Fan Fiction ❯ Gelden ❯ Goodbyes ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6: Goodbyes

Juno Illumin grumbled as she strode down the halls of the former Valgor Majestic Palace. Of course it was now known as the Heart of Hardis, but she didn't care. It was only a place to sleep in, to her. The walls of the former dungeon were cold and bare, no the barracks for soldiers. Only the Officers and higher ups got the upper rooms and suites. She strode past a large iron gating and continued until she reached the stairs.

" `Miss Illumin, what are you doing back this early.'" She growled as she began her ascent. " `Miss Illumin, has Traque returned also?' Damn Beast… She isn't even a true human…"

Evil thoughts flooded Juno's mind, as she thought of Kione's rather rude greeting. Kione was a monster. That was the only way Juno could think of her. The only thing she cared for was that General Kasmyr and relies of any messages to the `emperor' of Hardis. She lurked in shadows and would strike down anyone who said a thing against either of them, and Traque for that matter. She seemed a little over fond of Traque for that matter. If anyone could be fond of that cold-hearted bastard, it was she, the cold-hearted Beast witch.

Which was something that bothered Juno greatly. How in Nazet Gar could Kione be fond of him, if he hated her? Traque had certainly made it clear that he hated any Beasts, but yet, he held a strange respect for Kione. It boggled Juno's mind.

She reached the top of the staircase and pushed open the great wooden door and entered the main hall. A strip of purple carpet stretched to the far end, and the only things on the walls were candles. It was very bare, ever thing that had been there when Valgor fell, had been burned and replaced with new accessories. It certainly made the Palace look like cold stone. Prison-like almost, she thought, but then, she had seen only up to the third floor of the palace.

There were over 9 floors, not including the massive towers that stretched up to at least 5 extra floors. The leader of Hardis was rumored to have the highest room in the highest tower and Kione directly below. From what Juno had seen, the floors slowly got more lavishly decorated as they increased. She assumed that this was to keep soldiers from getting attached to objects, to keep them hard and read to die or be killed if they were so ordered. At least I'm on the second dungeon level… Juno thought miserably, I'm not just a soldier, I'm Rank Four.

As she turned the corner into the entrance hall, she found herself staring into the eyes of Kione. Kione looked irritated at once. She had never shown any passion to Juno, whatsoever.

"Aren't you suppose to be on guard duty or something?" Kione's thorny voice asked. Juno glared.

"I'm no longer a guard. I have been moved up in position." Juno said, trying to sound snobbishly important. Kione gave a slight smirk.

"If that is the case, I have a job for you." Kione said, her voice now somewhat civil. "There is a mountain range southwest of Palador. A humble group of beings called Dwarves live there. They are miners and have recently discovered a few artifacts that have interested our leader…"

Juno did not interrupt. She listened intently. She had heard of Dwarves before, though most people referred to them as Stunnties. But this was interesting and if she could do whatever Kione wanted her to do, she might be eligible for another promotion…

"I want you to meet with the Dwarve leader and propose a treaty with them. I'll be sending one of our negotiators along. Glorious Hardis will make the dwarves our allies and we will be one step closer too… ah… uniting this world, as it once was a thousand years ago, the way it should be." Kione finished her orders and handed Juno an envelope. Juno wondered about the Beast. She never sounded to committed to anything and that last part of her speech was monotone for even her normal way of speaking. Juno's suspicion was rising again but she took the envelope and read over her orders as Kione strode away. Suddenly she turned back.

"I'm also sending General Kasmyr along… for good measures…" She laughed and left. Juno frowned and pocketed the papers.

She walked outside and headed around the palace. There was a port on the backside, where supplies ships and sunskiffs often docked. Kione is up to something again… she thought and looked over the sunskiff she would be taking in a few short hours back to the Gold Continent. It would be a short trip this time, though Cerik wasn't far in terms of time on a sunskiff either.

"Kasmyr is coming along then…" She muttered. "This could be interesting."

If half of what she heard was true about General kasmyr, then it might just be a very enjoyable mission.

Drip…drip…drip… Adem breathed in sharply as he looked upon the dead man. It felt so unreal. Almost like a story. Like a hero slaying some demon and rescuing the damsel in distress. Only, this wasn't a story. His eyes were wide with wonder and a sort of innocence. And fear. There was an infinite amount of fear in his eyes. He heard a soft moan as Linean woke from her shock. The moan stole his soul and sent him reeling back to reality. The fear took over.

Adem dropped the strange half blade the dead man had dropped and stepped back in shock. The rushing river had gone silent. All Adem could hear was the dripping of the man's blood onto the rocks. Then the clatter of steel on stone. He dropped to his knees, weakened by the sight before him. The man's outstretched hands, bloodstained clothes and Linean. She was standing there, staring at him, the dead man, and him again. Blood was pouring from her cut arms and legs. Her clothes had been shredded and hung loosely on her battered body.

"Admesien Nayy…" She said, her voice filled with a horrible fascination. She said his name like a curse. Adem had sunken into a stupor. He stared directly at her. Her horrified face met with his shocked one and their eyes met. And that was when he had first seen it.

He felt like he had fallen unknowingly into a pool of freezing water. It was a sudden charged rush. It was the ultimate chaos. Visions of emotion lashed at him with the hatred in Linean's heart. He could see the disgust and hatred for him. The fear for him and the sadness. Blinding colors took form and swirled into the shape of his own face, torn in half and distorted into some horrible monster in her wildest fantasies. The visions and feelings bombarded him. It was too much. He screamed and grabbed his head, shaking it. The vision stopped. He gasped for breath, feeling Linean staring down the back of his neck. The moments grew long and he finally looked up at her. Before he could say a thing, she turned pale and screamed. This stumped him.

"KYATTEN!!! DASY KOYRO UENLI KYATTEN!!!" <DEMON!!! DISGRACED WAR LOVING DEMON!!!> She shrieked at his face and ran off into the woods. Adem was frozen. Nothing could make sense to him right now. It was so confusing. He crawled forward, close to fainting and fell forward over the waters of the catching pool.

He saw his reflection and nearly screamed himself. His eyes had been branded the demonsmark. The Crosstar pupils glowed with fiery rage for a moment before turning black. He felt no emotion for a moment.

"Ena y'sa daeya…" <What have I done?> A tear fell onto the rocks. He put his hand to whip away the strange tears, and then realized that it was covered in blood. He drew it away as the horrible realization truly hit. He whipped around and saw the dead body and the bloodied blade again. "U iyyn! ENA Y'SA DAEYA! ENA KYATTEN! SCHYA ENA NALA~~!!!" <O Holy Forest! WHAT HAVE I DONE! I'M A DEMON! KILL ME NOW!!!>

The shriek echoed in his mind. He screamed it over and over and till he felt someone slapping him. A sickening feeling began to well up inside of him. Admesien Nayy… Admesien Nayy… Ademsen… Ademsen Nor… Adem-

"ADEM!!! Oh Gods, wake up!" Falon cried as she slapped Adem across his face. He had been convulsing and screaming in his sleep. Lodon was holding him down. Almost like he's having a fit, she thought. That scared Falon horribly and she had a nasty feeling that perhaps he had gotten something worse than motion sickness. She slapped his again, but suddenly, he jerked his eyes open. Lodon released him and he bolted upright, staring wildly. The look passed a second later. Then Adem darted up and ran off into the woods away from the fireside. Falon jumped up to go after him but Lodon shook his head and a few seconds later they heard Adem retching up somewhere nearby. Lodon sighed.

"That scared me…" he said. "Does he do that often?"

Falon shook her head. "He sometimes mutters strange words to himself, but I don't think he's ever gone into fits like that… screaming the words…"

Lodon shrugged and leaned back. He pulled out a pipe and bag, which he began filling. He lit it up and by the time Adem tramped back through the woods to them, he was smoking peacefully.

Adem sat down and sighed. Falon looked at him, concerned. Lodon was also watching him carefully, again somewhat suspiciously. He kept his head down, avoiding their eyes. He realized he still didn't have a cloak and suddenly felt very naked. He flushed with embarrassment and pretended to have seen something interesting on the ground. Falon put her hand on his shoulder.

"Adem…" she said softly. "Are you alright?"

Adem gave a small, forced shiver. "I'm a little cold… there doesn't happen to be an… extra cloak around?"

Falon started to get up but Lodon laughed.

"He's playing you, girl…" Lodon muttered coldly and puffed away. Falon looked confused. "Can't you sense the fear in him. You can hear the uncertainty…the play…in his voice…"

There was a sudden tenseness in the air, between the three. Falon stopped and looked down at Adem with a frown. Adem quivered, burning with embarrassment. He kept his head down, his long hair hiding his face in the darkness. The fire crackled and popped. Lodon continues to puff. The moment passed.

"What happened to the farmer?" Adem changed the subject. Lodon smirked and Falon sat back down looking sullen.

"He's off somewhere, camping under his cart… Said we'd have to make our own camp…" Lodon went on as if nothing was strange. Falon was quiet. There was silence. Adem turned away from the fire and stared into the dark forest. This Lodon could read his every action like a book. He didn't like it at all. He shivered again and got up. He walked over to the packs and reached into one, looking for a cloak.

"Adem… Was that your name?" Lodon asked as he began to withdraw one. His voice was still rock hard and somewhat taunting. Adem froze but didn't reply. "Don't wanna talk, huh? You don't like me one bit, do you…"

Lodon snickered. "I don't like you all that much either. Falon told me that she trusts you more than anyone… She says you've protected her for two years now, that you know her better than anyone, even `bout her little secret… but she also says that she doesn't know anything about you… and yet she continues to trust you. I find that interesting."

Falon made a noise. Adem jumped slightly at it. What was Lodon trying to play at? When he didn't continue, Adem pulled the cloak over his head and went to sit back down.

"Still not gonna say anything? Feh! Doesn't matter anyways…" Lodon pulled the pipe from his mouth and threw it down. He leaned forward until his face was inches from the shadows of the now hooded Adem. "I just want to know what you're trying to hide. If it's those eyes you think you're hiding then"-

Lodon's eyes widened as Adem's hand was suddenly pulling him even closer by the collar. They were practically nose to nose. Falon gasped. Lodon smiled slightly. Adem glared out at him.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand, knight." Adem's voice was ice cold fury. Falon's eyes widened but Lodon merely smiled wider as Adem pushed him away. Lodon sat back, chuckling softly. Adem stared at him disgusted. Then he got up and walked off as he had earlier. Falon stood up to follow.

"Adem…" She called, scared but somewhat curious. Adem halted and turned back staring at her. His face was unreadable. She walked to him and put her arms around him.

"Don't leave…" She muttered softly. "Stay here by the fire…"

Adem made a move to push her away but stopped as she suddenly stared up at him. Their eyes met and Adem was shocked as the sudden flow of emotions flew into his vision. He had become used to it, to a degree. He had always thought his Sight was a curse, but this was something different. There was something in these wild feelings that he had never quite felt before. It felt… nice.

The feelings only last a second, before their gaze broken and Falon hugged him harder. Adem smiled weakly, as the visions always made him feel weak, before he pulled away. She loved him. She didn't care if he acted coldly or threatened someone. She was concerned for him and she truly wanted him to stay. But she was afraid to be left alone.

"I've decided that you don't need me anymore." Adem said. "You're in good hands with Lodon. He'll take care of "-

Falon gave a low sob. "No…"

"I can't stay. I told you that when I first met you. And obviously he doesn't want me to…" Adem said, trying not to sound reluctant. He began to walk again, but Falon grabbed his hand.

"Just…" she said. A tear rolled down her cheek. "I want to tell you that you're a lot more handsome without the hood, and I'm happy that I got to see you without it these last couple days."

Adem smiled to himself. Yes… he would miss her, but he knew she would forget him with time.

"Thank you… Goodbye Falon…" Adem said, and then, as proper with his people, he added, "I thank you for your friendship and company…"

And he was gone into the dark forest.

Falon gave another sob. Lodon sighed.

"Forget him… He was a common thief. He would rather have run away from you than tell you about his dirty past. That, my girl, is the truth…" Lodon said and Falon remained quiet. She lay down and went to sleep, crying softly. Lodon stared into the darkness where the boy had disappeared.

The gears were turning now. The Demonic could feel it, as the Gods, unaware of his consciousness, cranked away at the balance in the world. They were the light, he was the dark. Light could not exist with out dark, as the Gods couldn't exist without the Demonic. Otherwise that precious balance would twist and throw the world into its original unstable chaos. Unfortunately this was an unfair balance.

This scale the gods and demons were weighed upon, held another invisible force. To the Demonic, this was the force that allowed the gods to `control' him, in a sense. This neutral force that was not quite godly, had been bonded to the Demonic, preventing him from acting upon the world. The gods feared his power would seep out and destroy his world, if he was given a free reign. But the gods could only predict what he could do. And they were predicting wrong.

The quasi-being that had been slapped upon the Demonic held vast amounts of fascinating knowledge, the he could tap into at any time. It held information that had existed before the gods themselves had existed. This is what had sparked the Demonic's interest at first, when he first began to lay the seeds of his plan. He could manipulate things, animals in general, and much in the ways the gods manipulated the earth. And then the demons were born. And slowly, as time passed, he learned he could manipulate certain parts of a human mind, though only through great effort. The quasi-being could be fooled, if the steps were small enough. And finally he had perfected his plan and the battle began. Rymsula became the puppet and Chosen One.

But the quasi-being had actually known about his tricks and had a few of it's own. The Demonic lost it's battle and, weakened by it's effort to control the damn human mage Rymsula, had been locked down and forced into a sort of inner power struggle with the quasi-being for the majority of the next century. They both exhausted themselves, melding back into one and then resting. But the Demonic had used it's resting time to formulate his revenge. The quasi-being, now bonded closer than ever, knew about part of the plan.

It won't succeed. The being said mockingly.

You sure `bout that? The Demonic replied.

You've already tried it, and I've been preparing for your dumb-ass plan for some time now. The being responded. I've seen your new puppet and he's nothing my guy can't take.

You think too highly of yourself, bitch. Remember what happened to Ramasu… The Demonic was now the mocking one.

Asshole… Was the only response given to him, but a little while later the Demonic was sure he heard some faint laughter from the quasi-being. Didn't matter anyways. He turned his attention to his new puppet.

Cedar Nightfall sat atop a large boulder over looking a lake. The full moon and stars were reflecting off the water, giving the look of an endless sky. It was peaceful now. She couldn't even feel the pain from the burn she had gotten on her arm. In the distance the small village of Kashone sparkled and she smiled. She had come a long way and was resting, almost ready to leave again, back to where she had come from. She needed to find Adem and Falon and make sure they hadn't been caught trying to escape that burning building.

She would have no trouble finding Adem, and she was sure Falon would be with him. She could tell any Eyyuve from a human like that. Cedar smiled to herself and thought, that bloody Augermen thought he was so smart…he didn't even realize I knew his heritage.

She stood up, ready to fly again, by the cover of night when suddenly, a strange feeling passed through her. Her stomach felt icy, but her face burned and a sadness passed through her mind. It was like the feeling a little child got when they accidentally heard their parents fighting. A second later it was gone. Cedar shuddered. Dad's done something wrong again… she thought somewhat mockingly to herself. She returned to normal and decided it was time to go. She jumped into the air, and flew on wings that were not there. I'm coming friends, so just hold on…