Escaflowne Prologue 2 - Gaea VICL-60637 Translation by David Jao (http://dominia.org/djao/) (n) denotes Hitomi's narrations. (m) denotes thoughts in Hitomi's mind. 1. CALL YOUR NAME (Short Ver.) Hitomi (n): In the darkness, filled with starlight, I am flying away. The cold air stirs up my hair. Where is this place? I was supposed to be on the roof of the school. Then from the river of stars, came a vast blue light. Floating above us in the sky, is a big blue star. Earth? Yes... that's the Earth floating in the sky. Why? The white-winged man, with black hair swaying, his name is... Van. Me, being carried in Van's arms, dropping from the sky towards the Earth. 2. Blue star Van: Goddess of Wings, that blue star is my world, Gaea. Your homeland. Hitomi: Mine? Folken: Deliver the Goddess of Wings to me. Van: Folken! Hitomi: Van! Hitomi (n): Van's wings become engulfed in blue flame and burst into fire. Van: I will not part with the Goddess of Wings! Hitomi (n): Our descent speed increases steadily. My consciousness fades away. Next to me, the warmth of his body is the only thing I feel. The flowing starlight, filling all of space, extends above. The two of us are engulfed into the light. Merle: Mole Man! The sky... beyond the king a blue light is coming into view! Mole Man: Oooh! So it is just as Orm said. That's Allen's Mystic Moon. How beautiful! A perfectly round blue jewel... Merle: He's coming! He's coming, Mole Man! Van's coming back! Mole Man: Ho ho, is this just as in the old wives' tales? Merle: Let's go! Mole Man: Uh... don't panic... Wait! Hitomi (n): The light disappears, and I am once again enveloped in darkness. But, next to me, I can sense Van's presence. The weeds spread beneath our feet, and the smell of decomposing wood in the soft earth diffuses around us. Above in the sky that I thought was dark, the overflowing radiance spills down towards us, the starlight rising to the surface throughout the entire sky. Hitomi: Stars in the sky? The night sky is... Where? Where are we? Van: The planet of your birthplace. In order to meet with you, you have been brought to this land. To the place called the village of Adom. 3. Why Hitomi (n): Van slowly draws away from me, and kneels. Van: Goddess of Wings, I am the king of the dragon tribe, Van. In order to bring justice to this Gaea, please deliver the dragon armor to me. Hitomi: Hold on a second, I... Hitomi (n): My breath has stopped. Behind Van, a gigantic blue moon... Earth? That's it, surely it's the Earth that I see. And below it is the Moon? It's about as big as the Moon from my world... but, the patterns on its surface are a little bit different. The king before me, Van, turns around and looks up at the Earth. Van: With the Mystic Moon having appeared, what better proof could there possibly be that you are in fact the Goddess of Wings? Hitomi: The Mystic Moon? The earth? Then, where is here? Van: A moon forged of steel, a world of fire and water, Gaea. Hitomi: Gaea? Van: A long time ago, when you were still incarnate upon this land, men and beast men were even then in a state of torment. But now, conflict between the human tribes has brought this world to ruin. Please give me the dragon armor, Escaflowne, so that I can end this conflict. Hitomi: Escaflowne? Hitomi (m): Escaflowne? What a strange sound. This strange world, is this my birthplace? My head is in turmoil. This kind of stuff, who would believe it? But, this world is beautiful. Spreading high in the sky, a countless sea of stars... such a beautiful night sky, it's the first time I've ever seen it. Pretty. Stretching out my hand, I can almost touch the light from the stars. Below the starry sky, underneath the blue Earth, kneeling, looking up to me is Van. His transparent eyes, staring at me as if they can see right through me. With bright black hair, and shining silver armor on one side. Leather hide wrapped around his hip. Bearing a sword with a Japanese blade. With the aura of an emperor, he looks at me. Van, that's his name. Van: He's come. Orm? Hitomi: What's wrong? Van: He's here to take you away. Hitomi (n): Van gazes into the middle of the darkness. His gaze follows... the shadow of a man. The man is wearing what appear to be foreign clothes. He leisurely approaches in our direction. Orm: Welcome to the land of Gaea! Goddess of Wings, and Van! Your brother is waiting for you. Goddess of Wings, please come with me. Van: I will not hand her over to Folken. Escaflowne is my armor! Tell that to Folken! When I get my hands on Escaflowne, you and the rest of your ilk will be vanquished! Orm: Why must you two brothers shed so much blood trying to separate your ties of blood? Van: Because he wishes for this fate. He killed my father the Dragon King, destroyed my homeland, killed his people, and killed my mother! I cannot forgive it. Until he dies, my sadness will not go away! Orm: Even if you could kill Folken, would that accomplish what you desire? With that would your sadness disappear? Van: Even if it didn't, it is what I have to do as the king! I'm still the king! Even with my people dead, I can't abandon my duties as the king! As long as I live as the king, that is what I live for! Orm: Is looking for death all that you're doing? Embracing sad thoughts and living your life just for that. Hitomi (n): The old man's face looks as if it is distorted in sadness. 4. Decree Van: Go away, servant of Folken!... Did I get him? Orm! Tell Folken! I'll kill you, and get my revenge! As long as I live, I will kill him! Hitomi (m): The sadness in Van's eyes burns like fire. As if he's crying. Always fighting, all alone... Van: Goddess of Wings! Hitomi (n): Hearing a sound, we turn around, to the shadow of a man in the darkness. Hitomi: Who? Van: Who's there? Allen: Stop it, Millerna. Don't worry. Please put the sword away. We are not your enemies. Will you travel with us? Hitomi (n): From within the darkness, I see a man walking towards us. A tall man, in the moonlight, with shining golden-colored hair. Allen: I saw a strange light, and just came over here to take a look. Van: That's obviously a lie. Tradesmen don't display that kind of bloodlust. Hitomi (m): Van's anxiety conveys itself to me. Invisibly, the air between them starts to heat up. Allen: Bloodlust? Heh, do you feel that way? So, black-haired silver-armed one... are you the rumored dragon? With the end of the dragon clan, a noble man going up against the imperial forces all alone... haha... wasn't your country swallowed up by the empire? Hitomi (n): Suddenly, Van makes for that man's direction. In the middle of the night, blue-white steel glows. The sound of the two men clashing steel fills the night sky. Van: You're built pretty strong... Allen: Is the rumor true? Hitomi (n): Sparks fly. They're fighting. The two men, risking their lives fighting. My legs are shaking. Why? How can the two of them risk their lives to fight? But, the two fighting men, it seems to me that they're beautiful when they do that. 5. Goddess of Wings Gaddes: Boss? Need a hand? Allen: Gaddes! Stay back. Right now I'm having fun! Van: Bastard! Are you one of the Abaharaki thieves? Allen: You mean a Robin Hood? Millerna: Is that the dragon? Hitomi (n): From behind the shade of the rock, a human voice. She slowly appears, a beautiful woman. There are swords hanging all around these ancient ruins. Surrounding him, watching Van as he fights. Millerna: The dragon who took out an entire army of mercenaries all by himself, is that this kid? How harsh! Suits him well, though, he seems happy doing it. Hitomi (n): She must be the golden-haired man's comrade? Why? With her comrade fighting, she doesn't have any concern about helping. Is she enjoying it? No. She trusts him. That man, she trusts him from the bottom of her heart. That's why she's smiling as she watches the two fight. Gaddes: Has the commander forgotten how to fight? Idiot. He's supposed to be more competent than that. Millerna: What's the Goddess of Wings doing? Gaddes: That girl in white clothes? Were those made on the Mystic Moon? Hitomi (n): They look over towards me. With the bright shining Earth behind my back, they can't get a good look at me. Jajuka: Goddess of Wings, I have come to welcome you. Hitomi (n): Behind me, riding a horse, is a big armored man. But, his face is a lion. Bearing sharp tusks, with long hair hanging, a lion faced man. Millerna: Oh no! Allen! The Black Dragon Clan's side has taken the Goddess of Wings away! Allen: What?! Gaddes: Whoa. Boss decided to get serious. Allen: That's as far as you get, dragon. Let's continue this later, okay? Gaddes! Get the caravan ready and let's get going. Gaddes: Got it, boss! Millerna: I'm going after them! Allen: Hold it, Millerna. That horse was armored. There's no mistaking that for an imperial dragonslayer. It's too dangerous for one person. Let's go. Millerna: Is it okay to let the dragon live? Allen: Let's take this guy with us. He'll be our contact with the Goddess of Wings. Besides, the dragon's goals and our goals are the same. Millerna: What a cute face. But, I wonder if he can fit in with our group? Allen: His desires should match ours. To get in the way of what the empire of the Black Dragon Clan wants. To block their ambitions to conquer all of Gaea. Millerna: The Goddess of Wings, which side will she choose? Merle: Van! Hey! What did you do with him? Millerna: Look, it's our cute little solider again! 6. War Hitomi: If this is a dream then wake up! Please! Hitomi (m): With eyes closed, I cling to the horse's mane. The black-armored horse gallops across the wilderness. With powerful kicks off the ground, it runs almost like it's flying into the sky. Men fighting with swords, holding on to a lion-faced man, and a big earth floating in the sky, in this world? Am I in a dream? It must be! But, the warmth of this horse's back, I can smell it in the wind. This smell, it's too real for a dream. Jajuka: Orm! Hitomi (n): The lion-faced man holding me calls out into the small shrine of rock. Looking up at the top of the rock, there is a large stone building. Long in years, a stone temple. In the wall, there is a gigantic relief of a dragon. Hitomi (n): All of a sudden, flames rise up. The morning sun bathes the stone temple in gold. From the entrance, a man in black clothes saunters towards us. Orm: Welcome to Gaea! Goddess of Wings! Hitomi: That voice! Hitomi (m): That's right. That voice is that of the old man I met on the train. But his face, from where I am on horseback, looks grouchy. Like an illustration in a book, he resembles a goblin. With his green shining eyes, he looks at me. Orm: Jajuka, it would be best if you left this place. The Dragonslayers' Dilandau is getting worried about you. Jajuka: Orm, if Folken were to know of this... Orm: My business is of no concern to you. I have lived a long life. I have no regrets about leaving this world. Jajuka: Well then, Orm. Orm: Yeah. That there is a kind hearted man. But one whose heart is filled with sadness. He is still crying over the loss of his family. Hitomi: What about me? Orm: Your heart is filled with sadness too. That sadness which floats up into the sky, and drifts. Hitomi (m): Strangely, this man doesn't make me feel afraid at all. Hitomi: Everybody is calling me the Goddess of Wings. What does it all mean? If you're the old man, could you tell me the reason? Please tell me. Orm: The wings of yours which hold so much spirit may come to be the salvation of Gaea. Hitomi: I don't have wings or anything like that! I... Please send me back! Please send me back to my world! Orm: Would you like to search with me? For your wings. We may get a glimpse of Van's as well. You and Van are practically twins. Hitomi: Van? Orm: A long time ago, this world of Gaea was filled with dragons, in the earth, in the sky, and in the sea. You are from this land. Van is too. From this land, along with you. Hitomi (m): Me, from here? With Van? From this world, called Gaea? If that's so, why do I feel such yearning? Was I really born here so long ago? Maybe I met Van then too? The old man is gently running up the hill. I'm chasing behind him. Blue sky seemingly falling before us, as we proceed toward the horizon. The wilderness comes to view before us. In the wilderness, the silhouettes of the clouds stir and shift. What a vast realm. That there would be such a big place here, I had no idea. With such a beautiful world, why am I still feeling so lonely? The same loneliness that I always feel, the sadness whose reasons I do not understand. Orm: Goddess of Wings, right now, this Gaea is filled with war. Here, take a look. Over there are some men who still cling to war. Hitomi (n): The old man points in the far distance. The wilderness extends everywhere. Beyond the horizon, red flames flare up, as a burning castle comes into view. Surrounding the castle is a crowd of black armored soldiers. Is that a battlefield? Dilandau: Over already? It hardly ever opened. The enemies are all dead. The castle is burned away too. Hitomi (m): Is he called Dilandau? Riding a black horse, a red-armored young swordsman. In the midst of the flames, the profile of his beautiful face is tinted in red. Burning flames. Is that his heart? Dilandau: Burn. Burn! Everybody burn!! Ha ha ha ha ha... Into the red flames let everybody disappear! Let the weak ones be vanquished like this! Jajuka, isn't that right? You're the beast man, what do you think? We fight for the sake of winning, right? Losing has no place, eh? Aaah. But, I would have liked to have more fun. I didn't even get a rush. Jajuka, how many men did you kill? Jajuka: I wasn't counting. Dilandau: Beast men can't count? Well I suppose that would be a job for Ares. I killed 35 men. The fools didn't even offer any resistance. But that old man Belk put up quite a fight, didn't he? Jajuka: Belk fought bravely, with his soldiers spread so thin. Dilandau: Ah, well, it was good for us to storm the castle. To cull those whose power has grown weak with the years every now and then is a good thing. Only those who are powerful should remain! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha... Hurry up and have the next war start! Shesta, have you made contact with the general yet? Shesta: Yes. Right now there's nothing. I can't hear anything. Dilandau: Next time it would be good if they put up more of a fight, eh, Jajuka? Stronger men to think "Am I going to die?" and make my blood rush some more. Aah. What fun. What company will I be with then, I wonder. Guys who get me excited. This land of mine. Wouldn't it be great to think about if they could give me the dragon too! Hitomi (m): What a man! Is that this world? One who takes delight in walking the line between life and death. During this time that he is alive, he chooses to elevate death. 7. Imprisoned dreams Sora: Orm. Orm: Yes. Sora: The Goddess of Wings, have you brought her here? Orm: She is here. Sora: Folken is here as well. Hitomi (m): In my own head, I hear voices. It's that person again. The one who was inside the castle, the long-haired beautiful woman. Looking up into the sky, floating among the clouds, is a large fortress. A black fortress, made of steel, slowly advancing toward us. Inside that fortress is Van's brother. Was he the man who called me? Folken was what he was called. Van's brother. Folken: Sorry to have kept you waiting, Goddess of Wings. Hitomi (m): A man with empty eyes. Is this man Folken? Folken: Please grant me this wish. Resting within this planet Gaea, the location of the dragon armor. Hitomi (n): Stepping up to me, he takes both my hands. Folken: Even if everything is lost. Hitomi (m): What cold hands! His thoughts pour into me through his cold hands. Van's beautiful homeland, next to towering mountains, a beautiful castle. Is this the birthplace of this man and Van? Folken, back in this time, a time when he was still called Dune? What a sad heart. With no one to believe in. Hating his father, and still crying at the thought of his dead mother. But, the tears don't flow anymore. Having experienced too much sadness, he's forgotten how to cry. As a result, he has no interest in living anymore. Fighting against such lonely feelings, how can he help but hate people? His own brother, Van... hating his father who loved this Van so much, he came to detest his own homeland. To detest all men. Everything in the world, hated. And, with time his hatred became everything. All his feelings have ceased. If everything were to be no more, this man would be saved. Folken: Am I wrong? This girl is not the Goddess of Wings! Sora: No, there's no mistake. Please join me, Lord Folken. Folken: Sora... 8. Bad omen Van: Merle, don't follow me. I'm leaving Allen to go into battle. Merle: No! I'm going with you. Ever since we left Adom we've always been together. We can't get separated here! Van: I can't let Folken achieve his goal. Merle: I've always been together with you. With my village burned by war, everyone dead, me left by myself... since coming to Adom, I've always been with you. I heard about you from the village chief. I'll go with you. Van-sama, I'll help you catch your country's enemy. For you, Van, who has loved me like a little sister ever since I was small, I want to be of use! Van: Merle, you... can't fight. Merle: If only I were the Goddess of Wings. I'd help you for sure. Gaddes: Boss, did Van leave already? Allen: Have we recovered the Goddess of Wings yet? Gaddes: So that we can obtain Escaflowne, right? Millerna: Escaflowne? The legendary dragon armor? Mole Man: The terrible armor that will destroy Gaea in flames. Gaddes: Mole Man! What in the world are you doing here? Wouldn't you be better off chasing after Van? Mole Man: Haha. I like it here with the four of us. Lieutenant Gaddes, would you like me to tell your fortune? Gaddes: What kind of idiot would believe your fortunes? What did Merle say? "Quack fortunes" wasn't it? Mole Man: That little brat!... Dryden: The Goddess of Wings, would she know where Escaflowne is? That's what Folken is after, right? Allen: Dryden! You did well to find this place. Dryden: My ears are scattered all over Gaea. Allen, I can point to your whereabouts anytime. Allen: Be that as it may. The ever-adept master of Gaea, Dryden. Dryden: Hey Millerna! Lookin' good today. Every once in a while when you wear a dress, my eyes get quite a treat. Millerna: Don't get too cozy with me. Dryden: Oh! Such a strong spot I find quite appealing. I'll cherish the sight of that dress as long as I live. Millerna: Well then I'll give that to you to think about. Dryden: Well. That's what you get for messing with an Abaharaki woman. Gaddes, you're in for it. Gaddes: Heh. Thank you. Allen: Dryden, coming to a place like this, what's going on? Dryden: Merchants are always first in the information trade, eh? Well, I have some bad news to bring to you. Allen: Folken? Dryden: That's right. I hear the imperial forces are at this very moment on the offensive against Torushina. And, what is more suspicious, they've completely annihilated the trading port of Ulgar. Allen: Ulgar? That town, wasn't it one of the empire's supply ports? Dryden: It would seem that the empire had nothing to gain by invading it. Allen: I heard that they destroyed the dragon's country... Dryden: Surely Folken's goal can't be to enlarge his territory. From the looks of it, their most recent actions have been indicative of suicide. It seems to be nothing but war for the sake of war. Allen: Then, Escaflowne? Dryden: Who knows. Is this a war of destruction? Allen: Destruction? 9. Orm Sora: Orm, the Goddess of Wings, why has she lost her memory? Orm: Van is the key to this. The Dragon's Clan sorcerers have been unable to summon the Goddess of Wings. Sora: That will sadden Folken, won't it. Orm: I can feel it now. Sora: With my power, can I make her memory return? Orm: Now, now... How about I summon the dragon. He is undoubtedly searching for the Goddess of Wings right now. Merle: The wolves are crying. Van: It's Orm. Orm is calling me! Folken: Orm has taken the girl away? That traitor. In that case, if Orm has betrayed me, I'll have Dilandau kill him. Sora: Folken, didn't Orm save your life before? With your homeland in ruins, lost in the wilderness, he guided you to this empire of the Black Dragon Clan. Folken: That's all in the past. It has no bearing on the present me. Sora, if that girl is the Goddess of Wings, she might remember where the dragon armor is. Use your powers to investigate that girl. Sora: You don't hate your brother. You hate this world. Everything brought forth into this world. Orm: Poor man. Folken, with his country destroyed, in the midst of the war, with his own power, persisting until the end. Why? Does he want to bury himself like this? What that man is pursuing within himself, is nothing but despair. Hitomi: Why? Orm: Well, Van is the same. His country long ago ruined, trained by his family to live only in order to be king of his dead country. Trained for revenge as well. Now, why can nobody ever bury revenge? I would have expected Van himself to realize this. Hitomi: Van? Old man, you've known about Van since the beginning, right? Orm: That's right. Both of them no less. Van continues to yearn for Folken very much. Folken loves Van as well. The two of them spending their lives fighting with each other, it's such a sad thing. Hitomi (m): Van's wish? Is it to overthrow his brother who destroyed his own homeland? To kill the only brother he has in this world, is that his wish? No way. Van still loves his brother even now. But as king, he has to fight for the people of his country. Suppressing his own desires, and fighting on, all alone, until his life expires. Hitomi (m): Van's calling! He's calling out to me! Van: Orm! Where are you! Orm: Your wings are not suited for fighting. Hitomi (n): The old man, leaving me behind, slowly walks towards Van. Van: Where is the Goddess of Wings? Orm: Right now I can't hand her over to you. Possessed as you are right now with revenge, you cannot save the Goddess of Wings! Van: Save? The Goddess of Wings is supposed to save Gaea! I'm ordering you... Is that her?! What did Folken tell you to do? Hitomi: No! Van, don't fight! Recognize your own feelings! Orm: Why would the Goddess of Wings come forth to show concern for Van? Van: Come forth? Legend in Adom has it that she will come to me! Orm: You're wrong. Until the time is right the Goddess of Wings will not appear. Until the time when the Mystic Moon and Gaea embrace each other in sadness. Until the Dragon King and the Goddess of Wings meet. Van: Sadness? Orm: It is fast approaching. Right now the time is not ripe. However, sadness will soon overtake this world! Hitomi (n): The old man's form is engulfed in light and transforms into that of a huge dragon! Van: A flying dragon! Orm: I have been led to this world. However, now is not the time. I will return the Goddess of Wings to the Mystic Moon. With my life, I will reverse the outcome. Hitomi (n): The dragon takes me up with its arm. At that instant, I saw the Gaea of the distant past. A great burning town, and standing in the middle of it giant men. Escaflowne... inside my head, that name echos. Engulfed by the light, I fly up into the sky. 10. ESCAFLOWNE Hitomi (n): Right now I'm returning to Earth. I'm sleeping in the middle of the night. I can see myself clearly. Wrapped up inside the rock, waiting for the day when I wake up again. The figure of a white giant that Van is searching for. Escaflowne. I hear her song. Folken: Have you ascertained the location of the dragon armor? Sora: Yes. The dragon armor is sleeping in the depression beneath Torushina. Folken: Torushina? It's in that town? The dragon armor. Well done, Sora. We'll make use of it soon. Once we dig up the dragon armor, my goal will be within reach. Sora: However, the Goddess of Wings has returned to the Mystic Moon. Folken: She's returned? The Goddess of Wings? Sora: Orm, with his own life, has driven her back to the Mystic Moon. Folken: Orm? What clever pretense. But, once the road to the Mystic Moon has been flown, it can never again close in all of eternity. I will go to welcome her. Once the Goddess of Wings sympathizes with me, I will heal this land Gaea. Sora, open the way to the Mystic Moon with your song. Hitomi (m): Inside the light, my consciousness fades. What a strange world, Gaea. A beautiful, sad world. Maybe one day I will come to this place again? Of course. Van. He and I will meet again. That's our wish. Wishes do come true. Please. Stars glittering in the sky, please grant my wish. Please bequeath this wish even if today's memories go away. Desires racing into the sky, they will reach that man. When I realize it. When I wish for it. Good bye, Van, black-haired, clear-eyed man. I will without fail return to this world. Hitomi (m): I come to the realization that there's a sandy beach here. The waves crash at my feet. Was I standing here facing the ocean? The evening sun hovers just above the horizon. What am I doing? Ah! My shoes got wet! Hitomi: Yukari will be surprised. All of a sudden coming up with this story. Hitomi (n): Avoiding the crashing waves and strolling about, for some reason or another I look up into the sky. The sky above the horizon is bathed in orange. Over the open sea, with wings extended, flying in the wind a white bird comes into view. Hitomi: White wings? Hitomi (m): The song, I feel that I can hear it. Hitomi: What's going on? Hitomi (m): I slowly survey my surroundings. There's no one at the beach. The highway that runs along the beach has had one car with headlights pass through. What is this? Why does this place feel so far away? Recently, coming home from school, I used to come by here alone. When everybody else for some reason or other bothered me, and I wanted to be alone, I would come here. But, right now I'm okay. I'm feeling just a little bit in good spirits. I stop and stretch myself out with all my strength. Hitomi: What? Hitomi (n): Beneath my feet, a white feather has fallen. I bend over and pick it up. Hitomi: Pretty! Hitomi (m): What is this? I just remembered something precious. What was it? It was about someone very important. The wind feels slightly warm. I'll meet him again. In the sky the moon glows brightly. I cradle the white feather with both hands. I close my eyes and listen. All I can hear is the sound of the waves. There's a place where I have to go. Where that place is, I don't know. But, someday for sure, that man and I, we will be able to meet again.