Subject: [FFML] [Update][Breath of Fire 2]Forever Nocturne
From: "Kenji Murasaki" <nexuspost@hotmail.com>
Date: 8/19/2004, 8:06 PM
To: ffml@anifics.com

Taking the brief internet time I have to send out the finished version of 
this, with the fourth and final part of this series to follow.  Enjoy.

- Kenji M. (nexuspost@hotmail.com)

The  Nexus:
http://swisscheese.sandwich.net

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http://www.collegeboard.com

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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: fnbeta.txt

The following characters are owned and copyrighted by Capcom, and
are not intended to be used for profit.  Unless fun is profit, in
which case, don't sue.  You won't get much.

*********

Colors of the Sun and Sky

Breath of Fire 2 vignettes

By Kenji Murasaki

03 - Forever Nocturne

*********


The structure was a contrast to the laws of nature.  Massive hallway
floors were covered in centuries of dirt and less identifiable
substances.  Surrounding this quarter construct of labyrinth was a
maddening visual, and the coveted trademark of Infinity: a bizzare
onslaught of light waves.  They spiraled, flattened, zigged, straightened,
and spiraled again.

In total, it was a dungeon of the highest dangers.  Creature thrice-
damned by the surface dwellers, and that had long ago forsook natural
illumination, roamed Infinity's endless passages.  The pale, rustic
lights, like the skin of limbo, demanded all sentient beings surrender
their sanity.

Truly a terrible, wonderful work, Infinity was.  It scared one further
to think the children of Drogen, the Light Dragon Clan, could devise
such a deathtrap.  It certainly was accomplishing its primary directive.

With a grunt, I hoisted my comrade back onto her feet, every chord in
my tail, weary from travel, protesting the exertion.  Giving her a once
over, I cringed.  She had a gash trailing the length of her thigh, blood
coating the leg like a slick, dark stocking.  It amazed me she was still
able to remain erect.

"Damnit, hold still!  Bow, get your ass over here and help me!"

The Grass Runner paid little attention to me, his weapon instead
cocked and trained on the mammoth, woolly beast that made one-third
of the demons attacking us.

The other two, black, shrieking phantoms, were giving Ryu and Katt,
my other companions, a run for their worth.  It seemed they were
both far too preoccupied in scoring a hit on the wraiths to realize they
were being lead on, straight into Bow's line of fire.

"C'mon, Prissy, you gotta stand straight!  We're gonna have to help
'em!"

Nina was still swooning, much to my dismay.

The dance continued.  The phantoms would bait Ryu and Katt, who were
now in the behemoth's melee area, and both fighters would alternate
between swinging for the specters, and dodging meaty fists...

The trap was sprung.  Katt, diving to her right to avoid and angry yellow
blast from her phantom opponent, collided with the mammoth's swing.
Her shamanized body flew, well over Bow's head, and landed, skidding
to the very brink of the enormous platform.  She shuddered, her long,
tangled mane of blond hair disappearing.  Pale blue skin regained its
normal flesh tones, then was hidden by her firey orange hide.  Facial
features morphed, elongated ears retracting to their normal, cute size,
nose and mouth became more pronounced, and eerie, almond-shaped,
crimson eyes widened, and turned jade, and dazed.

Katt laid still.

At the same time, to great consolation, Bow unleashed two quivers in
rapid succession from his crossbow.  Each pointed end found a home,
one nearly through the mammoth's skull by way of his left eye, and the
other through the thick hide of its neck. The beast stumbled and bellowed,
a horrible gurgling sound trying to escape its throat.

Ryu, not glancing in any direction but the enemy's, leapt into a
backflip, avoiding the phantoms.  He tucked into a ball over the
howling behemoth, both swinging and scratching at its face, and landed,
then sprang again.  Metal gleamed in the rusty light of Infinity, and
then the beast fell.

Both boys turned their eyes to the phantoms, who were suddenly writhing
in agony.  Staves of lightning danced around them, through them.  They
both vanished, as quickly as they had appeared.

It occurred to me then, just as suddenly, that I was no longer holding
Nina upright.  Her hand was outstretched, to the direction the phantoms
had disappeared, yet she was still far from healthy.  I decided to state
as much.

"Stupid girl!  How could you cast something like that in your condition?!"

It was an honest question.  Since entering the sealed doors of Infinity
through Gate, every demon encountered had made a direct beeline for
both Nina and myself.  While experience had tempered me to take on
their assault, the Windian princess had not been as fortunate.

"I thought," she replied weakly.  "That you asked me for help, Bleu."

"Help, yes.  NOT a suicide attack."

Somewhere, long ago, nature established the rule that while physical
fighters could push a weary, wounded body to the brink, mages shouldn't
risk the same with their craft.  In reality, Nina should have fried
herself casting such an effective Bolt X spell.  If she weren't so
injured, I'd have throttled her.

Bow walked toward us, his crossbow in hand, and the look on his
puppy-like face far from happy.  "Y'know, Bleu, you could've done
what she did without all that yakin'."

As he busied himself with Nina's wounds, I began studying the perimeter
for...any further trouble.

"Hmph.  I was preoccupied."

Peripheral allowed me to take in his confused, contemptuous gaze, but
pride could sense the silent mirth etching Nina's sharp, pale face.

"An' what, pray tell, could have had your attention?" he asked in his
gruff, accusatory tone.

"Those wraiths made to silence our casting," Nina explained after I, well,
continued to examine the perimeter.  "I think," the smugness in her
weak voice irritated me with no small effort.  "I was the only one to
evade the attempt."

The snowy glow of Bow's magic illuminated the area.  Soon, the Wing
Clanswoman was stretching away most of her fatigue.  The peachy color
returned to her skin, though her exposed leg still looked dipped in
blood, and she was shaky with her steps.  The smug look never left
her face.

"A minor setback," I grated out through clenched teeth, glaring death
at the upstart canary.

"Buddy, over here."  Ryu's voice. He was helping an unsteady Katt to
her feet.

Bow stood, dusting off his forest tunic, and hurried to his friend's
side with a pace that belayed his boisterous weight.  I took the
opportunity to study my winged comrade for further injury.

"You could have kept that to yourself, you know."

She returned my glare.  "He'd have sensed it eventually.  It's not an
easy task to overlook a hole that big being plugged."

Oh, if only I could properly recall my charms and curses.  As it stood,
I settled for intimidating grumbling.

"Didn't know snakes could speak Drogan."  Her eyes narrowed.  "And
I do remember telling you to keep my family's names off your tongue."

A cool smile crossed my lips.  She was still so easily coerced, moreso
than her namesake.  Another nudge or two--

"That's enough," Ryu's voice rang again in the vast expanses of Infinity.

So much for getting some practice time.  Nina looked more than
durable enough to withstand a spell or six, too.

More's the pity.


*******************


I concluded, many hours later, that Infinity was a space separated
from our own, an actual dimension hidden within the planet, unlike
the mirage magics of Myria's Obelisk fortress, notorious for its
galaxy backdrop.

The reasoning behind my conclusion was solid.  For one, such wide
spaces underneath the earth would have left Gate and its peninsula,
as well as most of the northern continent, subject to terrible quakes
and implosions.  Another was, as deep as we had travelled, we should
have encounter some subterranean road  that would have led to Gramor,
the city of the Mole Clan.  Yet, there was no evidence to any creature's
presence save that of the demons awaiting Evan's birth.

This conclusion did little to pacify the fact that our strength was
waning.  It wouldn't be possible for the others to endure much longer
within such a horrible place.  To rest was to invite death, as we'd
all learned at an earlier attempt to do so.  The demons, not intelligent
individually, were tracking our movements with astonishing precision,
almost like they were being directed.

But if that devil, Evans, was the prime strategist behind the deadly
campaign, then why couldn't I shake the fact that we were being
toyed with?

The musings would have to wait until later, however.  The moment
belonged, instead, to the element apparition that was closing in on
our current location.

Nina seemed to have sensed the same.  She was suddenly stone still,
and then took a leap in the air, hovering with her wide, ebony wings.
The motion didn't go unnoticed.

"Company?" Katt asked, making a show of trying to determine a
possible direction of approach.

I gave a short nod in her direction, and brought my cane to bear.  "An
elemental, feels like.  You'd all do well to watch yourselves."

There was little use in the warning.  Elementals were a dangerous lot,
moreso than most beast and monsters.  A few common wards or items of
enchantment might do moderately against one, but only for so long.
After all, what was the use in defending against a spirit that could
flash fry you instantly with lightning and fire?  Or asphyxiate you by
taking away air?  And then there was the humiliating, painful, and
grotesque death of gravity to consider...

These potential methods of demise were the reasons most magic-wise
travellers try to placate the naturally temperamental creatures.

As a consolation, we would likely get a warning on what, exactly, we
would be facing.  If it were gravity-based, the others would know by
the way their bones would break and crumble like so many autumn leaves.
Would it be of water, we'd all be floating or freezing. By air, Nina
would likely drop dead, much like a mining canary.  But if it were
fire--

"I smell..." Bow started.

"Sulfur," Katt finished.

Well, I suppose that silly poet will finally have his answer pertaining to
and end by fire, wouldn't he?


*******************


It is a river.

Wide, deep enough to require ferrymen on a consistent basis.  The
rippling spring water is refreshing to my parched mouth and throat.

I take a moment to recall what I was just doing, but it remains evasive.
Instead I ponder the river and why its calm, soothing presence chills
me to the core.

The it clarifies: I am at the banks of the great Caer Xhan river, on the
eastern continent.  It was the lifeblood to Caer Xhan, the crown jewel
in the Fou Empire, as well as my hometown, Wisdon.

All three landmarks are nothing.  Wisdon is buried in the sands of time.
Caer Xhan is a ghost, hidden from even my aged eyes, its river no more
than a massive trench, stretching the length of the desert.

A desert that came to be because of Her shifting whims and meddlesome
hands.

I see Her, then.  She is beside me, blond hair flowing far past her
hips like a shimmering cape.  Her figure is like mine own, lithe and
wiry, pleasing to any man's eye.  Her dress is a long gown, the colors
of sunset.  Her feet are bare, and there are four etheral wings floating
about Her.

The wings show Our difference, Our conflict.  Were anyone to observe
this, one  of the two polar traits We share, they would immediately
know Us for who We are.  It is the reason, one of many, that I tease
the Windian.

But the other trait is what concerns me.  Her eyes, Her wide, innocent
eyes are laughing.  They are cruel and deceitful, while mine are
narrowed, yet open and honest.

Myria has beckoned me, and I fear the motivations of why She would do
so.  I loathe Her ability to do so.

"What is it?"  The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.  I am
not apologetic for the venomous tone they carry.

"Deis," My Name, one hopefully as lost to time as Wisdon itself.  "Can
it be so much of a sin to come to my--"

"What. Is. It?"  Even She cannot keep the irritation at my now-hostile
posture masked in Her eyes.  The smile on Her face remains, nonetheless.

"Very well, then."  She sits next to me, and I immediately note I have
legs, human legs, bathing in the warm sunlight.

This frightens me.  It means I am little else than a captive audience
for Myria.

"I need your help to put an end to the tragedies that are now taking
place on our world."

"And how," I am careful to curb the boiling anger in my heart this
time.  "Can I assist the omniscient Goddess of Destruction?"

Her smile is amused, now.  "You know I want and end to this pointless
cycle, Deis.  I'm sure you feel the same."

"I see nothing pointless about people fighting the atrocities you
constantly send after them, except your delight in meddling with those
you deem not as able as you."

She is even more pleased.  "I only sought to protect those who could not
do so themselves.  Not everyone sees fit to defend themselves.  There
are more who would resign to accept fate's embrace than fight against
it."

She is baiting me, somehow. "There are enough to make others see
the idiocy in taking death lying down."

"The children of Ladon?  They are all huddled away, awaiting a herald
who cannot possibly deliver them."

A frown emerges on my face.  "They have managed to do so before."

"Have they?"  Something indescribable passes in Her eyes.  She seems
suddenly fragile.

I put myself on guard.  "You forget how you lost Obelisk?"

"...No, I have not.  That is why I am here, now.  I fear I will lose
something, someone, precious, should this circle of violence continue."

I scoff openly at this.  "Gods forbid something righteous happens to
that soul-sucking bastard child of yours."

"This is why I need you, Deis.  Evans...he was a mistake, an action
made in blind fury."  Her eyes flicker once again, and, again, it passes
just as quickly.  "Even I do not fully know what he is capable of, but
I do know Ladon's child cannot truly win such a contest."

"Sympathizing with the enemy?"  I ask, wary.

It serves me only halfway.  I expected Her advance, but not the embrace.
It is a loving gesture, one She is not capable of.

Yet, I sense the sincerity of the hug, as if it were my own.

"I cannot control him, Deis.  He could very well kill you, if you face
him."  Her voice is in my ear, and I remember times long past.  "Please,
help me back on that world, Our world, so I can pacify his mad
intentions."

I remember Wisdon, a place where it is said magic was first born.  I
remember a companion, always at my side.  We were different, like
night and day, and, just like other opposites, We complimented each
other.

But Her cold lust and bullying nature drove a chasm between us.  She
became like Them, and it almost killed Her soul.

"I want..."

Her desire tainted the world around Me.

"I want to be together again, Deis.  To work together again."

The madness that She allowed Herself to succumb to disgusted Me so.

"IF you help me, then we can go back to how things used to be."

It came tow a head.  I forsook Myself and what was Mine, and became
myself.

"Please, Deis."

And it continued like this, ever since I used My ability to seal Her
away.  She continued to pursue Her madness, haunting my dreams,
torturing me with what was, and would never again be.

"Will you not help me end this cycle?  Will you not reunite with me?"

I can feel the warmth of Her breath on my neck, Her body pressed to
mine, like a glove specifically made for my hand.  All of this is
familiar to me.

And so is my reaction.  I push Her away and strike Her across the face.

All is silent by the river.  She holds a palm to Her reddened cheek,
looking all like a puppeteer without a doll.

"We will never reunite," I say simply, but, like before, the words weigh
heavy in my heart.  "You are still too far gone in the delusion that
people can do nothing, and are nothing, without You.  You refuse to
see things for what they are, and sinfully mold them into what they
cannot be."

She looks at me, tears in Her angry eyes.  "Why?"  She demands.  "Why
must it be this way?!  Why won't you have me?!"  Her eyes are open and
honest, now.  They tell of something past the hunger of total control:
the aching desire for me.  The familiar love that has been Her stumbling
stone from the first day.

A love that I reciprocate, but dare not embrace.  Not now.

"Why won't you have me?" She repeats, the words sad and pained.

"Why won't you forsake your 'perfect dream'?" I return.

We stare at one another, daring the first move.  Usually, it would be
a fight I could sustain, but, underneath me, my legs let known the
ugly truth.  Were She to act on Her anger, I would be hard-pressed
to keep her at bay.

But She does not move against me.  She stands, not bothering to dust
her dress.  Her four wing floating around Her, making Her seem holy,
the very opposite of the devil She is.

"I...I'll go now, Deis."

This surprises me even more.  No lashing out in hatred?

Her words mirror my thoughts.  "I tire of fighting you.  Here, and
everywhere else.  I remember when you didn't reject me, when noting
else mattered except that You had Me, and I had You."

She reaches a hand out, hoping for the acceptance We'd denied other
for so very long.

I flinch away.

She shivers, and I suddenly think of a lost child, trapped and alone
in the cold.  "But now, I can't seem to understand you...

"He will not win, Deis.  Would you die alongside him, knowing he
doesn't think well of you?"

"That, of course, is none of your concern."

She grimaces.  "Farewell, sister.  I hope that, should we meet again,
it will come under warmer circumstances."

Then She is gone, and I am left to my turmoil and confusion.


*******************


My head was pounding.

I took that small fact as a blessing, since it meant I was still
amongst the living.  The why of that blessing eluded me at the moment,
so I turned my groggy attentions elsewhere.

I was laying on something soft, and parts of me that I usually didn't
acknowledge were protesting any movement I made.  That meant
I had just gone through either one amazing fight, or one incredible
roll in the hay.

Since I was still quite thankful for my continued existence, I reluctantly
ruled out the later.

There was a nagging feeling within my senses, but I ignored it in favor
of seeing if I had any ligaments missing.  I rose to a sitting position on
what was a crude bed, and began the agonizing process of examining
myself.

Or would have, but someone was staring at me.  A youth, judging to be
around Katt's age.  Boyish face framed with a shaggy brush of blond
hair, coupled with a long, almost obnoxious cowlick.  The feature that
stood out the most were his eyes.  Those wide, innocent, blue eyes
continued to stare at me, into me...

Innocent.  Wide and innocent...

With a start, I flopped back on to the bed.  I turned every ounce of my
concentration inward, determined to pull to the fore what my subconscious
was so insistent upon stashing away to permanently erase.

Myria never visited unless she felt the need to coerce.  She always
failed, but still left some vital piece of information buried in her
conversation.

It was an irksome habit.  Upon waking, it would be up to me to figure
out what the information was, and how it would be best utilized against
her.  The first attempts when such visions took place, I was left with
an unforgiving migraine and no leads.

Granted, that was before my dream magic studies in Tunlan.  Then, it
became as simple as a meditation to pull the form of thoughts from
my head and crystallize it.

A process that was currently being made painfully difficult.  Whatever
had occurred before the dream had obviously taxed my reserve energy
for everything it was worth.

Seconds lengthened into minutes, and I redoubled my efforts, knowing
every moment passed was a drop in my chances of recapturing the dream.

"Lady Deis?"

The voice went unanswered.  The elusive feeling of unconsciousness
was starting to take hold.  Soon, the first image would come...

"My lady?  Are you alright?"

Cotton bounced the sound around my ears, but it was of no consequence.
An image presented itself.  A grassy knoll that lead into a bank on...

The river.

Everything poured into my wakeful mind, a jumble of chaotic imagery
and sounds only the inner psyche could decipher.  Into me it came, and,
in turn, I expelled it into a glowing ball of light cupped in my hands.

The last sensation passed.  Weariness I'd never known before seeped
into every fleshy fiber of my body.  The idea of resuming slumber seemed
paramount.

"Lady Deis?"

That Name again.  No one living should really know that Name.  Even
the Manillo of Prima wouldn't have known, and they were the keepers
to the key of my former home, where I hibernated for so many years.
Unless, of course, whatever had transpired before losing awareness had
transported me to a nesting of dragons, which would be completely
understandable.

With effort, I opened my eyes and took in the sights the dim illumination
granted.

The room was beyond spartan.  Save for the bed I lay on and the wardrobe
chiseled out of the far wall, there were no other noteworthy effects
to be seen.  The light itself was interesting, however; a fairy whisp
kept secure in a glass fixture whose metal frame was nailed into the
ceiling.

The boy was still there, too.

"Kid, how t'hell do you know that name?"

The boy shrank back slightly.  "Everyone in Dologany is told the tale
of the powerful sorceress that sealed away the power of the Dark
Goddess, Myria, and then the goddess herself."

"Dologany?"

"Yes.  The Destined Child carried you here after you had exhausted
yourself fending off an ifreet."

Memory began to verify the boy's story.  There was a terrible heat,
and Ryu had transformed to counter the elemental.  Of course, fire and
ice being the natural polar elements they were, both opponents were
sent careening.  Then...

Then nothing.  Whatever happened must have knocked me senseless.
Perhaps Ryu fell on me after I was attacked?  Dragons were, after all,
notoriously heavy.

It would have to wait, however, for later pondering.

"My friends?"

"They stayed with you until the elder absolutely insisted on having the
Destined Child's presence."  The boy puffed up with excitement.  "He
bade I watch over you, Lady Deis."

"It's Bleu, not Deis."  This boy was as pure as one could become without
being touched in the head.

"Er, very well, Lady Bl--"

"Just Bleu, thanks."  Were I a bit more able, I'd find the kid's flustered
look amusing to no end.  I couldn't decide whether he seemed like I'd
given him knighthood, or if I'd thrown dirt on his idol.

"All right, Ms. Bleu."

Ah, close enough.


*******************


I opted to remain in bed until the ball stabilized into a solid crystal
form.  The boy kept me company, putting a cold salve on the various
burns about my body, and feeding me a flaccid, pale-looking soup.

It had been some time since such things were done for me.  Granted,
I hardly needed physical sustenance, thanks to the metabolism that
occasional magic hibernation allowed me, but it was a welcoming
gesture, being doted on and cared for.

Hours passed slowly.  People of the town came and peered through the
open door of the hut, mostly to bow and offer their respects.  Two
citizens out of the lot did not make their visits so simple.  The first
was a pruned old man, dressed in an orange pagan robe.  He stared
at me for some time, and when I started to question him, moved on
without a single word.

The second visitor was for my caretaker.  A girl of his age, perhaps
younger if her development was any indication.  Green eyes and a
cute, sharpened face, along with pale blue hair and crimson, reptilian
wings made her seem very exotic.  Her attire was reminiscent of Nina
Winlan's, a bodice and bloomer body suit, sapphire in color, with no
sleeves or pant legs.  Even with her waif-like figure she had potential
to be quite a heartbreaker.

"Jono?  Is this where you've been?"  She stamped a soft leather
boot to the floor.  "I've been looking for you all morning!"

"Ah, Maya."  The boy, Jono, seemed pleased enough to see her.  "I've
been waiting for you to arrive.  I was watching--"

"You always do this!  It's no wonder the sentries are ready to give
up on teaching you anything!"

He was turned away from me, facing his angered friend, but I could
feel the joy radiating from him.  "But I was pulled aside by the
elder, this morning."

The girl's angry posture vanished, and worry took its place.  "The
elder?  You didn't get in trouble, did you?  I told you to be ready
for the hunt this morning!"

"No, nothing like that.  The Destined Child arrived while you guys
were away."

He was baiting her for reactions, and she swallowed.  The young
dragongirl looked as if she'd been slapped.  Her wings twitched with
what I could only guess was excitement.

"T-the Destined Child?  Here?  Now?"

"Uh-huh," Jono answered with a nod.  "Though I think he went further
into Infinity.  In the meantime, the elder asked me to watch over one
of his companions."

"Oh?"  Maya turned to acknowledge me for the first time since she'd
stepped into the doorway.  It made me suddenly self-conscious.  My
cloak, cowl, and vest were all neatly folded at the end of the bed,
leaving only the bandages wrapped around my torso and the bed sheet
hiding my tail.  I'd have thought that my obvious injured state of being
would have staved off the hard glare the teen was giving me.

Then again, I must truly be the eyepiece to strike such a venomous
gaze while being little more than a burn ward patient.

"This," Jono started.  "Is the great sorceress, Deis."

Maya only arched an eyebrow.  "It must have been some trial,
for you to make it here."

"Slightly," I replied evenly.

The girl took a moment to study me further, then turned to back
to her companion.  "I will see if I can get someone to relieve you, there
are some details the sentries went over today that you need to know."

"I hardly think there's anything they have to say that would be
useful to me, or you, Maya."  Jono's face soured.  "They only take us
along to scour for food, nothing else."

"Don't be silly," Maya countered.  "We're next in line to become guardians
ourselves.  Of course you need the training."  Her eyes narrowed.  "And
then some."

"Feh, why not wake up for a moment from you dutiful rounds, Maya?"  He
gestured around with his arms.  "The Destined Child is here, now.  He
and his friends will shift the tide of darkness away from us."

"I'd think," she stated cooly.  "That you, of all people, wouldn't
depend on others so easily."

"That's not what I meant!"  He paced the room, flustered. "They have
seen the world outside this realm, where Deathevan's influence is even
worse!  Don't you think it would be beneficial to learn how they defend
the world above us?"

I grimaced, not that either of the two were paying attention to me.
They both obviously meant well, but both held a na�vet� difficult to
digest.

Maya eyed me briefly, and I had to force myself from giving off an
amused giggle or a put upon groan.  "You think they'd be willing to
teach us?"  She asked with a skeptic tone.

"Maya, show some respect!"

She stiffened, looking at Jono in what could have been an open
challenge, but turned to me instead, and bowed deeply.  "Do pardon
my rudeness, Lady Deis.  I mean no disrespect."

"Just Bleu, please.  And no worries, it's not good for the soul to
hide its feelings."

She'd taken my words to heart, apparently, for she resumed glaring at
me not moments later.

"I will see Matron about getting someone to assist in your healing.
No doubt my overenthusiastic cribmate," She gazed at Jono, who
snorted derisively.  "Will make any injury worse if he remains the
prime caretaker."

"HEY!"

I chuckled.  "I don't know.  He's pretty competent in applying first
aid."  I gave a languid stretch, displaying my wrappings in a sordid,
provocative fashion.

Maya reddened, gave a curt nod, and then left, citing a return in
an hour or so.  Jono questioned me afterward what I had found so
amusing, and I replied in old Drogen about jealous hens.  I doubt
he understood what I said, though, because he continued to look
confused.

Which brings time to the present.  I'm bedridden and tapped for energy,
the majority of what little I've left to spare assisting my dream
crystal into maturity.  I was also anxious to know where my companions
were, and what they were doing.  Counting my time asleep and Jono
tending me, something troublesome must have occurred to keep them
away for so long.  That they could be further still in the realm of
Infinity did not bode well.  I was anxious to act, but what course to
explore first?

The answer presented itself to me.  The ball of light, containing the
stream of unconsciousness that was my dream, began to flash rhythmically.

I sat up, and, through some effort, coiled my tail underneath me.

"Lady Deis, what is that?"  Jono was beside the bed, watching me wince
as my tail protested its new position.

"I told you to call me Bleu, and, if my hopes are answered, this is
is something I won't have to worry about."

The sphere's pulse quickened, a heart pressured to keep with the demands
of the body.  Or, in my case, the magic energy I'd been feeding it for
so long.

The glow dimmed, and the pulse became a flicker.  Finally, the
illumination was gone, leaving behind an orb, shining blue in the
faint light of the room.

"It's beautiful," Jono spoke up, awed.

My cheeks pinked, despite myself.  "Well, thank you. I'm not often
told my mind contains beauty."

"That orb holds your mind, Lady--" He swallowed hard at the stare
I favored him.  "I mean, Ms. Bleu?"

A nod of satisfaction, I propped myself to be supported by the bed and
wall, keeping the orb rested on the impromptu table the sheets and my
coil provided.  "Something to that effect, little one."

I saw him frown.  "I'm afraid I don't understand."

I pondered giving the boy a long string of magic babble, but decided
he'd really done nothing to me that would warrant such torture.  "Have
you ever wanted to keep something you knew would be impossible?"

"Like a pet?"

Obviously, the children of Dologany didn't get many perks in their lives.

"No, more like a song, or a warm feeling."  I gestured to the orb.  "The
nymphs of Tunlan devised a magic to trap such intangible things for
later enjoyment."

"Oh!  So, when you said it was your mind, you meant something like
a dream?"

"Exactly.  I revised the technique to do just that, trap dreams, usually
of times or spells I've forgotten."

The boy gave a smile, impressed.  "You must know a great deal of
magic."

"Well, I used to.  My mind's not as sharp as it once was."  I gave a
dry chuckle at that.

Jono wasn't putting much stock into my statement, though.  His
eyes glittered, the telltale sign of mischief afoot.

"I don't think so.  You have a lot speaking for you.  This world would
not exist if not for your actions."

Though I knew he intended to compliment me for what I'd done to Myria,
I couldn't help but feel that irksome anger I did toward anyone who
could recollect those deeds of mine.  It was unfair of me, because they
couldn't have known.

Still...

"Ms. Bleu," he started, nervous and antsy.  It did well enough to
distract me from my thoughts.

"Yes?"

"I'm sure you understood most of what Maya said, earlier.  The youth
are trained to control the demons, which provide us with most of our
necessities."

Something within me snickered at that admission.  Jono certainly could
cook a mean beasty stew.

"I hope to be the best sentry that ever was," he continued, blue eyes
full of fire.  "But I'm afraid I'm not all that adept at physical combat."

"Why, Jono, are you propositioning me?"  I asked with my most sincere
smile.

"Yes!"  The blond youth realized what he'd just agreed to, and his face
reddened.  "I mean, no!  Nothing improper!"

He fidgeted and looked generally mortified.  It was all I could do to
keep from bursting with laughter.

"I meant to ask if you would do me the honor of teaching me in offensive
magic?  All we specialize in are seals, barriers, and wards, but we're
nearly defenseless, otherwise."  He beckoned to me with huge, hopeful
eyes.  "Please, my Lady, if it's possible?"

"Well, I can't teach you anything right now."

Jono shrank, crestfallen.  "You mean, I'm not good enough?"

"No, I mean I'm wiped.  Kid, I usually don't injure, not this badly."
Grabbing the orb, I threw the covers away from me with my left hand.

Jono gasped in surprise.  The normally deep, shiny green of my tail
was replaced by unhealthy gray, with no luster to speak of.

"I'm dry, Jono.  The most magic I could perform at this moment would
be to decipher this crystal.   In fact, I need to reserve myself for
just that."

"Oh, I see..."

"Bah, don't look so glum.  I can give you a few tricks and pointers,
maybe.  It all depends on your dedication."

That was an outright lie, but I don't think I could have tolerated his
broken face over the time it would take for my recovery.  "We'll see."

"Oh, thank you, Ms. Bleu!  You have my eternal gratitude.  I swear, on
my honor as a--"

I waved him off, but kept a genuine smile.  "I said we'd see.  Don't
expect instant results or anything."

"Of course, sensei!"

I shuddered.  Perhaps I could have tolerated his beaten, puppy dog look
after all.  "Fine.  In the meantime, I need to shed, and then a bath."

"Er, shed?"

In hindsight, he shouldn't have asked.  I was feeling far too mischievous
to deny him an uninformed answer.

"Where's your bathing area?  Or do I have to make my own?"  I uncurled
my tail, and began to take in slow, shallow breaths.

"Well, our bath hall is on the upper level of the village..." He
trailed off, and for good reason, too.

With a very feminine whimper, I tensed every muscle in my lower body.
Sinews reconfigured in my tail, and bone reformed accordingly.  Scales
parted down the middle of my flesh, giving the outline of two limbs
instead of one.

A grunt of effort, and the scaled skin fully split and fell to the floor,
a used coat.  Newly shaped, very attractive legs were left in their wake,
shimmering with sweat.

I wiped my brow and gave a content sigh.  Already, I could feel my put
upon energy wells restore at a much faster rate than before.  It would
only be a day or so until I was my usually stunning, deadly self.

Not that it made up for the fact that my equilibrium was very much out
of whack.  Thus, my new appendages displayed how new they were by
giving out underneath me as I tried to shift my weight from the bed
to them.  I fell to the floor, an undignified heap.

"Damn.  Been too long since I've used these blasted things."  I looked
to Jono sheepishly.  "Do y'think you could give me a hand?"

He was staring at the ground, face as red as a tomato.  "You could have
warned me!" he squeaked, scandalized.

"What, you expected another tail?  Perhaps snakeskin pants?"  I couldn't
hide the mirth in my voice.  "I'm sure you've seen you sister, Maya,
all the time, right?"

"I haven't!  She'd kill me if she knew I'd..." Jono trailed off again,
and tried to glare at me in irritation, only to look back at the stone
floor.  "Ms. Bleu, please!"

"All right, you innocent.  Honestly," I huffed, making myself the victim
instead of the vanguard of the joke.  "If you cannot handle the truths
of life, how do you expect to handle magic?"

The blond made a gurgled noise, half whimper, and grabbed his nose
desperately.

I couldn't take anymore.  My laughter bounced across the walls of the
stone hut.

Eventually, I calmed myself to a giggle, and wrapped the bed sheet across
my naked lower half.  "Now, do you want to be a brave, chivalrous man
and help a lady to the bath?"

"I...think I'll go get Maya.  It'll only be a second."  He was out the
door before I could get in another chuckle, or word.

Really, I appreciate the mood he allowed me to linger on.  He was so
pure.

Tee hee.


*******************


My jovial disposition was almost completely forgotten upon exiting the
hut.

Dologany reinforced the theory that it, and Infinity, existed on another
dimensional plane altogether.  All around, thick, copper clouds blocked
the nearly endless nothing that dwelled beyond them.  Lightning
slithered across the dark atmosphere, brightening the sky with a molten
rainbow of color.

In this middle of all this chaos stood the providence of Dologany, a
massive pillar of stone, one of many, rising from the fog-cloaked abyss.

On this pillar were several outcroppings, where the Dragon Clan had
carved out their living.  Everywhere the eye could glance, stonework
was the theme.  Vegetation, if it could be called that, was scarce;
only a lower platform held any sign of true natural growth.  The soil
even smelled decayed, unlike the fresh, muddy scent that was a hallmark
of the underground city of Gramor.

The clansmen moved with purpose, despite the bleak atmosphere and
lifeless d�cor, which astonished me.  I, myself, would have been in
hysterics should I have been forced to endure such an environment.
Not for the first time since the decent into Infinity, I prayed for a
nice, stiff drink.

"This is really some place you have."

Maya, flanking me to the right, scowled.  "It is a testament of Deathevan's
influence."

"I'll say.  I think I'd go batty--no offense-- trying to live here.
It'd be either him, or me."

"I'm sure that is the devil's intentions.  That is why we remain vigilant
against him and his forces."

"Huh."  I nodded an agreement, watching a group of children bat at
each other with practice bows.  "Sounds like a hell of a way to live."
I turned to Maya, but she was nonplused.

"I wonder," I began.  "How you all came to be here, humbled and
whatnot."

Maya appraised me with a curious eye.  "What do you mean?"

"There are some questions I didn't have a chance to explore, like how
the Dragons of Light came to a truce with the Dark Dragons."

The girl's thin brow furrowed.  "They were forgiven, if that is what
you're wondering.  There were, of course, greater issues at hand, and
we are a peaceful, forgiving people."

I nodded, no longer facing the younger woman.  "Makes sense, I suppose."

Our steps lead us to an open air building, easily twice the size of the
surrounding dwellings.  It had the same ancient look that so fitted the
rest of Dologany.  Four marble pillars held up the outcropping roof.
A round protrusion carved into the roof, the chimney, let out a steady
cloud of steam.

The interior was a surprise to the bland, nondescript patterns I'd seen
thus far.  The floor was polished to a reflective luster, and the walls
were covered in glyphs of maidens and dragons, acting out scenes with
some deep, reverent meaning.

The first room we entered lead into a closed changing room.  Soaps and
cloth, towels were all to be had, separated evenly among handbaskets
of a fiber I couldn't identify.  We grabbed two baskets and headed for
the third closed room, the bathing chamber itself.

It easily dwarfed the diminutive tub in my desert abode on the southern
continent.

The carvings were much more detailed, depicting what I could only guess
was an interpretation of the Goddess War.  I stood in the picture, a
staff in my hand with runes around me.  Six of the seven keys were
arranged in a star pattern around Myria's battle form, with the seventh
in my other hand, siphoning away her power.  To the left of the mural,
Ladon, the supposed dragon god, stood on, watching.  It was rather
creepy, and, like all art, inaccurate.

The bath itself was a very modest pool, filled to brimming with
sparkling, healthy water.  A similar pool, though much smaller, was
set up adjacent to the main bath, no doubt a place to initially scrub
down before soaking.  Several ornate gargoyle heads were poised
over this smaller pool, each emitting a gentle stream of water.

The smell of sulfur and herbs penetrated my senses as we approached
the smaller pool.  I appraised the entire setup with an appreciative
eye, and began to discard the bandage wrappings.

"Quite innovative of you all, given the resources at hand."

I turned to Maya.  She'd walked over to a small shrine away from all
the water, and was kneeling in prayer.  So it seemed, anyway, until
a familiar tickle passed my senses.

Magic.

"A ward?" I asked, loud enough for the sound to carry to her ears.

Raising from her position, she nodded in my direction.  "Yes.  This is
where we are most vulnerable, so guards were put in place to keep dark
spirits away."

"Makes sense, I'm particularly murderous toward anyone that interrupts
a good bath.  But what do you do about the men?"

She either ignored me or didn't hear, but I wasn't concerned.  The
blessed water was calling to me.

Unwrapping the last bandage, I quickly undid the impromptu skirt I
had made of the sheet, and sat in the small pool.  Then, picking up
a cloth, I began to expel the feeling of grime and sticky filth that had
built up for the better part of four days.  I hadn't kept my pace before
I noticed Maya staring at me with scrutiny.

"What?"

"Your burns," she started, with a hint of irritation.  "They're gone."

"Oh, that.  Well, I finished shedding while your brother went to
fetch you."  The glare appeared again, the same she'd used when
Jono was around.  "After all, a girl shouldn't have to keep such ugly
blemishes."

"Jono isn't my brother."  Her tone was even more annoyed.

I paid it no heed, focusing on working up a good lather.  "Lover, then?"

A long pause, and then, "Eventually."

A coy smile crossed my face.  "Well, glad to hear you know what you
want.  Do you intend to tell him about this?"

I'd later ponder just why Maya was so negative toward me, once it
ceased to be amusing.

To her credit, she displayed no outward embarrassment, only that
condescending, irksome stare she so favored when I was in her view.
"You're being presumptuous.  It is fate that will make him my husband."

I began to feel a tad unnerved.  "Fate?  You don't really believe that
preordained hocus, do you?"

"Of course.  The Destined Child has arrived, has he not?"

Something in her tone...  It bothered me, truly raised my ire.

"He's not a chess piece, you know.  And what's this Destined Child
prophecy, anyway?"

She studied me, and began to speak in a lecturing voice.  "He is the
one that will beat back and reseal the devil.  His is the will that
shall watch over us."

"Hmph.  Who came up with that one?"

"Our seers have seen this, ever since the presence of that darkness,
Deathevans, was first discovered."

"How...very convenient."  No, there was something very unstable about
this particular dragon.  Even moreso, the peculiar cosmic design
between Ryu and that unnatural mutation of Myria's.

"Lady Deis."

"Hey, it's just Bleu, all right?"

"My Lady," Maya continued, not turning her eyes from me.  "I'd like to
be truthful.  I find your presence difficult to accept.  I do respect
all you've done for us, and your role in assuring the Destined One's
arrival.

"That is why I ask that you please do not humor Jono.  He's headstrong,
and I can see any action from you encouraging him will make things
unpleasant and uncomfortable."

"... NOW who's being presumptuous?"  I finished my scrubbing and
promptly sat under one of the gargoyle faucets, letting the water mat
my long, azure hair to my back and face.

Maya's eyes flashed.  "I only mean to avoid--"

"Save it, Maya.  You've made your piece.  Not that I'm interested in
the kid.  Too spirited for his own good."

Her face contorted into full displeasure, but I ignored even that as I
placed my head completely under the current's influence.  "Besides,
there are more important issues at hand, as you said."

"...Very well."

Silence prevailed.  In those quiet moments that passed, I allowed the
water to purge the thoughts in my addled mind.  Away went the pressing
journeying, the desperate bid for humanity.  Ire brought by highly
questionable destiny, troublesome dreams, and bratty whelps over
their crushes were swept away by the warm, soothing current.

I felt, more than heard, the dragongirl sit herself next to me, but it
did nothing to disturb the serenity that had overtaken me  It was a
calm I rarely felt in recent times, and I meant to enjoy its duration.

Except something was in the way, a lingering worry that refused to
submit to tranquillity.  It persisted, demanding to be heard over the
established peace.  With it were my thoughts of Ryu.

Young, adventurous Ryu, whom his people had christened 'The Destined
Child'.  I had, until that point, successfully put him to the side and
focused on more pressing matters, but since relaxing seemed to be all
I was good for...

"Maya."  I drew my head from under the elaborate faucet, and waited
until she turned from her scrubbing to face me.

"Yes, my Lady?"

"What...matter did your elder insist my friends be present for?"

The girl seemed thoughtful.  "I'd imagine that he would want the
Destined Child tested before taking on Deathevans, so he'd send them
to the Temple of Ladon."

"Temple?  Wouldn't he be ready as is?"

"Perhaps," she replied, slowly.  "As you know, we are not an offensive
people.  Those that can achieve true form are pressed to properly
maintain it."

"But Ryu can hold his indefinitely, making him trump and champion."

Maya nodded, absentmindedly scrubbing at her legs.  "Yet, he does not
posses the true power of the dragons."

Memory spun as she spoke, creating pictures of a shrine buried in
cleansing waters, and a deep trust that brought about a sacred power.

"Anfini," I voiced.

Maya's powder blue hair bobbed with her nod.  "That would be my guess.
Without it, the Destined Child has no hope of defeating that horrible
evil."

I rose from my stool, my head furious with thoughts.  Once before I had
dipped into the powers of Anfini, to break Myria in her revived throne
in the badlands of Scande.  It was a force I could never forget, one
that literally shaped life and death.

Power equal to that which I once held all on my own.

Only, Anfini was shared with others through Ryu.  The first Ryu,
acting as herald and warrior for the Light Dragon Clan.  We had each
trusted our very souls to him to accomplish destroying Myria.

And, save for the Winlan Princess, the first Nina, I was the only other
to appreciate the strength it took to summon such a power.  I recalled
the heavy look in his bright blue eyes, because they so mirrored my
own when I'd first confronted Myria.

That Ryu was a paragon of man, a specimen in his prime.  For a mortal,
even a dragon, to wield such a Godhead and survive the experience was
a miraculous feat.

They expected a boy to duplicate such an act?

Ironically, I suddenly realized that the title the people of Dologany
had bestowed Bateson had a much more mortal translation in the old
Drogen, 'The Fatal Child'.

The suspicion and worry refused to dissipate, so I quickly finished
my rinse, reluctantly foregoing the almost-tasty idea of soaking in
the large pool.  Maya, jarred by my sudden haste, quickly scrubbed and
rinsed, then toweled down.  All the while, she glared at me, obviously
beyond annoyed.

I ignored her in turn.  After all, the quicker I got to Ryu, the quicker
I could be out of her sight.

After I dressed, my habitual vest and a borrowed skirt, we made for the
elder's hut, the first place my companions were likely to be.


*******************


The elder's house was, unfortunately, devoid of any familiar people.
Only two weathered old men were present, contemplating a star chart
of some make.  Both were swathed in beaten robes of extravagant color,
and one still had strands of auburn in his otherwise snowy white hair.

"Okay, which one of you is the chieftan?"

The two looked up, regarding me with curiosity.  I recognized one of
them, the man with the fading hair, as the same old man that had earlier
made a passing visit.

"Forgive me, honored elders."  Maya made her presence known.  I imagined
the child was scowling behind my back.  "She insisted upon seeing you,
and made haste before I could stop her."

The other man gave a chuckle, a dry, raspy sound.  "Relax, dear Maya.
It is of no consequence.  I actually expected the two of you sooner."

He cleared his throat and stood.  "I welcome you to my home, Bleu.
May I interest you in some tea?"

"Maybe later.  Now, I need to know where my friends are."

There was little mistaking a tingle from the hairs on my neck.
Something was off concerning this frail, aged dragon.

"To the point, then?"  The old man turned to his other guest.  "I
suppose there will have to be another time for the divining, Peter."

"It is understandable, Elder.  I will retire to my house and await
news, if you'll allow it."

"Of course," the man replied, helping Peter to his feet.  "I have
nothing but faith in your grandchild.  He will do what is necessary."
He turned, looking over my shoulder.  "Maya?"

"Sir?"

"Be so kind as to escort Peter back to his home.  And when you run
into Jono, do tell him to make his way here, please?"

Eyes were now focused on the girl, who bowed low, quickly covering
the irritation in her features.  As I watched the two leave, the old
man spoke.  "She is a dutiful girl, though I worry sometimes about
her assertiveness."

An eyebrow arched.  "A bundle of joy, really.  But if you please, my
friends?"

"Certainly," he replied with a nod, settling back into his wicker
chair.  He patted the seat next to him, and I declined.  "I'm afraid
I have no information that would improve your mood, Bleu."

"I think I'll be the judge that."  His tone was nettlesome, it felt as
if he were intentionally picking at my patience, being so familiar
with me.  His wrinkled smile let me know his mannerism was less
than I desired it to be.

"As I'm certain you are aware of, your comrades have journeyed further
into Infinity to deal with Deathevans."  He shook his head sadly.
"Unfortunately, you cannot follow.  The door separating Dologany from
the lower catacombs are sealed with a magic only the Destined Child can
negate."

"A venerable one such as yourself could not open the door?"

The elder's eyes danced.  "Are you sure you wouldn't take a cup of
tea?  I imagine it would be to your liking."

"The door, old man.  Can you unlock it, or do I have to blow it?"

"A very admirable response, but, as I said, only the Destined One can
safely circumvent the ward."

I frowned.  "So you don't mind if I test your door's fortitude?"

"Greater powers have tried," he replied with a shrug.  "But if you
must, then by all means.  I would recommend you get yourself healthy,
first.  The adventure here must have been strenuous for you."

"I'm fine, thank you."

The old man regarded me with a quizzical gaze, his bright, blue eyes
seemed to reflect sadness, which made me pleased.  The conversation
had been too far tipped in his mirthful favor.

"A shame.  I hoped you wouldn't rely on bravado to get by, Bleu."

I crossed my arms in front of me.  "Awfully familiar fellow, aren't
you?"

"Hmm, you really don't see?  A bit disappointing, I have to say."  He
rose from his chair, and walked toward me.  "Well, here, I'll show
you something."

I eyed his offered hand.  "I don't think I'd be too interested."

"Humor me."

Vexed, I clasped his hand, and awaited him to lead me to some sight
or the room of supposed value--

Pain.  Familiar, excruciating pain coursed through every part of my
body.  It made my blood burn as it soaked through nerve and bone, to
my very core.  And, as agonizing as it felt, it was also unparalleled
bliss.  The sensation removed boundaries, and I felt myself expanding,
once again becoming part of a greater whole, part of what I once Was.

And it was wrong.  Wrong to feel so fantastically vast and omniscient.
I surrendered that mantle because I knew it would end me.

In a moment, long ago, so did he.

It seemed an eternity to release the power I had inadvertently tapped
into.  The effect left me heady, yet fatigued, far more than any time
I could actively recall...

... Except for Obelisk.

I found myself on my knees when awareness reestablished itself.  I
looked up at the aged man, and recognized the pronged, red tattoo,
blazing upon his forehead.

"Ryu?"

"I believe that is my name," he replied with a gnarled grin.

While he helped me to the earlier-offered wicker, I glanced him over.
"You look like hell."

"Not all of us age well, Deis.  Nice legs, by the way."

"Thanks, and I think I'll have that tea."

The Drogan man's smile widened.  "Tunlan brew, only the Matron and
Peter are aware of its existence."

That answered his confidence about my like of the drink.  Besides music,
the nymphs of the island nation were notorious for spiking even their
baptismal water.

As he left to prep the beverages, I rested my head in my hand, allowing
emotion to swirl through me.  Since Myria's vanquishing, I'd seen
neither hide nor hair of any of my former companions.  A inquisitive
nature let me know that they were all leading peaceful lives.  At least,
all except Nina Winlan and Ryu.  Some incident prevented the peppy
healer from ascending to the throne, and she was rumored to have self-
exhiled.

Ryu, however, had simply vanished.  No trace, as if he'd never really
existed.  Drogen's people followed soon after, as well as the refugees
of the Scande Empire not being made to pay for their role in the war.

Of course, I should have guessed his location when his people vanished,
but to a being who transcends the laws of time, it's simply easier to
not dig open new wounds.

But for him to be alive...

"How?"

Ryu returned, carrying a tray with an ornate vase and two cups.  "Hm?
Well, the trick is to not put too many fig leaves in the brew.  It's
supposed to be medicine, not hard ale."

"Not that.  For all purposes and intents, you should be dead."  I
swallowed the ill feeling that welled at the concept.

"You could say it was the power of fate.  I sought out Evans the
moment I sensed his birth."

Ryu poured two cups of the steaming, blue liquor, and I gladly
accepted one.  "Then shouldn't that have been the end of it?"

"I thought the same, at first.  He was intangible, a blight that I
couldn't harm with my sword."  A scowl crossed his aged features.
"In fact, he had defeated me before I could even mount any sort of
offensive."

"I had thought you'd be quick enough to seek help," I said, fixing
him with a cold stare.

"It would have done no good."  He took a sip of his cup.  "All I would
have accomplished was the damnation of my friends to endless death."

"Endless?"

"Something I still do not entirely understand, though I have studied
the beast well.   He is powerful, but his nature is to corrupt instead
of annihilate.  Only my ability had preserved my life that particular
day.

"When I returned to the surface world, I informed my people of the
blight.  The elder of my village advised we stand watch for an
opportunity to defeat the monster."

He looked into his tea cup.  "That was the time I also began to
experience visions."

"You're the seer Maya mentioned?  I wouldn't have thought it likely."

"Nothing so uncomplicated, I'm afraid.  The seers she spoke of came
after we had established this colony.  Their visions were helpful to
our survival, but were more often vague concerning the Destined
Child.  My own, however, were very explicit and detailed as I
received them."

I took a sip of the spicy liquor, mulling over Ryu's words.  "Specific?"

"Yes, like the Dark Dragon clan journeying to us, seeking out
redemption.  Young Ryu's birth, the Nightmare Balbaroy, Nina's own
sad fate.  Each was so very intricate, even in my waking moments."

"Nina's...fate?"

His eyes clouded.  "Something to discuss later, I promise.  Only
recently did I feel her spirit finally rest."

His face became guarded, and I did not press the need to inquire further.
I, myself, did not feel well upon thinking of the winged fencer, and
I did easily recall a familiar presence some time ago, at the Sky Cave.
At that point, I had no desire to decipher the origins of the horrid
magic that would so entrap a soul to this plane, and dedicated myself to
ignoring the entire scenario...

Perhaps I would apologize to the raven-winged child later for my lack
of...empathy, to her own loss.

"I suspected the prophecies as they increased in number, but there
seemed little else that could prove a better remedy."  He placed his
cup back on the table.  "That is the total of going ons, here.  All
that remains is to await the child's return.  I'm certain I won't be
disappointed by him."

"He would have help if you would open the door, Ryu."

"I will not."

My temper rose.  "This is not the time to play secretive savior."

"Understood, but it is plain to me that you would not survive the
journey down to them, Bleu.  As it were, only Ryu would stand
anything of a chance against Evans."

"And how," I placed my cup down, glaring at my old friend.  "Do you
figure such a definite?"

"It is the nature of his existence.  He has taken enough from our world
to be wounded by something of the same.  Ryu will see the demon
sealed.

"Were it probable to replace young Bateson, I would gladly take up the
fight instead.  I am, however, still very needed here.

"And you cannot help the way you wish," he intoned, "because you won't
forsake yourself.  You will be able to aid, but not here, not now."

An awful pit of guilt and anger formed in my stomach.  "Another
prophecy?"

"I'm sorry, Bleu."

Patience and calm abandoned me.  Before I could display this state to my
old friend, the kid, Jono, knocked on the entrance to the hut.

There was genuine sorrow in Ryu's guarded eyes, but I lost watch as
he turned to answer the summon.  "Ah, Jono, just in time."  Like before,
his mannerism was jovial, not a trace of the tension remained.

"Please, escort Lady Deis to her quarters so she may rest."  he turned
to regard me.  "I will call you, of course, when the Destined Child
returns.  For now, recuperate.  It could prove beneficial."


*******************


By the time Jono and I arrived at the hut, my feelings were well in time
with the storming clouds of Dologany.  Every bitter, infuriating notion
I had ever experienced was rising up against me.

A martyr.  These people of this forsaken colony had every intention of
making the boy, Ryu, a martyr.  There was little doubt that, even if he
did comprehend the full scope of his situation, he wouldn't assent to
his fate.  His absence in the village spoke that much.

The elder, the probably more powerful Ryu, was a contributing factor.
Even at his age, his force was not an attribute to ignore and dismiss
lightly.  His determination to remain a gray pillar against one life, on
top of lives already lost and those yet to live, made my heart cold.

And every one of his people shared this sentiment.  Within the not-so-
warm comfort of my cot, I skimmed over the bizarre dream of my crystal,
searching for the key that would ease my frustrations.

What I saw my eyes widen speculatively.  "Jono."

The youth, decidedly ansty, reacted as if he grasped molten rock.  "I-I
can explain!"

"I certainly hope so," I said testily, glancing into a collage of images
playing within the orb, not a single frame drawing forth any detached
familiarity.

"I was practicing my wards, you see," He pulled a collection of strips
from his pocket for my inspection.  "When your orb had rolled off the
cot.  I'd thought it would break, so I tried to catch it.  When I came
to, Maya had come for me."

"Wait, when you came around?"

His face took on such a sad contention, that I couldn't scrutinize him.
"Well, yes.  I caught it, but then I felt like I was falling, and I saw
those horrible creatures again..."

I studied his face as he grew quiet.  Convinced of Jono's innocence,
I turned back to the orb.  "You had good intentions, kid, but the
crystal would've survived.  First lesson: if you don't know what it
can do, don't touch."

"But it shouldn't have done anything, right?"

"Technically, no.  Then again," I glanced at the crystal and smirked.
"Who's to say with something involved as powerful and chaotic as the
subconscious?"

Confusion colored his eyes.  "I don't understand."

"Well, here, I'll explain."  I scooted a bit from my spot and gestured
to him.  After his sat down, I gave him a clear view of what the orb
displayed.

"Life can conform to rules and guidelines, you know this as fact.
Without discipline and structure, beings cannot function."

We both gazed into the vision of a riverbank, slowly decaying into
desert terrain, a swift evolution of Wisdon's fate.  "Creatures live
and die by nature's dogma.  They build, order, and generate pattern.
That is a base of magic, after all."

"But life isn't that structured," Jono protested, gazing in awe at the
vision.  It was admirable, how his attention was balanced between his
sight and my words.

I thumped him on the head.  "Don't interrupt."

"Yes, ma'am."

"But you're right, life isn't nearly as sterile and organized.  Impulses
and chaos have to exist, too.  With chaos comes true potential.  Without
it, life cannot be."

I turned from the erected city rising from the sands, to Jono, who was
still only half watching.  "There is potential within this dream."

"But," he started, then stopped and regarded me cautiously.  I nodded
my assent and he continued.  "But this is bad potential.  This is the
design of Myria."

"Yes, it is," I agreed, eyeing the metallic, global citadel floating in
the sky.  "But it is still a possibility."

"Just a possibility?  It seemed real, though.  That she would come, and
purge us all."

"It COULD be real.  I've learned you dragons have gained quite the
potential for dousing."  As the scene of Jono's dream played on,
people bowed to Her, and were morphed by magic, taking the form
of massive gargoyles.

"However, just like this is real, so is your desire, your potential to
fight it.  That was why you wished me to teach you, wasn't it?"

Jono became solemn.  "Yes.  I know that the Destined Child is key to
our survival, but I've always thought--known, that there would be
others.  That the Dark Goddess would try again.  I don't want his
sacrifice to be in vain."

I nodded, swallowing the bitter present around me.  It would have to
pass, with or without my consent.  Such a practice, moving on despite
personal pain, was a staple for me.

"Are you certain you wouldn't prefer a chance at this kind of future?"

Jono's face was aghast at the notion.  I only continued to smile,
pointing to where his dream ran from the beginning.  I was in it,
sitting on a bed with my human legs somewhat tucked underneath me.
Maya was also there, a leg draped over my own.  While I had my vest,
it was hardly covering anything decent.  Save for the dark stockings
we both wore, there were no other visible garments.

The boy's complexion went scarlet, and his jaw worked frantically,
trying to form words.

"What's going on?"

I turned to Maya, standing at the hut entrance.  She appeared anxious,
though I could hardly guess why.

"Funny you should ask that..."

That did not stop me from supplying my own reasoning, however.


*******************


"I'm going to stay."

"Is that so?" Ryu asked, leaning forward in his wicker chair.

"Well, I left you alone this long, and looked how much you flubbed.
I really never should've let you out of my sight."

The aged warrior bristled.  "I think we've gotten quite far."

"Maybe, but just look at what you've done to the kids."  I pulled a
mortified Jono from behind me.  "It's no wonder the girls all walk
around here so angry and distant.  It'll take me years to deprogram
this one."

Jono's youthful face lit up.  "You mean you'll teach me?"

"This won't be a picnic.  It's going to take some serious work on our
parts.  The first real task would be to clean out this refuge of
demonic energy you all have dug a crook into."

Jono nodded slowly.  "If that's what it takes, sensei."

"Well, then, I can't possibly see why you'd have to undertake that
labor all your own,"  Ryu said.

"Because you're apparently too frail to open even a simple door."  It
seemed he meant well, but there was still some doubt, an unexplained
fury and anguish, at the direction I intended to commit toward.

"Ms. Bleu!"

"Quite true, Deis.  More truth than I'd care for, really."  The elder
gave a heavy sigh.  "But, as I said, I'm needed here."

"For obvious reasons," I deadpanned.  "We'll work on that, anyway.  In
the meantime, I'll be meditating.  You might want to track down
Maya, kid," I said, turning to Jono.  "I'm sure you didn't mean harm,
so you'll want to clear that up with her."

"Okay."  He gave a bow to Ryu, and hurried out the hut.  The elder
arched an eyebrow at me.

"Something he said?"

"Something she saw.  I think I can understand her animosity toward me,
now."  I stretched.  "Well, you know where I'll be.  Call me when the
others come back, okay?  I should at least be able to say goodbye, this
time."

That said, I left the Drogan man's hut, pondering my intentions.


*******************


Hell of a headache, this one.

Drafting Darkest Before Dawn literally happened overnight.  With the
prose style I had chosen, it was an easy task (which is why it's so
short compared to the first vignette).  Day Into Night took something
over a month of two, with procrastination involved and everything.

This sucker, my first timed effort in five years of writing, took five
friggin' months.  And I'm STILL kind of up in arms about the ending.
I'm also wary of the prose style.  First person is a tricky mistress
to satisfy.

But, in all, I'm pleased with my effort.  This has been a delicious
bout of inspiration, and I'm glad I followed it like I have.

Special thanks to Mads and Jexer, because they had more hand than
they know in helping this story come about.  MUCH appreciation goes
to my father, who helped me see this story, and the Breath of Fire
story, in a light I hadn't considered before.

Take note, parents DO CARE.

That said, Back to the Hack with me.  See you at the conclusion.

- Kenji M.






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