So this is what a new fandom looks like. I didn't think I'd ever see one again from up close!

Echem. I'll just get to the point and put the longer author's note below the actual fanfic part, because otherwise I'll start rambling to try and prevent the poor little prologue from having to stand on its own two non-existent feet. I mean, it's not like it took me more than half a year to post it or anything...

Though I should probably at least say that, as the summary suggests, this fic starts shortly after Tiir has to flee from Lir/Ril at the end of episode 20.

The title is based on the words that inspired this fic:

"Because I wanted salvation. For Tiir, for the children, (...). For the sad bearers of the Eyes of God, who have lost faith in humans."

So yeah, this happened when I discovered that my main reaction to the premature end of the anime was, "But... but... Lafra! His (sort of) dying wish is still so far from being fulfilled!"

Uh, though in retrospect, I really don't think this is what the poor guy had in mind. Eh, but I started out with good intentions? I tried? ...Oh well.

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Rating: M

Summary: Having had to leave Ryner and too many dead comrades behind, Tiir tries to at least get the remaining children to safety. However, Gastark isn't the only country with a keen interest in their eyes, and Tiir soon finds himself where he never wanted to be: at the mercy of humans.

Warnings: Screwed up power dynamics, violence, characters who eat people, characters thinking and talking about eating people (...a lot); discrimination, dehumanization and objectification. Also, characters with nasty self-esteem issues who frequently blame themselves for things outside their control. Uh, I think that's about it for now, and I guess most of that is sort of implied by "a multi-chapter fic taking place in the world of DenYuuDen, with Tiir as the main character".

Oh, also, mild (I think) spoilers for the light novels. I've only read bits and pieces of them (and even those only thanks to awesome people), but I tried to work what little information I could find about certain issues into the story. This is one of the things I'll go into more detail about below the actual fic part. Until then...

Enjoy!

Prologue

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It was a battle he would be unable to win.

As Tiir realized this, he fell back, trying to shield the children with his body. Those two wouldn't die – he wouldn't allow it. Not while he could still fight, not while he was still breathing.

Which wouldn't be for much longer.

He knew it. He knew it, and there was nothing he could do about it. Once again he would fail them, watch helplessly as the ones who had trusted him to protect them were killed – slaughtered like the beasts they were deemed to be.

He clenched his fists: sharp fingernails impacting on skin with enough force to draw blood. The pain didn't matter, though; he barely even felt the countless wounds all over his body, some of which were more serious than others. The only thing that interested him was finding a way out of this.

He couldn't just tell the little ones to run. He had tried that before, when he had first noticed the ambush – but he had been too late, too careless, and the enemy had attacked just a moment later, leaving the children frozen in fear. Even if those two were to escape now, Tiir would probably not be able to come find them when this was over, and their chances of surviving on their own were low. They would be stranded in the middle of nowhere, far away from their brethren, and even in the improbable case that an ignorant human willing to help out stumbled upon them, it was all too likely that the truth of what they were would be discovered before they even reached the nearest village.

It would spell their doom.

The soldiers, encouraged by his retreat, cautiously stepped closer. He snarled at them like the mindless, bloodthirsty creature they saw in him, and enjoyed the fleeting satisfaction of watching them stumble backwards, some tripping over their own feet in their haste to get away from him.

Their commander wasn't so easily intimidated, though, and neither were his elite fighters. Although they were no longer coming closer, there was no trace of fear visible in their eyes, in the way they carried themselves.

Tiir held the leader's gaze, refusing to flinch as the reality of the situation sunk in. They weren't going to make it. Not he himself, and not the two young ones. He might be able to turn the tables if he were to devour another one of the humans, but doing so would mean leaving the children open to attack – just for a moment, but Tiir knew it would be one moment too long.

He discarded the option.

The woman to the right of the commander, the one whose poisoned needle had struck Tiir while he had been busy dodging the first volley of arrows and rendered him unable to fight effectively, raised her arm, and when her weapon pierced his flesh, he knew that his assessment had been correct – that it was one of those accursed items, infused with a magic he couldn't devour. He almost cried out in pain, but in the end he didn't, wouldn't, and just sank to his knees with a hiss.

The little ones were crying his name, and though he thought he'd managed to yell at them to remain where they were through the pain, he couldn't stop them when they came running instead, grabbing his blood-stained robe. His attempts to pull the hook out from just beneath his shoulders remained without success, and watching as the children placed themselves between him and the half dozen arrows that were pointing at his head, he wanted to howl in despair.

He closed his eyes instead, but when he opened them again, the children were still alive.

Of course. The humans wouldn't shoot. They needed them alive if they wanted to gouge out their eyes and take their powers for themselves.

Tiir hated them – hated them so much it hurt.

The woman in possession of the hook produced one of the abhorrent green crystals from her pocket, and Tiir felt hot panic course through him. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his legs to work, couldn't even shove the children out of harm's way. He bit his lip, and blinked back tears that he would never allow the humans to see. He wouldn't give them that pleasure.

The female magician was looking at Ren. The little boy, who used to be the most timid of the children, was glaring right back at her – brave, stubborn, unyielding. He would be the first.

There was nothing Tiir could do.

"Wait." The woman, already about to invoke the incantation, halted abruptly and turned to gaze questioningly at her leader, who didn't even seem to notice – instead, he was looking right past her. Staring, Tiir realized.

Had fear gotten the better of him, after all? It had taken him long enough. How foolish humans were, to not recognize a superior predator when faced with one. Tiir would have been amused, if not for the fact that under the given circumstances, the humans hardly had anything to fear from him.

They were no longer the prey.

"Is something the matter, Your Highness?" the female magician asked.

Your Highness...Not Gastark, then. Tiir had seen their king once, briefly, and this wasn't him. Neither was he known to have any children, or close relatives, and Tiir was fairly certain that such a title was only given to members of the royal family in most of the northern regions.

Did that mean there were more countries out hunting down his kin and stealing their eyes? The thought had Tiir shaking – whether with anger or from fear for his brethren, he didn't know.

"I... is this really necessary?" the unknown royal asked, at once the picture of hesitancy. He was young; perhaps younger than Roland's king, even. "They're just children."

"Don't be fooled, Your Highness," the female magician said. "They may look like children, but that is not what they are. You've heard the reports, and you saw what it–" her cool gaze went past the little ones and focused on Tiir– "did to Commander Narvsen. The other two are no more human. Think of them as rabid beasts. It is but a mercy to put them down while they are still young."

Tiir growled. How dare she? Filthy, ignorant human. What other species was there so arrogant that it would not only refuse to acknowledge its own inferiority, but presume to look down on that which could tear it apart in an instant?

"I know that they aren't human. I still don't like the thought of killing them – not when they could be just as useful to us alive. We really can't get rid of only the older one without causing the other two to go out of control?"

"It's highly unlikely, Your Highness," the woman said. "That's one reason why Gastark merely takes the monsters' Eyes rather than capturing them alive and training them, although it means they can only harness their powers once and with extremely limited control. We might not have been able to learn all the details, but it has been confirmed that making use of a live subject is to be highly discouraged. There are some rumors that Roland attempted such a thing in the past, but if those are true, then it appears the results were nothing to brag about."

"I see," the humans' leader said, sounding thoughtful. "He should be unable to move, correct?"

"Yes. I had not tested this weapon on a bearer of the Cursed Eyes before, but if it didn't work on them, we would know by now. The monster seemed very anxious to defend the offspring."

"He did, didn't he..." The young royal stepped closer, and Tiir prepared himself. One small opening, that was all he needed. While he was indeed unable to get up, he knew he hadn't lost command over his body entirely. If the human were foolish enough to come into arm's reach...

But he didn't do Tiir that favor. He stopped in a safe distance from him, about a step away from the children. Ren didn't back down, and though Tiir couldn't see his face, he was sure the boy was meeting the enemy's leader with a stubborn glare. Next to him, Karda, who feared humans more than anything else, actually moved forward an inch, determined to protect her family no matter the cost. She had always been rash, but she had never seemed so fierce.

There was a part of Tiir that was touched, proud of the brave children who considered him an older brother; but that part was nothing compared to the anger he felt at himself for not being able to live up to that honor, for having become a burden to them rather than a protector.

The shame brought by the knowledge that he would not be able to prevent their deaths.

"Don't come closer!" Karda yelled. "If you try to hurt Tiir-niichan, we'll kill you!" She was trying very hard to sound menacing, and yet it was painfully obvious that it was an empty threat, that she was scared and didn't know a thing about killing people. Her posture was off, and her voice was trembling.

There were humans that would have overlooked the signs thanks to the mindless fear they harbored for their kind, but not this one. He appeared startled, but certainly not shaken.

The human royal held up his palms in a gesture that was clearly supposed to seem non-threatening. "I'm not trying to hurt him. See? I'm not even holding a sword." The children exchanged glances, unsure, and the human continued, "If the two of you come without a fight, there will no longer be a reason for anyone to get hurt."

Tiir's eyes widened. He couldn't mean to...

Oh, but he did. That bastard.

Tiir opened his mouth to tell the little ones not to listen – he wouldn't become the reason they were turned into experiments or weapons for those humans' convenience! –, but then he bit his tongue. There was only the choice between letting them be taken alive and watching them be killed, and though Tiir wasn't sure which was worse, he wouldn't be able to bear the latter.

So he remained silent, and didn't object when the children reluctantly let themselves be taken away by three of the humans – more magicians, judging by the way they did not even hold on to the hilts of their swords –, who gave them a look as if they were the vermin here. When the children glanced over their shoulders in search for reassurance, Tiir forced himself to smile at them – the smile remained plastered onto his face until they had vanished into the darkness of the forest; then his expression quickly turned murderous.

He held the human royal's gaze while he waited for what appeared to be the last remaining mage, the female one, to take his eyes. There was no way the humans would just let him go – he had known that from the start, but he was glad that, at least, the children wouldn't know, and perhaps never find out.

It seemed he had misjudged the enemy in one important regard, though.

The human took another step forward. "I promised that no further harm would befall you, and I'm a man of my word. Your eyes are far more valuable to us where they are. So, I will make you a deal. You surrender and submit yourself to our empire, and in return, I shall ensure that those children are well cared for."

Tiir felt his fists unclench and clench again. "Why should I trust you?"

The human seemed surprised by his reply – as if he hadn't really expected an intelligible response. After a while, he said, "You may see them – one at a time – and confirm their state yourself."

Tiir maintained eye-contact for a few moments longer, but in the end, it wasn't even a choice. He lowered his head in a sign of submission, ignoring how every fiber of his being protested the action.

There was a short silence, before the human turned around and declared, "The monster has been subdued!"

Cheers broke out, but Tiir barely heard them.

He had failed them all.

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Author's Note:

...So I tried my hands on something serious for once.

Don't be fooled, though. I might have managed keep the randomness out of the prologue, but that's pretty much my limit. I can totally prove this by pointing at the next few chapters - they are already written, though I don't know when I'll post them yet because I want to make sure everything adds up (since I originally wrote this purely for my personal amusement and never really put much thought into uploading it, meaning I could have gone back and changed even important stuff in good conscience.) Anyway, the general tone of this fic is supposed to be serious, but try telling that to the characters.

Speaking of which, at least for now, there will be very few characters from the actual series in this: Tiir and the kids (mostly just Tiir), and otherwise only mentions of some of the rest of the cast - like Lafra, Ene/Enne, Ryner, Ferris and Sion. This can be explained in part by the fact that quite a bit of this story takes place while almost all the more major characters are busy doing their stuff in Roland. The other reason is a bit more complicated. Basically, doing what I had in mind via any of the "human" characters from the show would either have ended in complete crack or been too angsty for my taste (or maybe just the wrong kind of angst? Well, something like that, anyway). And once I started writing, I really wanted to do it like this. It's been a lot of fun so far, so I hope it works for you - especially since this story is more character than action driven.

I was really unsure about how to go about that whole crystallization thing, but it seems pretty clear from the anime that you don't need the "Rock Devourer" to do it, because the thing was nowhere in sight during Ryner's first "real" encounter with people from Gastark, and in the flashback in episode 19, Kuu and her brother seem to be picking crystals up from the ground, while the Rock Devourer sucks them right in. (...Typing this made me feel sort of gross. Poor Pueka.)

For those not familiar with certain relevant contents of the light novels, a sort of spoilery and hopefully mostly complete list of things I got from there that will come up in some form eventually: Ene being the leader of the eye bearer group and the Torch Curse allowing her to see into the future as well as slowly killing her (and her existence/leader status being a secret), Tiir's very random sense of humour (like offering Ryner to bring him some humans if he doesn't want to eat dango), Tiir saying he's hated humans from day one, Tiir loathing humans so much that it totally kills the yumminess, Tiir saying that only humans lie to their own, Tiir rather half-heartedly claiming that he's not affected by what humans might have to say about him over and over again when Ene assumes otherwise and then in one line pretty much admitting that deep down he thinks he's worthless. ...Yeah.

Uh, what else?

Subtle parallels of the prologue to certain scenes in the anime are totally subtle. *nods* Oh, and I went with "Divine Eyes" instead of "God's Eyes" for the most part, because it sounded a lot less... specifically monotheistic to me. Also, I made the children's names up, since they don't seem to have any in the anime and I couldn't find anything about this being different in the novels - just in case you wondered.

That's all I can think of right now. I hope you had fun reading despite the rather dark themes! Of course, reviews are much appreciated - I'd offer you dango, but getting into trouble with Ferris this early would probably be a bad idea. Maybe a gift basket filled with afternoon naps?