Darkken The Scarlet
Magician
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Koren observed the battle between the other
contestants
Fools. No matter who you are, no matter
who you're fighting for, it's all but an infantile game of
fate...
Koren pressed onwards, looking for a place
that would be fitting for their battlefield. A few quick
flickers later, he appeared to a small, deserted terrace,
where Duran was standing - no doubt expecting the Void, like
everyone else.
"Duran", Koren called out, walking
towards him.
Duran turned around and saw him. "Koren",
he said. For the first time his voice did not bear the nuance
of hatred it usually had while he spoke to him. It seemed as
though Duran did not know what to expect from him.
"Do
you still insist to finish our fight?" Duran asked, slowly and
determinedly. He glanced towards the Void.
"Yes."
Koren said. "But first, I will explain why." he added.
Duran waited, still keeping his hand on the hilt of
his sword.
"I'm sure you understand by now that I am,
in fact, from your future." Koren said, with a soft voice that
fully lacked the arrogance that it usually had. "Your quest
for vengeance led you to meet others - Angela, the princess of
Altena, and Hawk, a ninja from the desert kingdom of Navarre."
"You were chosen by fate, you see." Koren added, with
a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"You, Duran, became
the host for a fairy from the Mana Holyland. And so, you set
out on a journey to strengthen yourself, and to get the
ultimate treasure... the Sword of Mana. And that, ultimately,
led you into a confrontation with me... and my master, the
Dragon Emperor."
"Not only that", Duran said. "The two
of you resurrected and forced my father into serving you!" he
said, with a hint of the old anger rising to his voice.
"Yes", Koren said, nodding. "But you haven't heard the
end of my tale."
"I'm sure that you have heard the
legend of the Tree of Mana. The Goddess of Mana used the Sword
of Mana to create the world and slay the eight Mana Beasts,
and contain them... haven't you? How old do you think that
story is? When do you think that it happened?"
Duran
looked at him, bewildered. What did this have to- NO!
"We are bound by a triangular fate. Century after
century, humans will rebuild and rediscover Mana... and then,
some will abuse it, sending the world into Darkness again.
There will be a dreadful battle, and at a terrible cost, the
Darkness is driven away. People will forget... and the same
tragedy is repeated, again and again." Koren's eyes flamed.
"The Mana Tree WILL fall. It has already happened, and it will
happen again. This is not myth. It is history. And all the
while, we go about as though we had free wills, yet we are
only fulfilling our own, pre-described destinies, again and
again. You, Duran, are the current manifestation of The Boy.
As for me... I am the Puppet. The puppet of darkness. The
beggar..." - he chuckled - "the beggar, waiting outside the
halls of fate."
Duran looked at him. "So you weren't
loyal to the Dragon Emperor anymore. I figured out as much.
So, what you're saying is, that we must fight now, because
it's our... destiny?"
"On the contrary." Koren said,
with a chuckle. "Don't you understand? The two of us... we're
orphans of fate. I have seen it. I've felt every generation of
our tragic duality, and seen how it always ends in ruin. We
are on a different ground now. Our actions now will shake the
foundations of Fate itself! I will kill you, or you will kill
me... one way or another, this ceaseless, hopeless tragedy may
be brought to an end, not to be repeated again after a
thousand years and ever after. We will fight, again and again,
while everything around us shatters and changes. Everyone
dies... except for you" - Koren's face twisted in a sarcastic
grin - "and me."
"So, that is why we must fight. Fight
a battle that will shatter the thresholds and break down the
gates of the Halls of Fate, fight a battle which will slay
Fate itself. Fight a battle which will be final, a battle
which must never be fought again. And therefore, I warn you,
Duran... I will use my full power and capability as a Dark
Mage now. I will put a quick end to you if I can."
Koren assumed an offensive posture. "I am Koren of Red
Lotus", he said calmly, repeating the age-old duel etiquette,
"the Scarlet Magician of Altena." His eyes flared as his voice
rang - "I will be your opponent!"
-----
Kyo:
As you might have heard, I'll be elsewhere this weekend. So,
I'll be Private Messaging you a few bits of text that you
might fit into the continuation of the duel.
By the
way, I'll now be using my single vote for Driscoll.
---
- Koren of Red Lotus - Scarlet Magician - Rurouni
Taikai: The Eternal Dream
Last edited by
Darkken on 02-08-2002 at 11:06 AM |