Hello, and welcome to the latest installment of the ‘Darkest Light’ series. The reason why it’s so late is partially because I’ve been working [well, thinking] on several other unfinished projects {*cough* Deja Vue…*cough* GW Dracula…}, and trying to finish book four of Harry Potter. Yes, I am a Potter fan. Well, more like a Draco/Remus/Sirrus fan. Remember this, cause there may be a pun or two concerning those books…
NEway, I just want use some this intro to thank you all for being patient with my lazy butt, and for all the reviews. I just love to see them in my in-box. They make me feel loved! ^_^
Now
for the warnings. Bit of
shojo snuggleness, so be ready for tons of bubbles, pastel rainbow backdrops,
CHEESY ROMANTIC PIANO MUSIC, and sparkly eye moments. Some violence, intense
cursing, and a bit of controversial
issues.
Murasaki: [Holding up a large bag with something struggling inside it.] There also gonna be DEMONS!
Murasaki… *DEATHGLARES the offending kitsune.* They aren’t supposed to know that yet!
Murasaki: [Tossing the bag away.]
Gomen, V-san! [Vanishes in a poof of
smoke.]
AHEM! NEway, I still not ready to write up a lemon scene, but there will be citrus in the next part I promise! I hope you enjoy this part. Ja na!
Marlin marched stiffly out of the ornate,
gilded bronze doors, silently fuming over his latest orders. It was one thing
to have to baby-sit Sigmund’s painfully inept son, but having to be a messenger
boy to the Circle of Lords was another thing entirely. It was bordering on
insult…no, it was an outright disgrace to his honor. Expressionless, he
pushed open a panel at the very end of the hall, mounting the ill-used stairs
hidden behind it. The panel slides back in place as he climbed the narrow, worn
steps with an ease of familiarity.
“How the hell does he expect me to get
this stupid errand done and watch after Charles at the same time?” Marlin
growled aloud to himself, fling the rather plain, ironbound oak door open. He
slammed it closed with a loud ‘BANG!’ that shook a mirror hanging on the wall.
Crossing the cold stone floor, Marlin sank down onto the small cot shoved up
against the far wall opposite the door. Looking around the nearly empty room,
he stewed on the orders. Up against the wall next to the door was a battered
chest of drawers, and beside this was an ancient dressing table and stool, both
of lavishly worked wrought iron.
To
the other side of the room, near the cot, was an extremely large and abused
cedar trunk. Above it hung a massive shield and an incredible heavy sword. Both
bore the scraps and wear of combat. The crest on the shield was of a highly
intricate contour drawing of a dragon rampant(1) in silver, red, and gold, upon
a black background. He stared intensely on the crest, feeling the old pangs of
shame and guilt.
There
was a faint rustling of feathers from the rafters above him followed by a lazy,
cawing yawn. “Have another rough day?” called a shrill, rasping voice.
“Be
quiet, Gawain.” Marlin muttered, not taking his eyes off the shield.
The
rustling grew louder, then with a heavy flap of his wings, a massive gyrfalcon
plunged from the beam and circled the room screeching loudly. Finally, he
landed with a ‘thud!’ on the chest. The bird fixed Marlin with his golden eyes.
“It’s about the brat, isn’t it?”
“Charles
is not a ‘brat’.” He quickly retorted, glaring at the bird. “He’s just too
young and inexperienced to understand the way things work in the world. Other
than that, he happens to be a very likeable young man.”
“Don’t
tell me you’re actually starting to like that kid!” Gawain cocked his head at a
bizarre angle, eyeing him suspiciously.
“I’m
not saying that I want to be his ‘friend.’ It’s just that Charles naivety makes
him too vulnerable.” Marlin sighed, his voice taking on an odd tone of concern.
“Sigmund is wrong to think Charles only needs to be watched over. What he
really needs is someone to teach him about the sins of this world and how to
protect himself, not another nursemaid.”
“Oh…I
get it.” The bird threw his head back with laughter, making a noise like nails
running across a blackboard. “Teach him the sins of the world, eh? Ooooh…that
can be taken in so many interesting ways, Artemis.”
Marlin
bristled, glaring at Gawain in sheer fury. “I’ve told you never to call me by
that name again! Artemis is dead, do you hear me? It is Marlin now. Sergeant
Marlin!”
“Oh,
what’s in a name?” Obstinately, the bird made a face. “That which we call a
soldier by any other name would still be a murderer.”
Not
saying a word, Marlin took a cylindrical leather case form his coat and tossed
it onto the trunk.
“What
the hell is this?” Gawain squawked, hopping over to investigate it. He pecked
at it cautiously, then recoiled in disgust. “It reeks of Nevin’s magic.”
“That,”
Marlin purred, pleased by the reaction. “Is to be taken to the sage Gaileon
forthright.”
The
bird whirled around, hissing at him angrily. “You don’t honestly expect me to
fly all the way out to there do you?! Neither of us is exactly welcome
at Circle’s holdings since the incident eight years ago.” Gawain’s voice
darkened threateningly. “Have you forgotten what they did to us when the found
out about Yogen?”
“No,
I have not forgotten.” Running his fingers lightly across his scared face,
Marlin remembered vividly the three years of constant torture that had created
them. He shivered slightly. “But Nevin personally gave me the order.”
“Then
why don’t you do it yourself than? Or are you too scared of Gaileon?”
“I
am not afraid of Gaileon! It’s just that I have to watch after Charles.”
“Feh!”
Gawain huffed in annoyance. “I’m sure ‘Masta’ Charles’ can go a day or so
without getting himself killed!”
“You
know why I’m watching him so closely.” He growled. “And it isn’t because I want
to fuck him.”
“Ah…”
Gawain hummed, closing his eyes. When they snapped open again, their once
golden color was replaced by a hellish glow of fiery red, like to coals of
Hellfire. His beaked face twisted into a sick little grin as he started to
swelling with baleful power. A pair of sleek, amber colored antlers poked their
way out of the feathers on top of Gawain’s head. “So now we get to the truth.
That crack about sin was never about Sigmund’s boy. It’s Yogen you’re
protecting him from.” The monstrosity leaned closer to him, leering. “When do
you want to me to go kill him, Artemis?”
“Hold
your tongue, imp!” Marlin snapped in a hoarse whisper.
“Why
should I? Nevin’s too much of fucking do-gooder to be listening in on us. And
assure you that there is no one else in the tower.”
“You
know where I stand in this matter, Gawain.” His hands were shaking violently
now. “What’s done can never be undone, now let it stay in the past!”
“Wise
words, but can you follow your own advice Artemis?” Gawain jeered nastily. “I
saw it in your eyes the day we went for Charles. The hatred…the rage…You want
his blood even more than I do!”
“SILENCE!”
“No,
you’ll hear me out, Sir Artemis Marlin Wyrmstrike!” His voice boomed off the
curved stonewall, echoing deafeningly. “It was never my intention on leaving
either of them alive! But you…you let that bastard Janus spirit them off into
the night! It was your fault that we failed! You, who could easily kill their
mother right before their eyes, yet were too much the coward to end the lives
of a pair of children! Did you think Gaileon wouldn’t find out?! Did you truly
believe that when he did, you would go unpunished?! I hope that you didn’t,
because you can’t get much lower than the pathetic sack of shit you are now!”
With
a roar, Marlin leapt for his sword, sending Gawain scrambling off the trunk and
into the rafters. He unsheathed the blade, rounding on the bird threateningly.
“Keep talking that shit, bird, and I’ll…”
“Now
what do you think you’re going to do with that? Kill me?” Gawain plopped onto a
beam, letting loose an ungodly cacophony of shrieks and hisses. “Be my guest
then! Too bad you won’t have long to enjoy it.”
Clenching
his teeth in fury, Marlin turned away from him and pick up the cylinder. “Take
this and get the hell out of my sight.” He snarled, trying hard not to hurl it
at the bird.
“Very
well, sir.” Gawain replied with a note of satisfaction in his piercing voice.
He had reverted to a normal falcon again. “And I won’t forget to give Gaileon
your sincerest regards!” With that, he grabbed the cylinder in his talons and
flew out into the midmorning sun.
~*~*~*~*~
Breaking
the silence, a bell rang out, heralding the end of third block. Lucky rushed
past the throngs of students as the poured out of the classrooms. She turned
quickly down the hall and stood at the bottom of a staircase. Scanning the
masses as they walked down, Lucky eagerly waited. Nervously, she put on more
baby-pink lipgloss.
Then,
like a flash of lightning, she saw him standing alone at the top of the stairs.
Slowly
taking the steps with his even, graceful stride, he descended. The soft morning
sunlight pouring from the skylight above cast a gentle radiance around him,
creating a sheen on his lustrous ebony braid. It caused his white shirt to
shine not unlike a beacon, adding to the divine aura he had. He wore it
partially open, revealing the body-hugging tank underneath that stretched over
his buff, smooth skin.
Lucky
smiled, fantasizing about the bishouengami(2). She could just see him taking
her in his strong arms, pulling her against his broad chest, and whispering
sweetly into her ear…
“Hey Lucky!” Artemis barked, walking past
her. “Get your pink butt in gear or you’re going to be late for class!”
‘Dammit!’
Lucky grimaced. ‘Why do all the gorgeous ones have to be such dense assholes?’
She sighed and hurried after him. They walked along side each other in silence.
Every now and then, Lucky would glance over at him as if she wanted to say
something, but turn away blushing.
“Alright,”
Artemis asked softly when the reached the classroom doors. “What is it?”
“Oh,”
Lucky sighed again. “It’s nothing in particular.”
“Was
it something I said?”
“No.
It’s just…” Her face grew even hotter as she looked down at the floor coyly.
“Arty, would you like to come to my birthday party this Saturday?” She held her
breath in a silent prayer. ‘Please don’t say no… Please don’t say no… Please
don’t say no… Please don’t say no…’
He
smiled warmly. “Sure. I’ll be there.”
Her
heart skipped a beat. “Y-you will?”
“Hai(3).”
“Sugoi(4)!”
She glomped him, and bounded light-headedly into class. Excitedly, she sat down
with a friend and they began to chatter merrily.
“Hi
Arty!” Ara chimed, waving him to an empty stool beside him. “What’s with Pinky?
She seems perkier than normal.”
“I
just told her I was coming to her party this weekend.”
“GAH!”
Ara made a face. “Please tell me you joking!”
“No,
I’m not.” Artemis replied dully.
“But
that’s a horrible way to waste a perfectly good Saturday night!”
“So?
It’s not like I had anything better to do.”
Ara
grinned at him lecherously. “Oh…I can think of tons of fun things to do
in an dorm room late at night…”
Before
Artemis got a chance to ask who he planed on doing them to {as if he don’t
already know…}, the teacher walked into the lab. Kismet was dressed in a soft
gray tweed suit with a baby blue tie and a slightly dark blue vest. His long
white hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he still held his staff.
Rhythmically, he tapped it on the floor as he walked causing the rings behind
the blade to jiggling in time with his footsteps.
“Good
morning, everyone.” He spoke, his voice as smooth as velvet. “Today, we are
going to start learning how to calculate measurements in Kelvin temperature.
Now, everyone please take out your notebooks and copy the following equations.”
Everybody
pulled out his or her notebook and a pen, waiting for Kismet to pull down the
screen and start the usual round of transparencies. Instead, to their
amazement, he turned to the board and started writing equations in a very
precise and neat hand.
“What?”
Kismet turned back toward them when he noticed they weren’t writing, ‘looking’
around in confusion.
“Er…well,
sir,” A bucktoothed young girl tentatively spoke up. “It’s just that you never
told us you were a clairvoyant, Mister Kismet, sir.”
“Why
that’s very perspective of you, Hermoine.” He chuckled softly, smiling. “But
I’m afraid my little talent isn’t what you’d call clairvoyance.”
“Well,”
Sneered a guy with white blonde hair. “What would you call it then?”
“Ah,
Malfory is it?”
The
boy nodded curtly.
“Ah…mayhaps
a little story will help me explain.” Kismet sat down. “You see, when I was a
young boy, I lived on a large farm with my father. One day, I was helping him
fix a leak in the gas line of the tractor. Unfortunately, the line burst,
spraying gasoline into my eyes and permanently blinding me. But being the
stubborn kind, I tried to learn how to lead a normal life in spite of this
disability. Needless to say, it was difficult at first, but soon I discover
that I could force myself see if I concentrated on it long enough. I never
really learned how to control this power very well, so every time I use it, the
images are always blurry and in black and white. Is that satisfactory for
everyone?”
There
were a few murmurs of agreement.
Artemis,
however, seemed the stare at him skeptically.
“Now,
lets continue with the lesson.” Kismet walked over to the board and started
writing again.
~*~*~*~
The
cafeteria of Lazarus was packed full of students chatting and eating lunch.
Charlie walked over to the table and sat down beside Hoshi. He noticed that
Cassandra wasn’t there. “Hey, where’s Cassie?”
Sara
looked up from her tray. “She refuses to sit with us anymore.” She grumbled,
shoving another forkful of lasagna into her mouth.
“What?”
He blinked in confusion. “Why would she do that?”
“I-its
all m-m-m-my fault, s-s-s-sir.” Donovan stammered quietly, staring at his
untouched food. His lip was split open, nose bloodied, and there were several
bruises and cuts across his face. The one of the lens in his glasses had be
cracked slightly and they were taped up above the bridge of his nose.
“No
it’s not, Donnie.” Hoshi purred, patting his shoulder soothingly. “It’s all
that mean old Vialian’s fault!”
“Who’s
Vialian?”
They
all stared at Charlie like he had grown three heads.
“You…you
seriously don’t know who Vialian is?” Sara gasped.
“I
never recall having heard of him before.”
“You
know who the sage Gaileon is, right?”
“Yes,”
Charlie replied. “I saw him once when I was little.”
“Well, Vialian is his nephew.” Sara
snorted, then added. “But he sure as hell doesn’t live up to his uncle’s legacy
of benevolence and humanitarianism.”
“What
do you mean?”
“Because,” Hoshi snarled. “All
Vialian every was is a racist, mutha-fuking kisama!”
Quickly,
Donovan clamped his hand over her mouth as his voice dropped to a terrified
whisper. “D-don’t say things like that! He may hear you!”
“Then
let him!” Sara roared, rage flashing in her eyes. “If you won’t make a stand
for yourself, Donovan, then we will!”
“NOOOO!!”
Donovan cried, the blood draining from his face. “If you try to do that, he’ll
kill me!”
Sara
glared in disgust at the cowering half-elf. “Dammit Don! Grow a spine, you
fucking coward! You’ve been letting beat the living shit out of you for years!
If someone doesn’t stop this, you won’t last the rest of this semester!”
“Sara!”
Hoshi snapped as Donovan let himself slump further down in his chair. “Don’t
talk like that to Donnie-kun!”
“It’s
the truth, Hoshi.” She growled.
“Did
Vialian do this?” Charlie asked softly, looking at Donovan’s battered face.
He
nodded weakly.
“Why?”
“Because,”
drawled a rather melodically arrogant voice behind them. “The bastard had
forgotten his place and had to be dealt with.”
Hoshi
turned and bristled at the voice, spitting and hissing angrily. Sara looked as
though she was going to tear whoever had spoken apart.
Donovan’s
body went rigid and he began to tremble uncontrollably.
Charlie
turned toward him.
The
speaker was a tall elven youth with short, steel colored hair. His face was
devastatingly handsome, but lacked any pleasant warmth. The youth’s eyes were
like a pair of garnets, hard and cold. He looked down his perfectly portioned
nose at them. Cassandra and another elf-girl stood behind him. The girl had the
same haughty look to her as the youth did, but Cassandra seemed to be beside
herself in dread.
“So,”
the youth spoke. “You must be Sigmund’s son. Pity you’d had to fall in with
these types.”
“Excuse me, sir.” Charlie retorted
sternly. “But I don’t appreciate what you done to my friend Donovan.”
Vialian
laughed coldly. “Oh, don’t concern yourself with that piece of garbage,
Charles. He isn’t worthy of our notice, let alone our sympathy.”
“Our
sympathy?” He glared at the elf. “I’m afraid there’s a vast difference between
you and I, Vialian.”
“Really,
Charles?” He mused, smirking slightly.
“I
take it personally when some attacks my friends.”
“Well,
that’s your problem then, Charles.” Vialian scoffed lightly.
“Maybe
I’m not make myself very clear, Vialian.” Charlie glared intensely at him. “If
you don’t leave Donovan alone, I’ll…”
“You’ll
what?” The veneer of politeness vanished. “Go cry to your father about it?”
“No.
I’ll personally make you pay for it.”
Vialian
face darkened in fury. “You dare to threaten me, a kinsman of Lord Gaileon?!”
“I
don’t give a damn who you are! If you mess with my friends, then I won’t
hesitate to stop you.”
“Why
you filth human fuck!” Vialian reared back to hit him.
“Stop!”
Cassandra ran forward and stepped in between them.
“Stand
aside, woman!” Vialian smacked her to the floor.
Something
in Donovan snapped. He leapt on Vialian and started to beat the living hell out
of him, cursing in Elven. Soon a crowd had gather around them, mostly to cheer
Donovan on.
Charlie
managed fight through the masses and pull Donovan back.
“If
you every touch her again, I’ll kill you!” Donovan roared, as Charlie and
Cassandra struggled to hold him back.
“Alright,
Donnie!” Sara cheered along with Hoshi, grinning as she watched Vialian stagger
to his feet.
Roaring
in blind rage, Vialian lunged for Charlie’s exposed back. Suddenly, a taloned
hand caught hold of Vialian’s arm, causing him to drop something. A dagger
clattered to the floor.
The
entire room fell silent when they saw the mysterious savior.
“You
should know better then that attack an unarmed man, Vialian, especially when
his back is turned.” Marlin hissed icily, digging his claws into the boy’s
wrist. “Feel lucky I’m letting you off with a warning this time. But I won’t be
so generous next time.”
As
soon as he let go, Vialian ran out of the cafeteria, followed by the elf-girl
and a couple of others.
Marlin
turned to Charlie and the rest. “Are you alright, Master Charles?”
“Yes…I’m
fine, but Donovan’s…”
“D-don’t
worry about m-m-me, s-s-sir.” Donovan stammered as he leaned on Cassandra’s
shoulder.
“He’ll
be alright, Charlie. I’m going to help him to the infirmary.” Cassandra said
softly, hastily leaving with the wounded half-elf.
“Very well then. I must go and report this.
If you need me, Charlie, I’ll be in your father’s office.” With that, Marlin
turned and started to leave. People parted, watching him walk past with mixed
expressions of awe and horror.
Slowly, things returned to something like normal,
though everyone seem to be talking about Marlin’s sudden appearance.
“Sigmund’s got him looking after
Charlie.”
“Boy,
I wouldn’t let that guy anywhere near my kids…”
“Geez,”
Charlie shook his head in bewilderment. “You’d think they make more of a fuss
about what Donovan did then Marlin.”
“Don’t
you know what he is?” Hoshi asked in astonishment.
“Yeah,
he’s kind of my guard dog.”
“Dear
god! You can’t be serious!” Sara stared at him in shock.
Charlie
sighed miserably. “I’m sorry to say that I am serious.”
They both
looked at him than at each other fearfully.
“Have you ever heard of the Ankoku(5)
Massacre, Charlie?” Sara asked softly.
“Well,
yeah, I guess. It happened eight years ago, about the same time I met Artemis.”
“Do you
know what happened?”
“No, not
really.”
Sara sat
back in her chair. “Eight years ago, a man called Dr. Ankoku Tetsuo and his
entire family were slaughter by a group of mages and akuma. He had been once
been a member of the Circle of Lords, but left days before the Massacre. The
reason was that he was pro-warlock, and many people say that his speaking out
against the Circle why he and his family were killed.”
“But
isn’t ‘warlock’ just another way of saying someone’s a mage?”
“No,
Charlie, it’s not.” Sara sighed. “A warlock is someone who is both a mage and
an esper. Such people are rare and unimaginably powerful. The Circle and the
Guilds have been known to actively seek out and imprison or destroy any warlock
they find.”
“Why the
hell would they do such a thing! That’s genocide!”
“That’s
exactly what Dr. Ankoku thought. He started campaigning for the warlock rights
after his son, Yogen, was born. Later, it was discovered that Dr. Ankoku’s wife, Hitomi, was a warlock and then both
his children were rumored to be also.” She paused. “Marlin was said to have
once been Hitomi’s bodyguard, but when he found out about her, they say he
informed a group of mages and assisted them in the attack.”
Charlie
sat there stunned. “But…but what happened after that?”
“The
Guild sent out a group of watchmen to capture the renegades, but the only
person they managed to apprehend was Marlin and some random bird-akuma. They
say that he confessed to the murder of Hitomi and the children’s murders. He
was imprisoned by Lord Gaileon and tortured for three years before he managed
to escape. Around two years ago, he turned up here, working for Sigmund.”
“You…you
mean to say that Marlin’s a…a murderer?” He gulped. “But why would dad have
that kind of person protecting me? It just doesn’t make sense!”
Sara
shrugged. “I’m sure Old Nevin’s got his reasons. Besides, all those things
about Marlin are just stupid rumors I’ve heard form my folks. You can’t go
believing everything you hear.”
“Well,”
Hoshi spoke up, looking at Charlie forlornly. “I don’t care if they are rumors,
I still think he’s an evil devil summoner!”
The bell
rang, sounding the end of lunch and the start of fourth block. As Charlie
walked toward his next class, the nagging question of Marlin’s past continued
to plague his thoughts.
~*~*~*~
And so ends this chapter. For those of you who may not be familiar with some of the terms used in this part, I have provided a brief set of notes.
1. Rampant
is a heraldic term meaning an animal, typically a lion or griffon, standing up
on it’s hind legs, clawing the air and with it mouth open wide so as to expose
the creatures fangs.
2. Bishouengami
is supposed to mean ‘God of the Pretty Boys’ but I ain’t sure that’s a real
word. In other words, I just made it up, folks.
3. Hai
is Japanese for ‘Yes.’
4. Sugoi
means something like ‘Spiffy!’ or ‘Fantastic!’
5. Ankoku
means ‘Darkness’ and Yogen means ‘Prophecy.’ I’m not sure what ‘Hitomi’ stands
for. It just came off the top of my head.
Well, I hope you all enjoy reading this. I promise to get to the lemon soon. Well, until next fic,
Ja na!
V-chan
THE HAPPY LURKER {Who also enjoys seeing lots and lots of reviews in her in-box…HINT-HINT!}