Prologue: Creation of the Anomaly
Looking back, I can hardly remember what happened. It had been a day like any other in my life; I was just about to leave for my workplace, when disaster came.
An alliance had been formed between Russia, China, and Korea, and they sent forces to bomb San Francisco. I was caught up in the sneak attack; my apartment was one of the first buildings to be bombed.
I remember telling myself "It can't end this way, I won't let it! I refuse to have my life ripped away from me so soon!" I remember the flames, the explosions, the feeling of heat burning my skin, my sight fading to black….I remember the voice.
As if some entity from the heavens heard my plea to live on, a glowing red light enveloped my body. And then I heard the voice. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
"Yes! I want to live!" was all I could reply with.
"Very well. But be warned, life will not be easy for you. Now live, Anomaly. I'm sure I will see you again eventually," the voice said. I remember a feeling of weightlessness as the red light grew intensely and then-
I woke up to the sound of birds, wind, and the sound of a voice squeaking in my ear.
"Is Hom-Hom alright?" the voice asked.
I rose into a sitting position from where I was lying on a hard wood floor.
'Wait a second…where am I? How did I get here? I…I can't remember! I can't remember anything!' I thought frantically, shaking my head as I desperately tryed to recall anything of myself.
"Hom-Hom?" the voice insisted.
"Yes?" I responded in a much more sharp tone then I meant to as I gazed down at the little ball of fur with eyes, ears, arms that looked like wings, and feet. I instinctively knew that this was a Nopon, another inhabitant of Bionis along with the Homs and many other forms of life….wait what?
'I remember this stuff, but….where did I learn it?' I wondered. 'I know my name, and…I…I can't remember anything else!' I started to panic.
"Hom-Hom! Calm down, you be safe in Frontier Village!" the Nopon told me, bouncing up and down.
"Frontier Village? Is that where I am?" I muttered.
"Yes! This village home of all Nopon! Chief Dunga in charge! Should I take you to him?" the Nopon asked me.
"Yes, please do. I need answers," I replied, getting to my feet.
"Ok! I take you to Chief Dunga! My name is Yusa, I be the doctor in Frontier Village! What be Hom-Hom's name?" Yusa asked me, walking up the bridge we were on.
"My name is Tristan, thanks for helping me Yusa," I replied, following him up the bridge towards the trunk of a giant tree.
"So I'm guessing I'm somewhere in Makna Forest right now?" I asked Yusa, not knowing how I knew the name of this place.
"Tristan be correct! Tristan very smart for Hom-Hom! Where Tristan be from?" the doctor asked me.
"That's a very good question Yusa…I can't remember. I can't remember anything other than my name" I told him, looking at the wooden planks of the bridge I was walking on. 'Did the Nopon build this? That's impressive for such small beings,' I thought to myself.
"Tristan no remember anything? That not good at all! You must see Chief Dunga, he be village seer! Maybe he can help you!" Yusa suggested, walking more quickly than before.
"He can? That gives me hope. Thanks," I said. I was going to continue asking questions before I realized just where we were walking to.
"Yusa, do you Nopon live in this tree?!" I asked incredulously.
"Yes! Nopon be at one with forest! We make home out of tree! This be Frontier Village! Yusa told me as we walked through a gap in the trunk of the tree.
"No…way…" I muttered in awe, looking around me. Nopon shops were set up around the inside of the tree, and I noticed some steps leading to another level. I followed the steps with my eyes, before realizing that the village literally spanned the height of the entire tree!
"Yusa! Why have you brought a Hom-Hom here?" a voice demanded, drawing my gaze to the center of the tree, where there was a small pond with a dock that was suspended over it. There was an old looking Nopon on the dock, wearing fine looking clothing by Nopon standards with pink hair and a long pink beard.
"Chief, this be Tristan! I found him asleep on the entry bridge! He said he has no memories!" Yusa told who I know knew to be Chief Dunga.
"No memories? How interesting. Thank you Yusa, you may return to your duties. I will speak with the Hom-Hom," Dunga told him.
"Understood Chief! Bye-bye Tristan!" Yusa said, before running as best he could back to the entrance of Frontier Village.
"Now, tell me what you know," Dunga said in a voice that brokered no argument.
"Of course Chief Dunga. All I know is that I woke up at the entrance to this village, no memories and no belongings, just basic knowledge of the world and my name. Yusa brought me here thinking you may have answers. Can you help me?" I asked. 'I must be desperate, I'm asking a little ball of fur for help' I thought bemusedly.
"Ah I see. Unfortunately, I cannot help you with your memories, they are most likely lost forever," Dunga told me sadly.
'No…' I thought with a sinking feeling in my gut.
"I can, however give you the chance to start anew. The Nopon will help you build a home here, and you can spend the rest of your life here. You are still young, and just because you don't know who you used to be, doesn't mean you can't shape who you are going to be. This is the least I can do," Dunga said, a smile spreading across his face.
"R-really?! Thank you so much Chief Dunga! I promise I'll pay back for imposing on you somehow!" I said excitedly. 'A new chance…I can shape who I'm going to be without knowing who I am. My whole life awaits me.' And with that, I set out to find a place to live in the village, excited with the prospect of being able to live.
I was only 17 when this happened. That was my first day in the world of Bionis. I was no longer Tristan Haas, an office worker in San Francisco, but I was Tristan, a man who would shape the history of Bionis, and the whole world itself.
And that ends the prologue of this epic journey! More coming soon!
Cheers,
Battalion17