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Destinies Intertwined by Fate	By : dreamingvision Category: +S through Z > Star Ocean 3 Views: 1286 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean nor do I profit financially from writing this

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Min'nah was not a happy representative from Vendeen. She despised the fact she had been forced to speak with such technologically and intellectually inferior beings as she deemed anyone from the Pangalactic Federation, Quark, and Aldian to be. As far as she was concerned, the Vendeeni did not require the aid of others to rebuild their home world. They were more than capable of rebuilding their empire and their military strength to what they were before the Creator's attack. Indeed, they could surpass their previous accomplishments, if their scientists and architects and leaders set their minds to such tasks. She stormed to the bridge of the ship, displeasure radiating from her in large waves. Her fellow Vendeeni immediately cleared a path for her, well aware of what would happen to them should they not remove themselves from her presence.
However, despite her disdain for such lower creatures like the Aldians and humans, Min'nah understood why her leaders wanted her there for such an "important" meeting. The leaders of Vendeen wanted Fayt Leingod. They wanted to know how come he had been so receptive to the Destruction gene. They wanted their scientists to study the boy, to poke and prod at him to discover the reasons for the receptiveness to the gene and for the reasons why his powers exceeded beyond what anyone could have expected them to truly become. According to the data their first ship to enter Elicoor II's orbit sent before it simply vanished, Fayt Leingod's powers were immense, so much so that he could quite possibly destroy a planet with a single thought. They had started their analysis the moment his powers were triggered, and the data immediately transmitted itself back to the Vendeeni home world. Many of the Vendeeni scientists believed the data itself to be horrendously flawed and corrupted, however, and they required, demanded, the actual subject be brought to them for further study and analysis. They considered it to be no loss when the initial analysis of Fayt Leingod's powers was destroyed in the Creator's attack. Those were her leaders' reasons for her presence at the . . . conference with the Pangalactic Federation, the members of Quark, and the representatives from the Aldian Empire. They wanted Fayt Leingod, and they wanted the universe to know they still would stop at nothing to obtain the universe's greatest living weapon. When they were done with their studies, their poking and their prodding, and their analyses of Fayt Leingod, they would then terminate his life. In their estimation, Fayt Leingod was truly a threat to everything they held dear, and they wanted him dead. It would be the only way to fully restore balance to the universe.
As Min'nah stormed her way towards the bridge of , the conversation from the meeting entered her mind, and a few of the words spoken sparked the beginnings of an idea. A wicked smirk graced her features. She needed to tell the captain of her idea, and he would need to relay it to their leaders. It was a most promising idea, one guaranteed to work . . . providing they did not choose the most incompetent of their warriors to carry out the task. Even with the superior technology and intellect the Vendeeni possessed, there were still some who could botch even the best of plans. Biwig had been one such individual, but that was now the past. The Vendeeni needed to secure their future. All heads turned towards Min'nah as she stepped onto the bridge.
"They refused to meet our demands, didn't they?' the captain inquired in their aquatic tongue. Min'nah nodded then she shrugged her shoulders in indifference.
"They say they do not know where Fayt is hiding," Min'nah replied, taking her seat. "I do not believe them. I think they are hiding him until the moment is right for them to attack us. They have not forgotten the attack on Hyda IV, I am sure, and they most definitely have not forgotten how Professor Leingod died at the hands of Biwig."
"They say Biwig tried to kill his son, and Professor Leingod pushed his son out of harm's way," the captain said, his tone as light as air. "A battle ensued where Fayt Leingod participated, and it was Fayt who delivered the final and fatal blow to Biwig. Professor Leingod died not too long after, his son holding him in his arms. I do believe such a memory would forever burn itself into a young human male's mind."
"For a young human male, I am sure such a thing is quite the unforgivable sin," Min'nah said, keeping her tone as equally light as the captain's. "Just as I am sure the kidnapping of his mother would be the same."
"Ryoko Leingod?" the captain murmured. "We tried that once before, but we only managed to get our hands on her husband at the time."
"We were also able to capture the Esteed girl some time later," Min'nah said. "They were the perfect bait to lure Fayt Leingod to us."
"That they were," the captain conceded. "I believe I know where our conversation is going, and I do not believe it will work, Min'nah."
"And why is that?" Min'nah inquired. "You have not heard what my intentions truly are, my dear captain. How can you say my plan will not work when you have not heard all of the details?"
"Because we do not have the resources nor enough soldiers to launch an attack on Earth," the captain said. "That is where Ryoko Leingod is believed to be staying. Since the Creator's attack, the Pangalactic Federation has increased its patrols around the planet and many of its major outposts. We cannot afford to attack Earth. Not in our current state, anyway."
"Who said anything about attacking Earth?" Min'nah said with mock innocence. She held her hands up in feigned shock. Then she let out a laugh. "Believe me, my dear captain, I have no intentions of suggesting an attack on Earth. It would be most suicidal when we do not possess the supplies nor the soldiers needed for such an endeavor."
"Then what are you suggesting?" he asked, his tone coy and curious. She definitely had his curiosity piqued, and he leaned forward to learn more.
"Well," she began, "we do have a small ship capable of slipping by the Pangalactic Federation ships. The cloaking device on it is far superior than what any scientist or engineer from Earth or from Aldian could dream of ever designing. All we truly need is a small team to sneak by their defenses and retrieve Ryoko Leingod. I am certain when we have her in our possession, the Pangalactic Federation and Quark will realize we mean business, and they will bring Fayt Leingod out of hiding. At the same time we capture Ryoko Leingod, we search for Professor Leingod's research logs and bring them back to Vendeen as well. Then, once we have Fayt Leingod in our possession, we release Ryoko Leingod back to the Pangalactic Federation. Or terminate her as well. Either way, she really is of no use to us."
"So you are suggesting we kidnap Ryoko Leingod, but not using brute force," the captain murmured. He rubbed his chin as he mulled the idea over and then he nodded, seemingly satisfied with her idea. "A mission of stealth . . . I wonder why it was not thought of the first time we tried to capture the Leingods and their son. It certainly would have saved us a great deal of trouble. I am most certain we scoured every inch the entire galaxy searching for Fayt Leingod the last time we tried to obtain him."
"It did not help Quark interfered with our business. They were able to reach him before we could and learn of our plans to obtain the boy," Min'nah retorted, unable to disguise her disgust. No one in the Vendeeni Empire understood why Quark had become involved in the great search for Fayt Leingod, but then no one really cared, either. They only knew Quark had interfered with their business, and they did not intend to allow such an indiscretion to go unnoticed and unpunished. Already plans were in motion to eliminate the leaders of Quark one by one, starting with Maria Traydor and the crew on The Diplo. "It was mighty clever of them to hide the Leingod boy on that underdeveloped planet. However, what Quark does not know this time will not hurt us in the least. Do you not agree?"
"I do agree," the captain said, "and I believe our leaders will be interested to hear of your plans. They may not like it at first, but when they hear it is a mission of stealth and not military strength, I am sure they will agree it is a sound plan. What of the Esteeds? They assisted the Leingods in their research. What should we do about them?"
"It is a mission of stealth with a small team," Min'nah replied. "As much as it would benefit us to capture Professor Esteed and his family, it would also be detrimental to our plans of stealing Ryoko Leingod away from her home on Earth. I am sure the Leingod home will have some form of security to protect the remaining Leingod. The team will not be large enough to divide and try to take four people hostage. They would never make it back to Vendeeni space safely. We dare not chance it nor do we dare to become too greedy in our efforts to secure our possession of Fayt Leingod. For this moment in time, the Esteeds are inconsequential."
The captain turned around to face the screen, and he gave the orders to secure a connection to the Vendeeni home world. Min'nah leaned back in her chair as they waited for their leaders to answer their hail. She and the captain did not have to wait long, and the two of them explained as quickly as they could about her idea to sneak into Pangalactic Federation territory, specifically Earth, and capture Ryoko Leingod. They also explained why the Esteeds needed to be left out of their plans (for the moment, anyway), and then they were done talking. The leaders of the Vendeeni were silent afterwards, each one mulling over Min'nah's idea.
"I must say, we have tried this once before," the first leader said, breaking the silence. ?"It did not work then when we tried to obtain the Leingod boy. We do not have any guarantees it will work this time, either."
"We understand your concerns," Min'nah said. "Believe me, it is a concern of ours as well. However, we feel we do not have much choice in the matter. The leaders of Quark and the Pangalactic Federation are claiming they do not know where Fayt Leingod is hiding away."
"That is such a blatant lie," another leader quipped in, huffing in annoyance. "I do not believe they do not know of his whereabouts. He is too important of a weapon for anyone to lose track of him in such an irresponsible manner."
"We believe the same thing," the captain of The Terminatus said. "That is why we have told Quark and the Pangalactic Federation of our plans to start attacking their outposts should they refuse to bring the boy to us. I am also agreeing with Representative Min'nah's plan of capturing Ryoko Leingod. Should the weapon learn of his mother's capture, he will be more than willing to come out of hiding in an effort to keep her from harm. They did remind Min'nah of Professor Leingod's death at the hands of Captain Biwig. It is almost assured the weapon has not forgotten his father's death, either. He will not want another family member's death hanging over his head like that. Humans are strange creatures that way."
"Perhaps they are strange that way. Perhaps they are not so strange from us," the first leader said, his tone low and soft. "Either way, we cannot afford for our plans to go awry. We need the weapon secured and soon. The moment he is terminated in front of the Time Gate, the better off our world will be. The Creator's wrath may be delayed, but we know this silence from his Executioners will not last for much longer. We will dispatch the team as quickly as possible. In the meantime, begin your search for Fayt Leingod. If he is found, we will release Ryoko Leingod back to her people, but Fayt must be our top priority. Find him and bring him back to us. Our survival depends on it."
* * *
"Blair," Azazer said. "I have the Vendeeni conversation recorded. It is as you feared. They are planning to enter Pangalactic Federation territory to kidnap Ryoko Leingod. Also, I've opened a line of communication to the Quark ship for you now. It's now stabilized."
Blair nodded to him, not failing to notice the hints of disgust laced in Azazer's tone. Since Luther's defeat and disappearance, he, Belzeber, and Berial were the least happy with Blair taking over Sphere 211 and carrying on her brother's work. After all, Luther's ideas were more than valid, in Blair's estimation. They were quite profitable for the company, enjoyable for the players, and they kept their positions as lead programmers, only losing certain access rights to the Eternal Sphere itself, once she and her original team stabilized the systems. If only the computers were still reliable for people to use . . . Blair shook her head of the thoughts and reminded herself the Eternal Sphere needed to be kept safe, and she required Belzeber, Berial, and Azazer to help stabilize communications with Maria Traydor. She stood up, her back straight, and walked to the monitor where Maria Traydor's image was displayed.
"Blair!" Maria exclaimed. "This is a pleasant surprise! How have you been?"
"Hello, Maria," Blair said with a nod. She kept her expression schooled. Now was not the time for happy reunions. "I wish I could say that I'm fine, but it would be a lie. I also wish I could say this is a social call, just to be sure everything is all right, but it isn't that, either. The truth of the matter is . . . I need your help."
"My help?" Maria echoed. "What do you need my help for and why?"
Blair inhaled a deep breath and tried to calm the butterflies (as they used to say) fluttering about in her stomach. So far, Maria sounded curious. It was a good sign, but it would not last once the words left her lips. She had cut straight to the point. Now was not the time to lose her nerve.
"I need your help looking for Luther," she began.
"Luther?" Maria interjected, blinking. "You mean he isn't in the four-dimensional realm?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "He isn't anywhere in our world, and we've checked even the places he'd be least likely to visit. Our competitors don't even realize he's missing, which is a good thing for us, but it won't stay that way for long. I'm hoping we can find him somewhere in the Eternal Sphere."
"But you said he projected his likeness . . . I remember you saying to him what he was doing was dangerous,"Maria said. "And you said with his likeness projected . . ."
"I know," Blair agreed. "I know I said that because it's what I thought he'd done, and I didn't want to see him hurt. He is my brother, and I do love him. However, Maria, I was wrong. Luther's likeness was not projected into the Eternal Sphere. He really was there, fighting you. Somehow, he managed to break all of the rules he set forth for the Eternal Sphere, entered it to reach his Workspace where you fought, and now we can't find him. Please . . . can you help me?"
For several seconds, Maria said nothing, and her expression remained, neutral unreadable to Blair. She wanted to believe the younger woman would understand her position. Luther needed to be found, and he needed to be found quickly before he could harm himself or others. Given his mental instability, Blair feared even her worst case scenario wouldn't be anywhere near what her younger brother was truly capable of doing. It was also the reason she feared to use against Maria should the other woman refuse. Several long seconds of silence ensued, feeling to Blair as if it were going to last. As it continued, turning from seconds into minutes, her anxiety levels started to increase, and Blair felt as if she would vomit from waiting.
'Just breathe,' she told herself. 'Just breathe. She's going to refuse, and she'd be within her rights to do so. Luther did try to destroy her, her friends, and her home. No one can blame her for hating him.'
While she didn't blame the blue-haired woman for hating Luther, which Blair was certain Maria did, it didn't stop the hurt. Luther was her brother, and she did love him as only a sister could. She wanted him back so he could be helped with his mental break. Knowing he was out there, hurt, and knowing the refusal was coming also didn't make her anxiety go away. Finally, Maria broke her silence.
"Are you crazy?" Maria said with a soft hiss. Her green eyes glinted with her anger. "You want us to search forLuther? After everything he's done?"
"No," Blair answered. "I'm not crazy. I'm very concerned about my brother and his well-being, Maria. I'm also very concerned about the Eternal Sphere and its inhabitants. Our competitors don't know that Luther's missing. They also don't realize that our servers are very touch-and-go at the moment. I'm sure the Eternal Sphere is doing just fine without our interference, but that still won't stop our competitors from trying to hack into the servers, especially should they find out that Luther is missing. I know you've seen what our world is like, Maria, but you haven't seen anything when it comes to our competitors. I want to keep the Eternal Sphere safe. Finding Luther is one of those ways I can accomplish that."
"No," Maria said. She also shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. "No. Absolutely not! I'm not looking for that maniac. I'm sorry, Blair. I know he's your brother and that you're concerned about him, but I need to keep my crew safe. Encountering Luther isn't the way to do that."
Blair closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. From the moment Maria spoke, voicing her refusal, her anxiety increased. Her stomach felt like it was doing a hundred flips, and she wanted nothing more than to simply accept Maria's refusal and leave Luther be. Yet, Blair also knew she couldn't do that. Luther's life and the very existence of the Eternal Sphere depended upon him being found and returned to the four-dimensional realm, especially if he still wanted to destroy what he so meticulously had created. Blair opened her eyes, hating herself for what she was about to say next.
'It isn't like this is going to be one-sided,' she told herself. 'We'll be looking for Fayt as well as Luther and keeping Ryoko Leingod safe from the Vendeeni. They can't be allowed to sacrifice people to appease Luther when there's no appeasing, no negotiating with him.'
"You don't realize your danger yet, do you?" Azazer asked. Startled, Blair turned to face him. The security director had risen to his feet and now walked towards the monitor. "Your very world exists only because Luther, the Creator, your Creator, deemed it to be so. He is the only one . . . the only one who can access the mainframes for the Eternal Sphere whenever, and wherever, he wants, even within the Eternal Sphere itself. He can still destroy you."
"I'm sure," Maria said, sneering at Azazer. "Like it would be difficult to keep Luther out of the Eternal Sphere mainframe."
"Actually," Berial said, interjecting himself into the conversation. Blair turned to see him also walking towards the monitor, "we can't keep Luther from hacking into the Eternal Sphere mainframe."
"What?" Maria's voice sounded dead, flat, yet surprised as well.
"The Eternal Sphere," Berial said with the utmost and amazing patience. Blair never heard him sound so calm, so collected. When it came to the denizens of the Eternal Sphere, Berial usually wasn't quite so level-headed, "is Luther's penultimate creation. He possesses access codes, privileges, and superior network hacking capabilities. We can set up as many blocks as Blair tells us to, but it wouldn't be enough. Luther has a back door, and only he knows how to access it. If he so chooses, he can render us incapable of not only contacting you but stop us from helping you with your little set of problems."
"He wouldn't be able to," Maria started to say, but Berial cut her off.
"Yes," he said, "he would. Why do you think Sphere 211 is such a juggernaut in our world? Luther is not only a programming and creative genius, but he's also a brilliant hacker. When he wanted to delay our rivals from launching their new games, he'd shut them down for days while we launched our new role-playing games to the public. They never, ever caught on to how he was operating our company. It's my hope that they never do. In order for them to be in the dark, Luther must be found. We know he isn't in our world. Our competitors' worlds are substandard, something he'd only mess with just to annoy them, and he has very little access to no access to their mainframes. He wouldn't be trapped in any of their programs because they're programs truly are programs. They're not like you or the Eternal Sphere. He is in your world, and if he does get it in his head that the Eternal Sphere needs to be eliminated, you will not be able to stop him a second time. There will be no saving you."
"Not unless we find Fayt," Maria said. "He's able to take on Luther."
"Of course, he is," Azazer said. Blair listened in silence, still awestruck that Azazer and Berial were standing up for her cause and for keeping the Eternal Sphere safe. "He's Luther's opposite in every possible way. We didn't want to believe it at first but . . ."
"But it's the only reason why we can think of for Fayt still being alive and in hiding," Berial concluded. "His life is interconnected with Luther's life somehow. If Luther were dead, truly dead, your friend would have dropped dead within seconds, and no one would have to worry about finding either of them."
Upon hearing this, shock washed over Blair, chilling her in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to vomit even more. She'd possessed no idea that Luther and Fayt were so intricately connected to each other.
"Maria," she began, finally finding her voice. Her throat and mouth felt unusually dry, and she tried to moisten them as best she could. "Maria, we don't intend to not return this enormous favor we're asking of you. We want to help you find Fayt and ensure his safety as well. I understand that Luther isn't the only threat in the Eternal Sphere. Truthfully, he may not even become a threat, but given his extreme behaviour when Professor Leingod and his team discovered our world, I don't want to take any chances. Please. Will you help us?"
"I think you should do it," Cliff Fittir said. Blinking in surprise, Blair tilted her head so she could see the Klausian. He sat to Maria's right, leaning back in his chair and his arms folded across his chest. His blue eyes were closed, as if he were contemplating a great many things, which perhaps he was. Blair knew that Cliff, while exceptionally strong and a capable fighter, was also not an idiot. Quark wouldn't be in existence without him. Still, to hear him say they should help in the search for Luther baffled Blair. Maria, too, appeared stunned, and she turned to her fellow Quark member and friend.
"Cliff?"
"Think about it, Maria," he said, finally opening his eyes and rising to his feet. "Not only would we be doing Blair a favour after all she's done for us, but we'd be helping ourselves. Luther's no pushover when it comes to fighting, and he is as equally stubborn as Fayt when he gets riled up about something. We can make sure our world stays safe and that Luther stays safe. Plus, we could use the help in finding Fayt before anyone else does. I don't know about you, but I'd rather no one find him at all. He's been through hell, and I'm sure he's happy wherever he is right now. But you and I both know the old governments are not going to leave him alone. He's too much of a threat, thanks to his powers. We can use all the help we can get."
"This is insane," Maria muttered. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Then she let it out and turned back to face Blair, Azazer, and Berial. "All right. We'll help you look for Luther. As much as I hate to admit, I don't want him running loose in our world and creating chaos. Too many worlds are still recovering from the Executioners, and we don't need any more headaches where Luther's concerned."
"We can start on Elicoor II, Maria," Cliff said. "Maybe Fayt's managed to return there by now. He did like it there a lot."
"We haven't detected Luther there, but Elicoor II was one of his favourite gaming spots. He's spent a lot of time there in the past. I thought for sure we'd have found him there," Blair said, her tone thoughtful, "but then again, he does still have access to the mainframes. He can hide his presence anywhere, if he wants."
"Could he do the same for Fayt?" Maria asked.
"It's possible," Azazer said with some reluctance.
"It would just depend on whether or not they're getting along," Berial concluded.
"All right," Maria said. "We'll start our search on Elicoor II. Maybe we'll find something we missed when Fayt first went missing. We'll start with Luther's Workspace and the Spiral Tower once we're there."
"If you still have Aquaria's Sacred Orb, contact me when you reach Elicoor II."
"You won't be keeping an eye on us?"
"No." Blair shook her head. "I mean, we can try, but if the servers go down, which they've been doing a lot lately, it may be some time before I can contact you. At least if you have the Orb, you can contact me. The communication will come directly to my desk and not overtax the system. Right now, everything's terribly unstable and unreliable. I don't know how the instability is affecting the Eternal Sphere. If everything goes . . . it may not bode well for anyone in your world."
"Still want to preserve us?" Maria asked, a slight smile on her face.
"Yes," Blair said, finally allowing herself to smile just a little. "I'm sure you don't need our help or interference any longer, but I'd still like to help in anyway that I can."
"We appreciate it, Blair. We really do," Maria said. She looked as grateful as she sounded. "We'll do our best to find Luther, and we'll contact you once we've reached Elicoor. The Diplo out."
The screen shut off, and Blair exhaled heavily. She accomplished what she'd set out to do, and she felt a bit better for it. A part of her, though, still wanted to retch at how she had to go about accomplishing her goals. From behind her, she heard someone start to clap.
"Good job, Blair," Belzeber said, his tone one of mockery and condescension. "Have the infidels search for your wayward, insane brother. I like it. It's a good way to remind them that they're merely puppets for our amusement."
"I don't think they're puppets for our amusement," Blair said. From the corners of her eyes, she watched Berial and Azazer, and she watched them with a great wariness. Belzeber wanted to take over Sphere 211 and run it the way he saw fit, which wasn't fit at all. He cared about the money and prestige aspect, not the jobs created for the fortunate few, nor about the Eternal Sphere's inhabitants. The flamboyant man apparently decided now was the time for him to strike and reclaim what he believed was rightfully his, before Luther wowed Belzeber's father with his creative and intellectual genius. Blair found herself more concerned with where Berial and Azazer's loyalties lay, since the three of them had worked together with Luther to destroy parts of the Eternal Sphere gaming program. A door to the room slid open. "In fact, I find them to be highly intelligent people, our rivals in a sense."
"Oh please," the man said, snorting his derision. "Luther had it right in the first place. They're nothing more than pawns for us to use how we see fit. They're entertainment. They're data, a collection of zeroes and ones. Nothing more and nothing less. How can you believe otherwise, Blair?"
"Might I point out that, for being nothing more than data, those collections of zeroes and ones, as you've so eloquently put it, managed to put you, Berial, and Azazer into the hospital." Blair folded her arms as she spoke, radiating confidence when she didn't quite feel it. "Not only did they put you three into the hospital, they managed to damage many of the guard robots and injure the security guards, something they wouldn't have done if Luther hadn't threatened their existence in the first place."
"They just got lucky!" Belzeber snarled out, and, in the blink of an eye, pulled out a gun and aimed it directly at Blair. During the entire tirade, Berial and Azazer remained still and silent. "That's all it was! They got lucky! Nothing more, nothing less!"
"I don't think luck had anything to do with it," Blair said. "The fact that they knew how to fight, that they could use Symbology . . . and that they had something worth fighting for gave them the victory, Belzeber. Their intentions were far more honorable. It's more than what I can say about you."
"SHUT UP! You know nothing about honor! You and Luther both! This company is mine! My family started it, not yours!" Belzeber screamed. "He had no right to take it away from me! NO RIGHT AT ALL!"
"Sphere 211 is Luther's by right," Blair said. "Your father felt it prudent to place Luther in charge when he stepped down as the original Owner. He wasn't the only ones who thought Luther was a better fit for the company. So long as he's still alive, it will always be his until his death or he steps down. While he's gone, I'm the one in charge, Belzeber."
"Heh," Belzeber said, smiling in a sickly sweet way. His finger started to press on the trigger. "We'll see about that."
'This is it,' Blair thought, her gaze never once leaving Belzeber. 'I've done what I can do. The rest . . . the rest is up to them.'
"Goodbye, Blair," Belzeber said. "It was nice working with you . . . while it lasted. I'll be sure to tell Luther the same thing when I see him again."
The sound of a shot being fired rang throughout the Workspace . . .
* * *
He floated.
Why he was floating or where, Luther couldn't say. He simply knew he was floating somewhere, drifting, and it felt . . . pleasant, nice . . . calm and relaxing. He hadn't felt this calm or relaxed in quite some time, not since those anomalies started to appear in the Eternal Sphere gaming program.
'The anomalies . . . how were they able to defeat me? They shouldn't have been able to defeat me,' he mused. 'Yet they did. How?'
An image of sapphire blue hair and forest green eyes entered his mind, the face of the data known as Fayt Leingod. From the moment he saw the young swordsman, Luther knew his danger. He wanted to deny what he felt, what he sensed, and that innate knowledge filling his mind, but it didn't stop the truth from rearing its head. Fayt Leingod was his counterpart, through and through. Luther was the Creator; Fayt was the Destructor. He couldn't exist without Fayt, and Fayt couldn't exist without him. It was with them as it was for love and hate, war and peace, light and darkness . . . sadness and happiness.
'How ironic his name is Fayt,' Luther thought with a wry smile. 'For him to bring as much pain as he has to me . . .'
It wasn't just the pain Fayt managed to inflict on Luther personally. They were evenly matched. In a one-on-one fight, neither of them would win with pure physical and symbological strength alone. Luther believed it was because Fayt had help in the form of his friends that he had fallen in battle as he did.
'No . . . it wasn't because of them that he won,' Luther said. As he lay there – wait . . . lay there? Where was he? – his mind drifted to those final moments, to the look of sorrow and pain on Fayt's face, and to the pure white of angel wings sprouting from the young swordsman's back. 'He won because . . . why did he win? What was it that I was missing in those moments? There was something there, in his eyes, on his face . . . I know there was . . .what was it?'
A burst of warmth alighted on Luther's face, the familiar feel of sunshine, and it broke into his thoughts with the silence and grace of an experienced thief. How long had it been since he'd felt sunshine? Luther sensed the dirt underneath him, the boring of stones, and the tickle of grass against his ears, nose, and cheeks. A light breeze picked up, brushing against his hair, caressing his face, and rustling the leaves on trees. On the breeze were the faint scents of daisies, roses, jasmine, and lavender. Yet his world remained dark.
'Why is it so dark?' he asked. 'I feel sunshine yet it's dark. That's not possible!'
He then waited for the darkness to pass, to leave him so he could enjoy the warmth of the sunshine on his face. It refused to leave him be, and his mind started to warp the blackness surrounding him. Shadowy tentacles reached for him, pawed at him, and tore at his clothing. Mixed with the darkness was an aura, an aura that suggested familiarity, power, and tainted heavily with sorrow, guilt, and self-loathing, and it was close by to where he lay. Luther knew that aura, had seen it, felt it somewhere before, and, out of panic, he reached for it. Why he panicked, he couldn't say other than he didn't want to be lost, alone and forever, in the invading darkness.
"Don't leave me!" he wanted to cry out. He imagined more than he felt his hands reaching for the aura. Despite the guilt, sorrow, and self-loathing coming from the other, there was salvation and safety with that person. The darkness kept grabbing at him, shoving shadows down his throat and into his nostrils yet the warmth of the sunshine, the feel of the breeze and the grass, and the fragrance of flowers never disappeared. He wanted those bright, beautiful things, and he wanted them bad. A heaviness settled over his chest, suffocating him.
'Open your eyes,' a little voice whispered with a sense of insistence and urgency. 'Hurry!'
'Open . . . my eyes?'
Curious by what the voice meant and still fighting his panic, Luther found himself obeying the simple set of instructions. He opened his eyes, willing the darkness away, shoving it away in the hopes of seeing bright light and white, luminescent wings.
At first, Luther could see nothing except a blinding glare of light. He winced and grimaced and grunted at the onslaught, and his eyes watered from the pain. Still, he didn't close his eyes against the offending light and pain. Rather, he raised a hand to shield his eyes and grit his teeth as he waited for them to adjust. When they did, Luther took note of his surroundings.
He lay at the edge of a forest filled with tall firs, pines, and oaks. There were other species of trees as well, but his mind refused to cooperate in identifying them. Grass, tall, green and lush to the touch, obscured his vision, as he lay on his back still, but Luther saw a bright, pale yellow ball of a sun overhead, heading for the trees. The faint outlines of a crescent moon and a half moon could be seen in the pure azure sky, and some clouds, white and fluffy, drifted by in a lazy manner. He lay incredibly still, just staring at the sky, the sun, clouds, and trees above him as well as the grass looming out of the corners of his eyes. Yet the feel of suffocation hadn't left. It continued to persist, much like the darkness had a few moments ago. Still panicking, Luther fought and wondered why he was suffocating when air was obvious attainable to him. The calm and relaxing feel of the floating had long since dissipated.
'I . . . am being defeated again . . . Why? What have I done. . . No . . . No . . . NO! I will not be defeated again! Never, never, never!'
With determination flowing within him suddenly, unexpectedly, but not without welcome, Luther felt a portion of his strength returning to him, and he willed himself, forced himself to gasp for air . . .
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Destinies Intertwined by Fate