The Hacker and the Dragonis Crystal

Yay, chapter 4 is here! (grins)

I’d just like to say to you all who have reviewed: thank you so very much! And a big thank you to all who have taken the time to alert me of my spelling/grammatical mistakes so I could fix them! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! XD (glomps you all)

Okay, I’ve made my decision on who Raven should be paired with…. It came really close, which surprised even me, but she’ll be with… YUAN! Yes, Yuan is the lucky winner, lol. X3 However, the pairings still stand as KratosOC, YuanOC, and ZelosOC (one-sided). But she’ll be with Yuan in the end; it just makes it more interesting if she can’t decide who to be with during the course of this story and it’s also a plus when Zelos keeps hitting on her and she constantly gets POed about it, haha. (Yes, I am very evil like that, muwaha.)

Disclaimer: I own Raven, her weapon, and anything else I made up. You steal, you answer to my lawyer! (glares evilly at you)

Chapter 4 - Mutation

Morning came swiftly. As Raven awoke, her broken arm gave a painful jolt as she sat up, and she tried her best to stifle her cry of pain, but to no avail.

“Ah, damn it!” she cried, holding onto her splint with her good hand, wincing. “This just totally sucks! Don’t you guys have any pain killers or something?”

Everyone was already awake, and this time it was Lloyd over the fire, cooking breakfast. Kratos had been sharpening his sword with some kind of special stone—the name of the stone eluded Raven for the moment because she was so fixated on her arm—Genis was watching Lloyd cook, giving him some pointers, and Raine and Colette were bent over some kind of thick, dictionary-sized book. However, upon Raven’s sudden outburst, everyone stopped what he or she was doing to look over at the girl.

“Pain killers?” Lloyd echoed.

“Yeah. You know, something to stop this awful throbbing in my arm? It hurts so bad I feel like I could punch a hole into a wall,” the black-and-purple haired girl complained.

“Healing arts can’t do much of anything for pain,” Raine explained as she approached Raven, kneeling to grasp her splint gently and look it over. “Hm. Seems the swelling has worsened. Do you have any Apple Gels?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I do.” Raven pulled open her side pouch with her good arm and removed a capsule with a red, gel-like liquid inside of it. As she removed it from her pouch, the vial grew to its original size, no longer affected by the magic of the pouch.

Raine helped her pull the cork out of the vial. “Drink it,” she said. “It should help reduce the swelling and the pain.”

Raven stared at it a second before she put the vial to her lips and threw her head back, gulping it down. It didn’t taste half-bad, either. It was as if she was drinking melted apple gummies; or the liquid center of those Gushers gummies she loved so much back on Earth. Almost immediately, the pain in Raven’s arm diminished to nothing more than a dull ache; the ache was easier to tolerate than the shooting pain she had experienced earlier.

“Much better,” Raven said to the professor, placing the empty vial back into her pouch. “Thanks.”

The woman nodded. “As I expected. Would you mind if I undid the splint, though, and took a look at you arm?”

Raven shook her head. “Go ahead.”

The half-elven woman carefully undid the bandages—which were soiled now because of the journey through the Triet Ruins and sleeping upon the sandy beach—and exposed Raven’s elbow.

“Oh man, that’s gross,” the girl breathed, turning her head to look away, disgusted.

Her elbow was completely purple and blue, as if it was just one big bruise. It was also swollen, as if some poisonous insect had bitten into it and infected her joint.

Raine gingerly ran her fingers over the injury, examining it with a critical eye. “It doesn’t look like it has worsened too much in any way,” she said. “But, it’ll have to remain in a splint for a few days. The bruising is and swelling is common in this kind of injury. At least you didn’t suffer from a compound fracture, otherwise you’d be completely out of commission.”

Raven was about to say that a compound fracture was nothing and that she knew people who could still do things even with that kind of fracture, but she kept her mouth shut. This world wasn’t as technologically advanced as Earth, so that would explain the different views on injuries. Something that seemed so trivial on Earth could be considered disastrous on Sylvarant.

Raine redid the splint around Raven’s arm, making sure it was tight and straight. “If you start to experience severe pain even after taking some Apple Gels,” Raine started, “then let me know immediately. Understand?”

Raven nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

Raine smiled. “There’s no need to thank me. I’m just looking out for everyone’s well being.” She stood. “I suggest you get something to eat, too, in order to keep up your strength.” She turned to face Lloyd who was busy over a pot that sat atop the fire. “Lloyd, is breakfast ready yet?”

“Almost,” he replied, not looking up. “Just need to add one more thing and let it simmer for a short while.”

Raine nodded, then headed back over to Colette to resume whatever it was they were looking at in that overly-large book.

Raven looked out over the ocean, the sun shining brightly off of the water. It was almost too bright, and Raven rubbed her eyes to rid them of the lingering glare. Finally she stood and stretched, heading over to see what Lloyd was cooking.

“Whatcha makin’?” the bounty hunter asked, leaning over to see the contents of the pot.

“Meat stew,” came the swordsman’s reply. “It has pork, chicken, and beef in it, as well as some kelp that Genis found here on the beach that he washed and prepared.”

“The kelp gives it more flavor,” Genis explained, watching Lloyd stir the contents of the pot.

Raven’s mouth began to water as the smell reached her nose. “Mmm, smells good,” she murmured. “But, I think it needs something….”

Lloyd and Genis looked up at her and both asked, “What?”

“How about diced tomatoes? They always taste good with meat-based stews.”

“Hey, that sounds like a good idea,” Lloyd agreed.

“I think we have some with us,” Genis said, rummaging through his pouch.

Raven felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Kratos standing behind her.

“I sincerely hope you’re not going to put tomatoes in that stew,” he said, a look of worry in his eyes.

“Huh?” Raven asked, turning to face him. “Why not? Are you allergic to tomatoes?”

Kratos averted his gaze. “I… do not care for them.”

Raven blinked a few times, letting his words sink in. Suddenly, she gave an evil grin. “Well, wadda ya know? The big, bad mercenary is a picky eater!”

Kratos glared at Raven. “Something wrong with having certain preferences in eating?”

Raven merely laughed, unfazed by his glare. “Nah! I just find it amusing, that’s all.” She smiled. “It’s okay, we all have something we don’t like, right guys?” she asked, turning to face everyone.

“That’s right,” Colette agreed. “I, uh… don’t really like bell peppers, hehe.”

“As long as I can get something to eat,” the professor explained, “then I’ll eat it. It doesn’t matter if I like it not.”

“Guess your taste buds are not working anymore because of your cooking, huh sis?” Genis said with a slight laugh.

Raine glared at her brother. “My cooking isn’t that bad!”

“Heh heh,” Lloyd uttered, amused with the sibling argument. “Well… I guess I’m not too much a fan of tomatoes, either. I mean, that’s when I have to eat them by themselves. Having them cooked along with something is fine with me.”

Genis smiled. “Actually, I like pretty much everything. And I especially like to try out new dishes when I can.”

“You see?” Raven questioned, turning back to the mercenary. “Everyone has different tastes. No big deal.”

Kratos closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head slightly. Then, when he opened him, he looked back up at Raven, a slight smirk on his face. “What about you? You haven’t shared what you don’t like.”

“Me?” Raven asked, pointing to herself. “Well, uh… you see….” The girl averted her gaze.

“Too embarrassed to tell us?” Kratos asked, crossing his arms, a smug look on his face.

“N-no!” Raven stammered, flustered. “It’s just that… I-I have quite a few foods I… don’t like….”

“…such as?”

Raven sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to be getting out of this without answering Kratos’ question. She began listing her dislikes.

“Let’s see…. I don’t like peas, lima beans, celery, green beans, onions, uh…” she trailed on, thinking. “Oh! Asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and also any kind of peppers.” She looked back up at Kratos and noticed the blank look on his face. “What?”

“You just listed a bunch of vegetables,” Genis said.

Raven shrugged. “Hey, I’m not a rabbit, you know. But I do like carrots. And corn; love eating corn,” she nodded to herself with a smile.

“…and you say I’m a picky eater…” Kratos said, shaking his head.

Raven was about to say something when Lloyd interrupted her.

“Hey, the stew’s ready,” he said loudly. “Come and get it while it’s still hot.”

Deciding to forget what she was going to say, Raven grabbed a bowl and spoon and helped herself to some stew. She would have thoroughly enjoyed it… that is if her eyes hadn’t started to itch so bad that she had to stop to rub them a few times…. After a while, though, they stopped itching, and she resumed eating.

---

Yuan hadn’t gotten much sleep the previous night. He couldn’t stop thinking about his conversation with Raven. Why was her mana going out of control? Why was her Exsphere a different color? How much did she really know? What was this ‘Earth’ she spoke of? And was Mithos’ plan really going to fail?

All these questions and more kept tumbling around in his head all night, keeping him awake most of the time. True, he actually didn’t need to sleep, but keeping up old habits such as sleeping and eating made him feel more… alive and less like a ‘lifeless being’ as Mithos put it. Yes, he couldn’t really sleep a true, deep slumber, but he could sleep nonetheless, as well as eat a bit of food here and there.

“Damn, woman,” he muttered to himself as he got up that morning. “Why must she speak in such a way to where I hardly get any information whatsoever? Instead, I get just enough information to only have even more questions!” In his anger, he grabbed a pillow off one of his beds and threw it across the room where it hit the wall and landed on the floor with a soft thump. “Why can’t she just come out and tell me! It’s not as if I’m going to tell Mithos anything! The information might actually help me to stop him sooner!”

Trying his best to calm his anger, he was suddenly thrown back into reality when there came a knock at his bedroom door.

“What is it?” he asked a little too harshly.

“Sir,” came the reply, obviously Botta. “We’ve tracked the Chosen’s mana signature and she’s on her way back to Triet. Shall we take action?”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Yuan answered, clipping his cape on. “Let them proceed for now as they are the least of our worries. Instead, I want you to keep an eye on Rodyle’s Mana Cannon and make sure everything is going according to plan. We need to have that thing fully functional as soon as possible.”

There was a moment’s pause before Botta replied with a, “Yes, Sir.” The sound of fading footsteps soon followed.

“And while you’re doing that,” Yuan said to himself, looking in the mirror to make sure he looked somewhat decent, “I have a certain someone I need to see again….”

The Seraphim remembered seeing Raven’s arm in a splint; most likely she had broken it. But, even so, she still held an air of defiance, and he was pretty sure that she could still use her weapon in a pinch, crippled or not. But he wouldn’t play the ‘tough guy’ card this time. No, this time he would act somewhat friendly to her and see if he could manipulate some more information out of her that way.

---

“Lloyd! Hurry up in there! Other people need to get into the bathroom, too, ya know!” Raven shouted, banging on the wooden door to one of the Triet Inn’s bathrooms using her good arm.

“I’m almost done!” Lloyd called from inside.

“The hourglass is empty, so your time is up,” the girl stressed. “Get out!”

The door flew open, and Lloyd stepped out, clothed in a black shirt and black pants, his red shirt and gloves over his shoulder.

“Okay, okay!” he cried in annoyance. “Can’t anyone enjoy a bath around here?”

“Yeah, if you don’t take too long. You took longer than most girls would!” She gently pushed him aside and turned the hourglass on the shelf next to the door to start its countdown. Upon entered the bathroom, she did the same to the one inside. “I’m taking my bath now, and unlike you, I won’t be in all day long.” She was about to close the door when she paused, remembering something. “Oh, and Kratos needed to speak with you about something. Go talk with him as soon as possible, okay?”

“Fine,” the boy grumbled. “And I don’t take that long of baths….” He headed off, trying to pull on his red shirt and gloves as he walked.

Raven didn’t reply, and instead closed the door. Turning to face the washtub, she smiled slightly. “Ah, finally. Wish I could enjoy a nice, hot shower, but that’s what you get when you enter a world with limited technology. Hell, a Jacuzzi would be totally sweet right about now….”

Shaking her head slightly to rid of her daydream of relaxing in a spa, she set to work drawing a bath to wash away the dirt and grim from the desert. Even though both Kratos and Raine had insisted on hurrying on to Izoold as soon as they could, Raven opted for them to spend some time in Triet to wash up, get a good meal, and a good night’s rest. Lloyd, Genis, and Colette agreed, and since it was four against two, everyone headed off to Triet.

Raven began to pump water into the washtub, adding scented oils as she did so as there was a lack of soap to make the water bubbly. She checked the fire under the washtub to make sure Lloyd hadn’t put it out.

Somehow, he had.

“Damn it, Lloyd…” she muttered to herself, grabbing some flint and striking the pieces together to set off sparks. Finally, a small fire began, the flames licking at the bottom of the washtub. (It was coated with some substance that prevented it from catching fire.) Satisfied, Raven stood—only to almost have a heart attack.

Framed in the window—it was about seven feet off the ground to allow for privacy—was none other than Yuan.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Raven practically shrieked. “Do you mind!”

Yuan’s expression didn’t change.

“We need to speak again,” he said matter-of-factly.

If she could, Raven would have crossed her arms. Instead, she placed her good hand on her hip, an annoyed look upon her face. “Can I at least take a bath first?” she asked, motioning to the washtub. “And if you had shown up any later, I would have had to blind you. You may look like a girl, but that doesn’t mean you can look in here when I’m about ready to bathe.”

Yuan’s face turned a semi-dark shade of red from anger. “Would you please stop with the insults on how I look?” he questioned, his voice strained as he tried to keep himself from yelling. “And I wouldn’t have shown up at an inconvenient time.”

“Oh, really? Then what kind of time is this?”

Yuan didn’t respond, his face still red.

“Uh huh,” the girl said, nodding, a smirk on her face. “Just as I thought.” She sighed, running her fingers back through her ebony and amethyst hair. “Fine, I’ll be out after I take my bath. Where shall I meet you?”

“Outside the town, near the oasis.”

The young bounty hunter nodded. “Fine. Now, if you don’t mind…?”

Yuan rolled his eyes before disappearing from view.

Wary, Raven closed the wooden shutter on the window, to prevent anything else from happening. Last thing she needed was someone to come just like Yuan did. And if someone did come, she knew that both Lloyd and Kratos would have a hard time trying to hold her back from beating the living snot out of the peeper.

She looked back at the bath, then at the hourglass, noticing she had even less time to relax now.

“Damn it.”

---

It was completely dark now. The stars hung in the sky like fireflies frozen in time, and the full moon—called Tethe’alla in Sylvarant, and vice versa—was high in the sky, bathing everything in a silvery glow, making the sands of the desert look like rolling hills of spun silk.

The blue-haired Seraphim was getting impatient. He stood, waiting and watching for the Earthling. He had questions to ask, and she had answers he was seeking. The question was, would he be able to get those answers?

Finally, Yuan spotted Raven walk around the corner of the desert town’s wall, heading towards him. He stood there near the oasis, his arms crossed and his cape hanging about him. A slight breeze played around him, making the oasis water ripple and shine in the moonlight, and the palm trees whispered softly to each other in a language no one but themselves could understand.

“Sorry I’m late,” Raven apologized when she reached the half-elf. “It wasn’t easy to leave the others. They kept wanting to take a walk with me, but I said I needed some time alone. Hopefully none of them will decide to follow me…” she trailed off, looking behind herself to make sure she hadn’t been followed.

“Would you like to sit?”

“Huh?” Raven asked, looking back at Yuan.

“I asked if you would like to sit down. Who knows how long our conversation may be, and perhaps sitting would be a better idea,” the young man explained.

Raven shrugged. “Uh, okay then.” She tried her best to sit cross-legged, trying not to hit her splint as she sat.

Yuan came over and sat next to her, looking back up into the night sky. Finally, he asked, “Do you trust me?”

Raven looked over at him, and then up into the sky. “Honestly? I have no real idea. I think I know you, but then you start doing and saying things that make me question how much I really know. So this whole ‘trust’ thing is something I cannot give a straight answer to.”

“Hm, good answer,” Yuan said. “Someone who trusts another right away has a major fault. Trust needs to be earned over time.” He looked over at the young girl. “Perhaps I should rephrase my question. Do you trust me enough to provide me with the information I need?”

Raven glanced over at Yuan before looking back up into the sky. “I told you already that I cannot give you such information. If I do, the whole future may change, and it’s a risk I cannot take, even though the pressure of wanting to say something is practically driving me nuts.”

“Then what information can you give me?”

“Depends on what you want to know.”

Yuan thought a moment. “Tell me about this world you call ‘Earth.’”

Raven didn’t respond right away, and Yuan was afraid she might not tell him anything. But, she suddenly asked, “What do you want to know specifically?”

“I’m not sure. Anything that’s important about it, I guess.”

Raven rolled her shoulders, trying to relax. She sighed before she started her explanation. “Well, let’s see…. Earth’s technology is really advanced, a bit more so than Tethe’alla is, and it keeps advancing everyday. Also, we have different constellations in the night sky.” She gestured to the starry sky. “The planet also has many different continents, and there are many various languages spoken by all sorts of people. However, you might find this shocking, but… Earth has no mana source….”

Yuan’s emerald eyes widened. “No mana source? Then your world is dying?”

Raven shook her head. “We never had a source of mana. Earth survives without mana… and without magic.”

This bit of information was unexpected to the half-elf. A world that could survive without mana? Impossible! Mana was the very source of life, even more precious than water! To live in a world without mana—without magic—was like some sort of twisted fairytale.

Then how can she be alive? he thought to himself. Perhaps there really is a way for her world to exist despite the lack of mana. Or perhaps there is mana but no source? If so, how does it continue to drive the world without being depleted? It doesn’t make any sense!

“I can’t believe that,” Yuan spoke, shaking his head. “And I bet next you’ll say that there are no dwarves or elves, either.”

“Actually… there aren’t.”

This time Yuan’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding… right?”

Raven shook her head. “No, I’m not. Only humans live upon Earth.”

Only… humans? No dwarves? No elves? Then that must mean no half-elves as well. But, does that mean her world lacks discrimination?

Yuan shook his head, scowling. “I bet it’s perfect, isn’t it? Because only humans live there, there must not be any discrimination.”

The Earthling sighed. “You’re wrong. If anything, it’s worse than here or in Tethe’alla.”

This got Yuan’s interest. “How so?”

The girl looked over at Yuan. “People discriminate against each other over many different things.” She held up her fist and began putting up fingers as she counted some examples. “Skin color, religion, culture, place of birth… sometimes even hair or eye color. It’s pretty bad, so bad to where people kill each other over petty things… which are nothing more than mere excuses to hide the real underlying reason, and that’s discrimination.” Raven shook her head, saddened. “I never understood it. We’re all people, all living upon the Earth, sharing the same life experiences and resources. So why fight when we’re actually all the same?” She shrugged. “Besides, we’ll all end up in the same place when we die anyway.”

Discrimination… over skin color? They’re of the same race, yet they fight over the pigment of one’s skin? How absurd….

Yuan said nothing for a moment and looked up at the moon. “…you remind me of Martel.”

“Mithos’ sister?”

The half-elf nodded. “She wished for a world free of discrimination… as she was discriminated against just for who she was.” He continued to gaze upon the moon.

Martel…. Do you know how much I miss you? Mithos is trying to carry out your dream, but in the wrong way. Ever since that accident, he hasn’t been the same. Can you see what is happening from your crystal prison? I realize that you’re gone, but he doesn’t. But, just because you’re gone doesn’t mean I’ll forget you….

Raven interrupted his thoughts. “…for being a half-elf, right?”

“…yes.”

Raven shook her head. “It isn’t right. We all have a right to live and enjoy life.” Raven chuckled a bit. “Man, I’m starting to sound like Lloyd.”

“He has the same views?”

“Yeah. He’s open-minded, as am I.” The young bounty hunter smiled at the Seraphim. “I know you’re a half-elf, Yuan. Over four thousand years old, too.”

How did she…? he thought. Oh, right….

Yuan was mildly surprised. But then again, the girl seemed to know a lot, so he figured he better get used to it. But just how much did she know?

“…I’m not even going to ask what else you know about me…” he finally said, averting his gaze.

“Actually, not much,” Raven admitted. “There’s one thing that’s been bugging me for the longest time now, and I still don’t know it. Mind if I ask?”

Yuan looked back over at the girl. “What is it?”

“What’s your last name?”

Well, that question caught him off guard. “Uh… I don’t really have one…” he finally replied.

“What do you mean?”

This time Yuan sighed. “I don’t use my last name anymore. I don’t want to have any connection with my parents or my past.”

Raven narrowed her eyes in concern. “Why?”

Should I really tell her? She seems to know so much already. She hasn’t ratted me out just yet, and she’s had the chance to do so. Maybe… I can trust her….

“My father was human, and when he found out his son was a half-elf, he treated me poorly. My mother was an elf who didn’t have the courage to stand up to my father, and she eventually left me behind. As I got older, I met up with another human and left home to travel with him.”

The only human who ever respected me and treated me as an equal…. And now not only am I betraying Mithos, I’m also betraying him by taking charge of the Renegades….

“Kratos?”

Yuan nodded. “Yes. And soon after, we joined up with Mithos and Martel. After seeing I wasn’t the only half-elf who was mistreated by others, I decided to sever all ties that connected me to my past, and rid myself of my last name. Instead, I focused upon the future and aided the others. We all tried to stop the war, and it worked… but Martel lost her life.”

“And now her soul is within the Cruxis Crystal that is within the Giant Seed…” the girl added. “How sad…. I’m sorry about all that.” She shook her head. “People can be so cruel and heartless towards what they don’t understand. But,” she started, looking back over at the young man, “I don’t dislike you because you’re a half-elf, even if I am a human.”

Yuan looked back over at the girl, a wary look on his face. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

Raven shrugged. “I dunno. Just because I’m human doesn’t mean I have to hate half-elves. What do I have to do to prove that I don’t mind the fact you’re a half-elf?”

She could be telling the truth, like Kratos was. Although in all my four thousand years of life, many have said I could trust them… and they’ve turned against me. Now I can only turn to others of my kind, my race. But perhaps I can give her a chance? She may be human, but she’s not of Sylvarant or Tethe’alla. And she seems sincere as well. Yes, I’ll give her a chance, but I will need her to do something for me in return….

“Would you allow me to… run some tests on you?”

This request made the girl raise an eyebrow at the man. “Tests? What kind of tests are you talking about?”

“To see why your mana is out of control.”

Raven blinked in slight confusion before remembering the whole ordeal with her Dragonis Crystal. “Oh, right, that…. Well, I’ll agree on one condition.”

A condition…?

“And that is…?”

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. “You quit bugging me on what is supposed to happen in the future and allow destiny to play itself out.”

…so much for my plan of stopping Mithos sooner… he thought glumly.

“…deal.” The man fiddled around under his cape a moment before producing a strange device. It was a model he had developed, a special hand-held communicator. By flipping it open, it could be used to call someone and talk with him or her using it. He handed the communicator to the girl.

“What’s this?” she questioned, looking it over.

“It’s a communicator. I have one as well. We’ll use them to keep in touch with each other, however I think it would be better if you used it to keep in touch with me more so than I to you. We don’t need Kratos becoming suspicious.”

Raven flipped the communicator open and looked it over some more. “Huh. It kinda resembles the cell phones we have back on Earth. It’s a common piece of technology that many people have, including myself. I left mine back at home, though….” Her features softened at the mention of her home.

She must miss her home. Is it possible for her to travel back? Or is she stuck here? I’ll have to ask her about it later….

Yuan stood, turned, and began to walk away, however he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. When he looked, however, there was nothing.

Must have been something moving in the wind or some kind of wild animal….

He shook his head slightly and instead said to Raven, “I’m heading back to my base. Where is your next stop?”

“Izoold.”

Yuan nodded. “Then you’ll have to pass by my base to head to the Ossa Trail. Come nightfall contact me if you can and we can begin the tests. They shouldn’t take too long, so the others shouldn’t have any reason to become suspicious when you disappear for a short while. I suggest coming up with an alibi though, just in case.”

Raven nodded in agreement. “Okay then. I guess I’ll see you later?”

“Yes.” He started to walk away.

“…good night, Yuan,” Raven said softly, standing and heading off as well.

Yuan paused a moment before continuing walking, mumbling back to her, “Good night….”

As soon as he was far enough away, Yuan turned back to the town, watching Raven head back to the inn. He stood there a moment longer even after she had disappeared inside the desert town, until finally he transported himself back to his Sylvarant base.

---

Morning came quickly, and it would have been like any other morning… had Raven been able to open her eyes.

“Ah!” she cried, rubbing her eyes. “I… I can’t open my eyes!”

She heard movement next to her and then Lloyd’s voice real close by in front of her.

“You can’t open your eyes?” he asked, his voice filled with confusion and concern. “Hey, stop rubbing them for a sec.”

Raven did as she was told, panic bubbling up within her. She could feel fingers gently brush over her closed lids, inspecting them to see what the problem was. She could also feel Lloyd trying to gently pry her eyes open, but to no avail.

“Lloyd, be careful!” Genis’ voice cut into the silence. “You don’t want to damage her eyes!”

“Please be quiet, Genis,” he replied, focused on trying to find a way to open the girl’s eyes.

“Lloyd,” Kratos started, “I think we should have Professor Sage have a look at her.”

Raven felt Lloyd’s fingers leave her face.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “I’ll go get her.”

Raven listened as she heard the boy’s heavy boots hit the floor as he ran out of the room. She took a shaky breath, obviously rattled by this. Why could she not open her eyes? Was there something wrong with her? Not only did her eyes remain closed, but her arm was throbbing as well. She winced and grasped it lightly.

“Does your arm hurt again?” Kratos’ voice floated over to her through the darkness.

She nodded.

There was a slightly rustling noise off to her left, and then a small pop as something was opened. She then felt something cold against her lips.

“Drink this,” came Kratos’ voice.

Tilting her head back, she allowed him to pour the Apple Gel into her mouth. In a matter of seconds, the pain had vanished.

“Thank you,” she said as the vial left her lips.

“Are you going to be okay?” Genis asked from off to her right.

“I… don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m scared. I have no idea what’s happening to me….”

Suddenly, Raven heard footsteps from several people barge into the room. Raine’s commanding voice filled the area.

“Everyone, stand back and let me have a look.”

Again, Raven felt fingers upon her face, but these were more firm and calculated with their analysis.

“You can’t open your eyes at all?” the Professor questioned the girl.

“No.”

“Hmm,” she said, looking over the girl’s closed lids again.

“Is she going to be all right, Professor?” Colette asked Raine.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Let me try something. Raven? I’m going to lead you into the bathroom and try to wash your eyes to see if that will help.”

“O-okay.”

Raine’s hands grasped Raven’s own and lead her out of the room, slowly as to make sure she didn’t trip or run into anything. When Raine paused for a moment, Raven could hear a door open and feel the change in air temperature and pressure, meaning they had reached the bathroom. Raine lead her inside and over to what must have been the pump sink as she heard Raine pumping water into a small bucket.

“Hold still,” Raine commanded.

Raven stood there, the feeling to scream at the top of her lungs and run around insanely becoming an even more appealing idea every passing second. She wanted her eyes open, now.

A damp cloth was pressed upon the young bounty hunter’s closed lids, and Raine methodically and gently rubbed the cloth over the girl’s eyes. And slowly, ever so slowly, Raven was able to open her eyes.

“Oh, my…” Raine breathed, stopping and dropping the cloth, a hand over her chest and a look of shock upon her face.

“What?” Raven asked, feeling dread welling up within her. “What’s wrong?”

Raven turned her head to look in the crudely made bathroom mirror—

—and nearly screamed.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” she said rather loudly. “What happened to my eyes!”

The image that was reflected back at the girl had red eyes—as red as freshly spilt blood. This change made her reflection look demonic, almost sadistic, and such eyes looked rather out of place upon her face.

Running footsteps could be heard coming down the corridor, and then—

“What happened?”

“Is everything all right?”

“Raven! Are you okay?”

The girl turned to look at Lloyd, Genis, Colette, and Kratos—

—and they all gasped.

“Raven, your eyes!” Lloyd cried.

“Oh, no!” Colette whimpered. “Does it hurt? Are you okay?”

“What happened?” Genis asked.

Only Kratos remained silent, a solemn look upon his face.

“Guys…” Raven finally spoke, her mouth dry. “What’s happening to me?”

And then Yuan’s voice floated up to her consciousness from the first time they had spoken on the beach.

“You can’t sense it, but you find out through other ways, such as strange mutations or illnesses.”

Strange mutations…? Could that mean… her Dragonis Crystal was mutating her? Turning into some kind of creature? A monster like the Exbelua?

“No…” she whispered, shaking her head, averting her gaze. “It can’t be….” She turned to look back at the others. “I’m… mutating.”

“What?” Lloyd asked, walking forward. “What do you mean?”

Suddenly, Genis’ eyes widened. “Lloyd! It’s just like what happened to Marble! Raven’s turning into something else!”

Lloyd’s demeanor became one of shock. “What! No way!”

Kratos spoke up. “Lloyd, it is possible. When a person’s mana is not stable, mutations of the Exsphere’s host body is inevitable. It happens often in the Human Ranches. I have seen it before.”

Lloyd looked back over at Kratos, and then back at Raven, shaking his head and taking a step back, a look of pity and confusion in his eyes. “No…. That can’t be! Not Raven, too!” he cried. “I… I don’t want to hurt any more innocent people!”

“I don’t think you’ll need to,” Kratos interjected. “I’ve never seen a mutation like this before. It could just be a side-effect and may not adversely affect her in a negative way.”

“You mean like my wings?” Colette piped up.

“Yes. The change in color of Raven’s eyes may just be nothing at all.”

“I hope you’re right…” Raven said, looking back over in the mirror. “Because I’m starting to really get freaked out. They look like a dragon’s eyes.”

“Wait. Didn’t you say you got your Exsphere from a dragon?” Genis questioned.

Raven nodded.

“Then perhaps she’s experiencing something of a side-effect from the dragon’s mana,” Raine supplied. “Dragons are creatures of mysterious powers, and perhaps by taking the crystal from it, it somehow left some of its magic upon it, like a residue.” Raine came over and looked at Raven’s eyes, much like a doctor would. “It’s as if parts of her are becoming dragonic in nature.”

“…you mean I’m becoming a dragon?” Raven asked, her red eyes filled with worry.

“Perhaps, but not fully,” Raine explained. “If the mana of the dragon was left upon the crystal like a residue, you may only mutate slightly. Maybe it’ll only be your eyes that change, but I cannot guarantee that will be the only change.”

“So instead of her becoming an angel like Colette,” Lloyd interjected, “she’s going to become something else?”

“Maybe,” Raine answered. “Since this mutation is relating to a dragon, I’m going to say she’s becoming a dragonoid, a humanoid dragon.”

Raven shook her head in disbelief. “You can’t be serious. I’m going to mutate into a dragon!”

This information was a lot to swallow all at once. One thing was for sure, though: this was not part of the programming that Raven had done when she hacked into her game. She created the Dragonis Crystal to have her avatar have abilities like a dragon, not become one. Raven was supposed to gain angel wings much like Colette, but have them look like dragon wings instead of the butterfly/fairy look.

This game was going completely awry from what the girl had planned.

But it’s not a game anymore, she though to herself. This is really happening to you! You need to stop thinking about this in the context of program code now. Things that weren’t programmed have happened, so learn to deal with the unexpected!

Raven couldn’t help it, though, despite her mental pep talk. She felt her eyes well up with tears, and she knew that things were now out of her control. As the tears streamed down her face, she looked away from everyone, embarrassed.

“I’m becoming a monster,” she sobbed.

Lloyd shook his head. “You are not. No matter what happens, you’re still you, just like if Colette becomes an angel, she’s still Colette.”

“Heh, yeah, except I’m not becoming an angel,” she said in a sarcastic tone. “I’m becoming the opposite… a demon.” Rubbing the tears away from her eyes, she pushed past everyone and headed down the corridor and back to the room where her stuff was, slamming the door behind her.

Raven sat heavily upon the bed, hearing the others gather around the outside of the door.

“Lloyd, give her some time alone,” she heard Kratos’ muffled voice through the door.

“But—”

“I agree. Let’s leave her be for a while,” Raine agreed.

Slowly, the footsteps left and died away. Raven hung her head.

“…why is this happening to me?” she asked herself, knowing very well she was to receive no answer.

Okay, shorter chapter this time. Sorry for the long wait, but I’ve been super busy. Anyway, I guess you could call this a ‘filler’ chapter; not too important, but does have important elements in it, etc.

Well, you know the drill, peoples! Please review? (gives you the ‘puppy-dog eyes of DOOM’)