Okay, so this is my first attempt to write a BF fanfic, and I'll need to point out a couple of things:
1. This is a HUGE AU. I've revamped the Oracle Knights arc and twisted it into something that leaves a little more plot development.
2. Summoners don't exist. So expect some serious changes to the plot.
3. I've scrapped the Six Heroes arc completely. Instead, I'm merging them with the plotline of the game.
"Damnit," swore Yuura, as he slowly got up to his feet. Balgran and Ilia were unconscious, while Dion was on a spear impaled in his breastplate. Rinon was forced into a prostrate position due to the chains binding her, Ruby was sobbing her eyes out, and Medina was cradling her wounded side while glaring at the figure before them.
The group had planned their assault to the final point. In fact, they had already brought down most of the gods, before fate pulled the rug of reality from under them.
And all because of one person.
"Why," pleaded Medina. "Why did you do this?"
Ark stared at his fallen comrades with no visible emotion. "I am sorry. But I need to do this ... for her."
Karna Masta had fallen. La Veda was in ruins, evident with all the carnage around them. The Guardians of Meirith had accepted their fate and yet ...
Yuura slowly got up on his feet, a small trickle of blood flowing down the side of his mouth.
"And to think, I decided to not kill you."
Ark looked at Yuura in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"That fool, Shida," laughed out Yuura unsteadily. "He ordered me to kill you while I was still a part of the Bariura Empire. Your lives originally did not mean much to me. After all, I am a necromancer. My parents were burned at stake, and I was despised and outcasted even among the Bariura Empire. But when I saw your kindness, I couldn't help but desire some companionship. I was tempted to stay behind when I fell in love with some people a few times, but I shoved aside my feelings to obey you. I put something in you that I never did before. I thought you were my friend!" A small stream of tears fell from Yuura's eyes as he revealed his emotional insecurity while those conscious looked at him in sorrow, regretting all the torment they put him through.
A tear slid out of Ark's eye and his facade slipped slightly, but soon recovered. "I am sorry, but I must do everything to ensure her safety."
"Even if she hates you for it? I can't accept that Ilia would love what you did, traitor," snarled Medina, trying but failing to get up.
Ark's face briefly morphed into one of rage before slashing at a defiant Medina.
The blade never reached her.
Everyone who was conscious felt their eyes widen as Yuura fell down, having put himself in the blade's path.
"Hey Water Girl, I know we don't always see eye to eye but don't let me die in vain. Might not be able to come back after this."
Ark's blade dropped as he stared in horror of his friend's corpse. Medina cautiously cradled Yuura's body before letting out a wail of despair and agony.
"Idiot," she whispered. "Why did you put yourself in harm's way?"
"No," whispered Ark. "Why did you do this Yuura? Why? You returned us all from death again and again and came back after death so many times... You could have just joined us and kept your life ..."
Rinon thrashed in a tearful rage. "You bastard! You don't deserve to mention his name! He was a hundred times greater than the man you'll ever be! He gave up his life to save us again and again! I'll kill you!"
Dion gave a moan of despair before falling unconscious, praying that this was all a bloody and painful dream. He was only hanging on by sheer willpower because of the spear in his chest, but seeing Yuura killed yet again had destroyed his hope.
Media looked at Yuura's limp form before crying out as memories of her crush began to surface.
"Ha ha ha, you're face is so funny! No, that was a compliment! Don't get mad! I'm serious!"
"Shut the hell up, Yuura," growled Medina, wiping the slime remnants off of her face. "The fact that you're speaking as if I can't reply is pissing me off even more."
"What's with that face?" mocked Yuura. "Necromancers are way more honest than your kind. Oh, did that make you mad?"
"No shit, sherlock!" cried out Medina. "You're saying that I, a representative for an Oracle Knight, am lower than a corpse body?"
"Maaaaaaybe."
"Shut the hell up, asshole! If Ilia wasn't always taking your side, I would totally kick your ass!"
"She was weak but strong, and strong but weak. It was funny. Are you going to show me some fun too?" jeered Yuura.
Medina blushed as she thought of the implications of the sentence before remembering that Yuura's past pretty much prevented him from learning any perverted things.
Yuura, seeing her silence, took it as if he won and left.
Medina watched him leave with frustration in her head and warmth in her heart.
"What an asshole ... to think that I would fall for that idiot.
"Kill me!" cried Medina. "It was because of me that the man I loved died! Kill me already!"
Ark looked at her with pain in his eyes before sighing. "So be it."
"Sword of Brave."
The remaining conscious members closed their eyes as they waited for the inevitable death that followed them. Perhaps then, they could finally reconcile with Yuura.
Only, the attack never reached them.
"Necromancy: Eldorobe!"
A massive wave of darkness slammed against the attack and smothered it, protecting the group from the attack.
"Oi, Tidal Tits, I thought I told you not to let me die in vain."
Medina looked in awe of the figure standing protectively in front of her, shadows swirling in anticipation of another attack.
"Being protected in return once in a while can't be that bad, right?" he asked, in a much gentler tone.
Numbly, Medina nodded, her heart bursting with relief in seeing her love interest alive again.
Yuura then looked at a shocked Ark. "Hey, baka, quit terrorizing my friends."
"How are you...?!"
"Didn't you hear me the first time, Lover Boy? Like I said, I'm a necromancer. Death is a second nature to me. Even if I had to use all of my precious few angel statues to survive these past few days, it wouldn't faze me."
"Now, face the wrath of the souls of the damned! Abyssal Depletion!" roared Yuura.
The tentative spirits swirling around him suddenly coalesced into a formless entity of misery, shooting out tendrils of darkness to ravage their target.
Ark leaped over a tendril before slamming a blade down on it, only for his instincts o blare at him and causing him to lean back, narrowly avoiding a tendril aiming for his head. Knowing that a single slip-up would be his last, he reacted only on his instincts and nothing more.
Jumping towards another tendril, he used his blades to vault himself over it before slashing it away, twirling in midair to provide some meager form of protection before slamming down on another tendril. Not losing any momentum, he dashed through the area, his trailing blade leaving lacerations in the tendrils, though those injuries were superficial as the cuts immediately closed
Changing tactics, Ark began sprinting towards Yuura, delivering a vicious strike, only for Yuura to intercept him with ease. Yuura then capitalized the situation by striking with his staff, only to be parried away by Ark's expert swordsmanship. However, in doing so, Ark's battle stance slackened just enough for several tendrils to pierce through his body.
Ark gasped in pain as blood began pooling in his mouth but stubbornly hacked the tendrils away before falling onto one knee.
Damnit, he thought. I forgot about Eldorobe from before!
"It's over, Ark," stated Yuura. "Do you recant your sins?"
Ark said nothing before Yuura felt reality torn away from him.
Am I ... dying? he thought, as his body slowly disintegrated from the bottom up. he tried to swing his staff, but felt that he couldn't move.
"Please Yuura," pleaded Ark. "Just stop resisting. You've done more than enough, again and again."
"Enough," boomed a mighty voice. "It is over. For your refusal to submit, I will punish all of you for disobedience. As for you, Yuura, I personally swear that so long as I am alive, I will never let you have a moment of joy again. Yet, with your will that can best even Death itself, you pique my interest. I look forward to seeing you bow before me, 'Grand Malediction.'"
"Empty Fate!"
Yuura closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Medina protectively. He was doomed to die, after all. He had used up all of his life essence to resurrect his friends when they died once and even broke the barrier between life and death temporarily. There was only so much that he could accomplish.
"Looks like I wasn't strong enough to protect all of you..."
Medina looked at him with tears in her eyes before landing a kiss on his lips, shocking him. "Kiss me already, idiot."
After the brief kiss, while their surrounding shone a harsh white light, Yuura uttered his last words.
"Someday, I promise to see you again."
As the light engulfed the group, Ilia's voice cried out as she saw the group about to die.
"Stop!"
What is it that you wish?
Suffering.
What is it that you wish?
Agony.
What is it that you wish?
Misery.
What is it that you wish?
Anguish.
What is it that you wish?
Despair.
What is it that you wish?
Dread.
What is it that you wish?
Sorrow.
What is it that you wish?
Yuura's mind slowly stirred amidst the sea of emotions that wracked through his body. The crystalline voice reverberated through his head.
What is it that you wish?
"I wish ..."
What is it that you wish?
"I wish for my comrades to be resurrected."
So be it. Remember my name, and I will guide you to accomplishing your dream. In the meantime, you will awaken in a different era. Don't be afraid of change, Yuura. Embrace it. You'll find that there was more to your friend than you thought.
As Yuura felt himself waking up, a few final words rang through his head.
I am Malbelle. I look forward to meeting you, Yuura.
"... ey! Hey! Are you alright?"
Yuura groaned, before sitting upright. In front of him were four people, three males and a female.
"Finally," complained the yellow-haired male. "I was thinking that he was dead!"
"That's why you try to wake them up whenever possible," retorted the red-haired male.
Yuura groaned again before groping for his staff. "My staff..."
'Why do I feel so weak? Is this the result of what that mysterious god and Malbelle did to me?' wondered Yuura
The blue-haired female blinked before realizing what he was after. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She then brought out his staff for him.
"Thanks," he muttered before standing up. He tested it out and sure enough, he felt weaker than before, although it was more of when he first started to fight alongside Ark and Ilia, as opposed to when he first started fighting.
"May I know who you people are?"
"I'm Eze," grinned the yellow-haired male cockily. "I'll crush anyone that stands in my path!"
"Vargas, a pleasure to meet you. Ignore Eze, he's a bit of an idiot."
"My name's Lance, and she's my big sister Selena. Vargas was only half right, both of them are idiots." To emphasize his point, Lance thumbed the two individuals who were bickering about who could kill more demons.
Yuura sighed before rubbing his temples.
Malbelle ...
He had heard that name before, a goddess with the power to reincarnate the fallen. It was rumored that she was the one who blessed Ramna with the ability to resurrect and rejuvenate herself, although the reputation that the Brilliance Inquisition gave her said otherwise.
'In retrospect,' Yuura mused. 'The Inquisition was rather biased against any other gods that were not light-based.'
"Hey, mister!" hollered Eze. "What's your power rating?"
Yuura tilted his head in confusion. "Pardon?"
Eze looked at him in disbelief before Vargas smacked the back of Eze's head. "Sorry, he thinks that everyone is the same as him. To be honest, only us and a couple of other people can see the power ratings of others. Generally speaking, it involves a device handed down from generation to generation, although so many have been lost now that we rely on Miss Elulu to craft them for everyone. Here, you can use mine to check your stats! Just touch the screen and leave your finger there for a few seconds while the device analyzes you using your memories as well as any data we have on you."
Yuura looked at the device in front of him. It resembled a watch, although there was only a screen and no numbers. Upon touching the screen, the thing whirred into life before calibrating.
Scanning. Identification: Yuura. Title: Eerie Possession. Alignment: Dark. Rank: Unknown. Class: Unknown. Ability: Unknown. Possibility of Extra Skill: Unknown. Extra Skill: Unknown. Brave Burst: Unknown. Possibility of a Super Brave Burst: Unknown. Super Brave Burst: Unknown. Possibility of an Ultimate Brave Burst: Unknown. Ultimate Brave Burst: Unknown. Arena rank: Unknown. Actual Status Equivalent: Unknown. Error! This device cannot properly measure the individual's strength. Please use a device with more clearance to observe the individual's strength with more information or rank up in the arena.
Eze's mouth dropped when the device finished speaking. "That's so cool! I didn't know you were that strong to the point where Vargas's old junk can't record you!"
Yuura scratched his head. "Is that really so significant? Also, what does it mean by actual status equivalent?"
Vargas sighed. "Our arena system is used to gauge our strength, though it doesn't tell all the facts. Some people get high ranks because they always crush the newbies, while others get low ranks because they either they rarely participate or they find themselves going up against incredibly powerful warriors. While the arena rank does give some advantages, nowadays, the ASE is used to see someone's true strength, based on their memories and their fighting history, while also using data on those they fought. Hence why some Rookie's actually have a better ASE rank than some Warlords."
"I see..."
"It's a pity," mused Selena. "I really wanted to see how strong he was."
"No problem!" replied Eze. "We can always go to Miss Seria for help. hey Vargas, your aunt won't get pissed if we visit her, would she?"
"Why are you asking me?! This is my aunt we're talking about! She'd rather skewer me than reveal any of her emotions!"
Yuura watched the bickering duo with a faint sense of deja vu. 'Just like me and the others...'
"It's decided then!" Lance said, getting everyone's attention. "We'll visit Miss Seria and help this guy get his Counter as well as show him around the capital."
Yuura blinked.
"Eh?!"
There are a lot of things that Yuura was not fond of.
Being pulled through the capital by four eager teenagers was one of them.
Yuura cursed as the group narrowly avoided crashing into another building, using his shadow tendrils to safely keep any civilians out of the way.
Eventually, the group arrived at the arena, and Yuura had to say that he was impressed. Back in his time, his people would never have built such a thing.
Cheers and shouts could be heard from inside. As the group approached the entrance, the guard looked at them with a smile. "Hello, you four! Are you here to watch your aunt, Vargas?"
Vargas nodded. "Yeah, can we go to the viewing area?"
The guard smiled before letting them in. Afterwards, another man came and escorted them to the VIP viewing of the arena.
Lance sighed. "You do realize that your family's influence can only go so far, right?"
Vargas nodded with a determined look on his face. "That's why I want to be the strongest warrior there is, even better than Pops! After that, I won't have to rely on Aunt Seria or Dad again!"
"That's your aunt?" Yuura asked in disbelief as he watched Seria destroy her opponents and leave. "She looks practically the same age as you."
"Actually, she's about five years older than me. We're all 15, though I guess Lance is 13. Anyways, like I said, I want to never have to use my family's influence again!"
"Oh, shut up, brat. You should be grateful."
The turned their attention to the new addition, a woman clad in red armor.
"Aunt Seria!"
"What did I say, Vargas?" barked Seria, but Yuura noticed that her tone was much less harsh and saw some mirth in her eyes.
Seria then looked at Yuura. "Whose the new guy?"
"Oh this is Yuura. We need your Counter to check his rating, 'cause mine won't work." Seria's eyebrow quirked in curiosity before sighing and bring out her Counter.
"Get on with it, punk."
Yuura scoffed. "Oh shut up, Crimson Cunt."
The room darkened as Seria's mood fell. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Whiny Whore, I'm done listening to your voice."
Seria's head grew red at Yuura's casual insults before reigning in her anger and handing over her Counter to Yuura.
Scanning. Identification: Yuura. Title: Eerie Possession. Alignment: Dark. Rank: Godlike. Class: Anima. Ability: Artemis Power, 40% power boost with vampirism effect. Possibility of Extra Skill: Confirmed. Extra Skill: Will Beyond Death, 80% power boost when Brave Burst power is felt. Brave Burst: Grief Revenant, extreme AoE damage while allowing Brave Burst power to be felt more easily when attacked. Possibility of Super Brave Burst: Confirmed. Super Brave Burst: Necromancy: Eldorobe, massive damage on an limited area of 10m x 10m, causes victims to suffer DoT for thirty seconds, and will instantly give back Brave Burst power. Possibility of Ultimate Brave Burst: Unknown. Ultimate Brave burst: Unknown. Arena Rank: N/A. Actual Status Equivalent: at least Titan class. Error! This device cannot properly measure the individual's strength. Please use a device with more clearance to observe the individual's strength with more information or rank up in the arena.
Everyone except Yuura gaped at the information. The fact that a Warlord did not have enough clearance to fully gauge his strength meant that he was practically on a class of his own.
Seria mulled over for a bit. Where did she hear that name from?
"If it's not too much, Yuura, how about you and those four go against me and my team?" she asked, shocking everyone else in the room.
For a few seconds, no one could say anything.
"YES!" shouted Eze. "Time for me to leave my mark on the world!"
"More like leaving your bloodstains on the arena floor," muttered Lance.
As the teens began quarreling again, only one thought crossed Yuura's mind.
"Huh?"
And so, that's it for the first chapter.
Now, I know that this is probably really confusing, so I thought that I'd do you guys a favor and give a brief background on the plot changes.
A lot didn't happen. For example, the Sodis/Alyut era, Battle Maidens, Oracle Knights arcs, and Karna Masta/Meirith arcs happened, but pretty much nothing more. Instead, I'll be merging the rest with the storyline. To explain this without any serious research, I'm creating a completely new world, called Vangaia, just so that it makes a lot more sense for the more confusing parts, such as Seria somehow being Vargas's aunt.
Anyways, with the five gems thing, they'll be used to call upon someone willing to fight. Those people will generally be units who wish to join a group, but occasionally will bring back the soul of someone that died in Grand Gaia. They can also be used to call upon weakened forms of the gods.
During the travels, should they encounter any person more than once (like Morgan Vargas encounter), those will be corrupted souls, the impure versions of the originals. They will be used by Maxwell to slow down the group's progress.
Anyways, that pretty much sums it all up. Everything else will be tied to game plotline.
Before anyone asks, I'm using Malbelle because I have yet to see a fic that stars her in some ways (although her lore certainly makes it difficult to incorporate her) and I'm thinking of adding Lafiel as a guide that sticks around, although Tilith still does her thing. Just trying to set up some tension between her and Malbelle.
Alright, if you guys have any units you want some spotlight on, leave a review or a PM and I'll see you guys later.