Broken Glass

Hearts can’t be made practical until they can be made unbreakable . . .

Legal Crap:

I don’t own ToS. Now the hounds aren’t out to get me.

Chapter 1: The First Rule

“Hah! Got it!”

It was another typical battle upon the grassy fields of Tethe’alla. There was an innumerable amount of monsters living in these serene places, much to the distress of the continent’s citizens. They believed that these beasts had sprung up out of nowhere, that it was possibly fate or the Church of Martel’s fault. Monsters had never been a problem up until a few years ago, when the Chosen of Mana was selected for Tethe’alla. Perhaps it was Zelos’s fault that all this hell was raging in a period of prosperity.

But Regal Bryant knew better than that. There had been monsters before this. They were just hidden behind human flesh.

Bryant had fallen into a series of bad times as of late—maybe not as bad as his prison sentence, but it could questionably turn for the worse. First, the pope had summoned him to collect Sylverant’s Chosen of Mana so that a foe of his would be arrested. That had quickly spiraled into the toilet. As soon as he did meet up with the Chosen, he found that she had joined forces with Presea Combatir. He could not possibly hurt her family again, but the pope insisted that the only way he would be freed would be by catching the poor angel child. So, he went hunting for her again, and met up with her party in the dreaded Gaoracchia Forest maze. However, he had quickly been outnumbered and defeated. Worse, he was taken captive by this rag-tag band.

Oh, well. At least they were civil to him. All they required Regal to do was fight, keep away from the two Chosens, and occasionally cook. It was strange how they trusted a known convict with their own food. Sometimes, they would open up their conversations enough to talk with him. He afraid he was a bit too philosophical with them, though—most were either bored or confused with what he said. Sometimes, that made the shackles around his wrists bind just a little bit more.

Once again, another battle had occurred. Nobody was hurt, thankfully. In fact, it went over pretty easily. Nobody had to come to the sagacious Raine to be healed, and no mana had to be burned over the battle. Regal fought his battles silently, never attracting too much attention to himself. It was better to keep low-key in this group. There was no way he could tell whether or not they hated him, but he didn’t want to test it.

“God, I just get even sexier after battle!”, the Chosen of Tethe’alla boomed. Zelos wasn’t built like a fighter; rather, he was like a very beautiful man. He let his red spiraling hair grow down to his waist, and always wore pink and white. Zelos knew he was attractive, too. He flaunted it like a tacky ring, much to the distaste of many women.

Regal only smiled, glad to see the Chosen happy. It kind of burned him on the inside, a jealous envy of the freedom Zelos had from his morals. Sometimes, he looked back on the life he had before his tangled affair with the government, and he wished that he had lived so freely. He felt like he lost a lot of time rotting in a dungeon cell.

Sheena, the gracious and gorgeous summoner from Mizuho, was equally excited, “Yeah, that was kind of easy.” She kept her hair up in a traditional style, black hair flying every which way when it escaped her hairdo. Her brown eyes were almost lit up with a passionate fire, reflecting her inner will and power. Exotic clothes amplified her natural beauty, almost a little too much.

“Don’t get too cocky, Sheena,” Raine rebuked, “We may not be so fortunate next time.” Raine was like the group’s mother, always watching out for them and healing their wounds. There were several other sides to her than just that one, though. She also enjoyed excavating ruins as much as Indiana Jones himself. She wouldn’t take crap from anyone, and demanded that everyone always view their situation with a scrutinizing eye. She dressed simply enough, almost like a shell to hide her vast intelligence.

“Ah, come on, Raine!” her little brother Genis argued with her. He was barely tall enough to come to Regal’s elbows, but he packed a serious wallop with his magic powers. Most people believe that those of elven blood have these skills naturally, like if they were double-jointed. Genis was also a little firecracker, quick to understand any problems. His enthusiasm was off the wall, which sometimes was a bane.

Zelos smiled at Genis, a rare sight, and “Well, on the other hand, your sister is right. You could have been eaten up, squirt!” To say the least, Zelos didn’t exactly get along with guys the best. Genis irritated him to no end, and Lloyd was prime competition for the ladies. In Zelos’s eyes, Regal hadn’t been dubbed a threat, so he didn’t actively torment the prisoner. He was much too quiet, and that convict background defiantly wasn’t attractive. However, Zelos did get unnerved when he thought that maybe girls might like the silent, mysterious type better . . .He just tried not to think about it.

The party was in a rather chatty mood, especially worked up after battles. Regal listened intently for the most part, just glad to be back in civilization. The Chosen named Colette especially got wound up, jumping around and describing everything in great detail. Her eyes always sparkled a shade bluer when she was happy. Somehow, she was able to always keep clean, her blonde hair and white dress clear of dust.

Today, Colette was curious about the land, “So, Sheena, what kind of flowers grow out here?”

“Flowers?” that was a strange question to Sheena. She really didn’t take time to notice feminine things; she was always caught up in her work. Shrugging, she replied, “I’m not the person to ask that. Try the gigolo.”

Gigolo was no offense to Zelos Wilder, “We have very pretty flowers here . . .” He stopped along the road to grab a handful of yellow blossoms, “Like these little buttercups here. They match your hair so well!” He proceeded to put them in her hair, and she flew into another spurt of giggles.

Genis rolled his eyes, talking to the pink-haired girl next to him, “Do you like flowers, Presea?”

Presea barely gained her true consciousness a little while ago. She had spent an unknown amount of time under an exsphere experiment, and it recently her exsphere had been fixed and equipped properly. Her large eyes were still a bit too cold, and she was trying to relearn emotions. Her heart and memories were there, though, so she was human in that sense. She didn’t exactly understand why Regal seemed to treat her like a small adult, but she enjoyed being equal to somebody.

As for Genis, she never really could pick up that he had a crush on her, “I really don’t have a favorite. They are just plants.” Genis sighed, then agreed with her—yeah, so they’re just pretty plants. It just didn’t seem right that she didn’t like them. Didn’t all girls like flowers?

Lloyd smirked, running a gloved hand through his hair, “I can’t believe you two. One of you must like flowers.” Lloyd was the group’s unofficial leader, always taking the front line in battle. He was a merciless fighter, but he also got bored easily. Sometimes, he was a bit too melodramatic too—how many monologues had he spoken about the freedom of Tethe’alla and Sylverant in the past day? Never the less, he did have a good heart, even if he was a little zealous.

Sheena finally gave up, sighing, “Well, I do like this one type. Do you guys want me to show it to you?” Raine and Colette were both stirred up by this little side-quest, Raine for more knowledge and Colette for the romance of flowers. Genis sighed in some resentment, but didn’t go against his sister’s interests. Sometimes, a little side adventure was good for morale.

The dark-haired woman leapt off into a forest, following a river upstream. Lloyd and Regal had no problems keeping up with the agile woman, but Zelos whined about having to pick his way through brambles. It was relaxing to run through the forest, like a free man. The thought of possibly being free made Regal’s heart beat a little harder than usual.

A few minutes later, Sheena abruptly stopped at a small pond. Playfully, she put her finger over her lips, then waded into the lake. The party watched her swim intently, wondering where she was going off. She popped up nearly a small pad, clipped off its roots, and brought it back to the shore. Colette stared at the blossom on the pad in amazement, almost silenced by awe.

“This is a lotus blossom,” Sheena held the flower up for everyone to see. Its gentle white petals were lightly stained with pink veins. Any little breeze ruffled the flower, occasionally catching light from the forest ceiling. Raine had seen other lotus blossoms before, but this one was exceptionally beautiful.

Raine asked in amusement, “These just grow here?”

Sheena nodded, twirling the flower by its base, “Yeah, especially during the summer. You should see this place in the spring, too—the trees are all pink then.” Presea didn’t bother to name the type of trees in this grove, but rather took the time to enjoy the scenery. It had been some time since she really understood how things could be pretty. This was good that Sheena brought them here, she determined.

Regal calmly smiled again, imaging what his long-lost lover would have thought of this place. She would have wanted to stay here for hours, staring absently at the sky and all the life around her. She didn’t just wade in life; she launched into it, like a cannonball. Regal started to feel lonesome again. He really did miss Alicia, more than he let himself know. Had he really cut himself off from his emotions so long?

He looked blankly into the pond, its green surface shimmering. It was amazing what he could see in it. Lloyd was skipping rocks across it, occasionally disturbing its reflection. At least the kid was still having fun. Regal could see all sorts of things in the pond’s mirror: the tops of the trees, the rocks along its shallow banks, a dark shadow moving in the background . . .

Dark shadow. . .He snapped to attention, thinking to himself, in the forest . . .He focused his mind again, staring at the subtle movements. Something was watching them back, like a contented predator. Whites of eyes were deciphered out of the shadow, narrowing as someone realized Regal had caught onto him. There was a small shifting of movements, and a small reed shoot was raised out of the darkness. It was aiming directly for . . .Sheena!

Regal took no time to explain his actions. He knocked Sheena into the pond, taking a defensive stance where she once stood. There was a small prick in his shoulder, and he noticed a small dart to the right of his neck. Touching it gingerly, he felt a sudden burn blast through his shoulder. Lloyd was the first to comprehend why Regal had done that, “Someone’s attacking us!”

The shadow in the bushes quickly took off, but not fast enough for Genis to pelt a few spells on the assassin’s back. As brush and leaves were knocked loose, a small swath of red cloth tore off. Zelos was ready to pursue the attacker, but by the time he stood where the shadow had been, it was long gone. He picked off the red cloth, looking at it in confusion.

Sheena wiped pond water out of her eyes, almost ready to cuss Regal out. She never expected him to go haywire like that! Well . . .what’s to be expected of criminals? Zelos brought her the piece of cloth, and her eyes widened, “No, not . . .Kuchinawa . . .”

“What’s wrong, Sheena?” Colette asked, always the thoughtful one.

Sheena shook her head, “Nothing. It’s nothing.” She then paused, understanding what Regal had done. He had pushed her out of the ninja’s sights! She could have been killed! Okay, maybe now she could be a little bit more forgiving, “Hey, Regal, thanks.”

Regal didn’t respond at first. His entire right side was locked up with bright, piercing pain. He found enough resolve to stutter, “You’re . . .you’re . . .” It was all the strength he had left. The numbness was traveling all over now, paralyzing him in a wash of agony. He didn’t cry out; he couldn’t if he wanted to.

He dropped to his side like an injured dog. His senses were blurring into one vision, all sounds muffled and touch disabled. Grey dots were swarming like hornets in front of his eyes. His temperature was beginning to burn, hot strikes of pain now becoming evident in the aftermath. What is . . .going . . .on? It became increasingly hard to breathe.

Raine quickly searched for any wounds, finding a small arrow-fletched dart in the curve of his neck next to his right shoulder. She removed it carefully, noticing black liquid tipped on its points. There was also a small kanji letter written in gold ink on the dart’s side, something she couldn’t read. She didn’t have to be a genius to figure out what was going on, “Sheena, your clan is proficient in using poison, correct?”

She nodded, “Some are. There are different kinds with different strengths. It gets a bit hazardous to use them.”

Raine quickly processed that information, then began barking out orders, “Lloyd, I need you to get me some fresh water. Genis, get me my staff and the unicorn’s horn. Zelos, I need you to help me get Regal out to a safer place.”

Zelos was a little dense, “Okay, my lovely professor. But what’s going on?”

Raine almost snapped at him, “Isn’t it obvious, you dolt? He’s been poisoned.”

Poison . . . Regal thought blankly before his consciousness gave out, I should have . . .seen that . . . one . . . com . . .ing. . .

---

A smart man always knows how to adapt to his surroundings. If you drop a survivalist in the middle of nowhere, he’s going to be kicking for an obscene amount of time. Regal was always quick on his feet, and he used that to blend into his prison for his entire sentence. He knew who controlled what, when everything had to occur, and even some things that an average noble would never venture to find out. Using his knowledge, he lived his life in this damp terrain by three very important rules.

Rule number one: Never take a long time in a public bath.

Regal never took a very long time to clean himself. Even in his normal life, he would get in and out of a bath as fast as he could. When Alicia died, he stopped trying to cut his hair. It got to be too cumbersome to trim it, especially in prison. He did keep shaving, though. He never could grow a mustache or a beard well, and decided that shaving was one necessary thing he had to do. Beyond that, he wasted no time in the water.

Few people in Tethe’alla are unaware of the situations most prisoners go through when they have to bathe. First, there were scheduled times; the men would bathe on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and the women were on the other four days. Second, the showers were a massive collection of faucets and plumbing all maintained in one room. There was no privacy from other prisoners, something that Regal never really got used to. Third, all the prisoners were watched when they were bathing. It was probably more of a security issue with them than anything else, but it still bothered Regal greatly.

Anyway, back to his current strife. He awoke half-naked in his old jail cell, head spinning like a twister down Oklahoma. The first thing he noticed was that he was missing his shackles, and then he picked up that those weren’t the only things he was lacking. He frantically searched for his shirt, but that was nowhere to be found. Panicked for only a moment, he settled down, then decided to have a look around.

Everything was a drab, gray colored. The bricks, his wooden board/bed, the ceiling, ground, even the light. Everything was dull. It was like something had sucked the life out of his surroundings. He tried peering out the window, but its gray light blinded him like the sun. Head swimming again, he tried to understand what was going on.

“Are you just going to sit in there and rot?”

Regal snapped to attention, startled at the voice. He finally took notice that his jail cell was unlocked! Approaching the bars, he pushed the iron door out of the way, searching down the dirt corridors for whoever was talking to him. Humph, nobody. He still felt very disheveled, uncertain of his fate.

Someone blasted out of the dark gray area in a puff of rose smoke. A dark-haired woman appeared out of the smoke, red cloak dragging against the ground. Her eyes were a hell-frozen-over blue, narrow and judgmental. She was obviously not in the mood to be dealing with Regal, “Another one. Great.”

Regal barely found his voice in time, “Where. . .”

“. . .Are you? Auntie Em, Auntie Em!” the woman cut him off, mocking him, “What’s the last thing you remember, hmm? Bit of poison get in your system?” He nodded, dumbfounded, unsure how the woman would know that. She scoffed again, “Is it no surprise, Regal Bryant? You must know something about the mystics of Tethe’alla, really.”

She knows my name? He tried not to be too startled, “I know . . .they exist.”

The woman rolled her eyes, standing akimbo, “Honestly. Well, let’s get this over with. I’m sure the master has a lot of work to do yet, and you’re not exactly one of his big problems.”

“The . . .master?” Regal was shocked to find a little strength in his system. Taking all the stamina he could get, he questioned, “Where are . . .Presea . . Zelos . . .”

She crossed her arms, leaning on her right leg, “You really are a big dumb farm boy deep down, you know that?” The woman pulled out a small golden chain out of her cloak, opening up a small clamp on one end, “You’ll have your answers in due time, Bryant. For now, come with me.”

The gold chain shot out of her hand, wrapping around his neck in a strike of lightening. He grunted in sudden shock, the chain almost chokingly tight. It was enough to subdue him, especially in his weakened state. The woman was rather pleased, “That’s a good boy. Cooperation would be well-advised.”

His blue eyes burned with confusion and rage, almost wet with jarred tears. Something almost bruised one’s soul when they looked into that gaze of horror. The heartless woman smirked, jerking Regal along. Head down, he followed the sorceress obediently. He really didn’t have the power to do anything else.

His vision blurred again, twisting his stomach in a knot. Regal needed help—but it was too far out of his reach.

---

Author's Note:

If you're worried about the length, chill. This story's only going to be 5 chapters long. Anyway, I'd like to hear any comments you have!