New Fic and Late Meme
Oct. 22nd, 2004 04:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
misanagiIn the depths of the Abysm
Rating: R
Parings: Future,1x4; and 5xS
Summary: Heero Yuy has to go on a dangerous journey to find something he didn't know he was looking for.
Warnings: Fantasy, violence, death, angst.
Notes: I'm sure there is a rule somewhere that says that every fanfiction writer must write at least one fantasy fic. Well, Here is mine.
Big thanks to Anne for the beta. *hugs*
Dedication: This fic is for Hex, who one night on AIM asked me to write her a fic.
==========
Chapter One: The Witch and the Human
It was known throughout the land that when one had an issue that needed to be resolved promptly and efficiently, one went to see Chang Wufei. He was the last descendent of the Dragon Clan and possessor of great powers and wisdom. The Dragon Clan had what was called a collective memory. Everything that a member of the Clan witnessed, learned or saw during their life became part of this memory. The appointed Guardian of the Clan could access it and experience the memories as if they were his own. That made the Dragon Clan the keepers of the world's secrets and Wufei, the last Guardian, one of the most powerful men alive, since knowledge is power.
However, Wufei was a very selective person and he didn't help everyone who came to his door. The creatures needed to prove that they were worthy of Wufei's help, and that the cause that they were pursuing was just. Otherwise, Wufei wouldn't just deny them his help, but also punish them for their greed. Wufei's time was precious and he couldn't waste it.
Efficiency was a very important quality to the Dragon Clan.
Before the Shattering of the World, the Dragon Clan had been very prominent, and had temples from the Crying River to the Purple Mountains. Most of them had been destroyed before the Shattering, when the ice covered the land and stole most of the world's magic. Wufei was the last survivor and the only heir to the Clan's power. What had been the responsibility of hundreds of men before the Shattering, was now only his.
It was a heavy burden to carry but at least Wufei had a companion who helped him alleviate the pressure and made his days bright. Her name was Sally Po. She was a powerful healer and a sorceress of the Dawn. Together, they ruled over the small land of Jixing, and welcomed the many visitors who, after a long journey, arrived at the last Dragon temple to seek Wufei's help.
The full moon was shining, and the sky was glowing with a green light, the day Heero Yuy arrived. He had traveled sixty days, coming all the way from the valleys of Tsuriai, seeking Wufei's advice. Heero was part of the Shiroi Tribe, a group of elf looking warriors that were known for upholding a balance in the world. Whenever there was a greater force of good or evil threatening to turn the balance, those warriors interfered. Unlike Wufei, they only lived a couple hundred years but only aged to a certain point, making their bodies young and strong during the course of most of their lives. When their cycle had been completed, they simply closed their eyes and died.
Wufei had never seen member of the Shiroi Tribe before. He had been able to watch them through the eyes of others, experiencing memories of his ancestors, but it was always different when he witnessed something himself.
Heero was tall and well built, like all the warriors were supposed to be. His eyes were blue and hard and his hair a dark brown. He wore black trousers and a white tunic. His feet were clasped in simple sandals, and thick leather bands covered his wrists. A long sword was dangling from his hip and a silver chain with a blue stone hung around his neck. His ears were pointed, and that was the reason people said the Shiroi Tribe could be elves. Wufei knew better: the Shiroi were a completely different type of creatures that only resembled elves. If there was a reason for this resemblance, Wufei didn't know it, and that was saying a lot because he knew practically everything. Heero wore three silver rings in each ear, two near the base and one near the point. It symbolized that he wasn't only a warrior, but one high up in the Shiroi hierarchy.
Whenever a Shiroi left their valley, it was for something important; possibly involving the forces of the universe concerning every creature in the world. Heero's expression reflected the seriousness of his mission.
Heero bowed slightly and regarded Wufei with his intense gaze. "I've come seeking the help of the Dragon Clan in the name of the Shiroi Tribe."
Wufei walked towards Heero, stood in front of him, and bowed too. "My name is Chang Wufei. I'm the Guardian of the Clan, and it is my honor to assist the Shiroi Tribe."
The main hall of the temple, the place where Wufei always listened to those asking for his help, was a very public place. It had no doors and anyone could walk in or witness what was happening inside. It was the perfect place for the first meeting but after Wufei had proclaimed someone worthy of his help, he would leave the main hall and retreat to a more private place: the shrine.
Heero followed Wufei to the shrine, and stood just in front of the well located in the middle of the small circular room. Except for the well, the room was empty. The walls were white marble, smooth and stoic.
Wufei closed the door behind them. "What is it that you want from me, Shiroi?"
"They call me Heero Yuy, and I was sent here to ask you a question." Heero kept his eyes on Wufei, something few dared to do. The gesture not only showed bravery but pride as well.
Wufei gave a small nod and waited for Heero to elaborate. It wasn't his place to ask the questions; his role was to answer them.
"My people come from the valley of Tsurai. For as long as the elders can remember, Tsurai has been our home and the Mikomi river has been our livelihood. To uphold our duties as keepers of the balance we need a great deal of magic, and the Mikomi river gives it to us. It's an ancient and magical river and we depend on it just as the world depends on us." Heero's eyes narrowed. "The river is running dry."
Wufei had been right. Heero Yuy was the bearer of news that affected the whole world and not just the Shiroi. It was imperative that he found the answers Heero was seeking, for there were great forces shifting in the world, and that could only mean that a grand change was on the way. Wufei took the silver goblet resting on the edge of the well and dipped it in the water. He slowly brought the cup to his lips and drank from the liquid. His eyes were closed and in a single moment he witnessed years that had long passed. The cup fell from his fingers and Wufei gasped. "And there is the endless motion of time, dancing in a circle for eternity."
* * *
In a primitive word, long ago forgotten by the current habitants of the lands, there was a group of special creatures called Humans.
They were said to be capable of good and evil; weird creatures who hadn't chosen a side of the balance and were considered wild cards in the equilibrium of the universe. The other creatures regarded the Humans as nothing more than a tree or a beast, and sometimes less because even the trees possessed magic while the Humans didn't.
In a land sustained by magic, a group of people who didn't have a single drop of it were not really considered part of world. Humans were marginalized and left alone because they weren't deemed worthy.
However, it wasn't known by many that Humans possessed a very special trait: they had the potential to control and keep more magic than any other being could. They were like empty containers, capable of holding and handling great amounts of magic, but unable to posses it. In its infinite wisdom, the universe had taken the magic out of Humans because they were unpredictable, and if they had too much power in their hands, they would surely destroy the world. The universe never gives beings something they can't handle. Thus, the Humans were deprived of magic, and lived their lives with an empty feeling that could be decieved but never filled.
One of the beings who knew about the Humans' potential was a dark Witch who had been gathering power for many years, and had no other desire in her black heart than to have power over all the magic, and use it to cause chaos throughout the land. She had been quietly observing the Humans and wondering if they could be of any use to her. They had only two options: either they were with her or against her... and those against her wouldn't live very long.
The Witch spent many days observing the Humans, watching them silently with her cold and calculating eyes, and after having seen all she thought could be seen, she decided that she didn't comprehend them at all. The Humans were an irrational group in her eyes. Their actions and words didn't seem to have a universal motivation; they acted on impulse and pondered things that bared no importance. They were selfish and giving, fierce and cowardly, rash and careful. They were impossible to understand.
After concluding that the Humans' actions couldn't be predicted, the Witch decided that she needed to capture one, in order to question him, and after that, she would know if the Humans were an advantage or a risk.
She didn't put on too much thought into which Human she took. They were all the same to her, and like dissecting a frog, learning how one behaved should be enough to predict the others.
The Human she picked was a boy from the village, who had wandered into the woods to hunt. Like a siren, the Witch had attracted the Human, taking him to her lair and clasping him in chains before waking him from the spell.
The boy struggled; pulling his chains in a futile effort to break free, managing only to break his own skin. The Witch had observed, amused. It wasn't until the Human had given up and fallen against the wall, too tired to struggle, that the Witch had made herself visible.
She played with him, both physically and mentally, for she liked to be entertained. What she hadn't expected was the Human to be such a wonderful adversary. Even with the great disadvantage of his lack of magic and freedom, he battled brilliantly and even managed to bring a smile to the Witch's face. She had kept him captive longer that she had first intended. The more time passed, the more she was enchanted by him. The Human had proved to be a more interesting subject than she had first thought.
Trying to understand the complex layers that created the Human's intellect was an activity so challenging that it even made her forget her dark plans for a while. Until one day, the Human managed to get free from his chains, and having heard the Witch's plans, he grabbed his bow and aimed an arrow at the Witch's head. However he had forgotten that the Witch was very powerful and that she was protected by her dark magic. His arrow had only managed to anger the Witch and open her eyes to the threat Humans represented.
An action like that couldn't go unpunished because, even if the arrow hadn't wounded her physically, it had wounded her pride. She threw the Human to the ground and shredded his tunic, exposing his back. Then, she conjured the fires from inside her soul and branded the Human's skin with an intricate design that took her hours to perfect. The Human resisted at first, gritting his teeth and refusing to make a sound, but at the end, the pain had been too great to withstand in silence, and he screamed.
The night had fallen by the time the Witch had burned the last line in the Human's back. She cast him out of her lair, throwing his half naked form into the middle of the cold forest, knowing that he would have to walk for a day before he could reach his village.
During his walk, the Human was plagued by cold, hunger and thirst, but his pace never slowed. He knew of the Witch's plans and he felt the need to reach his home and warn his people about the danger they were facing.
However, the Witch was very cruel and the Human's betrayal had made her blind to everything but her urge for vengeance. Revenge was the only thing she could think of and she was going to make the Human pay; he and all his kind. She watched the Human, and waited for him to be close to his village before she conjured the storm. For the Witch was angry and bitter and wanted to make the Human's soul suffer in the same way that his body had.
By the time the Human reached the hill that overlooked his village, rain was already pouring from the sky. Strong winds were blowing the roofs off the houses and the lighting illuminated the chaos below. The Human ran down the hill, watching a bolt of lightning fall on top of a house, starting a fire.
That was just the first of many fires that erupted that night. The water was still falling steadily from the sky but with every drop the fires glowed with more power. Floating above the sky, the Witch laughed. Her long locks were flowing with the wind as she looked at the lonely figure of her Human running to his own death.
The village was a picture of despair. Humans worked unsuccessfully to stop the fires and to help those who were trapped. Some cowardly ones tried to run away, but the Witch was determined to exterminate every one of them, so she placed an invisible barrier around the village, preventing them from leaving.
When her Human reached the barrier, the Witch lifted it allowing him to enter. As entertaining as letting him watch from the outside would be, the Witch wanted him to burn with his kind, and to die with the knowledge that he couldn't save them.
She had to admit that the Humans had an unusually strong will to live. One would think that there was something that scared them about dying. They fought until their last breath, even if death was every creature's destiny. Her Human was no exception. The Witch could see him trying to get people away from the fire; ignoring his own needs to save the extinguishing lives of others.
The Witch felt nothing but anger towards her Human. It wasn't only the betrayal but the fact that a creature who had exhibited such promise was letting his feelings rule his actions, instead of his mind. She needed to teach him a lesson, to show him that kindness would get him nowhere.
Smiling coldly, the Witch found the perfect target. A young Human girl was standing beside a tree, shivering from the cold and crying quietly. Conjuring the powers of the sky, the Witch formed a magical bolt lightning in the sky, above the girl's head. She waited patiently for her Human to notice it, and when she was sure he did, she released her magic, letting the bolt fall freely to the ground.
Her Human was already running towards the girl, screaming something that the Witch couldn't hear over the strong winds. It couldn't have lasted more than a second, not enough time to think, just to react. Her Human threw himself towards the girl, pushing her out of the way. The lightning landed on his bare back, making him shake before falling to the ground. He lay on his back with his eyes half open, staring into the sky.
With her Human dead, the Witch got quickly bored. She burned the few Humans that were still alive and after breaking the barrier around the village, she left. That night, the creatures known as Humans ceased to exist.
~~~~~
Many silent days had passed. The smoke dissipated from the destroyed village, and the last fires were extinguished by the soft rain that followed the Witch's storm. No creature had approached the place, and most of the land was ignorant of the fate the Humans had suffered. The Witch hadn't wanted the land to know of her plans so the Humans, her first victims, had died quietly, and no one had missed them.
However, things aren't always the way they look. In the field, a figure covered with ashes shivered as cool air entered his body. The Human gagged and coughed violently before he could breathe the tainted air. The odor was everywhere; the Human knew that he was surrounded by death. He blinked a couple of times and hissed at the sting on his eyes. Little by little he was able to focus and to distinguish that he was looking at the sky.
Filled with fear, the Human forced himself to a sitting position and took a look around what used to be his village. There was nothing there but ashes and the burned corpses of its inhabitants. Slamming his fist into the ground, the Human cried to the heavens, asking for justice.
Numbly, the Human stood up and ignored the pain shooting from his back. He found a stick of wood and started the exhausting task of digging graves. Most of the Humans had been incinerated but there were still dozens of corpses needing to be buried; and the last survivor of the Humans was going to make sure that they were.
It took the Human more than two days to dig enough graves and another two to seal them. The last grave belonged to the little girl he had tried to save. The Human placed some flowers on top of it and asked the girl for forgiveness.
He hadn't eaten or slept during those days. He was driven by a force beyond anything he knew; a will that seemed to provide him with all the energy he needed. The Human knew he had changed, and he wasn't even sure he could be called a Human anymore. There was something inside him he didn't have before, something that despite his great loss, made him feel whole.
What the Human didn't know was that the universe acts in strange ways, and often with a sense of irony. For the Human was no longer an empty container: magic now filled his veins. When the Witch had branded him, she had left a trail of her magic on his skin. Magic that had not only saved the Human from dying, but also given him the ability to absorb the magic of the bolt. Now, the Human had been converted into the very thing the Witch was afraid of: a worthy adversary.
The Human decided to leave the village for there was nothing there for him, and he found a new home in a cave, hidden in the vast Hiberih desert. He soon discovered that he had magical abilities; he could control the fire and also conjure lightning. Whenever he was using magic, the fire tattoo the Witch had carved on his back would glow with a red hue. Slowly, the Human trained himself in the art of magic and learned to control his powers. And when he was sure he was strong enough, he went looking for the Witch.
Months had passed since the Human had moved to the desert and when he finally went out into the world, he discovered that things had changed for the worse, and it was the Witch's doing.
The world was covered by a magical ice created by the Witch. It was draining the world from its magic and the Witch was stealing it, keeping all the magic inside herself. She had become even more powerful than before and any being who tried to stop her, had been destroyed. The world, however, was a very delicate place and its survival depended on the magic, which was the very thing that kept the world alive. By stealing the magic from the world, the Witch was slowly killing it.
The Human knew immediately what he had to do. He had to fight the Witch so that the world would be saved.
Tracking her wasn't difficult. She was so powerful that she left a trail that was easily followed. Her lair was now in a different place. She had left the forest for the peak of the Lismonia mountain, where she could observe most of the land, and rule over it.
It took the Human weeks to climb the mountain and reach the Witch's lair, and when he finally arrived, she was waiting for him.
She talked to him; hiding her surprise behind one of the games they had learned to enjoy when the Human was held captive. The Human played but he wasn't fooled. He was too clever and he could see right through the Witch's masks. She grew frustrated because her deceiving tactics weren't working. The Human had changed and there was something about him that frightened her. The time for games was quickly over and the Witch attacked. A ball of fire was thrown at the Human, who, being taken by surprise, wasn't able to defend against it.
The Human fell off the mountain, landing in the valley below. The fire could no longer burn him, for he had learned to control it, but the force of the impact of his fall had been enough to put him at a disadvantage. However, he ignored the pain and stood, waiting for the Witch to descend from the mountain.
This time, he would be prepared.
A fierce battle between good and evil took place that day; the Witch driven by anger and greed of power, and the Human driven by will to save those who could be saved and avenge those who could not.
The Witch had control over many more elements than the Human. She could control the weather and the fire; she could fly and use pure magic against him. However, one of the Human's powers was to absorb every bit of pure magic thrown his way, so instead of hurting him, the Witch made him more powerful. She noticed it quickly and realized that even though the human was resistant to many of her magic attacks, his body was still frail. It might have been stronger than it had been before but could never be as strong as hers.
The Human was fighting to the best of his abilities but he had many disadvantages; one of them being that he was unable to fly, and that gave the Witch the best strategic position. The fire he could control didn't hurt the Witch more than it hurt him so he decided to only use the lightning bolts to attack her. The Human was hit many times and each blow he took weakened him. However, his fierce determination wouldn't let him stop, and as the battle progressed he became more dangerous.
He ignored the physical wounds and the pain. The Human had only one thing in mind, and that was to defeat the Witch. Finally, after what seemed forever, he was able to weaken the Witch enough so she could no longer float on the air. She fell to the ground at the Human's feet and found herself facing a lightning bolt that had been frozen in mid air. The human only needed to release it, and the Witch would be killed.
But in that final moment, the Human found that all the resentment he had felt for the Witch was gone, and in its place, there was only pity. Darkness was the only thing in her soul and she had never seen the light. He decided to spare her life, for the suffering she had endured was enough punishment in his eyes. The human declared his victory and the Witch remained silent because she knew she had been defeated.
However, the Witch was a bitter soul and as soon as the lightning bolt dissipated, she flew to the sky and, with a last cry of battle, she gathered all the energy she had stolen from the world, and cast it upon the land.
The world trembled under the force of the blow and the earth shattered because the magic was too much for the world to handle at once. The Lismonia mountain parted in two and an abysm was formed in the valley. The magic pooled inside the abysm and started to break the world in two. As soon as the magic was through, the world would die.
The Witch laughed maniacally when she saw the world being destroyed. What she didn't notice was the lightning that the Human had shot her way had pierced her black heart. She gasped and then her body exploded in a million pieces that glowed and dispersed into the sky.
Having destroyed the Witch, the Human jumped into the abysm, hoping to absorb the magic that threatened to kill the world. The magic filled the Human, filled him so much that he had to choose between controlling the magic or losing himself. The Human chose to save the world. He kept the magic inside him and buried himself in the deepest part of the abysm, where the world could slowly drain the magic out of him, until it was healed.
Many ages have passed since that day and the world has forgotten most of what happened. Every creature knows of the ice that covered the land stealing its magic, and that the Shattering of the World had taken place soon after that. However, not many remember what happened on that fateful day, when the last Human had sacrificed himself to save a world that hadn't considered him a part of it.
* * *
Heero swallowed hard when Wufei reached the end of his tale. The implications of what had been said weren't lost to him. "I've never heard of Humans before," he said. "They sound the opposite to my tribe." The Shiroi were incapable of good or evil. Their place was to keep a balance and for that they had to be a neutral force. The Humans, on the other hand, had been good and evil at the same time. They had the two forces of the universe inside them, and had been able to choose which to follow. The rest of the beings of the land had a natural inclination to one of the forces and that was what kept the balance. "The Mikomi river was born after the Shattering," Heero stated. "And it is a magical river."
Wufei nodded. "I see you understand," he replied in a solemn voice. "If you want to understand what's happening, you will have to go to the Abysm. If there are any answers, they'll be waiting there."
"How do I get there?" Heero asked. If the Guardian of the Dragon Clan said that he should go to the barren lands of the Lismonia valley, then he would do it without a question. Something was happening in the world and Chang Wufei was the only one who knew about it. The knowledge of the Dragon Clan was great and the perceptiveness of its members was legendary. The elders of the Shiroi Tribe had spoken highly of the clan, and Heero was ready to trust Wufei, no matter how dangerous his advice appeared to be.
"Walk to the north when you leave this temple and go to the outskirts of town. There you shall see a large tent. The man who lives there is a nomad. You need to ask for his help and he will take you to the Lismonia valley."
"Are you certain that he will help?" asked Heero.
Wufei smirked. "Oh I am. Duo Maxwell has been planning to visit the Lismonia area for years, and you just provided him with an excuse, and copilot."
Heero raised an eyebrow. "What's a copilot?"
Wufei grinned mysteriously. "You'll see."
Heero decided not to question Wufei any further. He bowed to the Guardian, left the temple, and walked north, continuing his journey.
* * *
TBC
This fic is supposed to be only 3 chapters long. *eyes the fic* 'supposed' being the key word.
______
Seeing Windsor doing her DVD commentaries made me think that I never posted that meme. Well, as they say, better late than never, so if anyone is interested…
If you've ever watched your favorite DVDs, and then found yourself eager to hear exactly what the actors, directors, writers and even production designers thought about making the episode, the movie, or whatever - you'll know sometimes the best parts of DVDs are hearing the commentaries. Getting into an actor's feelings about the character they play, getting the background behind a writer's plans and metaphors, even just getting the stupid anecdotal stuff that makes you laugh, it's all good.
Pick a fic I've written, any fic, or even a short story arc, if you like, and I'll give you the dvd-style "What the hell was I thinking?" commentary thing--though you might want to specify characters, or storyline, or plot. (You can ask more specific questions as well. Or you can not, and just let me ramble on at will.)
If you want spoilers for fics I'm working on, or are curious about what I'm thinking about storywise now, I might consider answering those, too.
Rating: R
Parings: Future,1x4; and 5xS
Summary: Heero Yuy has to go on a dangerous journey to find something he didn't know he was looking for.
Warnings: Fantasy, violence, death, angst.
Notes: I'm sure there is a rule somewhere that says that every fanfiction writer must write at least one fantasy fic. Well, Here is mine.
Big thanks to Anne for the beta. *hugs*
Dedication: This fic is for Hex, who one night on AIM asked me to write her a fic.
==========
Chapter One: The Witch and the Human
It was known throughout the land that when one had an issue that needed to be resolved promptly and efficiently, one went to see Chang Wufei. He was the last descendent of the Dragon Clan and possessor of great powers and wisdom. The Dragon Clan had what was called a collective memory. Everything that a member of the Clan witnessed, learned or saw during their life became part of this memory. The appointed Guardian of the Clan could access it and experience the memories as if they were his own. That made the Dragon Clan the keepers of the world's secrets and Wufei, the last Guardian, one of the most powerful men alive, since knowledge is power.
However, Wufei was a very selective person and he didn't help everyone who came to his door. The creatures needed to prove that they were worthy of Wufei's help, and that the cause that they were pursuing was just. Otherwise, Wufei wouldn't just deny them his help, but also punish them for their greed. Wufei's time was precious and he couldn't waste it.
Efficiency was a very important quality to the Dragon Clan.
Before the Shattering of the World, the Dragon Clan had been very prominent, and had temples from the Crying River to the Purple Mountains. Most of them had been destroyed before the Shattering, when the ice covered the land and stole most of the world's magic. Wufei was the last survivor and the only heir to the Clan's power. What had been the responsibility of hundreds of men before the Shattering, was now only his.
It was a heavy burden to carry but at least Wufei had a companion who helped him alleviate the pressure and made his days bright. Her name was Sally Po. She was a powerful healer and a sorceress of the Dawn. Together, they ruled over the small land of Jixing, and welcomed the many visitors who, after a long journey, arrived at the last Dragon temple to seek Wufei's help.
The full moon was shining, and the sky was glowing with a green light, the day Heero Yuy arrived. He had traveled sixty days, coming all the way from the valleys of Tsuriai, seeking Wufei's advice. Heero was part of the Shiroi Tribe, a group of elf looking warriors that were known for upholding a balance in the world. Whenever there was a greater force of good or evil threatening to turn the balance, those warriors interfered. Unlike Wufei, they only lived a couple hundred years but only aged to a certain point, making their bodies young and strong during the course of most of their lives. When their cycle had been completed, they simply closed their eyes and died.
Wufei had never seen member of the Shiroi Tribe before. He had been able to watch them through the eyes of others, experiencing memories of his ancestors, but it was always different when he witnessed something himself.
Heero was tall and well built, like all the warriors were supposed to be. His eyes were blue and hard and his hair a dark brown. He wore black trousers and a white tunic. His feet were clasped in simple sandals, and thick leather bands covered his wrists. A long sword was dangling from his hip and a silver chain with a blue stone hung around his neck. His ears were pointed, and that was the reason people said the Shiroi Tribe could be elves. Wufei knew better: the Shiroi were a completely different type of creatures that only resembled elves. If there was a reason for this resemblance, Wufei didn't know it, and that was saying a lot because he knew practically everything. Heero wore three silver rings in each ear, two near the base and one near the point. It symbolized that he wasn't only a warrior, but one high up in the Shiroi hierarchy.
Whenever a Shiroi left their valley, it was for something important; possibly involving the forces of the universe concerning every creature in the world. Heero's expression reflected the seriousness of his mission.
Heero bowed slightly and regarded Wufei with his intense gaze. "I've come seeking the help of the Dragon Clan in the name of the Shiroi Tribe."
Wufei walked towards Heero, stood in front of him, and bowed too. "My name is Chang Wufei. I'm the Guardian of the Clan, and it is my honor to assist the Shiroi Tribe."
The main hall of the temple, the place where Wufei always listened to those asking for his help, was a very public place. It had no doors and anyone could walk in or witness what was happening inside. It was the perfect place for the first meeting but after Wufei had proclaimed someone worthy of his help, he would leave the main hall and retreat to a more private place: the shrine.
Heero followed Wufei to the shrine, and stood just in front of the well located in the middle of the small circular room. Except for the well, the room was empty. The walls were white marble, smooth and stoic.
Wufei closed the door behind them. "What is it that you want from me, Shiroi?"
"They call me Heero Yuy, and I was sent here to ask you a question." Heero kept his eyes on Wufei, something few dared to do. The gesture not only showed bravery but pride as well.
Wufei gave a small nod and waited for Heero to elaborate. It wasn't his place to ask the questions; his role was to answer them.
"My people come from the valley of Tsurai. For as long as the elders can remember, Tsurai has been our home and the Mikomi river has been our livelihood. To uphold our duties as keepers of the balance we need a great deal of magic, and the Mikomi river gives it to us. It's an ancient and magical river and we depend on it just as the world depends on us." Heero's eyes narrowed. "The river is running dry."
Wufei had been right. Heero Yuy was the bearer of news that affected the whole world and not just the Shiroi. It was imperative that he found the answers Heero was seeking, for there were great forces shifting in the world, and that could only mean that a grand change was on the way. Wufei took the silver goblet resting on the edge of the well and dipped it in the water. He slowly brought the cup to his lips and drank from the liquid. His eyes were closed and in a single moment he witnessed years that had long passed. The cup fell from his fingers and Wufei gasped. "And there is the endless motion of time, dancing in a circle for eternity."
* * *
In a primitive word, long ago forgotten by the current habitants of the lands, there was a group of special creatures called Humans.
They were said to be capable of good and evil; weird creatures who hadn't chosen a side of the balance and were considered wild cards in the equilibrium of the universe. The other creatures regarded the Humans as nothing more than a tree or a beast, and sometimes less because even the trees possessed magic while the Humans didn't.
In a land sustained by magic, a group of people who didn't have a single drop of it were not really considered part of world. Humans were marginalized and left alone because they weren't deemed worthy.
However, it wasn't known by many that Humans possessed a very special trait: they had the potential to control and keep more magic than any other being could. They were like empty containers, capable of holding and handling great amounts of magic, but unable to posses it. In its infinite wisdom, the universe had taken the magic out of Humans because they were unpredictable, and if they had too much power in their hands, they would surely destroy the world. The universe never gives beings something they can't handle. Thus, the Humans were deprived of magic, and lived their lives with an empty feeling that could be decieved but never filled.
One of the beings who knew about the Humans' potential was a dark Witch who had been gathering power for many years, and had no other desire in her black heart than to have power over all the magic, and use it to cause chaos throughout the land. She had been quietly observing the Humans and wondering if they could be of any use to her. They had only two options: either they were with her or against her... and those against her wouldn't live very long.
The Witch spent many days observing the Humans, watching them silently with her cold and calculating eyes, and after having seen all she thought could be seen, she decided that she didn't comprehend them at all. The Humans were an irrational group in her eyes. Their actions and words didn't seem to have a universal motivation; they acted on impulse and pondered things that bared no importance. They were selfish and giving, fierce and cowardly, rash and careful. They were impossible to understand.
After concluding that the Humans' actions couldn't be predicted, the Witch decided that she needed to capture one, in order to question him, and after that, she would know if the Humans were an advantage or a risk.
She didn't put on too much thought into which Human she took. They were all the same to her, and like dissecting a frog, learning how one behaved should be enough to predict the others.
The Human she picked was a boy from the village, who had wandered into the woods to hunt. Like a siren, the Witch had attracted the Human, taking him to her lair and clasping him in chains before waking him from the spell.
The boy struggled; pulling his chains in a futile effort to break free, managing only to break his own skin. The Witch had observed, amused. It wasn't until the Human had given up and fallen against the wall, too tired to struggle, that the Witch had made herself visible.
She played with him, both physically and mentally, for she liked to be entertained. What she hadn't expected was the Human to be such a wonderful adversary. Even with the great disadvantage of his lack of magic and freedom, he battled brilliantly and even managed to bring a smile to the Witch's face. She had kept him captive longer that she had first intended. The more time passed, the more she was enchanted by him. The Human had proved to be a more interesting subject than she had first thought.
Trying to understand the complex layers that created the Human's intellect was an activity so challenging that it even made her forget her dark plans for a while. Until one day, the Human managed to get free from his chains, and having heard the Witch's plans, he grabbed his bow and aimed an arrow at the Witch's head. However he had forgotten that the Witch was very powerful and that she was protected by her dark magic. His arrow had only managed to anger the Witch and open her eyes to the threat Humans represented.
An action like that couldn't go unpunished because, even if the arrow hadn't wounded her physically, it had wounded her pride. She threw the Human to the ground and shredded his tunic, exposing his back. Then, she conjured the fires from inside her soul and branded the Human's skin with an intricate design that took her hours to perfect. The Human resisted at first, gritting his teeth and refusing to make a sound, but at the end, the pain had been too great to withstand in silence, and he screamed.
The night had fallen by the time the Witch had burned the last line in the Human's back. She cast him out of her lair, throwing his half naked form into the middle of the cold forest, knowing that he would have to walk for a day before he could reach his village.
During his walk, the Human was plagued by cold, hunger and thirst, but his pace never slowed. He knew of the Witch's plans and he felt the need to reach his home and warn his people about the danger they were facing.
However, the Witch was very cruel and the Human's betrayal had made her blind to everything but her urge for vengeance. Revenge was the only thing she could think of and she was going to make the Human pay; he and all his kind. She watched the Human, and waited for him to be close to his village before she conjured the storm. For the Witch was angry and bitter and wanted to make the Human's soul suffer in the same way that his body had.
By the time the Human reached the hill that overlooked his village, rain was already pouring from the sky. Strong winds were blowing the roofs off the houses and the lighting illuminated the chaos below. The Human ran down the hill, watching a bolt of lightning fall on top of a house, starting a fire.
That was just the first of many fires that erupted that night. The water was still falling steadily from the sky but with every drop the fires glowed with more power. Floating above the sky, the Witch laughed. Her long locks were flowing with the wind as she looked at the lonely figure of her Human running to his own death.
The village was a picture of despair. Humans worked unsuccessfully to stop the fires and to help those who were trapped. Some cowardly ones tried to run away, but the Witch was determined to exterminate every one of them, so she placed an invisible barrier around the village, preventing them from leaving.
When her Human reached the barrier, the Witch lifted it allowing him to enter. As entertaining as letting him watch from the outside would be, the Witch wanted him to burn with his kind, and to die with the knowledge that he couldn't save them.
She had to admit that the Humans had an unusually strong will to live. One would think that there was something that scared them about dying. They fought until their last breath, even if death was every creature's destiny. Her Human was no exception. The Witch could see him trying to get people away from the fire; ignoring his own needs to save the extinguishing lives of others.
The Witch felt nothing but anger towards her Human. It wasn't only the betrayal but the fact that a creature who had exhibited such promise was letting his feelings rule his actions, instead of his mind. She needed to teach him a lesson, to show him that kindness would get him nowhere.
Smiling coldly, the Witch found the perfect target. A young Human girl was standing beside a tree, shivering from the cold and crying quietly. Conjuring the powers of the sky, the Witch formed a magical bolt lightning in the sky, above the girl's head. She waited patiently for her Human to notice it, and when she was sure he did, she released her magic, letting the bolt fall freely to the ground.
Her Human was already running towards the girl, screaming something that the Witch couldn't hear over the strong winds. It couldn't have lasted more than a second, not enough time to think, just to react. Her Human threw himself towards the girl, pushing her out of the way. The lightning landed on his bare back, making him shake before falling to the ground. He lay on his back with his eyes half open, staring into the sky.
With her Human dead, the Witch got quickly bored. She burned the few Humans that were still alive and after breaking the barrier around the village, she left. That night, the creatures known as Humans ceased to exist.
~~~~~
Many silent days had passed. The smoke dissipated from the destroyed village, and the last fires were extinguished by the soft rain that followed the Witch's storm. No creature had approached the place, and most of the land was ignorant of the fate the Humans had suffered. The Witch hadn't wanted the land to know of her plans so the Humans, her first victims, had died quietly, and no one had missed them.
However, things aren't always the way they look. In the field, a figure covered with ashes shivered as cool air entered his body. The Human gagged and coughed violently before he could breathe the tainted air. The odor was everywhere; the Human knew that he was surrounded by death. He blinked a couple of times and hissed at the sting on his eyes. Little by little he was able to focus and to distinguish that he was looking at the sky.
Filled with fear, the Human forced himself to a sitting position and took a look around what used to be his village. There was nothing there but ashes and the burned corpses of its inhabitants. Slamming his fist into the ground, the Human cried to the heavens, asking for justice.
Numbly, the Human stood up and ignored the pain shooting from his back. He found a stick of wood and started the exhausting task of digging graves. Most of the Humans had been incinerated but there were still dozens of corpses needing to be buried; and the last survivor of the Humans was going to make sure that they were.
It took the Human more than two days to dig enough graves and another two to seal them. The last grave belonged to the little girl he had tried to save. The Human placed some flowers on top of it and asked the girl for forgiveness.
He hadn't eaten or slept during those days. He was driven by a force beyond anything he knew; a will that seemed to provide him with all the energy he needed. The Human knew he had changed, and he wasn't even sure he could be called a Human anymore. There was something inside him he didn't have before, something that despite his great loss, made him feel whole.
What the Human didn't know was that the universe acts in strange ways, and often with a sense of irony. For the Human was no longer an empty container: magic now filled his veins. When the Witch had branded him, she had left a trail of her magic on his skin. Magic that had not only saved the Human from dying, but also given him the ability to absorb the magic of the bolt. Now, the Human had been converted into the very thing the Witch was afraid of: a worthy adversary.
The Human decided to leave the village for there was nothing there for him, and he found a new home in a cave, hidden in the vast Hiberih desert. He soon discovered that he had magical abilities; he could control the fire and also conjure lightning. Whenever he was using magic, the fire tattoo the Witch had carved on his back would glow with a red hue. Slowly, the Human trained himself in the art of magic and learned to control his powers. And when he was sure he was strong enough, he went looking for the Witch.
Months had passed since the Human had moved to the desert and when he finally went out into the world, he discovered that things had changed for the worse, and it was the Witch's doing.
The world was covered by a magical ice created by the Witch. It was draining the world from its magic and the Witch was stealing it, keeping all the magic inside herself. She had become even more powerful than before and any being who tried to stop her, had been destroyed. The world, however, was a very delicate place and its survival depended on the magic, which was the very thing that kept the world alive. By stealing the magic from the world, the Witch was slowly killing it.
The Human knew immediately what he had to do. He had to fight the Witch so that the world would be saved.
Tracking her wasn't difficult. She was so powerful that she left a trail that was easily followed. Her lair was now in a different place. She had left the forest for the peak of the Lismonia mountain, where she could observe most of the land, and rule over it.
It took the Human weeks to climb the mountain and reach the Witch's lair, and when he finally arrived, she was waiting for him.
She talked to him; hiding her surprise behind one of the games they had learned to enjoy when the Human was held captive. The Human played but he wasn't fooled. He was too clever and he could see right through the Witch's masks. She grew frustrated because her deceiving tactics weren't working. The Human had changed and there was something about him that frightened her. The time for games was quickly over and the Witch attacked. A ball of fire was thrown at the Human, who, being taken by surprise, wasn't able to defend against it.
The Human fell off the mountain, landing in the valley below. The fire could no longer burn him, for he had learned to control it, but the force of the impact of his fall had been enough to put him at a disadvantage. However, he ignored the pain and stood, waiting for the Witch to descend from the mountain.
This time, he would be prepared.
A fierce battle between good and evil took place that day; the Witch driven by anger and greed of power, and the Human driven by will to save those who could be saved and avenge those who could not.
The Witch had control over many more elements than the Human. She could control the weather and the fire; she could fly and use pure magic against him. However, one of the Human's powers was to absorb every bit of pure magic thrown his way, so instead of hurting him, the Witch made him more powerful. She noticed it quickly and realized that even though the human was resistant to many of her magic attacks, his body was still frail. It might have been stronger than it had been before but could never be as strong as hers.
The Human was fighting to the best of his abilities but he had many disadvantages; one of them being that he was unable to fly, and that gave the Witch the best strategic position. The fire he could control didn't hurt the Witch more than it hurt him so he decided to only use the lightning bolts to attack her. The Human was hit many times and each blow he took weakened him. However, his fierce determination wouldn't let him stop, and as the battle progressed he became more dangerous.
He ignored the physical wounds and the pain. The Human had only one thing in mind, and that was to defeat the Witch. Finally, after what seemed forever, he was able to weaken the Witch enough so she could no longer float on the air. She fell to the ground at the Human's feet and found herself facing a lightning bolt that had been frozen in mid air. The human only needed to release it, and the Witch would be killed.
But in that final moment, the Human found that all the resentment he had felt for the Witch was gone, and in its place, there was only pity. Darkness was the only thing in her soul and she had never seen the light. He decided to spare her life, for the suffering she had endured was enough punishment in his eyes. The human declared his victory and the Witch remained silent because she knew she had been defeated.
However, the Witch was a bitter soul and as soon as the lightning bolt dissipated, she flew to the sky and, with a last cry of battle, she gathered all the energy she had stolen from the world, and cast it upon the land.
The world trembled under the force of the blow and the earth shattered because the magic was too much for the world to handle at once. The Lismonia mountain parted in two and an abysm was formed in the valley. The magic pooled inside the abysm and started to break the world in two. As soon as the magic was through, the world would die.
The Witch laughed maniacally when she saw the world being destroyed. What she didn't notice was the lightning that the Human had shot her way had pierced her black heart. She gasped and then her body exploded in a million pieces that glowed and dispersed into the sky.
Having destroyed the Witch, the Human jumped into the abysm, hoping to absorb the magic that threatened to kill the world. The magic filled the Human, filled him so much that he had to choose between controlling the magic or losing himself. The Human chose to save the world. He kept the magic inside him and buried himself in the deepest part of the abysm, where the world could slowly drain the magic out of him, until it was healed.
Many ages have passed since that day and the world has forgotten most of what happened. Every creature knows of the ice that covered the land stealing its magic, and that the Shattering of the World had taken place soon after that. However, not many remember what happened on that fateful day, when the last Human had sacrificed himself to save a world that hadn't considered him a part of it.
* * *
Heero swallowed hard when Wufei reached the end of his tale. The implications of what had been said weren't lost to him. "I've never heard of Humans before," he said. "They sound the opposite to my tribe." The Shiroi were incapable of good or evil. Their place was to keep a balance and for that they had to be a neutral force. The Humans, on the other hand, had been good and evil at the same time. They had the two forces of the universe inside them, and had been able to choose which to follow. The rest of the beings of the land had a natural inclination to one of the forces and that was what kept the balance. "The Mikomi river was born after the Shattering," Heero stated. "And it is a magical river."
Wufei nodded. "I see you understand," he replied in a solemn voice. "If you want to understand what's happening, you will have to go to the Abysm. If there are any answers, they'll be waiting there."
"How do I get there?" Heero asked. If the Guardian of the Dragon Clan said that he should go to the barren lands of the Lismonia valley, then he would do it without a question. Something was happening in the world and Chang Wufei was the only one who knew about it. The knowledge of the Dragon Clan was great and the perceptiveness of its members was legendary. The elders of the Shiroi Tribe had spoken highly of the clan, and Heero was ready to trust Wufei, no matter how dangerous his advice appeared to be.
"Walk to the north when you leave this temple and go to the outskirts of town. There you shall see a large tent. The man who lives there is a nomad. You need to ask for his help and he will take you to the Lismonia valley."
"Are you certain that he will help?" asked Heero.
Wufei smirked. "Oh I am. Duo Maxwell has been planning to visit the Lismonia area for years, and you just provided him with an excuse, and copilot."
Heero raised an eyebrow. "What's a copilot?"
Wufei grinned mysteriously. "You'll see."
Heero decided not to question Wufei any further. He bowed to the Guardian, left the temple, and walked north, continuing his journey.
* * *
TBC
This fic is supposed to be only 3 chapters long. *eyes the fic* 'supposed' being the key word.
______
Seeing Windsor doing her DVD commentaries made me think that I never posted that meme. Well, as they say, better late than never, so if anyone is interested…
If you've ever watched your favorite DVDs, and then found yourself eager to hear exactly what the actors, directors, writers and even production designers thought about making the episode, the movie, or whatever - you'll know sometimes the best parts of DVDs are hearing the commentaries. Getting into an actor's feelings about the character they play, getting the background behind a writer's plans and metaphors, even just getting the stupid anecdotal stuff that makes you laugh, it's all good.
Pick a fic I've written, any fic, or even a short story arc, if you like, and I'll give you the dvd-style "What the hell was I thinking?" commentary thing--though you might want to specify characters, or storyline, or plot. (You can ask more specific questions as well. Or you can not, and just let me ramble on at will.)
If you want spoilers for fics I'm working on, or are curious about what I'm thinking about storywise now, I might consider answering those, too.
