Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy and/or any of it's characters.
SquareEnix does. (Dammit!) I do, however I made up all the original
characters in the fic. Jane was metioned in the game as Garnet's
biological mother but she was never elaborated on. So I kinda made up her
character but SquareEnix owns her name. Weird, no? No company
infringement is intended and again I do not own any of the SquareEnix Final
Fantasy characters.
Please R+R so I can add another chapter. Enjoy the fic!
Final Fantasy IX:
Summoner`s Legacy
Prologue:
An airship was sailing through the night sky. It had a somewhat odd shape; something like an overweight dolphin. It was a large ship yet there was no crew onboard. But there was life there. Massive amounts of life. The ship was being pioleted by an old, withered looking man. He was dressed in black armor with a long flowing cape and a large red jewel encrusted in his chest. Sallow skinned and wrinkled, his eyes were closed and he was barely breathing, almost as if he was trying to hear something in the distance. Suddenly, his eyes twitched open, and..... they were horrifying. They had no pupils, his eyes. Shaking with delight, he let out a long, cold laugh.
Finally! The people on this planet have finally aquired the ultimate power! Their souls are just right! And what luck: these people are dwelling near the Soul Divider... they won't have to go far! But with this kind of strength, they may find it... I must create a seal. And once I finish my Angel of Death, the final harvest can begin!
Chapter 1:
Awakening
Jane woke up with a start. She was panting and there were beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. It was just a dream...just a dream. She had had that same dream again, the one with the old man on the airship. Strange airship... Jane had had the same dream for weeks now. There was an old man on an airship and Jane always woke up when he started laughing.
Jane got up from her bed and went to the water tub. She groaned as she splashed water on her face. Weird dream...I'll have to talk to the Eldar today. Oh wait...the tournament is in two days! I'll have to talk to him before he passes away.
Jane then ran to the window and threw open the shutters. She looked outside as sunlight spilled into her room.
It was morning in the village of Madain Sari, the village of the summoners. The flowers were at full bloom and the birds were chirping, just like they always did at this time of year.
The children were getting ready to go to their classes and the adults had already started doing their research.
The summoner tribe had migrated here 500 years ago. The soil was excellent for crops and the waterfall cut a large stream of rich water, straight through the village. They had no airships, but knew what they were, for they had see many flying in the distance. But not one had ever come near the place.
It was called the summoner tribe for the people had the ability to call forth eidolons, great beings of power. All summoners had small horns on their foreheads which gave them the ability to communicate with eidolons and animals.
A child was usually born with certain eidolons already resting within them. When they reached the age of 16, it was believed that they were mature and that the summoning could be performed.
After countless years of research, many eidolons were found and all but few were summoned sucessfully. But there were still more to find. The summoners believed that the eidolons were guardians of Gaia, the planet on which they lived. Legends were born out of eidolons, legends that were written in the scriptures long ago.
The tribe had a chief and on the day which he believed he would pass away, a tournament was held between the greatest warriors in the tribe. The winner would be granted the High Summoner Blade, mark of the leader of the tribe. The cnadidates are both equally strong this time. Their names are Neraine and Leon.
Both have been hoping they would win, but things are about to change.
In the village, Neraine was lying on a grassy hill, his eyes closed. He was deaming about what would happen if he won the battle. Leon was on the ground and there he stood, High Summoner Blade thrust into the air, in a pose of victory. He could see Jane's face in the crowd, shining with admiration.
"Neraine, you were wonderful!", she said.
"Nah, that was easy! Hey Jane, you wanna come to my place after the party...?"
"Of course!", she said in a seductive tone. "I'm going to come and... beat your ass if you don't wake up now!!" What the- ?
Neraine woke up with a snap and blinked stupidly. Then he saw his brother, Rainus, looming over him.
"Rainus! You jackass!", Neraine said as he scrambled to his feet. "Why do you always have to wake me up when she tells me what she's going to do?!"
"Oh, shaddup you pervert!", said Rainus, an annoyed look on his face. "I don't even know why I came to you, but I need help with Sheila." Neraine's face quickly became serious. "What? She dumped you?"
"No, hardly. Hey! Remember who you're talking to!"
"Yeah, yeah. So what is it?"
"She....she wants us to go to the next level."
"So...what? You want me to catalog the nasty details?"
"Noooo!", Rainus' face was contorted with fury. "I don't...want to have a kid!"
"Yeah, you better not", said Neraine. "Otherwise, I'll kick your ass!"
"Hey! Think about my children!", said Rainus jokingly.
"Rainus..."
"Okay, okay! But then, why are you so calm?"
"Geez, for a guy who's going to get some, you sure are stupid!", laughed Neraine. "Sheila can use white magic, right?"
"Yeah, for a long time now."
"Okay, then. There's this new white magic out. They've been researching, but they only just created it half a month ago. It's called 'Protection' and it's really expensive."
"Uhh....what does it do?", Rainus looked completely clueless.
What did Sheila ever see in this kid? "What do you think it does?", said Neraine, cocking his eyebrow.
".....oh!!", said Rainus, scratching his head. "That's what it does! Ha ha heh...oh."
"You get it now?", Neraine felt as if he was talking to a four-year old. Hard to believe that the kid was his age.
"Yeah, completely, of course!", exclaimed Rainus.
"You don't get it, do you?"
"...no.", Rainus said, his head drooping.
"Fine. I'll whisper it in your ear. Don't worry, I'll try not to hurt your virgin mind...", said Neraine as he went into a lenghty explanation about 'Protection'.
"Ahhhh!", screamed Rainus, clutching his crotch. "Doesn't that hurt?"
I can't believe this kid is my brother. As long as he doesn't open his mouth in public, thought Neraine.
"No...", he sounded exasperated.
"Oh...okay, then. I guess it couldn't be that bad", smiled Rainus. "Enough about me then, man. How about you? How's it going with Jane?", Rainus plopped to the ground sniggering to himself.
"Shaddup!", Neraine said, sliding onto a rock. He had liked Jane for a long time now, ever since they were children. But even though Neraine wanted to get friendlier, he was afraid that it would ruin what they already had. Besides, why would she go out with him? "So what, you want me to take advice from you? Ridiculous..."
"Hey, who's getting some?", smirked Rainus.
"Ha, ha...who was the dumbass that didn't know what protection was?
"Ouch!", Rainus put his hands behind his head and asked, "What were you planning to do?"
"Well, I was planning to AHHHHH! DAMMMIT!", Neraine shot up and started running around.
"What? Stop running!"
"I forgot to get Jane a birthday present. It's in two days!" Rainus slapped his forehead and said, "Geez...you're hopeless!"
After waking up from her dream, Jane took a shower and put on some day wear. She walked out her door and started towards the Chief's house. Eldar Desmond... I wonder if he can help? When she came to an intersection, she considered going to wake up Neraine; he was never up this early. Neraine... She decided to let him sleep and continued towards the Eldar's house.
Jane passed a school and she almost missed the building. Yesterday, her whole class had graduated. Children start school at the very young age of three and finish around the age of sixteen. Those thirteen years were filled with vigorous training of the body and mind; summoning eidolons were not for the faint of heart. Her sixteenth birthday was in two days, on the day of the tournament.
On her sixteenth birthday, Jane's eidolon would awaken. Neraine's birthday was a week ago and Leon's had been a month past but both guys had chosen to keep their eidolons sealed until after the tournament. Children can summon from the time they are born, but the eldar seals them until they are sixteen, until they are ready, to keep their powers from getting out of hand.
Jane felt good, stretching her slender legs. She had long, dark hair and her eyes were chestnut. On other aspects of her...well let's just say that, if Neraine didn't beat him down, Rainus would probably yell, "Nice tits!", everytime he saw her. Then Sheila would put her foot up his ass.
Jane now stood before the Eldar's house. It was a little bit bigger than all the other ones but not by much. There was a large dome on the roof which she never found out what was for. She walked inside and spotted the Eldar in his armchair, reading what seemed to be research papers. He glanced up from the paper and said," Jane! What a pleasant surprise!", he was always such a jolly man. Jane stood at the doorway and said,"Good morning, Eldar Desmond. I just wanted to say hi. I had a few questions, but it's not important. I can see you're in the middle of something."
Jane was turning around to leave whent the Eldar said, " Not at all, not at all, m'dear! Come, come! It's no problem at all. I was just-"
But he was cut short by a knock at the door. Jane turned and saw Leon standing at the doorway. " Hey Jane", he said giving her a smile and a wave.
"Good morning, Leon", she said, returning the smile and the wave.
"Good morning, Eldar Desmond", Leon said, nodding towards the Eldar. "You wanted to see me?"
"I wanted to see Neraine, too. Could you go find him? You should both hear this."
"Alright", Leon sounded a bit annoyed. " I'll be back in a little while." He turned and left, his coat swishing behind him.
"It seems that I'll be interrupting something", said Jane, placing her hands together.
"No, no, dear. You should hear this too. They may need your help."
"Come on, man", practically spilling his guts in laughter. " Don't worry about it. Two days are enough to get her a gift."
"No it's not!", Neraine said pulling out his hair. "I don't want to get her some cheap gift off the street. Remember that inflatable boob you got Sheila? What were you thinking?"
"Hey! That was a good gift", said Rainus angrily. "It's not like everybody has boobs like J-"
"Don't say it! Otherwise, I'll shove my cutlass into your ass!", Neraine said, a steely glint in his eyes. "Who the perve now?!"
"Hey, at least I don't forget-!"
"Am I interrupting something?" The brothers turned around to see Leon leaning against the wall. He was wearing his trench coat and he had his horn hidden behind his bangs. Neraine, on the other hand, liked his hair short. He had fashioned two curved spikes over his forehead. The spikes hid the horn.
"No, not at all", said Neraine, shoving Rainus to the ground. "Yo, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"What did you get for Jane for her birthday?"
"Well", Leon's face cringed," I really shouldn't be telling you this but my present to her would be putting on a great show at the tournament by wiping you out."
"Hey", Neraine's face lit up, " That's a great gift. But I'm afraid you won't be able to give it."
"Why? You gonna beat yourself up?"
"No!", he said, his face flushing. "I'm gonna rip you to shreds and leave the pieces for the bloody moogles!"
"Bold words, my little friend", said Leon, brushing the hair out of his eyes, "but we'll see come tournament time, won't we? I'm predicting, though, that spiked ass will be on the moogles' menu."
"Yeah, yeah, we'll see alright", Neraine said, giving Leon a dark look. "So...why'd you come down here anyway?"
"The Eldar wanted to see you and me. He says he has something to tell us."
"Great, what now?"
"Don't know, but I think Jane was there, talking about something-"
"Really?", he said in a mock happy tone," Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to drop in and say hello! Poor fellow is short on time now..." He darted past Leon in the direction of the Chief's house.
"See ya, Rainus", said Leon.
" Yeah, see ya", Rainus was slumped on the floor, his eyes rolling inside his head. Leon grinned and followed Neraine.
When Neraine arrived at the Eldar's house he saw Jane sitting in an armchair facing Desmond. There was a smell of tea in the room with clouds of steam floating around.
"Hello, Eldar Desmond", Neraine said glancing at Jane, " You said you wanted to talk to me?"
"Yes, but where is Leon?"
"He's coming. Hey Jane."
"Hi, Neraine", she said smirking. "You're up early, I see."
"Heh, heh. Yeah well-"
"He was asleep when I found him", it was Leon again. " Rainus was waking him up from a very ero- I mean amusing dream. What was it again?" Neraine shot him a threatening lool and looked back at the Eldar.
"Good, good", said Desmond, again in a jolly tone. "You're both here, and I hope you have the tournament on your minds because that's what I need to talk to you about." Both Leon's and Neraine's faces blanched. What about the tournament?
"No, it's nothing bad", Desmond said, spotting the looks on their faces. " There have just been some changes."
"What...kind of changes?", Neraine was fidgeting.
"Well...let me start from the beginning......you know that we have discovered many eidolons. We are still searching for the others the legends speak of."
"Fine, but what does this have anything to do with the tournament?", Leon looked impatient.
"Let me finish", Desmond said wearily. " A month ago, we found a peculiar sword in the Crystal Mines. It has four hollows and and inscription surrounding them."
"And where is this sword?", asked Jane.
"Hold on", Desmond hobbled over to his cabinet. He opened it and pulled out a box. It was a lond case that looked beaten and worn. There was an inscription on the lid but it was too faint to read. Blowing dust off it, Desmond slowly opened it up. Inside lay a long silver sword, something like a cutlass. There was a golden ring at the bottom of the hilt and there was a red piece of cloth it. "Behold, Silveras!"
"And what exactly is that?!", Neraine asked, staring at the blade.
"This, m'boy, is what we believe to be the key to summon Alexander, the holy eidolon." There was an extended silence which was followed by Neraine saying," Alexander? I...I thought that was only a legend!"
"Correct!", Desmond said, holding up the blade, eyes shining. "This is the legend!" Since the time that the blade had be revealed by the case, Leon had been looking at it strangely, almost glaring at it. "How can you be sure? How can you be sure that this blade summons Alexander. And how do you even know it's name?"
"As for the name, that was written on the case in the ancient scriptures. I had to look through my whole library to translate it", Desmond answered, motioning over his back. "Tell me...do you three remember the legend of the Crystal?"
"....The one which was the reason for the existence of Gaia?", Jane's eyes were in wonder.
"The one which created the guardians of the planet and the supreme guardian-", started Leon.
"-Alexander.....", finished Neraine.
"Yes, very good", smiled Desmond. "You know your history. As you remember, the crystal shattered into four pieces. Three pieces went to the continent in the south and the last piece came to Madain Sari, the Mirage Jewel."
"The Mirage Jewel...so, what does the crystal have to do witht he sword?", Jane asked
"See the four hollows in the blade?", said Desmond hefting it, "So...."
".....One slot for each crystal...", finished Leon.
"But, the Mirage Jewel...doesn't it protect the village? Wouldn't the village become vunerable if the crystal left?", asked Neraine, his eyes never leaving the sword.
"Actually, you don't take the crystal", Desmond said. "You touch the blade to the jewel and some of it's power takes the form of another crystal. That is the one that fits into the blade."
"And, what will that acomplish?", Leon was still looking at the blade with an icy bite.
"Once you assemble all four pieces, you must say the holy prayer. Then, Alexander will arise."
"How do we know what the prayer is?"
"It is inscribed on the blade", Desmond said as he raised the sword to his face and recited:
O holy guardian, hear our prayers!
Darkness overshadows us once again!
O holy guardian, hear our prayers!
Deliver us from the darkness into light!"
"Hmmm, that was...uh....deep", said Neraine, not knowing what else to say. Jane, however, looked thoughtfull. "Um...what does it mean by 'darkness overshadows us once again?"
"Ah, sharp, aren't you", Desmond's tone, though, was evasive. "Well, not now...perhaps after the tournament?" Leon, on the other hand, still looked sceptical. What's his problem?thought Neraine. "Again, what does this have to do with the tournament?"
"Obviously, we want to find this eidolon. After I pass, though, who would undertake this quest? The new Chief? He has to stay here and take care of the people.", Desmond looked intently at Leon and Neraine. "Listen, I wanted you both to take on this job, but only the strongest should go and one must remain here as Chief. You are both equally strong and you will both struggle with each other to win the battle. Because of this, I propose that the winner get to choose- a descision between remaining here as Chief or to take Silveras and awaken Alexander. The loser of the match will receive the job the victor did not choose. I know both your strenghts and I have no hesitation in making this choice."
"Well...it seems fair that the victor has a choice...", said Neraine. He hadn't heard what he had just said. He felt that his whole purpose in life had changed, then and there. Ever since he was old enough to understand, he had wanted to be Chief. The power, the responsibility, the love... but all of this had changed. Not necessarily for the worse, though. As he saw it, this was a new, better path which, inevitably, lead to the same thing. And think of the adventures I'd have!
Leon was thinking the same thing, but his thoughts were somewhat darker. He didn't just want to beat Neraine. He wanted to utterly destroy him. These thoughts...why am I thinking them? He's my friend...my best friend...except, maybe for... He shuddered.
"Of course, boys", Desmond's voice woke them up from their reveries," this is only if you both agree." Leon's and Neraine's eyes both met and they nodded in silent agreement. "We both wanteed to be Chief, but...", Neraine, started.
"...We're both ready to take on the quest", finshed Leon. "The tournament is in two days. We will fight at our best to earn that blade!"
"And", Neraine said, turning to a worried looking Jane," We'll put on one hell of a show!"
Please R+R so I can add another chapter. Enjoy the fic!
Final Fantasy IX:
Summoner`s Legacy
Prologue:
An airship was sailing through the night sky. It had a somewhat odd shape; something like an overweight dolphin. It was a large ship yet there was no crew onboard. But there was life there. Massive amounts of life. The ship was being pioleted by an old, withered looking man. He was dressed in black armor with a long flowing cape and a large red jewel encrusted in his chest. Sallow skinned and wrinkled, his eyes were closed and he was barely breathing, almost as if he was trying to hear something in the distance. Suddenly, his eyes twitched open, and..... they were horrifying. They had no pupils, his eyes. Shaking with delight, he let out a long, cold laugh.
Finally! The people on this planet have finally aquired the ultimate power! Their souls are just right! And what luck: these people are dwelling near the Soul Divider... they won't have to go far! But with this kind of strength, they may find it... I must create a seal. And once I finish my Angel of Death, the final harvest can begin!
Chapter 1:
Awakening
Jane woke up with a start. She was panting and there were beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. It was just a dream...just a dream. She had had that same dream again, the one with the old man on the airship. Strange airship... Jane had had the same dream for weeks now. There was an old man on an airship and Jane always woke up when he started laughing.
Jane got up from her bed and went to the water tub. She groaned as she splashed water on her face. Weird dream...I'll have to talk to the Eldar today. Oh wait...the tournament is in two days! I'll have to talk to him before he passes away.
Jane then ran to the window and threw open the shutters. She looked outside as sunlight spilled into her room.
It was morning in the village of Madain Sari, the village of the summoners. The flowers were at full bloom and the birds were chirping, just like they always did at this time of year.
The children were getting ready to go to their classes and the adults had already started doing their research.
The summoner tribe had migrated here 500 years ago. The soil was excellent for crops and the waterfall cut a large stream of rich water, straight through the village. They had no airships, but knew what they were, for they had see many flying in the distance. But not one had ever come near the place.
It was called the summoner tribe for the people had the ability to call forth eidolons, great beings of power. All summoners had small horns on their foreheads which gave them the ability to communicate with eidolons and animals.
A child was usually born with certain eidolons already resting within them. When they reached the age of 16, it was believed that they were mature and that the summoning could be performed.
After countless years of research, many eidolons were found and all but few were summoned sucessfully. But there were still more to find. The summoners believed that the eidolons were guardians of Gaia, the planet on which they lived. Legends were born out of eidolons, legends that were written in the scriptures long ago.
The tribe had a chief and on the day which he believed he would pass away, a tournament was held between the greatest warriors in the tribe. The winner would be granted the High Summoner Blade, mark of the leader of the tribe. The cnadidates are both equally strong this time. Their names are Neraine and Leon.
Both have been hoping they would win, but things are about to change.
In the village, Neraine was lying on a grassy hill, his eyes closed. He was deaming about what would happen if he won the battle. Leon was on the ground and there he stood, High Summoner Blade thrust into the air, in a pose of victory. He could see Jane's face in the crowd, shining with admiration.
"Neraine, you were wonderful!", she said.
"Nah, that was easy! Hey Jane, you wanna come to my place after the party...?"
"Of course!", she said in a seductive tone. "I'm going to come and... beat your ass if you don't wake up now!!" What the- ?
Neraine woke up with a snap and blinked stupidly. Then he saw his brother, Rainus, looming over him.
"Rainus! You jackass!", Neraine said as he scrambled to his feet. "Why do you always have to wake me up when she tells me what she's going to do?!"
"Oh, shaddup you pervert!", said Rainus, an annoyed look on his face. "I don't even know why I came to you, but I need help with Sheila." Neraine's face quickly became serious. "What? She dumped you?"
"No, hardly. Hey! Remember who you're talking to!"
"Yeah, yeah. So what is it?"
"She....she wants us to go to the next level."
"So...what? You want me to catalog the nasty details?"
"Noooo!", Rainus' face was contorted with fury. "I don't...want to have a kid!"
"Yeah, you better not", said Neraine. "Otherwise, I'll kick your ass!"
"Hey! Think about my children!", said Rainus jokingly.
"Rainus..."
"Okay, okay! But then, why are you so calm?"
"Geez, for a guy who's going to get some, you sure are stupid!", laughed Neraine. "Sheila can use white magic, right?"
"Yeah, for a long time now."
"Okay, then. There's this new white magic out. They've been researching, but they only just created it half a month ago. It's called 'Protection' and it's really expensive."
"Uhh....what does it do?", Rainus looked completely clueless.
What did Sheila ever see in this kid? "What do you think it does?", said Neraine, cocking his eyebrow.
".....oh!!", said Rainus, scratching his head. "That's what it does! Ha ha heh...oh."
"You get it now?", Neraine felt as if he was talking to a four-year old. Hard to believe that the kid was his age.
"Yeah, completely, of course!", exclaimed Rainus.
"You don't get it, do you?"
"...no.", Rainus said, his head drooping.
"Fine. I'll whisper it in your ear. Don't worry, I'll try not to hurt your virgin mind...", said Neraine as he went into a lenghty explanation about 'Protection'.
"Ahhhh!", screamed Rainus, clutching his crotch. "Doesn't that hurt?"
I can't believe this kid is my brother. As long as he doesn't open his mouth in public, thought Neraine.
"No...", he sounded exasperated.
"Oh...okay, then. I guess it couldn't be that bad", smiled Rainus. "Enough about me then, man. How about you? How's it going with Jane?", Rainus plopped to the ground sniggering to himself.
"Shaddup!", Neraine said, sliding onto a rock. He had liked Jane for a long time now, ever since they were children. But even though Neraine wanted to get friendlier, he was afraid that it would ruin what they already had. Besides, why would she go out with him? "So what, you want me to take advice from you? Ridiculous..."
"Hey, who's getting some?", smirked Rainus.
"Ha, ha...who was the dumbass that didn't know what protection was?
"Ouch!", Rainus put his hands behind his head and asked, "What were you planning to do?"
"Well, I was planning to AHHHHH! DAMMMIT!", Neraine shot up and started running around.
"What? Stop running!"
"I forgot to get Jane a birthday present. It's in two days!" Rainus slapped his forehead and said, "Geez...you're hopeless!"
After waking up from her dream, Jane took a shower and put on some day wear. She walked out her door and started towards the Chief's house. Eldar Desmond... I wonder if he can help? When she came to an intersection, she considered going to wake up Neraine; he was never up this early. Neraine... She decided to let him sleep and continued towards the Eldar's house.
Jane passed a school and she almost missed the building. Yesterday, her whole class had graduated. Children start school at the very young age of three and finish around the age of sixteen. Those thirteen years were filled with vigorous training of the body and mind; summoning eidolons were not for the faint of heart. Her sixteenth birthday was in two days, on the day of the tournament.
On her sixteenth birthday, Jane's eidolon would awaken. Neraine's birthday was a week ago and Leon's had been a month past but both guys had chosen to keep their eidolons sealed until after the tournament. Children can summon from the time they are born, but the eldar seals them until they are sixteen, until they are ready, to keep their powers from getting out of hand.
Jane felt good, stretching her slender legs. She had long, dark hair and her eyes were chestnut. On other aspects of her...well let's just say that, if Neraine didn't beat him down, Rainus would probably yell, "Nice tits!", everytime he saw her. Then Sheila would put her foot up his ass.
Jane now stood before the Eldar's house. It was a little bit bigger than all the other ones but not by much. There was a large dome on the roof which she never found out what was for. She walked inside and spotted the Eldar in his armchair, reading what seemed to be research papers. He glanced up from the paper and said," Jane! What a pleasant surprise!", he was always such a jolly man. Jane stood at the doorway and said,"Good morning, Eldar Desmond. I just wanted to say hi. I had a few questions, but it's not important. I can see you're in the middle of something."
Jane was turning around to leave whent the Eldar said, " Not at all, not at all, m'dear! Come, come! It's no problem at all. I was just-"
But he was cut short by a knock at the door. Jane turned and saw Leon standing at the doorway. " Hey Jane", he said giving her a smile and a wave.
"Good morning, Leon", she said, returning the smile and the wave.
"Good morning, Eldar Desmond", Leon said, nodding towards the Eldar. "You wanted to see me?"
"I wanted to see Neraine, too. Could you go find him? You should both hear this."
"Alright", Leon sounded a bit annoyed. " I'll be back in a little while." He turned and left, his coat swishing behind him.
"It seems that I'll be interrupting something", said Jane, placing her hands together.
"No, no, dear. You should hear this too. They may need your help."
"Come on, man", practically spilling his guts in laughter. " Don't worry about it. Two days are enough to get her a gift."
"No it's not!", Neraine said pulling out his hair. "I don't want to get her some cheap gift off the street. Remember that inflatable boob you got Sheila? What were you thinking?"
"Hey! That was a good gift", said Rainus angrily. "It's not like everybody has boobs like J-"
"Don't say it! Otherwise, I'll shove my cutlass into your ass!", Neraine said, a steely glint in his eyes. "Who the perve now?!"
"Hey, at least I don't forget-!"
"Am I interrupting something?" The brothers turned around to see Leon leaning against the wall. He was wearing his trench coat and he had his horn hidden behind his bangs. Neraine, on the other hand, liked his hair short. He had fashioned two curved spikes over his forehead. The spikes hid the horn.
"No, not at all", said Neraine, shoving Rainus to the ground. "Yo, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"What did you get for Jane for her birthday?"
"Well", Leon's face cringed," I really shouldn't be telling you this but my present to her would be putting on a great show at the tournament by wiping you out."
"Hey", Neraine's face lit up, " That's a great gift. But I'm afraid you won't be able to give it."
"Why? You gonna beat yourself up?"
"No!", he said, his face flushing. "I'm gonna rip you to shreds and leave the pieces for the bloody moogles!"
"Bold words, my little friend", said Leon, brushing the hair out of his eyes, "but we'll see come tournament time, won't we? I'm predicting, though, that spiked ass will be on the moogles' menu."
"Yeah, yeah, we'll see alright", Neraine said, giving Leon a dark look. "So...why'd you come down here anyway?"
"The Eldar wanted to see you and me. He says he has something to tell us."
"Great, what now?"
"Don't know, but I think Jane was there, talking about something-"
"Really?", he said in a mock happy tone," Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to drop in and say hello! Poor fellow is short on time now..." He darted past Leon in the direction of the Chief's house.
"See ya, Rainus", said Leon.
" Yeah, see ya", Rainus was slumped on the floor, his eyes rolling inside his head. Leon grinned and followed Neraine.
When Neraine arrived at the Eldar's house he saw Jane sitting in an armchair facing Desmond. There was a smell of tea in the room with clouds of steam floating around.
"Hello, Eldar Desmond", Neraine said glancing at Jane, " You said you wanted to talk to me?"
"Yes, but where is Leon?"
"He's coming. Hey Jane."
"Hi, Neraine", she said smirking. "You're up early, I see."
"Heh, heh. Yeah well-"
"He was asleep when I found him", it was Leon again. " Rainus was waking him up from a very ero- I mean amusing dream. What was it again?" Neraine shot him a threatening lool and looked back at the Eldar.
"Good, good", said Desmond, again in a jolly tone. "You're both here, and I hope you have the tournament on your minds because that's what I need to talk to you about." Both Leon's and Neraine's faces blanched. What about the tournament?
"No, it's nothing bad", Desmond said, spotting the looks on their faces. " There have just been some changes."
"What...kind of changes?", Neraine was fidgeting.
"Well...let me start from the beginning......you know that we have discovered many eidolons. We are still searching for the others the legends speak of."
"Fine, but what does this have anything to do with the tournament?", Leon looked impatient.
"Let me finish", Desmond said wearily. " A month ago, we found a peculiar sword in the Crystal Mines. It has four hollows and and inscription surrounding them."
"And where is this sword?", asked Jane.
"Hold on", Desmond hobbled over to his cabinet. He opened it and pulled out a box. It was a lond case that looked beaten and worn. There was an inscription on the lid but it was too faint to read. Blowing dust off it, Desmond slowly opened it up. Inside lay a long silver sword, something like a cutlass. There was a golden ring at the bottom of the hilt and there was a red piece of cloth it. "Behold, Silveras!"
"And what exactly is that?!", Neraine asked, staring at the blade.
"This, m'boy, is what we believe to be the key to summon Alexander, the holy eidolon." There was an extended silence which was followed by Neraine saying," Alexander? I...I thought that was only a legend!"
"Correct!", Desmond said, holding up the blade, eyes shining. "This is the legend!" Since the time that the blade had be revealed by the case, Leon had been looking at it strangely, almost glaring at it. "How can you be sure? How can you be sure that this blade summons Alexander. And how do you even know it's name?"
"As for the name, that was written on the case in the ancient scriptures. I had to look through my whole library to translate it", Desmond answered, motioning over his back. "Tell me...do you three remember the legend of the Crystal?"
"....The one which was the reason for the existence of Gaia?", Jane's eyes were in wonder.
"The one which created the guardians of the planet and the supreme guardian-", started Leon.
"-Alexander.....", finished Neraine.
"Yes, very good", smiled Desmond. "You know your history. As you remember, the crystal shattered into four pieces. Three pieces went to the continent in the south and the last piece came to Madain Sari, the Mirage Jewel."
"The Mirage Jewel...so, what does the crystal have to do witht he sword?", Jane asked
"See the four hollows in the blade?", said Desmond hefting it, "So...."
".....One slot for each crystal...", finished Leon.
"But, the Mirage Jewel...doesn't it protect the village? Wouldn't the village become vunerable if the crystal left?", asked Neraine, his eyes never leaving the sword.
"Actually, you don't take the crystal", Desmond said. "You touch the blade to the jewel and some of it's power takes the form of another crystal. That is the one that fits into the blade."
"And, what will that acomplish?", Leon was still looking at the blade with an icy bite.
"Once you assemble all four pieces, you must say the holy prayer. Then, Alexander will arise."
"How do we know what the prayer is?"
"It is inscribed on the blade", Desmond said as he raised the sword to his face and recited:
O holy guardian, hear our prayers!
Darkness overshadows us once again!
O holy guardian, hear our prayers!
Deliver us from the darkness into light!"
"Hmmm, that was...uh....deep", said Neraine, not knowing what else to say. Jane, however, looked thoughtfull. "Um...what does it mean by 'darkness overshadows us once again?"
"Ah, sharp, aren't you", Desmond's tone, though, was evasive. "Well, not now...perhaps after the tournament?" Leon, on the other hand, still looked sceptical. What's his problem?thought Neraine. "Again, what does this have to do with the tournament?"
"Obviously, we want to find this eidolon. After I pass, though, who would undertake this quest? The new Chief? He has to stay here and take care of the people.", Desmond looked intently at Leon and Neraine. "Listen, I wanted you both to take on this job, but only the strongest should go and one must remain here as Chief. You are both equally strong and you will both struggle with each other to win the battle. Because of this, I propose that the winner get to choose- a descision between remaining here as Chief or to take Silveras and awaken Alexander. The loser of the match will receive the job the victor did not choose. I know both your strenghts and I have no hesitation in making this choice."
"Well...it seems fair that the victor has a choice...", said Neraine. He hadn't heard what he had just said. He felt that his whole purpose in life had changed, then and there. Ever since he was old enough to understand, he had wanted to be Chief. The power, the responsibility, the love... but all of this had changed. Not necessarily for the worse, though. As he saw it, this was a new, better path which, inevitably, lead to the same thing. And think of the adventures I'd have!
Leon was thinking the same thing, but his thoughts were somewhat darker. He didn't just want to beat Neraine. He wanted to utterly destroy him. These thoughts...why am I thinking them? He's my friend...my best friend...except, maybe for... He shuddered.
"Of course, boys", Desmond's voice woke them up from their reveries," this is only if you both agree." Leon's and Neraine's eyes both met and they nodded in silent agreement. "We both wanteed to be Chief, but...", Neraine, started.
"...We're both ready to take on the quest", finshed Leon. "The tournament is in two days. We will fight at our best to earn that blade!"
"And", Neraine said, turning to a worried looking Jane," We'll put on one hell of a show!"