Part Five
"Anything else I can get for you?" the waitress asked them tiredly.
Eric and Buffy sat in the all-night diner with numerous empty dishes piled up around the table. Buffy still couldn't believe that Eric had ate all that food, or that he looked as good as he did. A few hours ago, he had seemed on death's door, but now his cheeks took on a healthy glow and he moved without the weakness and fatigue he had displayed before. He had healed her own welts and bruises almost as an after thought. He had merely touched like he had in the library of the netherworld Sunnydale, and a warm healing glow had spread through her, practically erasing all evidence she had been injured. Even her own vaunted Slayer healing abilities were like a band-aid compared to Eric's.
"Uh, yes please," Eric looked up at her. "I'd like a refill of orange juice and another plate of those sausage patties."
The waitress looked at him in shock. "Damn boy! Where are you sticking all this food? Okay. You've paid the rest of your bill already so whatever you want, you got it. Thank god it ain't my arteries. That's all I got to say." She brought back another large
glass of orange juice, the fifth one that night, and a plate of sausage patties. After she left the table, Eric looked around discreetly then put the plate underneath the table where Max was contentedly knawing on a leftover steak bone. At the sight of the sausages, he gladly dropped the bone and descended on them.
"Alright, Eric," Buffy sighed, exasperated. "We've exhausted the small talk finally. I've let you jabber on about nonesense stuff for the last few hours because, well because you looked like death warmed over and I didn't want to push you. But you've obviously made a stunning recovery, apparently thanks to two sirloin steaks with baked potatoes drowned in sour cream and butter, a plate of pancakes, three plates of some kind of pasta alfredo, and a river of orange juice. Now that you've finished eating, I think I'm entitled to a few answers. I wanna hear your story. Who are you really? And who's this Mortain guy?"
Eric took a deep breath and stared out the window at the light traffic driving past on the highway outside in the dark, early morning hours.
"Buffy, I don't even know where to begin."
"Try the beginning."
Heh. The beginning. Actually, that's the perfect place now that I think of it... At the beginning of time, there was nothing."
"I didn't mean that far back!"
"No, hear me out. This is really where it begins. In the beginning there was nothing. It was a formless void. Everything was nothing. The nothing was the end all be all of existence. But then, in an instant, creation was born. God said, 'Let there be light,' and the void was suddenly no longer alone in the universe. As creation expanded, it pushed the void back. Before the void was formless and meaningless, but creation began to define, to give it limits. It also concentrated it, as creation pushed farther and farther out. Eventually, the void became so well defined, so concentrated on the galactic scale, that it began to attain a consciousness. Sometime around neolithic era, it had it's first thought. And that thought, was that it wanted things back to the way they were before. Creation continued to expand and grow, and the void continued to grow more well defined. Around the end of the thirteenth century, it had it's plans developed, and it used it's power to manifest itself here, on Earth. It must have figured that this is where everything else gets decided in creation. Just as good a place to bring it all crashing down.
"You see, Mortain, the embodiment of the void, doesn't give a damn about the war between darkness and light, or chaos and order, or good versus evil. Mortain wants everything destroyed, not so he can remake it to his liking, as with the demons and devils, but because that is what he requires. He abhors life, and change, and movement of
any kind. If he had his way, all the stars would go dark, all life on every planet would die, and all movement in the universe would cease. That is Mortain's goal in life. That is what he will stop at nothing to accomplish."
"But there has to be somebody who can stop him."
"Yeah, me. You see Buffy, it's kind of like the forces of light and and forces of darkness are playing a game of chess. A very long and intricate game. Each side has to play by the rules, because they're all a part of creation and there's nothting else they can do. But Mortain comes from outside of creation so the same rules don't apply. He can just flick pieces off the board with his finger indiscriminately is what it comes down to. One side or the other could try to fight him, but it would mean sacrificing a major piece to do so. Like giving up your Queen. But even if you defeat him, you've lost your Queen and your opponent still has his. So each side plays a waiting game, hoping the other will deal with the threat. They can't cooperate because there's no way they can trust eachother. It's absolutely impossible. So Mortain plays his own waiting game.
"Like in chess, every piece has certain ways it can move. Each side has an equal number of pieces so it's pretty much evenly matched. Actually, it's kind of skewed towards the forces of light but that won't last for long. Each piece keeps the other player pieces in check. Each move has consequenses. That's what fate is. A certain way you can move, and your position on the board. But when Mortain starts removing pieces, it screws up the game dynamics and everything begins to change. Moves that were impossible before begin to open up, and moves that you planned to make have to be thrown out the window. What Mortain is doing is manuvering the players into a fools mate. Fools mate: it's a chess term. It's when you trade each of your pieces for one of your enemy's until you have two pieces and your opponent has only one. Except in this case it doesn't stop with checkmate. You still have to make the final move and take you enemy's last piece off the board. At the end of that exchange, you have only one piece left. That's when Mortain plans to strike his final blow. He plays one side off the other indirectly, then pounces on the weakened victor. And he'll win too if nobody stops him."
"Whoa," Buffy stared at Eric wide-eyed. "Whoa. I've faced armageddon before, but this Eric... Damn! This is freaking me out a bit. But where do you fit in, Eric? Why are you involved in all this?"
"Where do I fit in? Well, I guess that story begins with my parents. My first parents. My real parents. It started back in the late thirteenth century. My mother and father, their's was a romance made in heaven, fated since the first day of creation. Damn. They deserved better than what they got. They deserved so much better." Eric sighed and stared down into his glass of orange juice sadly.
"My father, Michael, was the leader of the Order of the Blade of God. And Elisabeth, my mother was a... well she was a dragon. Not the
usual fire breathing, kidnapping princesses variety, but one of the Great Dragons; powerful beings of magic and destiny. They aren't just the keepers of destiny, they're the embodiment of it. Their bodies and spirits are as one. Magic runs through their veins like blood. My mother gave up alot to be with my father. She took on a human form and gave birth to me. But it was her destiny, and she loved him.
"Like I said, my father was the leader of the Order, just as his father had been before him, and his father before that, and so on and so on down to the time before there even was an Order. Originally it was just one man using his powers for good. You see, my mother isn't the only weird part of my lineage. Somewhere back in the mists of time, my ultimate great-grandfather was an angel. The blood ran true through the first male descendant of each generation and each one had abilities they used to combat evil. Some of their skills they could teach and pass on to certain humans who had some small supernatural connection. It was kind of like the Jedi Knights of the Dark Ages.
"When my mother and father had me, I was kind of like a hybrid. Half dragon, half angel, and half human."
"Eric," Buffy interrupted. "I'm no math wiz, but isn't that three halves?"
"It's kind of impossible to explain natures of the soul, but essentially, yeah. That's just the way it works. So anyway, I was born in the late thirteenth century in a castle deep in the heart of the Black Forest in Germany. My mother and father named me Friedrich, and I had this great destiny. Son of a Great Dragon and an Angelic-Human hybrid. I couldn't help but have a great destiny. I would have lived a long life, and I would have spent it doing good and heroic things. I would have been a major player in that battle between good and evil, and I would have found love and happiness. At least that was my fate until Mortain came along.
"He came on the scene and among his first acts was to destroy a powerful entity on the side of evil. An entity that wasn't supposed to die, not for a long, long time. The entity that he destroyed was essentially my opposite number. With him out of the way, destinies began to shift and change, my own esspecially. The forces of light began to grow nervous. Without someone to oppose me, I could suddenly become a threat to them. They worried that I might turn against them, or possibly become the core of a third party that would make it's own bid for control of creation. I guess they had good reason to worry, but it still doesn't excuse them for what they did."
Eric was silent for a moment before continuing. Buffy sat across from him in rapt attention.
"After Mortain detroyed my opposited number, he organized an army of demons to attack the castle of my father's Order. He had convinced them that my mother had used her powers of destiny to circumvent fate and destroy the creature that would be a threat to her son. She could
never have done anything like that. It's just plain impossible but they believed it just the same. They laid seige to the castle, a gigantic horde of demons that spread beneath the castle walls like a sea of hatred. My father sent for aid from the forces of light, but they refused to help. They decided that they were well rid of me and the trouble I might bring them. So they left my father and his people to fend for themselves. I was only ten years old at the time and I didn't really understand what was going on. The demons offered my father a trade. Give me up and in return they would spare the inhabitants of the castle. Sometimes I wish they had done just that.
"But of course he refused. He put it to the entire castle and they all swore that they would fight and die rather than surrender a child to them. So the demons attacked. It was a fearsome battle, and the defenders knew they were going to lose. My father ordered the troops to clear a path for the civilians to escape the carnage. They got most of the citizens of the keep away safely leaving only a small token force to keep the demons busy. In the end, my mother and father knew that they were doomed, and the way my fate was shaping up, I was to die as well. So they did the only thing they could do. My mother used her powers to sever the strings of my fate. She set me free on the seas of destiny so that I could forge my own future, make my own decisions. No one would be able to find me and no one would be able to foretell my actions. She did it in the hopes that I would leave all the fighting and destruction behind and chose a life of peace. So, freed of my destiny, my father gave me over to his two most trusted companions: his faithful friend, Max, the powerful wolf spirit that had sworn to serve him after my father had performed a great service to him; the other was his friend and mentor, Siegmund. He trusted my safety to them and told them to spirit me away. My mother and father stayed behind and fought the demons to the end. Those monsters slaughtered every living thing in the castle while Siemund and Max guided me away through the forest. They died so they so that I could live.
“Years passed and we were never found. Siegmund and I built a small farm far away but the shame of my parents deaths ate away at me. When I was sixteen and just beginning to come into my power, I forced Siegmund to teach me the ways of the Order. I intended revenge and he knew it. Initially he refused, saying that he had sworn an oath to my father and mother that he would keep me safe from harm. But in the end, I convinced him. I shamed him into teaching me. I called him a coward and worse. I was so wrong.
“He taught me all that he knew, and helped me to harness my powers. He tried to give me a sword and a suit of armor, but that was kind of moot point as I showed him I could create them just as easily with my magic. On my eighteenth birthday, I was ready.
“In the intervening years, Mortain had developed a major following among the demons and he had set up shop in my father’s castle. He intended to start armageddon early and he nearly succeeded, but I didn’t care about that. I just wanted revenge on those who had
killed my family. I didn’t even know who Mortain was. So, Siegmund, Max, and I snuck into the castle to kill them all. It was insane and foolhardy, but it worked. Somehow or another, we killed every last demon there but not without cost. Siegmund was mortally wounded because of my carelessness and anger. He died in my arms.
“It wasn’t until after all the demons had been slain that Mortain showed himself. He was surprised, probably for the first time in several million years. He had never forseen my actions and I had completely caught him by surprise. He had waited until I was weakest before showing himself, and then he attacked. He nearly destroyed me utterly that day. I was only barely able to keep my soul intact, but I was able to effect a stalemate. Both of us lost our physical bodies that fight but I knew that we would each return.
“Since then, every time my physical body dies, I have to be reborn again. My spirit wanders until I can find a suitable couple. I overlay my spirit and nature over the genetic material at the point of conception, and I get to be born all over again, literally. My new body isn’t able to accept the powerful magic of the dragon and angelic portions of my spirit so I have to push them down until I’m ready accept them again. Max protects me and keeps me out of trouble until I can take care of myself again. I had to awaken my powers early once after Mortain discovered me while I was still young. I destroyed his body but afterwards, my own disintegrated because the energies I had unleashed upon it were to great.
“Mortain and I have faced eachother like this countless times now. Each time we’ve been able to keep the other from winning. I’ve almost beaten him twice, but the last few times, it’s been all I could do to survive. But this is the end. We both know that the end is coming near and that one of us won’t survive this next battle. The next time we meet... will be the last.”
Buffy continued to stare at him wide-eyed.
“Uh, Buffy? Your coffee’s getting cold.”
“@#*&%!”
“That’s all you can say after I’ve just told you my whole life story? ‘@#*&%?’”
“Well, what else do you want me to say? You just laid a bunch of heavy stuff on me. Give me a second to... I don’t know, just give me a sec!” Buffy stared in shock for a few moments, looking down into her coffee, the she looked back at Eric.
“@#*&%! Okay, okay. I’m cool. I’m fine. It’s just that’s just...”
“@#*&%?”
“Exactly! Whoa. Alright. So what do we do now? Mortain’s supposed to be waiting for me at the docks, and he thinks you’re dead. What are we going to do?”
“...Max and I are going to meet him. I’m not sure he’s entirely counted on my being dead. He has plans within plans, and contingincies galore. He’ll be prepared for us, but he obviously has something planned, something serious if he was planning on using you as a part of it. He didn’t plan on just killing you. That would have disrupted things plenty, but he apparently had something larger in mind for you. I’ve got to stop him.”
“Well then, let’s go!”
“No, Buffy. You can’t come with me. This is something I have to do on my own. I can’t endanger you.”
“Eric, that’s my job. Besides, if this is as big as you say, you’re going to need my help. This is important.”
“Remember what I told you about having to sacrifice a major piece to defeat him? Buffy, you’re about as close to a Queen as it gets. You have a HUGE destiny. You’re vital to the designs of the forces of light. If Mortain succeeded in killing you, it would almost mean the destruction of everything with demons ruling the earth. No, Buffy. You can’t come.”
“You’re still weak! You look fine, but I know you’re not at full strength. He’ll kill you!”
“I don’t think so. Besides, it’s a moot point. You’re not going. Look, this isn’t just about destinies and fate. I care about you, and right now, as you are, you’re no match for Mortain. You have an immense power inside of you, but it’s hiding, waiting for the proper moment to show itself. If you put yourself into a position where you were forced to reveal that strength, it would disrupt a million years of planning and positioning. You are so important, Buffy. To the universe, but also to me. No, you don’t go.” Eric looked out at the faintly brightening sky with a solemn expression on his face.
“It’ll be dawn in another few hours,” Eric spoke not looking at her face. “If I leave now, I should be able to beat the traffic.”
“Eric-”
“This is the way it has to be! I’m sorry, but at the core of it all, you have a fate, Buffy. I don’t. I’m expendable, you aren’t. Buffy I... Oh forget it. What’s the point? C’mon Max.” Eric stood up and pulled out some money laying it on the table to cover the remaining bill. Max trotted out from under the table to stand by his side.
“So you’re just going to leave?” Buffy looked up at him disbelievingly. He could see the hurt and despair in her eyes. He looked at her, his love and desire for her apparent on his face. But
in the end he looked away and walked towards the door. Max stayed fro a moment to stare at her with his liquid brown eyes the the turned to follow his master. She watched him out the window as he opened his car door and Max jumped inside. Eric looked back at her once, but he only found her cold emotionless stare. He climbed into the car and started the engine of the small Toyota hatchback. She watched as he put the car in gear and pulled out of the diner parking lot and onto the highway. She stared after him for a few moments and then looked down sadly into her cold coffee. She glanced around the diner. Two truckers were arguing over some political thing about the president, an older couple had just sat down in a booth next to her, and the waitress was talking on the payphone near the door. The payphone.
“You don’t get rid of me that easily,” she whispered defiantly.
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