands what Alphard means. Canceling the arrangement might also mean ruining the unity in Sagramore which will lead to their losses and deaths in the hands of Valdomir, because even when they unite they still lost.
"Truthfully, I was disappointed when you saved her today" Alphard voices his mind, but this time, something inside Elraven snaps, "She survived because of you, right? Maybe it would be better if she didn't. So, I don't have to fulfill the stupid arrangement. So, Sagramore and later, Prontera Kingdom, will have a better leader…me. Who knows? Maybe in the future, I will have to deal with her by myself. So, that whore can join her pitiful parents in hell"
All of a sudden, Alphard could feel Elraven grabs his collar and slams him hard to the wall. "Ugh, what are you…?!" Alphard stops the moment he sees fire on Elraven's eyes. His wounded head starts to bleed again as the impact of the sudden attack.
"Oh, I see" Alphard keeps taunting Elraven, "You're angry just because of her. So, I was right all along? You like her? You like her, don't you? You want to do her that much?"
"Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" Elraven warns the lord knight with a deep serious tone as he slams him to the wall again, "I'm just a stranger to you or your people. I wasn't even born in Prontera. But she is a good person. So much hopes lie on her. If you dare to hurt her, in any way possible, I don't care what will await me, I will kill you! I will kill you even if that will make me hated by your people".
"…I see, now we're talking" Alphard grins, "But too bad, just like what you captain said…nobody wants tonight's meeting to end sooner, right?"
"You're right, the marriage should be canceled. You don't deserve her" Elraven lets Alphard go from his grab knowing the lord knight's reminding was right, but still, he watches over him angrily, "She is too good for a despicable man like you, Pendragon"
"Maybe, who knows? But, I'm glad someone finally share the same view with me that I shouldn't marry her" Alphard regains his composure and finishes before he left, "Although, I believe you don't think she is too good for you…right, Sinclair?"
Elraven only watches quietly as Alphard leaves the corridor, still thinking about what he said. "This feeling again…something I don't understand" Elraven packs his HAVOX while still wondering, "It was not like me to get mad because of a taunt like that. But…the moment he said it, the feeling when I cried back in Glast Heim strike me. Why did I cry back there? Why did I feel so afraid of her death? Why did I feel angry just because someone talks like that about her?"
"Wow, never thought your man would be angry just because another woman, right, Freyja?" Fenrir, along with Frea, was watching (Frea didn't necessarily watch) the whole scene from the corner of the corridor on the opposite side of Elraven.
"Silence, Fenrir! How annoying…" Frea sounds jealous as she suddenly remembers what Felicia told her, that letting Elraven dangling with Fiorentin too much would cause something unrequited for both people. And she definitely knows what this 'unrequited' thing is.
"But really, you should do something before Elraven left you for good, Freyja. Before he left you for…"
"For who?! Speak clearly, Fenrir!"
"Well, for the princess of course"
"What a joke! Do you really think I would let my man fall for another woman?! And a kid to that matter?!"
"A kid?! Don't you know that love known no boundaries?"
"I know! I already knew about that!"
"Come on, there's no need to act so high and mighty like that. You're jealous, admit it. I have never seen you so angry like this before…because of a man"
"I am not jealous! It's a trillion years too early for Elraven to fall for the princess!"
"It is not"
"It is!"
"It isn't!"
"Is!"
"Isn't!"
"Is!"
"Isn't!"
"Is!"
"Is!"
"Isn't!...Hey, wait a second!"
"Ah-ha! Got you, Freyja!" Fenrir's trap ate another victim, "Now, you have officially admitted it by yourself! Your man can fall for the princess anytime, anywhere".
"You cheated!" Frea repeatedly punches Fenrir to express her anger, "He will never fall for the princess!"
"He will"
"He will never!"
"He will!"
"Never!"
"Will!"
"Never!"
"Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill!"
"Neveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerr!"
And the debate goes on and on and on and on…(Well, I guess you readers know how this one ends)
Later that night…
After taking some rest and getting themselves some formal dresses (formal shirts and skirts). Felicia and Fiorentin are ready to meet Gen Ed in the meeting room. Waiting for the gunslinger to pick them, Fiorentin sits on the bed beside Felicia and tidies her sleeves.
Felicia observes the lord knight sitting beside her on the bed, thoroughly looking at her palms, finding her wounds have been healed, magically, "Your clothes were so full of blood but yet you are alright, what an experience you had in there".
"Yes, when Elraven woke me up it was like this. The wounds were fully healed" The lord knight turns her palms around to ensure the paladin the wounds are totally gone.
"Elraven helped you twice in two days; I guess you really owe him, huh? Maybe you should consider stopping your continuous uppercut to him" Felicia teases her friend a little, "Insensitive he may be, but you can really count on him".
"The uppercut will never stop as long as he continue being insensitive in front of me. And he didn't help me twice… maybe even thrice" Fiorentin calmly replies with a smile, much to Felicia's anxiety.
"Thrice? Is there something you didn't tell me? You only told me about Naght Sieger and Beelzephir" Felicia politely forces the former princess to tell more secret and goggles eye her, "Don't hide it, Fio. Tell me".
"Actually" Fiorentin smiles and looks down, feeling a bit shame to carry on. Felicia could swear the lord knight's eyes look happier than ever, whatever may cause it. And with an even happier voice, the former princess looks up and continues, "I…don't know if this is a dream or reality, but after I fell unconscious, I woke up in a…garden, some kind of garden"
"Garden? What kind of garden?"
"I don't know, but that garden was large and beautiful, so I think that was a garden of some kind of palace or castle"
"OK. Carry on"
"Inside that garden, I found a small round temple. And inside the temple, there was a white clothed man writing a…poem. Since I didn't know anything at all about the place where I end up, I approached him".
"This is getting interesting" Felicia seems so eager to know.
"The man told me that I was…dead and I don't deserve either hell or heaven. He also told me that the garden is called Panorama, the garden of the afterlife. Frankly speaking, I was so scared how I would live after that, but the man asked me things about how I value my live and what I would do if…god were to give me a second chance in this world. After that, all I remember was…I opened my eyes after…Elraven called me. Come to think of it, before I returned to this world from the garden, my body felt like being turned into spheres of light. Maybe that was that white man's doings, maybe that 'magic' was the one which healed me completely".
"Elraven didn't notice that at all?"
"No. Maybe because my clothes were too full of blood or…he worried about me too much to notice it".
Felicia raises her eyebrows seeing the lord knight finishes her story with a very red face. "Oh my god..." Felicia couldn't help but saying this to herself, "Even between life and death she still thought of Elraven...this is serious. No doubts anymore, this love fever has gone too far inside her heart. Elraven...you...you really have put her in a problematic situation..."
But suddenly, they heard someone knocking the door much to their surprise. "Come in" Felicia said and it was Emilio who knocked the door, "Room service. I'll take you two to the meeting room".
Simply put, Emilio takes the two to the meeting room where Gen Ed, Fenrir, and Frea are waiting. "Finally, welcome ladies. Please take a seat" The general excuses the two girls while Emilio quietly guarding the door.
"First and foremost, I would like to thank you and your squad for saving our lives today. Without your help, we wouldn't be here at the moment" Fiorentin politely opens and expresses her gratitude, "Words cannot express how grateful I am. We owe you our lives".
"Don't mention it, princess. It's only normal to help each other" The Death Revolver calmly replies, "Now, Miss Frea and Fenrir have agreed to share us some information regarding this war. Let's listen to their story first".
Fenrir starts the meeting by telling the story of Ragnarok, the war that started all of this because Odin and Loki, about how several gods and goddesses survived. Frea continues by telling her origin and the fact about The Twelve Swords of Pandora, the twelve strongest warriors in Valdomir Kingdom. So far, only nine of them have showed up, they are Beelzephir The Chaos, Satan Morroc, Ifrit, Great Demon Baphomet, Thanatos Phantom, Beelzebub, Naght Sieger, and Lord of Death, and the last but not the least, about perhaps the key to win this war, The Prophecy of Eisenheim. Frea told them how Eisenheim and Beelzephir feuded in the past, resulting on Beelzephir's sealing and the birth of a Kingdom later known as Prontera Kingdom.
Listening so much secret and history in one night is obviously not easy for the four humans. "This is really surprising. So this is all started because of gods' feud…" Fiorentin could only voice a small comment for the history.
"Well, it's not easy to be taken, yes. But, I would be grateful if we move to the next topic of the discussion" Gen Ed clarifies his means, although the rest of the audience have figured out what he wanted to say, The Alliance.
"I realized pretty well that our continents have so many differences in views and cultures" The strongest gunslinger alive diplomatically starts, "But that does not mean we cannot work together. Elraven is the prime example of that…theory. And let's not forget another fact that it would be so hard for either side to win this war against Valdomir Kingdom….all alone".
"General, if there is someone who would want The Alliance between these two different sides to happen, believe me, I'm that person" The lord knight replies, no matter how hard for her to tell the truth as the other five watch her quietly, "But the disputes and the differences between our two sides…no, I mean our people have gone for too long. Even now, inside Sagramore, the feeling of hatred towards your side is still alive. And Elraven, no matter how helpful he is for us, isn't enough to prove that our two sides can instantly make an alliance"
"If one man isn't enough then how about one squad, princess?" Gen Ed expresses a surprising idea, "If one man isn't enough as a proof. Then I will gladly order The Ropera Squad to assist you and Sagramore on continuing your fight with Valdomir Kingdom. That way, at least the differences between these two continents would slowly vanish. Consider this suggestion as the first step…considers this as the first step of the future alliance".
Even Felicia widened her eyes to that idea. No one could tell if the idea is pretty good or pretty stupid. "That would be helpful" Fiorentin responds with smile, "If you agree to do that then I don't have the slightest of reason on why I shouldn't. And, let's hope this may lead to a bigger achievement"
Catching her implied attention, Gen Ed slowly says, "You mean, having Arbalest, Kurogane, and maybe even Millennium as the part of this alliance?"
Fiorentin smiles, indicating he was right and surprising the other four for this idea.
Felicia: "If the alliance between the five sides really happens, we should find a proper name for the alliance"
Emilio: "That princess' way of thinking is good. This way, I will win my bet with Dad!"
Frea: "She really has a big dream, doesn't she? The alliance between the five groups sounds weird, if not impossible"
Fenrir: "And she supposes to be a human with that way of thinking? Eisenheim, your descendant is one of a kind. Much like you, brother"
Meanwhile, Fenrir is having another debate with Frea…
"See what I was talking about? The princess isn't just a mere kid! Her way of thinking is big, bigger than your way of thinking"
"What's with the way of thinking?! And what does the way of thinking have to do with our earlier conversation?"
"Well, if she keeps overshadow your charm like that…" Fenrir cannot just stop teasing, "Your man will definitely leave you for her".
"He will never leave me for the princess!" Frea still sounds jealous, "And there's nothing wrong with my charm! Elraven is too insensitive to fall for another woman!"
"Too insensitive but not too stupid to realize his own feelings"
"You're talking nonsense! Elraven is mine and only mine!"
"Whatever. Just remember this, when you find out your man and the princess having some 'fun' on the bed, don't tell me I didn't tell you so".
DUAGH!
Frea kicks Fenrir right to his groin, the sound of the kick resounding throughout the corridor.
"Iyaaaaaaowww! What the freak did you…?! Ow, crud!" Fenrir wails and rolls in the floor abruptly, he could hardly contain the pain (obviously), "This body isn't mine! Its' George! What if I cannot make out…I mean he cannot make out because of you?! Ow, it hurts like hell!"
"That serves you right, jerk!" Frea walks away, leaving Fenrir on his (not literally) own pain.
Later that night, somewhere inside Umbala Jungle…
Randgris is watching over the stars in the night sky, accompanied by the usual large figure. "She survived" Randgris points out at Fiorentin, "Thanks to him…again".
"I told you so" The large figure lights his pipe, "Never underestimated the power of hope….even from a person who cannot see the hope itself"
"You're right as always, Sarkhan" Rangris chuckles, revealing the large figure named Sarkhan beside her is giant grey furred Eddga, "Now, let's see how they continue their journey".
"The same goes for you, Randgris" Sarkhan quietly replies, as if something bad is going to happen, "Shouldn't you prepare yourself for the fight of your life?"
Staring at her companion, Randgris answered, "I'm prepared…from long ago".
Everyone sleeps well that night, especially Ty, who successfully got the photos and videos of Felicia showering ( ). Although Fenrir doesn't sleep really well due to some circumcises…I mean circumstances. The gunslingers use the bed at the medical room and let their guests to have the usual dormitory bedrooms. But much like her other nights, Fiorentin cannot really sleep and chooses to take sightseeing inside Pegasus. Her feet bring her to the dock, where she could see Elraven quietly sitting n the floor.
"El?" She slowly calls the gunslinger that quickly turns his head. "Alexandria? Still awake just like always?" Elraven remembers her habit of insomnia. The lord knight sits beside the gunslinger and the two quietly tilt their heads to take a better look at the sky.
"The sky is really starry tonight" Elraven starts the conversation, "Makes me wonder if the stars are having a party up there"
"Maybe, cannot really tell though" A simple answer from the former princess, "But, having a conversation about allying Sagramore and The Military of Einbroch earlier tonight, the stars suddenly pop out inside my mind, wondering why people cannot be like them"
"Them? You mean the stars?"
"Yes. I think people should learn from the stars. Although one star is different with the others, be it their size or the light they shined, but they still shine the nights together quietly, as if their differences are not a border for them to unite and live quietly"
"That's a wishful thinking. But at the same time, it's a good thinking" The purple glassed gunslinger responds, "As expected from you"
"Thanks for the compliment" The lord knight happily replies. She turns her eyes from the stars to the man quietly sitting beside her, "You have never been so quite like this, El. Did something happen?"
"..No, no…not really" The way he answers only makes her more keen on knowing.
"Come on, we all know you're not good at lying" Fiorentin persuades him to speak, "I may not be a good problem solver, but if my friends got a problem, the least I would do is listen to them".
"Thanks for the offer. But this time, I would rather keep it to myself" Elraven calmly replies. But the way he replies only ensure the lord knight more that something is wrong with him.
"Well, it's alright if you don't want to tell" Fiorentin backs down for now, "As long as you're fine, then I'm alright with it".
The gunslinger finally decides to look at the girl sitting beside him, purposely lock his eyes with hers. His eyes tell her he wants to say something, or rather, admit something. But he is too afraid to admit it.
"What about you, Alexandria? Are you alright?"
"What does that mean? Am I alright?"
"Well, I mean…today's war….you know…"
"Oh, right" Fiorentin slowly nods, "I'm alright. The toughest woman I knew cheered me up".
"Felicia, huh?" Elraven figures out, "If you don't mind, shall I make a proper send off for your soldiers? Beelzephir vanish their bodies with his spell and I think that was disrespectful"
"That's a good idea" Fiorentin agrees, "Please do".
Elraven stands up and spreads his light wings; some light furs fall down and flew across the lord knight's face, igniting something on her mind.
"He's gorgeous"
Elraven creates light spheres on both his palms and quietly stretch them, preparing for something even bigger.
"No matter how many times I look at his angelic figure, I never grow weary of him.
His wings, slowly waves as the wind blow, pouring down the earth with their lights, an angel from the dark side, yet he brings light instead of covering this world in bottomless abyss"
Closing his eyes for a second, Elraven turns both spheres into thousands of fireflies made of light, flying quietly on the night sky, shining the darkness along with the stars.
"Why didn't you let me go? Was it just because your promise?
Or was it because of your own feeling?"
The fireflies march along each other, creating the river of light in the starry night of Rune Midgard. Each firefly symbolizes the spirit of the fallen knights. Each firefly brings one fallen soul to where they belong. Each firefly shows the sincerity of its creator.
"God who arts in heaven, I lost many comrades today, so at least…"
As the fireflies vanish together with the lights river, Elraven turns back and smiles, "Do you like it? Was it a good send off?"
"Please let this feeling remains inside me.
So, I will never forget him"
"It was wonderful" Fiorentin answers with smile and stands up, slowly approaching the quiet gunslinger. "I haven't thank you for yesterday, right?" Just like he did with her, the lord knight purposely locks her eyes with his, "Thank you, for saving me. I owe you my life"
"No, you owe me nothing" Elraven replies much to her obvious surprise, "It was a miracle that brought you back here, not me. I failed to look after you; I don't deserve your thanks".
Elraven tries to pass her by for whatever reason, but without looking at him, she grabs his right hand with her right when Elraven already crossed her, causing their backs to face each other. "It was your voice that brought me back here!" Fiorentin raises her tone so Elraven would listen to her, and she clearly has no intention of letting go of his hand, "I knew something isn't right. What is it, El? Tell me!"
Elraven prefers to not answer the question, but her hand which grabs his starting to shudder, much like her voice, "You…called me by name, right? You didn't…let me go, right? Tell me, Elraven. Tell me what's inside your mind. What bothers you? Tell me…please…"
And as expected, The Angel of Darkness gives in, "I was afraid…of something I couldn't figure". His answer begins to ring something inside her.
As the cold night wind blows, Elraven carries on, "At Glast Heim, I was so afraid I couldn't save you. At first, I thought I was afraid because I wouldn't have the face to face our comrades if you died…and of course to face myself. But…when I saw you…back there…I realized, I wasn't afraid of facing myself or others. I was afraid of losing you…because I didn't want to lose you. I don't want to lose you. Something…I myself couldn't tell why".
"So that…is what bothering you…" Fiorentin puts a little smile on her face, grateful that her prayer has been answered, "It's alright if you don't understand the reason right now, Elraven. Just that much…is fine for now…"
No one could tell who begins, but before the two realize, their hands have quietly and softly holding each other. They could tell that much even when they are not looking at each other. After quite a while, the two break the hold and quietly face each other.
"Now, reply to me properly" Fiorentin politely asks and says, "Thank you for saving my life".
"Don't mention it" Elraven smiles, "I'm the guardian angel after all"
"My guardian angel" The lord knight rights him.
The two look at each other for quite long, as if something inside them want the very moment to last forever, but a bright light from the rising sun shines on them and turns their attention on the land behind the sea.
As the sun slowly rises, Gonryun could be seen waiting in the horizon, preparing its land as the steppingstone for the new battle.
The white clothed man could be seen sitting on the table inside the little round temple in Panorama. His woman is sitting on the other side from him.
"So, will you recite your new poem now, my dear?" The woman softly asked his man.
"Yes. This one is called Drifter's Melody" The man answers and starts reciting,
The time soon comes for parting,
And our time is at an end,
The rest of your life is starting,
And we have no time at all to spend.
You knew one day you'd have to go,
But thought you'd have more time.
We can't reverse time's one-way flow,
But at least you'll have this rhyme.
You had your shining moments,
Upon this life's darkened stage,
And in my book of wonderments,
You'll never be just another page.
Like the exploding of a star,
You've changed me in and out,
Your light will travel with me far,
Past when all other lights go out.
The man slowly finishes reciting and closes his eyes, not saying anything anymore. From his gestures, the woman could tell he is feeling sad. Maybe something inside him, a feeling, never truly gone even now. "This one sounds so sad, dear" The woman guesses, "Is this because of her?"
The man tilts his head a little and puts a sad smile on his face, "Yes".
In the dying order, they go first, the little ones. The black empty head shave decreed it. They are to be married to the machinery of death and shepherded by blank-eyed warheads to the altar. The power of the powerful will not falter.
The warp portal leads Beelzephir and the other four to a dark space where a glowing red orb could be seen floating in front of a black tree. As they walk quietly to the orb, it could be seen that they are actually not on a dark space, but under the black tree. The branches and the leaves are so dark even light wouldn't be able to cross them. Stopping in front of the orb, the group quietly kneel to one knee as Beelzephir 'greets' the orb, "O, our great leader. The True Lord. The being above all. The greatest. Let us present you with this good news. Our utopia, your kingdom, will be brought to this world in 365 days. Please be patient until the promised day comes, the day when you will finally rule the world inside your heaven, our utopia, as our god. Until that day comes, please wait with all your patience...o, Ragnarok".
Before long, I was falling from the sky, still buckled to my chair—a part of the grotesque spread of disastrous art. Pieces of plane were scattered about me as well as other hapless souls—whether alive or dead, I could not tell. I was falling from twelve thousand feet above the ground with nothing on me but the business attire I was traveling in. I flailed my arms to control myself, to rework the destiny of my situation, but the final page had already been turned. Death, I knew, awaited me, and with that realization, came a wash of terror equal to the scribbles of Alpher Myle's picturesque unraveling in My Grave Departure.
Alright, ladies and gentlemen, this is officially the end of the 1st half of the story! Let's give ourselves a round applause!
Phew, it's been a great experience writing for the last eight months. I will update ch. 74 ASAP, so please wait patiently. Don't forget to answer my questions I sent you guys via PM in this chapter's review (^^). It's a poll, actually.
All in all, I hope you like this chapter as the closing. I still have many things to learn, so thank you for all the support this last 8 months.
Starting the next chapter, we will have an omake! The first topic is 'The Questions' for Elraven, so if you have something to ask about Elraven, send me a PM!
Thank u for reading, c u next chappy!