Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ The Essence ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

"STOP! STOP IT NOW!" She looked at him with an expressionless gaze, and with those pitiful eyes. "PLEASE! JUST..JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!!! …I beg of you." Van held Hitomi in his arms, who is weak and dying; and dying fast. Her wavering hand tried to touch his face, and he guided it with his own, aware of her critical condition. "Hitomi." He held her closer to him, and breathed in her soft hair, cradling her in his strong arms. Then he looked up again, again, at the woman standing before him; her long dress tumbled in gentle flowing layers, the top half of the cloak covered her shoulders, but still let her move about. The waist long hair danced in the wind, and they waited, for something -

"The night is young, go find shelter for her." Even her voice was as smooth as silk, and she spoke in a level, calm tone.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!?! WELL ANSWER ME!!!!" A faint whimper came from Hitomi, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Instantly, he tried to comfort her and to speak more quietly, so that he didn't scare her anymore. Her reflection created small ripples in the water's surface, yet nothing was touching it, then she stood near the edge of the carp pond, the fish were going wild; trying to jump out and reach her, yet they were not able to leave the water, and she was on dry land. The moonlight crowned the woman with a silver halo, but in his eyes, she was far from angelic; in his heart, she was the devil.

"Majesty, you have my deepest sympathy-" Though her voice echoed throughout the air around them, he was far from being reasonable.

"I DON'T WAN'T YOUR SYMPATHY!! NOW TELL ME WHAT YOU DID TO HER!!! AND HEAL HER!!!" Aggression surged though his entire body, causing him to shake and control over his anger ever the more difficult.

"It was not my will, what happened to her. There is nothing I can do.

I have nothing to say."

"DON'T-!!!!"

"Farewell." The woman's last words faded, just like her, and they whispered continuously until the ear could hear them no more, and just like her, their presence surrounded them for some time. Then gone, almost as sudden as they had come to be. A stranger, a devil, a cold heart with an iron stature, she left. Vanished. Out of sight, out of reach.

Shaking with emotion, he cradled her more, holding her tighter, and closer to him, when she spoke words which were barely a whisper:

"Tell me, why, is it so dark?" He cried lost tears into Hitomi, who didn't know what was happening to her. But he did. And he couldn't do anything to save her. He was at a loss at not knowing what to do. Then, slowly, the remaining strength in Hitomi's hand slipped away, becoming limp and lifeless, so had she. The light in her eyes faded, leaving for him a pair of emerald crystals that were empty of life.

"I'm…sorry." Was Hitomi's last breath.

The young man buried his head in her body, before being shaken quite roughly. Finally he was persuaded to lift his head, and saw, he was in his own room, the curtains were drawn, revealing the happy/bright sunshine outside, and Merle, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking extremely worried.

"Lord Van? Are you alright? Is anything the matter?"

"Ah…it was just a nightmare, that's all. I'm fine Merle, really, I am."

"Good to hear Lord Van. Because I have some very good news to tell you. Hitomi's here," That particular name definitely rang a bell. It sounded very familiar indeed. "She's in the waiting room," Van literally sprang out of bed, running for the door at full speed. "RIGHT NOW!" Merle shouted the last bit of unimportant information to the Fanilian king, as he obviously doesn't want to hear the rest. What he did hear was more than enough. After several paces he got to the huge pair of wooden doors, and threw them open; as he ran down the hall, he expected three things: one, for Hitomi to be exactly the same as he last saw her; two, or, as the likelihood was, that she had changed, but for the better of course; and the third, that he was hoping that she still had feeling for him, just like he still has for her. Van was nearly at the doors to the waiting room, and pushed them open with all his might, causing them to fly open, the sunshine pouring in from the gigantic windows…

But, as he discovered, it was not Hitomi. Instead, it was Geneva, the woman from Fehrlia, Lady of the Crystal Continent, and daughter to the late baron, Michael Finz. Then he remembered why she was here, and promptly said: "Lady Finz, your presence here is honoured."

"No, Lord Van, it is I who is honoured, to be in the presence of the saviour of Gaea." Van wanted to tell her that Hitomi had a part in it also, as did countless others, some whom even lost their lives in the great battle. But he felt that if he did, she wouldn't understand - how much he still loved her. "I have come to ask for your help, with the legendary Escaflowne; my country is under siege from a clan of Blood Phantoms; many are dying with each passing day, and my people are frightened for their very lives. Children no longer go out to play, men no longer work in the city or lands, the women who have seen them, scream in their sleep for fear of them returning. Majesty, I beg you," She kneels down in front of him, her hands cupped in a prayer.

"Help us."

A red scarf hides most of Geneva's hair, but a few loose strands still escape it. Eyes looking very sincere, this was a call he simply could not turn down.

"We cannot defeat these Blood Phantoms, nor know where they came from. Theses things are creatures from hell, bringing with them pain and suffering. Most of the population are dead; the remaining survivors have become scattered. And I can't help them." She cried into her hands, weeping. Van went to take her arm, gesturing for her to stand.

"Yes, I will help you. I will use the Escaflowne also. It seems this is not your only problem."

"No, there is more; water has stopped flowing, and the crops are dying. Food is quickly becoming scarce. You are my last hope."

"Lady Finz, I will do all I can to help you and your country, but first you must tell me everything over a morning meal; you can't go on in the state you are in."

"Thank you, thank you for being so sympathetic." Geneva bowed again, but this time Van stopped her, saying it wasn't necessary. They were nearly at the dinning room, when she said she wanted to be excused just before they were about to enter. So Van, along with Merle and some servants, entered and decided to wait for her in there. At the exact same moment, Balgus could be seen running down a hallway outside the window opposite, and soon loud shrieks came from the scared servants who dodged and went out of his way, and then the doors leading to the dinning room flew open with tremendous force, Balgus looked fierce.

"YOUR MAJESTY! I HAVE GRAVE NEWS!! IT'S ABOUT THE LADY GENEVA; SHE IS A LIAR AND HAS LEFT THE PALACE GROUNDS!!!" Boomed Balgus, and Van stood up at once, alarmed.

"What are you saying Balgus? How is she a liar? No one is permitted to leave the palace without my knowledge, everyone knows that."

"Well, you should have told the Lady Geneva then, because the guards have reported seeing a white bird fly away from somewhere near here, but they also said it looked odd; it had blue eyes, and glowed. And then a number of guards were found unconscious, hit by a blow only a man could have done. She is an IMPOSTER, and has not come for your help." Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream smashed into the room, hitting on every eardrum there was; all faced the big window.

"Who was that?"

"I think it came from the gardens-"

Hitomi. Van didn't hesitate to break into a run, becoming a red blur as he headed for the royal gardens. As he got close, a woman with mousy brown hair was lying face down in the grass, sprawled out across the land. He went to her, and lifted her into his arms; what he wasn't expecting to see, however, was the truth; she had white hair, wrinkled, saggy skin, and her bright eyes were now dull and partially clouded over.

"No…NO!!! No…Hitomi, don't leave me…you said you wouldn't leave me!!!" Realising she was still breathing, he straightened up, and took in a deep breath to try and calm down. Upon opening his eyes again, he found himself in a dark room, dimly lit by the rising sun to the east of his chambers. Panting, he struggled to stay calm; he yanked off the covers, and jumped out of bed in his nightclothes and headed for the doors; Merle was there to greet him.

"Lord Van." She sounded so sad, but he didn't want to know why. He didn't care why. All he cared about was Hitomi.

"G-get out of my WAY Merle!! I'm going to find Hitomi!! Sh-she's in danger!!"

"Lord Van, she's okay - for now, you have to rest."

"B-but Merle! You didn't see her!!! I found her unconscious in the gardens!!! I thought she was dead!! Her skin seemed 'different', a-and her eyes no longer sparkled like they used to!!! A-and Balgus told me that Lady Geneva is a liar AND an IMPOSTER!!!! So let me through!!"

"Lord VAN," Tears ran down Merle's face, and streaked them with the pain of reality. Whispering was all she could manage to do to keep her emotions from taking over. What she said, stunned him.

"…That was three days ago…"