Vision
of Escaflowne is owned by its respective company not
by Yuki Fanel.
Dilandau Returns
By : Yuki Fanel
Van coughed violently as the dust flew to his
face. How did he live with all this dust?
Fanning the dust slightly, he stared at the last belongings his brother had
left. Most of what were left were books and some log
books of his experiments. I wonder if he
has something about Dornkirk and the Zaibach… When the dust settled, he saw a small brown
notebook lying at the bottom of a pile of hard bound books. He blinked. A notebook? It looks like a diary… He pulled it out of the pile and succeeded
in making a messy heap of the books. I’ll
just tell someone to clean this up. He rose and left through the door,
perfectly evading the cobwebs that hung from the ceilings and walls.
***
One specimen is reacting well to the
operation. I don’t know if Lord Dornkirk would be
surprised but this would be somehow uncontrolled. The other specimens are not
doing so well. The treatment is harsh to all yet one seemed to withstand all
that we give. This one will be strong compared to her brother.
***
“He must be talking about Allen and Celena…” he thought aloud.
Van
had been reading Folken’s journal in his experiments,
searching on information about the Zaibach
experiments. Perhaps to find out what other kinds of monstrosities await them
at their doorstep. He decided that the last entry might help. He flipped
several pages and reached a blank page. He turned it back, finding a half
filled page.
***
Night of the First Moon
The other specimens have failed to
achieve the strength of the one we have been watching closely. Five of the
common have died. Only 3 have remained, but they have a slim chance of
surviving. Their systems have rejected the operation but the one being observed
carefully is doing quite well. We name this Project: Dilandau
Albatou.
He has done well. For the past few
days he has trained with the sword and his guymelef.
He has done regular chores wherein we could infer that he is now regular and
can move on his own. But we find signs of his past self, the girl, Celena Schezzar. Later on it
would disappear. Celena Schezzar
is now temporary, and so is Dilandau Albatou. They can switch. But it isn’t known at what
instances. It is certain that if Schezzar surfaces
again, Dilandau wil
***
“What’s
this? The entry isn’t finished. But it just said that…” Van gripped the edges
of the journal tightly until his knuckles turned white.
He shifted the paper slightly to face
the light. He could make out the remaining letters that have been pressed on
the parchment without ink. l
- - r - e - t - u - r - n… He blinked as his heart
pounded erratically. It is
certain that if Schezzar surfaces again, Dilandau will return.
“Kuso!!!”
A gentle set of knocks was heard from
the door. The door opened and the messenger he had sent a few moments ago had
returned. His face was drenched with sweat but there was relief in his eyes.
“King Van. Your invitation to Sir Allen has been
sent. He will arrive here tomorrow by carriage along with Lady Celena.”
*Damn!
And I have to see her again!*
Chapter
2
Van
swallowed hard as he felt the pit in his stomach deepen. He felt so stiff yet
his movements were fluid. *Damn!
Celena is here!!! How should I tell Allen?* Allen looked at him
weirdly, wondering why the young king had such an odd expression on his face
for quite a while.
“Are
you well? You seem…” he cringed as he stopped himself from saying
‘constipated’. “…stressed today. Did we come in a bad
time?”
“Oh no! I am well. There is no worry.” he
stuttered, realizing his voice was unconvincing.
“I
see.” the other nodded yet his mind was unsettled.
Van
sighed in relief and looked at Celena as they walked.
She was just walking straight, no odd signs.
“So
Allen, how are you and Celena doing in Palas?” he smiled, seeing that nothing was wrong with her.
“We
are doing quite well, Lord Van. Although Celena
has been making a lot of trouble for the stable boys.” Allen looked down
at Celena with a raised eyebrow.
“But
they were making fun of me, brother. I thought I’d get my revenge against
them.” Celena laughed heartily, making the hair on
the back of Van’s neck stand on their ends.
*…revenge??? What? Oh no!!! That could be one sign!* He looked at her
strangely.
“You
call letting the horses go ‘revenge’?” Allen smirked.
“Let’s
not talk about this here. It would be really shameful of us to disrespect Lord
Van.” Celena shook her head and laughed.
Van yawned. He hadn’t slept the whole
night and now he was spending the whole day with the one he fears to return.
They had set themselves on the dining table, feeding on whatever was served to
them.
Celena blinked as she put a
spoonful of soup into her mouth. It had an odd taste. It tasted somehow salty
and sour with a spicy taste coming from a few grains. She swallowed slightly,
an expression of distaste appearing on her face. She looked at Allen who was
solemnly into his own business.
“Doesn’t
this soup kind of odd to you, Lord Van?” she turned to the king who was seated at
the other end of the table.
Van stiffened. *What should I say? Damn this situation!
Why do I have to act so paranoid?*
“Why
wouldn’t it, Celena? You put pepper and vinegar into
it.” Allen said as Van opened his mouth to say something.
“Oh.
I did it again.” Celena laughed, putting her hand to
her cheek slightly.
Van
blinked. *She’s not herself
today! It could be another sign that she’s coming back as Dilandau!*
His thoughts were interrupted as he noticed Celena
staring at him weirdly. She blinked. He blinked back. *What the…?*
“Are
you sure you are well, Lord Van? You seem paler than usual.” she smiled at him
from ear to ear.
*Oh no! She
noticed!*
“Ha…hai…I am well. Please don’t be so concerned.” he looked at
his lap and blushed.
Celena
nodded in satisfaction but from afar, Van could notice Allen raising him an
eyebrow. *What the heck is
Lord Van thinking? And why is he all red?*
***
*You moron. Why
were you reading my notes?*
“I
was looking for information about the Zaibach and Dornkirk.”
*And you found
out about Dilandau. You idiot.
Why are you acting so paranoid?*
“I’m
afraid he might resurface again. But…how come you were writing without ink?”
*I ran out of
ink.*
“What?”
*What could I
do? I was all too busy with the war then.*
“Right. By the way, what ARE you doing in my
dream?”
*What IS the
big idea of dragging me in here? It is YOUR dream.*
“I
don’t know.”
*Don’t worry
about Dilandau..*
***
Van
awoke with a start. *What the
heck was that?* He frowned. *He said not to worry. I guess it will be fine.* It has been a few
months after Allen’s last visit. Maybe things weren’t working out as he had
thought. Maybe Dilandau won’t be troubling them
anymore. Maybe nothing wrong will happen anymore.
The
ground shook in a steady rhythm. It went on like footsteps. Then there came
screams and stone collapsing.
“Help!!! A guymelef is
coming!” *A guymelef?*
He
jumped out of bed and immediately put on his clothes.
“Someone
stop the Scherezade!” *The Scherezade? What is it doing
here?*
He strapped on his sword and ran out the door.
He stopped by the corridors, seeing the birds fly in a frenzy.
The Scherezade stood there, towering over the
corridor in which he stood. Van blinked at the cockpit as it hissed open.
Expecting Allen was going to come out, he was taken aback.
“Lord
Van!!! Is my brother here???” Celena waved at him.
Van stiffened. *What is she doing here? Where IS Allen
when I need him?* His heart pounded erratically. The next thing he remembered was
everything became black and falling onto hard ground.
***
Chapter
3
His
vision began to clear and settled on the ceiling of his room. He mumbled a bit
when he heard someone acknowledge his coming to.
“Van,
you’re awake.” a girl’s voice came from his left.
Van
sat up, rubbing his aching temple. *What had happened? I remember seeing Celena
come through Fanelia in Allen’s guymelef
then collapsing. What then?* He looked to his right.
What is
that!?!? He
blinked at what he saw. A face filled with a translucent substance yet he
couldn’t see what was beneath. It growled a bit, making Van suddenly grab
something and hug it tight. He whimpered a bit but stopped as he felt something
soft beneath his grip.
“Uh…Lord
Van? That’s just Allen.” Celena winced, a light
crimson color coming to her cheeks.
He
blinked. He looked at what he was holding. To his horror, Celena. He almost shrieked, hiding himself in the
blanket that covered his legs. His color turned as red as his shirt.
“Van? Are you well?” Allen pulled the covers off him.
Van was red. So was Celena. *Could
it be that…nah…Van wouldn’t even dare.*
“Hai…” Van said in a tiny voice.
“Why
are you red?” Allen raised him an eyebrow, playing innocent.
“Nothing.”
“I
am really sorry for scaring you like that Lord Van. I mean…” she looked at her
hands settled on her lap.
“Celena raced me here to Fanelia.
I never thought she’d be using my guymelef.” Allen
took a towel and wiped his face clean.
“I
won so Allen had a punishment.”
“What
was that on your face?” Van blinked.
“Starch.”
“So,
Celena, are you feeling well? Have you been feeling
quite odd these past few months?” Van winced, he himself not feeling quite
comfortable with asking such questions.
“Oh
yes, Lord Van! I feel very well. Although sometimes I feel like something
inside me is quite different when I talk to someone. You know, like my brother
or maybe you.” she smiled sweetly.
*She’s noticing
the changes!!! This is bad. VERY bad.*
Allen
raised him an eyebrow. *What
is going on with this kid?*
Van
looked at Allen with a silly grin on his face. *He knows but he just doesn’t show it.*
“Celena, can I talk with Lord Van in private?”
“Alright.”
Silently, Celena
left through the door. Allen looked at Van and noticed something odd about his
expression. He seemed eager to talk about it. Damn it, Van. I don’t want you as my…
“What
is it, Allen?”
“I’m
just wondering why you’ve been acting quite strange with Celena.”
“I
know you know it, Allen. I don’t have to tell you.” Van frowned. *He knows it but just won’t believe it. How can he live with the fact?*
“Of
course I know. There are facts that prove it.” *He likes her. I know it.*
“Well
if you know it, how come you’re not doing anything about it?”
“There’s
nothing I can do with such matters. There are just some things that one cannot
handle or reach.”
“You’re
right. But afterwards, what ARE we going to do?” Van sighed and brushed his
hair back with his hand.
“I
don’t know. It’s up to you, Van.”
“You’re
right, Allen. It’s up to me.”
Allen smiled and excused himself. Van smiled after him and went back to bed with a
sigh. *It’s a good thing to
know that someone else knows about it.* But before he went back to
sleep he thought he heard someone say, “