"Here it is, Foce." Lux stepped in front of the other girl, and led her into the room, her hand slipped away from Foce's in the process. She was led to a stack of books on top of a small wooden box, "It's in there, I only know what's in it, I didn't put it there."802Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Z9RFsxGWf
Foce eagerly moved the books, temporarily forgetting her fear of the dark as she set the stack aside and moved to open the ornate box. Inside was a bronze medallion with four groups of roses embellished on it's face, starting from the east and going clockwise was a group of three, one of six, one of nine, and another of a dozen, four thorns sat between every group, to complete the clock motif was a short stubby vine, a slender, longer one, and a very thin one.
In the middle of the disk was a small blood red gem inlaid, and the words "Anathema Vitam et Mortem" engraved on it's face.
"It looks expensive, are you sure I can have it?" Foce inquired, hesitant to so much as touch it."
"It's yours, Foce, I asked my parents, everything in here is supposed to be trash, but I've found a few things here I like," Lux explained, "so when I saw that box, I knew whatever it was would be yours."
"Thanks, Lux, I'll always wear it." Foce assured, laying the rose thorn themed chain around her neck.
"Y-y-you don't have to wear it all the time..." Lux stammered nervously, her arms behind her back as she swayed nervously on her feet, "I am glad you want to keep it, though, it means so much...t-that...I could find something you like," Lux laughed sadly as she wiped her arms over her eyes, "before you had to go away again!"
"Lux..." Foce held her hand out and rested it on Lux's shoulder; the other girl fell into her arms immediately, "Lux...I'll miss you too. I wish I had something to give you."
"Anything would be fine, you coming here means so much...I know how you don't like the dark, but here you are, with me." Lux whispered, sobbing loudly as she held onto the girl.
"Then...how about my word?" Foce whispered, stroking the other's hair. When Lux quieted some she continued, "I promise to come back one day, it'll be just like now."
Foce had meant to go back as soon as her parents sold their company to retire, but a war loomed, monsters were suddenly cropping up all over the place, and she felt the need to train to protect her family, so she did, she trained under strict teacher for two days before the monsters suddenly vanished, and there was no need or place for the trainees.
She took the opportunity and left while it was peaceful, and once she was closer to her destination than the nearest recruiting office, the monsters suddenly appeared again. Foce put the her plans to train on hold and made her way to the mansion, Lux eagerly greeted her in the yard and invited her in.
"Thank goodness my parents are out right now, they'd be even more superstitious than they already are." Lux sighed.
Foce felt alarmed by the comment and it showed plainly on her face and in her voice, "Why, what's happened?"
"Ever since you went away, I had dreams of seeing you again, my parents forgot you as soon as you were gone, and as it's customary for parents to ask their children's dreams to ensure they're not Infinity Guardians, I told them the truth. They thought my dreams were memories of my past life, as an Infinity Guardian, and now that my hair's grown darker and the girl in my dreams was obviously you, with your white hair...they're absolutely sure of it." Lux scoffed and kicked the ground, annoyed, "They want to send me to the demon realm to wash their hands of me, but they can't with monsters randomly showing up, so...now that the monsters have halted, they went to the capitol to call for help...because I'm cursed, according to them."
"I won't allow that, even if you are an Infinity Guardian, you're my friend." Foce smiled and stepped back towards the road, "We should enlist together, monsters have been appearing again and they'll be taking recruits, since I live in Aquapolis I'll be stationed there by default, and since it's an important port city, you'll be allowed to transfer there!"
"Haha...I'm frail, you know better than most." Lux giggled after a while, "Guess I should be a healer and learn far reaching spells."
"Yeah, it'll be great, if we're lucky we'll have a lot of spare time on our hands!" Foce started off, then turned back, "Oh, wait, you probably need help pack-"
Lux threw her arms around Foce and giggled, "You're just infectious, you know that? Let's leave now, I don't need to pack."
"Are you sure? Growing up you said you had treasures you found in the abandoned part of the mansion."
"I did, but none of them are worth taking with me...besides, they could be used to identify me, since they're all as old as dirt and the craftsmanship is very unique to the Frost Region."
"I guess you have a point." Foce instinctively lay her hand on the chain of th necklace under her sweater.
Lux gave her a curious stare before smiling, "Are you wearing it, then?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I am!" Foce rubbed the back of her neck nervously.
"I told you...you didn't have to do that." Lux smiled and shook her head, "I'm glad you did, though."
"I do take it off to bathe, for the record." Foce quickly added, making Lux laugh. Along the road to the recruitment office they discussed the past, who they would throw snowballs at each other.
Time passed and war erupted with the monsters. When Foce and Lux weren't discovering their deeper affections for each other, they discovered that many portals had been opened, and the power of the crystals abused by the orders of Sage Sable, who Lux had immediately mistrusted, "Maybe I met the guy in my past life, he was probably presiding over the death of Infinity Guardian candidates at the time. All I know is I don't like him."
They disbelieved out of hand, even if not, it was his prestigious word again their nameless ones. Even after reporting through all the channels they could, no one listened as soon as charges against Sable were brought up.
They followed him into the Infinity Tower one stormy night, back when it was a holy place only opened by the Sage of Infinity, and only during the day, none neared the building after dusk.
They followed him up to where tomes of ancient wisdom and forbidden knowledge were kept, he opened a portal and they followed after, there was no turning back. The duo faced him then and there, Foce drew her blade and Lux prepared every protective spell she knew as fast as she could.
"How unfortunate you chose this hour to face me." the old man smiled and held out his hand to point at Foce's necklace, knowing it was there despite not seeing it, "The engraving on your necklace is ancient, my plot is ancient, I have now perfected it! I call upon my powers, my name is Vindicatus Skotadi, God of Justice, Sage Sable! My justification is hidden, the words I speak obscure! I mete out light and embrace the dark! May your life and death be cursed! A sacrifice to my cause!"
Foce's sword clattered to the ground and she stumbled to her knees, groaning in agony. She patted her chest as she strained her throat, and Lux quickly identified the necklace as the source of Foce's pain, and removed it immediately.
"Who do you think you are, Sable?!" Lux cried, pulling Foce into her arms.
"I don't know...what is your friend?" Sage Sable scoffed.
"She's my girlfri-" Lux fell quiet and held Foce in her arms as two jolts of pain shot through her shoulder, "I...why, Foce...why did life turn out this way for us?"
Foce's arms hands shook as she drew away, "Lux, no...I-I'm sorry...what's happening? Lux?" Foce embraced the pale young woman she didn't notice the spiral of light around them that Lux created to keep Vindicatus away, she didn't care if he was there or not.
"Foce..."
"Please, no...this can't be how it ends...Lux...I love you." Foce whispered, hugging the brunette tightly.
"I love you too, Foce." Lux wheezed, brushing the back of her knuckles against Foce's cheek, "And...I always will, nothing can change that." Lux breathed deeply and clutched her chest, "Even in the next life...I'll always feel that way!" Lux cried and clutched the gold band Foce had given her.
"How will I find you? H-how will I know?"
"You just will, Foce...or maybe I only got this one chance with you? I'm sorry...for leaving like this." Lux whispered softly, her breathing growing shallower.
"Why?! I'm the one who just killed you! I'm apologizing, I-"
"I could never blame you, Foce...I love you so much..." she closed her eyes and leaned into Foce's arms.
"I-I hope your next is a happy one, Lux...and if I get to see you again...I'll make sure of it!" Foce cried until she fell asleep, and when she woke, she gathered nearby roses and pulled a dozen hips off the stems. She laid them with her sword on the ground where she laid Lux, and fell asleep for a hundred years.
When she awoke, she lead Banshee--who had watched from the shadows and managed to pull her into the under world--across the land now becoming widely known as the demon realm, gathered an army, and went after Vindicatus, she failed to defeat him, the priestesses ensnared her in a giant crystal bound her to a deep slumber.
She was cast into the demon world and her allies entombed her back in the dimension Banshee had originally created to keep her safe, where she remained buried until Jessie found her.802Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuTXqm5YcU
The last thoughts she had were fixated on the part of her life she didn't share with her demon allies, a simple plea that could by no means be answered, a circumstance that Foce could neither accept nor reject, her request wouldn't be answered because life was cruel, it's denizens crueler.802Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8fmuDhJrd
Words she forced herself to forget, a voice that she deafened herself to, a death that haunted her dreams until she went numb from the pain.802Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRupmAOJ67b
"Lux...please, Lux, come back to me...Lux..."802Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVv7OLTJ8I7
