Rainypanda: Hey! So I finally got time to finish this over break, so enjoy! This is a new style of writing I'm trying now. As you will see, this one is written in present tense, whereas I usually write my stories in past tense, so hopefully this one will give a more interesting, imminent feeling. Oh and one more thing, assume everything that happened at the end of both games already happened long before the start of this story.
Songs of inspiration on this chapter include: Na Na Na~My Chemical Romance, Paint Hell Red~Angelspit, Akai Tsuki~Disgaea soundtrack, Vergessene Kinder~Tokio Hotel, and We are Broken~Paramore
Disclaimer: All Abyss and Legendia characters belong to Namco.
Chapter 1
Rain is pelting the rooftops. Besides the rain and the soft booms of thunder nothing is making a sound. The minute flashes of lightening are nothing compared to the cold darkness surrounding Senel. The air is heavy with sadness. He starts down the puddle-streaked path that leads away from town. It's been too long. Everyday the same routine of work; exterminating monsters, performing maintenance on broken ships, doing paperwork for Will, and going to bed to do it all over again the next day. He needed a break from it all, an escape, if only for a little while.
'I need to get away…All this work is killing me. I need someplace I can clear my mind. And it all comes down to here every time. I wonder if this spring ever gets tired of me and wants to kick me out? Since everyone left, this is the only place I can come to feel at ease. Something about this place is just so peaceful…almost as if…I can feel their presences here…this is where it all began, Lumen Spring. Where I met Will, and it all played out from there…this place makes me wonder…was I supposed to end up here and meet them all? Was I supposed to drag Shirley all the way here? Did the story of my life play out by chance?...or by fate?...Or is my life just some part of some big plan? Can it really go on like this, indefinitely? Was my life really destined to be like this?'
Suddenly he notices a bright, almost-blinding light emanating from his hands. He slowly flips his palms up to see the glow becoming brighter.
'This blue light! It's my eres! W-what is this? W-why is it reacting like this?'
The marine is staring wide-eyed at his incandescently royal-blue shining hands when he hears a light rustling from behind. Starting to work up a panic, he tears his eyes away from his eres glow to the clearing over his back. He gasps.
'Who is…?'
Standing only a few feet before him is a short, lightly colored blue-haired, fair skinned woman, her lacy white dress blowing ever so gently in the wind.
"I am Aurora."
She reaches out her hand invitingly.
"Come child, come glimpse upon the beginnings of the end."
Senel hesitates, very cautious and unsure about his new…human? She appears human enough, but the fact that her transparency makes rain and leaves pass right through her signals a warning sign.
"The beginnings of the end? W-what are you?"
The iron eren starts to raise his knuckles in defense.
"Do not be alarmed, I come bearing no harm. I am a spirit born of eres appearing before you as a warning. The way time is progressing now is leading up to a very disastrous course of events."
"How? How is that possible? Why are you telling me this?"
The strange spirit closes her eyes for a moment.
"It is because you are one of the remaining few who could change the path of time."
Her words seem to echo through the air.
"What's so special about me?"
"Do you forget the power you possess?"
"My eres? But there are others who use eres too. Why me?"
"Most erens have fallen in death, and the remaining are being targeted and hunted down for their power."
"Wait, are you saying all my friends are…dead?"
"I do not know. All I know is that erens are dying out rapidly and being drained of their eres. In the future, eres is a very rare and extremely powerful resource. It has evolved into something much more than just a fighting medium. Using the power of eres, one is now able to track down, and even raise a protective barrier on another eren from anywhere. In addition, it has also been rumored that erens who share a special bond have even further abilities, such as limited healing and being able to communicate with each other telepathically. It is precisely because of these reasons that individuals and organizations are actively pursuing and exterminating erens to harvest their power and steal it for themselves."
Senel is just horrified; he can't find the words to speak. He repeats Aurora's words over and over again in his head, almost as if, if he says it enough, it will eventually turn into some old, forgotten nightmare. He glances back at her, horrorstricken.
"That's inhuman, unbelievable! How could they let that happen?"
"Come child, I want you to see for yourself the beginnings of the end."
The mysterious woman extends a hand toward the hesitant eren. The alliance marine stares at her with apprehension, not sure if what he's about to step into is a trap. He finally works up enough courage to walk up to this unusual creature and touch her extended hand. At that moment, as soon as his hand makes contact with the spirit's hand, everything around him goes white in a blinding flash of light.
As soon as he is able to open his eyes, he notices things are not as they just had been. For one thing, Senel realizes he's no longer standing on the Legacy, but instead somehow floating above it. He swishes his head to the side to see the spirit, Aurora, floating beside him. Almost reading his mind, she starts.
"What you're about to witness is out of my control. In this state we are invisible and merely observers. We are unable to interfere with or change anything that's happening. It is as if we simply don't exist."
He nods and takes a minute to gather in the surroundings. Directly below about fifteen feet or so lays the busy city of Werites Beacon. Upon closer examination, nothing looks different at all throughout the town. Above, huge, dark purple clouds are blanketing the sky, preventing any sunlight from shining though. The iron eren shifts his gaze back to the massive ship just then to see a beautiful hot pink light illuminating the perimeter.
'What is this?'
The next second, it erupts into a sudden tumultuous earthquake that rocks the entire ship. But unlike regular earthquakes, the one doesn't seem to be letting up.
"W-what's happening?"
The violent shaking continues.
"No! Is the Legacy…sinking?"
"You are correct."
"But, why? Is Shirley doing this?"
"I do not know."
"Everyone's going to die; we have to do something!"
He starts to panic.
"There is nothing we can do. Watch."
She motions with the swoop of her hand down on Werites Beacon.
People are running around the city aimlessly in a panic.
"Halt! It appears the Legacy has turned unstable and is preparing for a descent underwater. If any of you want to survive, we'll have to act in a quick, well-orderly manner. Tell everyone you see to proceed down to the big ship, the S.S. Krystallia, immediately! We must move quickly!" A brown-haired, orange suited man shouts.
'That's Will! He's directing the citizens off the Legacy? Where are they gonna go, the Mainland? Hey, there's Harriet and Madam Mussette! They're boarding the S.S. Krystallia! And there go Norma and Moses! Where am I?'
He watches in horror as more and more water leaks onto and floods the giant ship with every passing second.
"Hey, where are all the rest of my friends? I never saw Shirley, Jay, or Chloe board the rescue ship! Does that mean…they didn't make it? No! And where am I in all this?"
"I do not know child. I only know of what I see. I am sorry."
The iron eren continues to watch as the last few people come running out of the city and onto the large escape ship. As if on cue, the remaining highest peaks of the Legacy finally slip below the vast ocean and all land disappears. The next moment, the S.S. Krystallia roars to life and takes off in the direction of the horizon. Senel stares unbelievingly at the rescue liner as it grows smaller and smaller in the distance.
"N-no! This wasn't supposed to happen! This isn't right! How can I prevent this?"
"You cannot unwind the strands of time. The wheels have already been set in motion. It is inevitable."
"But this hasn't happened yet! There has to be a way to stop it!"
The spirit nods.
"Come, our journey continues."
Aurora snaps her fingers and his world goes white again. When he opens his eyes, he's hit with beaming sunshine and a cool ocean breeze. The atmosphere is lively with many people running about. He glances around at the surroundings. On the far left, a cargo boat is docked and is being unloaded by rough looking ship workers. On the right sits a row of stands of various shops from weapons to armor to food and everything in between. Not to mention this city is pretty large. Senel's never seen any city like this on the Legacy before.
"Hey, where are we? This doesn't look like the Legacy."
"An important trade city, Kitsuna. It's located on the Western coast of Rexalia."
Just then, a professional-looking, tall, serious blue-dressed man walks down a docking ramp from a prestigious ship. He carries himself in a proud manner, as if he's looking down on the surrounding workers.
"Dist, today's report!" The strange man snaps.
A skinny, white-haired, funny-looking man in a hovering royal chair with tiny glasses appears beside his commander.
"Prometheus status positive. Ground covered: 50 km. Returned gained: 20,000 Gald, captain."
"Hmmm…not bad. Now, proceed to the armory hold and prepare the 'secret' apparatus!"
The funny-looking man jumps at the words and shakes his scrawny little arms up and down in an almost excited manner.
"Ooh, why, yes of course, captain!"
He floats off back toward the big ship as another worker approaches the captain.
"Hey Jade, where do you want these 'extremely flammable explosives'?" A red-haired boy carrying a stack of red-labeled wooden crates asks.
"Stack them above the tea crates in the first sector. Oh, and Luke! Be sure not to trip on the way there!"
"Aarrg! Jade, shut up! I don't need your comments!"
Jade smirks.
"Luke, don't let him get to you." A tall blond-haired boy around Luke's age, going past him from the ship, says.
"Guy, could you get the last few?"
"I'm on it!"
"My my…When did we get stronger than Luke?"
"Don't be too hard on him, Jade. He's been through a lot lately. Take it easy, would you?"
"I've become quite the sarcastic bastard, haven't I? Hehehe…" Jade laughs to himself. "Well we must be on our toes, there's no telling when or where danger will strike."
Jade looks up at the sky. Suddenly a loud siren starts ringing. The people begin to panic and dart in all directions franticly.
"What's going on?" Senel asks.
"Watch."
Amidst all the scattering people, a dark-clad group of soldiers start gathering in the town center. A sinister red-haired woman steps forward in front of the mysterious group of black-uniformed soldiers. She, too, is covered in black, but with strange red and white spikes protruding from her outfit. A loud but somehow subtle gasp of horror echoes from the remaining crowd that's half encircling the newcomers.
"Now now, no need to cower, imbeciles. Just hand over the elixir stone you've been hiding in this city and we'll leave your pathetic city in peace! Or we'll take it by force if we have to!" The crimson-haired woman shouts as she draws out a huge trident spear.
No one speaks for a minute.
"Very well then. Let's just see how long this town can hold up!"
She motions to the henchmen behind her, which all immediately begin drawing handguns. She creeps up to the nearest citizen, a young boy about six years old, and pounds the bottom of her spear on the ground in front of him. The soldiers spread out into a line formation, aiming their guns right at all the townspeople.
"Now, little boy, do you know where an elixir stone is hiding in this harbor?" She questions mockingly, her fierce eyes staring him down.
"N-no…" The boy mumbles.
The dark woman's eyes turn to pure rage.
"Wrong answer!"
In a split second, she stabs the innocent boy in the chest. He screams in pain and rolls down on the ground, bleeding profusely. She snickers.
"Arachne!"
The violent woman swishes to the side to find the source of the voice. A tall man in blue glares piercingly at her from just behind the line of soldiers. They disperse in front of him as their leader approaches.
"Captain of the famous warship Prometheus, Jade Curtis! It's been a while."
He pushes his glasses up. She starts pacing in a short line in front of him, turning to face him. He magically draws a spear out of his hand instantly and points it toward her.
"Arachne, leave this city! A dark knight has already snatched the elixir stone you seek from us. You are wasting precious time and lives by remaining here!"
She glares into his eyes with burning rage.
"Status report, now! Has a dark knight really been spotted through here recently?"
"A-according to our locator…one was near here a few days prior. No location data of where he is now as of yet." A soldier responds.
Arachne darts her beady pupils around the city, then back at Jade.
"Fine! We will leave…for now!" She narrows her eyes even more. "But if I find out you're lying, I won't hesitate to burn this whole city to ashes! Starting with you!" She threatens with a fake jab of her spear.
He holds his ground, lance still poised to strike. Arachne backs up slowly as her soldiers follow her. She takes one more glance around the harbor, then turns and dashes out of sight. When the last soldier is gone, the city starts to relax and return to normal. The merchants return to their shops, the workers go back to working and unloading packages, and Jade makes his way in the direction of the warship.
"Coronel, coronel, there you are!" A young, black-haired perky girl with pigtails exclaims.
"Anise."
She runs over to greet him.
"I have an important letter from the king of Miratamia! Would you like me to read it?"
"King Menalaus? Yes, go ahead Anise."
"Anise? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, Luke! I'm the king's messenger, remember? I swear, you can be so dumb sometimes!"
"Hey!"
"Please ignore him and proceed with the letter, Anise."
"Yes, coronel." She smiles and breaks the seal of the envelope.
"I, King Menalaus the Seventh of Miratamia wish to inform the captain of the Prometheus that a potentially dangerous threat has been spotted east of Kitsuna in the Misty Swamp. We believe it to be a dark knight, but we cannot say for sure, as we are relying on eyewitnesses that were in the area. In any case, be very careful and prepared for the worst. Sincerest regards, the king. And P.S… Be safe by sweetest Luke! I love you! 3"
"Grr, it does not say that! Stop adding your crap at the end!" Luke proclaims.
"Hmmm…a dark knight. They're catching on to us. Well, this can't be good… At any rate, we need to be ready. Thank you, Anise. Send my regards to the king."
She nods.
"Sure thing coronel! Goodbye my Luke!"
"Aagh! Jade, do something about her! She's so freaking annoying!"
Jade snickers. Senel focuses his attention back to the spirit.
"Whoa! What just happened? Who were those shady soldiers and that woman called Arachne? And why did they want something called an 'elixir stone'? And who are those dark knights they mentioned?"
Aurora turns in the marine's direction.
"Patience child, these are complicated matters… Although I do not know everything, I will explain to you everything I know." She pauses. "Those soldiers come from a dark underground organization known as 'Der Gespenstische Verein'. The woman you saw is Arachne, a top commander in charge of carrying out orders from their lair and retrieving located elixir stones. Elixir stones are rare, little dark red stones with the power to give its owner artificial eres as long as one possesses it. Only six exist in the world and are very well hidden. Der Gespenstische Verein is currently searching relentlessly for all six of these stones, for when all of these powerful objects are together, the holder wields control over anyone's mortality. They enable one to end the life of anybody at anytime. They are very dangerous, so therefore are scattered in very remote, hidden areas to ensure no one could ever try to abuse their power. However, lately there have been some telepathic scientists with extraordinary super human abilities working for Der Gespenstische Verein that are aiding them in locating and uncovering these stones. This evil organization will stop at nothing to get their hands on one of them, even resorting to killing innocent people and destroying entire towns. Nobody knows exactly why they are so actively pursuing the elixir stones, besides the fact of being able to exterminate mass numbers of people. Their sinister plan remains but a mystery at this point. This is where the Dark Knights come into play. The dark knights consist of three independent agents also in search of the elixir stones in connection with Der Gespenstische Verein. They are ruthless serial killers that work alone and are rarely ever seen in the open. They will kill anyone for any reason at all, precisely why they are so feared. You'd be wise to watch your back if you ever travel alone."
Senel stares wide-eyed at her.
"No way…"
The spirit nods grimly. "I'm afraid so… Come, our journey continues further."
She snaps her fingers once again, and a second later the iron eren raises his eyelids in a new place. The evening sky glows in a burnt orange hue. The ground is littered with burned-down ruins of buildings and houses. A rusting stone fountain lays in two in the middle of what probably once was a street. Broken molded pieces and chips of wood line every corner. A couple decaying severed columns block the paths throughout the abandoned wasteland. Some skulls and bones are piled up against an old standing stonewall. Splattered across the wall is faded red graffiti in the words, 'Paint Hell Red', 'Sleep Now', and 'Channel Hell'. No signs of life thrive here except for the few dark figures lurking and ducking behind the remains. The eren stares in disbelief, as curious as cautious.
"Grevel. A once thriving city that didn't last long after an elixir stone was rumored to be hidden within its walls. It was Der Gespenstische Verein that brought this city to ruins…about three years ago. They burned down everything and killed everyone in their way. It is nothing more than a dangerous, bloody graveyard now as some of the troops use it as their shooting playground. The sad fact is, many cities may come to this as a result of their pursuit of power."
"No! T-that can't be; I won't let it! I'll stop this! Somehow, I'll prevent this all from happening!"
"Your kind is dwindling in numbers rapidly… And it is only you kind that could ever change the course of events. Please…never forget that."
"But, I still don't understand. I'm not that special, I'm not that great! I'm only here today because of my friends."
"Protect your friends… If you have any left…"
That ominous thought looms over him.
"What do you mean? Of course they're alive! Or…I hope they are… Tell me, in this time, are any of them still alive?"
Aurora pauses briefly. "Only you know the answer to that question."
Senel's tone saddens. "They're all dead…aren't they?"
She shuts her eyes and slowly brings her transparent head up in an ever so slight nod.
"Our journey is not yet over."
She clicks her sparkly fingers and reappears again with the alliance marine in a different area. This time the sky is nearly pitch black as the stars and streetlamps create the only light.
"Where are we now?"
"Miratamia, the royal capital of Rexalia. You can't see it, but meters up ahead, over the houses before us sits the grand castle of King Menalaus the Seventh."
"Hey, this is where that Anise girl came from… But what are we doing back here in this alley?"
Just then a light-haired young man with familiar clothes rounds the corner by the dumpster into the alley. As he walks closer toward him, Senel catches a glimpse of his face. He gasps.
"Is that…me?"
"Do you not recognize yourself? Watch."
The white-haired eren goes behind the dumpster and emerges on the opposite side, swishing his head from side to side.
"Where is that atomizer? I thought he said he left it-" "What the? My eres? Why is it doing this?"
A bright blue light starts glowing in a ring on his hands. A quiet tap sounds behind him. Before he gets a chance to turn around, a dark figure appears before him. He flinches.
"You're…one of the dark knights! I'll dispose of you!"
The figure, dressed in all black from head to toe with even a smooth black helmet covering his face, unsheathes a black halberd with dimly glowing red lines running through it. A red blast escapes from it, heading straight for Senel. He swiftly raises both fists to block it. When he looks up, the dark knight charges. Going on the offense, he doesn't hesitate to charge right back. As his fists clash with the razor-sharp blade, he tries to overthrow the power struggle.
"Wyrm crush!"
The mysterious figure blocks immediately, sending Senel staggering backwards. Before he can catch his balance, the dark knight creates a red whirlwind of power and slams into him, sending the alliance marine flying into the wall and crashing to the ground.
"Ughh!" He pulls himself on his feet, panting, and blood dripping down his forehead and gushing from his arm.
He rushes forward again to clash with the pulsing sword. He focuses all his strength in his fists and shatters the evil swordsman's grip on his blade. Seizing the opportunity, he fiercely punches him in the gut, followed by a series of three more blows to the upper body. He looks at his enemy's fallen body, noticing blood starting to run and pool underneath him.
"Give me your elixir stone, now!"
After a couple seconds, the dark knight turns his helmet in Senel's direction. He detaches a dark red stone from his opposite wristband and flings it down the back alley, around the corner. The iron eren runs after it, disappearing behind the corner. As soon as he's out of view, the dark knight quickly gathers himself together somehow, despite being badly hurt, and runs off in the opposite direction. The eren returns to the alleyway clutching the precious relic. He gasps.
"He's gone! Unbelievable! Look at all this blood! He shouldn't have been able to—" He gasps again as he takes a closer look at the puddle of blood.
"This is…a Meseta mark. I haven't seen one in ages. That guy's a Meseta? No way!"
He picks up a small, shiny white piece of metal in the shape of a triangle. He fingers it over in his hands for a couple seconds and pockets it.
"Get back here you coward! Come on and fight me!" Senel yells into the night.
After a minute of silence, he scoffs, "Heh, yea, some fighter you are!... Still I can't believe he was ever a Meseta…"
A couple seconds later, the alliance marine runs out of the alley and starts down the street ahead.
"That was a dark knight?" Senel asks the spirit.
"Yes. They wait and ambush you, then try to kill you. You were lucky this time, child. Don't think your luck will last indefinitely."
"Wait, how far into the future is this?"
"I do not know exactly. I would guess two or three years."
"Two or three years? The world got this bad in two to three years? Hell… So, what's a Meseta thing I was talking about?"
"Mesetas are a somewhat underground group that is believed to hold special power on the night of the red moon. Nothing else is known about them in regards to what that power is or where it came from. Only Mesetas themselves can recognize other Mesetas by their special mark. That way, they remain but a complete mystery."
He ponders the information. "So, does that mean…I'm a Meseta?"
"Perhaps. I do not know for sure. Only you would know the answer."
"Me? But where did he, I mean I, go?" He darts his head back and forth down the street.
"Do not worry about it. We have one more stop."
Aurora clicks her fingers and they disappear. As soon as Senel opens his eyes, he wishes he wouldn't have. Right in front of him stands a masked lab technician hovering over a human body. With a knife-like scapel in hand, he slices off its head. It rolls off the long table and splats of the hard floor. Senel cringes. The sick technician doesn't flinch as he smoothly runs the blade down the victim's chest. He rips out the heart and places it under an eerie purple light. There he proceeds to probe and cut it in some places. The eren looks away, horrified, and catches sight of the area. The walls are laced with spears, daggers, syringes, knifes, scythes, whips, morning stars, axes, and other torture devices. On the far wall is a large chart displaying many unreadable symbols and numbers and chains of formulas. Another technician in a long white lab coat emerges through an inner doorway into the room carrying a small red rock.
"That's an elixir stone! What is this place?"
"I'm sorry you had to see this, but this is the lair of Der Gespenstische Verein. This is the place where they test on erens, kill them, and harvest their power. You saw what happened just now. That person was most likely an eren."
He gasps. "This is barbaric!"
"Watch."
At that moment, Arachne and a group of soldiers burst into the chamber; Arachne taking the lead.
"We successfully secured another location. We are positive an elixir stone resides within. Your orders, Monsieur!" The spider woman announces into the rear door on the far side.
"Good. Then initiate sequence Alpha and move it! No mercy!" A low, dark male voice sounds back.
"Oui, C'est pas le problem, Monsieur boss!"
She runs out, the soldiers trailing behind.
"Who was that, that answered her? Monsieur boss?"
"Master Darkov. The head captain of Der Gespenstische Verein. Arachne is not just his slave, but also his wife. Both are powerful eren forces. You'd be wise not to get caught alone with either one of them."
"Are they that powerful?"
Before he can hear a reply, his sight blacks out as Aurora fades out right before his eyes. As soon as he regains sight, he looks around and blinks several times. The glow of the moon's reflection on the water shines dimly before him.
"The spring…am I back?"
The blue spirit nods.
"You have glimpsed the parts of events leading to the end. You may be our only hope. A word of caution, never speak to anyone of what you have seen. Not even your friends. I bid you farewell."
In a flash, the strange eres spirit called Aurora vanishes in a flurry of shining blue sparkles. Senel blinks a few more times, incredulously.
"Hey wait! Hold on! What do you mean I can't tell anybody? Why am I supposed to keep this all a secret? Why? Tell me! Come back!"
He paces up and down the spring looking and waiting to see Aurora reappear again. About fifteen minutes pass until he gives up and realizes the spirit isn't coming back tonight. The lights in the city help guide him to his house on this rainy night. Once inside, he slips under the covers and falls back on the pillow.
'Was that all real, everything I saw, and Aurora? It's too much, this is all too much. It must be a dream… Yea, I'll wake up tomorrow and this will all be just a strange dream. Yea, because there's no way any of that is real or could ever happen…'
It's not long till he drifts into a deep slumber. The next second later it seems like, he's hearing his name called.
"Senel! Senel, wake up you sleepyhead! Come on! Time to get to work today on the Prometheus!" A high-pitched female voice rings in his ear.
'I know that voice, that's-!'
Senel tears his eyes open and lets out a loud gasp. The room is littered with crates and barrels and rope with an orange striped life preserver ring hanging on the wall ahead. The room rocks slightly.
"Shirley? What's going on? W-what are you doing here? Where am I? This isn't my room!"
A blond-haired, cute cheerful girl stares clueless back at him. She tilts her head to the side.
"Senel, are you okay? Did you have a bad dream? Did you hit your head too hard yesterday? We live together here in Kitsuna, remember? You work for Captain Jade on the Prometheus…remember?"
His jaw drops. "What? No… That's not right! My home is in Werites Beacon and I do work for Will and…"
She shakes he head side to side with an innocent smile. "You're losing it, Senel. You should be more careful out there, okay? Don't overexert yourself next time." She giggles.
"…Shirley, what year is it?"
"Ummm…ND 4076. Did you forget that too?"
'ND 4076? That's impossible! It was just ND 4074! No, there's no way I…just jumped two years into the future! Aurora…was that all true? This can't be happening!'
Reviews are always welcome!
What will happen next, you ask? Hmmm…. Eat some turkey and you'll find out soon! In Chapter 2 that is! Muhahahahahaha! cough cough
Thanks for reading! Love ya all and Happy Holidays! ^_^
