What hasn't been told von Kawaii_Fruit ================================================================================ Kapitel 2: Flashback 2 ---------------------- Asch rolled to his side. He didn’t get much sleep lately due to all the memories circling endlessly through his tired mind. Almost one month had passed since he and his more than stupid replica had been brought back to life by Lorelei. He still couldn’t entirely understand how Lorelei accomplished that. His body had been pierced with three swords after all! But as much as he tried to remember, all he could recall was waking up near Hod. And to all of that he found himself lying next to that dreck. At least it seemed like he really had managed to stop Van. Staring into the darkness he sank into the memories… He opened his eyes, blinking confused. So this is death?, he thought, staring at the bright stars covering a clear dark nightsky. He certainly had expected something utterly different. With relief he noticed he could move normally, even if it hurt a little. His body felt heavy, almost as if something big kept sitting on his chest. Taking a deep breath he pressed his hands into the damp grass and pushed himself into a sitting position. Wait-, it crossed his still dizzy mind, I’m breathing?. His confusion growing with every second passing he pressed his index finger to his throat. A pulse? How is that even possible?! Unbelieving his hands started to feel around on his chest. The painful wounds were gone! Just as his former clothes were … They had been replaced by a black shirt and pants, both covered with red lines. Over that he wore a dark coat, cut open from the waist down to his ankles. A little similar to the clothes Luke had been wearing all the time, except to the fact that his new clothes looked kind of ragged. What in Loreleis name was going on?! “Heed my voice!...” The familiar sound sent a shiver down his spine. “You, who became the leftover ashes of the sacred flame…” Lorelei?, he answered. His mind was circling by now, not able to grasp a single clear thought. "I am the one you call Lorelei. You overturned the score I foretold and saved this world from destruction. Accept your life as a sign of my gratitude.” You say… I’m not dead? I’m alive?!, he burst out, still not sure if he wasn’t dreaming. Then what about the replica! And the others! Are they okay?! "There is no further need… for me to communicate with you… I need to restore… my power… Please protect the world… you created…" And with that the connection was gone, leaving a terrible headache. Lorelei?, he asked once again but was responded with silence. Rubbing his hurting temples he tried to settle the chaos of thoughts swirling through his head. So he wasn’t dead. Lorelei had resurrected him somehow and needed to rest now. He could see Hod from where he was sitting. Probably he wasn’t far away from Tataroo Valley. Eldrant had been floating close to the Ispanian Peninsula before he… well, got stabbed. A sudden whining sound made him look around in surprise. And there he was, lying right next to him, blinking into the moonlit scenery, adjusting his eyes to the faint light of the starry sky. The man who had stolen his place in this world. Luke fon Fabre. Why hadn’t he noticed that dreck earlier? Gritting his teeth Asch rose to his feet, stumbling in a lack of balance. He caught himself from falling back to his knees and silently cursed his legs for their unfamiliar weakness. Just how long had he been sleeping to lose this much strength?!   “Asch?”, he heard the replica ask. “Am I dead?... I have to be… Since you are here…” “No, we aren’t. You’re alive and I’m as well. Even though I don’t understand how that is possible. Lorelei brought us back.”, Asch responded with a slight annoyance. Explaining everything to that stupid trash was the last thing he needed to do now. He watched Luke sitting up. At least it looked like he wasn’t the only one having problems to control his own body. “We’re alive?”, Luke repeated looking around in unbelief. “Wait, how long have we been sleeping?!”, he suddenly cried out, his eyes widening in horror. “How should I now?”, Asch grumbled, following Lukes sight - and immediately understood what the replica meant. The complete ruin of Eldrant was covered in vines, moss and even bushes. It must have taken years to grow. In silence both kept staring at the huge complex that once had been floating in the air. Asch was the one to break the silence. “I’m leaving for Sheridan.”, he announced. Luke turned around, looking at him in surprise. “Sheridan? Why that? Why don’t we go straight to Baticul? Natalia and the others will likely be there!” Asch shot a piercing glare at his replica. “That’s exactly why I’m not going there. We’re both most certainly believed to be dead. Do you really think it would be a good idea to walk right into the capital like nothing happened? Adding to that we don’t know anything about what happened in our absence. I’ll gather information in Sheridan and decide what to do after that.” Luke still seemed to be in some state of confusion. It took him some time to answer but finally he opened his mouth. “Do what you want, Asch. I will go to Baticul. I promised my friends I’d come back and I’m going to keep my promise!” Asch narrowed his eyes, peering at the defect right in front of him. “I don’t care what you‘re doing but you better don’t - even - try to make me feel guilty. Breaking promises is not my intention. Don’t tell anyone you met me here. This is nothing for you to decide.”, he growled forcefully. Without paying further attention to the replicas dumbfounded face he turned around and slowly started to make his way up the hill covered with hundreds of Selenia flowers. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to go back to Baticul at all. He really didn’t intend to break the promise he made to Natalia. But considering the long time that had passed since he had left this world involuntarily everything may have changed. There wasn’t any guarantee he’d be welcomed back to Baticul if as nothing had happened. If someone is considered to be dead…, he thought to himself, there will likely be no one waiting for him to come back… people tend to move on… to forget what is gone… and to replace it by something new. He had been replaced once. Back then he had made the mistake to come back without any mental preparation and he had seen his replacement play and laugh with his family, with his fiancée, taking away his life. And it had hurt. He wouldn’t repeat that mistake… Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)