Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Mystic Wings ❯ The Devil ( Chapter 23 )

 

Chapter Twenty-Three

The Devil

 

Dryden took Hitomi and Van into the gallery the next day and explained the theories behind Van's abilities to him. After, he explained Hitomi's. Van nodded, seeming to understand truth when he heard it, though Hitomi wasn't sure if he'd internalized it yet.

 

Then Dryden took Van to his uncle Balgus' picture and explained the little bit that was known about him.

 

Van looked at the picture like he was almost disgusted.

 

“Is something wrong?” Dryden asked Van, looking at him over the rims of his glasses.

 

“No, I just thought that he would have bothered to teach me something, since he was a younger brother himself,” Van said levelly.

 

“Oh, well, he could read minds, so maybe he knew a lot more about you than you realize. Maybe he thought you'd be much better off without his interference. By all accounts, he was very jaded, so he might not have wanted to pass that onto you. You'd be jaded too if you constantly heard everyone's mean-spirited thoughts about you. Besides, even though wolves live in packs - they are independent creatures - so he may have wanted to encourage your independence.”

 

“There's no doubt about that. My aunt has drilled me on that subject plenty thanks. Can we move onto the next picture?”

 

“Of course,” Dryden said, ushering them to the front of the gallery. Dryden seemed content to let Van's bad feelings for his uncle slide. Hitomi thought Dryden would figure out some way to let Van know how his family felt about him - that was just Dryden's way. Dryden was always in love with everyone. “Let's start at the front of the gallery. These haven't been hung in order. Not chronologically or alphabetically, or categorized by power level, or anything. I have another gallery in my villa. That is the gallery that is precious to me - this one belonged to my father - and he just put them in this order because he thought they would look best this way, considering the way the light reflected.”

 

“What about Folken, Van, and mine's?” Hitomi asked.

 

“I brought those from my private gallery and had them hung just for you two,” Dryden said with a smile. “They don't really belong here. I have to commission some more artists for those three, which I haven't done yet. I'm so slow at these things. I'd much rather be off …”

 

“Please don't say it,” Van interrupted. “I just want to hear about the pictures - not about your woman.”

 

Dryden looked at Van. He was standing with both his arms wrapped around Hitomi. Dryden rolled his eyes and looked piteous. “He says that as he rubs it in my face that Selphie went shopping this morning!” he exclaimed and then he shrugged the expression off and began his narrative on the first portrait in the gallery. “Here is The Fish. He was also The Scholar.”

 

“Is there an interesting story behind him?” Hitomi asked excitedly.

 

“No,” Dryden replied flatly as he scanned the page of the book he was reading. “His element was water. Let's move on.”

 

The next picture was simply a canvas that had been painted all one colour - purple. The word on the top line was `Purple' followed by `The Emperor' on the second line. “He had extremely good luck - well beyond that of a human's. He lived his life wealthy, controlled lightning, and had a very strong fetish for wine.”

 

The picture after that was of a book and the title was `The Historian'. “This woman is still alive. She is my mother's first cousin. It's her daughters who are in love with me - ugh!” he said, sticking out his tongue. “She's batty about our history and will eventually sink her teeth into both of you for your life's history. Try not to tell her anything you wouldn't want repeated; she a horrendous gossip. She's the one who was able to get Akira's story and the same woman who was thrown out of Balgus' house often enough to discover that air was one of his elements.”

 

“What's her element?” Hitomi asked.

 

“I believe it's earth,” he said, moving onto the next picture. “This next one is `The Undertaker'. He's long dead, but I believe he somehow got turned into `death' for the tarot card deck. Kanzaki, don't ask me what his element is. It should be obvious.”

 

“Earth?”

 

“Obviously. Kanzaki, I want you to start thinking of these things yourself. From now on, you are to tell me what their element or elements are. You need to learn your Tarot users, so that when new people receive their abilities, you'll be able to make those oh-so-precious guesses as to what they can do. Van can help you if you need him to,” Dryden added, looking at his book again. “Try it with the next one.”

 

Hitomi followed Dryden and wondered why he wasn't testing Van in the same way he was testing her. Was it because Van was a guy? Could it be because Van was only a few years younger than himself? Did he think that Van wouldn't take that sort of `I'm teaching you' attitude very well? That must be it!

 

The next portrait was a pornographic sketch of a man - `The Whore'.

 

“Dryden, you can't be serious. How am I supposed to figure this out?” Hitomi whined.

 

“Well, something to be aware of is that what we happen to be looking at during any randomly selected moment of our lives says a lot about us. A truck driver will spend a lot of time staring at the open road. It's very rare that our symbols do not reflect something serious about ourselves. My mother and I tried to manipulate mine, but it failed. Now, I think that my symbol is a very close reflection of the kind of life I lead - beautiful, fragile and needlessly expensive for something so free. So, what sort of abilities would you expect a person like this to have?”

 

Hitomi stared and she tried to come up with something, but she couldn't. It was a little embarrassing, but she finally admitted that she didn't know.

 

“What about you, Van? What do you think?”

 

“Well, just by comparing her to what I know about you, I'd say she'd be an absolute pro at getting someone into bed with her. Maybe even someone who didn't want to go - which appears to be worse than you.”

 

“What a compliment,” Dryden said sarcastically. He couldn't be put off by Van's insults. “Keep going.”

 

“I'd also venture to guess that she was killed for breaking a Tarot contract. Am I right?” Van continued.

 

“Perfectly,” Dryden said.

 

“Now as to her element - I'd say darkness - just as a guess,” Van said.

 

“And you guessed right. Good. Let's move on.”

 

“How did you know all that?” Hitomi asked Van in his ear.

 

He smiled. “It makes perfect sense. She probably cheated on the first Tarot man she slept with, so they would have killed her, but she would probably have left a child, so the line didn't die.”

 

“You've learned a lot quickly,” she observed.

 

“Have I?”

She nodded. He was cute when he was smart.

 

The next portrait was of `The Wanderer' - Dryden's mother. Dryden explained her to Van the same way he had explained her to Hitomi and encouraged them to move onto the next picture. It was a glass of wine and labeled `The Drunk'.

 

“What do you think, Kanzaki?” Dryden asked.

 

“Water?”

 

“… Not quite.”

 

“Earth?”

 

“Good job! He died young and none of his other abilities were ever discovered. To have an addiction like that only facilitated by your Tarot symbol - you'd be wasted for the rest of your life.”

 

The next picture was of a sword. Hitomi was surprised at how many pictures were of inanimate objects. That seemed to be the most common thing. No wonder Dryden wasn't ashamed about having a plant for his symbol - there didn't seem to be many of people who did. This one was `The Warrior'.

 

“There has to be a story behind this one,” Van said.

 

“Not really. He was a warlord in Scotland a couple hundred years ago. This is one of the older pictures here and The Historian had a hard time finding anything. I believe she's still looking. I don't know, but it's known what his elements were. Care to guess, Kanzaki?'

 

She stood and thought about it. This one wasn't as easy as the glass of wine. There were obvious guesses that time. This was harder. Okay, so a sword is made of steel and steel is a mineral, so could it be earth. But Dryden just said that were `elements', so that implied more than one. What could the other one be? How was a sword made - with fire?

 

“Earth and fire?” she asked, hoping she was right.

 

“Very good,” Dryden praised. “It's rare for someone with an object for a symbol to have more than one element, but this guy had two and those were them. Good work Kanzaki!”

 

Van kissed her on the cheek to congratulate her, and she smiled. He made her smile.

 

The next picture was a pool of blood and the caption was `The Vampire'. “This gentleman was the eldest son of two Tarot users. He was the obvious heir, and he was very anxious about his gifts. However, his father and his mother just kept right on living, and he was getting impatient. So, he decided that he would kill his father, rather than his mother, and pick the symbol that he wanted. He was prepared to look at it at the exact moment of death - I believe it was to be a cat (a very powerful symbol). He slashed his father's throat, in order to make it as painless as possible, but he happened to be looking at the blood when his father's heart beat for the last time rather than at the cat figurine he had brought with him. So, his title was The Vampire, and unfortunately he became a vampire in every sense of the word. Needless to say, being a vampire didn't work out too well for him. This was a hundred years ago, or more, and I think the story is that the Sun God got him, but there is no child raised by Tarot users who does not know this story. It's famous and it's very true. You cannot murder anyone to get your Tarot abilities - it will always go wrong. You won't get what you want, and you'll become a murderer. With that said, what do you think his element was?”

 

“Darkness?”

 

“Probably - next,” Dryden said, moving them along. “This next one is for `The Saint'.” It was a picture of a cross. “Can you tell me his element?”

 

“Light?” Hitomi answered.

 

“And can you tell me any of his other abilities?”

 

Hitomi stood there and thought. “I'm not exactly sure. Van, do you want to venture a guess?”

 

Van hesitated.

 

“Go ahead if you think you know it,” Dryden encouraged.

 

“I would guess that he had the ability to heal others, but not himself - to see the best in people and to look on all people as though they were special, even sinners,” Van mumbled while looking at the floor.

 

“Told you The Dragon was smart,” Dryden said to Hitomi with a wink. “Let's move onto the picture for The Sun God.”

 

“I have a question,” Hitomi said before they moved to the next picture. “I was wondering what would happen if someone happened to be looking at the stars when they got their Tarot symbol? How would that work out?”

 

Dryden sighed. “I think they would probably end up a lot like The Sun God, except they wouldn't live forever, but they would probably be able to haunt as ghosts for a really long time. Stars are just suns that are far away, or rather, our sun is just a star that is near. Stars are not considered one of the eternal symbols. This is the portrait,” he said pointing to the next picture.

 

It was a massive sun with long rays stretching out of it. At the bottom of the picture were two little boys. One had black hair and the other had blonde. Hitomi didn't understand and she asked about it.

 

“This picture was done awhile ago. It's unusual because it actually shows a picture of The Sun God himself. Both of those little boys are said to be him. Apparently, The Sun God told someone that before he received his symbol he had dark hair and dark eyes, but afterwards his hair changed colour to blonde and his eyes changed colour to blue. It's a really mysterious story and there are rumours that it's probably not true, but the picture was a rare one, and so my father had to have it,” Dryden said and then he told Van the story of The Sun God and listed his known attributes.

 

“I see,” Van said when Dryden finished. “So, why hasn't this guy come to see Hitomi if she's the next best thing?”

 

“Who's to say that he hasn't? He might have pulled the same trick as Folken and I and attended Hitomi's school. Who knows? He might have even showed up way before that to check out what kind of person she was. It's impossible to say. I don't want to venture a guess.”

 

Hitomi didn't pick up that Dryden was uncomfortable talking about where The Sun God might be and when, but Van did and his next question reflected it. “Are you afraid of him?”

 

Dryden gulped, and it was then that Hitomi realized that he was afraid. Why?

 

He smiled and tried to shrug it off. “It's just that … I haven't always been as … good as I am now. I would hate for him to meet me as I am. He would see straight through me and I would be a coward. I want to be able to stand up tall when I meet him.”

 

“You sound like you think meeting him would be like meeting God,” Van said.

 

Dryden looked at the floor. “I don't think I can easily explain my feelings to you,” he said, fixing his glasses and moving down the gallery. “It's time we stopped joking around and we got on with why we're really here.” Dryden slammed the book he was using for reference on the floor like it was a football and walked with long determined strides to the picture covered with the sheet. With far more energy than Hitomi thought possible for Dryden, he ripped the billowing sheet off the canvas to reveal the pitchfork.

 

Van let go of Hitomi and rushed to follow Dryden. He stood before the picture - horrified. Hitomi took to her feet and came up behind the two men.

 

“This is the portrait of Dornkirk Zaibach. He is the Tarot user known as The Devil. He is the man in charge of the Zaibach Group; the man pulling the strings for Folken and the Dragon Slayers. He was born before the First World War and he isn't dead yet. He was a Tarot user who was abandoned by his mother and father outside a village near the Caspian Sea in Russia. He lived poor - abominably poor - during the two world wars. He lived on the brink of starvation until he was nearly forty. He never married and never had any reason to be happy. He was forced to work as an unpaid, hired hand by the couple who found him as an infant and raised him. He was cleaning their barn when his Tarot abilities hit him, and the first thing he saw was the pitchfork he'd been using. The records say that afterwards he went and murdered the couple who raised him, along with their entire family and every other person he hated. Then he ran from the police, leaving Russia and then coming to our country to begin living his new life. He suddenly became possessed with many talents that he had never before had. Now he is charismatic, charming, willful, cruel, powerful and twisted. Abused and mistreated his whole life, he had no pity for anyone and he started a syndicate to feed his new fixations - mainly murder - but it branched into other things. Our city isn't the only one where the Zaibach Group exists, but it seems to be a place that they've been more than successful. Hitomi, can you tell me what his element is?”

 

Hitomi couldn't answer. She was feeling sick, but she felt determined not to be squeamish, “Darkness?”

 

“No,” Dryden answered.

 

Hitomi thought, Hell was fiery, right? “Fire?” she asked aloud.

 

“No,” Dryden said louder.

 

Then what could it be? She pressed herself further, “Air?”

 

“NO!”

 

Van cleared his throat. “It's light, isn't it?”

 

“You'd better believe it!” Dryden nearly yelled. Hitomi had never seen him so uncontrolled. “Now, would Van be good enough to tell me your side of this story? I want to hear what happened while they had you. Do you trust me enough to tell me?”

 

Van's jaw was tight, like he didn't want to answer. The seconds were ticking hard, and for a moment, Hitomi thought that Van would turn on his heel and leave the gallery without answering Dryden. She was amazed when he finally did speak. “I don't exactly want to relive it,” he said, “but I suppose it's better if I'm open. I'll tell you everything you want to know.”

 

***

 

“So, Van, did you know The Devil's element was light because you had met him in person?” Hitomi asked after Van retold his story to Dryden. Now they had moved out of the gallery and were eating lunch in the dining room.

 

“No,” Van said. “The man hardly spoke when I was around. He's very old, and his body is a wreck. When I met him in The Voltage Room he was rolled into the meeting in a wheelchair piloted by Dilandau. He didn't say anything except to cough that they needed more blood than the amount Folken had suggested before. He just seemed sort of old and grey. There wasn't any personality in him.”

 

“Then how did you know?”

 

“Dryden said he was charismatic, so I thought that he would be able to convince someone to do something wrong by making them believe that they were doing something right. Like when Folken murdered my parents; I'll bet Dornkirk urged him to do it,” Van finished with his teeth gritted together.

 

Dryden jumped in and quickly changed the subject, “But they were trying to change Folken into a crow?”

 

“Yeah, that's what it sounded like. It sounded like they wanted to expand his powers and learn more about Tarot users. I'm not sure why they would want to do something like that. It's doesn't make any sense to me.”

 

“I'll have to think about it,” Dryden said, and then he took a drink of water.

 

“It doesn't matter what they were trying to do,” Van said, getting up from his chair. “It doesn't matter at all. We have to go after them and stop them. What do you think they learned by taking so much of my blood?”

 

“Calm down!” Dryden shouted, using just the right pitch to get Van's attention. “You - relax. You've been away from Hitomi for months. Just focus on her for now. Who knows, if you go off without thinking things through, this might be the last time you see her.”

 

Van paused in his rampage and figuratively dumped a glass of water on his fuming nerves. “I can't do nothing!” he spat angrily. Then he slammed himself back into his seat and proceeded to munch on his salad, using as many muscles and jaw movements as it took a cow to chew.

 

Hitomi smiled. He was so cute!

 

After the meal, Dryden suggested that Van should probably rest, and then he casually disappeared into a deeper part of the house. It was nice of Dryden to leave them alone as often as he did. Hitomi admired his tact.

 

Van looked across the table at Hitomi and said indifferently, “I've been thinking about what you said and I've decided that we'd better do it.”

 

“Do what?” Hitomi questioned, unsure of what he was referring to.

 

His colour heightened and as he turned his head away his hair fell in his eyes so that Hitomi couldn't see his expression. “You asked me when we could tell people that we're married … I think now is a good time.”

 

“Really?” Hitomi asked, surprised. She hadn't expected him to suggest it himself. She was starting to think that he would want her to keep it a secret forever.

 

“Yeah. It will probably be embarrassing to admit to everyone that we've been married for months, but you won't be embarrassed, will you?” One of his eyes peeked out from between his bangs, and she could tell that he wanted to see if this admission would make her happy.

 

“Thank you, Van,” she said, her eyes welling up with little tears. “I wanted to tell my mother, and Eries, and … I didn't like keeping it a secret.”

 

“Well, I was being selfish. I didn't want you to tell before, because I was worried that Folken might try to kill me if he found out that we were married. He might have found out from anyone if it wasn't a complete secret. But, that was only part of the reason.”

 

“Oh?” Hitomi said, nudging him for more information when he stopped talking.

 

“I didn't want to lose you,” he said, his eyes flashing with deep feeling like scarlet stars in the deepest part of his eyes. “Now, I'm being selfish again. No more extracurricular boyfriends for you. I want you all to myself, so I have to give you a legitimate reason to tell your hopefuls. You can say you're married and if they don't back off your husband will kick their asses.”

 

“Thank you, Van,” she said; so happy that he was with her again that she couldn't hold back her tears.

 

He smiled at her. It looked like he had been trying to change the mood with his last comment, but it had obviously failed. He got up from his chair and came around to her. His hands lifted her from her chair and he brought her close to him. “I've been secretive, Hitomi. I didn't want to talk too much before I left, because I knew what would happen when I went to The Voltage Room. It seemed pointless to bring you entirely into my life when I was going to be gone, but I'm not leaving like that again. And this time, I really do want to bring you into my world.” He paused and stroked her hair, “Because I want our relationship to be the most important. I want to learn everything there is to know about you and I want you to know everything about me. This time … I won't leave you in the care of another man. I'll never do that again.”

 

“But you're still planning to go after Folken?” she asked quietly.

 

“Yes.”

 

“But what if something happens to you?”

 

“Dryden's right that I shouldn't run off without thinking things through. He said that I have all eight elements, so I should learn how to use them and then Folken will be no match for me. I'll train and then there won't be anything to worry about, because I'll make it back to you … no matter what.”

 

Hitomi didn't like to hear Van talk about Folken. When he did there was something in his voice that disturbed her, something that said louder than his words that he was dead set on getting his revenge on him. She buried her head in Van's shirt and just tried to appreciate the nearness of him, the light scent of musk, and the feel of his arms around her.

 

“You think that's the best course?” Hitomi asked.

 

“I do. Besides, it's not just my revenge. Who knows what evil plan Dornkirk and Folken are scheming together? I have to stop them. The Abaharaki are gone now, but there has to be something that I can do.”

 

“But what happens after you've …”

 

His fingers were suddenly under her chin and he was bringing her eyes up to meet his. His voice was quiet and calm as he said, “Please tell me you love me, Hitomi. I haven't heard you say it in such a long time.”

 

She was caught entirely off guard by the intensity of his eyes and she forgot about her question. “I love you, Van,” she whispered. “I'm so glad you're back. I missed you so much,” she admitted, clinging to him.

 

Van exhaled a breath like he was relieved. Then he smiled and said to her blithely, “Little Goddess, I'll definitely worship you.”