I do not own these characters.

Italicised words are with the writers.

Chapter 1

A book sat on Cosmos's empty throne. It was the kind of tome you'd find in an old library, thick and old. The Warrior of Light, upon seeing it, took a sharp intake of breath. He reached out and slowly turned the cover. On the first page of the book was half a sentence, written by Cosmos.

Once upon a time

The Warrior of Light blinked a few times. Noticing a pencil beside the book on the throne, he picked it up. A few moments passed and he leaned over the book.

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful queen. Her life had been peaceful and happy for many years. She had quite forgotten about an old promise she had made. One which was the reason she had that title in the first place. When the gods blessed her with a child, she was reminded of it. Terra, the half-esper, had helped her impress the king to save her life. In return, she had promised her firstborn to the young woman. The queen could only pray that the other had forgotten.

Unfortunately, she had not. The queen tried to convince her otherwise when Terra came for her baby. But the half-esper wouldn't hear it. The queen had a choice; she could either hand over her child, or doom her kingdom. In the queen's eyes, she had no choice. She gave up her baby to save her kingdom. Terra spirited the newborn away to a manor deep in an enchanted forest. She named the young ex-prince Mateus.

"What are you writing?" Cecil asked. He came to stand to the warrior's left.

"Cosmos left a book here. I believe she wants us to write the story." Cecil took the book and read what had already been written.

"Can I add to it?"

The Warrior of Light handed him the pencil. Cecil sat on the ground and began writing.

The years passed and though Terra didn't age, Mateus grew into a fine young man. He got most of what he desired, as Terra felt the need to spoil him as though he were her own. By his twenty-second year, all he really wanted was to leave the manor. Terra had done well keeping him there, but he longed to see the outside world through more than just his window.

One afternoon in late summer found him staring out the window in his room. He had been doing it more and more recently.

"Staring out the window again?"

Mateus turned at the sound of Terra's voice behind him. He gave her a weak smile, hoping that was enough of a greeting. A frown replaced Terra's smile and she went over to him.

"What's wrong?"

"I- Why am I not allowed to leave the manor?" Mateus met her gaze with his own. Terra gently laid a hand on his cheek.

"The world is a dangerous place, Mateus. Especially for someone like you."

"But you've been teaching me magic. Surely that-"

"Mateus." He fell silent at the stern tone of her voice. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Fine. Just promise me one thing. If you get into too much trouble, you come home. I don't want anything to happen to you out there."

"I will, mother."

Mateus pulled Terra into a hug. She dissipated the magic barrier that kept him inside. He paused in the doorway and took a deep breath. After all he had heard of the outer world, Mateus was a little hesitant about actually leaving. He turned, gave Terra one last smile, and left.

But he wasn't the only one waiting for that moment.

A safe distance from the manor, two typical bandit thugs were watching through binoculars. The moment the barrier dissipated, one of them radioed their leader.

"Barrier's down. Orders?"

"Wait till the brat's outta the grounds," a gruff voice said over the radio. "Once he's in the forest, grab 'im. Just don't let the witch see ya do it."

The bandit thugs nodded, though their boss couldn't see them. It only took Mateus a few minutes to reach a suitable location. Without hesitation or warning, they jumped out and knocked him unconscious. With him unable to make a fuss, they carried him to their hideout.

"There," Cecil said. He proudly leaned back. The Warrior of Light read what he had written and smiled. "Now what?"

"Now we put it someplace the others can find it. That way, they can add to it as well."

The Warrior of Light and Cecil set out to find a place to put the book. After a while, they decided to put it on a small altar in the main hall. The pencil was lying next to it. The Warrior of Light hung a sign above the altar so that everyone would know what to do with it.