by Dusks, Rydre
"Sylvain," Click began, "you have told me before that you are able to speak to my master telepathically. Why do you believe that I will be able to help you contact him more efficiently than that?"
Sylvain inched closer to him. "The most I have been able to do in two years, little bot, is gaze at a ghost of a figure that may or may not have even existed. And then just last night, Crow's image disappeared. I do not know where he is, and I need his help."
Click turned toward Sylvain fully and paused. Then he replied, "I may be able to find his cell phone signal if he has returned from another space or dimension, but I will need your assistance with finding a phone."
"Crow? Are you there?"
I had the phone to my ear. It took me a moment to come to. That had not been a vision of the now, but of the past just moments before.
"Sylvain?" I wondered.
"You finally answer. I have been shouting your name for over a minute now. What happened, brother? Shortly after I told you of your lineage, your body was found by Rook in the Rove sands."
"...What?"
"A body, Crow. Or I should say half of it. It was like a see-through hologram almost. Your unconscious figure was there, but at the same time it was not. Rook took you to your brother's home where you stayed for quite some time. Then last night I was notified that your body had vanished."
"I got stuck in some crack between dimensions," I answered. "What's been going on? Is everyone okay? Are you alright?"
"You are concerned about me when you shouldn't be," Sylvain replied. "I am not on your side, Crow. You have been working with Velzae."
"Don't start making assumptions, Sylvain. Velzae's changed his mind about the Mirror Curse. I'm crossing it right now."
I squeezed my eyes shut and mentally slapped myself. Someone that close to Crane shouldn't have discovered where I was.
"...You are on the Mirrored Plains? That's impossible."
"Not for me," I answered. Besides, what was Sylvain going to do? He couldn't warp like Velzae. He could, however, tell Crane, and Crane could warp. But I was the only god incarnate who could cross the Plains virtually unharmed.
...Right?
"You are certainly a being of wonders, Crow Hightower," Sylvain stated.
"What did you need my help for?" I asked.
There was silence on the other end for a moment, then, "I would ask how you knew, but I really should be used to your surprises. Have you met Crane yet?"
"Yes, indeed, I have," I replied casually. "He's a nasty little piece of work, isn't he?"
"He is extremely dangerous, Crow. He could render you completely helpless if he wanted. I underestimated him. You had best stay away from him."
"You're not the first to tell me that. Aren’t you working with him? I thought you two were attached at the hip."
"I was for his plan until he told me what he wished to do with your son. I am not about to support that. But... GreyCross needs you, Crow. Allan Dentrin is beyond manageable, and the Strejca are nonexistent. Era and Saydea have run them out. Dentrin took over as president of Saydea and kicked out Draago Black."
"What's become of Toanwar, Zlade, and Va'th?" I inquired. This news didn't surprise me at all.
"The Voelwraths are working for Saydea to hold up their name. Va'th had to give up his role as a Strejc and work for Saydea to keep safe."
"And Insidd?"
"Alive, but powerless."
"Shit..."
"Listen, Crow, whatever it is you are doing, please hurry back to Va'lent soon. Crane is threatening to kill me if I do not do as he bids. He's never acted this severe before. He believes me to be his greatest partner--I can't betray him or else he will erase me."
"Can't you change things? Couldn't you just change his perspective or something?" I wondered, holding on tightly to Siivash again.
"No, Crow. Crane knows me too well to let me subdue him like that. I wish more than anything that he would not be so obstinate with his choices, but I..." There was a brief silence. "...I must go. Please hurry."
The line cut off before I could say anything.
I'd completely forgotten my whereabouts for a moment. I lowered the phone from my ear and glanced at the screen, almost expecting it to start ringing again. It wasn't until Siivash dipped forward a little that I had to brace myself against its neck and remember that I was fifty feet above ground.
I'd never heard such a lack of confidence in Sylvain's voice. At Atta's house Sylvain had sounded so powerful, so thrilled. How could a god that had the power to change anything at will become weaker than a god that oversaw self-desires? It didn't make sense to me.
...Or perhaps it did. KahRatese and GaenVrellec were partners. They were the closest any two people could get to each other. There were few people I found that close to me, if any at all. One of them had been Kajaru Tojoru. He was a quiet, well-respected man who let very few into his personal life. When he happened upon me in the Rove Desert, I'd changed him slightly. He let me in. I was his son, and he acted as if I'd always been a part of his family, even through the days of only knowing Anli and being unable to communicate with him well. Kajaru and I shared a type of silent trust. He only let me see his true feelings as I had given him a reason to live besides his job. Kajaru and I had shared everything. A family love for each other, a home together, our interests, aspirations... Everything.
But then there had been that fated day when Kajaru was taken away from me, and I was left alone and scared for my future. Sylvain was scared for his. His own soul-sharing brother had turned down a wrong path, leaving Sylvain in a state of confusion and fear. Crane was violent, relentless, and unpredictable. I knew that just from looking into his eyes. Sylvain had lost his close one just like I'd lost mine, but on a darker, more dangerous level.
I wasn't aware of how far I'd traveled from the Alker forest. Siivash flew faster than it ran. Sometime later my eyelids grew tired. I'd been up all night, and although the sun was high over my head I had difficulty keeping my eyes open. Every time I tipped a little I was quick to wake up and hold on tighter to the reins. The last thing I wanted was to fall asleep and crack my skull on the glassy Plains fifty feet below. After a third time of nearly passing out Siivash did the unexpected. It dipped so severely that I nearly rolled forward and off the saddle. Just before crashing vertically into the Plains, the dragon tilted and landed hard on the crystal, running again.
"What are you doing?" I questioned, thumping a hand against its metal neck. "Flying is so much safer!"
Siivash slowed down, and for a moment I wondered if the dragon ran on fuel and had run itself dry. If that was the case, I was certainly in trouble. But the robot did not stop. Instead, it waited at a lagging stride as the skittering sounds of cracking crystal raced toward us from the distance. I glanced back, noticing the familiar ripples of the Curse attracted to Siivash's foreign claws.
"Go faster!" I ordered, kicking at the dragon's sides. "What are you waiting for?"
Siivash waited until the curse was only a few feet from reaching its heels before suddenly bolting into a new sprint. I almost jerked out of the saddle a second time. I felt my heart thudding hard against my ribcage, then understood what this had been all about.
"Alright, alright, I'm awake! Just please start flying again!"
The moment I wrapped my arms around the dragon's neck it spread its wings again and took back up into the air. Once again the Curse stopped its advance and faded from sight. I was about to snap at my mount, but knew it was useless. No matter how real Siivash seemed, it was still a machine. And besides, this lesson taught me that now was not the time to focus on myself. Sleep could come later. For now... the most important mission was reaching Stelliot.
The Mirrored Plains stayed constant for a long while. At this point I'd begun to grow hungry as well as more exhausted, but I told myself to stay as alert as possible. I just knew I would need my strength for later. I ran my fingers over Siivash's reins and closed my eyes. I wasn't going to sleep, but I w
anted to meditate on something.
For a brief few seconds I'd been able to peek into Sylvain's memories. Could I do that again? Was there any way that I could focus and try to see into the past? I breathed deeply and focused on the sounds of wind whipping under the dragon's wings.
Sylvain... I want to connect to Sylvain, I thought several times over. I took another deep breath and tried to reach the limits of Saydea.
It was dark in the room, all except for a faint glow from the back. It came from the monitors. Gaen would arrive not in a tank like Sylvain, but through the lifeless, electrocuted body of a Lentan boy. He'd seen how badly Dentrin had tortured the child. It made Sylvain sick, but it had also been necessary. Dentrin had tried countless times to bring Gaen to life through the same process as Sylvain, but it was just too faulty. The Lentan boy had been dying anyway. Dentrin claimed to save his life, but he'd only quickened his death.
Sylvain shook his head a little with a small smirk as he walked closer to the table where the boy's body rested upon. Sure... a pitiful loss, but this vessel would be used for the greater good. Gaen was sure to help the God of Alteration in his endeavor.
Tubes connected each joint and under the body's jaw, running across the room to several various machines. Sylvain placed a hand on the body's cold arm. The only slight heat emanating from the boy was through the veins, which were pumped full of sustaining and preserving fluids. Every now and then jolts of electricity would shoot through to attempt to start up the boy's heart, along with shots of adrenaline and plenty of that miracle drug prototoxine. Dentrin had every possible means of bringing someone back to life--Sylvain had seen him raise the dead before. But he needed a soul to fill this body first, and that soul would come when he was ready.
"Soon, my brother," Sylvain uttered, gazing at the translucent eyelids of the Lentan vessel. "Soon we will show the Fathergod and his favorite son that the world is already turning another way."
He turned away from the body, then stopped when he heard the electric buzz of the machines. There was a small snap, then a sharp, choking gasp. He turned back as the boy jerked on the table, glazed eyes wide and mouth agape. Sylvain touched his forehead with a hand. His skin was cold, but he turned his eyes to the other, panting, and very much alive. This had happened twice before, but both times Gaen had not been present. The body had just awoken in a state of undeath.
"GaenVrellec? Are you here now?"
"G-GaenVrellec," he mimicked. His voice was weak and scratchy, but it would strengthen in time. Sylvain smiled at his response.
"My mortal name is Sylvain, GaenVrellec. What is yours?"
He looked around for a moment at the room, then back to Sylvain's androgynous face. "Wh-Where am I?"
"A biomechanical research facility known as Saydea of the Future. This is your birth place."
He paused, then let out a shrill laugh. "How very unnatural. Mortals never cease to amaze me with their idiocy."
"Your new name, Gaen. What is it?"
"Crane," he said. "GaenVrellec came from the water, where the Fathergod's beautiful garden birds stand." He slowly raised his left hand, gazing at his discolored fingers. "And so I shall be just as beautiful--"
Another shock swept through his cords and jolted him. He jerked violently, and Sylvain started forward in panic.
"B-Brother?"
Crane dropped back against the table, trembling a little. As Sylvain touched his hair softly, he lifted an arm and dropped his hand against the other creation's wrist. "I-It is okay, little Sylvain. Pain is a f-friend to me. Just h-help me get off here."
Sylvain rushed to the monitors. He knew how to work them. He'd seen into Dentrin's head many times and knew which ones controlled the electricity surges. He turned one off before tugging the cords off Crane's body. Next were the unnecessary tubes. Eventually Sylvain was able to help Crane up into a sit. He kept his arms around the redhead even after he had his balance. He smelled like preservative chemicals and stale blood substitute.
"We have to show SiyariDendo that we are powerful enough to take care of this planet," Sylvain uttered, his cheek against Crane's chest.
Crane touched Sylvain's hairline with one finger. He felt a prickle left behind. Ah, Crane's talent. Sylvain had missed it. The electrifying sensation of stabbing energy. “Oh... SiyariDendo. Yes. It's coming to me now--these preconceived thoughts. I truly am a god incarnate. This planet is ill, and I will make a plan to fix it."
"I thought perhaps we would be working together, Crane. Our souls are mates."
Crane looked the other in the eyes. They stabbed into Sylvain's heart with a strange uneasiness that he couldn't relate to. The GaenVrellec that loved KahRatese had never looked at him quite like that. "Oh, we are. You are going to do as I bid, and all will be perfect. Now who is responsible for my birth? I would like to pay them a visit."
Sylvain helped Crane off the table and assisted him to the hallway and elevator. They took it up to Dentrin's office, where the scientist had been busy with his plans to overthrow President Draago Black for some time. Sylvain knocked, but Crane opened the door before they received an answer. Dentrin was in a conversation with someone else across his desk. He straightened the moment Crane and Sylvain came in. When he saw Crane, standing in rags and smiling, he stood and cleared his throat.
"Oh my--Um..." He glanced at his visitor, who looked quite shocked. "Let's continue this another time, shall we?"
The guest left, and Crane walked further in before perching on the top of Dentrin's desk, acid-green eyes gazing at the scientist with a hidden amusement.
"Are you considered my father?" Crane asked.
Dentrin sank back down into his seat, staring at the new HSP in a dopey state of silence.
"Sylvain tells me you resurrected this body for me. Rather fragile, don't you think? Shouldn't you be considered the smartest biomechanics doctor in the world?"
"I-I am," Dentrin finally replied. "It's extraordinarily difficult to create a being that replicates a god. I am still working on replicating another perfect being like Velzae."
"Velzae?" Crane wondered with a frown.
"Siyari's mortal name, brother," Sylvain answered.
Crane's eyes flashed brighter, but his expression darkened considerably. Sylvain hated seeing him frown like that. It sent a small jolt of fear through his heart, although he knew that GaenVrellec would never hurt him. Crane, however...
"SiyariDendo... a perfect being?" Crane replied, his focus never leaving Dentrin's face. "You believe Siyari to be perfect, do you, doctor? Do you have any idea what he plans to do to the likes of you and the rest of this pitiful race?"
Dentrin suddenly threw his head back against his chair, struggling to squeeze his eyes shut and grunting in pain. His fingers curled tightly around the arms of his seat until his knuckles turned white. He kept his eyes locked with Crane's, unable to look away.
"He plans to kill all of you," Crane continued, gazing deeply at Dentrin, glints of pleasure in those electric eyes. "The Mirror Curse of Lenta is going to spread up to Va'lent at a rapid pace and turn all of you into crystal. You will all die. Whether you have been good in life or not, the planet will be cleansed, and everything you love, including your own life, will be taken away and turned into a glassy speculum of darkness."
Dentrin gasped. Even from a distance Sylvain saw perspiration beading on his forehead and his eyes brimming with tears of discomfort. Where did Crane get this much power? Was it the prototoxine amplifying his ability to project feeling? It had to be. That... and a deteriorated mind. An undead creature would never think clearly enough to recognize limits.
"Would you really choose to call such an abomination 'perfect,' doctor? Even if he plans to kill you?"
"P-Perfect as in a perfect body, my boy. Please... Stop what it is that you're doing," Dentrin begged.
Crane glanced away from him, and the scientist sagged in his chair with a sigh, wiping his brow. "How did you do that?"
"Pleasure and pain are on
e in the same to me, doctor. You cannot have a sense of relief without experiencing discomfort beforehand. GaenVrellec was created to satisfy KahRatese's wishes and desires. I, however, can do that and so much more. I can manipulate others' pleasure and pain with a single look."
Dentrin still seemed to be suffering slightly from Crane's psychic attack, but now he seemed more interested. "President Era would love to have you work for him."
Crane raised his blond eyebrows and laughed. It was a laugh that the soul of KahRatese distinctly remembered--high, stabbing, and rich. But this one had a new feel. This was a laugh all about disdain and revenge and psychotic joy.
"I don't work for anyone, doctor, and I never will. If this president desires to use my abilities, he will have to work for me first."
Dentrin was speechless again, but this time he spoke softer than last. "You HSPs are really focused on minds of your own, aren't you?"
"We, doctor, are mortal gods," Crane corrected, pointing a finger at the one in the chair. "If you believe that you can control gods, then you will have a very difficult time adjusting to me. Now be a good boy, father, and go get me some clothes suitable to my taste." He blinked those vivid eyes and smiled. "I prefer green."
~~~
Sylvain stood in front of Crane in an empty room. It'd been almost two years since Crane had awoken as a High Saydea Project. He had dressed in his favorite green outfit, so tight against his body that the tubes attached to his skin made outlines through the fabric. The tightness was necessary. Crane wasn't exactly perfectly intact. A shoulder joint or knee cap could come loose from the slightly decayed, surrounding flesh. And without the durable, tight suit, he wouldn't stay together very well.
"Explain to me what you have been thinking, Crane. Are we stopping the Mirror Curse?"
"I know that's what you have wanted to do, my darling, but it is too dangerous for you. Even as a God of Alteration you are much too weak in your current state to change the Mirrored Plains back to how things were. Or even to stop them. The Plains were created as a judgment; only IkioElle can halt its progress. No... Not even IkioElle would be able to stop something this massive. It would have to be from a god twice as powerful."