Sacred

[Mitsukai]

Through out the dark ages there had always been one, standing alone against the dark forces and although many thought the one to be a myth soon there would be a uprising and the one would become anything but a myth.

It was a cruel few years since the ground had opened and swallowed humanity; few were left on this earth that were free and not enslaved by the demons from below. The earth was black and the seas had dried and left craters and never ending chasms throughout the world, there was little left of the buildings most had been destroyed within the first few weeks of the war. For some there was still hope, those that had hidden and managed to stay out of sight, people who awaited a saviour some sort of miracle. Little did these few know there saviour was one who they would never of expected a tall woman, red scorched skin, eyes as black a night and long tumbling curls of ebony hair. By looking at her you would of thought she was the spawn of Satan, but something different about her told them she was different, unlike the others her face was gentle and warm.

“It’s time to move on people, we don’t want another incident like the last time!” said an older man with greying hair, he pushed past another man and ushered the others forward through tunnels of the underground that hadn’t been destroyed. You would assume that it would have been dangerous to do so, but now that the demons had control they rarely travelled to the underworld.

“Jason, I don’t think we should move until everyone’s eaten or at least rested,” a younger looking woman with blonde hair looked at Jason and tried to force a smile but he could see clearly on her face that she was just as tired as the rest. With a sigh Jason agreed although he was certain it wasn’t a good idea, he didn’t’ see the point in dragging people along only to travel a few miles when after they had rested that could make up much more time.

Felicia had been following this group for more than a week now, and she had grown a sort of attachment to the Young woman, who she has found to be ‘Liana’. Her caring nature had reminded her of the angel who had saved her soul from the underworld.

[Omega-Shadow edge]

”Move out!” The man in the lead of the group shouts, the men and women around him begin to move forward, he moves with them standing one step ahead at all times. The dark grey stone walls of this ancient castle echo the sounds of their foot steps, the banners hanging from the walls tattered and torn. A gunshot rings out, all of them run to the outside walls, taking cover and looking around.

“Where did that shot come from?” One of them asks to eh rest of his group, there is not reply, just frantic whispers. The sound of an object hitting the floor echoes through the room. The gun slides down the room, barrel still smoking, and stops in between the group.

“He dropped his gun…” the leader says taking his assault rifle off of his back and releasing the safety catch.

“Everyone attack!” He shouts, all of the men run out in a line and fire their guns, the sound almost deafening until all the shots are replaced by clicks.

“Did we get him?” One of the youngest of the ground asks reloading his gun in a hurry.

“No, we didn’t.” The leader says drawing a sword form his hip

“Speak, what is your purpose here?” an unseen chilling voice says sharply.

“We are the Linus mercenary clan, I am Lord Linus, leader. We’re hear for business not pleasure.” The leader replies trying to find the source of the voice

“You are here, to fight?” the voice replies

“Our objective is your master, leave us be and you shall not be harmed.” Linus answers

“I am sorry you foolish Beorc have no right to lay your filth eyes upon my master, I’m sorry, but if you do not leave I will kill you all now.”

“We shall not leave! Show yourself and we shall fight!”

“So be it…”

An aged man sits upon the throne, a younger man, covered in blood limps into the room.

“I have dealt with the intruders master” the old man does not reply.

“I see… you are angry because I took this injury, am I correct sir?” still no reply. A gravely injured man hobbles slowly into the room, unable to stand without leaning against something and a large gouge from the side of his chest.

“No you stupid boy,” Linus pulls a cord, the curtains open and moonlight fills the room, for the first time Linus gets a good look upon the young man. He stands less than six foot tall with blue hair with no distinct form, as if not styled, just cut. Linus looks into his eyes, unlike the normal blue, brown or green, the boy’s eyes are yellow, or gold some might say, his clothes are rags, tattered remains of a black shirt and black combat style trousers.

“It’s because he’s dead, and he has been dead for over two weeks.” The boy turns to his master in shock and looks at him, examining.

“You lie! His eyes are open he lives!”

“No, close his eyes yourself, they will not open again.” The boy does just that.

“How did this happen…”

“My life is over… you saw to that… It seams some one else wanted Lord Raymier dead, he was poisoned to death, slowly, by what looks like a demonic poison.” The boy stands shaking with rage

“You speak lies! Foul Beorc! The finishing blow shall be laid to you by my master’s sword!” He takes up the sword and removes if from its sheath, slashing from where he stands, a blade of wind travels from the sword, slicing Linus in two from one hundred feet away. He sheaths the sword and with a tear in his eyes, leaves the castle to seek his masters murderer.

[Mitsukai]

Over night while the people slept Felicia watched and wondered what it would be like to belong and to be needed, being alone for thousands of years had left her cautious of human contact but she was still curious. Slowly she peered from her hiding place and in front of her Liana was sleeping so peacefully; suddenly she had the urge just to touch her face. Felicia was sure no one would see for they were all sound in the dreams, her nimble fingers stretched forwards and placed her palm on Liana’s cheek, how cold her skin felt but how she longed for the touch of another. Suddenly a shout arose from the silence,

“Get away from her you foul creature!” It was Jason, and he was aiming a gun towards her, she flinched and her nail tore a slash into the cheek of Liana, but before she could move a bullet tore through the air diving into her red flesh causing a flood of black blood, Felicia let out a scream of pain.

“No!” Liana said grasping her cheek looking at Jason in horror as he went to take another shot. Felicia scrambled across the floor and disappeared within a matter of seconds leaving the humans looking confused and scared. Jason ran to the side of Liana and held her face in his hands and looked into her eyes as if to make sure she was still one of them.

“I knew we shouldn’t of stopped, why did I listen, I knew something would happen…you could have been killed…” he muttered relentlessly, Liana looked passed his shoulder into the shadows, that demon was not like the others, she would have been dead if she was.

Felicia groaned in agony as she wiped the blood from her leg, she had touched the human Liana but all at a cost. She knew now others would never accept her, a world of solitude and loneliness would be hers forever. She looked out at the world through a misted glass and drifted into a restless slumber her leg keeping her from completely resting; she just hoped she didn’t run into anyone else.

[Omega-Shadow edge]

Walking slowly, suffering from his injuries the young man walks along a destroyed street, the sky blood red from the fires still burning. For the first time, he realises that he has been worrying about his master for so long that he failed to eat for almost the whole two weeks since Raymier had died. Weakened from blood loss and exhausted from hunger, he struggles to stand. A sound startles him to awareness, but it does not last long, as the sound gets closer it all folds in and he collapses to the ground.

Walking down a long black hallway he can see nought but the ground he is about to step on. A feral roar echoes through out he hall, eyes appear in the darkness, millions of pairs of eyes, staring at him, condemning him. They begin to close in, the roars now deafening he cannot restrain, he falls to the ground holding his ears, screaming, he shoots awake, his body covered in a cold sweat.

“Just a dream?” He questions to himself aloud, he looks around to see his situation, but it is not as bleak as he’d imagined, as he sits upright in a small, make-shift bed, a sleeping bag over him to his waist, his shirt missing, but his wounds bandaged, he crawls out of the sleeping bag and out of the tent. The Night has well and truly settled in now, the cloudless night brings a chill on the wind, but the campfire in front of him burns brightly.

“Oh, you’re awake now, I was starting to think you wouldn’t.” A woman tending to a horse walks over to him with a shirt in her hands.

“You looked like you needed a hand so I brought you to my camp. I didn’t even notice you were injured until I took your shirt to repair it, so I repaired you to.” She smiles and walks over to the fire. The man just stands in silence

“I’ve got some food to, I’ve cooked enough for the both of us, so you can stay and eat if you like.” He doesn’t move or say anything

“Oh, can you not speak? Or do you not understand my language?” she questions

“No, I can speak. I just have never received any gesture this kind from a Beorc before.” He replies

“Oh! You can talk. It’s no problem, I try to help everyone I find along the way. I have no idea what a Beorc or whatever you said is though, is it rude?” She replies

“No, it is what you are, a Beorc, a human.”

“Oh, then what are you?” She asks him

“I’m a Laguz” He replies, she stares at him for a few moments then turns back to the food

“Well then mister Laguz the dinner is ready so whenever you are feel free to eat.”

“Thank you kind miss.”

“Ya know, you can’t keep calling me miss and I cant keep calling you Mister Laguz. My name is Astrid.”

“I have never given my name to a Beorc before… I am Zihark…”

“Ok Mister Zihark, care to tell me what the difference between a Laguz and a Beorc is? Other then you have blue hair” She says smiling, for the first time Zihark can see her clearly, in the light of the flames he examines her, dressed mainly in red her clothes contrast the blue of her eyes, which compliment her silver hair.

“You’d be better off not knowing.” Zihark says placing his repaired shirt over his head and pulling it down. Astrid hands him a bowl of soup.

“Enjoy.” She says as he takes it from her, she returns to her own bowl and begins

“Thank you.” He says beginning to eat himself.

[Mitsukai]

Felicia awoke her leg-feeling stiff, but she knew she had to move it was too risky to stay here. They knew she was following them, and she had no doubt that soon she would be hunted.

For all she knew they could be on their way now, she stood up slowly and glanced around somewhere someone was cooking so she knew she was close…too close. As she slowly walked through the passageways she heard footsteps behind her, she quickened her pace only to stumble and fall to her knees.

“Common Felicia,” She muttered to herself, “You cannot let yourself be hunted for no one shall accept you,” she pulled herself up again, after she had walked as far as she could she collapsed to the floor.

The air here was different somehow fresher, she could no longer smell the smoke of the burning world outside, she crawled to a small cove in the wall and lay on the cold stone.

Her clothes were dirty with her own blood, and her skin was not the vibrant red it has been before slowly she was beginning to realise she couldn’t be alone, for she wouldn’t survive she had to many enemies and no friends by her side, and it was at that moment she realised how lonely she was as black tears cascaded down her fire red cheeks.

Felicia thought back to her encounter with Liana, She hadn’t read Liana wrong she had saved her in a way, stopped Jason from firing that final shot that would of disabled her. She would have been tortured under there hands. Liana had reminded her of that angel and had proven to be just as much of a saviour to her.

[Omega-Shadow edge]

Not half way though his meal, Zihark suddenly shoots bolt upright, looking around wildy he places his bowl on the floor and stands.

“What’s wrong?” Astrid asks him

“I heard a noise, wasn’t too far from here, stay here kind lady, I shall investigate this sound and remove its cause.” Zihark runs and jumps over a bush, ducking under a tree branch he runs to a small hole in the ground, jumping down it into an underground passage way he begins to look again, hi eyes catch a small root sticking from the ground that has recently been pulled on. On the ground beside it he notices something, bending down he runs some on his fingers and smells it.

“Blood, demonic blood. I have you now…” he stands up and looks around slowly, breathing in through his nose, he suddenly stops, running at full in the direction he looked at he stops in front of a dilapidated building, a small alcove is visible to him, he stares at it intently.

“Found you…” he whispers to himself he runs to the front of the alcove, spying the demon resting there.

“Creature! Prepare to die!” He reaches for his master’s sword only to find that it isn’t there, he begins to back away. The as the demons stares back at him he wonders why it isn’t attacking.

“You… are not a normal demon are you?” He examines her further taking not of a few things mental he speaks again

“You, bare much resemblance to a Beorc, demon of kinds eyes, answer me, what are you doing here?”

[Mitsukai]

Felicia stares up at the stranger in wonder, her eyes widen, as she fears attack.

“I…I don’t know I was safe guarding some people, but …but they attacked me.” She said quietly, she attempted to stand and face the man but her leg wouldn’t allow her the strength, fearing that he will not accept her she pushes herself back with her arms away from him. Looking up shyly Felicia introduces herself to the stranger,

“My names…it’s Felicia, and no I’m not a normal demon… although my appearance would make many think different. I wont harm you, I only harm the demons that hunt me.” She rips a sleeve form her shirt and ties it around her thigh to help stop the bleeding.

“Someone else is here, following you…” she stood this time forcing herself past the pain, her eyes seemed to glow red in the darkness and give an eerie light showing a shadow in the distance. “I Think we should move…”

[Omega-Shadow edge]

"Fear not Felicia, it is a kind Beorc named Astrid." He says

"Lady Astrid, you need not fear this one she is kind of heart" Astrid steps from the shadows shaking in terror holding up Zihark's sword still in its sheath

"Ah, that's where it went." He opens his hand requesting the sword from her, she slowly hands it over to him.

"I... I... couldn't take it out" She said still looking scared despite Ziharks words.

"I am not suprised, this blade is not ment for Beorc hands." He says drawing it, as he does the wind picks up, he looks shocked and sheaths it again

"I know what follwed me, but I know not of what followed Lady Astrid. Be on guard lady Felicia, I do not like the smell of this thing."