Seclusion Chapter 5
By Aujang Abadi
Cecil sat alone in the Observatory, scratching his chin thoughtfully between glances at his telescope. The moon had moved once more. Marginally, this time, not enough to warrant the manifestation of evil Zeromus had been... but something was coming from it. Something had migrated.
"Could it be Golbez, or FuSoYa?" He murmured to himself, cracking open the tome of lore that FuSoYa had given to him upon his wedding day. It was entitled The Eternal Struggle. He had read into it very often during the past, to better understand his role and the role of others. It always helped to have a reference guide.
During his first perusal, he learned why he, and no one else in the ranks of Baron, was able to wield the Dark Sword. Ironically enough, a true Dark Knight, as he had been, required Lunaran blood. Interstellans could not fully grasp the Dark Blade as they, themselves, were already part of it. They could not touch the aspect of the Dark Knight that came only with the perversion of Paladin powers. Interstellans were most commonly found as monsters.
Afterwards, he studied the manifestations of magiks, and found that Callers, such as Rydia, possessed neither influence. Callers were uniquely human, possibly their intended line of defense from either force. The reasons why no Lunaran or Interstellan could call was still under question, but many of their councilors suggested it was their close ties to the fabric of reality and the crystals. Because of their alignment, it was impossible for them to call upon that neutral skein that supplied the humans with the power. The histories also mentioned very powerful Callers, whom Cecil noted as Rydia's direct ancestors, whom were able to call Lunaran or Interstellan beings. That would explain Bahamut's involvement.
Today, though, he flipped through to the section about the moon and its direct involvement in the shiftings of their balance. Created as a monitor of sorts, it shifted in certain degrees, depending on the extent and the nature of the force affecting the balance. After carefully measuring the arc of change, he did some simple geometry, and found the angle of difference to be near 58 degrees. Since the moon had shifted to the west, it implied the interference of Interstellan forces. They moved in the opposite direction of the rising sun.
Sighing at his lack of formal education, he looked around for forces capable of creating that disturbance. Since no new monsters had been sighted, he specifically targeted certain, unique forces. There were three that could cause a disturbance of this proportion.
The first was, of course, Zeromus, but the only way for it to shift this little was if he came with benevolent intent. Laughing out loud to that, he went on. The second was a Lunaran with incredibly malignant intent. The only two Lunarans currently active were FuSoYa and Golbez. FuSoYa wasn't even capable of evil, and Golbez was under his custody. Besides, Cecil and Golbez had a psychic bond, due to their lineage. He would have sensed his brother.
And the last was Wyvern, the keeper of the blade sheathed at his side. But the only matching degree of change, for this particular one, was a bit lower than the actual change. And even that change seemed unlikely.
If the moon shifts approximately fifty degrees to the west, then Wyvern has been summoned to the Earth for fulfillment of a prophecy. But what prophecy, Cecil asked himself. He decided to look into Wyvern more closely, and moved deeper into the book.
After reading about the knowledge Kain had recently acquired, Cecil moved on to Wyvern's role in guarding the blade. It seemed the only logical prophecy to follow. It was then that he learned of Mount Ordeal's significance: it acted as a intermediate between the Earth and the Moon. It was a culmination of lore; in it, nearly every prophecy was resolved. Also, in times of resolution, it acted as a gateway to the Moon.
"Knowing that four weeks ago would have been really damn helpful..." He muttered to himself. "Damned Big Whale was one hell of a job." The Wyvern came back for the blade after its use in maintaining the balance, as he was judged, but he could only be called back by an Interstellan, who set foot on Mount Ordeals. Cecil couldn't conceal his shock. "An Interstellan?! How?!" That would explain the shift in the moon's alignment... but not the prophecy. The prophecy involved the blade being taken... its resolution had passed after Zemus. Wyvern's return wasn't part of the prophecy, it merely happened. That meant that whomever had set foot on Mount Ordeals was Interstellan, and part of a prophecy. But which prophecy?
Cecil shook his head and looked up. It was almost night again, and the moon was more clearly visible. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment. After a short rest, he began reading about Wyvern and his role in the balance.
Wyvern is Zeromus' most valued ally, and is also guardian of the Crystal blade. He plays a vital role in the maintenance of the balance: only true Paladins stand a chance at defeating him. However, while Wyvern cannot be killed by Lunaran or human hands, he can be by a fellow Interstellan. He is mortal, and whoever kills Wyvern inherently assumes his role. Wyvern, and his ultimate killer, can always be identified by physical feature. While the exact origin of the trait cannot be determined, Wyverns always look exactly the same. There has never been any physical deviation whatsoever. However, some Wyverns are more powerful than others, and have been known to stay as guardian for extended periods of time. The longest standing has been three centuries, upon the year of this writing. Soon enough, his fourth challenger will appear. Cecil had learned from FuSoYa that that specific challenger was their current Wyvern. He had lasted for over two millenia. Every challenger must enter Mount Ordeals and proclaim their intent to challenge. However, if one enters with another intent, they are shown their heritage, and then Mount Ordeals acts as an arbiter. Should the Interstellan prove dark enough, Mount Ordeals will destroy it, as it is a Lunaran holding. But if there is light left in an Interstellan soul, which to date, has never happened, the being shall be spared. Why this is so is still under question.
"Hmm... so whoever stepped in Mount Ordeals summoned him here, but obviously not for a challenge... the moon would have shifted more. So what happened?" Cecil paused for a moment, looking outside. Night had fallen, enveloping the countryside. Scattered stars contributed feeble light to the otherwise encroaching darkness. He turned the page and read on.
The reason Wyvern is so vital to Zeromus' as a personal ally is because from him stems the elite of the darkness. Much like Lunaran elite are warriors of the Light, the Paladins, and their human compatriots are Cavaliers, the Interstellans have their own specialized ranks. Their human compatriots, having already been stated as Dark Knights, (see aforementioned note about potential regarding Lunarans), are subservient to the Dragoons, the ultimate warriors of the Interstellans. Cecil's breath caught in his throat.
Quickly, almost blindingly so, pieces fell into place. Four days after the original king had been killed, when Cecil and Kain had just entered the elite guard, the Dragoons of Baron had been formed... then, Kain had been drafted into them. A year later, Cecil had become a Dark Knight, the only man in the Baronian kingdom able to do so. He chuckled in spite of himself. Kainazzo had done a damn good job of making Baron a veritable army of darkness. However, very few Interstellans become Master Dragoons, and no humans possess the potential. More often than not, it is the current Master Dragoon that challenges Wyvern for the right to guard the blade. He turned the page once more, to a picture of Kain.
"Eh? How did this get in here?" He reached to remove the small portrait, and then realized it was painted on to the page. Below it read, in neat, bold words: The face of Wyvern.
His exclamation was drowned out by the sound of a hundred, blaring battle horns.
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