Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy: The Crystal Chronicles ❯ Degio, Yuke ( Chapter 4 )

Final Fantasy:

The Crystal Chronicles

 

Hello! For those of you who are getting sick of intros, fear not, for this is the last one. After this, the fun stuff starts. Either way proceeding, I hope you like what I'm writing. Please, review when you're done.

 

Enjoy…

 

~

 

Degio…

 

What..?

 

Degio… it is time for you to awaken…

 

Can I not sleep for longer..?

 

No, Degio, you must awaken now. The sun is already one quarter into the sky. Degio's eyes suddenly shot open.

 

“The sun has already risen?! How come you did not wake me sooner?! I am going to be late!” Bolting out of bed, Degio slapped his visor down over his face, and tripped over his travel pack as he headed towards the door. Various pieces of material spilled out of the pack onto the floor. Pushing himself off the floor, he tried desperately to scoop everything back into the pack as quickly as possible. The door to his room opened, and his mother, Ardane, walked in and placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Do not fret, Degio, the caravan will not leave without you. Now, calm down and take a few breaths.” Once her son had obeyed her command, she resumed speaking. “Now, you are not going to need all of that,” she said, pointing to the pieces of materials strewn across the floor, “so, leave it be. Your father has prepared a wondrous farewell breakfast, and it will grow cold if unattended.”

 

“But the caravan…”

 

“They will not leave without you. Come.” Grasping her son's hand tightly, she led him out of his room, down their hall, and into the dining room. At the table sat Elgove, Degio's father, and Degio's siblings, Heinrir and Telseado. Sitting down in the empty seats, the family fell silent, and Elgove initiated the breakfast prayer.

 

“Oh, great spirits that guide us, assist us, and enlighten us, keep Death's gaze from my son, Degio, who leaves this day.” Sliding his visor up, Elgove grasped his fork, and forced it through a large slab of meat. Cutting the meat into small cubes, he placed one in his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and gave a thumbs-up. The rest of the family began eating in silence. After having consumed the food on their plates, the family rose from their seats, and bowed. Shooing his younger children away, they went outside into the morning sun to play.Turning to his son, Elgove began to speak.

 

“Degio. You are now old enough to join the caravan. Though I have no idea where all the time has gone, you have grown up. Before you leave, I would like to give you something.” Walking around the table to his son, he pulled out two small vials of a clear, watery liquid. “That, my son, is a special solvent. It will eat away any inorganic material, yet will leave anything organic untouched.”

 

“Then how is it contained like this?” He asked, looking at the clear glass which constructed the vial.

 

“It is lined with a film of plant membrane, which is what prevents it from eating through the glass. I want you to keep one of these, and give the other one to Nikki.” Turning his gaze back to them, Degio spoke again.

 

“Why does she need one of these?”

 

“You would not remember, but you almost died as a child due to miasma poisoning. You had wandered outside of the range of the crystal, and you had stayed out for hours. It was by mere chance that you were found, and Nikki's family was able to nurse you back to health. This is a form of repayment for saving you.”

 

“Ah, I see.” Reaching for the vials, Degio grasped them firmly in his hand. “Then I will be sure to give one to her. Thank you for giving me this. I'm sure it will be very handy.”

 

“You're welcome. Now, you have dallied enough as it is. It is time you left.” Bowing to his family, Degio grasped his pack and flung it over his shoulder. With a final bow, he raced from the house in order to meet with the rest of the caravan.

 

 

~~

 

 

After Degio left, Ardane spoke up.

 

“Do you think it wise for him to involve himself in Velius' affair? If they are found out, he is likely to be dragged into it, whether he likes it or not. And while our son is combat-ready, he has never been good at confronting people.” Turning to his wife, Elgove shook his head.

 

“No, but no matter what I do or say, it will not sway his mind. Besides, to reveal that we know would make him feel as if something he has done revealed this secret to us, and would make him feel unnecessarily guilty. To him, Velius is his best friend, and greatest ally. He would follow him to fabled Mag Mell, and put Velius' life before his own. Even if his actions are foolhardy, I am proud for Degio. If there were more men like him, maybe this secret would not be one.”

 

“Still… meddling in events like these has only led to trouble for our people. This rule most surely applies to him as well. I'm worried about him, especially now that he is leaving.”

 

“What you don't realize, my dear wife, is that I was worried about him the moment he was able to walk.” And with that he departed to his lab, leaving his wife alone to contemplate his sentence.

 

Fin… for now