This is a short story that is going to be part of a series of short SO3 post-game fics that'll I plan on doing, probably one for each of the characters I actually liked. First one is about Nel and Albel. Not too heavy on the NelxAlbel stuff, but a hint. After all, that stuff is not my forte.

Crimson Shadow

The Urssa lava caves, a place known for its danger and for the massive heat given off by the molten lava that flowed freely within its womb like small rivers. Creatures of great strength made the caverns their home in the past, that was until the first King of Airyglyph tamed his dragon. Even after the trials for the Dragon brigade began and last for almost two centuries, the place was a dangerous lair to monsters capable of tearing a man asunder.

It was this fact that when a figure entered the lava caves, that it almost seemed as if the whole cavern responded to her entrance. She was a stout woman, a look that crossed between determination and annoyance. She quickly scanned what she could see of the cave before rubbing one of her hands through her short red hair. The other rested on her memento of her father, the almighty blades or Ryusen that she had kept after she had been given them. It was her tribute to her father, even if stronger weapons came along she would continue to fight with him at her side; as one would expect of the Crimson Blade.

Her eyes narrowed as she saw an enemy slowly approaching her and sighed to herself as she readied her blades. As she dashed into battle, only one thought traveled through her mind. What the name of the Holy Mother of Aquaria am I doing in this hell hole again?

Several months had passed since Nel Zelpher, along with her fellow Elicorian Albel Nox, aided Fayt Leingod and his companions in their battle against the creator. The battle had been long, intense and spiritually draining beyond all measures. She still wasn't sure she completely understood everything that had happened. All she remembered was the fear that she experienced when the celestial ship headed back towards Elicor II, fear that her world would no longer be there. What was it called again? Oh, that's right, the Diplo. It was Maria's ship.

Upon their return to their world, Albel Nox merely turned away from Nel without any words of farewell to any of their group and walked away. Zel merely frowned at his behavior but said nothing as he walked away. That's fine. It'll be the last I see of that scoundrel. So Nel bade farewell to her comrades, no not comrades but rather, her friends. She then returned to the Holy City in order to report to her majesty.

Nel wasn't sure if the Queen really believed the complex tale of philosophical and technological warfare that had raged throughout what Nel had learned to be the Eternal Sphere, but the Queen saw the injuries on both Nel's body and soul. She asked no more questions and merely told Nel to get some rest.

Nel never knew what Fayt and the others had done after leaving Elicoor, but she often found herself wishing them well in her prayers. As for Albel Nox and the Kingdom of Airyglyph, it seemed that peace was something that was steady between the two nations. Amazing that it only took the near destruction of the world in order to get the two sides to stop trying to kill each other. As for Albel himself, Nel heard no stories of the Captain of the Black Brigade. Then again, the stories of Albel the Wicked traveled because of his extreme nature, odds are he was as beat as Nel when he returned to his homeland.

It wasn't until one day that the Queen called Nel to the throne room that she heard his name again. It had to do with a request from the Nation of Airyglyph, and something that Nel was shocked to hear.

"What do you mean he's vanished?" Nel questioned the messenger from the land that was once their enemy.

The messenger bowed his head as he explained. "We do not know. The last time he was seen was as he returned from an investigation mission deep within the caverns of the castle. He returned no report of his actions, and left Airyglyph castle. He has not been seen since."

"So what do you need me for? Nox will return when he's ready." Nel said, her suggestion showing her confusion with the messenger.

Magistrate Lasselle spoke up at this point, "The reason that you are needed, is that you traveled with him in the past. The King of Airyglyph is quite fond of this young man. It is believed that should King Airyglyph not have any sons, that the son of the late Lord Nox will be nominated to take the throne."

Nel bit her lip to keep herself from saying anything rude but internally she panicked slightly. Albel the Wicked as King? It would be the end of any peace we have here. "So what are my orders, your majesty?

The Queen spoke in that soft regal tone that Nel had heard her use as long as she had been in Aquria's service. "Your orders are to locate Albel Nox and escort him back to Airyglyph. You have traveled with him in the past; it is thought that you may find him where others have failed."

Nel frowned at her assignment but didn't voice her protest. She merely bowed her head and said, "I shall do as you ask your majesty."

So after searching all the main towns, Nel began searching the old dungeons that she had helped explore due their travels with Fayt and the group from outer space. She debated even entering the Maze of Tribulations, but decided against it. I don't care how fond King Airyglyph finds Nox, there isn't a chance in the seven layers of hell that I'm going in there alone. Eventually she made her way back to the lava caves, remembering the first time she had been forced to fight alongside the man known as Albel the Wicked.

She snapped out of her reminiscences as she wiped the monster blood off the treasured blades of her father before replacing them in their respective sheaths. She gave a sigh as she trudged forward, checking the last bastion where the Airyglyph captain could be hiding. If he isn't here, odds are he is dead.

So onwards she traveled through the caves, bringing herself closer and closer to the lair of Crosell, the almighty giant dragon that lived there. It was not long before she entered his home, attracting the attention of the mighty guardian that served neither Aquios or Airyglyph.

Nel almost jumped in fright as she heard his breathy deep voice resound through the giant cavern. "Ah, Lady Nel. It is good to see you again, young maiden of Aquios."

Nel smiled as she lowered herself to one knee. "It is a pleasure to speak with you again Lord Crosell."

She almost cringed again as the dragon laughed, the deep resounding sound shaking the cavern to its core. She idly wondered if the place would collapse from it before he spoke again. "I take it that this is not merely a social call, maiden of Aquios. State your business here Lady Nel."

Nel nodded once before asking, "Lord Crosell, has Albel Nox come through here within the past few months?"

Crosell gave her a strange look, but then again it is hard to tell with dragons, before answering her. "Lord Albel came this way a month or so back. He is currently living within these caverns, though I do not know the reason."

"He's here?" Nel asked, raising her eyebrow. Granted, she had expected to find some clue of him here, but not that he was actually living in the caves with the giant dragon lord.

"Yes, though he is not the same as when we battled little one." Crosell said with a deep tone. "He seems to be a shadow of his former self."

"Lord Crosell, could you please direct me to him. I must speak with him." Nel spoke, her voice showing her conviction to the giant dragon. Crosell did the equivalent of a shrug before directing her towards the lair of Albel Nox. "You have my thanks Lord Crosell. I must go now."

It wasn't long before Nel found what Albel had been using as his home for the past month. Though it was rather unsettling to find monster carcases pinned to the cave walls, obviously Albel's handiwork. She found herself feeling quite ill as she saw all the cuts in the rocks and walls that were obviously from the Crimson Scourge. It was as if the rock wall itself was some sort of grotesque painting, only from the blood of monsters and the thick cuts were from slashes either missed or Albel purposely carved the rock wall.

The scene itself distracted Nel enough that she almost didn't detect the presence above her. Her danger senses flared as she grabbed her blades almost by instinct. That action, apparently, was the key to her survival. Almost as soon as her blades were unsheathed, she raised them up and crossed them over her head, effectively block a downward slash from her skilled opponent. Her eyes widened in shock, an expression that was matched in her adversary as she stared back through the blades locking at Albel Nox.

He looked shocked before his eyes narrowed and he withdrew his blade. He sheathed it and turned his back to her. "What are you doing here worm?"

She exhaled deeply, both in relief and to keep herself from trying to kill the one she had been sent to retrieve. "I have orders to bring you back to Airyglyph. Apparently your countrymen are concerned that you have vanished from their land." She then crossed her arms after she sheathed her blades and said with a smirk, "Which surprises me greatly. I always thought they would take any chance to rid themselves of you."

He scoffed and began walking away from her. "Bah, what do you know woman." It was not a question, more like an insult from the tone he used as he walked over to a large rock and sat on top of it. He turned to face her and sneered back at her, "Go tell those worthless maggots that I shall return when I feel like it."

Nel's eyes widened momentarily but she quickly recomposed herself. When he had turned around to sneer at her, she was able to really see his body. His skin was pale and looked lifeless. His clothing was torn in many places and even parts of his armor were scratched and shattered. His artificial arm looked like it was barely functional, even losing its appearance that it was an arm at all. The claw on the hand was missing two fingers and one of them was hanging by what looked like sparking wires.

But all that paled in comparison to his body itself. All along his chest and good arm, there were bloody wounds, as if scars had healed yet would keep reopening. A good size wound ran over his right eye, sealing it shut it looked like. But even all that didn't compare to his left eye.

Nel couldn't help but shiver when she saw the dead look in his good eye. It was not something she had ever thought she would see in the merciless Captain of the Black Brigade in her wildest fantasies. That eye revealed far more pain than even Albel probably knew, as if he had seen the fires of hell itself; void of any illusion of hope.

In essence, Albel Nox looked as if he had gone to hell and fought his way back through all sever layers by himself.

He snapped her out of her appraisal of his appearance with a curt, "I don't need your pity, Aquarian scum."

Nel gave him a skeptical look before asking, "Who ever said I was pitying you. You probably deserve all that. Just what the hell happened to you Nox?"

He snapped back, "It's none of your concern maggot." He was apparently trying to speak in a harsh voice, but instead it came out in a ragged whisper.

Nel merely sighed as if expecting such a thing. She merely walked forward with her eyes closed as she focused on her runologic powers. Within seconds her right hand was glowing a pale white, even through her gloves. She then placed her hand against his face and watched with an indifferent look as the wounds on his face slowly began to mend themselves under her power. As soon as the wound running over his right eye healed up, she removed her hand and looked back at Albel. "Better?" She asked, her tone indifferent.

Albel merely looked at her with a cold gaze with those dead eyes that caused her to shiver. Finally he spoke again, his voice steady but holding what sounded like boredom. "Zelpher, what are you doing here?"

Nel raised an eyebrow at his question, as it lacked any sort of insult. "Like I mentioned earlier. A messenger from Airyglyph requested us to search for you. I was chosen because our former... partnership." Seeing his dead expression, she found herself thinking back to Crosell's words. He was right. He does seem a shadow of the former leader of the Black Brigade.

He scoffed, "Bah, partnership. Is that what that was called?" He asked as if insulted.

Nel merely shrugged, somehow used to the man's brash and insulting nature. "So are you going to answer my question?"

"I told you before that its none of your concern maggot!" He roared at her.

She didn't react at all, as if expecting such a reaction. She merely eyed over his wounds before shrugged. "Each question of mine, I'll heal one of those. Then I'll leave and you can go back to killing yourself or whatever the hell you're doing."

He glared at her before his wounds called out for his attention, causing him to groan. "Fine wench. I came here to test my capacity."

Nel frowned at that but held up her end of the bargain. She once again focused her runology and placed her healing hand over a deep gash in his abdomen. As she was healing him, she asking another question without looking at his face. "Capacity for what? How much blood you can lose before you die?"

He growled under his breath and responded as politely as one would expect from Albel the Wicked. "Don't insult me, Aquarian trash." He then grunted as she thrusted her thumb into one of his smaller, less serious wounds. He then wheezed out, "I was testing my strength you witch."

Nel didn't say anything at first but continued to heal his various wounds deciding against asking any more questions. When she finished healing him, she took a step back with a small smirk. "Do I get any thanks?"

He looked at her as if she was a fool. "I never knew that you were stupid as well as worthless Zelpher." He stated with that sadistic grin of his. Nel refrained from shivering as she remembered that glare as she had seen him use it as he cut enforcers and people down.

She merely went with the blow though, brushing off the slight fear she still felt when in his presence. "I guess what they said about Airyglyph noblemen being gentlemen is a misconception."

Albel grit his teeth at that as he turned his head. After a short pause he said through gritted teeth, "Thank you."

Nel was enjoying the man's discomfort far too much. She held her hand against her ear, "What was that?"

Albel turned his head back and snapped back viciously, "You heard me wench!"

Nel smirked and chuckled inwardly. I suppose thats the best I'll ever see out of him. "So are you going to tell me why you suddenly decided to vanish for months to 'test your capacity?' " She said the last part in a mocking version of Albel's own voice.

He merely glared back and responded, "I told you before, its none of your concern maggot."

She then walked up and grabbed his throat with one hand and his sword arm with her other. "That's true, it is none of my concern. But I want to know what the hell scared the fearless Albel Nox into this shell that you are now!"

He snarled, some life creeping back into his eyes as he lashed out with the remains of his metallic arm. Nel easily avoided the careless attack by flipping backwards, unsheathed the blades of Ryusen as she heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. She barely had time to react as a slash from the Crimson Scourge nearly took off her head. As she landed she got the full sight of Albel wielding his blade in an attacking stance. "You dare mock me worm?" He snarled before charging towards her with murderous intent in his eyes.

Nel parried his slash before returning a pair of her own. They were blocked by the long thin blade with ease. Nel's eyes met his own as the two clashed again, they were clouded with what seemed uncontrollable bloodlust. Dear Holy Mother, what I have I gotten myself into? Nel thought as she reversed the grip on one of her blades and tried to spin out of the blade lock she had been stuck in with the Crimson Scourge. The attack was avoided by Albel jumping backwards as she finished her attack. Her merely licked his lips in what seemed like anticipation before plunging back into the fray.

The two continued their duet of blades as they continued to fight for many hours. Nel merely found herself constantly checking Albel's sanity by looking into his eyes. As the deadly dance continued, the dead look that had taken up residence in his visage slowly changed back into one she was familiar with. The one of Albel Nox trying to rid himself of a pest. He needs this... Nel realized as she crossed her blades once more and ended up drawing blood. Albel once again hopped back as he was wounded, limiting the extend of the damage.

The two stood apart from each other for now, each breathing heavily as sweat dripped down their faces. Nel's red hair had become matted with sweat, causing her to blink as a droplet hit her eye. A thin trail of blood was dripping down from her neck, a memento from being too close the edge of the Crimson Scourge. She was breathing heavily as she stared back at her former comrade-in-arms. Albel likewise was sweating heavily, his breathing labored. His sword arm was cut in several places, the blood flowing freely from where the blades of Ryusen had struck him. His metallic arm was also more banged up, after using it as a shield from the nimble Aquarian's attacks. His twin braids had come undone and his hair dropped freely, covering his neck. His bangs mostly covered his eyes but even through that flimsy barrier of hair, Nel could see the eyes of life once again in Albel Nox.

Nel finally smirked as she sheathed her weapons. Albel looked at her confused until her saw her smile. Only then did his features twist upwards into an amused grin. After that he merely leaned forward, supporting himself by the Crimson Scourge as he laughed as if he hadn't in years. Nel merely shook her head in silent amusement as she watched the swordsman laugh as if in hysterics.

Finally he calmed himself down and looked back at her, his eyes dancing in wild amusement, a look that Nel recognized and was comfortable with. She began walking towards him and passed him to sit on the remains of what had once been a large rock. She watched him as he sheathed his lethal blade and turn to face her, that sadistic smile of amusement still present on his face. She merely chuckled, "You sane now? Or as close to sane as Albel the Wicked can get?"

He looked at her and scoffed, "Insanity is merely doing what the other won't. Sometimes the only way to be victories is to be a little insane." He said with amusement, his voice hinging on laughter once again. He slowly walked over and leaned against the wall to the side of Nel.

There was then a long silence before Nel spoke again, "I don't plan on asking you what happened down in those dungeons, nor do I want to know. I just want to know if you're going to be okay." Her voice was detached at first, but eventually it was easy to see that some concern was there, even for someone as detestable as Albel the Wicked.

Albel merely scoffed, "Why should you care wench? It's not like we're friends."

Nel merely nodded in agreement. "You're right, we're not. Nor will we ever be probably." She then twisted her head slightly, "Though after traveling through time and space, you think we'd at least understand each other." She then sighed and shook her head, "On second thought, I don't want to understand you."

He merely laughed that cold laugh of his before sneering, "Likewise wench." There was another long period of silence before he raised the remains of his metallic arm. He then muttered to himself as he began to walk away, "Now, I need to get this scrap of iron fixed. Too troublesome..." He muttered, trailing off.

Nel merely shook her head before allowing a small smile to grace her features before she stood up and started walking after him.

-Fin