Hi,

I know it's been a really long time but recent comments made me want to continue. So thank you all = )

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Chapter Fifteen

Healing Wind

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Sheena had been following the Chosen's group closely, stealthy not making any noise. She followed them as proudly as any Mizuan ninja could. All emotions had left her.

She didn't think about Zelos. She didn't think about a way to end Sylvarant's Chosen's life. She didn't even think whether or not she'd be able to kill that girl, Colette. All she did was follow the group and wait for an opportunity to do something.

The group had made camp for the night. They seemed worried about Colette, she seemed to have injured herself. Sheena had perched herself in a tree branch not too far away from their camp just to keep an eye on them. Fatigue took hold of her fast, and she slept through the night.

Morning came as birds' chirping woke the ninja up. She quickly spotted the group leaving again. She dropped down and followed them even more carefully now that the darkness was no longer on her side. Her violet outfit was made for night camouflage, certainly not in plain sunlight in the middle of a forest.

A few hours passed before arriving to the next town. It was a beautiful town surrounded by a lake that just seemed to breathe life.

She stopped for a moment as she watched Lloyd and the elven boy running across one of the bridges that led to the town. She watched as her target ran after the two and tripped half-way through the bridge, making Lloyd run back to her side to help her up. It unwillingly made her smile. This girl was quite the kluts. The elven woman quickly made her way to Colette, still worried if she was okay or not. Sylvarant's Chosen assured them she was fine and they all entered the town.

Sheena walked up to the bridge herself, reading the sign that read: "Luin, the City of Hope." It warmed her heart as another smile reached her lips. She walked inside and blended into the crowd.

The first thing she noticed about the town was the amount of children playing together. There was just a general happiness throughout the town. Sheena couldn't deny that she loved it and for the moment, she decided to get a taste of what Sylvarant's world could offer.

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Tethe'alla's Chosen hadn't had much sleep that night. When Sheena had left, furious at him, he had spent the night exploring the Seal of Wind. He uncovered the puzzles himself and reached the very seal where Colette had just saw a fake angel grant her supposedly angel powers while taking away more of her humanity… If he wasn't mistaken the third seal takes away your ability to feel. That means she already lost the ability to eat and sleep. It sickened him to know that she only had the ability to speak before those 'angels' finally take away her soul…

He sat in front of the seal crossed-legged. Once again, ever since his mother was murdered, his thoughts always brought him to hate the system of the Chosen One. He knew there was no other way than working for Cruxis if he wanted to get rid of his cursed title. It was pointless to do things differently, pointless to even try. What Sheena wanted to do, to find a way to maybe save both Tethe'alla and Sylvarant… She was fooling herself. There was no perfect solution. Just like he wanted to place his half-elven sister, child of his mother's murderer, in his sacrificial shoes, there always has to be a sacrifice…

But maybe there could be a way to make it less painful.

His heart was a beat up mess. Unable to trust or love, or simply to be happy, it served no other purpose than to pump his cold blood through his body, a body that didn't know if it wanted to live or not.

Maybe he could will it to heal itself.

Now standing on the seal of wind, he casted his healing spell. Like it he expected, his First Aid spell did nothing but heal the surface of his body.

So he cast it again.

And again, and again.

Being on top of the Balacruf of Masoleum, the wind kept growing stronger and stronger.

The First Aid magic got progressively caught in the wind, making it spin around him.

Zelos kept casting away as the wind grew stronger and stronger. The healing spell became a vortex that span rapidly around him until finally, Zelos yelled, "Healing Wind!"

The healing vortex crashed into his body as the wind came to an abrupt stop. As if this magical wind had passed right through him, he felt the magic heal his insides as well.

Pure air filled his lungs and suddenly the air became still. He dropped to the stone floor, although he physically felt refreshed, his heart stilled weight heavily in his chest.

His thoughts returned. If it was so pointless to try and change something about his title, about the Chosen system, about the two worlds vying for mana, why was he here, in Sylvarant, so very far away from his villa in Meltokio, trying to change something?

He remembered the day before Sheena was to go to the unknown land of Sylvarant and slay a Chosen, a Chosen One who was not him, a Chosen who he would never have imagined existed. When Kuchinawa, the red-clad ninja he kept seeing around the church, entered the King's altar first thing in the morning and announced who Mizuho had finally chosen to perform this perilous task, Zelos had stormed out of the palace. He was furious at the secret ninja village for choosing Sheena for the job. It was obvious to him that the Mizuhans, still hateful towards her, were sending her first as a test. They were using her as a guinee pig. It didn't matter if she failed or not, they could afford to lose her.

He had been so furious then, now that he thinks about it, he still is.

As soon as he had arrived at what was supposed to be called his home, he ordered his butler, Sebastien, to send a letter to Sheena. He didn't write the letter. He could have, he should have, but he didn't. He hadn't spoken to her in too long… He just got so busy, spiraling deeper into his cursed title.

So when Sheena received the letter that afternoon, she simply read:

"Fujibayashi, Sheena,
The Chosen One has requested your presence this evening. You are to be at
the Verum Lake by sunset.
On behalf of the Chosen One, we thank you."

Since the Verum Lake is located at the base of the mountains near Sybak, just across the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge and into the forest, Zelos left just after lunch. Although many years had passed, the road was still clear in his mind. They had met there a few times before back in their teenage years, or at least her teenage years.

He laughed a little as he walked. The last time he saw her she was 16 years old and beautiful. She was refreshingly different from the girls that surrounded him in Meltokio, so whenever he couldn't take it anymore, he wanted to see her. Obviously, since he didn't and couldn't know where the hell this secret village of Mizuho was, he couldn't go directly to her. So, apparently since the Verum Lake was close enough to Mizuho, they agreed to meet there.

Zelos hurried his steps as he got closer to the lake, but stopped at the edge of the forest when he heard a bell ring.

He immediately grew cautious, hiding behind a tree to search for the sound's source. His eyes found a strange multi-coloured, three-tailed fox with bell tied to its neck with a red ribbon, running to a stop by a figure dressed in lilac crouched by the lake.

"I think he's here, Sheena," the fox creature said with a high-pitched voice.

Zelos' eyes widened in surprise. Yes, an animal had just spoken, but what was truly surprising was to whom the animal had spoken to: Sheena.

Zelos studied her longingly as he caught his breath, his heart beating loud.

Her flat-heeled lilac boots amused him. Women always wore high-heals in Meltokio's upper class. Her black pants stuck tightly to her voluptuous legs. Her lilac coat hugged her hips and chest and held only by a giant pink ribbon. The only skin she showed was her ample cleavage and neck. His eyes trailed them both slowly; enjoying every inch of her skin until he reached her perfect face, framed by her raven black locks, and met her chocolate eyes, who glared back at him.

"Zelos! What took you so long!" she sharply said, "And what's wrong with you?! You don't talk to me in years and suddenly you want to see me again? And you make Sebastien ask?!"

Her voice, despite its aggressive tone, warmed the Chosen's cold heart, and a genuine smile tugged at his lips.

"Nice to see you again, banshee," Zelos laughed.

"Banshee?" Sheena questioned, her serious look replaced by a quizzical one. She had never heard such a term in village and from the tales she heard of the obnoxious Chosen, it could be a compliment just as easily as an insult.

He laughed again before explaining. "A beautiful woman who keeps screaming all the time," he explained with a wink.

Sheena blushed angrily, flustered and confused. That stupid Chosen and disguised a compliment within an insult, or an insult within a compliment. She shrieked angrily, unable to know which one was the truth. "Yeah, well you look like a girl!" she retorted, trying to faze him like he did her.

"You're just jealous," he laughed playfully, winking again.

Sheena's temper roared, making her lose focus again, giving Zelos the chance to put his façade away. His smile left as he remembered how he even knows the legend of the banshee.

The stories kept popping up in the hallways among the maids he used to have when his mother was still alive. They'd tell the stories of beautiful women, demons that could predict death by the shriek of their voice.

He hated himself for attaching such a dark story to such a wonderful girl. The fear that he could lose her to a world of mysteries was getting to him. He had to convince her to abandon her mission.

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Ok. Sorry it's so short, but like I said I really want to continue writing this so hopefully more chapters are on their way.

Thanks again everybody!