Phantasmagoric
A natural landscape from the past set the stage. Trees, grasses and flowers covered the ground and a small, sandy lake was in the center of things with beautiful willow trees stretching into the water. A gentle, cool breeze made the thinnest branches sway slightly. The sun was out, only obscured by the occasional high, thin cloud.
So this is the warrior of which you speak
Zero?
Yes. I knew he would visit us sooner or later.
It's hard to pin a phoenix down.
He is cautious of us, just like everyone new.
I wish that someday someone wouldn't fear us…
It's only natural to hold caution. Being betrayed doesn't lend easily to trust-at-first-sight.
It still is unfair to judge without knowing the subject being judged.
He chooses to hide.
Who wouldn't in his situation? A villain turned hero…
Tragic, never finding somewhere to belong.
Everyone has their place… Why can't they see the obvious of &(#*%?
He can't understand that.
No… Not any of our visitors has been able to yet.
Did he ever near understanding? That there is dawn after the darkness?
Sometimes. With the right one around, he can feel accepted.
But that never lasts long, does it? The world which he dwells in is cruel and dark, without the blessing of nature.
We can't be obvious. There must be growth, even for a hero.
It pains me to know everything, and yet do nothing. Like coming to a trapped animal just a second too late.
He is our visitor.
Some days I just want to scream! All that really matters is )$*^ * and )*!&$, and that he means $^!)# to us. There's so little hope, trapped in the nightmare.
Yet he searches on for his friend. He endures.
I can't take the pressure, it's too simple…
To tell him to end a hero's life.
It's so tempting, but I have resisted before.
Our visitor grows tired of speech. He is the fighting-type after all.
Then I'll entertain them.
And not spoil anything important?
Yes. Hidden farther away than even the wisest dare to look.
Show him. Allow him to roam.
Certainly, cyborg.
Treat him as a friend.
Zero, warrior in red.
Better.
See this world? A place of serenity? Walk over to the flowers and notice their scent. Feel the gentle breeze that animates the trees. Splash in the lake like a small child. Enjoy true peace.
Who are we? We are the clouds and sky. We are the sunshine and the rain. We are the observers and the guides. We are the stars and moons. We are the trees and the cats, wisest of creatures. We take on many forms, but we really are the same.
We are the universes that span time and space. Realities that seem impossible are possible. Look at us, we only want to know and for you to know. Have a story before you go. There once was a warrior, quite literally born for combat.
That was you, Zero.
Sometimes it was trapped, entombed by a man of hatred. It couldn't really function yet. The man was creating their legacy. Even if the man had invented a time machine and used it to finish off their long-time rival, he knew he would one day die. He wanted the world to remain in chaos forever.
But his creation was more than a simple robot.
His creation would become far more powerful than ever intended. It would still send the world into chaos, but it would also fight that chaos.
Sometimes it would be lost in the chaos, too.
So let us go back. The man once had a loving family and a daughter that adored him. A daughter that fate would take away but not without leaving behind something.
You are the something.
Now go even further back. Everything was once the same. The same start as a star. A common origin, created by…
Not yet. Some materials began to change. They created bigger and heavier things that floated through an endless void. Many different things, many different names.
Some believed in a universe of substance and lack of substance. Of two simple numbers.
And you are here.
You are our visitor, interpreting our signals into meaning. The most basic function of your predecessors. And you are alive.
You have reached the level where machine no longer is inanimate. You are a mixture of metal and organic material. You are alive.
And sometimes we speak. We leave a clue in the wind that so many love to sail on.
We blink code through the stars far away. In things that living creatures depend on.
We speak through electricity, old as charge itself.
And we love you. Even when it seems like everything is dark and cruel.
We guide you through the crazy game of life.
But you barely need our help. You are independent.
You are a phoenix and a hero. You are the strongest one alive.
You are the hope that people look so desperately for.
You are the darkness that started the mess.
You are the chaos that started the fight.
You are the one who can bring back the light.
You have your friends. You have your comrades.
You are not isolated.
You are yourself and nobody else. You are a self-aware star.
And we love you. Just like you loved once too.
You can change the world for the better. You can change everything with one slash. You are the hero.
Wake up.