Author's Note: Hi, this is Oneofyourfans. As you can see, this is my first attempt to make my first fic which is Breath of Fire, which in turn is one of the first RPG's I play. Before I start my story, I must first make a few announcement.
Firstly, the characters I have created belongs to me and others borrowed from anime/games/manga are used for my personal enjoyment on writing this story.
Secondly, I decided to chose Terra, which is actually an alternate Earth which have no relation with our 'real' Earth and I have taken liberty in messing around the timeline and place to suit this story. So remember, this is fiction, not real.
Lastly, the characters which I have borrowed belongs to their respective game/anime/manga and I have no ownership over them.
Please read and review and tell me what you think of this. Thank you for your attention.
Breath of Fire: Of Time and Destiny
Prologue: History of Terra
Since the beginning of the human civilization first recorded in writings, a mystic power called magic has been used for centuries among many great empires and kingdom. This includes civilization from the ancient Roman Empire in the Continent of Europe to the Far East of the Hans Empire, and the Siberian Empire to the North and various kingdoms from the Continent of Africa.
At the time, every human being from peasant to high class nobles has been in less or more degree able to use their magic for their every day lives and emperors' armies using magic (and swords as well) to defeat barbarians or other kingdoms to extend their new territories. But the writings exist and found today has evidence to suggest that even in ancient time scholars of the time have been unable to determine why magic exist. Various theories have been proposed, but none seem to solve the mysteries at the time.
But even with powerful magic powers at their disposal, the great empires and kingdoms could not escape fate when the time for them to fall has come and new powers to replace them, such as the fall of the Roman Empire at the year 1000 and the fall of the Hans Empire at 2 years later. This cycle of fall and rise of power is not surprising, but nobody at the time knew that the fall of these ancient empires have gave way for a new revolution that will change the face of history.
In the year 1400, four hundred years after the fall of the ancient empires, a different kind of revolution have began to appear when technological machines began to appear in force. Coincide with the Industrial Revolution that happen throughout the world, the invention of these machines have began to gave hope to people who has little or no magic powers to compete and improve their social status in the magic-able society. But to the magic-users and their hard core supporters, they have seen this trend as a danger to their status and power and began to try to eliminate them, justify them by saying the machine-users as 'heretics' which will bring chaos to the world.
Unable to live peacefully in this kind of environment, the machine-users and their supporters began to leave in en masse to find a new world where they can safely do their expertise without fear of reprisal from the magic-users. The refugees leave from the ports of Europe, Africa and the great Asia Continent in the greatest number of ships used in history known as The Great Exodus, which happen on the year 1523. To the magic-users, they are glad that these 'heretics' have left their society without a need a war and bid them good riddance and did not gave pursuit to fleeing refugees. Little did they know, this is a big mistake they will never be able to rectify………
On the year 1723, suddenly an unknown ship has arrived at the port of Osaka of the Yamamoto Empire, generally known to the west as the land of the rising sun. The ship's captain claimed they are from the Confederation of Free Nations, which consists of two giant continents of America, the giant Australia Continent and its neighbor New Zealand and various islands previously not known to outside world (historians believe it is the ignorant and lack of exploration of the magic-users that made these continents and islands undetected) and want to made peaceful trade relations with the empire.
The Empire refused and instead threaten them to surrender, which the captain outright refused. This immediately turn into a conflict with samurai warriors tried to storm the ship but were turn back in the face of 'fire sticks' which made loud boom and kills from a distance longer than bow and arrows can (this is the first confirmed contact of guns being used). Eventually the Confederates managed to escape before the empire reacts, but both sides have many casualties in the end.
Four days later, a Confederation armada of 25 black ships with steel hulls began sailing towards the island nation under cover of darkness and began bombarding Osaka with long range cannon fire which mostly destroyed the Imperial defenses on the beach and the watchtowers toppled, sending soldiers and civilians alike running for their lives. Few hours later after initial bombardment, troops arming with swords and guns began storming the beach and began to attack and captured Osaka and its surrounding towns. Two days later, the Confederation with support of cannons began to attack the Imperial Capital with sheer speed that shocked the defenders but the samurai warriors fought on valiantly to protect the capital despite heavy losses and managed to drive the attackers away with their magic-users coming to assist.
These events that now transpired have shocked the world of magic-users and they have realized that the Confederation are descendants of the machine-users from 200 years ago. Determined to destroy the 'heretics' once and for all, the Council of High Wizardry based in Berlin have issued an order to attack the heartland of the Confederation, which is the North America Continent and immediately formed the Imperial Order of Magi, consist of many countries from Europe to Far East. Ships have been assembled and began to set sailed for the continent, but the Confederates have knew this as well and have begun assembling their fleet in defense of their homeland. Major naval battles began on both fronts from the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans which results in a stalemate for 50 years despite the claims of major victories by both sides (though history have show that small scale land battle do occur on the beach of Normandy attempted by Confederation troops but that has failed).
After suffering heavy losses and the people began yearning for peace, the moderates from the Confederation and the Imperial Order have began negotiation to have a ceasefire (despite the disapproval of some members who wish to keep the war coming). Finally on the year 1774, both sides have signed on a ceasefire treaty, effectively ending the war. This war which shows no clear victor but the most horrible destruction that Man can wield with magic or technology, with over a quarter of the world's population killed in combat or missing and beautiful landscapes destroyed beyond recovery. This war is known in history as the 50 Year War or War of the Lions and Dragons (the Confederation has notably lions as their flag emblem while the Imperial Order has dragons as their flag emblem as well).
But despite the signing of ceasefire treaty, there is still uneasy tension in the air between the Confederation and the newly formed Alliance of Imperial Forces (which the old Imperial Order changed its name after the treaty is signed) despite the booming trade relation that benefits them. Some people even say that the second war that may occur will destroy humanity and the world of Terra once and for all. This assumption is correct in some way but it was not the humans who ultimately started it………….
On the year 1900, after years of uneasy peace, something terrible and unthinkable happened and it is not caused by human hand. On July 24th 1900, in the city known as London on the continent of Europe, people were just doing their daily routines when suddenly hordes of black shadows began to cover the city as if the sun was block. When people look up, expected to see the black clouds that signify rain storm, instead saw terrible creatures flying from the top. Before anyone could do or say anything, the creatures flew down and attacked in force. London wasn't the only one attacked; almost all the major cities that are in the vicinity of Atlantic Ocean were attacked, this attack began on the European continent to the African continent, yet at the same time these creatures also attack major cities on both North and South American continent.
These creatures (later became known as demons) began slaughtering helpless civilians and destroy buildings whenever they see, it is as if the creatures are here to simply destroy and kill. Both Confederation and the Imperial Alliance that has been caught by surprised mobilized their armies to fight them but the overwhelming numbers and sheer brute force have the armies of both powers taking numerous casualties and can barely protect the civilians and help them escape. Not only that, the creatures did not just mindlessly attack major population centers at all, they also seem to have a well coordinated attack on military installations, command and control center, important political center etc as if to destroy the humanity's ability to act of defense against on them.
In the first five years since the start of the demons invasion, the initiative lies with the demons. They have successfully destroyed all cities in their wake and crushed anyone who dares to stand in their way. Soon 7 years after the invasion, the whole Continent of Europe has fallen and both continents of South America and Africa have been completely overrun by the demons while almost all areas of the North America Continent except the most northern areas and Alaska have fallen. Nobody knows why the demons do not attack those areas; some says it is the cold weather that keeps them away, while others believe maybe the heavy concentration of Confederation troops, assigned to keep an eye on Imperials from Siberia act as a barrier against them. Whatever the reasons are, the demons do not come near Alaska and the northern area of North America which in turn gave the armies time to prepare.
Not so for the people of Europe, Africa and South America who all tried to fled to the Far East to seek refuge in anyway they can escape by ships, airships (which was invented on the year 1850 and is popular with both powers), or by foot with constant danger of being attacked by demons at every corner. 10 years after its invasion, the demons stopped invading as if it is ready to recuperate and prepare for its major thrust into the human survivors in the Asian Continent.
Facing with this threat, the surviving leaders of the Confederation and Imperial Alliance decided that they must form an alliance to meet this threat unconditionally. Both forces began building defensive lines along the border of Kiev Empire with Stalingrad as its strategic base of the north to Tehran as a strategic base of the south. For the first time in history, both magic-users and machine-users have work cooperatively to fight a common threat to their survival.
Especially on this particular day, on February 18th 1915 the demons have made their big push to the humans' defensive line from all fronts. The human allies who have recuperated from five years of demons idle activity are well prepared to meet them. No one would believe and imagined that swordsmen from the Imperial legion are attacking the demons with cannon support from the Confederate troops and Imperial mages raining death of destruction on the demons with gunners from elite Confederates troops protecting them. But it is true and in the Alaska front, the brave troops there are also giving the demons "one hell of a time", while countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand are joining together to began training troops, building weapons, food supplies etc to the front lines (it seems the demons lack the ability to fly that far).
Even so, the human allies are forced to take defensive position for 20 years due to lack of intelligence on the demons (spies that were sent never came back) and after several expeditionary force have lost contact, High Command believe any offensive will be considered suicide despite some of the more enthusiastic officers. But one day, a light known as hope began to shine when on April 5th 1936, soldiers patrolling the defensive line on Siberia have reported seeing two or three light pillars showed up somewhere west and also heard some sort beastly roar. In fact everyone around the globe can hear the roar too and people began to think whether it is a demon or not.
But when High Command decided to send another expeditionary force out of the defensive line few days later after that event, the leader of the force, General James, have arrived at the occupied city where demon forces are concentrated, they were surprised to see the demons were already dead, like they were killed by something huge. Surprised and cautious at the same time, the High Command sends more troops out of the defensive line to cover more ground; in the end all of them have reported the same results similar to General James. Excited by the news, High Command have decided to send a major offensive forces that will liberate the lands occupied by the demons by sending three great armies to liberate the European Continent and the African Continent, while another major offensive will began from Alaska and a huge naval force will be launched to assist and liberate the American Continents.
After eight months of preparation, the humans finally went on the offensive, crossing the defensive line and began liberating lands occupied by the demons. The demons in the occupied areas have made resistance but compared to years of attacking the defensive lines, these demons have lost their ferocity that some of them even began to ran away at first sight of the human army. The same thing also happen on the American Continent but High Command decided to keep on the offensive. It took at least 4 years for the armies to liberate the land and exterminate the last demons. But then the naval forces send to liberate American Continent has reported seeing a strange light in the vicinity of the Bermuda Islands, when further investigated, found that the light is actually some sort of force field in triangle shape in place which ironically the same place as the Devil's Triangle which the local have come to fear and respect. Experienced and wise magicians have examined the force field have concluded that it is some sort of seal and they can sense the demon aura inside it, meaning the demons are sealed by someone (everyone also agreed that this must be the place the demons launched the attack from since the start of war).
Nobody knows who sealed the demons, but everyone in the world rejoiced at the sudden 'defeat' of the demons and that ends the nightmare that plagues them. This war which finally ended on the year 1940 was called the Demon Wars and during this war, about half of Terra's population was wiped out and most of the land occupied by the demons will take years to recover. But there is a strange rumor going on in the army, according to some survivors of the occupied land which managed to hide themselves from the demon and later rescued by the liberation army, they say they saw three humans transforming themselves into a reptilian with giant wings on their back in a pillar of light and their roars can be heard from miles away. Most dismissed these accounts as trauma from the years of hiding out but the fact the survivors mentioned the pillar of lights have to do with these individuals do seem to interest some of the people and they went to investigate, but never found the individuals responsible.
Even though the demons are gone, the evil presence they left seems to affect the animals, insects and even plants, mutating them into monsters which endanger communities struggled to rebuild after the war and troops have been deployed to protect them which sometime stretch them to the limit. That is when on the year 1960, a former veteran soldier by the name of Jack O'Neil, first created the ACADEMIA, a training facility dedicated to training next generation of soldiers in terms of battle ability, magic skill, alchemy skills and tech skills. This organization has received funds from many wealthy individuals and tends to earn money through lending mercenaries to help, making it independent from any countries (1).
At first it struggled, but in the end with the help of other fellow soldiers and other generous people, the ACADEMIA has become an important presence to eliminate monsters, bounty hunting evil men, help locals etc, effectively helping government and armies to free up much of the burden. As for the seal on Bermuda Triangle, the surviving countries and rebuilding countries all formed the United Nations of Terra at year 1948 and has naval forces in the area to keep an eye out on it.
Now the year is 2190, 250 years later after the end of the war, ACADEMIA today has many branches around the world now, and our story starts at a certain location in the North America Continent………..
(1) To those who think so, yep I took the Garden from FF8 and used and rename it here for my use.