Fanfic Archive: Into the Light, 8
May. 28th, 2009 12:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
texchan(Written: 2004)
Warnings: Bad Language. Violence
Summary: Badly injured while protecting his companions from a magical creature the Heavenly Ones sealed away centuries ago, Orphen has no choice but to call on Childman for assistance and protection. Will the sorceror who was once his master come to his aid, or is Childman really bent on Orphen's destruction?
Legal Stuff: As always, this story is intended to express one fan's genuine appreciation of Sorcerous Stabber Orphen and its characters. It is just for fun and not for profit. If you have any rights in the anime described here and find the posting of this fanfiction offensive or harmful, please contact me, and I will be happy to remove it.
Into the Light
CHAPTER 8
A scraping sound awoke Majic. He turned over onto his back and slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes and shielding his face from the sun, which was just beginning to peek over one of the hills near their campsite. He was surprised to see Orphen staring back at him with a surprised look on his face. He had interrupted his master in the midst of packing some of their food into a small satchel. Majic was surprised that the young sorcerer was even awake. Orphen looked thin, pale, and exhausted --- as if he would fall over at the first hard gust of wind. Childman had managed to get almost an entire plate of food into the younger sorcerer the night before, but Orphen's clothes hung off of him. When he looked at Majic, his eyes were tired and dull, and it seemed as if it took a couple of seconds for him to realize who the boy was.
"Master, what's going on? Are you going somewhere?" Majic asked. He looked around the campsite, but didn't see any sign of Childman. "Did Master Childman leave?"
Orphen shook his head. "Sorry about waking you up. I'm going. I thought I'd be able to leave without waking anyone," he said slowly, glancing nervously over toward the fire's remains, where Cleao was still sleeping. "But, I guess I'm not quite myself --- a little clumsy, you know." He smiled --- probably the first genuine smile Majic had seen from him in over a week, and the boy couldn't help but smile back in response.
As Orphen returned to his packing, Majic suddenly realized what he had just said, and he started having a very bad feeling. "What do you mean you're leaving?" When Orphen just continued to pack without responding to his question, Majic leaned forward and grabbed the young sorcerer's arm, causing Orphen to flinch. Majic immediately removed his hand and stared at the ugly, purple bruise already forming on his master's arm. "Sorry, Master," he said, staring down at the ground. When he continued, it was in a soft, pleading tone. "Please, answer me. You have to stop ignoring me. Please. I deserve to know. Are you going by yourself?"
Orphen stopped packing and sat down next to Majic. He leaned over slightly, bumping the boy affectionately with his shoulder, and then reached over to ruffle Majic's hair. "Majic, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for … for all of the crap that you and Cleao are going through. All of this …" his voice trailed off tiredly as he waved his hand, as if to indicate the surrounding area, but Majic knew he was really talking about all of the events leading up to that moment, and, possibly, events yet to occur. "It's my fault," he continued. "I really … screwed up this time, didn't I?" He laughed --- a tired, bitter sound that was completely unlike the laugh Majic knew.
Orphen's words caused Majic's stomach to fall like a stone. It was so unlike the young sorcerer to ever take blame for anything that happened. Orphen was self-assured, confident, and cocky to the point of being arrogant, and the boy couldn't ever remember hearing him talk in such an open, humble, almost defeated manner. Now, Majic was hearing Orphen apologize, for the first time since he had known him, and it frightened him more than anything he had experienced during his travels with the young sorcerer.
"No, Master!" Majic exclaimed, struggling to keep his voice low so that he wouldn't wake Cleao. He knew that, if the girl woke up to find Orphen trying to sneak out of camp, she would go absolutely ballistic. That was the last thing either of them wanted to suffer through, especially this early in the morning. Majic gripped Orphen's arms, gently, carefully, so that he wouldn't hurt his master again, and turned the young sorcerer so that they were eye-to-eye. "None of this is your fault! How can you think that? That Morph thing …" He paused and quickly wiped tears from his eyes before continuing, "That thing wanted me, Master. You did what you did because of me. If you hadn't, I'd be dead, and, probably Cleao, too. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I woke that thing up. I was the one who wasn't strong enough to …"
"Enough," Orphen's flat, angry voice cut Majic off in mid-sentence. "I don't want to hear that from you, Majic. It's not your fault. You're only the student. I'm the master --- I knew something was in there. I shoulda made you guys leave."
"But, Master," Majic started to protest. He stopped when Orphen waved his hand, silently indicating that he didn't want to hear any more.
"I don't want you guys to have to go through any more of this, so I'm doing the only thing left. Master is meditating by the waterfall. When he comes back, I'm going to leave with him. I'm … I'm sorry for leaving you guys … like this. It'll only be for a few days … three, maybe four … five at the most. You can wait here if you want, or there is a town nearby. I'm sure you could both find your way home from there. It's up to you."
Majic felt a small glimmer of hope, like a shaft of sunlight cutting through the darkness that had engulfed him ever since Orphen was injured. "Master, do you mean that there is a cure --- that he … Childman can cure you?"
"There is one thing that might work. He's the only one who can do it. When I called him … I didn't know if he'd come. There's been a lot … of bad blood between us in the last five years. But, in the end … I guess he's still my … master." Orphen sighed and stood unsteadily to return to his packing. Without looking back at Majic, he said, softly, "If … if I don't … make it, Majic, Master said he'd come back … for you and Cleao. He promised me he'd take you to the Tower … to finish your training, and … that he'd get Cleao home safely."
As the meaning behind what Orphen was telling him sank in, Majic felt his little glimmer of hope getting smaller and smaller until it finally dissolved completely. He reached over and grabbed at his master's hand to stop him from packing for a moment. "Master … master … please. Please, you have to let us come with you. You can't … you can't just leave us like this." He knew his begging would make Orphen angry, but he didn't care. He couldn't stand the thought that, if he watched his master walk away this morning with Childman, he might never see him again.
Orphen didn't reply or even turn around to look at Majic, and the boy felt his heart drop. He knew the young sorcerer was about to tell him "no", when a new voice broke into the conversation.
"It won't be fun, boy. It's something you shouldn't see … that Krylancelo doesn't want you to see."
Majic looked up to see Childman approaching them. The tall sorcerer, dressed in his customary long, black robes, was walking slowly toward them as he returned from his morning meditation. His dragon amulet, identical to the one Orphen always wore, swung from side-to-side as he walked, glinting in the weak morning sunlight. Majic could see the kind look in the older man's eyes, and he knew that, with Childman here, he just might have a chance of changing Orphen's mind.
"But," Majic searched his mind desperately, trying to come up with the most persuasive argument possible. Finding that he couldn't think of a reason that would be good enough to persuade Orphen, he finished weakly, "But I have to go."
Childman laughed as he sat down near the burned-out fire. "Not a very creative argument," he said, looking at Orphen with a fondness that Majic still found surprising. "He's just like you were at that age, Krylancelo."Orphen turned and gave Childman a dirty look. "How the hell would you know, old man?" he asked with a bitter laugh. "By the time I was his age," he jerked his head toward Majic, which made him dizzy, and he had to pause to regain his balance before continuing, "I was on my own … away from the Tower of Fang … and you."
Childman smiled calmly and tucked his hands into the sleeves of his robe. "You always were a bit slow, Krylancelo. You were never on your own." He nodded toward Cleao and told Majic, "Wake the girl, boy. You both need to know everything before you decide to come with us."
"Master!" Orphen snapped. "I said they aren't coming, and that's final."
Majic hesitated, but, when Childman again told him to wake Cleao, he jumped up to do as he had been instructed, trying hard to ignore the smoldering, angry look in Orphen's eyes.
**********************************************************************
Cleao was incensed at being awakened so early in the morning, and, to top it all off, Orphen asked her to cook breakfast for Childman. Majic knew that, had Orphen not been so sick, Cleao would have hit him with the skillet. Instead, she choked down her anger and made breakfast. Majic managed to contain his impatience as he watched Childman slowly eat his meal, but, now that the older sorcerer was finished eating and just sitting, silently staring at the fire, he couldn't contain himself any longer.
"Well?!" he snapped.
Childman looked at Majic as if he were a small, slow child. "Well, what, boy?" The older sorcerer laughed as Majic frowned in frustration. Then, he turned to Orphen, who was sitting on the other side of the fire, and asked, "Are you going to tell them, Krylancelo?"
Orphen didn't reply. He just continued to stare angrily into the flames.
"Fine," the older man said. "I'll tell them, then. You know they have a right to know. They care about you, Krylancelo, although I can see, as always, you don't make that an easy task." He paused for a moment, as if he was waiting for Orphen to break down and speak, but, when the younger sorcerer still said nothing, he continued, "There is a way that might save him, but, it's a long shot. The poison and losing his magical powers may have already damaged his heart. And, it will be painful … for everyone involved. That's why he wanted to leave you behind."
"Enough of this crap," Cleao snapped. Her voice cut through the tension like a knife. "I'm so damn sick of all of this magic, mysterious, mumbo-jumbo crap. Just tell us already."
"I'll have to die."
Majic and Cleao both jumped at the sound of Orphen's voice. Without looking away from the fire, the young sorcerer repeated, "I'll have to die."
"NO!" Cleao yelled, jumping up from her seat next to Orphen. She angrily shoved him, knocking him roughly to the ground.
"Cleao!" Majic exclaimed as he jumped forward to help Orphen back to a sitting position. "Be careful. You're going to hurt him."
"Sorry," the girl mumbled as she resumed her seat. She gently reached out and stroked Orphen's arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so upset. It's just …" She paused and quickly wiped away tears that suddenly appeared in her eyes, and she turned a pleading look toward Orphen. "There's got to be a better way. Orphen, please. There's got to be a better way."
"There's no other way, girl," Childman responded before Orphen could say anything. "If his heart is undamaged, I can bring him back. The resurrection spell is difficult and draining. There is a place, called Dolwarn, which is a few days' journey from here. It is a place where magic is amplified, and, as such, it is sacred to all sorcerers. I have to be in that place to perform the spell. If I wait for too long after he dies, it won't work. That's why there's no time to lose."
"And that's why you two can't come," Orphen finished. "I've already … put you through too much. I can't … I can't let you see me die. And, … if it doesn't work…" He looked at the ground without finishing his sentence.
"I don't care." Cleao said flatly. "I only care about you, Orphen. We're a team, and we're not breaking up now. We've come too far."
"She's right, Master," Majic added. He knew Orphen well enough to tell that the young sorcerer was not wavering in his decision. "Master, if it was you … if it was Master Childman who was sick, what would you do?"
Orphen slowly, unsteadily, rose from his seat next to the fire. "All right. You can come," he said softly as he turned away to finish packing.
Warnings: Bad Language. Violence
Summary: Badly injured while protecting his companions from a magical creature the Heavenly Ones sealed away centuries ago, Orphen has no choice but to call on Childman for assistance and protection. Will the sorceror who was once his master come to his aid, or is Childman really bent on Orphen's destruction?
Legal Stuff: As always, this story is intended to express one fan's genuine appreciation of Sorcerous Stabber Orphen and its characters. It is just for fun and not for profit. If you have any rights in the anime described here and find the posting of this fanfiction offensive or harmful, please contact me, and I will be happy to remove it.
CHAPTER 8
A scraping sound awoke Majic. He turned over onto his back and slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes and shielding his face from the sun, which was just beginning to peek over one of the hills near their campsite. He was surprised to see Orphen staring back at him with a surprised look on his face. He had interrupted his master in the midst of packing some of their food into a small satchel. Majic was surprised that the young sorcerer was even awake. Orphen looked thin, pale, and exhausted --- as if he would fall over at the first hard gust of wind. Childman had managed to get almost an entire plate of food into the younger sorcerer the night before, but Orphen's clothes hung off of him. When he looked at Majic, his eyes were tired and dull, and it seemed as if it took a couple of seconds for him to realize who the boy was.
"Master, what's going on? Are you going somewhere?" Majic asked. He looked around the campsite, but didn't see any sign of Childman. "Did Master Childman leave?"
Orphen shook his head. "Sorry about waking you up. I'm going. I thought I'd be able to leave without waking anyone," he said slowly, glancing nervously over toward the fire's remains, where Cleao was still sleeping. "But, I guess I'm not quite myself --- a little clumsy, you know." He smiled --- probably the first genuine smile Majic had seen from him in over a week, and the boy couldn't help but smile back in response.
As Orphen returned to his packing, Majic suddenly realized what he had just said, and he started having a very bad feeling. "What do you mean you're leaving?" When Orphen just continued to pack without responding to his question, Majic leaned forward and grabbed the young sorcerer's arm, causing Orphen to flinch. Majic immediately removed his hand and stared at the ugly, purple bruise already forming on his master's arm. "Sorry, Master," he said, staring down at the ground. When he continued, it was in a soft, pleading tone. "Please, answer me. You have to stop ignoring me. Please. I deserve to know. Are you going by yourself?"
Orphen stopped packing and sat down next to Majic. He leaned over slightly, bumping the boy affectionately with his shoulder, and then reached over to ruffle Majic's hair. "Majic, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for … for all of the crap that you and Cleao are going through. All of this …" his voice trailed off tiredly as he waved his hand, as if to indicate the surrounding area, but Majic knew he was really talking about all of the events leading up to that moment, and, possibly, events yet to occur. "It's my fault," he continued. "I really … screwed up this time, didn't I?" He laughed --- a tired, bitter sound that was completely unlike the laugh Majic knew.
Orphen's words caused Majic's stomach to fall like a stone. It was so unlike the young sorcerer to ever take blame for anything that happened. Orphen was self-assured, confident, and cocky to the point of being arrogant, and the boy couldn't ever remember hearing him talk in such an open, humble, almost defeated manner. Now, Majic was hearing Orphen apologize, for the first time since he had known him, and it frightened him more than anything he had experienced during his travels with the young sorcerer.
"No, Master!" Majic exclaimed, struggling to keep his voice low so that he wouldn't wake Cleao. He knew that, if the girl woke up to find Orphen trying to sneak out of camp, she would go absolutely ballistic. That was the last thing either of them wanted to suffer through, especially this early in the morning. Majic gripped Orphen's arms, gently, carefully, so that he wouldn't hurt his master again, and turned the young sorcerer so that they were eye-to-eye. "None of this is your fault! How can you think that? That Morph thing …" He paused and quickly wiped tears from his eyes before continuing, "That thing wanted me, Master. You did what you did because of me. If you hadn't, I'd be dead, and, probably Cleao, too. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I woke that thing up. I was the one who wasn't strong enough to …"
"Enough," Orphen's flat, angry voice cut Majic off in mid-sentence. "I don't want to hear that from you, Majic. It's not your fault. You're only the student. I'm the master --- I knew something was in there. I shoulda made you guys leave."
"But, Master," Majic started to protest. He stopped when Orphen waved his hand, silently indicating that he didn't want to hear any more.
"I don't want you guys to have to go through any more of this, so I'm doing the only thing left. Master is meditating by the waterfall. When he comes back, I'm going to leave with him. I'm … I'm sorry for leaving you guys … like this. It'll only be for a few days … three, maybe four … five at the most. You can wait here if you want, or there is a town nearby. I'm sure you could both find your way home from there. It's up to you."
Majic felt a small glimmer of hope, like a shaft of sunlight cutting through the darkness that had engulfed him ever since Orphen was injured. "Master, do you mean that there is a cure --- that he … Childman can cure you?"
"There is one thing that might work. He's the only one who can do it. When I called him … I didn't know if he'd come. There's been a lot … of bad blood between us in the last five years. But, in the end … I guess he's still my … master." Orphen sighed and stood unsteadily to return to his packing. Without looking back at Majic, he said, softly, "If … if I don't … make it, Majic, Master said he'd come back … for you and Cleao. He promised me he'd take you to the Tower … to finish your training, and … that he'd get Cleao home safely."
As the meaning behind what Orphen was telling him sank in, Majic felt his little glimmer of hope getting smaller and smaller until it finally dissolved completely. He reached over and grabbed at his master's hand to stop him from packing for a moment. "Master … master … please. Please, you have to let us come with you. You can't … you can't just leave us like this." He knew his begging would make Orphen angry, but he didn't care. He couldn't stand the thought that, if he watched his master walk away this morning with Childman, he might never see him again.
Orphen didn't reply or even turn around to look at Majic, and the boy felt his heart drop. He knew the young sorcerer was about to tell him "no", when a new voice broke into the conversation.
"It won't be fun, boy. It's something you shouldn't see … that Krylancelo doesn't want you to see."
Majic looked up to see Childman approaching them. The tall sorcerer, dressed in his customary long, black robes, was walking slowly toward them as he returned from his morning meditation. His dragon amulet, identical to the one Orphen always wore, swung from side-to-side as he walked, glinting in the weak morning sunlight. Majic could see the kind look in the older man's eyes, and he knew that, with Childman here, he just might have a chance of changing Orphen's mind.
"But," Majic searched his mind desperately, trying to come up with the most persuasive argument possible. Finding that he couldn't think of a reason that would be good enough to persuade Orphen, he finished weakly, "But I have to go."
Childman laughed as he sat down near the burned-out fire. "Not a very creative argument," he said, looking at Orphen with a fondness that Majic still found surprising. "He's just like you were at that age, Krylancelo."Orphen turned and gave Childman a dirty look. "How the hell would you know, old man?" he asked with a bitter laugh. "By the time I was his age," he jerked his head toward Majic, which made him dizzy, and he had to pause to regain his balance before continuing, "I was on my own … away from the Tower of Fang … and you."
Childman smiled calmly and tucked his hands into the sleeves of his robe. "You always were a bit slow, Krylancelo. You were never on your own." He nodded toward Cleao and told Majic, "Wake the girl, boy. You both need to know everything before you decide to come with us."
"Master!" Orphen snapped. "I said they aren't coming, and that's final."
Majic hesitated, but, when Childman again told him to wake Cleao, he jumped up to do as he had been instructed, trying hard to ignore the smoldering, angry look in Orphen's eyes.
**********************************************************************
Cleao was incensed at being awakened so early in the morning, and, to top it all off, Orphen asked her to cook breakfast for Childman. Majic knew that, had Orphen not been so sick, Cleao would have hit him with the skillet. Instead, she choked down her anger and made breakfast. Majic managed to contain his impatience as he watched Childman slowly eat his meal, but, now that the older sorcerer was finished eating and just sitting, silently staring at the fire, he couldn't contain himself any longer.
"Well?!" he snapped.
Childman looked at Majic as if he were a small, slow child. "Well, what, boy?" The older sorcerer laughed as Majic frowned in frustration. Then, he turned to Orphen, who was sitting on the other side of the fire, and asked, "Are you going to tell them, Krylancelo?"
Orphen didn't reply. He just continued to stare angrily into the flames.
"Fine," the older man said. "I'll tell them, then. You know they have a right to know. They care about you, Krylancelo, although I can see, as always, you don't make that an easy task." He paused for a moment, as if he was waiting for Orphen to break down and speak, but, when the younger sorcerer still said nothing, he continued, "There is a way that might save him, but, it's a long shot. The poison and losing his magical powers may have already damaged his heart. And, it will be painful … for everyone involved. That's why he wanted to leave you behind."
"Enough of this crap," Cleao snapped. Her voice cut through the tension like a knife. "I'm so damn sick of all of this magic, mysterious, mumbo-jumbo crap. Just tell us already."
"I'll have to die."
Majic and Cleao both jumped at the sound of Orphen's voice. Without looking away from the fire, the young sorcerer repeated, "I'll have to die."
"NO!" Cleao yelled, jumping up from her seat next to Orphen. She angrily shoved him, knocking him roughly to the ground.
"Cleao!" Majic exclaimed as he jumped forward to help Orphen back to a sitting position. "Be careful. You're going to hurt him."
"Sorry," the girl mumbled as she resumed her seat. She gently reached out and stroked Orphen's arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so upset. It's just …" She paused and quickly wiped away tears that suddenly appeared in her eyes, and she turned a pleading look toward Orphen. "There's got to be a better way. Orphen, please. There's got to be a better way."
"There's no other way, girl," Childman responded before Orphen could say anything. "If his heart is undamaged, I can bring him back. The resurrection spell is difficult and draining. There is a place, called Dolwarn, which is a few days' journey from here. It is a place where magic is amplified, and, as such, it is sacred to all sorcerers. I have to be in that place to perform the spell. If I wait for too long after he dies, it won't work. That's why there's no time to lose."
"And that's why you two can't come," Orphen finished. "I've already … put you through too much. I can't … I can't let you see me die. And, … if it doesn't work…" He looked at the ground without finishing his sentence.
"I don't care." Cleao said flatly. "I only care about you, Orphen. We're a team, and we're not breaking up now. We've come too far."
"She's right, Master," Majic added. He knew Orphen well enough to tell that the young sorcerer was not wavering in his decision. "Master, if it was you … if it was Master Childman who was sick, what would you do?"
Orphen slowly, unsteadily, rose from his seat next to the fire. "All right. You can come," he said softly as he turned away to finish packing.