Cecil Harvey: "Morning Mist" (2/3)
Title: Crusader's Run: Morning Mist (part 2 of 3)
Theme + Number: Union #12; Blood #42; Last Resort #44; Last Words #85
Claim: Cecil Harvey
Characters/Pairings included: Rydia's mom, Rydia, Cecil, Kain
Rating: T
Warnings: Character Death
Summary: The second half of the Mist cavern battle told from the losing side.
Index
"Quotes" = Dialogue
"Quotes & Italics" = Thoughts
Italics = Flashback Scene
**Asterisk** = Time Passes and/or Change of POV
------------
“Kyaaaaahhh..!”
The woman's shriek reverberates throughout the empty living room of her home and she can only hope her voice did not disturb her child's slumber upstairs. Using both of her hands, the woman franticly grips her delicate neck in a vain attempt to cover the phantom wound.
“Calm down... it's only an illusion...”
But the pain feels incredibly real. Her head keeps feeding her the logic that this agony is due to the connection she shares with her eidolon. Yet every time the woman tries easing the pressure of her hands away, she begins to convulse terribly, her breath feeling as if air is escaping from the hole within her neck while imaginary blood wets her hands and leaks down from the cracks between her fingers.
A crystal-clear voice that is not her own suddenly echoes in the woman's mind, “Mistress, are you well?”
“Mist...” the woman weakly transmits back, “Yes. I'll manage... How about you?”
“You need not concern yourself with me,” the voice reverberates in her head, “More importantly, those two men will soon be leaving the cavern. And I am afraid that in my current condition I will not have the strength to stop them.”
“Yes...” the woman gravely agrees, the memories of the battle still fresh in her mind. Never did she dream of there being warriors out in the world who possess the strength to fight the eidolons, “There's no other choice. We need to release the limiters completely.”
“You understand what this means, Mistress? While this will allow us to fight once more beyond our normal capacity, the sense of the pain suffered in the prior battle will merely be overwhelmed by the temporary sensation of our assimilation. If we should retain the unrestrictive spell for too long in our weakened state, or if we are mortally wounded during that time...”
“Then there will be no second chances. I know, Mist,” the woman finishes. And though her body is still shaking, no longer wholly from the phantom pain, her face is set with resolve. It is her duty as guardian, but more than that, her desire as a mother to protect the village and her child within it. “Even so, this isn't about what happens to us. Not anymore.”
“... I understand, forgive me for voicing needless concerns,” the bell-like voice resounds, “At your ready, Mistress.”
Closing her eyes, the woman steadies her breathing as best as she can and wastes no time preparing the forbidden spell. A set of magical seals suddenly blossoms and forms at the base of her feet. The overflowing mana found within the Mist valley's boundaries gather into the seals and resonates with the tattoo etched in her left breast.
Forged from the unbreakable pact
passed down through the ages past...
The first verses recited, its runic equivalence that shape the center circle lifts up and erodes away. When the last of the words vanish, the seal suddenly shimmers and starts to slowly rotate clockwise.
The pain in the woman's throat already starts to ease into nothingness. Not so much in recovery, but more like her spirit is gradually being released from its life.
The spoken word ever binding
the true duty eternally...
Again, the symbols that make up the larger triangle seal decay, and a second rush of mana causes it to flash and spin counter-clockwise at a faster rate.
Her mind's vision blurs as if it were traveling at an insanely high speed. Shapes of objects and scenery become unrecognizable like they were doused with water and smeared to one direction.
I alone holds the runic key
the rightful call to beckon thee
to grant the awaited release...
The verses of the 3 smaller, outermost circles located at each of the spinning triangle's corners disappear for a third time and the entire seal flares intensely; leaving only the last incantation, the final seal over her heart, to be released.
She can see it now. Like an omnipotent onlooker, she witnesses everything that is happening inside the Mist cavern where her eidolon fell. However, she is powerless to intervene and can only watch as the two knights, having recollected their weapons, make their way to the mouth of the cave. Even hidden, she can still feel all of the mana being sucked in by that terrible ring.
“It's too late...” the woman thinks spitefully as her vision grows steadily closer to them.
“Cecil,” the azure knight whispers as he slows his pace. When he takes a quick glance at his companion, he sees the black knight has already stopped walking with his sword drawn once more. The two knights cautiously look around, yet the increasing amount of mist gathering around them is far worse than before and would not even allow for 5 meters of visibility.
As if feeling the presence behind his back, the swordsman quickly whips his head around, his eyes showing complete surprise as he looks directly at her.
“You're too late!”
Fulfill the pledged promise!
Dragon of the Mist!
“Kai-”
Her tail lashes out for a second time and sends the ring bearer flying before he even has time to finish. The strike was so powerful that it causes his form to become imprinted into the stone wall he smashes behind. The azure knight quickly recovers from the shock and attempts to jump out of the mist, however, the guardian's left claw solidifies from above, swiftly catches him in midair and pins his back to the ground. She begins applying her immense body weight onto her captured prey, and both the grating sound of his armor crippling and the satisfying cries of his agony follows.
But before the eidolon can lean any more forward, a sharp pain erupts from the side of her left claw, causing her to howl and loosen her grip on the azure knight. Though sheer will, the guardian manages to push pass the pain long enough to re-tighten her hold on him before he escapes. With the infernal spear still lodged in her claw, the suffering it inflicts won't allow her to apply much pressure on him; only enough to hold the azure knight in place.
The guardian shifts her attention back to the black knight and sees him struggling to remove the last piece of himself, his sword arm, out of the wall. After a moment he succeeds and staggers hurriedly towards her but she is ready for him. Releasing the long breath she had taken in, the eidolon blows out a steady stream of continuous mist towards the swordsman, stopping his advance.
Being too far away to mount any sort of counterattack and having no cover within the spacious cavern, the ring bearer can do nothing more but try to dodge and endure the long ranged assault. But all the eidolon need do is move her head slightly to keep a lock on him. And no matter how tight his defenses are, her mist breath will overwhelm him and seep into even the tiniest openings of his armor. The black knight seems to have discovered that fact for himself as he forgos the protection his shield offered. He then takes his sword in both hands, shifts to a side stance and raises the blade horizontal to the line of his sight.
The guardian would have roared in laughter at the swordsman's futile attempts if her throat wasn't already preoccupied. However, she begins to think differently as the eidolon sees a dark aura start to ooze out of the black knight's entire body. The small globs of darkness rise up until they stick to the sleek metal of his sword, causing the entire blade to grow pitch black and look sinisterly sharp. Feeling an awful premonition, the guardian prepares to breath out her mist breath to its fullest extent, one that will permanently halt the swordsman's progress, but the abrupt ache in her throat gives cause for her to falter.
“No..! Not now...”
The pain steadily increases with each second that passes; the use of the mist breath accelerates the reappearing damage within her neck. Despite the imminent danger, the guardian steadily increases the strength of the attack, praying she can at least stop the ring bearer from ever entering Mist. Yet the more she immerses herself into the spell-bound pact, the more a distant voice grows stronger and pulls her out of it.
*********
“Mama! Mama! Snap out of it!” the green haired girl cries out again as she desperately tries to take hold of her mother, her small hands only millimeters away.
Something felt terribly out of place the moment the little caller awoke this morning. She first noticed the strange, vibrant orange of the sun's rays filtering into her bedroom. The vision offered to her eyes as she looked outside was far clearer than all the sunrises she has experienced before. For the first time in her life, the girl was able to look pass the mist-less forest and saw the dual mountain ranges that cradle the village, stretching into and beyond the far horizon. Her tension only increased as she walked in the dead silence of her house and made her way downstairs. An awful feeling then swept over her as she saw the multicolored lights emitting from the living room, and she jumped the last few steps of the stairs to quickly see what was happening.
What she saw were runic symbols brightly shining beneath her mother's feet as the woman sat on a chair sideways from the table while intensely staring into empty space. The caller was taken aback upon seeing her mother's fierce expression, but her surprise was soon replaced with worry as she witnessed the woman pressing her hand down hard against the table and aggravating the wound punctured in her left waist. Suddenly, a small drop of blood appeared out of nowhere on her mother's neck. The drop grew larger until it could no longer maintain its form and began to slowly trickle down.
The girl had called out with slight reserve, yet the woman made no motion of hearing her daughter's voice. She began walking towards the seated woman but was stopped by what felt like a small static shock, discharged at the tip of her toes. Flinching back from the unexpected shock, she reopened her eyes and took notice of her mother's neck again, alarmed to find the trail of blood had grown 5 times wider within such short period of time. Her concern far outweighing her rationale, the girl moved towards her mother without a second thought and as soon as she steps onto the outermost seal again, the electric shocks resumed and intensified as more of her feet covered the light of the seals. A long, hapless moan escaped through the caller's clamped mouth for she couldn't withstand the pressure and pain, wanting desperately to shrink into herself and let out the wail contain beneath the base of her throat. But the shortening distance, however slow the progress was, allowed her to preserve.
“Just a little more..!”
The caller now makes a final lunge and her hand manages to grab hold of her mother's right sleeve. But the moment she touches her, a shock more powerful than any other suddenly jolts throughout her entire body and just as quickly returns to a singular point over her chest. The pain is pure, overwhelming agony, like all of the gathered energy bursted out and left a gaping hole over her heart. But the feeling soon vanishes along with the shocks that tried to resist her so, the runic seals now working in harmony with the girl.
With no more obstacles standing in her way, the girl emotionally pleads, “Mama, please!!!”
The woman blinks, her eyes regaining some of their focus as she turns towards her daughter. The girl smiles, relieved to see the recognition in her mother's eyes as she looks at her. However, the moment lasts all too briefly.
From the corner of her right shoulder all the way down to the middle of her left thigh, a crimson scar suddenly blossoms and stains her mother's tan dress. She slowly collapses out of her chair, the runic seals disappearing before the right side of her body even manages to hit the wooden floor.
“This can't be real...” is the caller's only thought as she stares at her mother's still form. More and more, panicked thoughts hijack her mind as tears start welling up in her eyes. Yet, the girl fights to remain calm, “... Got to get help. The Faeries. Anyone of the older kids who can call them. Anyone..!”
But before she could take the first step towards the door, her mother's voice slurs out, “Ry...dia... wait...”
Rydia stops and turns back around to see her mother take her wounded hand and dip a finger into the sizable puddle of blood by her right shoulder. Dragging it to a clean spot on the floor, she shakily draws a circle and then an unfamiliar symbol within it. As soon as the last strokes are written, several green spheres swiftly swirl and raise from the seal. A yellow light then flashes from the ground and out materializes a strange woodland creature, the large red gemstone engraved in its forehead clashing heavily with the teal color of its fur.
The tiny creature looks at the one who summoned it and curiously tilts its head to one side. The woman takes her blood-stained finger and rubs it onto the creature's gem before she murmurs, “pleas...e... s long... you... can... Car...bunc...le...”
The ruby glows and the creature, in a trance, begins to float a few inches above the seal. The girl sees a faint red light shot up from out of the ground and into the ceiling, yet no damage was done to any of the structure it seemingly cuts. The light forms and spreads, encompassing the entire house.
With great difficulty, the woman turns her head and cloudy eyes towards Rydia, outstretches her arm and pleads, “prom...ise... eave... don'... leave..!”
The caller feverishly shakes her head as she grasps her mother's hand with both of her own. But the woman's eyes shone with fierce desperation and implores Rydia to fulfill her final request. As she sits on the floor by her mother's side, the girl can't help but notice the majority of the dress is already dyed into a dark maroon. Rydia shuts her eyes at the sight, and that momentary lack of knowing gives her the incentive needed to nod her head as she intertwines her own pinky finger with her mother's.
“od... good... gi...rl...” her mother whispers as she begins to faintly stroke the girl's palm with her fingers. And though she continues to speak, the words can no longer be made out, her voice pausing too frequently and coming in too softly. Feeling completely hapless and pathetic, Rydia sheds the tears she tried so hard to hold back. Even now, her mother is the one comforting her, trying to ease her own anguish while the woman is suffering so much more.
Several minutes pass by with the girl's soft weeping the only sound that can be notably heard. Then, her mother's stroking fingers slows to a stop. A moment later, her lips cease to move and her eyes close. Rydia calls out to her: once, twice and yells out the third time. She franticly shakes the woman's body and cries out again and again and again. But this time, her mother won't turn her eyes towards her. Never again.
Theme + Number: Union #12; Blood #42; Last Resort #44; Last Words #85
Claim: Cecil Harvey
Characters/Pairings included: Rydia's mom, Rydia, Cecil, Kain
Rating: T
Warnings: Character Death
Summary: The second half of the Mist cavern battle told from the losing side.
Index
"Quotes" = Dialogue
"Quotes & Italics" = Thoughts
Italics = Flashback Scene
**Asterisk** = Time Passes and/or Change of POV
------------
“Kyaaaaahhh..!”
The woman's shriek reverberates throughout the empty living room of her home and she can only hope her voice did not disturb her child's slumber upstairs. Using both of her hands, the woman franticly grips her delicate neck in a vain attempt to cover the phantom wound.
“Calm down... it's only an illusion...”
But the pain feels incredibly real. Her head keeps feeding her the logic that this agony is due to the connection she shares with her eidolon. Yet every time the woman tries easing the pressure of her hands away, she begins to convulse terribly, her breath feeling as if air is escaping from the hole within her neck while imaginary blood wets her hands and leaks down from the cracks between her fingers.
A crystal-clear voice that is not her own suddenly echoes in the woman's mind, “Mistress, are you well?”
“Mist...” the woman weakly transmits back, “Yes. I'll manage... How about you?”
“You need not concern yourself with me,” the voice reverberates in her head, “More importantly, those two men will soon be leaving the cavern. And I am afraid that in my current condition I will not have the strength to stop them.”
“Yes...” the woman gravely agrees, the memories of the battle still fresh in her mind. Never did she dream of there being warriors out in the world who possess the strength to fight the eidolons, “There's no other choice. We need to release the limiters completely.”
“You understand what this means, Mistress? While this will allow us to fight once more beyond our normal capacity, the sense of the pain suffered in the prior battle will merely be overwhelmed by the temporary sensation of our assimilation. If we should retain the unrestrictive spell for too long in our weakened state, or if we are mortally wounded during that time...”
“Then there will be no second chances. I know, Mist,” the woman finishes. And though her body is still shaking, no longer wholly from the phantom pain, her face is set with resolve. It is her duty as guardian, but more than that, her desire as a mother to protect the village and her child within it. “Even so, this isn't about what happens to us. Not anymore.”
“... I understand, forgive me for voicing needless concerns,” the bell-like voice resounds, “At your ready, Mistress.”
Closing her eyes, the woman steadies her breathing as best as she can and wastes no time preparing the forbidden spell. A set of magical seals suddenly blossoms and forms at the base of her feet. The overflowing mana found within the Mist valley's boundaries gather into the seals and resonates with the tattoo etched in her left breast.
Forged from the unbreakable pact
passed down through the ages past...
The first verses recited, its runic equivalence that shape the center circle lifts up and erodes away. When the last of the words vanish, the seal suddenly shimmers and starts to slowly rotate clockwise.
The pain in the woman's throat already starts to ease into nothingness. Not so much in recovery, but more like her spirit is gradually being released from its life.
The spoken word ever binding
the true duty eternally...
Again, the symbols that make up the larger triangle seal decay, and a second rush of mana causes it to flash and spin counter-clockwise at a faster rate.
Her mind's vision blurs as if it were traveling at an insanely high speed. Shapes of objects and scenery become unrecognizable like they were doused with water and smeared to one direction.
I alone holds the runic key
the rightful call to beckon thee
to grant the awaited release...
The verses of the 3 smaller, outermost circles located at each of the spinning triangle's corners disappear for a third time and the entire seal flares intensely; leaving only the last incantation, the final seal over her heart, to be released.
She can see it now. Like an omnipotent onlooker, she witnesses everything that is happening inside the Mist cavern where her eidolon fell. However, she is powerless to intervene and can only watch as the two knights, having recollected their weapons, make their way to the mouth of the cave. Even hidden, she can still feel all of the mana being sucked in by that terrible ring.
“It's too late...” the woman thinks spitefully as her vision grows steadily closer to them.
“Cecil,” the azure knight whispers as he slows his pace. When he takes a quick glance at his companion, he sees the black knight has already stopped walking with his sword drawn once more. The two knights cautiously look around, yet the increasing amount of mist gathering around them is far worse than before and would not even allow for 5 meters of visibility.
As if feeling the presence behind his back, the swordsman quickly whips his head around, his eyes showing complete surprise as he looks directly at her.
“You're too late!”
Fulfill the pledged promise!
Dragon of the Mist!
“Kai-”
Her tail lashes out for a second time and sends the ring bearer flying before he even has time to finish. The strike was so powerful that it causes his form to become imprinted into the stone wall he smashes behind. The azure knight quickly recovers from the shock and attempts to jump out of the mist, however, the guardian's left claw solidifies from above, swiftly catches him in midair and pins his back to the ground. She begins applying her immense body weight onto her captured prey, and both the grating sound of his armor crippling and the satisfying cries of his agony follows.
But before the eidolon can lean any more forward, a sharp pain erupts from the side of her left claw, causing her to howl and loosen her grip on the azure knight. Though sheer will, the guardian manages to push pass the pain long enough to re-tighten her hold on him before he escapes. With the infernal spear still lodged in her claw, the suffering it inflicts won't allow her to apply much pressure on him; only enough to hold the azure knight in place.
The guardian shifts her attention back to the black knight and sees him struggling to remove the last piece of himself, his sword arm, out of the wall. After a moment he succeeds and staggers hurriedly towards her but she is ready for him. Releasing the long breath she had taken in, the eidolon blows out a steady stream of continuous mist towards the swordsman, stopping his advance.
Being too far away to mount any sort of counterattack and having no cover within the spacious cavern, the ring bearer can do nothing more but try to dodge and endure the long ranged assault. But all the eidolon need do is move her head slightly to keep a lock on him. And no matter how tight his defenses are, her mist breath will overwhelm him and seep into even the tiniest openings of his armor. The black knight seems to have discovered that fact for himself as he forgos the protection his shield offered. He then takes his sword in both hands, shifts to a side stance and raises the blade horizontal to the line of his sight.
The guardian would have roared in laughter at the swordsman's futile attempts if her throat wasn't already preoccupied. However, she begins to think differently as the eidolon sees a dark aura start to ooze out of the black knight's entire body. The small globs of darkness rise up until they stick to the sleek metal of his sword, causing the entire blade to grow pitch black and look sinisterly sharp. Feeling an awful premonition, the guardian prepares to breath out her mist breath to its fullest extent, one that will permanently halt the swordsman's progress, but the abrupt ache in her throat gives cause for her to falter.
“No..! Not now...”
The pain steadily increases with each second that passes; the use of the mist breath accelerates the reappearing damage within her neck. Despite the imminent danger, the guardian steadily increases the strength of the attack, praying she can at least stop the ring bearer from ever entering Mist. Yet the more she immerses herself into the spell-bound pact, the more a distant voice grows stronger and pulls her out of it.
*********
“Mama! Mama! Snap out of it!” the green haired girl cries out again as she desperately tries to take hold of her mother, her small hands only millimeters away.
Something felt terribly out of place the moment the little caller awoke this morning. She first noticed the strange, vibrant orange of the sun's rays filtering into her bedroom. The vision offered to her eyes as she looked outside was far clearer than all the sunrises she has experienced before. For the first time in her life, the girl was able to look pass the mist-less forest and saw the dual mountain ranges that cradle the village, stretching into and beyond the far horizon. Her tension only increased as she walked in the dead silence of her house and made her way downstairs. An awful feeling then swept over her as she saw the multicolored lights emitting from the living room, and she jumped the last few steps of the stairs to quickly see what was happening.
What she saw were runic symbols brightly shining beneath her mother's feet as the woman sat on a chair sideways from the table while intensely staring into empty space. The caller was taken aback upon seeing her mother's fierce expression, but her surprise was soon replaced with worry as she witnessed the woman pressing her hand down hard against the table and aggravating the wound punctured in her left waist. Suddenly, a small drop of blood appeared out of nowhere on her mother's neck. The drop grew larger until it could no longer maintain its form and began to slowly trickle down.
The girl had called out with slight reserve, yet the woman made no motion of hearing her daughter's voice. She began walking towards the seated woman but was stopped by what felt like a small static shock, discharged at the tip of her toes. Flinching back from the unexpected shock, she reopened her eyes and took notice of her mother's neck again, alarmed to find the trail of blood had grown 5 times wider within such short period of time. Her concern far outweighing her rationale, the girl moved towards her mother without a second thought and as soon as she steps onto the outermost seal again, the electric shocks resumed and intensified as more of her feet covered the light of the seals. A long, hapless moan escaped through the caller's clamped mouth for she couldn't withstand the pressure and pain, wanting desperately to shrink into herself and let out the wail contain beneath the base of her throat. But the shortening distance, however slow the progress was, allowed her to preserve.
“Just a little more..!”
The caller now makes a final lunge and her hand manages to grab hold of her mother's right sleeve. But the moment she touches her, a shock more powerful than any other suddenly jolts throughout her entire body and just as quickly returns to a singular point over her chest. The pain is pure, overwhelming agony, like all of the gathered energy bursted out and left a gaping hole over her heart. But the feeling soon vanishes along with the shocks that tried to resist her so, the runic seals now working in harmony with the girl.
With no more obstacles standing in her way, the girl emotionally pleads, “Mama, please!!!”
The woman blinks, her eyes regaining some of their focus as she turns towards her daughter. The girl smiles, relieved to see the recognition in her mother's eyes as she looks at her. However, the moment lasts all too briefly.
From the corner of her right shoulder all the way down to the middle of her left thigh, a crimson scar suddenly blossoms and stains her mother's tan dress. She slowly collapses out of her chair, the runic seals disappearing before the right side of her body even manages to hit the wooden floor.
“This can't be real...” is the caller's only thought as she stares at her mother's still form. More and more, panicked thoughts hijack her mind as tears start welling up in her eyes. Yet, the girl fights to remain calm, “... Got to get help. The Faeries. Anyone of the older kids who can call them. Anyone..!”
But before she could take the first step towards the door, her mother's voice slurs out, “Ry...dia... wait...”
Rydia stops and turns back around to see her mother take her wounded hand and dip a finger into the sizable puddle of blood by her right shoulder. Dragging it to a clean spot on the floor, she shakily draws a circle and then an unfamiliar symbol within it. As soon as the last strokes are written, several green spheres swiftly swirl and raise from the seal. A yellow light then flashes from the ground and out materializes a strange woodland creature, the large red gemstone engraved in its forehead clashing heavily with the teal color of its fur.
The tiny creature looks at the one who summoned it and curiously tilts its head to one side. The woman takes her blood-stained finger and rubs it onto the creature's gem before she murmurs, “pleas...e... s long... you... can... Car...bunc...le...”
The ruby glows and the creature, in a trance, begins to float a few inches above the seal. The girl sees a faint red light shot up from out of the ground and into the ceiling, yet no damage was done to any of the structure it seemingly cuts. The light forms and spreads, encompassing the entire house.
With great difficulty, the woman turns her head and cloudy eyes towards Rydia, outstretches her arm and pleads, “prom...ise... eave... don'... leave..!”
The caller feverishly shakes her head as she grasps her mother's hand with both of her own. But the woman's eyes shone with fierce desperation and implores Rydia to fulfill her final request. As she sits on the floor by her mother's side, the girl can't help but notice the majority of the dress is already dyed into a dark maroon. Rydia shuts her eyes at the sight, and that momentary lack of knowing gives her the incentive needed to nod her head as she intertwines her own pinky finger with her mother's.
“od... good... gi...rl...” her mother whispers as she begins to faintly stroke the girl's palm with her fingers. And though she continues to speak, the words can no longer be made out, her voice pausing too frequently and coming in too softly. Feeling completely hapless and pathetic, Rydia sheds the tears she tried so hard to hold back. Even now, her mother is the one comforting her, trying to ease her own anguish while the woman is suffering so much more.
Several minutes pass by with the girl's soft weeping the only sound that can be notably heard. Then, her mother's stroking fingers slows to a stop. A moment later, her lips cease to move and her eyes close. Rydia calls out to her: once, twice and yells out the third time. She franticly shakes the woman's body and cries out again and again and again. But this time, her mother won't turn her eyes towards her. Never again.