Promises Made

[Ryan - Loki]

“This place is so beautiful…even when there are grey clouds covering the sky. Don’t you agree?”

Lavertia was such a beautiful country. Yes, there were much more exotic and beautiful places or countries on Dragonia, but to this ageing Samurai Lavertia had always been a place of beauty. A gentle breeze was covering the land on this day, rustling through the grass on the soft, fertile soil, and the leaves of the many trees that covering the vast land. Ryan stood at the top of the mountains on the border of Lavertia, which separated it from the country of Bedoe. The quiet trickling of water could be heard as a small stream branched off from the lake behind him, softly cascading down the rocks of the mountainside.

He was along, but firmly planted within the ground on Ryan’s left a sword protruded out from within the dirt. It wasn’t particularly large, nor either was it small, but it was skilfully crafted. The design and pattern of the hilt and blade were original, customised one might say. The blade of this sword wasn’t a normal blade either, it was formed from ice, clear and blistering cold, yet it never melted, no matter how hot it became. It was a blade that many knew the man who it belonged to, yet at the same time very few knew him.

“Seriyu…” Ryan’s head dropped as he looked down towards the dirt, closing his eyes. “So much has happened since your passing, especially the year afterwards. Do you remember me telling you about it? The day of the great tragedy…” it had been roughly eight years since Seriyu had given his life to save Ryan’s, and that had been roughly a year and a half before the great tragedy. “The shockwaves of the explosion caused the very foundations of Guardina to crumble causing the entire country to lower…and then the tsunami caused by the initial explosion of the missile completely covered Guardinia.” he paused and sighed. “And like the legendary city of Atlantis, Guardina faded out of existence.”

“Thousands upon thousands of people died during the second attempt on our planet by the Saiyans, and just as many people were greatly injured. Houses and treasured possessions were destroyed or lost, possessions that invoked memories and that people held feelings for.” off in the distance Ryan could see that it was raining. It was an odd feeling to watch it rain somewhere so close by, but to not have it rain where you were standing. But such small things couldn’t overthrow the thoughts that were running through Ryan’s mind. “But those things were not all that was lost on that day…”

Ryan turned around and took a few steps towards the large lake behind him. It was odd to have such a large lake so deep in the mountains; however this lake wasn’t natural, but man-made. “Though void of life, the valley of my people also fell victim to the tsunami.” he slowly bent down and picked up a small rock before standing again. He opened his palm and looked at the rock for a few seconds before looking out over the lake and skimming it across the water. The rock briefly bounced across the surface of the water, like it had been thrown at solid ground, before slowly vanishing below the waters surfaces, leaving behind nothing but ripples as evidence of its journey.

Ryan turned around to face the sword, walking towards it again. He stopped on its right once more, looking out across Lavertia. “But that day also brought about peace, tranquillity and harmony across Dragonia. Ying and Yang, destruction and peace, death and life, and evil and good; the balance is everlasting.” his expression didn’t change, though there was something about his face that showed that Ryan was thinking.

“Yet Loki died and I remain…I just do not get it!” Ryan exclaimed, his emotions almost taking a hold of him. “Unless he never truly died…in which case he has been hiding in wait for the last seven years, and that just is not in his nature. I know him.” a strong gust of wind filled the area, and Ryan pulled his cloak tightly around him to stop it violently flapping about around him. “Perhaps I should just accept the fact that times, no, things have changed.” he muttered.

“Technology is everywhere now, and even more advanced than it was before the tragedy. Even the less fortunate families are connected to the latest gadgets and software, and pretty soon they will more than likely all be connected to an artificial life-form that will run their lives for them,” Ryan grinned. “or something along those lines.” he paused. “For some reason that single day was the catalyst for improvement on this planet.” he gave a short grunt of a laugh, glancing down at the sword. “Sad. Isn’t it?”

There was another pause. It seemed like Ryan was struggling to find things to say, but in truth he was enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that this place held. Dragonia was now a tranquil place of peace and harmony, but the busy bustle and noise of everyday life made it so easy to be distracted from the natural beauties that surrounded everyone; sometimes he just loved to stop, close his eyes, and take notice of them all.

“I saw your father recently, Andrak Mikomora.” Ryan suddenly said. “It was in a meeting with Isaac Volcanon II, the new king of Bedoe. You know, Isaac’s son? Isaac was killed in the original war, why we were battling Turgor on Lunos, remember?” there was a pause. “He is fine, just so you know. Your father I mean.” he tilted his head down to his left, as if just in case he was speaking to quietly. “He has aged quite a bit since your passing, not in spirit, but in appearance at any rate.”
Ryan smiled. “Though being the royal aid to your father and family is not easy. I am more of a teacher than anything else, though at times my duties differ closer to being a bodyguard or doing anything that is deemed too dangerous for anyone else.” he stopped and laughed a little. “And at this rate it will be me who looks old before his time. I am nearly thirty, after all.”

Ryan paused only to take a deep breath of cold, fresh air. “There is…still no sign of Aiedan though.” it sounded as if this was something that Ryan didn’t wished to speak about, Aiedan not only having been a friend to Seriyu but also a childhood friend to himself. “And now that I think back I can not even remember the last time I saw him, no, that is not true, the last time I remember seeing him was up on Lunos…” Ryan paused again, lowering his head. “You are sorely missed throughout your land…by family, citizens and friends alike.” a soft sigh escaped from between his lips. “Why did you have to be such a hero?” he asked mournfully. “Together we may have survived that blast…”

After that the paused was much longer than usual, roughly a few minutes long in total, as Ryan shuffled through his thoughts. He thought not only of Seriyu but of regrets that he had, people that he had known, friends and family that he had loved and lost. As well as all the mistakes that he had made in his lifetime. Loki. There was nothing he could do about the past but simply remember it and try not to walk down those paths again. And though he knew that life wasn’t that easy, he could only try; it was the right thing to do, and the right way to honour the memory of all those lost.

“ ‘Promise me…promise me that you’ll live your life for both of us… and keep our people safe. Promise me.’ That was what you said to me, was it not? …it was easy to make that promise…”

[Ryan - Loki]

At mentioning the promise everything had fallen silent, even the wind. Even with Seriyu not actually there it seemed that the Samurai couldn’t even manage to talk about it, but it was that easy for Ryan. To Ryan the sword that was stuck in the ground, Seriyu’s sword, was a symbol of his long passed-on on friend. He had experienced death, he had seen the afterlife and spoken to Angels, so as far as he was concerned speaking to the sword was the same as speaking to his friend as if he were standing right there next to him.

“I just do not understand why I still continue to live while so many around me die.” Ryan said softly. “I…” there was another long silence after this, this time the only sound being that of the wind beating against the mountainsides filling the valley.

“I keep having these dreams…” Ryan suddenly spoke, his voice breaking through the silence of the land. It was a change of subject, but this was not a completely welcomed subject either. “They seem so real, so much so that I have trouble distinguishing them as dreams.” Ryan turned to look at the blade. “They started a few years back, and ever since they have been becoming more and more frequent, always the same, recurring dream. It is arriving at the point where I am almost having the dream every time I close my eyes, but most certainly every other time.”

Just mentioning the dream, or even thinking about it, caused Ryan to become uneasy and extremely uncomfortable. He slowly and unknowingly moved his right hand down as his palm gripped tightly around the hilt of one of his twin blades. “The dream begins in a dark room. It is not completely dark, but very poorly lit. As I move through the room a bit more light enters and shows that it is not a room but in fact an extremely long corridor. All the while I can hear the screams and cries of people in pain and dieing, but I cannot see anyone…they sound distant, but at the same time as if they are all around me.” Ryan spoke, looking off into the distance without as much as a blink.

“But just louder than these screams is a muttering whisper, loud enough for me to hear it but too quiet to understand what is being said. And with each step through the corridor the whisper gets louder and louder, but still I cannot understand what is being muttered.” he closed his eyes briefly, taking a long and deep breath before opening them again. “After a while the corridor ends and opens up into an extremely large, circular room. This room looks like a throne room in a palace, or an extravagant tomb, but either way the entire place is in ruins...as if it had been left to erode for thousands of years, the only light being that which is seeping through the crumbled gaps in the ceiling.”

“And there, lying in the very middle of the room I can barely make out the silhouette of a body. It is the source of the whispering, but still I cannot understand it. Slowly I step towards the body, the whispers getting louder and louder, but still I cannot make any sense out of them. It is frustrating. I want to know what it is saying.” suddenly Ryan started pacing backwards and forwards, becoming engulfed by the story of his dream. “I call out to it. ‘hello?’ I say, but there is no direct response, just the same whispering. So closer and closer I step until I am no more than a few feet away. The whispering is louder than ever.”

“Suddenly light shines over the shadowed area where the body lays and something glistens, something long and shiny that is sticking out of what appears to be the body’s chest, but I cannot be sure. So slowly I begin to lean in, not daring to take another step forward into the shadows in case they consume me. I lean closer and closer to the body, deeper and deeper into the darkness of the shadows…and then something pale, white almost and seemingly without physical substance, rushes at me, screaming ‘I will never be a memory!’ ” he sighed.

“After that it gets a tad bit blurry…I believe I recoil back, falling over, and the thing that rushed at me seems like it gets dragged back towards the body before vanishing again…the muttered whispers returning.” Ryan slowly moved his good arm as he placed his hand on Seriyu’s sword. “Then I awake…”

Ryan looked down at the sword now he had finally finished his story, as if he was trying to read someone’s expression to know what they thought of everything he had said. “The strange thing is…” he paused, unsure if he even wanted to say what he was about to. “Do you remember I told you that Loki died?” he paused, as if waiting for a quick response, but he didn’t get one. “Well the strange thing is I believe that body in my dream, and the thing that rushes at me, I think that it is Loki…though it happens so quickly, and it is so dark that I can never distinguish any details…”

“Do you think I am being crazy my friend? Reading too much into a dream?” he gave a short laugh and patted the swords hilt. “Yeah, you are right. It was just a dream after all.” he took a few steps forward, closer to the edge of the ledge. “I am probably just worried of the concept of Loki returning, and I not being able to do anything about it or stop him as Dragonia falls into a state of chaos once again.” he paused briefly as he processed everything he had just said. “Wow, I have issues.”

Ryan turned around to look at the sword, smiling once again as he laughed. When he smiled the lines and scars on his face really caused his age catch up with him. “And to think I am the royal aid for Lavertia!” He burst into laughter. His laughter echoed across the surface of the mountains and anyone who happened to be in the area would have had quite a shock, though hardly anyone ever came up the mountains this far due to everything that had transpired here in the past.

Soon enough Ryan finished laughing. It felt good to be able to laugh so much. Despite the many years of peace upon Dragonia Ryan hadn’t had much reason to laugh. He had lost many he cared about during the great tragedy, many friends, and many of those he knew who survived he hadn’t seen for many years, nevertheless he simply smiled at the sword, before slowly making his way over towards it.

“My friend, I must leave you now. The sun will soon begin to fall in the West and I must leave now if I have any intention of making it back to the palace before moon takes hold of the land.” He placed his right arm down upon the sword, gasping the hilt with his palm as he knelt before it, placing his forehead against the blade. The blade was cold; he could feel it through his headband.

“My prince, my friend…I will see you again soon.” Ryan stood once again, propping himself up with his arm. Turning on his heel he walked off towards the edge of the ledge, stopping briefly as he turned his head and looked off behind him at the sword. “Sleep well, son of Lavertia.” and with that Ryan looked forward once again and leaped off of the ledge.

[seriyu]

(Ryan Edit: I have spoken to Shade and given him permission to post in my thread and to post once without a profile - as this is not directly his character.)

The sun began its descent into the west by the time Ryan departed from the valley. The sky painted hues of red and orange against the usual colors of blue and purple, mixed effortlessly with the gray clouds that promised rain. Below, the trees swayed with the gentle breezes, the grass lifting up his hands to touch each small zephyr as it passed by.

The fertile soil from this land was unnatural to the area; while part of its beauty came from its proximity to Lavertia, the arrival of the lake in the last seven years contributed greatly to the soil and the shrubbery. Occasionally, a breed of fauna could be found wandering between the mountains feasting upon the flora. These lands had not been touched in years, and its preservation brought about a natural feeling that could not be replicated anywhere else on the planet of Dragonia.

A single tree stood alone within the valley from the patch, and a man stood within its shade. The figure hid his features under the veil of a black cloak, but the size and proportion suggested that he was male. Hidden within the shadows, shrouding his presence from natural senses, even the best senses would not be able to pick him up without knowing that someone was there. Above his location, Ryan conversed with the former son of Lavertia without knowing that another listened below.

The figure only descended from the shadows when he knew the surroundings were vacant. The figure jumped, his energy propelling his climb to unnatural heights for a human. The cloak he wore billowed with its movement against the gentle wind. He continued to climb

When he landed, he stood on the top of the plateau overlooking the valley below. The soil was soft and plentiful, opposed to the hard paths of stone that continued their climb into the clouds. The view spanned over the entire valley: To the south, the mountains and valleys gave way to the natural forests of Lavertia. To the north, Bedoe’s mountains continued climbing into the sky. The horizon was painted with the colors in the sky.

The sun must reflect against the mountains and illuminate this place every morning… the man in black mused to himself. No wonder the prince was buried here….only the royal family would get a reward of a place like this…. In truth, only Seriyu had ever been buried at this exact location; had the other kings and queens of yore been buried in the same valley, their location differed.

I single, loud squawk brought the man back to attention. Looking up, his eyes focused on a flock of birds moving northward. Their squawks were the only sound in the surrounding, save the inaudible sounds of the wind moving against the trees and shrubs. The man wanted to laugh; he had been brought to defenses by a mere bird. Relaxing his defenses, the man sighed heavily and began walking towards the grave.

The bird had brought a chilling thought to the man in black’s mind, and he was disturbed by its implications. Save for the souls that rested in the valley’s womb-- not only the prince of Lavertia, but the many souls of the Jiaiomasu that rested within the lake-- he was alone. There was no one out there for him. How long had it been since he shared a conversation with someone other than a surly drunk? When was the last time he had been with a woman for any reason other than sex? (It was not even that the act mattered to him; in a way, it was the closest he had ever been to anyone in years.) His friends were gone, save one, whom he had lost contact with years ago.

The man bowed his head, defeated by the thoughts filling his head. “In the absence of gratitude,” he softly whispered under his breath, “we all feel alone…”

When was the last time he had loved someone? This thought was common; the man in black had been thinking over this for years now. His answer had always been the same woman; her raven hair, amber eyes, and warm smile that could warm even the coldest heart kept him company at night. How long had it been since he had seen her? How long had it been since he had held her close enough to feel the beating of her heart against his chest? He remembered that time well, but he shook the thoughts from his head. He loved her with everything, but he could never forgive himself for what he had done….

Once he had shaken the thoughts away, he walked up to the resting place of the Lavertian prince. The grave had been around for a few years; in hearing the one-sided conversation, Ryan suggested it had been eight. Yet, the marble stone covering the patch of dirt where the man lay six feet beneath showed no sign of aging. Perhaps it had been replaced every once in a while; perhaps someone regularly polished the stone, but the words were as clear as they had ever been. The man scanned the words before him. He found an epitaph suited for a hero. This man had done an honorable deed to deserve the honor bestowed upon him.

The stone actually lied in front of the man’s grave; behind it, the grass had been freely allowed to grow, with a single artifact of Seriyu emerged into the soil: his frozen blade. Years had preserved it well, with only the edge of the blade showing any sign of dulling-- even in seven years, it remained preserved as it once had been. Ivy had started climbing the blade; it had rested there for a long time.

The man in black walked forward and placed his hand upon the blade; like ice, the touch absorbed the heat from his hand. The cold touch tingled up his arm before he removed it from the blade. “It feels like ice,” he said to no one, “But it has yet to melt over these many years.” He placed his hand upon the hilt, and with enough force, the blade had been lifted from the ground.

The man turned to the west, holding the sword blade-upward into the sky. The blade was clear, and the man looked through it to the setting sun. He held this position for several minutes; not a single droplet of water dripped down the blade. “So, this isn’t a cheap imitation…this is the real deal…” The man smiled to himself; he had finally found what he was looking for.

He dropped the blade into his hand, cupping the cold, transparent metal in his left hand. Running his fingers against the edge, he discovered that the blade was dull. A frigid chill continued traveling up his arm as he inspected the blade from top to bottom. “This blade has been through much.” He swung the blade several times, twisting his hand and body with each fluent stroke. His form was not perfect; years without practice had made him rusty. But his moves were still fluent and trademark of a swordsman. After he had done enough, he held the sword up and inspected it once again; again, the sword was perfect, save for the dull edge.

His right hand tightened onto the hilt, and his eyes stared into the blade in front of him. Energy began pouring into the blade. It formed tiny rifts through the transparent blade, like veins in an arm. The energy radiated and pulsated as it cut through the blade’s innards. Within a few seconds, the blade was full of these branches of energy. Suddenly, the blade responded; a crack surfaced in front of the man’s face. Another followed quickly afterward. Before long, the sword appeared like broken glass.

The man in black continued to stare and finally, after a long silence, spoke one word: “…Shatter…”

Once the word had departed his pale lips, the blade obeyed his command. The blade burst into fragments of its former shape. The energy, acting as an explosion, sent the pieces flying forward. Each shard landed on the ground with a soft thud; one, in particular, had landed upon Seriyu’s grave. The blade had been broken!

The man in black did not have much time to act as he attached the hilt to the belt under his black hood. The burst of energy that had broken the frozen blade had been larger than he expected. Someone could have easily felt the presence of someone at Seriyu’s grave. Had Ryan still been in close proximity, it would take only a matter of seconds before he turned around and returned to the scene to investigate. Before anyone found him, the man in black had to disappear.

With a sudden burst of energy, the man propelled himself off of the ground. Hovering in the air, he shot like a bullet to the east. The rushing wind against his body had caused the hood to fall from his face. His silver hair flowed in the wind while he turned his head backward to make sure no one was following him. His sapphire eyes darted around, but he could not feel anyone. He remained cautious, checking back every now and again; he knew that if he could shroud his presence, so could someone else….

His flight would take him over the Justian Ocean, towards the Zolan Lands and the Parmecias. In only an hour or two, he would be halfway around the world; once he was there, no one would be able to find him…not even Ryan…

[Ryan - Loki]

Promises Made – Returned

The trail leading up the mountains to the great lake between the borders of Lavertia and Bedoe was a familiar path to Ryan, one that he had walked just the previous day, but in light of the current situation upon Dragonia Ryan had decided that speed was of the essence, and so instead of his usual brisk, enjoyable walk up to his friends grave he had decided that he would run instead.

All the while all he could think about was what had happened to him during the course of the last day and night; the dream, the sudden appearance of evil upon Dragonia, the voice that he himself had not heard but at least one other had. He had to catch up with the man in the iron suit and reach Metapha as quickly as possible, or he feared the answers he was seeking would vanish, leaving little to no trace behind.

He couldn’t pinpoint why or what exactly, but there was something itching away at the back of his mind pointing to a connection between the days events with Markis and the apparent hearing of a voice. Perhaps it was paranoia, the sudden appearance of evil back on Dragonia was a big deal, though the period of peace had been predicted to end over the next few coming years, or perhaps it was intelligence and he was correct; after all Ryan had been in several similar situations during his lifetime.

At any rate he was closing in on the mountains, and the lake, at an extremely fast rate, and his journey back to Seriyu’s grave was coming to an end. At the ledge below Ryan finally slowed down and stopped. Turning around he looked out across Lavertia, the sun was already beginning to set. He was already running out of time. Turning back around he leaped up onto the ledge above him.

“Prince, there is much to tell yo-” Ryan had begun speaking mid-leap and was cut off mid-sentence un-expectantly as his eyes fell upon Seriyu’s sword, or where it once was. For a few moments Ryan just stared off at the hole in the ground, hoping that perhaps it was his eyes playing a terrible trick on him, but no matter how long he looked the sword didn’t appear.

In a sudden rush Ryan threw himself at the ground where the sword was just the day before. “The sword, where is the sword?!” Ryan had impaled the sword himself, he knew that very few would have the strength to remove it from where it had been placed, yet someone had. Ryan calmed himself down; being in a frantic state would not help or solve the situation. As he began to calm he notice that the ground next to the swords old position had been disturbed. “Footprints…” standing himself up he slowly followed the footprints until they ran out, the culprit obviously taking to flight, off to the south-east.

There was no way of Ryan tracking whoever had done this, it had to have happened some time ago now as there wasn’t even the slightest trace of energy residue left behind. He let out a long sigh, but for now the mystery of Seriyu’s stolen sword would have to wait. Ryan turned his head and looked off to the north-east, to Metapha, and with that he bent down and burst into the air. Hopefully he would make it in time.