Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Paradox Hearts ❯ Keep Your Distance ( Chapter 2 )

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Paradox Hearts

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 2: Keep Your Distance

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He didn't know how long they had been walking but the heat was really beginning to get to him. There were few trees in that part of Suzanna's world and the ones that did exist provided little to no shade. He felt relieved to even get to one. The temperature had to be in the high nineties. It was nearly hotter than any foreign country he had been to, except the desert regions. Fanning himself with his hand, Volgore finally decided to speak up, after his long amount of silence.

"How long have we been walking?" It was an innocent enough question. He hoped that it wouldn't be too bothersome to ask.

"I thought you weren't going to complain." It was the cold remark that he dreaded, but he couldn't possibly just keep walking with no water or shade.

"I'm a little tired," the star wiped some sweat from his brow. His legs hurt and he could have sworn that he had walked a mile or more and saw no signs of civilization whatsoever. It was as if he and Suzanna were the only two forms of mobile life in that world.

"We can't rest now. I have to get to Lafarga's temple before nightfall," the white-haired warrior instructed. It wasn't a matter of preference and opinion. Volgore was undoubtedly stuck with her and the least he could do was shut up and stay out of her way.

She could hear him inquire who Lafarga was. He truly was naïve and even though she didn't feel like educating him on the fact, she supposed that it would be best if she did. Volgore couldn't learn to survive if he wasn't aware of the being that existed around him. "Yes, Lafarga is the god of the forest. He has a temple in these woods. Inside of the temple is a special box. The box is said to grant the one who opens it a great power. I want that box and I want that power. I need it to find the Compressor and the Girl of Anai."

Again, Volgore questioned on what the Compressor was, so she continued to explain to him the details. "The Compressor is a magical mirror. It's about the size of a large china plate and they say that whoever finds it will be granted the powers of the Girl of Anai. Many even speculate that she was granted her power by finding it."

"Then that means the mirror has always existed here," Volgore brought up a good point. In order for that to happen, according to the fact that the Girl of Anai was also a human brought there much like the two of them, then the mirror existed in the world the both of them were brought to. If that was the case, then someone had to be there to make such an item…but whom?

"There are a lot of theories behind both the mirror and the Girl of Anai," Suzanna explained. "Some say she's a goddess who made this world through the mirror. Some say that she's a witch. Some say that she's trying to rewrite a future for this world through the mirror and some say that she's trying to destroy it. I've heard that she was from the future. I've even heard that the mirror served as a primordial make-up for this world and that it gave birth to the girl. I've also heard that she's just like us, pulled here from another world and assigned to govern this one by the gods here. I want to know the truth. I want to know why this world exists and for whom it does exist. Is there a reason that we were pulled here?"

"Even if it does, what would the meaning of it be…and what is with the May seventeenth date? I have a feeling that it means something…but what?" For the life of him, Volgore couldn't figure it out. It wouldn't make any sense for the Girl of Anai to continuously repeat that specific day if there wasn't some importance about it. Maybe he was thinking too much into it, but he couldn't help not to with everything that was happening.

"I don't remember when I came here, or how long I've been here but I do remember a still frame of people. It's like a place that never moves, where everyone is frozen," Volgore looked a little worried as he saw the expression on the female's face turn grave. It was as if that image disturbed her and brought a chill through her body.

"Do you think it has something to do with the Girl of Anai?" He dared to ask.

"I know that it does. That's why I'm doing this. That's why I must become stronger. I have to find out what happened and why I ended up here. She never spoke to me, just turned and looked at me with void eyes as the wind blew through her hair. I learned a time later that she was the Girl of Anai," Suzanna recalled it as if it were as clear as day. That tall, dark figure of a beautiful, teenaged girl that stared at her with a chilling, hollow expression. Her brown hair swayed rhythmically in the wind.

It was an image that would be forever engraved on her mind. It was a face so blank and emotionless that anyone who saw it would never forget it.

"Who told you that?" Volgore was a little curious as to who was in this world when Suzanna first appeared.

"I never got his name. He was a man with silver hair. He looked like an old English Earl and dressed in Victorian garb. He's the other one I want to find," the white-haired woman's voice held a great determination in it with the last sentence that she said. Suzanna was a very driven person and kept her focus on her goals. Even if he wanted to, the Italian wouldn't be able to sway her in the slightest.

"How will you do that?" Did she even know where this man was or was she just as lost as he was?

"I'll have to go to Arceaus."

"Arceaus?" Volgore repeated the name of the country in bewilderment.

"Yes, from what I know there are three countries here- Arcana, Arceaus and Arcadia. Arceaus is where we are now. It's peaceful, despite there being so many people here and it's a very whimsical place, full of elementals and other magical things. Arcana is a world of secret. No one knows anything about it. The people and entities from it never mention anything about it or what goes on within its boundaries. It's extremely private. Then there's Arcadia, the world that sits on the edge of destruction. Arcadia is the world of gods and the world that's defined as the edge of hell. It's where people are banished and forgotten about. It's rarely spoken of and when it is, the news is never good. The only beings that are well-known from there are the Death Gods and Reapers, or Shinigami."

"Do you think that the Girl of Anai could be there?" After all, if you want to hide somewhere, why not make it somewhere that no one ever checks? Volgore thought that it made perfect sense, anyway. If he were the Girl of Anai, he'd want to hide in either Arcana or Arcadia.

"What?" Suzanna glanced at the Italian. What was he trying to get at?

"Maybe she's a shinigami, reaper, or death goddess? May seventeenth is the day time stood still in my world. Maybe it specifies a death or a marking time of some sort." Even though he thought it was a great idea, the thought of such a thing being a reality really unnerved the superstar. If that theory was true, then he stood on the edge of an apocalypse.

"We could guess all day, but so far I have no leads," Suzanna tried not to think about such a thing. She hoped that Volgore was wrong on that theory.

"We'll figure something out. We have to if we want to get out of here." Or at least, he had to. This world was probably a nice one, but it was a world that the Italian knew that he didn't belong in. He longed for Italy, for his fame, and the life that he once led.

"Yeah, just mind your own business. Even if our goals are the same, it doesn't mean that I'll help you. I was set on a goal before you landed here and I'm going to accomplish that goal," the woman told him stubbornly and sped up her pace. She refused to admit that his words had actually shook her composure.

"All I want is to go home," Volgore explained. It wasn't as if he were trying to accomplish anything substantial.

"Why?"

The dark-haired man stopped, "because I miss the things that I was used to. Everyone I've met, and the memories that I shared with them." He tried to explain to her that it was an important goal to him, even if she didn't care about his problems. They could both benefit from meeting the Girl of Anai, especially if their goals were similar.

Suzanna paused and looked at the ground. 'Memories…' she pondered, but it was only a broken up, one word thought as she and her new traveling partner were jolted from their moment by a large spike that shot up suddenly from the ground. Both of them called out from shock and fright as they went flying in different directions.

Volgore landed one way and Suzanna caught herself, landing on one knee in the other direction. The Italian lifted his head with a look of confusion. "What was that?"

"Snake God Vocal!" His companion replied. Did he hear her right? Did she say snake god? All Volgore could ask was 'what' before another spike busted through the ground beneath his feet. The superstar managed scramble away, barely missing his impending doom. Another spike shot through the ground between the two and they both managed to jump out of the way, Suzanna with ease and Volgore barely kept from dying.

"It's a guardian snake with spikes that shoot from his body. He loves underground and attacks those who try to steal artifacts from sacred places or the gods themselves," Suzanna finished her explanation of what the snake god was and his purpose for trying to kill them both.

"You'd be correct," a booming voice agreed as the two looked up to see what looked like an extension of the ground with a long, pointed head and a body covered in spikes. The large creature had beady eyes; black as night and his body was a stone gray in coloration. "What matter of business do the two of you have here?" He questioned, staring down the two forms beneath him.

"I've come to take the treasure at the Forest Illusion Temple of Lafarga," Suzanna pulled her sword from its sheath at her hip and pointed it at the snake god. "I'm ready to go through you to achieve that goal." Purple eyes looked to the white-clad woman beside of him. She was certainly full of pride. Volgore wished that he could one day be as admirable and fearless as her.

"Do you truly think you will be able to match the powers of a deity?" Vocal asked. Surely she was rethinking on just who she was facing off against. "If you can even come close, then I'll let you pass. Yah!" The snake god opened his mouth, exposing all of his pointed teeth as multiple spikes shot up from the ground and Volgore and Suzanna continued to dodge them, trying not to end up skewered on the tips of the deadly weapons.

Two spikes shot up, causing the white-haired warrior to dodge from either side. She dodged one way, then the other. As her foot touched the ground, it sank, which made her to begin to fall back. Suzanna's single, uncovered eye widened at her error. She slowly glanced behind her as a spike shot up. Just as she was certain that she was going to die, the woman felt a large, masculine hand grab her wrist and yank her out of the way harshly.

She was brought back into a well-muscled, but lean body. Suzanna whirled around to see that it was Volgore who had come to her rescue.

"What are you doing?" Her eye narrowed as she internally cursed herself for being saved by someone weaker than she was.

"Trying to help you," that familiar Italian accent sounded before he was shoved back harshly. A spike shot between them and Suzanna had shoved him out of the way just in time to return his favor for saving her. They were even now.

"Yeah, well keep your distance or you'll be killed," she warned him. If he got in her way, she'd bring him down just as quickly as she would Vocal. Volgore simply sighed as a spike flew up and easily sent him flying to the ground. Suzanna ran in front of him, obviously annoyed. "Must I do everything? Dark Edge!" The woman commanded her attack to come forth as she sliced down with her sword and released an energy whip, cutting through the spike and busting off the tip.

"You're pretty amazing!" Volgore cheered as the top of the spike fell down to the ground with a booming crash. He clasped his hands together and his eyes twinkled with admiration at the sight before him. Suzanna truly was as skilled as she was beautiful.

"I told you, I've been doing this for a long time," the woman ran towards Vocal. "This isn't the first time I've fought against a god." Drawing back her sword, Suzanna managed to perform her Dark Edge attack and cut through more of the spikes as they shot up around her, trying to take her out before she reached the exposed body of the snake.

She could hear Vocal getting irritated and impatient with her. He shouted 'die' at the top of his lungs, sending various birds from their treetop homes and into the skies in a fright. More and more spikes shot from the ground, stirring up dust and ripping the earth to pieces with every newly emerged one. Volgore tried his best to dodge, but his body was running down from lack of sleep. One of the spikes barely grazed him, taking off part of his purple shirt in the process. It ripped the side of his shirt off, tearing it at the mid-ribs and taking the sleeve with it.

There was a large cut on his chest, but he was happy that it was only a flesh wound. It could have been much worse. Volgore bit the dust, the particles of dirt were painful as they rubbed in his open wound, but he didn't have any time to worry about that. The black-haired singer could hear his partner calling out for him but she was too far away to come to his aid quickly. He slowly pulled himself up, exhausted from lack of sleep. Volgore's focus began to try and fade on him but he shook his head.

"I have you both now!" Vocal replied as more spikes shot up from the ground around the man, cutting his shirt and skin up. Another spike nearby shot up from the ground at an angle, trying to pierce the Italian's skin and pin him to the ground. He could do nothing but watch as the spike rushed at him, threatening to take his life, he felt an arm hook around his stomach.

It was Suzanna. She grabbed him and jumped out of the way as the spike drove its way savagely into the ground. Another spike shot up in front of them and instead of running away, Suzanna ran up the length of it and flipped in the air, landing a good distance away and sitting the superstar down on the ground.

"Are you alright?" She questioned.

"I thought I was dead," Volgore's voice was a little shaken up. He felt his body stinging from the debris and open wounds that plagued his normally flawless form. He certainly hoped none of them left scars. However, that was the least of his worries.

"That was reckless," Suzanna criticized his performance.

"I was keeping my distance," he told her. After all, he was only doing what she asked him to do. Instead of saving him, it only managed to make him look even more pathetic. He didn't want it to seem like Suzanna had to watch him 24-7, but it was slowly becoming the case. If only he would have slept instead of trying to find the Girl of Anai so many times! This situation would have worked out a lot better.

"I warned you about dying," her cold voice intoned, taking on a sharp edge of disappointment to it. Suzanna was clearly not impressed with him in the slightest. At this point in time, he was doing nothing but being an even bigger annoyance than he was originally.

"You told me not to complain, so I won't," Volgore slowly stood up. His body went against every grain of what his mind was trying to tell it, but he still he pushed on. Suzanna was doing her best to protect him, and he would return that favor, if he has to run himself dry to do it. He didn't want to be useless deadweight that slowed her down. He would prove himself to her.

"Huh?" Suzanna stared at him in question. It was amazing that he even stood up, given his condition. The Italian superstar looked as if a dog chewed him up and spit him back out. Either that or someone threw him in a lion's den and he had to fight his way out without being slaughtered.

"I hope you win, Suzanna…" He gave a genuine happy smile at the woman. Volgore couldn't exercise any more strength, so he was counting on the white-haired mystery to pull him through. After all, she was a skilled fighter and apparent god slayer.

The woman smiled a little and nodded. "Right…Thanks." Her words seemed sincere as she took off, running straight towards Vocal. Now that Volgore would stay out of her way, she had the chance to finally show her truth worth without distraction. Drawing her sword, Suzanna was poised for attack.

The mighty snake god watched as the girl neared him, looking much like a white lab rat from his distance. "You still haven't given up? You need to accept the fact that humans will never match my strength. No one has been able to defeat me," Vocal boasted over his own accomplishments. It would be a disgrace if a mere human beat him. He would be a disgrace to the gods.

"Don't celebrate before the victory. It's rude!" Suzanna said with a jump as she plunged her sword into the snake's neck, and dragged it down the exposed part of his body as she descended. The light emitted from her sword made it easy to make a clean cut. Crying out a murderous roar, Vocal swayed back and forth, slinging a mess of blood everywhere as both sides fell to either side on the ground.

She had split the god down the middle.

Volgore watched in awe as he was left speechless. The mysterious woman he had met for not even a day just sliced a god down the middle as if he were nothing! The two pieces of Vocal were consumed in a white light before they burst into a thousand sparkles and dispersed across the ground.

Their fight was over.

Suzanna landed and glanced over her shoulder at the weakened Italian. "I wish you had some kind of special ability aside from trying to die," she swung her weapon over her shoulder. Since she had only cut the snake with light alone, the blade remained untouched by his blood.

"In my world things aren't like this, and people and gods are separated. Our gods aren't even on earth with us," Volgore explained how drastically different their worlds were. In his world, he was never even allow to see his god, or gods, depending on what certain people believed. The sheer concept of the higher powers was always left in question, as was their existence.

"Neither are the ones from my world, to be honest. We don't even get to see our gods unless they are statues or paintings," Suzanna agreed with him for once. "It's new to see them in the flesh, and this world has a lot of strange gods. It seems they are very polytheistic."

"This world is very interesting. It's going to be tough to live here," the Italian admitted. While he liked a challenge, this verged on survival training; a very brutal form of it.

"You get used to it after a while," the white-haired woman shrugged it off as the two continued to walk, headed towards Lafarga's temple. They walked in silence, both worn down from the battle they had just faced. Occasionally, a single red eye would trail to the black-haired man, and glance away. Suzanna seemed in thought about something. After half an hour of silence, she finally spoke. "You're pretty built. I take it you're physically strong."

"Yes, as a model I have to keep a good body tone," Volgore informed his companion of how important keeping his physical appearance was.

"Looking pretty won't get you anywhere. You're going to have to learn how to make it out here. You might do better in the city district. We'll be headed there after we get through the temple." That was a disappointment. Suzanna didn't know what she was thinking, to expect someone like him to have sort of special abilities. It seemed that he had the physical strength but he didn't know how to use it for any purpose other than a cosmetic one.

Volgore was useless.

Purple eyes glanced down over his now exposed, battered and beaten torso. Twin rivers cascaded from his eyes, sorrowful at his own imperfections. "My beautiful body…"

"You should be happy you're alive." Honestly, how pathetic could a man get?

"I don't ever want to see a snake that big ever again," Volgore pouted. If his acting career took him to any giant snake horror movie setting, he would run out of there faster than they would notice that he was gone. His perception of snakes was ruined for the rest of his life.

"Don't worry. Vocal is the only snake god in this world. He's actually a demon from hell that guards the gateway to this place and helps the death god," Suzanna informed him of Vocal's other purpose. It wasn't as if they'd be challenged by him again unless they wanted to steal another artifact directly from another god and once he's defeated, he didn't show up until he could figure out how to beat the last method of his defeat.

"Does this mean we'll be seeing him again, or did we kill him?" Volgore was a little confused by that explanation. If this world worked the same as his, when someone died, they either went to heaven or hell. If Vocal went to hell, then he would just resume being a guardian of the gates, which still allowed him to cross between worlds. That meant that he never truly died.

"Yeah right, Vocal is basically immortal. He was just defeated, not slain. If we leave, we'll have to get through him on the way out. Vocal sleeps inside of this world. He only wakes up for three people- the death god, the one who loves him and the Girl of Anai," Suzanna finished her explanation as the two came to a stone path that was surrounded by tall grass. The path looked old and unkempt. She instructed her partner that the temple lay at the end of that path.

Volgore asked if the path was a very long one and Suzanna explained to him that it was pretty long and that it used to belong to a civilization that was built around it many years ago. However, the civilization no longer existed so they had nothing to worry about beyond that point.

"After all of that happened, I'm glad. It will give me time to take a little rest," Volgore was amazed that he was even functioning with any sort of awareness at this point. The fact that he spoke in literate sentences and didn't sound like a slurring drunk was amazing in itself.

"Well, you'd better rest and walk at the same time," Suzanna shot coldly. They were this close to reaching her goal, and she wasn't about to stop because he was whining about being tired.

The black-haired man slouched over dejectedly. "That's not rest, that's work."

"Hush, little whiner," she swore that would be his new name, considering that's all he seemed capable of, other than drawing bad luck.

"I haven't had sleep in three days. You could give me credit for even staying awake that long," Volgore knew that she more than likely would not understand his situation, but he felt that part of an explanation was in order.

"It's not my fault that you don't take care of yourself properly," his lack of sleep was his own downfall. Volgore didn't need to blame his failures on her.

She wasn't his mother's keeper.

"You don't understand,” the Italian tried to reason, throwing his arms out, nearly begging for her to at least take his state into consideration. "I kept being thrown back in time by that girl. I couldn't just sleep."

"You can rest after we get that box," then and only then would she allow it.

"So, it's in a box?" He knew that she had mentioned something about it before, but he was so side tracked that he didn't pay much attention to her story.

"Yes, it's the power of the illusion. With it, you can cast illusions, confuse opponents and kill them off. It's also said to be the power of the gods and it makes you highly magical," Suzanna explained. That power was something very coveted, even by the gods themselves. To get it was a sheer honor, and the one who was blessed with such a power was one of great admiration.

With that power, she would be evenly matched and able to take on even the strongest of gods with ease. It was just what she needed to accomplish her mission.

"Is it in the form of an object, like your sword?" Perhaps it was in the box as a solid object, and not necessarily and the box itself.

"No, it's a light blue god concealed within the box. The power was said to once have belonged to an angel who sacrificed its life in order to bring peace in a time of war among the gods in Arcana." Or so it was rumored anyway. If that legend had proven itself true, then Suzanna desired the power even more. She had to have it and no one would stand in her way, not even Lafarga himself.

"An…angel?" Volgore's voice held an odd air to it. It wasn't cheery and boisterous as it usually would. His eyes widened and he could hear a familiar voice shoot through his senses. 'Angels fall, my dear Volgore…They fall straight to hell.'

A child lay there in tattered clothes, broken and bleeding with his shoulder length, shaggy black hair covering his eyes. His little body was battered, as if someone much larger than he had beaten him up so much that he wouldn't possibly move. "I know…one day…an angel will answer my prayers," the boy said lightly, he refused to give up hope until that fateful day, the day that he was broken again, beyond repair.

He lay on the same familiar floor, twice as badly injured. His little body could not move and his eyes could not focus. They were void of life and sparkle. Anything that a happy child should have he lacked. The only thing the boy looked forward to was death. Tears ran down his face, despite his eyes being lifeless, his body still showed emotion. "Why?" His tiny voice cracked. "Why didn't they answer my prayers? Why didn't they come?"

"That's just what they say," Suzanna's voice cut through the disheartening and tragic vision that plagued Volgore's mind, but still he heard the child's question echo within his mind, the disturbing words bounced off of the walls of his skull, forever trapped in his memories.

"There are no such things," his voice came out without him thinking. It was emotionless and unlike him.

Suzanna paid no mind. It wasn't her business. He obviously had a reason to say that, but they just met and even if she did care, she doubted highly that he would even tell her. "I believe there are. Besides, they exist in this world, like it or not. You can't deny what's right in front of your face."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Volgore refused to even listen to her. At this point, it was futile to force him to believe anything regarding that subject.

"You will, soon enough," she told him as they continued to walk in silence. The only sounds that were present were the wind as it blew through the tall grass and the clack of their shoes on the rock path. Aside from the two of them and the sound of the wind, it was peaceful. To Suzanna, it was too peaceful and she wasted no time in noting it. Volgore, on the other hand, liked the peace. For once, he was happy not to have chaos in his life. Sure, he was used to fans bombarding him, but it was nothing that he had to risk his life for on a daily basis.

Living like this was ridiculous.

"Do you think Lafarga knows that we're coming?" He asked. Lafarga was a god. No doubt he knew of their presence and even what they sought out.

"I do," Suzanna replied in affirmative. "I think he knows every move that we make. We'd better watch out. There would be traps in this forest-" Her eye narrowed as she warned the Italian, but she was cut off by his scream.

Swiftly, she turned around to assess the situation. Maybe Volgore saw Lafarga, or maybe he even found one of the traps. Her hand clutched the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it at any given moment.

However…

Volgore's scream was only due to the fact that he had stepped in a small sinkhole.

"What the hell?" Suzanna could feel a sweat drop run down the back of her head as she stood there, frozen in place. She couldn't believe that he had screamed like he was being murdered because he stepped in a hole that was no bigger than his foot.

This was just stupid.

Volgore had done yet another useless thing. Why was she not surprised?

"The ground sank," the Italian stated the obvious.

"That's why you don't step off of the path," Suzanna noticed that his foot was to the side of the path. He pulled it out, leaving a large footprint in the ground next to the edge of the road. He had only been walking a little off course. It was hard to concentrate to walk a straight line.

"What if there are traps on the path?" Volgore asked. Wouldn't that be more tactful of the enemy? Especially if they group was trying to keep on the path. If the people seeking the box kept on the path, then it would be easy to ensnare them in a trap. No one would expect them to walk off course when the temple was said to be at the end of a road.

"Either way, it won't matter. No matter where you go, you'll face something. You can't get around it, even if you go about it that way. If you cheat the system, it comes back tenfold," Suzanna replied. Even if he tried to be sneaky, it would fail, just like everything else he did.

Why did she even waste her time on him?

The superstar sighed and got back on the path with a broken up and dramatic 'oh-kay' as a response. It was a good try anyway. He supposed that there was no excuse for his body being so worn down.

Suddenly, Suzanna grabbed her sword hilt and dashed in front of him, leaving the Italian to look around in confusion. He asked what was going on, only be told that someone was there. His eyes scanned the area to see a figure approaching them.

"It's a girl."

The red eye was glued to the figure as she walked into sight. She was a small girl, being about five foot four in height but she was very petite and stick-like. She had long, butt-length chocolate hair and large, round matching eyes that were warm and friendly. The girl wore a long, white skirt and wife beater that covered her small breasts. She was very cute and seemed to be nothing more than a village girl in her mid teens.

Suzanna bolted with a battle cry and swung her sword at the girl, who froze and screamed in shock and fright. She had to bend backwards to miss the swing that could have chopped her right in half, ending her life. She fell on her butt with her legs up in the air, flashing Volgore.

Trembling, she looked up as she saw the cold red eye of the monochrome woman, dressed in mostly white with black accents. The innocent girl stared up the long, cold blade of her sword, which was pointed at her throat.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" She questioned coldly. It was more like an interrogation than a curious inquiry.

Volgore ran up to the two. "You shouldn't be trying to stab people like that-" He stopped, seeing the situation before him. The girl looked to him with frightened brown eyes, quivering in the evening light. If Suzanna didn't recognize the girl and saw her as a threat, then she might be someone that he needed to heed.

Despite that, Volgore wanted to know the girl's identity spoken from her own lips.

"Who are you?"

…To Be Continued…