Epilogue-Foreshadow

Epilogue-Foreshadow

The Seiken stood in the clearing, looking about his sides into the brush surrounding him. He took in slow breaths as he held the sword devulged in deeply serrarated teeth before himself, the magic reverberating off of the very air. He grit his teeth as fury flowed through him.

He waited. He saw from the corner of his eye a flash of steel bladed claws attached to a thick red extremity with streamlined, black arteries pulsating to his chest and branching off of the main chamber throughout the demon's entire body that was tainted the color of a dying flame. The Baneful lurched forward, attempting to rush the young swordsman. The clean blades of his claws shined as the moonlight shot beams onto the two. His fist opened, the large blades stretching outward in a deadly set. The Purifier spun to face his foe moments before the blades collided with his flesh, instead clashing with the Seiken's scimitar. The fangs of the Baneful's fist brought sparks of light as it raked across the metal of the Purifier's blade.

The serpentine eyes sheened furiously. "Boy...You and your little friend's shall never prevail. How do you believe you can stop, even slow the forces of hell?"

The young man gave the demon a spiteful grin. "I don't believe in defeat. Damnation is defeat; finality. That of which will not be!" The two lept backward from one another, both brandishing blades gleaming in the moonstrike. The Baneful growled deeply. "You say much for such a young mortal. But can you back it up!" The creaton dashed forward, slashing at the Purifier as if in a frenzy. Seiken lift from his feet and tumbled in the air, from over the top the demon's back, pushing off of a large scale to regain leverage to the soft earth below.

"In all...We will prevail. You will be stopped. Ended. All will be all. All will be restored."

"What can a simple one as thou compel to say he will stop our Dark Army?"

"Compassion." The two darted forward, pushed by opposite forces, but both committed to their preservation. The Crimson Light came with a stream of red.

Chapter 1 - Reform

Dais walked along the cool corridor as he looked about at the thick wooden doors lining each side of the blue marble path. He stopped before a door that was somewhat larger than the rest. He pulled the letter that directed him to this place:

"To Dais Rhine chosen for the guidance of Commander Segfried Soualice in the personal protection of Cid Trakonta in the royal sir's commanding. Experience and diversity have been seeked. Recruits are given a comfortable salary depending highly on performance, teamwork, strategy, and logic. Caution: Position is highly dangerous. You have been chosen because of your superb abilities at the skill you master. We trust you will be up for your commitment. Families of the chosen recruits will also receive salaries of equal incriments to take care of any possible deficits.

Welcome, and good luck,

Cid Trakonta"

He slipped the invitation with the ornate inscription of a golden bird above the seal with the same image back into his pocket. He made sure he completed any tasks needed to be done to his home before taking on the jaunt to the land of Rasuria from his country homeland of the Deyajin Heights. He'd been to the city of Deyajin itself. It was an interesting place to say the least.

Dias cut off his daydreaming and pushed open the mahogany door, it slowly swinging to stop at the wall. He looked around. The room he entered looked very much like a meeting house for distraught adolescents he observed at the city of Deyajin.

Against the wall opposite him stood four young men and women.

The first was a young man with fiery red hair splayed in a spiky formation, crested by a light blue head band. He wore a green vest with many pockets and a pair of baggy green pants. Beneath that could be seen a pair of black heel shoes. Right below his shoulder high on his forearm, tassels of red cloth were wrapped; he wore a pair of leather finger gloves. His green eyes sheened with awareness. A monk.

His eyes moved to the next one. A young woman stood there, a smile brimming her mouth and her eyes sealed. Her soft, brown hair was in an intricate ornementation: her hair, itself was made into a pony tail; then pulled up in a leather ornament held by two wooden sticks. She wore a rather large kimono with oversized sleeves, in which her hands were stuffed together in. The kimono had a spiralling design accented with silver brocade, making the black color of the outfit seem even darker. At her left hip was a sheathed katana. This certainly was one of the spiritually empowered samurais.

The next young woman wore atop her head a purplish-blue hat with a upturned brim and a tall crest- with a red ribbon tied at the base of the crest-similar both to the helmet of some female lancers and a black mage's simple yet unmistakable hat. Her soft, sky blue hair settled about her shoulders, reaching just between her shoulder blades. Her wrists, beginning at the median of her forearm on were wrapped in a red, ribbon cloth, serving as fingerless gloves. Gripped lightly in her left hand was a red rod capped gold on both ends. She was fairly tall-about the same as himself-and the weapon had a good six inches on the both of them. She wore a turtleneck that drew down with a zipper scant inches above her navel. As the wind blew through the room, the vest swished back to show the inside an orange color.

Below that she wore a tasteful skirt reaching halfway down her theighs; that and the vest were the same color as the hat. A red ribbon the same as the ones tied at her hands and hat was knotted right above the bottom of the skirt on her right theigh. She wore black boots finishing above her ankles, completing the intricate garb of a Red Mage. She looked up at him with her crimson eyes, almost taking him aback. Her thin, carnation pink lips, an inflection to her powdery white skin, pursed into a smile as she gave him a short nod. He made a blinking smile and moved on.

The monk nudged the Red Mage. She glanced over cooly. "What, Rio?" The monk, Rio, huffed. "Geez, why are you gettin all edgy? I was only going to tell you-"

"Rio...Yes...We were both invited to this meeting...Yes, it's an odd coincidence. Yes, we are both very skilled at our own classes, like everyone else here," she nodded. "Yes, we are friends, so no, you don't have to pay me for borrowing Choca."

"..." Dais blinked. "..."

The young woman chuckled. "I umm...That wasn't-" She glared at him. "I know that's not what you were going to say, and no, we won't go out for a bite after this. Your flirtatious attempts are futile..." Rio flushed. "Alrighty?" He nodded. "Yes ma'am." She grinned. "Good." The samarai and the taller man one the other side of the Red Mage glanced at her. The man pondered, "Are you okay?" "Of course," she replied casually. "Rio looks up to me and he's the most confusing person I've ever met. I enjoy confusing him."

"Uhh..In-intriguing... Odd way to look at things...But you Mages are in yourself, very interesting." She smiled with her deep eyes, the crimson sparking with the twinge of glorious magic. "Yes...Our entire lives seem to live in mystery and that intrigue." The man smiled back at her. He was dressed in an interesting attire, himself.

From heels to hips he wore a mythril leather, of which was a bluish-gray, the calf high boots of which were slightly lighter in tint. Cinched at his waist was a single, blazing white, metal belt, beneath of which flared an undershirt of the same mythril leather.

His breastplate was of the same blazing white metal as the belt as well as the shoulder plates and the steel of the forearms, yet between the pieces stood the contrast: an impossibly black metal; it made up his gauntlets as well. When the man shifted his weight, the light striking the metal at a different angle, the white metal appeared to take on a green undertone. The black armor could be seen guarding his back as well.

But the thing that was most recognizable of the man was his helmet.

It curved neatly from the back of his neck-not connected to the black plate at his neck like an normal knight-in a crook and over behind his ears sculpting over his head stopping at the fore of his head; from there rested a facial veil with two almond shaped slits at the middle and a sleek rounded top. Beyond the point of his Partisan, he was a true lancer. The man pulled off his helmet and set it to rest at his hip. He swept back his blond hair that stopped at the middle of his neck and shook his head. "It's a bit warm in here..." The samarai girl nodded her head and opened her eyes, of which were a pleasant, stony blue. "Yes, it is," she said simply. The lancer looked over at her with his dark brown eyes.

He looked down at his gentle attire: a black chainlinked vest with a cape attached to it-similar in color to the lancer's mythril leather. On down he wore a pair of green pants. They were loose and warm; easy to move around in. Comfortable and humble, his ensemble finished with a pair of hiking boots, the grooves being somewhat smooth.

His Long Sword swung in its sheath at his right hip as he walked to the wall, resting against the smooth stone next to the tall lancer. He looked over at him. "What kingdom are you from, sir?" Without looking over, Dais replied, "Deyajin."

The man nodded. "Ahh...That is a peaceful city...I've visited Deyajin many times to get away. I've never seen you there." Dais looked to his left. "I live beyond the outskirts, in the mountains." The lancer nodded and sighed. "Oh. That would explain it."

Suddenly the door swung open...with no one on the other side of the doors.

"Hey there." "!!" Dais looked over to see a blond young woman smiling up at him. She had sparkling green eyes and warm color in her face. Her honey-tinted hair flowed gently in spiky tresses about her face. The back of her hair was held in a neat bun with a lock hanging to the middle of her back with an orange ribbon tied flatly near the end of the tress. She wasn't dressed oddly; barely. She wore a dulled, red, sleeveless shirt. At the crook of her arms were black leather wraps and she wore transluscent fingerless gloves.

Her crimson leather pants with stripes of black comepletely down the legs fit awfully snug, of which was obvious, appearing much like a second skin. Her feet were somewhat slim, to say the least.

"Hey, you gonna say anything?" Dais's feral eyes peered at her.

"W-where did you come from?" She raised an eyebrow and gave him a warm smile, poking a finger upward. He glanced to the ceiling. There was a very minuscule hole available in a wedge of the ceiling tile. How even this thin young girl could fit through it was a mystery to him. "Wow."

She giggled then mussed his thick brown hair that rested at his broad shoulders. "I like you. You've got really interesting eyes. They're seeming to turn a deeper shade of gold now...Much like your reddening cheeks." The samarai woman looked over and straight at the young woman. He noticed a small sheath at her hip.

"Keri...Please...Leave him be. You're embarrassing him. I doubt a swordsman such as Lord Dais Rhine would like to be rattled in front of King Cid Trakonta. True?"

The woman smiled warmly at Dais, her ruddy visage glowing with her eyes.

Keri made a short giggle then stomped her foot. "Darnit, Kaia! Why do you have to ruin all my fun?" The Red Mage shook her head and sighed. Kaia, the samarai looked back at Keri. "Because I am your older sister. What took you so long to get here?"

Keri giggled. "I had to take the back way in...They didn't believe I was invited."

"I told you to sleep earlier." "Yeah...I know..." She darted her eyes away. "Well...When are they going to get here, anyway?" Everyone looked at Dais.

He looked between the face. "Why are you looking at me? How would I know?!"

The lancer shrugged. "Aaah...don't worry about it...I'm sure they will come here shortly."

Dais nodded. He shift his glance to Kaia. "How did you know my name?"

"Check your pocket," she replied. He stared at her for a moment for obliging. He pulled out the invitation. "Okay..." She smiled. "Put it away now." He slipped it back in his pocket, or at least, he thought he did. In a blink of the eye he saw Kaia waving in in her hand. She smiled with her piercing blue eyes. "Hahaha..."

He smiled without humor. "Now g-" His hand was still in the pocket when he felt it again. He pulled it out and took it from the envelope. His eyes went wide. "That...smells really good." Everyone laughed as he put it away and began chuckling, too.

He looked over at Keri and she gave him a toothy grin. "How'd she do that...?"

Keri shrugged. "No clue."

Finally, as if on cue, two men walked through the door in hasty gaits. All six of them stood straight and still.

One of those men held light colored hair atop his head. His face had much wear in it; stress creased and carved deeply into his face. His arms were large and thick, but that made him seem even more tired. Somehow he managed a bright smile for them. The other was a burly man with such a creased brow that made it seem that the ground of his forehead had split in two. The latter, Commander Soualice, the former, Cid Trakonta.

Cid smiled as his eyes moved from one to the other. "Good...Very good."

He looked down at the clipboard that he was holding.

"Rio Golamo, 17." The young man with the spiky red hair saluted. "Sir!"

"Lady Kaia Seraphine, 19." She nodded. "Hm."

"Keri Seraphine, 15." She flared her pearly, white teeth at him. "Yessir!"

"Good...Dais Rhine, 17." Dais unconsciously checked his sword clear in its scabbard then allowed it to fall. "..."

Cid chuckled. "You could have simply said 'yes'." The others all chuckled.

"Aurai Durrin, 17." The Red Mage, attempting to stop smiling over Dais's odd behavior, performed a dainty bow to him. "Sir."

"And Sir Peios Rue, 21." "Good eve, sir."

Cid nodded and looked over them once again. "It looks like you all are here." Dais stared at the floor. He could feel Cid's eyes boring holes into his skull. "Dais." He shot his head up. "It says you're a master swordsman...Hmm...We'll have to make certain of that, won't we?" Rio chuckled. Segfried Soualice shot him a glare. "You will be his challenge."

"Aw, damn!" He slammed a fist into the stone wall, making a slight dent into it, a chunk of granite crashing to the ground. Everyone laughed. Rio swept his hand through his hair as he snickered. "Well then, Dais...Looks like we're gunna have some fun, buddy..ha ha...I'll try not to break any bones, I promise." He looked up with his deep green eyes. "Well...not too many." Everyone stared at him. "What...? I was kidding! I'll just put him in a week long traction! How 'bout that?"

Dais walked up to him and they grasped forearms. "You're on."

"Boys will be boys...it seems," Kaia said. Aurai shrugged. "They've been ordered to battle, not kill each other. So don't get worried." She peered at her. "Dais will be fine."

Kaia looked at the ceiling. "What? He's nothing special. Just a man, that's all. Life is more to it then chasing someone of the opposite sex around constantly. I have learned much about my spirit and myself over the years as a samarai."

"Really? How much..?" Kaia smiled. "More than enough." Keri, standing behind the two of them leaned forward. "When are the going to start...?"

Peios, standing next to Kaia, shrugged. "I am not sure...Hmm...A master of Kerateka against a master swordsman...This shall be interesting..." The girls all nodded their agreement.

Aurai looked about the room of which they stood. At one end stood a large wooden door with crimson characters inscripted into intricate crevasses, the edges of which were detailed with a deep green trim. The opposite was a cerulean with a whitish-yellow garnish bordering its markings. The characters were flagrantly contrary to one another. The former read "Elan", the latter read "Thano".

The room itself was built of thick, rectangular stones, each and every one compacted together, leaving no visible room to the naked eye. At the very center of the room was a neatly crafted ring of silver, spreading out roughly five feet in diameter.

Where are they? she thought. When is this going to initiate? She heard a sound of a large bolt being thrown. Not one, but two. With a loud sweep of wind, the doors opened simueltaneously. From the Blue Door Dais strode and the Red, Rio, the two stopping at the circumference of the circle. Latched to Rio's right wrist were three blades attached-or rather, welded-to a metal plate; gripped in his hand was a leather rod that allowed him to better his control of the weapon.

Dais looked no different other than the blank, emotionless look we wore on his face. The two stood there, silently, as the zephyr that barrel through the room wafted over them. Rio's spiky hair shook in the breeze as Dais's rustled about his shoulders, his caping whipping about.

No one said a word as they staid. The four bystanders waited. Nothing happened.

Abruptly, two unseen double doors swung open as Cid Trakonta walked through them onto the balcony, high up in the darkness above.

"Rei!" he ordered in a foreign tongue. The two bowed.

"Hajime!" Dais swiftly unsheathed his Long Sword from its scabbard and weilded a middle slice towards Rio, who was expecting such. The claws slammed into his blade, sharding sparks from the collision. Dais pulled his sword from the claws and slid backward as Rio took a jump back as well.

The two took a headlong rush towards one another and Rio pulled his arm back and made a swiping haymaker at his throat but Dais parried it with ease, knocking him to the right. Rio chuckled as he shifted his weight to the left foot, taking his entire body into a spiral, giving Dais a neat slash to his leather armor, a trickling of blood appearing beneath. Rio made a hasty jab then tried an uppercut to Dais, again, to the throat. At the jab, Dais brought the sword down over his head, crashing the flat of the blade to his left shoulder, causing Rio to slip behind him. Rio grit his teeth with the dizzying pain, but ignored it. The crowd groaned. He took two long slips back as to concentrate his magic, creating a Chakra about himself. He flexed his left arm as to check it. The pain was gone. But not for long. His eyes went wide as Dais collided into him, flinging him into the wall. He lifted his legs into an aerial crouch then pushed off of the wall and flipped over Dais, on his feet.

Damn, he thought. This boy is keepin' me on my toes. Dais landed a rear kick to Rio's left leg, although he was aiming for the right; he took a lunge backward as Dais twisted around. Rio met him with a chambered roundhouse to the jaw, flinging him to the floor. Peios and the girls all let out gasps. Rio dashed forward as Dais slipped to his feet. Rio rose the claw high above his head and brought it down at him, stopping inches above his head. But the tip of Dais's sword rest at Rio's chin. Rio's breathing came in shuddering heaves.

"This fight has gone...to Dais. Congratulations." The four others burst into applause.

Rio dropped his hand to his side. Dais slowly let his sword fall to the ground. He lifted it and drove it home with assured force. Dais pushed off of his knee and stood. Rio came at full incline as well.

Dais gave him a short smile and the two clasped forearms. Rio nodded.

"I am the reborn Rio Golamo. A job well done of killing me!" He grinned. Dais laughed. "No problem! Anytime!"

From up at the balcony, Cid Trakonta slipped to the right as Soualice stepped forward.

"Very nice work, boy! You did well! That last attack was a very bold move. Very bold indeed. I had faith in you to pull it off if it came in need...Taking such a slim opening for your advantage. You are a very skilled young man."

He smiled and nodded to the shadow in the shadows. "Thank you, sir. It wasn't an easy battle, but I did persevere. I shall look forward to fighting along side Sir Rio."

An arm extended past the balcony edge pointing down at him. "How about that scratch?" He grinned a lip-tight smile. He had almost forgot he'd been wounded. "'Tis only a flesh wound."

Aurai strolled up to him and pat a hand to his shoulder. "Well done." She stroked a hand down the front of his chest, along the leather armor he wore for the battle. Her hand began to shimmer a green color as his wounds were sealed. She glided her hand back up along his chest and stopped at his shoulder to give it squeeze. He turned his head to the right, viewing her in his peripheral vision. "Thank you. I'm much obliged." He smiled as she pat his scapula with the flat of her palm. "No problem. Just take care of yourself." She walked off, the sound easily heard as her boots clacked on the hard stone floor.

He heard a loud, female sigh. Kaia, probably. "Very good...I'm sorry...But I'm becoming a bit tired. May we retire?" The cracking of Peios's neck from one side to the other was heard, reverberating through the room. "Aaah...Glorious work the both of you. Rio I would reccomend you buy some new shoes. You were a bit lacking in traction." Rio sent a glare his way. "I'm supposed to move around easily." Peios shrugged. "Ah well..." He looked up towards the balcony. "May we go to our rooms, sirs?"

"Yes...soon..," Cid replied. "Keri and Kaia? Take room 241." He tossed a ring with a large key attached to it. Keri caught it with a swift snatch. "Alright, then. See you guys later!" She dashed out of the room. Her older sister let out a sigh and followed after her. She stopped as she passed Dais. She looked back at him and gave him a small smile. "I shall see you all in the morning then. Good night." She turned back and out the door.

A few ten seconds passed and Cid's rumbling voice returned to them. "And Dais and Peios? You two have room 707. Aurai and Rio, please take room number 559." He tossed the pairs of keys down to them, Peios and Aurai snatching them up. The pairs left the room with a bow to their master, Cid Trakonta and his first hand-man, Commander Segfried Soualice. "Sir..." Cid raised a hand. "Yes...The boy will be key to our cause." Segfried took a step back. "Yessir."