Without warning Kain suddenly spun around and with a swift motion tore the crossbow from Rydia’s hand and shoved her to the ground roughly. Cecil turned to him, alarmed, and Edge advanced toward Kain, scowling:
"..what the—"
"Back up!"
Kain clutched the crossbow tightly in one hand and aimed it at the surprised party.
"Back up!!"
Edge hesitated but didn’t take another step closer.
"What are you doing, Kain?!" Cecil demanded, staring hard at the dragoon.
"Shut up!"
Kain lunged at them threateningly with the crossbow held in both hands. As Rydia started to climb to her feet, he turned and stepped toward her.
"Don’t move!"
Rydia remained on her knees on the ground and she heard Rosa’s voice through the echo of Kain’s shouting…Rosa’s voice was calm:
"Kain…wake up…it’s—"
"Shut up!!"
Kain screamed and spun around angrily, aiming the crossbow at Rosa.
"…Kain…Golbez is trying to—"
"AHHH!"
Kain clutched his ears with both hands but didn’t release the crossbow.
"Shut your mouth!!"
Cecil stepped toward Kain with one arm extended.
"Listen, Kain---"
"Shut up!"
The enraged dragoon gritted his teeth as though the sound of their voices hurt his ears. He was nearly sobbing as he screamed:
"Get away from me!!" He pointed the crossbow toward them once more.
Cecil grabbed Rosa’s arm and dragged her back a step…Edge was shaking his head, a strange smile on his face..yet he backed away…Rydia was kneeling on the ground next to Kain…she looked down, her face hidden by her hair…she turned halfway toward Kain…
"…Kain…"
"Shut up!!"
He looked down at her and threatened her with the crossbow.
"…you don’t have to do this---"
Kain stepped toward her angrily.
"I said shut up!!"
He kicked her in the side and she nearly fell to the ground, but she caught herself with one hand…pain jolted through her arm as the palm of her hand struck the rocks..she felt Kain’s fingers dig into her shoulder as he dragged her face close to his…
"Do you want to die..?" he demanded, shoving the crossbow close to her face. From the corner of her eye Rydia could see Edge take a step forward…she couldn’t answer…
Kain dug his fingers harder into her shoulder.
"Did you hear me?! I said ‘do you want to die?!’" His hot breath poured over her cheek…she still stared at the ground but she was aware of the crossbow hovering close to her face.
"Answer me! Do you want to die?!"
He twisted the sleeve of her cloak so violently that he nearly tore it from her shoulder…Rydia finally mumbled an answer to the ground…a tear sprang to her eye as he thrust the crossbow close to her, the bolt nicked her shoulder, and a drop of blood welled from the cut…Rydia heard Rosa gasp softly and she knew Cecil must be reaching for his sword…
"What?!"
Kain glared at her, his blond hair falling over the dark dragon helmet which appeared more devilish than ever…
"I couldn’t hear you!" He knelt beside her, the crossbow poised directly at her temple.
"I asked you if you wanted to die.."
Rydia stared at the ground as Kain whispered in her ear…through the eyeholes of his helmet his eyes were glittering strangely…
"Say it louder!"
He screamed, clutching the crossbow in both hands and pressing it close to her neck…she closed her eyes…
"Say it louder!!"
"No!"
A hot tear coursed down Rydia’s cheek…she brushed her hair aside slowly and Cecil glimpsed her sad gray eyes…she still didn’t look at Kain…
"…no…I don’t…I don’t want to die…"
Kain let the crossbow fall to his side as he gave a small scornful laugh. Rydia blinked back tears as she felt his hand stroke her cheek, but she didn’t cringe…at last Kain stood up, staring at her and shaking his head…
"…she doesn’t want to die…" Kain shrugged and addressed Cecil with mock sympathy…then the dragoon turned back around and pointed the crossbow thoughtfully at Rydia again…
Cecil could see Edge quivering with anger…he prayed to God that the young man wouldn’t leap at Kain in a blind rage…Kain had turned his back for a moment and Cecil knew that the prince of Eblana would take his chances…Cecil’s heart pounded heavily as he watched Edge clench his fist…but God must have answered Cecil’s desperate plea because the prince remained where he was, his face flushed red with anger…
"…and she won’t…"
Kain spun around and with a wicked smile that infuriated Edge even more, aimed the crossbow at Cecil as though he were summoning him…
"…if you give me the crystal…"
Edge sprang toward Kain and started to unsheathe the katana strapped to his back…
"…you---"
Kain thrust the crossbow in Edge’s face so fast that Edge staggered backwards…
"Maybe I should just kill you and get the crystal…"
"No…"
Cecil declared, holding the dark crystal in one hand.
"Cecil!"
Rydia pleaded, staring at Cecil, her gray eyes shining brightly.
"Don’t do it..!"
Kain whipped around and lunged at her.
"Will you shut up?!"
He shoved the crossbow close to her neck and she gasped, leaning over hastily…catching herself before she fell on her side.
"I told you I’ll kill you!" Kain snarled in her ear. "Now shut your mouth!"
"You’ll never get the crystal!" Edge spat at the dragoon.
Kain sprang to his feet and glared at Edge in mock concern.
"Is that so..?" He gripped the crossbow decisively in both hands and stepped behind Rydia coolly…"Hmm…I guess she dies then…" He pressed the weapon hard against her back and she instinctively jerked away as she felt the cold steel of the bolt prick her skin…
"Wait!"
Cecil commanded, holding the dark crystal high in the air. Kain looked up.
"…here…it is…"
"What are you waiting for?!" Kain demanded, stepping hastily around Rydia, who was breathing shakily….she squeezed her eyes shut tightly to hold the tears back…
"Give it to me!"
Edge spun around to Cecil with a questioning glance…Rosa stood at Cecil’s side…she said nothing as she bowed her head sadly…
Cecil looked down at the crystal…it flickered as if it were saying ‘…if he gets the crystal then you have lost…you have done everything in vain..’ Cecil hesitated…
"…you’ll keep your word, won’t you..? If I give it to you, you won’t hurt her..?"
Kain prodded Rydia with his boot and nodded thoughtfully.
"If you think it’s a fair trade…"
Rydia silently begged Cecil to think it was not a fair trade…without her…three people could surely overpower Kain…Edge glared at Cecil, his eyebrows raised…Rosa stood with her head bowed…but Rydia knew what she must have been thinking…Cecil he’s talking to you he’s asking you for the dark crystal and the choice is yours you have to decide if he…wins…
"…I’m waiting…" Kain declared impatiently.
Cecil stared down at the dark crystal in his hand…the back of his neck was damp with sweat…he could almost picture Kain standing across the chamber in the semi-darkness…tapping his foot impatiently, the crossbow loaded and aimed at..Rydia…she was kneeling at his feet…she probably looked at Cecil with her sad gray eyes sparkling in the torchlight…she must be frightened but she wouldn’t acknowledge it…he knew she was strong…he had known she was strong since he met her so long as the small child and since he promised her and promised himself that he would protect her…a voice in Cecil’s mind screamed…wait…give me more time to think…I have to think about it…
The hand that held the dark crystal trembled as Cecil shook his head; nevertheless he started to approach Kain with the crystal held in front of him…surrendering the dark crystal…
"Stop!"
Cecil looked up, and Kain indicated for him to stop.
"Throw it!"
Cecil glanced at the stone doubtfully.
"Throw it!!"
Cecil glance at Edge…the prince was glaring at Kain, his eyes flashing with hate in the candle lit chamber…finally Cecil tossed the crystal high into the air toward Kain’s open hand…the orangish light from the candles was captured in the grooves and lines of the crystal and it flashed erratically as it flew through the air…Cecil watched it helplessly and he noticed Edge clench his fist and he silently and fervently prayed again that for once the hot-headed young man would not try something stupid…he could imagine the prince taking it upon himself, with pleasure, to leap at Kain now and play the hero…it wouldn’t work as he expected and someone would get hurt…Cecil sighed with relief as the crystal finally came to rest in Kain’s palm…
Kain clutched the stone greedily and gave a low, triumphant laugh…Rydia never looked up…by his reaction she could tell that Cecil must have given him the crystal…
Kain laughed again and knelt at Rydia’s side…she closed her eyes…
"Look…"
He was very close to her.
"Look, Rydia…"
He held the crystal in front of her face as she slowly opened her eyes.
"I have the crystal now…"
He declared excitedly as though it were not obvious.
"I have the dark crystal now, Rydia…"
Kain brushed her hair away from her face, adding softly:
"…and you’re still alive…"
She could feel his hot breath against her cheek…his face was very close…she could feel his eyes on her but she couldn’t look at him…he was crazy and he would have killed her and he would have killed the others and he might still kill her if he wanted to…
Suddenly Kain grabbed the thick fur on the hood of Rydia’s cloak and dragged her toward him roughly, pressing his lips to hers…she tore away from his strong grip breathlessly, her face flushed and humiliated…she felt tears spill over her eyelids and roll down her cheeks…his lips were dry and cold and she tasted the bitter sweet taste of blood in her mouth…
Kain smirked and leaped to his feet abruptly, clutching the crystal and raising the crossbow toward Cecil.
"…you know…I changed my mind…"
Cecil stared at him alarmed.
"I think I should go ahead and get rid of one of you…"
Kain pointed the crossbow at each of them, one at a time.
"…Kain, you liar!"
"…who’s it going to be…?"