Final Fantasy Duo

[HisPureLust]

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The kindom of Aldora is at war with the empire of Zenos who has been corrupting the natural energy wich comes from the planet. Aldorans are naturally adept at magick and harnessing this magick tho they recycle it back to the earth upon their deaths and only use what they need... those in the empire of Zenos are better with technology, they feel the power of the earth is endless and there to be shaped into something for destruction.


The gunfire almost stopped him from leaping out from behind his cover...

Almost.

But Terrant couldnt keep letting his men drop to this psycho.

The Zenos soilder was riding around in a new mark of magi-tek armor and blasting wildly at the little bit of cover the broken homes and debris that the village remains had been providing them.

He dashed a bit ahead, veering to the side as huge hail bullets past his head, he could smell the burning of some of his singed raven black hair, but he didnt have time to worry about that.

The top half of the armor began to turret towards him..a large and viceral cracking could be heard as it did. Terrant grew hopefull for an instant, thinking his men would have time to take new cover, but the instant quickly faded...

The silence always came first...

The still and quiet, then the red light...the columns of crimson beams emanating from a pin point ship, high above them. Before he could call off his own attack to call out to the others, still hoping hed down the fucker and they could resume their drive towards Zenos...

The bombardment started.

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He leapt towards the soilder, flipping and taking one precise swipe, while avoiding the gunfire...decapitating him quickly, next his body was blown back by the barrage of laser fire. His skin burned and for a moment he thought it was all over, but the pain stayed...wich meant he was alive.

He knew they wouldnt wait for their man to get clear. He stayed low... unsure of what was going on, in the haze of dust, burning and fire. Terrant wiped his eyes and began crawling to where his team once huddled.


---------------------------------------------------------------


Terrant
Age: 27
Eyes: Mako red (mutation from specific corrupted mako energy)
Height: 6' even
Build: Slim
Main weapon: Katana (secondary magitek rifle)
Powers: Mild ability to use some latent dark sphere magick and extensive knowledge at using Materia.
Appearance: Terrant is sheet white with mild facial tatoos under both eyes. They were chosen upon his promotion to Elite Esper (what soilder's in the high ranking Aldoran army are called). He wears black magickal weave armor and a wrapped black shroud cloak around that.



He made it as far as Darkenbuff, after he buried the bodies of the mercs he hired back at Gauge. Poor bastards...it wasnt worth what he paid them.

Once outside the Zenos fortress he could see the red steam rising into the sky, turning it black and starless... the ground was grey and craggy, parts of the earth opening up, leaving casms below.

He took a deep breath... this was supposed to be a mission for 6..he was just one. This would of been easier if he would of been allowed to tell anyone what he was up to...

He began the descent into the fortress...stealthing past the gate and drawing on a piece of materia he kept hidden on a necklace under his armor, he called on a bit of the unseen and some haste... soon he was past the gaurds..past the towers of black ashe and past the turrets and magitek droids.

He reached the dock. An enourmous and vacant storage facility currently housing a single experimental airship. If he wanted to, stealing it would of been easy...but that was not on the agenda for today. He peered down beyong the runway and into dark abyss of the pit beneath the cliff, the dock rested on, below... he had a bad thought for all of a moment... then on to the largest structure in Darkenbuff.

Inside the keep and up past a few more gaurds his unseen ran out and he phased back into existence...moving at normal speed tho still very quiet... I mean... he WAS trained at this sort of thing after all... and not by the Aldoran army either.

High inside the castle..inside the dark gnarled walls, twisting due to the corruption of mako energy from deep below them, he came to his destination. A single throne room marked by huge onyxx double doors and the symbol of the Maester Dellamica.

He had made it all the way here... all the way to her, without so much as a skirmish. At least from the gate... there were plenty of battles before that, but in truth the mercenaries slowed him down. Now he was here... and he would face her...

Terrant looked around, making sure he was still undetected...


Then he knocked on the door.


Shortly after there was a large hiss... gears withen the walls turned and rather than open inwardly or outwardly... the two humongous double doors began to rise. Terrant laughed to himself, the perfect symbolism for how something old becomes twisted and new in the world of the Zenos empire.

When the steam cleared he saw two gaurds standing sentry they raised large pole arms at him, challenging him as they called out intruder, but in a series of subtle gestures he had gutted both of them and was on his way down the marble floor to Maester Dellamica sitting on a technological monstrosity she called a thrown, at the far end of the room...

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She stood and smiled at him, waving the other gaurds off as they began to rush the intruder.

"No that is quiet alright," she spoke... her voice like a poisonous honey "leave us!"

The guards obeyed.

The chamber was suprisingly well lit, from what he remembered the Maester liked it dark. Mostly everything was either black or white...black columns white trim... white security panels, black buttons. Only the throne, the painting above it and the statues of Summon creatures lining the room, where not.

"You didnt have to kill those two you know," she pointed towards the two elite gaurds by the gate.

Terrant shook his head keeping his eyes on her "The deal was untill the materia was in your hands. Besides..i didnt HAVE to kill ANYONE... with the unseen materia i could of easily gotten here. But YOU had to have your precious little excercise.. you had to see if i could make it to you with aldoran training... that was the whole fucken point i hired those mercs in Gauge. So if THEY had to die..then YOU can spare a few of your pathetic gaurd."

"I think youve grown soft in your time with the aldies, my dear..."

"I simply dont see the point of all your games Meister. I spent ten years with them aldorans... learning their ways...gaining their trust. Now that i know their capabilities..they will surely fall, but why this exodus? Why this little trip to see if one well trained aldoran could reach your chamber?"

She waved him silent...and pointed to his backpack.

He knelt down... still his eyes on her, one knee barely touching the floor. How he despised such flamboyant displays of servitude. He dug inside his knap sack and pulled out 2 glowing gem like smooth shards. Getting up he held them out to her...

"WHERE IS THE THIRD!," Dellamica hissed

He curled the corner of his mouth. Such impatience, he thought.

He took the necklace from around his neck and handed it to the Maester.

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Greedily she snatched the three away..cackling in some cliche villian form.

"Well done Lord Terrant... well done. How does it feel to betray those whom you have lived among for so long?"

He turned his back on her for the first time in 10 years.

"I feel...nothing," it was a lie...an image of a girl flashed in his mind "One can not betray who one was never with...."

He strode out the chamber after a mocking bow towards the Maester. She didnt even notice him..dismissing him with a wave off her long black nailed palm.

(This thread is based on the multiple worlds of the final fantasy games, but not set in any specific one. I honestly dont remember every fact or every nuance of each game but ive always been a huge fan and Ive played them all, so Id like to find a female writer to contribute for the role of the main character's counterpart. I dont have an elaborate story yet...im working on it though... and im calling it duo cause its basically about two characters but also because there are dual lives being lived. As usual Im not bothering with a casting call. PM me if interested and we can pass around some ideas. I know there have been hundreds of FF fan fare threads and im not really trying for this to be that... this will be an original story, not based on any previous characters...though maybe some familiar races. Wich means Im...were... making this up as we go . Anyone intimidated by my introduction...dont be, i have plenty of sites with FF lore that can help those that dont know as much as I do, however only fans of the genre and those that write more than a few sentences need apply. Thanx, and enjoy. This is dedicated to anyone who always wanted the characters in FF to not only fall in love... but have sex)

 

[HisPureLust]

<bump>

 

[DarkEmpress]

Character:

Nerana
Age: 22
Weapon: Staff (Princess Guard)
Height: 5'3"
Powers: Healing
Race: Cetra (Ancient - one of the first races to live on the planet)
Appearance: Nerana has jade-green eyes and long flowing brown hair that she ties in a braid with a pink ribbon. She is often seen wearing a pink dress that makes her look small and fragile.

Nerana is very friendly and people get along with her easily, albeit her being very mysterious. She holds a secret that she herself doesn't even know and finds herself drawn to nature. The mako energy that is being drained from the planet is physically hurting her due to Nerana's mysterious link with nature.

Terrant's betrayel is bound to have far-reaching consequences.

 

[DarkEmpress]

Nerana was walking in a field, filled with beautiful wild flowers that came up to her waist. It was a tapestry of colours all around her as if someone had dropped a whole pallet of paint on it, mixing and twisting the colours of the rainbow into a glorious masterpiece of petals and wonderful fragrances.

She was smiling to herself, running her hands over the flowers and soaking up the glorious sun that was basking down on her. His face slowly drifted into her mind, raven black hair starkly contrasting his pail complexion. She could hear his laughter echoing in her mind. Why am I thinking of Terrant, she asked herself frowning slightly. She didn’t have much time to ponder the question as a sudden movement distracted her from the corner of her eye.

Nerana looked, just in time to see a Zenos soldier duck behind a tree. Her eyes froze in horror as she looked at the city of Aldora that was now miles away from where she was. She had wandered too far.

Nerana ducked under the cover of the flower field and started running away from them as fast as her two feet could carry her, her small form disappearing into the dense shrubs. What do they want with me? Her mind was desperately trying to think.

The moment she disappeared into the flower field the commanding officer shouted a quick command and Nerana could hear three more sets of feet running after her across the field – full speed. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her eyes fixated with fear. She could hear the footsteps heading off in three different directions. They can’t see me, she thought relieved as she made it to the edge of the field. She needed a distraction to get their attention away from her before she made a run for the forest.

Nerana dug her one hand into the soil at her feet and gripped her staff tightly with with the other. She closed her eyes and summoned her earth power to create a little whirlwind that dashed to the other side of the field. “There she is,” a cold voice shouted and she could hear three sets of footsteps scrambling towards the other end of the field.

This is it! Nerana quickly darted into the woods. She didn’t see the fourth soldier that sprang into action a few feet from her. Nerana screamed as a stunray hit her from behind, numbing her nervous system and sending her falling to the ground like a rag doll.

“Maester Dellamica, we have the girl,” the commanding officer reported as Nerana drifted away into blackness …

 

[HisPureLust]

Terrant's aim was a bit rusty. It had been a little while since he had squeezed off plasma rounds from a Zenos magitech rifle.

The ten holographic targets lay in seperate piles of twisted rubble, but only several of them in ashes after their battery cells had been compromised by his accuracy.

He shook his head.

The Maester's words still dancing about his mind... "I think youve grown soft in your time with the aldies, my dear..." he considered it a fact, or just a comment made in anger.

"Still better with a sword, are you Lord Terrant?"

The former Aldorian soilder spun on his heels to salute his old trainer.

Deck was a master swordsman, and Terrant's old teacher. The two had met years before he had spent time with the Aldorans and he had grown to actually care for the wise old man.

He strode up to him, wearing a tight fitting leather body suit and a long dark fur cape. His face was wrinkled and weathered with scars and his two busy eyebrows hid most of his eyes. His students had no idea how he saw them let alone beat them in combat, repeatedly.

"Apparently so... sir."

"Please stop that nonsense right now and gimme a hug," the veteran smiled.

He nodded and obliged even tho he hated doing so. Not cause he didn't care for the old fool but because it was a display of affection and right now Terrant was busy punishing himself.... for what he had done.

The swordmaster held him for a moment then let go still grinning ear to ear.

"This was a long assignment... and not just cause of the time... you must... you must be spinning. Your head i mean."

"Im fine," he turned his back for the first time in years to the only man he still trusted "and i don't wanna talk about it."

"Well, that's just fine son... after your done sulking you may wanna head down to the prison district... that... or totally ignore it."

"Prison district? what the hell for... there isn't anything I'm scheduled for punishment for... and no one i care to s-"

"Oh I dunno about that last part. See ya round boy... glad ya came back to this old man."

His former teacher left, no doubt on his way to the arsenal to begin another lesson with another regimen.

The dark one scratched his head wondering on his way to the prison district.

"Even if they did...," he began talking aloud to himself "they wouldn't know. No one knows... they didn't scan my mind."

He walked down an onyx hallway and stopped in a turbo lift then selecting the bottom level.

"No," he assured himself "its not her."

 

[DarkEmpress]

Nerana’s mind slowly started coming around. For a moment she didn’t know where she was. Something was wrong. She tried to open her eyes, but her body wasn’t responding yet.

Suddenly her skin felt like it was on fire, as if she had been put in a furnace and her skin was blistering from the heat. Her jade eyes shot open as she stared into a blinding light that was coming from a square that seemed to be hovering above her head. She could hear her heart rate on a monitor somewhere.

Another wave of heat scorched her skin and Nerana screamed, writhing in pain. The frantic beep from the monitor kept time with the barrage of fire that felt like it was devouring her skin.

“What is wrong, why is she screaming?” A voice said, very close to Nerana.
“I don’t know Sir; she seems to be in a tremendous amount of pain. Her vitals are showing that she is in severe shock,” another voice said on the opposite side.

She was tied down on a table, she couldn’t move her arms or legs. Her hands were clenched into fists as she gritted her teeth together in a valiant effort to try and control the pain. “Make it stop,” she said breathlessly, her voice sounding weak even to herself.

“Make what stop?” the voice on the left asked her.
“The heat … it’s burning,” she gasped.
“There is nothing in this room that can possibly make you burn,” the voice said in a curious tone.

A fresh new wave of heat rolled over Nerana as her whole body jolted. She screamed again and this time something was screaming with her in her subconscious mind. She closed her eyes and somewhere in her mind she could see red Mako beams ruthlessly delving into the earth, leaving the ground around it blackened and dead as the beam leached the Mako energy from the core.

Nerana’s mind was reeling as comprehension dawned on her. She was in Zenos and these monsters were busy doing something terrible to the Earth.

“We have to sedate her Sir, she can not take much more of this,” the voice on the left warned.
“Very well, Maester Dellamica will not be pleased if she is harmed,” the other voice said.

The light that was coming from the hovering square above Nerana intensified as she could feel a strange tingling sensation in the base of her neck. The room started swirling around her as she drifted off into darkness, once again.

 

[HisPureLust]

He entered the prison district, a dingy barely lit system of corridors and dungeons lit by mako energy stolen straight from the planet via mako drills. His boots resonated through the halls as his black cape flowed behind him.

He had changed into a Zenosian officer's suit. Complete with magitech helm and sidearm.

Terrant had his reasons.

Eventually he found a free terminal within one of the vacant guard posts.

"Lazy fools," he spat.

After logging in he searched briefly before his blood ran cold.

"DAMMIT!," he screamed... the sound of his fury echoing through the majority of the dungeon.

He stared at her name within the registry and made note of her cell.

"I told you to hide," he whispered as he logged off and returned the terminal's viewer back to surveillance.

It only took another few moments to find that she wasn't there. He was getting seriously agitated now. Terrant tracked down a guard and discovered she has been moved to the science and study wing. Again his spine was littered with chills and he quickened his pace.

They were unstrapping her from an examination table as the lab door's opened with a hiss.

He stood in the doorway, barely unable to contain himself. He considered for a moment killing the two science officers and making a break with her but realized they would never make it out before he would have to explain his actions.

If he would of still been in possession of the materia it wouldn't of been a problem.

Yes. The materia he smiled.

First thing first.

"Officer what happened here?"

Terrant strode in, relieved to see she was in a deep sleep. The two Zenosian science officers saluted him and explained that she was experiencing an unexplainable reaction to the scans and bombardment. They had sedated her in order to continue and had just finished.

'Idiots,' he thought to himself '... a Cetra has a direct link with the planet, of course it hurts her... they were using tainted mako on its purest form.'

"What of your study... what do you have to report?"

"I'm afraid nothing... to you..."

His pupils flared mako red as he glared at the technician.

"Explain."

"All findings go directly to the Maester... my apologies Lord Terrant, sir."

"Fucken bitch, alright. Leave her with me, I have my own orders. Ill return her to her cell when I'm done with her."

They nodded, saluted him again and left the room with their study instruments and computer pads in hand.

He stared at Nerana for a silent eternity before running a hand through her brown hair. Her pink skin, soft and unblemished... he remembered how it felt against his. She looked peaceful, and deep in sleep though she began to stir. Frantically he searched for something to induce another slumber but came up short.

He sighed, not wanting their reunion to be under these conditions...

He eyes fluttered open, the drugs too weak for one of her kind. Looking at her still, he folded his arms... his entire body encased in a dark muscle like metallic armor. His head within a full plate magitech helm with a single red glowing visor for eyes.

"Welcome to Zenosia."

 

[DarkEmpress]

Nerana’s eyes opened slowly. It took her another few moments to register where she was. The bright light that was blinding her before was gone now and she could feel that she wasn’t tied down anymore. She looked up at a white ceiling that was brilliantly lit with lights that seemed to emanate from the walls.

Her features contorted in pain - her whole body was aching. A laboured moan escaped her lips. It wasn’t burning anymore, but she felt absolutely drained. She lifted her shaking hands to her face, placing them on her temples in a desperate attempt to make the throbbing stop. Her hands were shimmering as she called on her powers of light to take the pain away, a white glowing sheen of light quickly ran over her body and Nerana relaxed as the pain slowly ebbed away.

"Welcome to Zenosia," a voice said so close to her. Nerana’s eyes opened in shock, she had no idea there was someone in the room. Her survival instinct kicked in and she scrambled off the table away from the voice and backed up until she felt the cold wall behind her.

The voice sounded familiar somehow ...

Across from her a Zenosian officer was standing with his arms folded, his armour covering every inch of his body in a black metallic sheen. His features were completely covered with a helm, except for a pair of eyes that were glowing in a visor. The red colour made him look absolutely lethal.

Nerana’s body was shaking, an overwhelming wave of weakness washed over her as she grabbed onto the side of a nearby table for support. Her eyes were riveted in fear on the menacing Zenosian that was standing across from her in the room. She blinked her eyes trying to move the fog that was still clouding her mind.

There was no way out, the room had no windows, no grates of any kind. The only door to the room was behind her dark captor and the only thing standing between them was a medical examining table.

That realisation unsettled her. What did they do to me?

Nerana’s mind shifted into gear as the sedation wore off leaving her thoughts lucid. She didn’t have her staff with her she thought wearily, but she could still defend herself ... to a degree.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice sounding incredibly small and drained even to herself.

All she had to do was get him to this side of the room – somehow – or knock him out. Then get to the door and out. What if the door is locked? Where do you go from there? Her senses were demanding, but Nerana didn’t think too much about it, she would deal with it once she got there.

Nerana lifted her chin defiantly and her eyes glinted as she straightened her shoulders and called on her earth power to shoot an earth shock at her captor. Instead of a powerful shockwave crossing the room to send her captor slamming into the wall, Nerana screamed as the same intense wave of heat singed her skin - her entire body aching and throbbing anew.

She collapsed against the wall and fell to the floor in a pathetic little bundle, her face drenched in perspiration from the strain, her body convulsing from the force of it.

The Zenosian officer said something under his breath that she couldn’t hear and quickly crossed the room to her.

Nerana closed her eyes and held her shaking hands up protectively in front of her, “Please don’t hurt me,” she whispered nearly inaudibly.

 

[HisPureLust]

He grimaced within his helm when he saw her reaction... it had been so long, and this was his greeting. It was of his own design, so he could not entirely blame her, but still, it smarted. It hurt the only chamber of his black heart that could feel anything anymore...

The part that he held the memory of her in...

He shook his head as she began to flare up with magical energy. He had no idea the effect she desired but he knew the result. After the lab sapped the magic directly out of her body she reacted worse than he expected. His body jolted instinctively, but the cameras were no doubt still on, and he couldn't give them anything out of the unusual.

"Damn you," he cursed both her and the Maester under his breath.

He closed the gap between them and got down on one knee, she was shivering and disorientated but he knew that she realized he was near her.

“Please don’t hurt me."

"I would never... but I may have to, forgive me," he whispered into her ear.

Placing one arm under her knees and the other around her back he lifted her up with ease. He could of done it without the help of the magitech armor but the additional strength was welcomed. She felt light as a feather... a leaf in the wind of a storm, trembling and broken.

He set her back down on the table.

He wondered if it was time to end the charade.

No.

He chose against it. If he did her reaction could destroy them both. Instead he opted for another way out of this mess.

"You may call me Lord, I will be taking over these investigations soon enough. For now... tell me the last thing you remember, and be quick and efficiently informative about it... I'm not known for my... patience."

 

[DarkEmpress]

She felt cold … so cold.

He said that he might have to hurt me, she thought her eyes looking around the room wildly. She was scared … she felt helpless. I will probably not make it home ever again …His face drifted through her mind again, and she could feel a tear run down her cheek.

“I … I was walking in a field at home,” she started. “Thinking of … there were four of them. They must have followed …” she stopped, her mind was refusing to work with her. “I was too far away … they did something to me.”

“I woke up on the table … burning,” she closed her eyes.

“Everytime the machine did something it hurt … red beam,” her breathing slowed down.

Nerana’s lips turned blue.

“My earth power is hurting … too,” she said very slowly.

For the longest moment she didn’t say anything.

Nerana’s breathing stopped …

 

[HisPureLust]

"Nerana.... NERANA!"

The worry in his voice was clearly genuine and his shouts bounced off the lab walls and echoed outside the chamber. He acted as a different man than he was moments ago.

His panic made him forget why he was wearing the helm and soon he tore it off, a hissing sound escaping as the air was released through two small cylindrical chambers at its base.

He tossed the helm to the floor and shook her violently calling out her name. His hair falling slightly over one of his dark armored shoulders and down to her chest.

'Calm down... think... think."

Realization striking him Terrant dug inside one of his belt's dark pouches for something.

He Wrenched his arm out and held his closed fist to the girl's chest. A bright light began to glow from the middle of his palm. He looked over his shoulder and leaned forward.... obscuring the vision of several security cameras.

With his face inches away from hers, he opened his palm and let the small piece of healing materia, one that the girl had given him the last time they had parted, fall onto the bare skin of her chest just below her neck.

"Wake up damn you," he whispered.

The energy seeped into her body and soon the shard itself stopped glowing...

He waited.

 

[DarkEmpress]

Nerana was drifting into darkness, this time it was welcoming her with open arms. In the background, an almost hollow sound ... she could hear a hauntingly familiar voice calling her name, over and over. So many memories of him rolled through her mind, filling every corner.

She didn’t want to go into the darkness yet ... there was so much she wanted to tell him, to share with him.

Her mind was suddenly filled with a blindingly bright light that seemed to echo from somewhere behind her. The light was pulling her back ... the hollow sounds took on a more solid form as she heard his sweet voice saying, "Wake up damn you,” with so much alarm in it.

Nerana took a deep breath.

The pain was flowing away from her body, her skin was not burning anymore and the horrible and overwhelming throbbing in her head was slowly dissipating. Her eyes fluttered open and the sight that greeted her made her smile weakly.

Terrant’s face was centimetres away from hers, his red and glowing eyes filling her view, his pale skin and the trademark tattoos under his eyes painting a picture that she’s been aching to see. His raven black hair was a glorious mess, cascading down his shoulder with parts resting on her chest.

She blinked, her glowing jade eyes filling with unshed tears. “Terrant ...” she said so tenderly, letting her hands touch his face and spread into his hair, she had to make sure he was real. “Terrant,” she said again ... this time her voice filling with a tinge of hysteria. “I thought I had lost you, forever,” she whispered, her breath mingling with his as she gave free reign to the tears that were coming fast and furious now.

“Don’t go,” she begged, still thinking that she was dreaming, holding on to him so tightly. “Never go,” she said again, so softly as if she wanted to will it into being.

 

[HisPureLust]

The relief he felt was almost tangible. His heart rose in his chest and he smiled for the first time in a long while, thanking the true espers she was alright.

The Mako infused knight could feel her touch even through his dark armor. The heat from her fingertips spread through his arms and into his chest... touching his heart and filling his cold body with emotion. It was something he didn't want to end and it took all his strength and discipline to do so.

He leaned in for a brief moment and whispered in her ear... "This is not a dream... say nothing."

Ripping her arms off him and stepping back, he found himself reeling from the loss of her presence. As the lab door hissed open again, the room was silent except for the sounds Nerana was making.

Another two lab technicians entered escorted by a guard dressed in a similar fashion to Terrant. They saluted the dark one and he nodded his red eyes flaring a bit in annoyance.

"I'm not done with her," he protested stopping them in their tracks for a few seconds.

"Sorry sir but the Maester has been very clear that the prisoner is not to be over exerted. She must return to her cell so that we can begin with the... examinations... anew tommorrow."

He grimaced and snarled inwardly... 'fucken hell...,' he thought to himself again 'does she even know whats going on here... does she realize I'm a part of this.'

"The Maester allows me special privileges and I have my own orders," Terrant attempted to counter.

They regarded one another suspiciously and then at a clipboard before turning their attention once again to Nerana.

3 pairs of hands molested her body and placed her atop a sleek black cart like machine. They strapped her in and placed a halo like device around her head. After activating it a small humming was heard and a faint blue light surrounded her body.

"Im ordering you to let me take her to her cell then, I will not stand for this insolence... Yours are not the only orders and I have a deadline!"

The technicians agreed to that much but the guard followed the two of them back to the prison block.

Terrant pushed the floating onyx monolith through several corridors until he came to her cell. He entered a code along its wall and a force field dissipated. He got her inside the cell and raised the field again, once content the sentry turned his back to them.

Terrant took her off the monstrosity and layed her on a soft bed withen her prison.

He stood over her trying to look unconcerned... watching her.

 

[DarkEmpress]

"This is not a dream... say nothing," Terrant whispered next to her and then he hurriedly pulled her arms off and stepped back as if he was waiting for something. She was on the verge of asking him what is going on when the doors behind him opened.

The tears were still running down Nerana’s cheeks and her eyes followed Terrant as he stepped back, feeling lonely without him near her. Her eyes snapped to the open door, and rounded in shock as she saw two men dressed in white lab coats and a third that looked like a guard, dressed in the same black metallic sheen that Terrant was wearing.

Nerana realised that she was still in the same examination room and when the first technician spoke she recognised the voice as he said, “she must return to her cell so that we can begin with the... examinations... anew tomorrow." Her eyes froze in horror at his words. “No, no please don’t,” Nerana said in a panicked voice her eyes pleading, despite Terrant’s warning.

The next moment all three of them started for the table and Nerana desperately tried to get away before they ruthlessly and unceremoniously placed her on a black hovering table and strapped her arms and legs into it. “No … please!” Nerana’s pleas echoed through the room hopelessly.

Terrant was just standing there, watching them agitatedly and what’s worse is they seemed to know him. Nerana’s eyes flew to Terrant as she felt a terrible and shattering wave of betrayal wash over her. No! Please tell me it’s a lie, her mind was screaming.

They placed something on Nerana’s head and activated it. It felt like her nervous system was instantly separated from the rest of her. Her entire body went limp as if she had been anesthetised but her mind was fully awake. The tears stopped running down her cheeks and the room went quiet as Nerana lay completely immobilised.

She heard Terrant’s threat and could feel his presence somewhere behind her as the black floating table started moving. Another set of footsteps were walking with Terrant and she guessed it was the guard she saw earlier. Nerana could see lights passing on the ceiling, going from brilliant white to vague flickering lights in which the walls seemed less defined. It had the feel of a dungeon. They stopped briefly and then she could hear something power down and she was moved inside a square room, noticing the guard staying just outside the door.

Then Terrant’s face filled her view as he switched the thing around her head off. She was relieved to have control of her body back, but she did not have the will to do anything. Terrant gently picked her up and placed her on a bed that felt big … just like the black table did. Somehow Nerana knew that these contraptions were meant for things much bigger than her.

She closed her eyes, the tears running down her cheek silently. She was intently aware of the guard who was standing sentry just outside the force field. She opened her eyes a few moments later … staring at Terrant, the hurt, fear and betrayal etched on her face and gleaming in her eyes. She obeyed his earlier warning and stayed absolutely quiet.

Nerana was heavily disillusioned, and it felt as if she was looking into the eyes of a stranger. His face was still carved in the recesses of her mind, a person that she trusted wholeheartedly … someone she loved, and yet – this person who was standing in a Zenos officer suit, towering over her ominously and staring down at her didn’t resemble the person she thought she knew … at all!

There was nothing she could say … nothing he could say. She closed her eyes against the pain, feeling her heart splinter into a thousand pieces, as the soft sobs escaped her lips. “Just go!” she said. She couldn’t look at him anymore, the memories in her mind were slowly dying, and yet her heart was screaming for her to believe in him even though her mind was condemning him.

“Just go …” she said again, turning around on her side away from him.

 

[HisPureLust]

"just go..."

"just go..."


******************

"Just go.... she'll understand."

Terrant turned to look at the middle aged man. He watched as he pulled down the blue mage's robe he wore after tilting back the large bamboo hat he wore atop it.

He turned back to his drink, a delicous mixture of berries and alcohol. Swirling the liquid in its dirty glass before gulping it down.

His mission in Aldora was at an end, after spending so much time among the enemy he had began to doubt if it would be so easy to simply turn his back on it all. It wasn't the first time he had to become completely numb to complete a mission, he had done it countless times... but this was the first time he had failed at it. Gauge was his destination... he would hire the needed mercs there to storm Zenos... but he was having a difficult time saying goodbye...

He couldn't face her... so instead he wrote her a note and placed it by her pillow, that last night they had been together.

The magical adept placed a hand on Terrant's shoulder and squeezed some for emphasis.

"A man has to follow his own path... besides its not like the two of you will never see each other again..."

Terrant's eyes flared, knowing thats exactly what it would mean. The Zenosians would sweep across this land like the great leviathan and leave only the specter of magick to rape, behind. How could he just leave her to die?

He would have to tell her... or at least warn her...

He slammed the glass down on the bar counter and feigned a smile to his friend.

Storming out of the simple building he set out to find Nerana.

'I'll warn her. Without telling her everything,' he thought.


********************

"Just go..."

It struck him like a knife, first he felt sad... and then he felt anger... hot and alive, burning through him like they had taught at the academy. Feed off your emotions and use it to your advantage. Anger was more useful than fear or sadness... but this wasn't the same thing.

"I told you to hide... I told you to run, to take what you could and go," he stopped, lowering his voice... "... you don't understand, but if your thinking everything i had said to you was a lie... it wasn't. I can't explain any more than that. You just have to trust me... tell them nothing."

He turned his back on her, unable to form his next sentence. He wanted to take her... and kiss her and apologize. He wanted to run from all this and explain what he had done, why he slept in the same house for so much time as a different person... but he couldn't. The walls had eyes and ears and nowhere was safe.

"Its not like I'm not the person you knew..." he stopped again "dammit... damn you..."

He brought the force field down and exited the cell...

"... I told you to hide."

He entered a code and the field came back up, he stared at her for a moment longer then nodded to the sentry outside before walking off, back to the turbo lift.

Soon he was in his chambers, from his waist down still in armor but his torso and arms and head, naked. He wailed on an old fashioned heavy bag he had gotten from Deck when he was still a student. The sweat from his body mixing with the blood on his knuckles from pounding the studded bag over and over for hours without protection.

He stopped for a second to catch his breath... holding up the now dead shard of Materia... the one Nerana had strangely consumed he closed his fist on it. He had learned some magick while with the Aldies, he considered if it would be enough.

"No I need those three materia back."

 

[DarkEmpress]

“ ... I told you to hide.”

~~~~***~~~~

Nerana knew that Terrant was called up for a mission to Zenos. Her heart took a few extra beats at the anxiety of the fact. There weren’t allot of people that would survive a mission like that, but if anyone could it would be Terrant. She had to believe.

She smiled at herself whenever she thought of him, he was like a knight in shining armour to her, so fierce and caring. He had astonishing determination to succeed in his training and he was never satisfied with mediocre results – he wanted to be the best - and he was.

She can not pinpoint the exact moment when she first saw Terrant, but she instinctively knew that there was something about him. Through the years she felt herself drawn to him like a moth to a flame. He was intoxicating to her. He was a bit of a mystery to Nerana though, his eyes were always staring into space and she could sense that he was carrying a very heavy burden that he never shared with her, although she often wished he would. They discovered their powers together, laughed together, explored each other’s heart, body and mind ... and somewhere along the line Nerana gave her heart to him.

She was walking in one of the beautiful gardens that periodically dappled the stone roads and buildings with a lush green patch of heaven in the City of Aldora. Nerana was wearing a long and flowing black dress that hugged her body and made her look incredibly small. She was looking at a patch of flowers at her bare feet, sending her long brown hair cascading over her shoulders, the moonlight flooding her features with a silver colour, her jade green eyes looking dark and mysterious.

She looked up as she sensed Terrant nearing her. She looked around expectantly and saw Terrant cross the square heading in her direction. She smiled uncontrollably just happy to see him. She was however surprised, she thought he had left already. She wanted to run to him and fling herself into his arms, like she’s done countless of times before.

Instead she just watched him, remembering the way he moves, his face, his eyes, his incredible body. She loved him more than he could possibly know.

~~~~***~~~~

After Terrant left her cell her shoulders shook with the tears that came rushing. She slammed her fist into the wall in anger and frustration. “How could you ...” she gasped to herself, the memory floating in her mind. She left her hands against the cold wall as if she was looking for support ... for comfort. There was nothing but the raw pain beckoning her to lose herself in it.

She cried until her pillow was drenched and she thought she couldn’t possibly cry anymore. The guard turned a few times and grunted at her disapprovingly.

She didn’t know what time it was when her tearless shudders finally subsided. She could see the guard slouched over a chair as he was deep in sleep – blissfully unaware of the hell that Nerana was in.

She climbed off the bed and was sitting on the cold floor staring at the force field – what was she going to do now? She knew she was being subjected to another ‘lovely’ session in the examination room and she shuddered at the prospect.

She had to find a way out of here, to warn her people at home. If Terrant was truly a betrayer, then the Zenosians surely knew all their weaknesses and flaws by now. She buried her face in her knees curling up into a little ball, hugging her legs. She never thought she’d use the words Terrant and betrayer in the same sentence.

First thing's first, she had to survive another brutal subjection to their probing methods ... what was his exact words? They had to start their examination, anew? Which meant they did not find what they were looking for the first time around? That gave her a bit of hope.

The beams that she saw in her vision were eating into the earth and killing everything around it. It was drawing energy directly from the core of the earth ... so ... it would be safe to assume that the electricity that they used in this place came from there. Nerana pondered the idea, if they are using some sort of corrupted version of earth power, it would explain why her earth power and her body responded so negatively to it.

It would be like thunder being drawn from a positive to a negative pole, creating an energy transfer. So if the beams got close to her it would literally be as if she was being electrocuted. That would explain why it felt like she was burning. Nerana closed her eyes, of all the sadistic things that these bastards could come up with.

However, she didn’t think that they knew what she was, which was an advantage.

An idea struck: Nerana had practiced a while back with her mentor to project her power away from her, which is how she made the little whirlwind in the field. What would happen if she projected her power at something?

She lifted her hand and focussed on a point just behind the guard, conjuring a little whirlwind again. The electrical lights and force field around the area made a strange humming sound and flickered like a surge. The next moment electrical beams exploded from all the electrical items around the little whirlwind as if it was being drawn to it, making a bright spark that exploded leaving a black burn mark on the floor.

The guard nearly jumped out of his skin. But he couldn’t pinpoint what just happened. Nerana put her head on her knees again, stifling a triumphant grin.

Interesting ...

Nerana climbed back on the bed and tried to get a bit of sleep. She was going to need it.

 

[HisPureLust]

"We believe that several inhabitants of Aldora, are the closest living things in connection to the mythical lifestream. Its descendants."

While Terrant knew this to be true, he acted astonished and hid his suprise at how far Maester Dellamica's research had gotten.

"You have GOT to be kidding me... Lifestream? Descendants? Next your going to tell me that the Easter Moogle is real and positive thinking is the key to success."

She laughed. That same sound of dark and sickness which hid behind her feminine sounds.

"You and I both know that all fiction is derived from fact," she held up the necklace which she had fashioned to hold the three pieces of materia "and no matter how absurd something sounds there is always the possibility of it."

"Your insane. All your doing is torturing a magickally inclined girl."

Dellamica stopped. Turning to face him and affix the necklace around her collar bone.

She smiled, a simple and surprisingly warm grin.

Thats when he felt it... the warmth... the heat in his body as his blood began to slowly boil. He collapsed to his knees clutching his stomach, which felt as if it was distending. His arms burned and his vision blurred, he closed his eyes and attempted to fight her spell, using his own power and focus of will, like the Aldorans had taught him.

But it was like a man attempting to stifle a bulldozer with one arm tied behind his back.

She stood over him, raising one of her clawed feet and placing it on his shoulder.

"I'm not insane my dear... simply eccentric... now, are you going to help me or aren't you?"

He knew it was the three orbs... and not her. Even the Maester did not possess this great a talent for magick.

He nodded about to black out from the temperature of his brain...

Then it all subsided and he collapsed to the ground.

Gasping and drenched in sweat, it was as if a fever had broke, he stood up and spat in her direction before turning his back and folding his arms... like a disciplined child he fumed and then looked towards the now opening double doors to Dellamica's chambers.

They floated in a slave's chair.

Sitting in it was a groggy and only now just awakening Nerana. She had been stripped of her previous clothing and fitted with a female slave's attire; a loincloth thong and peasant's tube top which barely contained the girl's impressive breasts.

He was furious, but this may of been the best opportunity he had had so far.

"What is the meaning of this," he managed... still in mild pain from the faded spell.

"Its two fold my dear," the Maester replied "you graduated head of your class in interrogation and torture... and I'm a bit... bored... so we are killing two birds with one stone. If we can't get what we need from her examinations we will simply coerce her to telling us what she knows."

 

[DarkEmpress]

Nerana was sleeping deeply when she heard the force field go down. She didn’t have time to open her eyes before she was forcefully lifted off the bed and dropped back onto the black hovering table, the guard that was standing sentry outside strapping her in again and activating the thing around her head.

She was blinking furiously trying to gather her senses as she could see the lights above her heading back to the examination room. Nerana’s heart rate picked up at a frightening pace as she was mentally steeling herself for the pain that was coming.

Once in the lab, the guard got her off the table and strapped her back onto the examination table as the two technicians entered. “Welcome back,” the geeky looking blonde one said to Nerana, pushing his spectacles higher up his nose. Nerana stared at the ceiling stubbornly, refusing to acknowledge them. They carried on regardless, setting up their equipment … the last bit, activating the probe that was hovering above her head, the same as the day before.

Nerana clenched her teeth and closed her eyes.

The laser activated and bore down on Nerana’s head, trying to probe into her thoughts. The rippling wave of molten lava washed over her as Nerana gave a tortured scream. Her heart rate and vitals were spiking on the monitor. It stopped and Nerana balled her hands into fists at her side, panting furiously trying to control the throbbing pain in her head.

“Interesting,” the technician said, as if he was dissecting a cricket for science lab. “It has the same effect as yesterday. Do you get a reading?”
“No Sir,” the voice on the other side said.
“Try again …”

Nerana clenched her teeth together again, as the barrage of pain rained down on her. She screamed again, her frantic heartbeat beeping erratically on the monitor. This time they let the beam run for an extended period trying to force a reading. She could feel her brain pounding in her skull … and suddenly the erratic beep made way for an even-tone sound as Nerana flat-lined.

In her mind Nerana could feel herself being dragged back into darkness. This time she didn’t want to go back into the light. There was nothing there … nothing to fight for … nothing to live for. In a hollow sound behind her she could hear pandemonium in the room as the technicians were frantically screaming at each other.

They must have injected adrenaline straight into her heart and given her a shock to bring her back around, all Nerana could feel was incredible pain as her senses came to life again. She gave a sharp gasp as her body breathed in the air that it has been deprived of, and tears started streaming down her cheeks. “Please … stop,” she whispered breathlessly as her body started shaking violently, her vitals not coping with the trauma.

“Put her under,” the geek yelled.

The bright light blinding Nerana, intensified again as the tingling sensation in the base of her neck sent Nerana spiralling into darkness for the second time.

~~~~***~~~~

“She looks very pale,” a voice said close to Nerana.
“That’s because of your stupidity,” another voice bit back.
“Shhhtt, shhhttt, she’s coming around.”
Nerana could feel she was on a bed in her cell again, a warm blanket over her. Her head felt like it was going to explode.

The darkness was clutching at her mind again, and Nerana let it take her.

~~~~***~~~~

“How do you do this?” a voice asked, as Nerana could feel her body being shaken roughly. “I’ve never undressed a girl before … well, not a real one,” the voice added.

Nerana’s eyes flew open as she saw two men bending over her, trying to get her trousers off. Her eyes froze in shock as she let out a blood-curdling scream.

That was all she was bloody doing lately – screaming, screaming and screaming! Nerana thought agitatedly. The two men backed up immediately physically cringing at the fury that was curdling in Nerana's eyes. They stood on the other side of the cell looking at her with incredible guilt on their faces, not quite knowing where to look.

“Miss, we are supposed to put this on you,” they said, pointing at an outfit on the corner of the bed, extremely apologetically.

“I’ll do it myself,” Nerana hissed at them. “Turn around,” she glared at them, as they both turned around obediently looking at the wall. She got up too quickly, a dizzy spell landing her back on the bed. She took a few deep breaths as she waited for the room to stop swaying. Then she sat up gingerly, and quickly changed into the ridiculous outfit that made her feel cheap.

“I’m done,” she said.

“I’m sorry Miss,” the shy one said, as he turned and pointed a stun ray gun at her.

Ofcourse, Nerana thought sarcastically … as she was hurtled back into darkness.

~~~~***~~~~

The next time Nerana came to, she heard a loud hissing as doors opened. Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked twice at the spectacular room in front of her. Everything was decorated in stark black and white colours with marble glistening on the floors.

She hardly noticed her surroundings … Nerana was furious … no, she was beyond furious. She couldn’t remember ever losing her temper before, but it felt bloody fantastic. She was ready to rip off heads. Her eyes took in the form of Maester Dellamica who looked to Nerana like an oversized tramp who was in desperate need of a manicure. Then her gaze locked on Terrant as her green eyes turned a smouldering jade colour that was spitting fire at him.

"You graduated head of your class in interrogation and torture... and I'm a bit... bored... so we are killing two birds with one stone. If we can't get what we need from her examinations we will simply coerce her to telling us what she knows," the poor excuse for a succubus said.

Nerana’s eyes narrowed on Terrant. Bring it! Loverboy … I dare you! She hissed in her mind.

 

[HisPureLust]

This could go one of two ways he considered...

Horribly wrong or amazingly well.

While he hoped for the latter, it all depended on her... on Nerana.

There were 'other' options anyway, his mind raced with a thousand variables before he realized the rage on the girl's face meant more than just an anger of how she was being treated.

'Great' his inner monologue continued 'looks like I'm in this alone.'

"Your joking... you know, you can use those little trinkets I got you as much as you want but If you think I'm raping her in front of you... not gonna happen."

Dellamica's cackle filled the hall as she sauntered over to Nerana with what could only be described as a serpent's grace. She took a handful of her hair, letting it rest on her long open palm and began admiring it.

"Lord Terrant, what I want is to know what she knows. Her biology... that is, magickally is a bit of an enigma to us," she tossed the Cetra's hair back in her face "... but she would serve my needs better alive than dead. For some reason it is obvious you have a liking for the Aldorans... no doubt a condition you acquired in your long stay with the pathetic mystics. If you want to see her live through this. Get the information I need."

"I don't even know what your talking about?!," he screamed.

Ignoring Terrant with a smile she left the room, enraptured in her three jeweled necklace as she did.

He stood there for a moment with his hands on his hips.

'There goes my opportunity.'

He turned to Nerana who still seemed a bit groggy, yes still furious... if she was scared... it no longer showed.

He waved the sentries away and then they were alone again. He was convinced this was a set up. A test...

He undid her binds and stood away from the mystic.

 

[DarkEmpress]

“If you think I'm raping her in front of you... not gonna happen," Terrant said to the oversized banshee. Nerana recoiled at the thought. Was it all just a show from the start? Inside, her broken heart was aching but it only fuelled her anger … hell has no fury …

The woman, if she even was a woman, walked over to Nerana with over-exaggerated grace and took some of her hair in her claws. Nerana shuddered at her cold touch and stared at her defiantly, her green eyes flaring at her. This must be the infamous Maester Dellamica that everyone has been talking about, Nerana thought, taking a good look at Terrant’s lord and master.

She was beautiful, but her expression and her eyes were twisted and evil. Her laughter made Nerana’s skin crawl. She didn’t want that thing anywhere near her. In her memories Nerana remembered the sweet and loving Terrant of Aldora, and she couldn’t imagine a person like him coming from a place like this … It was all a lie! That realisation hurt more than she was willing to admit to herself right now.

“Her biology … that is,” Dellamica said. It made Nerana’s blood run cold. They are trying to figure out what I am, she thought as her eyes snapped to Terrant, and he knows what I am, she thought as her mind started to panic. She knew what they were doing to the earth and could only imagine what they would do to her if they ever found out. Terrant hasn't told them? Nerana frowned slightly.

As Dellamica moved to leave the room, Nerana’s eyes riveted on the necklace that she was idly playing with. Her eyes rounded in her face in horror; there was no mistaking what those gems were. Nerana’s eyes shot to Terrant and the blaze in her eyes intensified. Is that what you were after all this time? Nerana screamed to him in her mind. If there was a doubt in her mind of his betrayal, that little revelation just set it in stone.

Nerana’s heart was beating furiously in her chest, and a few times she had to steady herself as the room periodically started swimming around her. Her body was still trying to cope with the strain from this morning.

When everyone had left, Terrant walked over to Nerana quietly and undid her binds. He stood back and waited for her to say something, his eyes unreadable.

Nerana felt a little disarmed. She wanted to scream at him and never stop screaming.

“It’s nice to finally meet your lord and master, Terrant and I am sure she loves the gift you gave her,” Nerana finally said, indicating in the direction of the door through which Dellamica had just left. “It was nice of you to mention her in the … was it ten years? That you spent with us as a loyal and trusted friend!” Nerana threw at him.

“I am glad that my friendship and my love meant so much to you,” Nerana said sarcastically, the hurt echoing in her voice despite her best efforts to not let him hear it.

“And it’s comforting to know that you are a master at interrogation and torture, I can definitely tell you that Zenosian hospitality is wonderful, even though I haven’t been privy to a private demonstration yet,” Nerana said venomously, venting her anger and the overwhelming feeling of betrayal that was still so fresh.

She stopped her barrage of words, because she could feel herself losing control of her emotions. She clenched her teeth together and fought to stop the tears that were threatening.

“Tell me why!?” she said through clenched teeth, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, her pain breaking through the mask and echoing hollowly there.

 

[HisPureLust]

“Tell me why!?” she screamed at him, the tears streaming down her face and punctuating her heartache.

He took his hands off his hips and held them behind his back, he raised his head looking down at her with cold red steel eyes.

He fought it.

He would not let his emotions destroy what he had planned. For her sake he could not. He wanted to say so much, and express even more, but again, as before, he swallowed hard, the lump of molasses in his throat, he choked on the anguish that having her hate brought him... and he ensured that they could not use her against him until he was more in control. Or at least until he had garnished the materia from the Maester.

He died a bit inside, and became more what he was than he had been since the day he met her...

"Why?," he asked aloud... the sound of the question sounding ridiculous... "why you ask?"

He walked forward a step.

"I did what I had to. You take it personally... when it was not. I had a mission and I carried it out, plain and simple."

He turned around shutting his eyes hard and struggling to spit out exactly what those listening wanted to hear. If he could only get her alone and in isolation from security and or bugs.

"What I did, I did for my people. Yours would do the same if they had the chance, if your precious people could gain the upper hand in this feud we have held for so long, you would seize it. The materia found in your Andorian temple was what I was after... that and all your secrets...."

He stopped again, scared at how naturally it all flowed out once got a good head of steam...

"... meeting you..."

'Damn you'

"... meeting you was incidental. Part of the act. While I enjoyed our time together, and we both got something out of it, it meant nothing to me."

He instantly regretted saying so much... 'Was that really necessary? Too late now,' he resigned.

He put her chin between his thumb and forefinger lifting her head to look straight into his eyes. He hoped there she would see some of what she sought and some sanity... some truth.

His features relaxed and he looked on her with only regret.

"You need to tell me what know now."

Terrant took off his cape and wrapped it neatly into a folded pile, placing it on a terminal to his side. He tightened one of his dark leather gloves and walked back over to her.

He wanted to kiss her.

But it was too late for that.

 

[DarkEmpress]

Terrant put his hands behind his back, straightened himself and looked down at Nerana with cold and merciless eyes. Her eyes widened. His entire body language was hostile; he looked as if he was staring down at his prey. His eyes were … they looked … almost evil.

The Terrant that stood before her now bore no resemblance to the person she knew. He was a Zenosian Officer, who has been left to perform his duty. One of Dellamica’s proud prodigies. Cold. Calculating.

Nerana listened to his cruel words, breaking her down with each syllable … shredding everything that she believed in … not so long ago. Her eyes slowly fell to the ground, a part of her dying inside. She had always believed that there was something spectacular … something beautiful inside of every person. Her belief system was under serious attack and she felt her trust in humanity slowly drifting away.

“It meant nothing to me …” Terrant said. The words echoed in Nerana’s mind, whispering around her, faster, faster … until it was ringing in her ears. It meant nothing to me!!

She choked on the words, her vision blurring as a tear fell to the floor. She could feel her soul dying from the inside. Her shattered heart … aching, like a gaping hole in her chest. She put her hands down on the floor for support, but nothing in all the training, preparation and studying that she’s done in her life could have prepared Nerana for this … nothing.

Terrant lifted her face, forcing her to look at him. Everything stood still for a second … there in his eyes … Am I imagining things?

Nerana saw a glimpse of her Terrant … regret. Then it was gone.

He turned around to take his cape off, when he turned back the look in his eyes and the menacing threat in his question was bone chilling.

"You need to tell me what you know now," he said, tightening one of his leather gloves, like a ‘master of torture’ readying himself for a delectable task.

Nerana looked down at the floor, clenching her teeth and mentally resigning herself to whatever was about to happen. In every sense of the word, Nerana was dead inside. Her mind had left her body a few minutes ago, leaving an empty and broken shell kneeling before Terrant.

She will not tell him anything. The secrets surrounding the Aldorian Temple, Nerana’s link to it and her incredible ability that was unknown even to her, would die here … right now. At the hands of the man ... she loved … once.

 

[HisPureLust]

_________________________________________________

While he hoped it would not, Terrant new the security hologram of his "interrogation" of Nerana would please the Maester greatly.

In truth he was far more gentle with her than he had ever been with anyone, save for maybe his first few toture exams when he was still in the Zenosian academy and unsure of how to push or judge for that matter, a person's threshold for pain.

He avoided any sexual humiliation and torture, he would not allow her to take that from the girl. Instead keeping his punishments simple... painfull and some excruciating.

It could of been far worse he told himself over and over again, alone in his quarters high above the barrack dome near the black spire.

He waited till most of the compound was fast asleep, and the amount of guards would be at a minimum. He played the events of the past few days over and over again in his head, wondering if he could of done something different. But that was an exercise in self pity that he would not entertain. Instead he gathered his things being sure to not forget anything that held any value to him such as photos he had taken with Nerana during his "occupation". He oiled his Katana with poison and sheathed it at his side, then securing his magitech rifle against his back.

Terrant slipped a small letter underneath the door to Deck's room and said goodbye to the building he once called home.
________________________________________________

He used some simple methods of obfuscation to gain unauthorized entry into the prison district, finding Nerana's prison block and cell relatively easy.

Before the sentry had time to salute Lord Terrant and ask him what he wanted, he was silenced by a horizontal slice which traveled the length of his waist. Falling to the floor in two halves, a large puddle of blood began to form beneath him.

Frozen in place with his blade still drawn, the dark one looked around before deciding there would as of yet be no reprisal.

He entered a code along the wall and the force field fell.

He spoke before even turning to look at her...

"Its time to go."

 

[DarkEmpress]

The guard unstrapped Nerana from the hovering black table and removed the halo around her head before dumping her unceremoniously on the bed.

She didn’t move.

Nerana looked extremely pale, she always had a very lean form and with three consecutive days of eating next to nothing coupled with tremendous physical strain she was gaunt and drained. There were a few bruises showing up on her skin and she had the dark red circles still stamped on her temples from the probe.

The guard leaned over her for a second, looking at her jade green eyes that were staring into nothing. He clapped his fingers in front of her, but she didn’t even blink. He frowned a little, wondering what they did to the girl. The other night she didn’t stop crying and now she wasn’t making a sound. He preferred her crying to be honest.

His eyes drifted to the rest of her body, the two pieces of clothing barely covered the necessary, leaving the rest of her exposed to his lustful gaze. He knew there were cameras watching … he eventually tore his eyes off her and walked out to engage the force field, still fantasising about what he would do to her if he ever got her alone.

In Nerana’s mind, she was in the Aldorian temple, sitting next to a fountain that was in the middle of the temple gardens. It was her favourite place. She was idly running her fingers through the water, staring at her own reflection that seemed to be in a very dark place. Everything in the garden was bright and colourful, the fragrances were soft and the sounds were calming. Her reflection and everything that she could see in the background were in shades of grey … colourless.

When Terrant arrived a few hours later, she didn’t hear him. She didn’t know he was there. She hadn’t moved a single muscle. She was still sitting by the fountain, staring at the water.

 

[HisPureLust]

"My Lord?! What are you doing?!"

Several of his own students, dressed in Zenosian issue ran up to him, plasma blades in hand.

Perhaps he was loosing his touch. Was it possible that the sentry had managed to alert the others? Or perhaps there was simply a scheduled change of shift at the worst possible time.

No matter, this was the situation and this was all happening. They way it went down was not something he decided and so he shut out the small pangs of guilt for what he would have to do to the rookies if they attempted to stop him.

"Get out of there and lets go," he called over his shoulder to the pale and far away girl in the cell.

"Lord Terrant, what happened?" the youngest asked him... disbelief in his eyes, as if he wanted him to explain it away, saving the shattering of his frail psyche and sparing him the truth.

Unfortunately he had no more taste for lies.

He backed into the cell yet just outside of the field just in case one of them decided to get cute.

"Just stand down little one, I can explain later, and I have no time for this!" he shouted.

He kept his peripherals of Nerana, feeling bad for what he had done to her but desperate for her to snap out of whatever reverie she was in.

"Don't make me carry you, it will complicate matters."

One of the more aggressive cadets lept at him and soon the sword fight between the four of them had begun. The only reason they were holding their own was due to Terrant's restraint. He fended them off and puzzled on how to handle this, he would rather not kill them.

His kantana clashed in a brilliant red light as it struck the magitech plasma swords. Catching all 3 at once he reached for his pistol.