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Old 05-23-2005, 07:34 PM   #37
 
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Zerlina
Chocobo Jockey
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Canada
Age: 35
Posts: 293
*

Titania sat upon a large rock in the glade, her breath heavy from exhaustion. Her arms hanging weakly from her sides, she dropped her fans, and stared at the ground. Around her were corpses of what had once been living, breathing beings with souls and pasts. Some of them wore charms; one of them wore a scarf around its lifeless arm; another had a patch on its gauntlet. These had all come from somewhere. They had all had reasons behind them.

Gradually, it began to rain, and Titania watched as the mud began to swallow the bodies. Drawing her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her head.

Quiet tear-drops fell and snaked their way down the occupied rock, slithering through the cracks and eventually melting into the earth. They lamented so much blood, both ashen and crimson. They lamented so much.

A bird rested on a nearby branch to seek shelter from the storm. With curiousity, it watched as Titania raised her head back up, her pale cheeks dry as stone. The tears which continued to slide down the rock were not hers- they were the sky’s. Palis was mourning. It was crying for its bloodthirsty children who were so quickly and so ruthlessly murdering each other.

When at last the final demon sunk beneath the mud forever, the rain fell upon it and tenderly washed the blood from its hands.

*

As the rain began to fall, Malice felt his energy beginning to fail. He heaved his dagger into his last opponent, and collapsed from exhaustion. He lay there for less than a minute when he heard a voice behind him.

“You’re stronger than I thought.”

Exhausted, Malice rose to his feet and drew his daggers.

“I’m not unfair.” Said the speaker “You can rest. I have all day

His lips parted and his mouth bloody from the previous battle, Malice shook his head. Every breath felt like knives inside of him.

“You don’t want to wait?”

Malice shook his head once more, and tried to bring himself to stand up straight.

“Alright then…let’s go.”

The ominous general removed his diamond sword from its unworthy sheath and swung it a few times so that his hands adjusted. The air parted and cried as it was cut.

The two were still for a moment, until the famous General Hige moved forward, thrusting his weapon toward the exhausted Malice. In ill condition, the Theiran dodged the blow but fell to the ground; his upper body weight rested on his elbows as he tried to back away. Confidently, Hige brought his sword down, barely missing his opponent. In an uncalculated setback, the wet mud pulled at the General’s sword, stalling him as he tried to remove it. Malice rose and punched Hige in the face, making him lose his grip on his weapon.

Mockingly, The General rubbed his cheek and dodged another attempt at an attack.

Malice hit the ground, but was now more ready for an attack. He brought his knee up, as if he were about to sprint and drew his daggers. He smirked, returning Hige’s cockiness.

Finding it almost amusing, The General pulled his sword from the mud and charged toward his opponent, who did the same. There was a clang as the blades met each other, and both warriors looked each other in the eye; Hige’s weapon was wedged between Malice’s daggers. For a while the two struggled to overpower each other, until finally Hige simply withdrew his sword and attempted to send it through his opponent’s stomach. He missed, and Malice scathed his hand with his daggerblade; Hige’s blood ran crimson.

“For someone so sure of himself, you sure have trouble hitting a target.” The Theiran mocked and attempted to bring his dagger to Hige’s chest.

Trusting his sword to only one hand, The General grabbed Malice’s wrist and twisted it, making him scream and drop his dagger.

“Don’t make me want to kill you.” Hige said, bitterly, through clenched teeth. He continued to turn Malice’s wrist, and made him scream in pain.

The General forced Malice forward, pushing him into the mud. Arrogantly, he looked down at his fallen opponent; the wind began to play with his snowy cape.

“I like to think that enjoying murder is something I’m past. I’d prefer if you didn’t try to change th-”

He screamed as he received a blow from something invisible. He turned, trying to see where the attack had come from, but saw no one. Again he let out a cry as he received a heavy blow to the head, once more from something that he could not see. It was not until he looked down at Malice and saw the insignia upon his vest that he became aware.

“Don’t make me have to finish this!” Hige warned, drawing and raising his diamond sword; a light reflected from it despite the darkness of the sky.

“Why don’t you just do it?” Malice asked, challengingly, his mouth still covered in blood.

His shoulders pulsating from shallow breaths, Hige looked down at his fallen opponent. His hands shook and he seemed almost frozen.

“Stop!” came an effeminate voice.

Hige faltered.

Running as fast as she could, Titania emerged from the nearby glade and immediately kneeled by Malice. Wiping some of the blood from his mouth, she looked at him with concern, and then turned to face Hige.

The General tightened his grip once more, expecting some kind of an attack.

“Please…” she said.

Hige was silent.

“He needs to go back to Gracia. You don’t understand. Please, you have to let him go.” She pleaded continually with the silent man, persisting because she was met with no response “There are people who need him- not just soldiers… I don’t care about pride- I’m begging you! Please…

He said nothing.

“…please… let him go…

She stared at Hige and her eyes said to him a thousand things which he knew but could not understand. He lowered his sword.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“P-pardon?” she stuttered, turning quickly to stop the injured Malice from crawling away; his father’s dagger rested just out of reach.

“What’s your name? And his.”

“Titania.” She said, then looked at Malice for permission to say his name; his expression was unreadable “…And Caritas”

“Then go.” He said “There’s a reason why things have worked out like they have. There’s a reason for him to live. Who am I to interfere with fate?”

He sheathed his sword and watched as Titania retrieved the Theiran dagger. She helped the exhausted and bloody warrior to his feet, deciding to get him away from the battlefield before healing him. As they struggled to leave, Malice looked at The General, and until he had to turn away, he never broke eye contact.

Hige knew there was a reason for everything, and he knew that his opponent would have to live. There was something about him that seemed to make the planet scream for his safety. It was not a scream that could not be ignored.

When at last they vanished from sight, there remained only a single silhouette before the sunset backdrop of the emptied camp. The wind having grown still, The General stared down at his hand; his wound had disappeared.
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Last edited by Zerlina; 05-25-2005 at 07:44 PM.
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