Story title: Destiny Defied.
Origin of inspiration:
Originally it was inspired by a MS video with Futatsu No Kodou to Akai Tsumi by ON/OFF.
However, it is absolutely non-maplestory based. There are references such as Ragnarok and the like, but otherwise, no.
Over many songs and countless "reprogramming" of the story in my mind and development, it has grown.
Albeit the fact I'm lazy.
INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC USED : [most of these contributed to the creation of Destiny Defied's storyline. it's just the matter of finding the right words.
Spoiler!
View the video on youtube with the links! Because these OPs and EDs have inspired me the most of late.
this one was for the darker scenes. i also learnt not to listen too much of this. it definately will bring a very negative impact on you if you allow it to fade into the background, making you all gloomy and depressed.
once again, this isn't just it. check out the rest of FFVII CC and FFVII AC OSTs! Man, i feel like i'm advertising them.
ecstacy-like.
***uhara miho! <3
Nodame cantabile!!! <3<3 check out Allegro Cantabile, the OP if you have time, it really helps in cheering you up and making you supercharged!
check the ED song too, both helped! Le chevalier d'eon!
nuffinks' to be said.
check out their songs! :D they played a vital role in the first beginnings of the story!
the original song that caused the inspiration. incidentally, it was a maplestory music video.
[This sector is incomplete.]
Special credits to :
Ben - for listening... but NOT for forgetting after only a few months! >:(
Ting - for reading and understanding and helping!
Lunasaku - for listening, reading, understanding and also being a fannnn!!! :DDD
Kira - for being another listener and helper, reading, aaaah.
Kon - for being another listener and helper, readi- wait i'm repeating myself wtf.
and many others, including my readers!
thank you!
************************************************** *******
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Prologue: Part I - 95 Years Previously
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Spoiler!There's no flesh or blood within this cloak to kill. There's only an idea. - V
V for Vendetta (Comic)
Scavengers flew high above a white cathedral.
Every now and then a few dropped to a feast below.
Close by, the once untainted rivers now ran red with blood.
When people had begun to sort out rights from wrongs, evil had begun to manifest in the hearts of mankind and no matter how little, there was always evil in a heart. Conflicts followed soon after, born from many things, ranging from the smallest of misunderstandings all the way to malicious intent. As long as mankind lived, there would always be evil. Sometimes bloodshed followed these conflicts of man, such as it did for this one.
Eight corpses lay around the cathedral, fear etched in their eyes, their bodies being rapidly pecked and torn away by the scavengers.
A raven descended from the sky and hopped towards the black haired child and seemed to stare unwaveringly into his eyes.
The child gritted his teeth, blood dripping from a sword wound on his side at an alarming rate. He winced as he got up to examine the closest of the corpses, scavengers squawking in alarm and took off. It was Eleyson, his aunt. Part of her face was clean shorn away, no doubt the work of a battleaxe.
He looked at the other corpses and shuddered. He didn't want to see anymore. He was about to die anyway. The raven was still hopping after him.
Waiting. Waiting for him to die.
He glanced at the mess behind him and entered the cathedral.
Nothing was different. So the killer didn't come here.
The boy gasped as his legs gave way. He had lost too much blood. Already his vision was fading in and out of focus.
He muttered an oath when he saw the blood already pooled at his feet.
There was nothing left to do. He had nothing left. Nothing but blood and his rapidly approaching death.
He lurched foward and coughed out even more blood.
Nothing else left he could do, but die.
The last thing he saw was the rapidly approaching bloody floor.
*
The raven hopped around the fallen child, like a child opening his Christmas present and getting exactly what he had hoped for.
It was about to peck out the child's eyes when it squawked in alarm at a cough.
It flew around the body. There was nothing nearby. Nothing.
A white robed child suddenly stood before the fallen child. He seemed to be only six or seven years old, but the two things that gave him away was that pair of glowing blue eyes and his glowing blonde hair.
The raven landed on the floor and ****ed its head to one side, gave a squawk that sounded as though it ended with a question mark.
The boy glanced at it for a moment, then he set his eyes upon the corpse.
He bent down to examine the wound and then blew gently into the corpse's face.
The corpse suddenly was a corpse no more, coughing and his eyes flickered open. He looked around wildly before his eyes met the white robed child.
The boy cringed in fear at the sight of the almost inhuman face.
The boy sighed and spoke, but with a voice full of a weary grown man.
'What is your name?'
The redhead boy hesitated again, then answered weakly.
'R-raven. Raven Takahashi the third.'
The white robed boy's forehead creased into a frown. The name still worried him. Could he truly be..?
The frown disappeared as raven tried to rise and failed as more blood streamed out from his wound, gasping.
'I forgot. Please, hold still.'
Raven hesitated, and then held still. The small child raised a hand over his wound. Then something strange happened.
Blood flowed back into the wound, flesh resealing itself. Raven's eyes widened as he felt the new flesh. It was itchy. Nothing else.
His weariness had disappeared. Other than that, he could discern a faint white glow surrounding the child's hand.
The blonde child stared into Raven's eyes again. Raven felt a huge urge to look away, but he couldn't. He just couldn't.
The child spoke again. 'You want to live, don't you?'
Raven never broke eye contact while he nodded.
'You will have to be my... servant.'
Raven shuddered. The idea to serve under someone else disturbed him greatly. And under such a child, younger than he was, how could-
No. He had to stop thinking that. This child was definitely not some mere kid. He had been brought to life by this child, and that was ample proof.
The blonde haired boy snorted and as though Raven had spoken those thoughts out loud, he suddenly pulled Raven up by his collar, the other hand raised - was it his imagination or had the boy's fingers and nails grown sharper?
The pure black eyes suddenly turned blacker than Raven could have imagined, eyes like holes of a great abyss. He felt that if he continued to stare into them, he would die. It felt as though
he were starting to lose his life slowly.
The raven nearby squawked again and Raven snapped out of it. He looked at it. He had forgotten it was still there.
The boy flicked his eyes to the raven and back.
'Well?'
Raven realized he had no choice. He nodded reluctantly, and with that, he suddenly felt weary.
The blonde haired boy chuckled and let go.
'Raven.'
He twisted sharply and suddenly grabbed the raven which squawked in alarm. It struggled, and then it seemed to melt into a black liquid, coating the boy's hand.
Then Raven's mind cleared.
The priest said, 'When his son was gone, his grandson would take his place. The reign will end at this point at some time. The scripture is vague... but it ends here.'
Scripture. Priest. Grandson.
Then he saw who the boy was. The source of his family's bloodied history.
The man ran into the cathedral screaming of the fall of God and his son.
'You're the grandchild of god.'
'Damned right you are.' Then the liquid started to shift.
Then it leaped and plunged itself into Raven's body.
The first sensation was that it was cold. Then suddenly it grew hot, and the liquid entered his body. He gave a scream and started to thrash about as the pain nearly grew unbearable. He felt as though he were about to black out. Then the pain abruptly stopped.
It seemed as though he had been set on fire, and he thought he could see flames flickering around him and his vision warping. Suddenly, there were two sharp pangs of pain on his back, and he instinctively moved his hand to his back, finding two wings.
The white robed boy laughed as Raven writhed on the bloodied floor. 'We shall discuss my plans for you very soon.' Then he vanished.
Raven flinched in his spasms of agony.
The boy was gone. That was a relief. The pain slowly subsided, but Raven continued to twitch.
It seemed like five minutes had gone by since the boy left. Raven was once again weak after the god-boy had fused the raven with him, and he lay there panting. He began to try and sit up when a black boot came out of nowhere and pressed firmly on his chest.
Then a man in a black trench coat appeared where the white robed boy had disappeared. His hair was platinum blonde split in a centre parting, a few strands hanging loosely in front. He had a smile which sent a shiver down Raven's
He squatted before the writhing figure. 'Hello there.' The voice was as cold as ice, and as sharp as broken glass, if not more.
'Show me everything that has transpired since you were initiated.'
Raven stopped writhing and tried to push off the boot. Too much. His hands gave way and he felt as though iron nine inch nails were being driven into his arms.
'I don't g-get you.' Raven snarled through his gritted teeth.
The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Ice pricks. Freezing grips of steel colder than anything Raven had ever felt held his legs and arms in place.
Raven felt his senses shatter into millions of pieces, then reform. There was fire. Fire. Cold fire. It burned so badly. He felt his vitality slowly being sapped away. It felt as though he were dying piece by piece.
Then it stopped abruptly. Raven breathed heavily, his lungs burdened by the spasms of pain he had endured. The man smiled.
'Show respect, child. And show me what has transpired.'
Raven couldn't take it. What he had left was his family. They were all dead.
He was forced by a God to serve. Now another wanted to drive him over the edge.
He did.
Raven gave a snarl and roared, reverberating.
As he did this, his body ignited and a wave of crimson light screamed through the area. Lucifer gave a feral snarl, eyes flashed black and jumped backwards just as the light touched where he was a moment ago. The nearby scavengers and animals collapsed, closer plants withered and died instantly as the light passed through them. It slowly faded as it went further, stopping just before it hit the trees. Then Raven was suddenly panting, drained of a tremendous amount of energy.
The man slowly drifted down, landing perfectly on his feet.
'My, my, you're pretty strong.'
Raven, gasped, and coughed.
'Go to hell.'
The adult's smile widened with glee.
'We're already there.'
Then Raven was locked in those grips again. He couldn't think of anything else but the pain. Just pain. It ended abruptly once more.
Raven gasped for breath. 'Who are y-you?'
The man's smile vanished.
'Urgh. You humans are so ignorant. I am Lucifer, need I say more?' He stood up. 'Maybe you ARE completely clueless. I'll have to help myself then.'
The Devil bent and yanked Raven up by his hair, who yelled in pain.
Then he raised his other hand and thrust it into Raven's body. Raven stared at the shifting space where the devil had stuck his hand in. It trembled like disturbed liquid. It felt cold. Lucifer closed his eyes slowly.
Lucifer dived into Raven's memories, absorbing every piece of information of Raven and seemed to slow down towards the end.
He chuckled.
'Foolish.' He said to no one in particular. 'Foolish.'
Then he opened his eyes. His hand went deeper. Their eyes met.
'You're mine now.'
Then Lucifer clutched onto something in Raven.
Raven screamed again as a fresh wave of freezing cold washed over him, and he blacked out.
==========================================
Prologue Part : II - Waking up
==========================================
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. - William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare, "Hamlet"
Spoiler!
It was dark. Cold. He saw nothing.
He kept moving. Nothing. Wait. A flash of white.
He ran towards it.
And suddenly he was falling.
On one side as he fell, resembled a painting of heaven. On the second, raging fires that radiated cold instead of heat.
He didn't scream. There was no point. He was already dead.
The oncoming darkness swallowed him instantly as he came into contact with it.
There was no pain. Just power. Just a energy he had never felt before.
Then it was gone.
*
He felt something trying to break through into his head. Light.
It was light.
He flicked open his eyes of flesh. A clear, white sky lay before him.
The sun strongly shone, and Raven lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the glare of it.
Then he noticed his clothes weren't on. He wasn't wearing what he had worn when he had the dream. The dream of gods.
He ran a gloved finger over his black leather suit. It wasn't too tight, nor was it too loose.
In fact, it was pretty cool looking. He looked around for the first time. No blood. No bodies. Nothing.
He touched his face. It was cold, despite the sun.
Then he noticed the black package which he had been resting his head on.
He lifted it. It didn't weigh much. He undid the pure white string around it.
A big piece of cloth dropped onto his lap. It was a cloak.
He draped it around himself. It was snug, and gave him warmth.
A brooch with a emblem was on his right upturned collar, displaying a black wing of an angel and a blood red pentagram.
Then Raven stood up. The sky. It was wide.
But he was alone now. His family. All gone.
He gave a cry and launched himself into the air.
*
89 Years later.
A ordinary girl would normally stay away from such actions - most would think of it unbecoming of a lady, but she wasn't any 'normal'
girl. The blonde haired girl whipped around and sent her fist flying into the boy's stomach.
He promptly double over and groaned.
She lifted her leg to do an axe kick on his butt to make sure he learned his lesson.
A flustered brown haired girl close by called out.
'LUNA! Leave the poor guy alone!'
8 year old Luna lowered her leg and smirked as the boy lay on the floor whimpering.
She rubbed her hands together and stretched as they walked away from the almost prone figure now nothing but a speck in the distance behind them.
'That boy shouldn't be bothering you again.' Luna giggled
7 year old Shizuko shook her head, her brown hair whipping from side to side.
'But you really need to be more gentle with them. This one was only trying to ask me out for dinner!'
Luna snorted.
'Show me a guy who wants to take you for dinner, i'll spot a pervert.'
Shizuko sighed as they continued to walk on to their homes.
Luna glanced at her as she walked and shrugged.
'Holidays are here. What are you going to do?'
The brown haired girl shook her head.
'I'm only sure that i'll be going away. I don't know where.'
Luna groaned.
'So early? I thought you said you would leave next year!'
Shizuko giggled.
'I was wrong. Relax, I’ll write. If I can. Goodbye, Luna!'
Luna whined.
'Write as soon as you can, okay?'
Shizuko laughed.
'We'll see. In case I don't, I know that I will be somewhere in the 3rd Continent, don't forget!'
The pair soon split up and headed for their respective homes.
*
7 Years later.
A certain blonde haired girl sighed as a chorus of cheers erupted from the graduates of her school. She was happy that school was about to end, and yet unhappy. That was because she knew for a fact her family were in the Principal's office, requesting for another year of private tutoring to further advance their studies. It had been three extra years of these special classes when by all rights, she should have finished FOUR years ago.
She looked up and watched the students congratulate each other, teachers talking to parents probably complimenting their children or sniping every hole in their studies and attitudes.
She buried her face in her hands when she thought of the prospect of yet another year of extra studies and sighed once more.
Two midnight blue sneakers entered her view.
A light hearted and yet bored voice spoke.
'My, my, a damsel in distress.'
Luna groaned when she recognized the voice.
'Go away Minuet, i have enough on my plate.'
She finally looked up when the sneakers didn't move.
A boy with pale brown hair stood before her, eyes of a emerald shade.
His smile was inviting, very, very inviting - explaining the flock of girls standing a few meters away eyeing him and giggling away.
His black coat was unbuttoned, flapping away quite stylishly each time a gust of wind hit it.
Minuet knelt down on one knee and pulled a hand away from Luna's face.
'Well? What's the matter?'
Luna removed her other hand from her face and glared at him.
'You already know, don't you? You always have a knack of knowing things that I wouldn't know.'
Minuet's smile widened.
'You're starting to know me too well.'
Luna continued to glare at him.
The boy stood up, looked at her for a moment and shrugged.
'Just as well. I'm leaving town tomorrow.'
Luna got up and started hopping around Minuet and started asking furious questions like a small dog yipping at a burglar.
Minuet gave a un-manly like giggle and swiftly clamped his hand on Luna's head, keeping her at bay.
'Relax, relax.'
Luna attempted to hit him, but her hands were too short and stopped only an inch from his body.
'YOU-DIDN'T-TELL-ME!'
She punctuated each word with a attempt to punch Minuet, who only gave a bored smile.
Minuet let go and jumped out of range.
'Actually, I did.'
Luna took a step closer, eyes lit with fury.
'I don't recall.'
Minuet placed his hands behind his back and spoke as though reciting a passage from memory.
'Exactly two years, three months and five days ago when it was raining, four 'o' clock in the afternoon at school, in the auditorium.'
Luna breathed deeply and screamed at Minuet, stamping her feet on the ground. Almost every family in the vicinity who had never met Luna all turned to stare at her, who promptly stomped off.
Minuet gave a lazy smile and walked briskly off to get some cold refreshments.
The group of girls, now giggling again ran after him.
*
Luna gave a wide grin as she saw her parents looking quite sullen as they exited the principal's office.
She started hopping around shouting 'YES, YES, YES!'
Her mother, a slightly tanned blonde woman cuffed her by the ear and whispered dangerously into her left ear.
'It's nothing to celebrate about. Keep it up with your antics and i'll PERSONALLY tutor you.'
Luna's face turned solemn in an instant, but those who knew her well would know her eyes would betray her, twinkling like sparks were dancing behind those purple eyes.
Somewhere close by, a boy with a tangle of black hair looked out at the passing Luna with eyes that radiated a sense of curiosity.
Those eyes were a deep, dark red.
*
A clear tone rang across the city as the bell in the cathedral sounded. 15 year old Luna stopped drawing and ran to the window. Perhaps she would see the kid she saw around the tower each time it rang.
A flash of red and black in the setting sun.
The cold structure had an aura of sadness, the girl thought, but most of the townspeople thought different. They said it was a dark aura created by pure malevolence of what had taken place many years ago. It was once a place of worship, but it got greatly damaged in a fire. There were rumors of a vampire family living in the cathedral, but no one for the past 9 years had dared to enter and confirm the rumor in the school, but who could tell?
After all, there were no deaths or people with two puncture holes on their bodies.
A dark shadow flitted across the bell and the girl tensed, eyes flicking to and fro. She would only see him for a few seconds at the top of the roof, and the boy would disappear. First, the cathedral looked like it was uninhabited. Then the next moment, a pale red haired boy stood at the very tip of the tallest of spires.
He looked no older than sixteen, but his eyes seemed to radiate a sense of sadness that permeated others from a distance. Then the boy vanished again. The girl sighed and returned to her drawing. On it was a drawing in a likeness of that boy standing on the cathedral, the features amazingly detailed considering how Luna observed him. As the sun started to set, her family called her down for dinner. She quickly rolled the drawing and placed it carefully into one of the drawers of the desk and ran down.
The holidays had come once more..
Shizuko.
Luna sighed.
She had prepared to spend all of her holidays doing nothing.
She was so wrong.
Somewhere up the tower, the figure appeared once more, staring directly at the window where Luna was staring out at only moments before.
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Chapter One - Cathedral
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Spoiler!Five hours later, the girl woke up with a start. She ran to the window and saw a pale light emanating from the doors of the cathedral. She ran to her parent's room and tried to wake them up.
'Mother, father, there's light coming from the cathedral!'
Her father groaned and said:
'You were dreaming.. Go back to sleep.'
Then the snoring started again.
The girl sighed and ran a hand through her lustrous blonde hair.
She would have to go and check it out alone.
She quickly dressed and ran out of the house with a small lantern.
Her black dress and slim body caused her to blend in so well with the darkness.
Nobody would notice.
Nobody who was human would notice.
***
Fifteen minutes later, she stood at the entrance of the cathedral. Fear gripped her, but not as much as it would for most people, as she was braver than most. Silently, she pushed the door open. The benches were in top shape, and the cathedral didn't look like it had been damaged at all. That, or it had been repaired.. She thought.
Her slim figure was illuminated by a pale, gentle yet unnerving light.
The pale light seemed to come from the blue candles mounted on the pillars, casting a unearthly glow on the place, or did it? It was a tad less pale than the flash earlier. Her slim face and the path to the altar lit by the candles, she walked slowly towards it. Each footstep echoed in the place. Then she saw a red flash of hair behind the piano. She crept closer until a hiss came from somewhere behind her.
She turned around. Nobody. The hiss sounded again. Then she looked up.
The boy she had been looking at each time the cathedral bell rang now hung from a chandelier looking at her, blinking with some curiosity. He wore a black cape and two small points of sharp teeth jutted out of his mouth.
Luna felt a sense of exhilaration and fear creep into her.
Is he a vampire..?
He climbed onto the ceiling and did a backflip jump, landing with a gracefulness of a swan.
Instincts screamed at Luna to run.
But a voice spoke within her.
I know him. Somehow.
The girl moved backwards quite involuntarily. Then she realised what she was doing and chided herself for being so fearful. She took a few steps forward, surprising the boy, who tried to walk backwards but in the end stumbled and fell. The girl paused in her movements, and walked over to him.
She extended her hand towards the boy who seemed to have some sort of vampiric origin and spoke for the first time in those few minutes.
'Im Luna. What's your name?'
The boy hesitated for a moment, and then took her hand. It felt colder than normal. Too cold. Luna wanted to let go, but had a sudden wish to keep that hand warm.
'Im... Raven. Raven Takahashi.'
The boy let go and jumped back, as though Luna was about to attack him.
The boy seemed to be somewhat shy, prefering to stay a metre or two away. Luna had expected him to be completely indifferent and fearsome.
This vampire had displayed none of these traits so far. The vampire looked at her nervously and seemed to read her mind and blushed.
Luna rolled her eyes and made a movement to place down the lamp she held and Raven flinched.
Great. The first vampire I meet is a COWARD..., she thought.
Raven shifted his feet, in a position ready to run for safety.
Luna took a step closer and in an instant Raven jumped up and started scampering onto the chandelier, looking at Luna as though she was bomb about to go off.
Then something in Luna's mind stirred.
'Wait, if you're a vampire, why are you in a CATHEDRAL!? There're crosses here and there and you're still alive!'
The boy tilted his head quizzically.
'What? Crosses? Still alive? What?'
Luna sighed.
'You're probably still alive because you're too stupid to die.' She muttered.
A flash of dislike appeared on the boy's features and was gone the next second.
'I heard that.'
Luna gasped and blushed.
She muttered a terse apology.
Raven smiled and continued to crawl about, examining Luna from even more angles.
'I've never been so close to a human that has seen me in my.. form.. It's unnerving.'
Raven silently wished he was human again. He hopped from the chandelier onto the gallery and peered down at Luna like a little kid who has seen a newcomer, too nervous to go down and talk.
She's.. pretty and.. young..
He's... so... handsome, Luna thought, and her cheeks reddened slightly.
Luna looked around looking for a way to get up. A stair case was on her right, leading to the gallery and above.
She grabbed hems of her skirt and ran up the stairs, joining Raven on the gallery.
Paintings stared out at her on the walls. Vibrantly colored and dull paintings all were on the walls, and some looked like Raven, possibly ancestors or family.
One was painted in a likeness of her. Her blonde hair was swept to one side, a black dress trailing behind her.
Luna ran towards it, Raven following closely.
'Do you like it?'
'Its beautiful. But... How did you see me?'
'You watch me each day, and I could sense it. I of course, watched in turn. Then i made this painting. I never thought once about you coming to see me, though.'
And of course, i did follow you around like some kind of stalker for a time... which makes me feel like such a creep all of a sudden.
Raven shivered.
So does that mean he KNEW i was watching him?
Luna winced.
'Point taken.'
Luna turned her eyes to the painting again.
It seemed to be a while before she spoke again.
Raven just stared at her, almost as though in a dreamy trance.
'What was that light emnating from here earlier? The candles?' Luna suddenly asked.
Raven's eyes widened slightly, but he turned his gaze from Luna and spoke rather coldly.
'Nothing you need to know.'
--------------------
The vampiric kid crawled to the ceiling as Luna started to bombarded him with questions.
'Wait, are you sure you aren't a vampire?'
'Yes.'
'Do you have a family?'
'Had.'
'Is that hair color natural?'
'What?'
'Nevermind. Is this your home?'
'Maybe.'
'Are you att- Okay, nevermind. Do you drink blood?'
Raven's face gave a innocent yet rather frightening smile.
'Maybe, Maybe not.'
'Am I-'
The boy raised a hand and Luna stopped. He ran it through his hair and sighed.
'You have as many questions as the number of leaves in a forest. Be patient and I will answer them one by one as well as I can. AND some may be too personal.'
Raven smiled, showing teeth slightly sharpened to a point.
Luna seemed to hesitate and decide better of delving too deep.
'You have alot of pictures here. Did you draw all of them?'
'Yes.'
Luna paused.
'Can you teach me how you do them so wonderfully? My artworks are never as good as these.'
Raven hung from the chandelier, lost in contemplation for a moment.
'I've somewhat been able to see your drawings, but not really clearly in the distance. However, from what I could make out, they are not too shabby, they're pretty done well, actually,'
Luna grinned.
So i'm not the only one watching the other party here.
Raven continued.
'I think if I teach you a little more you can do better than me, even.'
Luna gasped and shook her head.
'Impossible, these works are magnificent.'
Raven smiled again. He gestured to her painting.
'Im afraid it doesn't look as well as the real thing.'
Luna sat crosslegged on the floor and drew a imaginary face in the air and she kept pointing at each question and asked, but Raven always seemed
to give her brief answers for each. However, as Luna asked more questions, it went deeper into the night and eventually, the sun started to shine through the windows.'
They ended up both sitting cross legged on the gallery floor arguing about the best item to use to sketch.
'Charcoal's too dirty!' Luna shouted.
Raven sighed 'That's not the point. Carbon graphite lead is so hard to get cheap and you quickly run out of it compared to charcoal which lasts longer.'
Sunlight had started to bathe Raven in a golden glow, dust drifting slowly in the air.
The boy turned to face it.
'Day is upon us. Ill bring you back to your home.'
Luna protested.
'There's no point. I can walk back and besides, you would burn in the sun, wouldn't you?'
The boy started to laugh, a sound that made Luna smile and feel that the world was suddenly filled to the brim with happiness and peace.
'Do I look like i'm burning to you? I already told you, i'm not a vampire.'
It took Luna a moment to realise he was bathed in sunlight.
'Oh.'
'Then let us wait no longer.'
He jumped down and grabbed Luna around the waist and ran to the arched window. He bent down and black feathered wings sprouted from his back.
Luna could only gasp as Raven took a step forward and sent them falling.
The floor drew closer rapidly and Luna shut her eyes tightly.
Then just a few metres from the ground, Raven flew upwards sharply and shot towards Luna's house. By the time Luna opened her eyes, they had landed on the windowsill. Luna stared at the boy that was carrying her and felt comfortable in his arms. Their eyes met. Both blushed, Raven's face redder than a red rose. He turned away and lowered her down.
As Luna got into her room, she turned.
'Ill see you again?'
Raven smiled.
'Of course.'
And with that, he spread his wings and once more flew back into what remained of the darkness.
Just as he disappeared from view, the entire city was covered in sunlight as the sun continued to rise.
A single black feather lay on the windowsill.
Luna took it and brushed the side with a finger. It was soft and slightly cool.
She was about to throw it out of the window, and thought better of it. She opened her drawer and kept it together with her artworks.
It would be a while before she would have to get down for breakfast.
==========================================
Chapter Two - Belief or Death
==========================================
Fire! Enemies! Death! Murderers! - Saphira.
Eragon, By Christopher Paolini. ( Book )
Spoiler!'Father?'
Luna's dad, Dante, looked up, chewing a piece of bacon.
'Mmm?'
'The cathedral, what happened to it?'
He choked on his bacon and started coughing.
He breathed a few breaths before starting to reply.
'The cathedral - few would ask about the place. I know little about it than... some, but i can tell you what has made it so... desolate.'
He took a sip of coffee and gave a huge sigh before continuing.
'There was a rich family that owned the cathedral once about a century ago. They were of the Takahashi line, rather famous for their generosity and it seemed that every single one of those people were highly skilled in at least one thing, for example, swordplay. If you challenged the wrong people of that family at ANYTHING, they would always fail. They lent the cathedral to the church, and that made their standing higher among the people. Eventually the townspeople coined a nickname for them, The Fatum family, which is, latin, i believe, and it means destiny. I have no idea why, but there is apparently a myth in the Takahashi family line, that their bloodlines were literally the line between heaven and earth and it is said they descended from a peacekeeping angel of the past. But there was a conflict that happened between one of that family and one of the priests of the church and soon after, the man who was in conflict with the church, Raven the first, he- Good heavens, be more careful Luna!'
Luna in her surprise had choked on her sandwich, coughing out bits and pieces.
'Sorry.'
Her father sighed and took a draught from his mug of coffee.
'Okay. Raven the first, he fell in love with that man's daughter. They both loved each other greatly, but once the girl's father found out, he was furious, for Raven had once entered their church and claimed salvation was a web of lies. Then he did something foolish. He spat in Raven's face when he caught him with her daughter in the town central. The 'Fatum' were also very famed for their fiery pride and Raven was no different. Raven slew the man on the spot and escaped to the cathedral with the daughter. Of course, the townspeople knew who they were and quickly mobbed together and attacked the Takahashi family, for it is the biggest offence to kill another, especially if not out of self-defense.'
'Father, did they fight back?'
'Of course, they had to. They were peace lovers, maybe excluding Raven, but they could not convince the townspeople to forgive him and thus had to fight back.
Obviously, due to their skills, the townspeople had trouble, but they were in great numbers. Eventually, many lay dead in the cathedral. The rest of the townspeople escaped and less than 10 of the Takahashis remained. Raven was among them, but he had lost his to-be-wife, grief-stricken and commited suicide. This fight was later named the 'Massacre of regret', and indeed, the townspeople and the remainder did regret it. The remainder of the Takahashi family began to clean and repair the damage in the cathedral, and continued to live in peace and solitude for another four years. However, one morning a boy came running into town screaming there were dead people in the cathedral. A boy was said to have been seen in the vicinty, someone draped in black with red hair. Some say it was the angel of death, or even one of the dead revived seeking vengeance upon his family killers. Sadly, when the townspeople came running with medical supplies and such, everyone there was beyond saving. It was bloody and obviously the work of someone wielding an axe, for people had body parts hacked cleanly apart. But some died from wounds apparently.. dealt with the very same axe.. but they died anyway, for later the mortician found traces of poison in the wounds. No one knew who killed them all. Only a few, bt of course, no one else knows who."
He took another swig of coffee.
Luna's eyes settled onto her father.
"Do you know who did it?"
Dante sighed and looked her squarely in the eye.
'Father?'
'I do. I am one of those people. That murderer... Was your grandfather, Howard.'
Luna froze.
It was too much for her to take in. She passed out and her head crashed into a bowl of wet, sticky oatmeal.
-----------
Luna awoke with a start, attempted to swing her legs out of bed, one foot crashing into the bedpost. She jumped out of bed and started cursing vehemently. As soon as she stopped, she noticed a piece of parchment on the desk.
She walked towards it, wincing slightly each time her right foot touched the floor.
I'm sorry that you had to know that, but i never thought you would be interested, so i didn't bother. Your mother and I are out to visit the McKinnons. Stay out of trouble.
Love,
Dad
Luna shook off the drowsiness that came from waking up and was about to open the room door when she heard a tapping noise.
She swung her head towards the source and saw Raven squatted outside the window tapping his finger on the pane of glass.
Luna brightened and rushed to the window and opened it up, letting him in.
Yeah. Let the flying guy into your house who's a possibly vengeful psychopath. Mmmmmhmm. Right choice.
She shook her head of the thought - even though it made perfect sense.
Raven folded his wings and they shrunk back into his back. His crimson hair seemed to be soaked with blood in the sunlight, but she couldn't tell for sure. He tilted his head and smiled.
'Hello.'
Luna smiled.
'Hello.'
Raven hopped onto the bed and rolled about.
'That feels nicely soft. Ive been squatting outside your window for quite a while now. Do you want to go back to the cathedral with me?'
Luna hesitated.
'Um. I think my parents wouldn't allow it.. So I don't really-'
Raven raised a hand.
'It's okay. I can understand.'
He jumped back onto the floor and started to spin not unlike a ballet dancer, a frown on his face.
Luna slumped back onto the bed.
'So what do we do then? Im bored.'
Luna raised an eyebrow.
'We?'
Raven sighed.
'It really is boring to be cooped up and having nothing of interest to do.'
Raven paused mid-spin, miraculousy not tipping over.
'Perhaps... I saw you drawing in the past. Could I have a look?'
No harm in that, Luna shrugged.
She moved towards the desk and was about to pull open the drawer where her drawings were stored when something hit her.
His drawings are better than mine.. What if he mocks me?
She stared at the smooth knob of wood that protruded out of the drawer.
Raven noticed her hesitation.
'Hmm? Is there something wrong?'
Luna paused, shook her head and pulled the knob.
Raven walked over and peered into the drawer.
Luna flushed and turned around. 'I'm sorry. I'm not really um, a good artist and-' She hesitated, then lowered her head. 'I've been told my artwork was weird, including me.'
Raven raised one her drawings and smiled.
'You have your own style and it is original, so that's a good thing at least. And a normal girl would freak out at the sight of a inhuman kid, in a cathedral that is supposedly abandoned, all in the middle of the night. AND you also have the nerve to bombard me with a flurry of questions instead of running away at top speed.'
She breathed a sigh of relief. That's nice of him, not judging me as though I really suck.
Raven flicked up each of piece of paper one after another just after giving it a brief scan.
'They're good, but they need some improvement. You could use some work on some shading. Take this one over here for example...'
'What about this one here?'
'Aha, I already spot a flaw, look here..'
'But no, that is supposed to be part of the drawing. Oops, i forgot too add something to this piece..'
The two kept talking and talking, occasionally one raised their voice slightly in protest to what seemed to be a flaw on the artwork or the defense.
Several hours passed, and they argued about a painting of the town square, oblivious about the time.
'It's the fountain!'
'If you ask me, it looks flatter than a sheet of ironed rice paper.'
'How dare-'
Her words were cut short by a muffled slam from the bottom of the house.
'LUNA! WE'RE HOME!'
Raven flicked his eyes towards the door.
'I had better leave.'
He ran to the window and tried to lift it up.
'Its stuck! I could rip it out, but your parents...'
Luna ran over and tried to help, but to no avail.
Raven swore.
'Anywhere you can hide?'
Raven glanced under the bed and swore again.
'I can't squeeze under there, and your closet is packed.'
Then a idea formed in Luna's mind.
'Actually, have a rather simple solution.'
A maternal voice sounded from below.
'Luna? Are you there?'
They hastened with their plan for Raven to avoid detection.
The end result was Luna lying in bed, blanket covering half her face, with Raven nowhere in sight.
Footsteps.
Her mom swung the door open.
'I'm so sorry Luna, they wanted us to stay a little longer, I- Why are you still in bed?! Are you ill?'
Luna raised her head and gave a weak smile and forced a cough.
'Just a slight cough. I'll sleep early today, and i'll be as good as new tomorrow morning!'
Her mother thought for a moment, and finally decided.
'Okay. If you need anything, i'll be in the kitchen.'
She turned just as a single black feather came floating slowly down.
Raven, two metres up in the dark corner above the door mouthed an oath.
The feather seemed as though it would land on her mother's head, but she had bumped the door creating a slight breeze, altering the feather's course.
It landed on the floor just as she closed the door.
Silence.
Raven slowly walked down on the wall.
His and Luna's eyes met.
'That was TOO close.' They both said in unison.
Luna stared at him as he walked closer. His cloak somehow flapped as though there was a wind blowing in the room.
His red hair seemed to sparkle in the weak light of the lamps.
Maybe... Maybe he isn't that bad. Maybe he was just nervously shy when i met him.
Raven walked forward.
He looks so graceful..
Then irony kicked in and Raven tripped over a scroll and fell hard on the floorboards.
Then again...
A questioning voice sounded from below.
'Luna? What are you doing?'
Raven cursed and ran to the window and rammed it straight up, Luna followed behind him.
He turned around for a brief moment as his wings began to unfurl.
'Ill see you soon.'
And he fell backwards, just as the door opened.
Luna's mother walked in, her expression a mix of sterness and curiosity.
Luna smiled weakly yet again.
'I er, wanted some fresh air, so uh, I tried to open the window and it was a little stuck.'
Luna's mother looked thoughtful.
'I'll make you some soup and get you a piece of bread - you must be starving.'
They both looked at each other and her mother shrugged, closing the door.
Luna closed her eyes and slumped onto her bed.
She could almost swear there was something beating powerful wings in the dark.
==========================================
Chapter Three - Angel's Plea
==========================================
Send me out... with a bang. - Johnson
Avery Johnson, Halo 3 ( Video Game )
==========================================Spoiler!As the days went by, Raven watched Luna draw her artworks under guidance.
During that time, every now and then Luna would ask more about Raven. He most of the time gave a brief answer or merely answer with :
'That is something I am not ready to tell others yet.'
Luna was careful not to question too deep into his past for she feared Raven would figure the connection between his ancestor's deaths and her family.
Raven seemed to have a serene expression on his face almost all the time, yet when she looked into his eyes, she saw sadness in those red eyes. Every now and then, Luna would notice some damage to his clothes, and twice there was some blood, but she never asked where they had come from.
She didn't take long to find out why.
---
Luna took out a eraser and used it to smudge some of the pencil lines ever so slightly and wrote her name at the bottom of the paper. It was done.
She stood up and examined her work carefully.
It was almost a perfect portrait of the cathedral, with the exception that the real cathedral looked a lot more gloomy than her artwork.
She carefully rolled the paper and tied it with a small red ribbon. She packed up the of pencils on the table and slumped on the bed to take a breather.
A few minutes passed and then Luna sat up, tied her blonde hair into a neat ponytail and ran off to the cathedral.
---
She was grinning even though a little weary from running and leaned against the ruined gates of the cathedral, the only thing that was left unrepaired.
There was a creak and she quickly shifted her weight off the weathered iron.
Then she heard a yell from inside.
She smiled, walked in briskly and was about to call Raven's name when she was dumbstruck by the chaos in front of her. A white winged man -an angel, she assumed- seemed to be attacking Raven, though Raven was merely dancing around to avoid his attacks.
The angel seemed to be overcome with rage, forgetting all codes of the Angelic, and attacked Raven viciously. He gave a cry.
'Raven, you are to head to heaven immediately! Stop this foolishness and come with me, HE wants you, for your time is up.'
Raven only snickered as he danced about, attacks of white light hitting places just only a few inches from him.
'I have already accepted the stigma of the fallen angel, Vann, I have sworn revenge. YOU stop this foolishness, before you too receive the stigma.'
The angel seemed to stop in his tracks, almost in doubt, which was a fatal mistake because as soon as he did, time seemed to halt and the angel couldnt move, his eyes flicking left and right in fear. Raven however, moved freely.
'I lied, you have to ASK for the stigma, and many are rejected it. But I have also studied your movements, Vann..'
Raven took a step closer to the angel.
'You have done well... But not well enough.. It's not like you can struggle.'
He was now close enough to see the ruffled white feathers of the Angel's wings.
Raven stroked Vann's face. The hand was cold to the touch.
'You know very well you won't live long.'
The angel cried and struggled to overcome the paralysis and escape, but to no avail, for Raven's powers were well beyond his.
Raven stopped right before the angel.
'I shall reward you by showing you thirty percent.'
There was a brief flash of light and black chains seemed to form out of nothing and whip across the angel, holding him securely. But in the brief moment he was not bound, the angel managed to move a hand and struck across Raven's face, snapping it back 90 degrees.
Raven massaged his jaw and cricked his neck back into position.
'Bad move.'
He grabbed the angel and slammed him into the wall and the chains broke off and disappeared. The angel groaned and was flung into the air.
Raven waved his hand in slow yet precise movements and the angel was slashed by invisible waves of wind, jerking at each hit. The angel seemed to be held aloft for a moment and stared into those unforgiving cold eyes.
Raven smiled grimly.
'End game.'
And he waved his hand once more.
A head thudded onto the marble floor and slowly but surely, the angel's remains turned into light and combined, forming a mote of light, emmiting the same pale light she had seen on the night she had met raven. The mote seemed to float upwards, but before it reached anywhere, Raven flew up and grabbed the mote. One of his hands plunged into it, and drew out Vann the angel's soul. There was a final weak plea from the spirit, and Raven sucked down the soul into his body. The same pale light Luna had seen glowed from Raven for a moment, then it completely ebbed away.
Luna was now near petrified.
She turned and ran.
*
In the cathedral, the boy sensed something close to the edge of his range. He turned towards the doors.
Nobody. He had been imagining things.
Then he walked out and into the darkness of the night.
Chapter Four - Lucifer's First Warning
==========================================
Van Helsing: There's something down here. And it's carnivorous. Whatever it is it appears to be... human.
I'd say he's a size 17, about 360 pounds, 8 and a half to 9 feet tall. He has a bad gimp in his right leg, and... 3 copper teeth.
Anna Valerious: How do you know he has copper teeth?
Van Helsing: Because he's standing right behind you— move!
Van Helsing, Van Helsing ( Movie )
Spoiler!Luna hadn't dared to approach Raven since the day she saw the Angel Vann get 'eaten'.
She walked to the window. It was late. Darkness seemed to cover the place, rain causing visibility to be worse, but with one or two streetlights lit in certain areas.
Raven would soon look for her. Avoiding him would be futile, she thought.
Just as she was about to turn, a piece of darkness seemed to move.
She took a step backwards, as it drifted closer and closer, a flash of red in the air. It resolved into a cloaked figure, head bent down and landed on the windowsill.
Luna sighed. It was Raven. She opened the window. The cloaked figure shifted, water dripping from the hood's edges.
'You scared me, sorry for being unable to c-'
She stopped as the hood rose.
Two red pinpricks appeared within the hood.
A unearthly snarl came from within the cloak.
Luna retreated to the back of the room.
Two sleeved hands rose to pull back the hood, a flash of talons from within.
Fear Luna had never felt before ran through her.
The creature before her had a head of a wolf, somewhat out of this world, the fur on the
neck ebbing as it went down to some sort of hard material. It made a guttural noise in it's
throat and took a step forward. One of the taloned hands ripped off the cloak and Luna
gasped. The creature was wolf-headed and taloned yet had the body of a praying mantis.
Two more arms detached from its body and instead of ending with talons, they ended with
scythes this time. Two scaled feet with one sharp claw ending on each made a clicking noise
each time they hit the floorboard.
To Luna, it seemed to be some demon spawned straight out of hell.
The wolf opened its mouth and spoke for the first time, yet with words Luna had never heard
of. A forked tongue flicked about in it's mouth.
Luna huddled against the wall and gave a cry of fear.
Cold realization dawned on her.
I am going to die.
*
Luna gave a cry of fear.
'What do you want?!'
The wolf paused halfway through it's weird language. Then it hissed.
'LUCIFER WANTS YOU BACK AND REPAY THE FAVOR HE HAS GIVEN YOU, RAV-'
Whatever else the demon-like thing would have said was lost as Raven came crashing through
the roof, one leg outstretched before the other in a flying kick position, wings folded.
He and the creature crashed through the floorboards and into the living room below.
A woman's scream sounded from below.
Luna shrieked.
'MOTHER!'
A bloodcurdling roar sounded from below and Luna ran for the stairs.
-----
Raven was standing in front of Luna's parents, arms thrust up in a defensive position. The creature was on all fours on the wreckage of the floor, reared and poised to attack. It made a gurgling noise in its throat as Luna joined her parents behind Raven.
It pointed at Luna with a taloned hand.
'I MISTOOK HER FOR YOU AS YOU HAD HER SCENT. I BELIEVED YOU WOULD HAVE TAKEN ANOTHER FORM IN THIS WO-'
Raven snarled.
'Shut up.'
Then he lunged for the creature, which in turn lunged at him.
They met midair and crashed to the floor, interlocked in a whirl of movement. Luna was terrified why Raven would enter unarmed until she noticed Raven's fingers had become sharp claws, glinting in the weak light of the fireplace.
The creature slashed Raven's side, and blood streamed from the wound rapidly and hissed.
'Lucifer says he wishes to take away everything you have. He'll have to be faster than me since you're already dying.'
Raven merely smiled - the blood had started flowed backwards and his flesh seemed to reform.
The demonic thing's faced showed doubt in the furry face.
Raven raised his hand and thrust it into the insectile chest of the creature.
It let out a unearthly shriek as it ignited in red flames.
It writhed and clawed at the fire as Raven drew out his arm from the body, but it only spread to its hands. The fire spread all over and the creature shrieked again and the thing vanished.
Raven brushed his fringe to a side.
'Send my regards to Lucifer.'
*
Dante sat back and rubbed his forehead.
'So.'
Luna sat back and crossed her arms.
'So.' She said defensively.
'You've kept this from us for... two months?'
'Three.'
Luna's mother, Misa, sighed.
'You could have told us, we're your parents, afterall.'
'Right, i'll let you know if I meet a demon-angel ever again. Besides, I did try to get you two up.' She retorted, voice dripping with sarcasm.'
Raven raised a finger and spoke testily.
'The appropriate term is Fallen Angel, and I find it awkward that i'm the revolving point of this discussion, so can we talk about something else, er, like flower arrangi-'
Luna shot Raven a glare that silenced him instantly. He raised a hand to mimic zipping his mouth and locking it, throwing the imaginary key away.
She turned back towards her parents.
'I need to speak with Raven for a while. Can we answer your questions later?'
Dante, still rubbing his forehead like a itch he could not get rid off, replied with a slow backhand sweep of his hand.
Luna got up and walked past the ruins of what was part of her room and up the stairwell, Raven following closely behind.
'Raven?' Luna's father poked his head from the stairwell.
The 'Angel' stuck his head out of the doorway.
Dante managed a weak smile.
'You aren't having premartial sex with my daughter are you?'
Raven's face contorted into something between a protesting expression and a grin.
Luna also poked her head out of her room and narrowed her eyes at her father.
Dante blinked innocently and shrugged.
'We were talking about vegetables and how beneficial they're to our bodies.'
Luna narrowed her eyes even more, pulled Raven into the room and slammed the door.
==========================================
Chapter Five - Fallen's heart
==========================================
The price of freedom is steep. -Zack
Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core. ( Video Game )
Spoiler!Raven sat on one end of the bed, examining his fingernails.
'So, what do you want to talk to me about?'
Luna sat on the other side of the bed, facing the window.
Pale moonlight shone through the thing glass panes.
Raven turned around.
'Is there something wrong?'
Luna turned to face him, eyes brimming with tears.
'Yes. You.'
Raven blinked quizzically.
'What did i do? Don't cry, just talk to me. Pour it all out. You'll feel better.'
He rummaged his pockets for a moment and gave up, taking off his cloak and handing it to Luna.
'Here. Use this to wipe your face.'
Luna pushed his hand away.
'You lied.'
Raven raised an eyebrow.
'About?'
'Everything.'
Raven's face went blank, devoid of emotion.
'I admit I have lied, but not about everything.'
He turned away for a moment.
'Luna. Remember I told you I couldn't tell you some things?'
Luna glared at him with reddened eyes full of hate.
'WELL I KNOW. I KNOW SOME OF THEM NOW.'
Raven's face remained as cold as stone.
'I saw you, I saw you absorb that angel.'
Raven's eyes flashed with a brief recognition which faded almost immediately and he gave a thin smile which didn't reach his eyes.
'Which one?'
Luna hesitated.
'Vann. The one named Vann.'
Raven rolled his eyes and turned around, walking to Luna's desk, picking up one of her quills and examining it.
'He was nothing in the equation. He should be glad he will not have to take part in the upcoming war.'
Luna stopped sniffing again, turned towards him.
'What war?' she questioned, voice full of suspicion.
Raven turned and looked at her.
'The war. The war to end all wars. This planet sees endless cycles of strife, and this war will end it.'
His eyes narrowed.
'The destiny of the gods. Ragnarok. The devil and God's child who has taken over his grandfather's throne will do battle.'
He took a step towards Luna and spread his hands.
'It is inevitable. For a hundred years this war has been underway, but quietly in small attacks. My ancestors and I were the only ones who could sense it, the death cries of millions of demons and screams of angels. We were the only wall that could defend the lands of this planet. Until my ancestor, Raven the first foolishly caused the massacre of my family.'
'The Massacre of regret..' Luna spoke softly, her crying halted.
Raven turned away.
'I was the last of the Lancea's to die, but with a pact between the new God and still devil Lucifer, I lived for a time. I was to serve under them, making me a double-agent. I used to serve either who required my assistance until I found a flaw in the contract that their greed had made them overlook. I escaped to the only place i had left - the Cathedral. And you talk about insignificant lies like this?'
Raven glared at her.
'Do you have any, just ANY idea how much pain i've been through, compared to just some measly lies?'
Luna remained silent, a tear rolling down her face.
Raven was now shaking uncontrollably, eyes ablaze.
'No. You have no idea, do you? DO YOU? No. You bloody DON'T!'
He tore at his hair and gave a scream that pierced the silence of the night.
Then he bent low and started to laugh, a cold painful laugh that sent shivers down Luna's spine. He looked up, what looked like crimson tears running down his face.
He walked towards the window.
'I had believed..' Luna began, starting to cry again.
Raven shook his head sadly.
'Believed nothing. The torment you cannot understand.'
He took another step towards the window.
'I thought i would have found someone else who could understand, someone who would just trust me.'
Raven climbed onto the windowsill and turned his head to look at Luna,
a face with misery etched into it.
'I had believed that you could love me.'
Then he unfurled his wings and flew off into the unforgiving black of the night.
Luna was a strong girl, and thus she held it for a moment.
And then as she buried her face in her hands did the tears begin to flow.
==========================================
Chapter Six - Lucifer's Second Warning
==========================================
Spoiler!Luna raised the portrait of Raven she had made.
Her face was determined. She held the paper as though she was about to tear it, then she changed her mind.
She threw the drawing and started jumping on Raven's face for a while.
Then she fell down, panting.
'I feel much better.. Just not good enough.'
She took ink pens and started drawing on his face.
By the time she was done, the drawing now displayed Raven sporting a goateee and moustichio, bushy eyebrows and buck teeth.
She laughed at her work and threw it aside.
*
Raven was walking around the streets in broad daylight.
But instead of his usual cloak and hair, his hair was a light brown and he wore a white shirt and grey sandy jeans. He seemed perfectly like a normal teenager in the town and blended in.
He sighed.
I blew it, I guess. Luna's never going to forgive me.
Then something enveloped Raven, a feeling of intense maleovance.
His eyes flicked back and forth, searching for the source.
A lightly tanned man in a brown checkered coat was walking towards him, his forehead creased as though as in deep thought. Raven warily stared at the man, attempting to penetrate a possible disguise. But Raven found nothing.
Hmm. Interesting. Perhaps, i'm just being paranoid...
The man walked past him and Raven relaxed a little more.
Then Raven was about to return to the Cathedral when a thought hit him.
He spun around. The man was at Luna's doorstep already.
As Raven advanced towards Luna's house, Luna had already opened the door for the man to let the man enter. Then Raven was already dashing for the door.
He yelled.
*
The doorbell rang. Luna looked up from her lunch and went to crack the door open an inch.
She peered out.
A blonde haired man with a ravishing smile looked at her.
'Hello.'
Luna's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
'Hello?'
He gave a laugh.
'I'm looking for Mister Dante Shirogane, is he in?'
Luna relaxed.
'Nope, sorry. Come back later.'
She tried to push the door shut but a hand stopped her.
He stuck his head in.
'Could I wait here for him? If he hasn't arrived after five minutes, I will leave.'
Luna sighed.
'Fine.'
She pulled open the door.
The man looked at her and walked in, that dazzling smile almost causing her to smile back.
She chided herself.
Nobody's going to make me smile, I didn't create this bad mood for nothing!
As she tried to close the door, she heard a yell. Then something pushed the door open again, causing her to sprawl over.
Raven stood in the doorway, or at least, someone who looked like Raven.
'Luna! Chase him out! He's not-'
Then Luna got up and started jabbing his chest.
'YOU!'
'Wha!?'
Luna snarled.
'YOU! HOW DARE YOU STILL TRY TO SHOW YOUR FACE HERE!'
Raven backed away with each jab.
'SCRAM YOU HEARTLESS JERK, SCRAM!'
Luna turned around and walked back in.
Before Raven even realised he was out of the door, Luna had already slammed the door shut with a bang.
Then Luna turned to face the man, who looked a little startled.
She gave a forced smile.
'Sorry, may I get you a drink?'
*
Raven looked fearfully at the building.
It was possible that Luna would be harmed.
He couldn't take any chances. He couldn't change into his normal form with so many people around.
He ran into the shadow of the house and started climbing.
*
The man sipped the cup of tea and sighed appreciatively.
Luna was about to bring in her dishes to wash when she heard a loud thud from outside, along with a muffled curse.
The man looked at the wall from where the sound had come from and gave a amused look.
Luna sighed and went into the kitchen.
The man then glanced into the kitchen, and shifted his hand, which had a metallic sheen to it.
*
Raven swore. One of the shingles had come loose and he had fallen straight down on his bum.
He rubbed it gingerly before he realised he could just heal it.
Then as he healed himself he heard a yelp of surprise and a feral snarl from inside.
He started climbing the wall with a speed born from fear.
*
Luna walked into the room and put her hands on her hips.
'Time's up mister. Please leave.'
The man smiled and raised his hand which had started to distort.
'Oh, ah-ah-ah. I don't think so my dear.'
It took a moment before Luna realised the hand was actually made of metal and shifting the parts to form something else.
Then the man's face started to shift until it revealed a metal skull with red flaring eyes.
Then Luna ran for the stairs.
'YOU CAN KEEP RUNNING GIRL, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE! Now stay still and i will make this painless.'
'Then you can chase me all the way to hell.' Luna muttered as she ran up the stairs.
Then the metal-man crashed up the staircase, metal hands had sprouted from his back, pulling him up.
The man grinned and looked like a metal spider about to feast.
Then the roof broke and Raven dropped onto the floor between them.
He snarled and his black wings enveloped him and when they were drawn back, he had his red hair and black cloak again.
A sword shimmered into existance, red engravings in the middle of it which glowed.
The metal man's extra arms morphed into a giant blade.
He grasped it and ripped it from his back, the blade sparking.
'This will certainly be fun.'
'And your end.'
Raven snarled again and they clashed.
The smaller blade somehow held against the monster electrical blade.
Raven jumped backwards, leaving a scorched trail and ran a hand over his blade which started to grow bright red.
Luna dashed into the safety of her room, closing the door, which was a rather futile attempt as the monster blade came crashing through the wall of her room.
The metal man entered and turned to look at her with the grin skulls always have. And then Raven sent a wave of pure energy causing the man to stagger forward.
Then Raven sent his sword flying into the skull's head, piercing it entirely, the end coming out from one of the skull's eye sockets.
The metal man collapsed on her bed. The stress of the metal man's weight was too much for the floor.
Luna gave a groan as the floor gave way to the bed and the metal man and his blade.
Then something had her in a lock. She struggled for a moment before she realised it was Raven.
'I thought I would lose you.'
Luna sighed.
'I thought I would never see you again when he came crashing up.'
Luna turned around as Raven loosed his grip and slapped him.
He blinked and rubbed his face.
'I guess I deserved that.'
Luna smiled and hugged him again.
They looked into each other's eyes and their lips were only a inch or two away from each other.
They both closed their eyes and bent their heads forward to kiss.
And before they could do that, they heard a whir from the floor beneath.
They stared at the floor's gaping hole.
Clicking noises sounded.
Then the ripped metal skull poked it's head into the room.
They looked into each other's eyes and their lips were only a inch or two away from each other.
They both closed their eyes and bent their heads forward to kiss.
And before they could do that, they heard a whir from the floor beneath.
They stared at the floor's gaping hole.
Clicking noises sounded.
Metal claws grasped the wooden floorboards
Then the ripped metal skull poked it's head into the room.
The hole in the head hadn't done much except loosen some circuits and penetrate the skull, which some parts were hanging by mere wires.
The hair was now cut off in some parts and instead of blonde, they pulsated, the cut ends sparking every now and then.
Then it gave a bloodcurdling electronic laugh, head shaking violently, circuits and parts threatening to break off.
'What a touching reunion. Now you two stay right where you are, i'm going to come right up as soon as i salvage what i can from my blade.~!'
*
The metal limbs and head altogether vanished.
A screeching noise of metal going against metal sounded from below, followed by a cry of triumph.
Raven's arms started to glow red, fingers appearing to sharpen, and he tensed, eyes focused on the gaping hole in the floor.
He certainly didn't expect a metal limb punch through the floorboards and pull him down.
His eyes were unfocused for a moment, head hurting from the crash, and when his eyes refocused, red flaming eyes stared right back at him.
Then he kicked forward, leg bathed in red flames, leaving a heavy dent in the metal man's body.
The metal man let out another electronic shriek as it pulled off the human clothes and skin.
Then the legs seemed to shift, and by the time Raven realised what they were changing into, he was hit straight in the gut with a 3 tonne hammer.
The creature threw the hammer aside.
Raven bent over gasping, the red fire vanished. Treads shifting from the metal man's body, and it rolled over to Raven and their eyes met again.
Then Raven looked above it's head.
A chandelier with a pointy diamond hung above.
The metal man grinned.
'Well, shall we finish this?'
Raven's eyes snapped back to his and narrowed.
'Gladly.'
And he kicked once more, sending the machine straight up the ceiling, where it was impaled upon the diamond.
It gave a scream of fury, and was about to slide down when Raven jumped up and formed a barrier that stopped the machine from sliding down further.
Their eyes met for the third time.
'You know it won't stop me for long.' The man hissed.
Raven smiled.
'It will give me enough time to draw your soul out.'
Raven's arms ignited once more and he punched it into the machine's chest.
A thousand gigawatts flowed all over Raven, but he didn't do so much as flinch.
Then Raven rummaged in the chest, the machine's flaming eyes now glowing dimly.
Raven smiled as he seemed to clutch onto something.
Then the metal man used what seemed to be the last of it's power to clench Raven's head to turn and look into it's eyes once more.
'The war will leave this world in ruins, and you will never stop him.'
Raven rolled his eyes, and pulled.
Instantly, the machine went dead, the grip on Raven's hair loosened and fell limp.
Raven drew his arm back and in his hand was a pulsating sphere of light which he examined for a moment, and then he sucked it in.
As Raven drew back, he released the flow of energy that kept the machine held up on the chandelier, which of course, came crashing onto the twice wrecked living room.
Luna peeked from the floor above.
Raven looked up and smiled He waved a hand just as the door opened.
Luna's mom and dad dropped their bags of grocery and stared at what remained of the second floor and living room.
Raven's eyes seemed to widen. Then he pointed at the machine wreckage.
'He did it!'
Luna's parents eyes shifted to the wreck of the monstrous thing that now lay quite dead on what appeared to be a metal hammer.
When they turned back to Raven, he was already gone.
==========================================
Chapter Seven - Diabolos
==========================================
We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell - Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde ( Playwright & Poet )
Spoiler!The clink of stone against stone started and quickly ended. The herbs were already crushed quite a bit already, and wouldn't need much grinding. The old man lowered the pestle and lifted the stone bowl to slowly pour onto a translucent white paper which he then lifted onto the scales and counted a few small pebbles to place on the other plate. As the coarse and frail looking hands wrapped the herbs up, another pair of hands were laid on the counter. Their owner stared into blank space, as if contemplating where had he gone wrong. The frail physician looked up at the pale brown haired man and sighed.
'It's been hard on you. Maybe you're just hallucinating and i'm trying to believe a crazy father.' The physician attempted to smile, but it was weak, almost devoid of most emotion. The pale man seemed as though he didn't hear the physician.
The feeble man sighed again. 'Look after Misa. And don't tell this... Raven that I still live.'
Dante wordlessly took the package, hand quavering slightly, then he trudged out of the medical hall.
The old man looked sadly at Luna's father as he disappeared in the distance. Then Howard Shirogane moved to close the doors of the medical hall, and with it concealed himself from the rest of the world, but not his guilt.
*
Raven seemed to smile as his fingers ran over the weathered keys. And his mouth twisted into a frown as he came to the crescendo.
The shrill screech of the violin increased as Raven, a bead of sweat played the piano furiously, shifting into multiple flickering images on the seat, the keys appearing to smoke, reddening as the crescendo reached it's peak. Then Raven vanished from his piano seat, while the other continued to pull and push the bow across the strings. Raven reappeared - fingers dancing over the cathedral organ's keys. A creak of the wooden doors. The fingers paused. The violin clattered to the floor as Raven disappeared, and the song was left uncompleted.
A figure stood in the doorway, framed by the sunlight, blonde hair flapping in the wind. Raven got up from the organ seat and dashed towards Luna, covering ground quicker than a normal human. He lunged at her. Luna sidestepped. Fallen angel came crashing into the soil outside. Raven sprung up instantly, hand rubbing at his forehead. He dashed at her and grabbed her hand. It was clammy. Normally that would have alerted Raven, but he hadn't really had a chance to talk to her for a while yet. He was about to hug Luna just as she flipped him over, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and swung him straight into the wooden benches. It took Raven by such surprise his instincts to cushion his fall were overridden. He coughed in the resulting cloud of dust, spat out some of his blood. There would be no recovering that. There was a warp in the air, and Luna stood before him again, hair fanned out behind. She laughed. Laughed. Then the sound of her voice warped, and resolved into that of a man's. Her image flickered. Then it disappeared, revealing someone who definately wasn't Luna.
Raven snarled at the resulting platinium blonde haired man before him, spitting his name as though it were a poison.
'Lucifer.'
Fire erupted around Raven, a flickering pale blue.
The devil smiled, a expression that did not reach his eyes.
Raven got up and yelled as his hand swung backwards, a blow that would probably decapitated any mortal man or creature, which Lucifer merely dodged. Next thing Raven knew, he was bound
in gray blue chains on a pillar. Lucifer wagged a finger at him. 'Now now, behave yourself. We can't have you hurting yourself, can we? Let me help you behave.'
Raven screamed as two slashes appeared on his wrists, blood spurting out. Lucifer sidestepped the sprays, his mouth shaped in a small o. Raven gritted his teeth and he focused on the wounds to heal.
Nothing. His wounds continued to spray blood.
Lucifer laughed coldly. 'You thought yourself pure invulnerable? I am a god, foolish child. A GOD. You're nothing but a stupid guardian pawn! A nobody!'
Raven spat in Lucifer's face, eyes lit in fury.
'****bag.'
'Bad boy.'
Fresh pain shot through Raven.
Lucifer laughed again. 'You've been a very, very bad child.'
Raven snarled.
'It's not like you can do anything about it. Nothing was said about IGNORING your orders.'
Lucifer wagged a finger at him.
'You're a funny one. You actually point out flaws in my beautiful contracts. I guess i will have to rectify that mistake soon. Of course, i have another way of making you obey me. As you saw me earlier, that is a hint.'
Raven howled with rage, and more blood, seeming to be an unending flow spurted out of his wounds. Then his head slumped onto his chest, and the blue chains rattled. Then they snapped and flung out, Lucifer literally dancing to avoid them. Raven was floating in place, purple and red fires coating him. He slowly lowered to the ground the fires glowing strongly. Then suddenly his the fire disappeared, and Raven slumped to the ground, gasping. Lucifer shrunk back, jaws agape in mock fury. Then he stepped over to the almost prone figure on the ground, contempt flickering in his eyes. 'No one has broken through my chains before, but no matter. You seem exhausted by it. You are really a curious one.'
Raven's head snapped up, meeting the Devil in the eye. '**** you. You better not hurt her.'
Lucifer raised his hand and swore not to hurt Luna. 'Raven, raven. As you can see, i swore. Physically, that is. I being the devil so long, have realised death of their loved ones is not always and horrible as hating and then dying.'
Raven closed his eyes, and then reopened them. The cathedral walls no longer surrounded him. Instead, he was in Luna's house. A broken pot lay on the floor, a pale Misa standing beside a Luna who was previously drawing, and Dante stood in the doorway, horror etched in his face. Lucifer appraised them one by one, and turned with a backwards sweep of his hand, dislocating Raven's jaw.
'Luna will hate you, especially if her mother is cursed for your sake.'
Lucifer's fingers curled into a fist, and the index finger pointed directly at Misa.
'Disobey me again, and she will die.'
Lucifer disappeared in a sudden flash of blue flame, and Raven lost the energy to stay awake.
Raven's wounds had stopped throbbing. The room grew dimmer, memories of flickering blue flames licking around him in his mind's eyes.
Luna seemed to be shaking him. She was crying and screaming over him. Raven couldn't tell what.
Then everything went black.
A white figure, with black wings against black walked towards him.
The figure in his dreams quickly towered over him.
Raven blearily grasped at the figure's legs.
'Help me, Seyren.'
The figure smiled.
==========================================
Chapter Eight - Healing your victims
==========================================
Spoiler!Howard frowned.
The slashes were deep and they appeared to have healed slightly- or Raven simply had no more blood left to spill.
He could detect only the faintest of heartbeat, and that was the only thing that stopped him from running off to hide.
Afterall, before him was the result of his unjustified evil in his younger days.
Dante raised his head as Howard gave another hacking cough.
Howard sensed his son's gaze and raised a hand as he wiped off a trace of blood at his mouth.
'Just a little sore throat of mine. I will get well.'
Howard shifted to the other side of the bed.
'Meanwhile, Raven here has his life hanging so ever slightly.'
Howard turned to a few cupboards, picking a few bottles of herbs and liquids.
'For him to heal... Bitterleaves would do some good for replenishing his lost blood, along with some Ceylis roots. To recover properly...'
His words drifted off into silence and he began to pour a liquid and some other herbs and roots into a bowl.
He grinded these to a thick light green paste, and lit a small flame. The paste started to dry quickly as he raised the flame to it.
'Brew this for him, the longer it steeps the better. Use no more than a teaspoon at a time.'
He poured the now-dry paste into a small jar and sealed it with a wire gauze.
Howard turned around, his eyes falling onto Raven.
'For now, all we can do is hope and wait.'
*
He was in utter darkness. He had been floating there for a day, or at least he thought so. He knew he was unconcious, but he could not wake. No, he couldn't yet.
But wait. There was someone calling his name. Or was it even his name?
Raven, the person called.
A girl flickered into existance, in the distance.
Blonde hair somehow seemed to sway even without wind.
Raven tried to move forward. No good. He was locked in place.
The girl vanished.
A cough. Or was it?
Hello.
A voice. It wasn't familiar. Oh no.
How can that be? I've always been here.
Perhaps it was imagination. Or he had turned crazy.
I survived the massacre.
Massacre. That sounded familiar.
Yes. Murderers.
Murderers?
Yes. Revenge. Wreak your vengeance. Your loss of your family.
Yes. Murderer.
Kill.
Kill.
Hate.
All will burn.
No more suffering.
Just joy.
Cleansing of evil.
Yes.
Yes. Throw it all away.
Yes. All will lay dead.
Death. Burn. Just the good remain.
A image of Howard burned into existance.
He must die first.
He dies first.
He has the honor of being the first to die.
Die.
*
Raven jerked.
Red glowing eyes flicked open.
The blanket that covered his body eroded away.
A red fire seemed to burn around him.
Slowly, Raven got up from the bed.
His black wings spreaded, and took a step towards Howard.
'Murderer.'
Howard got up from his chair and took a step backwards.
Raven's eyes seemed to be on fire, his aura emnating purest of hate and contempt.
'Be honored. You die first. Yes.'
Howard took another step backward. Raven took two steps forward.
'You die. Today.'
Howard took another step backward- and his back banged against the brick wall.
Dante shook off his stupor and lunged forward.
Raven twisted sharply and swung his hand.
A wave of air struck Dante across his stomach, sending him flying onto the other side of the room, his jaw slack, unconcious.
Raven turned back to Howard and continued advancing on the old man who suddenly felt very frail.
Raven clenched the old man's neck and raised it into the air, Howard kicking his legs weakly.
'Death.'
Luna at that moment entered the room.
Raven turned, and Luna froze.
Luna gave a scream.
Pain racked Raven's skull.
What was this?
Pain. The one he loved was in pain.
Raven released Howard and screamed, a long helpless sound filled with pain. The old man slumped to the ground, breathing shallowly, fingers massaging at his neck.
He sunk to his knees, clawing at his head.
Pain. Yes. Why?
Raven remembered. Luna. Love.
The new voice seemed to scream in his head.
Raven's memories assaulted at the new Raven, a raging torrent that pushed the new Raven to a secluded part of the brain.
Before he hit the ground, the last thing he saw was Luna crouching beside him and her grandfather.
==========================================
Chapter Ten - Can you let go?
==========================================
Spoiler!Weak sunlight poked through the dull curtains.
Misa shifted uncomfortably in the coarse blanket.
She felt as though if she stopped moving she would die.
A curse. She would have never guessed if she hadn't heard the words herself.
Disobey me again, and she will die, the man had said.
Her fever had worsened overnight after the person Raven claimed to be the devil had gone.
She heard scraping on the floorboards, and weakly, Misa turned to face the noise.
Luna stood by the door, biting her lip.
Misa gave a weak smile.
'Luna dear. Come here.'
Luna hesitated for a moment before walking over and sitting beside her mother.
'Is Raven okay?'
Luna bit her lip again and nodded slightly.
Misa sighed and looked at the ceiling.
'That is good to hear.'
Luna seemed to frown.
'But mother.. He almost..'
Luna shook her head. Misa sighed again.
'I know dear. But you love him, don't you?'
Luna nodded and bowed her head, as though she was guilty of a crime.
Misa turned to look at her daughter.
'It's okay Luna.'
<Incomplete. Hope you've enjoyed whatever you've read though.>
Endless cycle of strife
End of all beginnings
Eternal hatred for all
Lovestruck a soul refused to be denied
Foolish was he
Unforgivable a crime
Lies weaved from the truth
Desolate souls awaiting redemption
From a night of velvet dreams.
Please rate this with the range of zero to five.
Comments appreciated.
Harsh criticism is okay. [E.G. Its not good. Keep trying. Im sure you can do better.]
Flamers, GTFO. [E.G. OMFG UR STRY SKS GTFO N KISS MY S!]
Notes:
refer to above for inspirational songs.
Destiny shall be finished ASAP, and I swear that.
Along with that.
Spoiler!As soon as this is finished..
Prepare yourself for Destiny : Cycle Of Fates.