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~Chapter I: The Broken Barriers~
"Our world, Terca Lumereis.
No one knows how far its lands and oceans stretch.
For the people are no match against the hordes of monsters that crawl the earth.
Barriers protect the cities in which we live, and we are completely dependent upon them for our survival.
These barriers are generated by the blastia.
Blastia use the primeval power of aer that fills the world...
To provide us with fire, water, and light. They provide us with everything that has made the empire prosper.
Perhaps one day...
We may even forget the threat of the viscous monsters lying in wait, just beyond the barriers.
The blessings of the blastia...
Will bestow even more prosperity to the world and peace to its people.
From the imperial capital Zaphias, the bedrock of peace, we pray: May tranquility bless this world."
- Unknown Author
The study was quiet, filled with the warm light of the midday sun. Its lone occupant sat at the desk closest to the large windows. She gave a content sigh as she finished the last line from the book lying open before her.
Her ornate blue and white dress and the styling of her pink hair showed that she was of noble standing. She smiled as she slowly closed the book, resting a hand on the aged leather as she thought on what she had read.
Standing she turned toward the large bookshelf, thinking of what book she would read next. She managed to take a step when she spied the perfect one, but she was halted by a knock at the door.
Taking a step back in surprise she watched the door, curious of what was beyond it. Hearing the knocking again, albeit a faster pace she shook her head. Steeling herself she slowly walked to the door, ready to greet her impatient guest.
Opening it she was greeted by an Imperial Knight in full armor. She shouldn't have been surprised, the Knights were the only people who came to her study. Most only to relay messages or summon her for official gatherings.
The one thing she tired of when seeing the Knights, was that they never showed their faces. The thin split in the visor the only window to tell her who it was underneath it.
Shaking her head to rid herself of such thoughts she smiled as she began to speak.
"Yes Sir Knight? What brings you to my study?"
"Princess Estellise, Commandant Alexei has requested that you come to the meeting hall immediately. I am to be your escort."
The girl paused, what did the Commandant want with her? The man normally never spoke to her, only ever coming into contact with her when he accompanied a highly ranking member of the Royal Council. Quickly snapping out of such thoughts she returned her attention to the knight.
"Then please take me to the Commandant, Sir..."
"Remus milady."
"Okay Sir Remus, let's go."
The city was in ruins.
A majority of the buildings were either burned down, or reduced to nothing more than a pile of rubble. A dense mist had settled over the area, blanketing the destruction as if the world was trying to hide the hideous sight.
A group of Knights moved amongst the rubble. Their armors bloodied and beaten, each was breathing heavily as they finished off the last of the beasts that had attacked them. Several corpses of wolf like beasts lay at their feet, along with the scattered remains of livestock and people.
One lone Knight stood away from the rest, eyeing the situation with dread evident in his eyes. He ran a hand through his uneven blond hair as he watched his fellow knights recover. He almost felt sick when one seemed to pick up a severed limb of a deceased civilian.
He shook his head as he quietly sheathed his sword and began walking back to the horses. One thing seemed to plague his mind as he passed by the destroyed remains of a Blastia Shell.
"I don't get it. What could have possibly happened to this town's barrier?"
The lower quarter of Zaphias was alive with actions and movement of its citizens. Children ran through the streets playing their games while most of the adults were conversing with the vendors on the street. Those who weren't active were resting in their homes, trying to relax for tasks that they might have to do tomorrow.
One child ran by and was distracted by a comment by one of his friends. This caused him to run into a robed person that was walking towards the square. The kid backed up and looked up into the hood that hid the person's face. He seemed to be feeling uneasy when he couldn't see their eyes.
"Sorry, just playing with some friends."
With that the kid ran off, the person didn't respond as they looked towards their current destination. The robed figure made their way silently into the square. unlike most of the lower quarter, the square was empty. The only thing that seemed to be making any noise, other than the person's boots on the cobblestone, was the water that was pouring from the fountain.
The ornate fountain was seemingly made of marble, no imperfections marred its surface. The only difference in its coloration was a single blue stone, the blastia, that sat in the center of the fountain. The figure eyed the blastia as they closed the distance between them and their target. They came to the edge of the water and stepped into it without a second thought.
Wading through the water they reached the center of the fountain, eyeing the blastia. Slowly and carefully they reached out and grabbed the stone with both hands. They began pulling at the blastia, silently grunting as the stone didn't want to seem to budge from its housing. They managed some progress when they turned the orb. It made a sound and the orb slid from its housing.
The weight of the orb now felt in their hands the person smiled as they slid the blastia into their sleeve. Then, as fast as they could, they left as silently as they had arrived.
The water coming from the fountain then slowly came to a halt. This was followed by the ground shaking violently. Many of the citizens turned towards the disturbance, only to be met with the sight of a massive pillar of water exploding from the fountain. People began screaming and shouting as they tried to avoid the oncoming surge of water.
The streets were soon flooded, massive streams of water carving paths through the city streets. The citizens watched from their windows as the water raged beneath them.
The only one who didn't seemed worried was a young man sitting on his window's ledge. His long purple hair swayed in the breeze as he watched the chaos unfold with disinterest. In his room sat a dog that had blue and gray fur, it was trying to ignore the sounds coming from the city, but to no avail. The two's peace was disturbed when the young man's room door burst open.
A small child ran into the room, his clothes clung to him and his hair was laying flat against his head. If the man didn't know any better, he would have said that the boy got caught in the water. His gaze didn't waver however, even as the boy jumped up on the ledge and began pointing towards the plaza.
"Yuri! The aque blastia broke again!"
Yuri looked to the boy and chuckled at his expression, the kid was too worked up.
"Then go and get Flynn."
"I tried that already. The Knights wouldn't let me near him."
Yuri turned to look at the kid, an annoyed frown replacing his stoic expression.
"Then what, am I his replacement?"
Estellise sighed as she sat at the head of the large meeting table. She didn't know for how long she had been waiting for the Commandant, but judging by the sun, it had been a while. The princess nervously fiddled with her dress, thinking of any reason she would have been called on.
'...I almost never leave my study, unless you count the incident with the Mandragora...oh no, I still have to send a Get Well card to those gardeners!'
After quickly making sure she had that noted she turned to Sir Remus. The Knight stood quietly, watching the door, waiting for Commandant Alexei. Estellise frowned, she didn't know what to say to the man, she couldn't read him. She was starting to think that she would have to ask the Commandant to change the design of the helmets, at least when they weren't in combat.
As much as she wanted to see people's faces, even she knew the practicality of having a fully covering helmet. Sighing the girl slumped back into her seat and looked up to the ceiling, she should have brought a book along. There was an interesting one that she had received for her last birthday, she could have brought that one.
Caught up in her musings on ancient tomes, Estellise didn't notice the door to the conference room slide open. Her attention only shifted when she heard the sound of heavy armor. Looking down the girl felt an eyebrow raise at the sight of another Knight. This one wore red instead of the usual green, signifying that he was of Alexei's own forces.
The Knight quickly closed the distance and stopped just short of Estellise's seat. The man bowed and began speaking in a raspy monotone.
"Lady Estellise, I am here on the behalf of Commandant Alexei. He sends his apologies as a situation has arisen that requires his immediate attention. This meeting will have to be scheduled for another time."
The man then rose and nodded towards Remus, who responded in kind. Then the Knight quickly left the room, once again leaving the two alone. Turning towards the remaining Knight Estellise voiced her thoughts.
"Shall we then return to my study?"
Remus turned towards her and gave a curt nod. Estellise smiled and then stood from her chair. Quickly the two then began their walk back.
Walking through the massive halls of the castle Estellise once again found her mind wandering. However, instead of books, her mind was now thinking of the ocean. The large body of water was glistening in the sunset. It almost brought tears to her eyes, and a question to mind. Turning towards Remus she began speaking.
"Sir Remus, do you think I'll ever be able to leave the castle and explore the world?"
"I wouldn't know milady, but I believe when you come of age you should be able to do as you wish. If I may be so bold, what brought about that question?"
"Oh, it's just that I am always reading about the world outside these walls, and yet I can never experience it on my own."
Estellise's gaze lowered, she stared at the floor with a downtrodden expression. Remus looked to her, but remained silent as he didn't want to disturb the girl. Returning his gaze forward the two continued onward in silence.
This lasted for several long minutes before the two reached the door to Estellise's study. Remus then opened the door and motioned for her to enter. Estellise gave the man a small smile before bowing.
"I thank you Sir Remus. Even though it was for a short time, I enjoyed our-"
Estellise didn't get to finish as she was cut off by a shout and what sounded like the clanging of steel. Spinning around Estellise watched as a Knight went flying by the end of the hallway. The Knight hit a wall and slid down it into a crumpled heap, a red stain left on the wall.
Estellise put her hands to her mouth to stifle a scream, her eyes widening as another Knight fell to the ground, a blade protruding from his back. Quickly Remus stepped in front of the princess as he drew his sword. It was then that the two got a look at the cause of the horrible spectacle.
Three phantoms rounded the corner and turned to face the two. Their thin bodies were draped in long black cloaks that had their hoods drawn. The only thing Estellise could see of their faces were the twin glowing red eyes. At the end of their arms were large, crooked claws that seemingly extended from the sleeve instead of an actual arm.
The phantoms neard and their movements made the princess question if the three were even human. Remus pushed her back before he rushed towards the three. His sword clashed with the claws of the closest phantom. Sparks bounced from the blades as the two tried to force the other to loose balance.
Remus seemed to quickly gain the upper hand as he managed to push back the phantom. The Knight then smashed his blade into the ground and sliced upwards. A large blue wave of energy tore along the ground and made contact with its target. The phantom shrieked, an unearthly sound as it was torn apart. The phantom fell and Estellise gave a smile, Remus got one.
The victory was short lived however as the other two phantoms rounded the Knight. One leapt at Remus, but was batted aside by the Knight's fist. The second one however, managed to score a hit to the man's side. Blood poured from the wound as Remus turned and smashed his arm into the phantom's face.
Hopping back when the second phantom fell Remus launched two more of the waves of energy, both waves struck the remaining phantoms. Their bodies vanished like the first, when the smoke cleared Remus hurried back to Estellise and grunted as he put away his sword. Estellise felt her eyes go wide as she looked to the man's bleeding side. The Knight cut her thoughts short as he placed a hand onto her shoulder.
"Milady...I need...to get you away from here."
"But Remus, you're hurt! Let me heal you!"
Estellise then quickly brought her hands together and felt the familiar pull of her energy surround her. She split her hands and reached towards the wound, but the Knight simply stopped her as he shook his head.
"I know your intentions are pure Milady, but we do not have much time."
Wincing Estellise slowly lowered her hands as the energy faded, Remus nodded as he pointed to the hallway behind them.
"Now, we need to get you to the Armory, the Knights there can-"
"FLYNN SCIFO!"
Startled by the sudden shout both looked back towards the phantom's entrance, and Estellise felt Remus's grip tighten. Walking down the hallway, not having noticed them yet, was a man wearing red. His wild hair seemingly unkempt and spiked up was the first thing that Estellise was drawn to. It was colored differently in most parts, mostly being red, there were traces of yellow and black.
The man's attire seemed to consist of nothing more than belts and a body suit. Held in his hands were two sinister looking weapons, Estellise could see blood dripping from them. Thinking quickly Remus pushed Estellise into an indent in the wall, he then turned to the man in red and drew his sword.
The man seemed to have noticed him as he turned around and tilted his head as a smile expanded. His gaze seemed crazed as he began spinning his blades around his fingers. He than started walking forward, Remus visibly tensed.
"Are you Flynn Scifo? Well, I honestly don't think that matters, I'm going to kill you anyway."
Remus acted first and launched another wave of energy, however unlike with the phantoms, the man simply made an X in the air with his blades and cut the wave apart. The energy fizzled out of existence as the man began laughing. He then hunched over and charged at the man.
Each swing the man tore through Remus, Estellise watched in horror as the Knight was dropped to the ground. The man looked over the Knight and proceeded to kick him. When he got no response, the man then turned and walked down the hallway. Calling out a name as he rounded the corner.
When she was sure the man was gone, she instantly rushed to Remus's side. Dropping to her knees she turned the Knight over and gasped. The man's body was covered in deep gashes, each worse than the last. Looking up Estellise saw that a large crack was opened in Remus's helmet.
He had green eyes.
Frowning the girl felt warm tears slide down her cheeks. She may have not known the man for long, but she still felt as if she had just lost a dear friend. Closing her eyes she lowered the man to the ground and quickly offered a quick prayer. She felt lost, not knowing what to do now. Lowering her gaze to the man's hand she noted the sword still held in it.
A determined look quickly crossed the princess's face as she leaned forward and pulled the sword from Remus's hand. She examined the intricately designed hand guard and the slender blade. Uttering a quiet apology the girl stood and picked up the sword's sheathe. Sheathing the blade she turned towards the direction that the man had told her to go, the Armory.
Taking one last look at the departed knight she turned and began running as fast as she could. She needed help, and she had been told where to find it.
I hope you enjoyed!
I have been wanting to do this for some time now. A novelization of Tales of Vesperia as told through the perspective of Estelle. However, it won't be a direct thing, as I have some really neat ideas I want to try out.
I wanted to have this chapter explain why Estelle was running when you meet her.
Had that idea when I started reading .Hack/ Another Birth. As that is a story where it is told from BlackRose's point of view.
Anyway, this will be the only full length summary in this story, as this is going to be a novelization, I wouldn't want you to sit through my ramblings.
Again, I hope you enjoy this large project.
Have a nice day!