Title: The Arbitrator of Justice or Despair
Written by: Somnion
Disclaimer: I don't own Radiata stories, but in my wildest dreams, I do own some of the female characters.
Hi, everyone. I'm Somnion. Some of you might know me from my Star Ocean stories, but since AlNel couplings have become so popular, I am too tired to write them. It used to be so rare but now it's so common, I don't feel like writing anymore. I may write if I feel like it but we'll see how it goes. Anyway, this is something I thought of writing after the human path ending and I hope it is able to please. Here we see Jack being pursued by powerful agents sent by the gods of Radiata because of being one of the ones who had prevented change over. Upon realizing this, Jack embarks on journey to rectify his mistake and save not only the world but his own sanity.
Chapter One: Old Friends
The pain… the pain has finally stopped. The hunger that had once consumed my entire being, filling me with the urge to kill and feed my insatiable and unholy cravings; the induced bloodlust and complete loss of my sanity, it seemed to be fading away like a bad dream. The weapon that had fused itself with my soul was finally releasing its great and powerful grip it had own my body. At long last, it seemed that the chains that had bound me, my restraints, had finally been broken, rusted and worn. I fell to the ground as I felt all the energy in my body being drained by that final battle. As I lay on the ground motionless, I feel the warm touch of tears fall upon my face. A pair of beautiful green emerald eyes are looking into my own brown eyes. "It's all over Jack," she whispers, as she helps me to my feet, "I'm here for you now and for always."
Two weeks ago…
As Jack walked away from Radiata, he began to take in the sights of the greenery around him. The meadows which seemed to stretch for miles and miles, as far as the eye could see, looked so peaceful and calm; making it hard to believe that war had been waging just a few days ago. These very fields had seen its fair share of bloodshed and slaughter, soaked and running red with the blood of the fallen. Yet, today they were still and tranquil; as if it had always been this way and always was. Suddenly, Jack happened to chance upon a familiar sight.
"This village," he murmured, "this is where we fought the goblins on my first mission as a Radiata knight."
As he neared the sight, he smiled quietly to himself as he started to recollect some fond memories of the place.
"Seems like ages ago," as he sighed to himself. "Clive was pretty useless in that fight. I can't believe that he saw the goblin sneaking up on us but said nothing. Captain was having troubles too…"
He chuckled softly as he recalled the captain's brave attempt to rescue the poor goat from the goblins.
"Yup, poor Captain was really something. It seemed like the only one who kept everything together was…"
As the thought registered, his smile faded as he realized how much he was going to miss her. How much he was going to miss Ridley. His mind drew back to the time they had finished dealing with the goblins.
"You clowns are boring," yelled Jack. "I wanna fight some orcs."
"What the heck are you babbling about?" snapped Ridley. "I mean, seriously."
"Huh, what's this?" said Jack snidely. "Is little Lady Ridley scared?"
"Back then," he thought to himself as he returned to reality, "all I could think about was beating her, to become stronger than her. Who would have thought, that in the end, I would want to have protected her. Yet, I failed her. I failed to save her and now I feel… lost, empty and purposeless.
"Ridley," he murmured sadly, his voice filled with remorse and regret, "could you ever forgive someone like me?"
"A sinner such as thyself does not deserve the mercy of forgiveness. I shall however, grant thee this one kindness by ending thy suffering. Thou shalt soon be with her," boomed a loud voice behind Jack followed by the falling blow from an enormous sword.
Dodging the blade at the last second, Jack turned around to face this new enemy. Standing proudly and magnificently, clad in radiant plate armor that was adorned majestically with studded gems and precious stones, stood a being of light. The creature looked exactly like a human but was neither male nor female, its long silver hair flowing with the wind. His face was flawlessly and clear, his eyes shining a bright blue that reflected the color of the morning sky at dawn. Brandishing in his elegant hand was a gigantic sword, beautiful runes of crimson red decorating the blade, the hand guard made of silver and rimmed with gold and its hilt glistening with assorted gems that were similar to the being's armor.
"Jack Russell, disruptor of the balance, I shall put an end to thy life for destroying the cosmic order of Tottaus.
"Who the heck are you?" yelled Jack. "What do you think you're doing, coming out of the blue and trying to kill me?"
"My name is Tsukiyomi," replied the being, "I am an agent to the gods who created the world of Tottaus, Ethereal and Celesta. I am known as an angel to thy kind. Since thou destroyed the vessel, thou prevented the changeover and therefore thy life shalt be forfeit for thy transgressions."
As he said those words, he thrust his sword forward at amazing speed. Jack quickly evaded the attack by skidding backwards. Drawing his sword, he rushed towards the enemy. With surprising skill, the mysterious angel parried Jack's incoming blow with his own weapon. With his blade held in place, Jack used his free hand to pull out a second sword and trapped the creature's blade with his. Believing that he had turned the tables, Jack sprang upwards and turned deftly in mid-air, while keeping his opponent and his weapon pinned down, he proceeded to launching a drop-kick to the angel's skull. As the foot descended, Tsukiyomi grabbed the foot just before it made any contact.
Despite having both his offensive attempts foiled, Jack still had an extra foot to launch a third blow. With the creature's arms parrying his two earlier attacks, Jack had succeeded in putting his adversary on the defensive; making the chance for his third attack to succeed highly possible. Or so he thought. As he moved to lay another kick on the being, his hopes were dashed when the beast revealed that he possessed not one but two pair of arms. Blocking the third blow with it's third appendage, the fourth hand pulled out a menacing dagger, curved in shape and shining with a radiant light, and thrust the weapon into Jack's side. Only by shifting his weight at the last moment, so that he dropped slightly to his side, was he capable of ensuring that none of his vitals were damaged.
Jack now found himself in a very awkward position, so he discarded his smaller blade. As the blade dropped to the ground, Jack flicked his wrist, revealing a small blade hidden in his sleeve. Equipping the weapon, he then stabbed it into the angel's hand. In response to the attack, the angel released his grip on Jack, allowing Jack to kick off from him. Despite the burning pain in his side and the blood of his wounds soaking his armor, Jack turned in mid-air, landing on his hands, allowing him to back flip away from the enemy. Then he back flipped onto a tree, using it as a means to perform a rebound attack. His side ached and pained, but Jack wouldn't allow himself to be defeated by this creature. He was not going to lose, nor would he back down. Kicking off from the tree's surface, Jack poised himself for his final attack, his two swords drawn and thirsting for the kill. With his first sword, he plunged it into the enemy's gut, the speed of the blade tearing through his armor like a knife through butter. As the enemy staggered after the first blow, Jack turned his second sword into an upward sweeping motion, releasing a powerful slash, complemented with Jack's body weight in perfect motion, slicing the angel's head clean of his shoulders.
As the body dropped lifelessly to the ground, Jack got to his feet, clutching his injured side.
"Hmph, just a big mouth Looney," he snorted as he eyed the corpse.
"A commendable effort, sinner," said the decapitated head. "Not on one but on two reasons. Not only did thy last this long against me, let alone actually hurt me, you are still standing despite having been poisoned with Tsuchinoko venom."
"No freaking way," gasped Jack. "He's still alive."
Jack watched with shock and horror as the head began to dissolve into a silvery liquid and began to flow towards the supposedly dead corpse. The liquid, a silvery color seemed to resemble molten steel and was just as hot, for the ground burned everywhere the liquid touched. Upon reaching the body, the liquid began to take shape, forming the creature's head once again.
"You're gonna get it," yelled Jack, poising his sword into an attacking form. "I'm gonna beat you so bad…"
Suddenly, Jack felt his legs give way and he fell to the ground. Try as he might, for some reason, he was unable to move a muscle in his body.
"What… What's going… on?" he asked.
"Most mortals die within the first eight seconds after being bitten by a Tsuchinoko but thou hath lasted for more than a minute," explained the angel. "But now it is over and my mission has been accomplished. Rest in peace, Jack the Sinner."
"No way… I won't…" protested Jack as he saw his view getting darker, fading into complete nothingness.
Deep inside in a cave, somewhere in the Dova region, two figures stood over a third person's body. The first was looking over the body intently while the second seemed in deep meditation.
"So how is he?" asked the first figure, turning to the second.
"He'll survive," it replied. "Though I must admit, this is rather extraordinary. Most people would never be able to survive the venom of Tsuchinoko. Even with the miracles from the Olacion Order, ninety-five percent of those infected will die. Only those withy uncanny self regenerative abilities are able to withstand it."
"Could that also be the reason why he was unaffected by the plague?" asked the first.
"Algandars occurs when the elements within a person become unbalanced." explained the second. "As I have already revealed to thee when Sir Cairn Russell battled with the water dragon, the elements within him became unbalanced. However, this young boy shows an unnatural resistance to the Algandars disease. Despite having slain the three remaining dragons as well as one of the twin dragons, I sense no sign of imbalance within him."
Suddenly the body that lay on the ground began to stir, alerting the two figures.
"He's moving," exclaimed the first speaker in relief. "Master Jack, can you hear me?"
As Jack began to recollect what had happened, he heard the voice calling out to him. A voice that he had not heard in a while, yet knew all to well.
"Captain…" ha answered weakly.
"Master Jack! Thank goodness!" said the first person who turned out to be none other than Jack's former captain, Ganz Rothschild. "I had thought for a moment that you may never have woken up again."
"Where…where are we?" asked Jack as he observed his surroundings.
"We're in a cave in the Dova region," answered Ganz. "I found lying on the ground not too far away from here. It was a good stroke of luck that Lady Enjela was here. She was the one who healed you."
"Thou hath best get some rest, child. Thou have taken a grave wound," said the second voice.
Jack turned to see the speaker who he guessed was Lady Enjela. Despite her age, the woman that Jack saw looked as if she was no older than thirty. Her long hair was a reddish brown hue and her eyes were a dark crimson, beautiful and mesmerizing, yet they held wisdom and knowledge of many years of trials and learning. Her figure was as heavenly as an angel and her skin as smooth as silk. Judging from the clothes she wore, Jack could tell that she was definitely a priestess from the Olacion Order. Jack now began to fell ashamed for thinking of the holy woman in such a manner, especially she being the one who healed him.
"Enjela…" he murmured. "I have heard that name before. Somewhere…"
"My name is Enjela, former High Priestess of the Olacion Order," she explained to Jack. "I left the temple many years ago when I had been infected with the illness."
"Enjela…" repeated Jack as he began thinking hard. "Oh yeah, Master Kain told me about you."
"Kain…" murmured Enjela. "It has been a while since I had last met him. I pray that he has been doing well and meeting with success."
"Master Kain is the new head priest of the Olacion Order," said Jack.
"So, he is the head priest," she replied. "I am glad. I had hoped that he would lead the order once I had chosen to step down. But, for the moment, it is more important for us to know who it was that attacked thee, young Jack."
Jack stood silent for a moment as he recalled the battle between Tsukiyomi. For the first time did Jack ever fight an enemy that was as powerful as the being he had fought earlier. The cave became surprisingly quiet as they waited for Jack's answer with an eerie and awkward aura now beginning to fill the atmosphere. Finally, Jack began to speak.
"It was a being called Tsukiyomi."
Ganz seemed to be puzzled by this response whereas Enjela on the other hand seemed to be lost in a complete state of shock.
"Tsukiyomi," repeated Enjela hesitatingly. "Surely thou do not mean Tsukiyomi, the Angel to the gods Celesta and Ethereal."
"Umm… I don't seem to follow here," said Ganz, who was obviously quite lost, concerning in the direction the conversation was taking.
"Tsukiyomi is the angel of the moon, created by the Ethereal Queen and Gabriel Celesta to work alongside the angel of the sun, Amaterasu," explained Enjela. "Both Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi are considered as the most exalted of the arch angels. For the gods to send them against thee, thou hast most assuredly incurred the wrath of the gods."
"What should I do?" asked Jack worriedly.
"The only thing thou can do," replied Enjela. "Rectify thy mistake, child. Bring about new balance to this world."
"How?" asked Jack.
"Do not worry thyself, my child. The answer shall present itself to thee when the time is ripe. It is more important for the moment that thou get some rest."
"Yes," supported Ganz, "don't you worry about a thing. You're in safe hands."
Jack looked up at his former captain, his face showing a pleasing smile which hid the weariness and worry the captain was harboring. In Jack's eyes, the captain was a great man, a man who put the needs of others before his own, selfless and pious. He was one of the only men that Jack felt had lived up to the honor and legacy of the Radiata knights. The captain was so much resembled, and at the same time, so different from his father, Gawain. The same Gawain that had been fallen by his hand.
"Captain," he called.
"Yes," Ganz answered.
"I'm sorry," apologized Jack as he turned away. "I'm so sorry."
"For what?" asked Ganz, quite confused.
"I… Gawain…I," stuttered the lad.
As Ganz heard his father's name leave Jack's mouth, he closed his eyes and leaned back onto the cave wall. He knew what had happened and now realized for what reason Jack was apologizing for.
"I know, Jack" he said finally. "You avenged your father, did you not?"
"How…" asked Jack.
"I heard from your sister, Miss Adele," replied Ganz. "She told me everything."
"I see…" said Jack as he looked away from Ganz.
Ganz remained silent as did everyone present, as if it were to have a moment of silence in respect for the old knight. Jack hung his head low, ashamed to be in the presence of his former captain. Suddenly, he felt an arm slung over his shoulders. Looking up, he saw Ganz, his face showing an expression of mixed feelings; grief over the loss of his father but also pride for his former subordinate, who had now become a very dear friend to him.
"Even though it grieves me to know that my father is no longer with us," he said, "I am happy for and proud of you, Jack. You were able to keep your promise and avenge your father."
"No!" screamed Jack suddenly as he banged his fist onto the wall of the cave. "It's not right. It didn't have to be that way."
"Master Jack…"
"Ever since I killed him," continued Jack, his fists clenched tightly, "I have been questioning myself if what I did was the right thing. Did I really hate Gawain that much, that it made me want to kill him so much in order to avenge my father? In the end, I…I knew deep down that I didn't want that. I didn't want to kill him, but it was already too late."
"Master Jack…"
"It's not the first time either," resumed Jack. "It was the same with the old fire dragon wheezer. I didn't want to kill him but in the end I did. I just wave my sword around blindly, never for once thinking about what I was doing. I never think for myself nor do I listen to both sides of a story. The old wheezer was just doing his duty by protecting the order of the world but I killed because I blindly followed my orders without thinking. And just because we were led to believe that Gawain killed my father, I killed him without thinking, without even trying to hear his side of the story."
Banging his fist on the wall, Jack began to feel weak in his knees. The grief and pain that consumed him was unlike anything he had ever known. Ganz looked sympathetically at the lad, while Enjela however seemed to be deep in thought.
"It was because I am such an idiot; I listened to that slime, Lucian. Most of all it was because of listening to him that Ridley is now dead."
"Lady Ridley is… dead."
'It's my fault," muttered Jack as his eyes began to well with tears. "It's all my fault."
"Now, now, young Jack," said Enjela as she broke away from her thoughts. "No one wanted this to happen. But she is no longer with us and thou must move on, for her sake."
"Yes, Jack," comforted Ganz. "You must try."
"How can I try?" asked Jack desperately. "There was so much I wanted to tell her; so many things I wanted to say. But now I never will be able to."
A silence loomed over them. Finally, after a lengthy pause, Enjela spoke.
"It may not be impossible."
"What do you mean?" Jack asked roughly. "Ridley's gone, how can I see her?"
"Listen, young Jack," Enjela replied calmly, "or thy tongue will make thee deaf. Indeed she may not be with us, but there are many ways, if thou know where to look."
"What are you saying, Lady Enjela," asked Ganz, quite confused. "Is there a way to meet Lady Ridley?"
"To the East of Radiata," began Enjela, "is a place where few have dared to tread. According to ancient legends, it is the place where the dragons sleep and it is possible to speak with the deceased there."
"Speak with…the deceased?" repeated Ganz.
"Yes," confirmed Enjela, "however the road leading there is treacherous. Thou shalt face many challenges should thou choose to take this road."
"I don't care," Jack said as he stood up. "If it means that I can see Ridley again, I'd go to the end of the world."
Enjela looked at the young boy. She didn't wish to tell him about this place, but perhaps it would have been a good thing for him should he undertake this journey. She then turned to Ganz who was sitting down, looking at his former trainee knight intently.
"Sir Ganz, will you follow him?" asked Enjela.
Ganz looked at his former subordinate, his eyes shining with new determination and courage. Ganz had always admired his young friend; how he would always try to better his skills, although his recklessness was a little over the top. But what surprised him more was how he was willing to face such great danger for Lady Ridley. When he first joined the knights, he wouldn't give a care about her at all but now he would probably give his life for hers without a second thought.
"I think I shall," said Ganz as he stood up. "Master Jack, I will do all I can to aid you. I shall fight by your side all the way through."
Chapter One Ends.