My other Dissidia story ended just a little over a week ago, and I'm already writing something new?
Actually, I developed the general concept of this story while writing "The Previous Cycle", but... I didn't want two stories running concurrently with each other. The story itself was inspired somewhat loosely by 012's announcement, before we had any character announcements besides Kain and Lightning.
What precisely is this story about? Read and see.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
And so the war came to its conclusion.
"Yes it has." Cid of the Lufaine responded to Shinryu's ethereal voice, "And I feel only regret for allowing it to be started. It was a meaningless venture, and Chaos himself was defeated."
The power of Discord is limited, Cid. We should have foreseen that. The Cosmos Warriors… they have shown us the truth.
"We need the Cycle no longer, Shinryu. You need not resurrect them again. Best to let them rest in peace."
One of them… yes. But the other…
"Shinryu?" Cid, now a disembodied spirit, took note of the change of disposition in the divine dragon.
At the end of the war, we saw, you saw, Chaos power could only grow so much. Even if I were to grant him my power, they would still outstrip him.
"Shinryu, what are you getting at?"
I am… fascinated, Cid. This possibility, did it cross your mind as Chaos was defeated? If, rather then the gods, we instead focused our intentions on these… warriors?
"Shinryu, the war is over. Chaos is defeated, they have returned to their rightful places. I have no further need of the war, as such, you are freed from your duty to recreate it."
This isn't about what you desire, Cid. I told you, the possibilities of this angle fascinates me. A war seen through the eyes of the warriors, I must see it, I must be there, so once more, I shall…
The Edge of Madness. Now a broken version of what it once was, the magma hardened into rock, the pillar the throne sat on was shattered by the battle that had taken place. The scars and wounds were evident, the gaping hole in the middle, where Chaos had been engulfed, but in Shinryu's eyes, it was trivial, the final outcome of an incorrect way of looking at the Cycle. An grievous error he would rectify, not for the sake of the ultimate weapon, but simply… to see.
Shinryu wrapped his serpentine bottom half around the pillar that formed the base of Chaos' Throne, his two arms calmly at his side, he felt the mystic energy seeping out of his mouth, he reared back for a moment, then thrust his head down and let his breath escape him.
The Edge of Madness was coated with the divine energy of Shinryu's essence. Not just the throne, as the energy poured over the edges, and into the hardened magma. The broken throne molded itself into a form more fitting for the Divine Dragon.
Silver steel adorned the new landscape, matching the dragon's scales. What had once been the Edge of Madness, a throne to entropy, was now a shrine to its creator: Shinryu.
The center of the room contained a raised stand, upon it was a large crystal, cut from the same cloth as Garland's dark crystal, this black crystal rested in the podium. Shinryu's body encircled this crystal, wrapping around it, with Shinryu's main body wrapping around the summit of the crystal.
With his head up above it, he summoned energy through his arms, at once a distortion in the air appeared before him, concentrating into fourteen different points of blue energy. After a moment, the energy solidified into crystals, fourteen crystals.
You who bear souls of strength. Come forth, show me a true… war.
The energy around the fourteen crystals surged, drawing essence, drawing… souls, to them. Then, suddenly, they shattered, the energy gathered now bound to this world. Eleven warriors materialized before Shinryu's eyes.
They were the former Chaos Warriors, the ten that had manipulated events in ways even he had not forseen in the last cycle. Then the eleventh, coated in Arcadian steel, he too had learned the truth, but these eleven alone…
No. Not enough. To see the world through the eyes of the Warrior's… I require, more.
Shinryu turned his attention to the shattered remnants of the crystals, he charged his energy through the air, allowing it to surge through the energy of the shards. The dragon's divine energy flowing through them, a greater summon began to take place, but not here.
Off in the distance, Shinryu witnessed beams of light crashing to the ground, attempting to summon from the fractured crystals had resulted in the destination of the new warriors to be… off, from where he intended.
A minor inconvenience. Allies shall seek out allies, those of Cosmos, and those of my cloth, shall see them, shall bring them… to war.
At Order's Sanctuary, the crystal's strength shined bright, and ten warriors materialized. The heroes who had saved existence itself from Chaos' endless misery and solitude, but they were not meant to return here.
"This is…" The Warrior of Light felt his eyes absorb his surroundings, a mere two years ago he had seen Cosmos die on this very spot.
"Not again." Squall narrowed his eyes, looking around, he saw all the familiar faces.
Yes, all ten of the Cosmos Warriors had returned to Order's Sanctuary, but a proper reunion would have to wait, each was too confused by the return, and then suddenly one single word pierced the air.
"Cosmos!"
The warriors all turned around in response to the Warrior of Light's yell, Cosmos was by her throne, on the ground, limp.
The Warrior of Light ran past his comrades to reach Cosmos, lying on her side in the shallow water. He moved his arms under her, picking her up, with one arm under her abdomen region and the other on her upper back. With a soft moan, she opened her eyes and turned towards the Warrior.
"It's… you…" Cosmos gasped, seemingly wounded by something. "I had hoped that… this would be… over… that you wouldn't… have to… fight again…"
"Cosmos, what has happened? Why are we back?" The Warrior of Light tried not to sound too demanding or forceful, in respect to the pain she seemed to be in, but moreso just in regards to who she was.
"Someone is trying… to restart the war. They've likely… succeeded already… seeing as you're here…"
"What, who?" Firion came up beside Cosmos and the Warrior of Light. "It isn't the Emperor, is it? He's cheated death before."
"I do not know…" Cosmos' body suddenly contorted, forcing the Warrior of Light to restrain her movements until her body calmed back down. "I've… felt this pain ever… since I sensed you… were returning…"
Cosmos breathed heavily and leaned her head back, "Someone… doesn't want… the gods present… for this… battle…"
"So… we have to fight another war, just like last time?" Cloud shook his head, "Another battle…"
"Not… quite… the same…" Cosmos gasped and tried to raise her head back up, Firion knelt down and helped her head up with his hand. "I've sensed… more Warriors… it's not just… the twenty from… the last war…"
Suddenly, almost in response to that statement, a beam of light pierced the sky above the ten warriors, the beam came down and impacted the ground, forcing the shallow water away from it. The light condensed on the ground, and then entirely vanished, in it's place was a small female figure.
"Shan…to…tto…" Cosmos gasped, in response, the small figure raced to the goddess. "There isn't much… time… there are other… Warriors… who didn't appear… so close… you must find… th-"
Cosmos closed her eyes and rolled her head to the side, panic briefly hit the Warrior of Light, but after a moment she suddenly drew breath, the Warrior realized she only passed out. Gently, he picked her up and brought her to her throne, laying her peacefully in front of the throne itself. Standing up, he turned around to address the others.
"She spoke of others besides us who have been drawn to this world, we should find them. She spoke of someone trying to start the war anew, we must stop him, or her, now." The Warrior of Light bowed his head, then turned his attention to the smaller figure.
"And you? Cosmos called you Shantotto, correct?"
"Yes, I'm a Tarutaru Black Mage, and for the sake of Cosmos, I'll fight without demanding a wage."
"A Tarutaru? What is-" The Warrior of Light paused a moment, then shook his head, "Nevermind, I shouldn't pry into a comrades world. You will help us as a mage?"
"Why yes I-"
"Hey." The Warrior of Light and Shantotto broke off of their conversation as Cloud approached them. "Do you have any idea who we're facing now?" Cloud looked at the ground, "Cosmos mentioned "the twenty", so I think our old enemies are back, but who else might be fighting for them? And… who's leading them?"
The Warrior of Light paused momentarily, then responded "I don't know the answer to any question. But when we find the person leading them, we'll find the person who's restarted the war." Looking to the distance, the Warrior saw beams of light falling from the sky above. Turning around, he glimpsed at Cosmos again, the thought of leaving her here like that, alone… he felt something churn in his gut. Still, she had said to find others, and he would obey.
Shinryu remain coiled around the single black crystal in his lair, what was once the Edge of Madness. It was now known as Divinity's Center. The dragon closed his eyes and channeled his power through the Goddess of Harmony. Her presence was there for the time being, but she would take no part in the war, he would prevent any of the Chaos Warriors, rechristened as the Shinryu Warriors, from harming her. Yet no god would interfere with what he had set in motion.
Opening his eyes once more, Shinryu looked out toward the distance, it might take quite some time before the war truly began again. Plenty of time for some testing of virtues…
If you'll note, I did kinda ignore just how casually Cid and Cosmos were talking in the secret ending, but whatever.
Expect updates. I've got big plans for this story.
Take note that I'm not writing a full "war".
Please review.