False Pretense: The Path to Serenity
A Dissidia: Final Fantasy Story

Original Character Concepts by Square-Enix

Special Thanks to J0hnny0hm of

Author's Notes:
Wow, it's been such a long time since I've written a fan story involving a fan character. My friend, Steven, is writing a Kingdom Hearts one, but I didn't want to take the glory from him for that. And Dissidia is one game that I simply love still~ Lame, right? But I'm going to take a different approach to this. Rather than just following around the canon characters like a lost puppy, this character has her own path and own story to follow. Like the Destiny Odyssey stories, she'll have her own story and her own reason to why she's fighting in the Dissidia world. I didn't want her to be just some other fan character, so I took great details and analysis of her character. Yeah, I'm that much of a dork when writing an original fan story. But that's how I role~ But either way, I hope you enjoy it~ I'll work hard and do my best for this story.

(End of Author's Notes)

False Pretense: The Path to Serenity
A Dissidia: Final Fantasy Story

Prologue

In this world, there is light and darkness. Two complete opposites bring balance to the world very much like how everything else does. Day and night. Sun and moon. Black and white. Light being of true purity, virtue, and peace while darkness being destruction, madness, and anarchy. The two together combine to form a balanced symphony. Equilibrium. But even if equal, the two are different, thus making it complex to determine the two sides apart even if it could be clear as day or dark as night. The only thing that will lead you is fate and beliefs. Other that than, you're on your own...

Even though this was Lira's opinion on the world around her, she didn't fully understand the full meaning behind it. Someone very dear to her would often go one for hours about this particular subject of light and darkness, but she didn't comprehend what it fully meant. She simply believed that there is light and darkness, so let fate decide where you go. Simple terms in her mind, but she knew there was more to this lecture that meets the eye.

Yet why try to think about what it meant when one could experience it? After all, it's not everyday that one is thrown out into a battle without warning. But then again, that's how life is in situations like this.

Lira quickly paced herself down the large clashing forces around her, avoiding getting hit by anything coming at her. Being a female, the town she lived in never allowed women to set foot on the front lines nor in even a medical tent. Not unusual for most people. However, with the help of her friend, Lira was able to aid those in need on the front lines, disguised as a male. But even so, she regretted ever convincing her friend to help her cheat her way into the position she was in right now. All she could do was stay alive, she guessed.

Lira quickly dived down behind one of the large rocks for shelter against the several attacks being launched. Breathing heavily, she gripped her swords with her shaky hands. It was a very surreal feeling to be experiencing, but she seemed to getting the point of her friend's words. Everything was light or darkness. Things needed to balance out each other. But was this really needed in order to balance out everything? It all just seemed to be chaos and suffering...

"Lira!" a man dived down behind the rock with the female soldier. He looked exhausted as well from fighting. "What are you doing? You're practically on enemy lines!"

"I'm sorry. I'm trying to take out those particle beams though. Those are causing heavy casualties on our side."

"You're going to get yourself killed before you can even make it there. Fall back now."

Lira shook her head adamantly. "No! I'm already close enough to go take out that cannon. If I go back now, it'll be a waste, and I won't get respect for failing this mission."

"Respect? Don't tell me this is all out of respect!" The man took a quick look to see what the situation was so far. "Damn it, Lira. You're so stubborn. Hurry up and go, I'll cover you." He fastened his gauntlets tighter around his arms and smirked at his ally. "Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Lira reached for her side and pulled out a secondary sword. She then charged off head on. Her companion seemed to be a bit shocked that she would do such a rash move, but the cannon wasn't much farther. Taking out the goons protecting and guarding the cannon was the main goal. The two allies quickly dodged and weaved through the several bullets being fired at them. Lira got hit in the leg and shoulder, but she willingly endured the pain and proceeded forward.

"Abel! Take out the gunners!"

The man nodded and focused a bit. The magic power filled him until he finally casted a blazing fire spell. Several of the men below were being burnt alive by this powerful attack. Lira was taking the assault on melee style, her swords clashing against the opposing soldier's weapons. Her graceful sword dancing style was quite useful in battle. So was the enemies' distraction with the fact that a girl dared to proceed this far or even try to get out onto the battlefield. Lira took no consideration in this. She just wanted to fight and prove the men of her town wrong.

"Where's the particle cannon?" Lira questioned Abel. The two were back to back as several of the opposing soldiers approached. She looked up at the man. Her vision was a bit blurred from the blood loss after being hit quite a few times. "I don't see any cannons anywhere."

"Stand down!" The soliders surrounding the two straighed up and backed off from them. A few of the guards made way for their approaching general. Abel and Lira looked in shock when they saw that their general was a woman. Seemingly half naked in the costume she wore. Her hair looked just like the eels that slithered around her in a peculiar fashion.

"Who is she?" the young girl questioned. "Is she the general?"

Abel nodded. "And she's the cannon. She's the one who was firing the particle beams."

"Why do you dare to keep wasting time?" the woman questioned, her red eyes narrowed into a glare. "Quit playing such childish games." The soldiers saluted to their general in a stiffened manner. Shouting out their 'Yes, ma'am' as well. It was a lot formal compared to the Exian army, the one Lira and Abel came from. Their army was more casual, but at least they listened to the general.

The woman looked at the two soldiers who dared to take on her army in a full on assault. "Such a bold move yet such an unwise one indeed. Strength over logic we suppose..." The woman slowly hovered a few inches off the ground, gesturing to her soldiers to go back to the front lines and continue fighting. The soldiers left Abel, Lira, and that woman alone. She folded her arms and looked towards Abel. "Xeros, are you finished playing your little charade? You've had your fun with the little girl."

Lira looked in confusion at the woman before looking at Abel. Xeros? The Xeros? That man was the one who caused this war by deceiving and cheating the Exian and the Pherian nations into a battle that would cease to end? The girl seemed to back up from the man. Her eyes were wide in surprise and fear. How was it that he was able to fool her like this? A dangerous man was trapping her in false illusions of friendship and manipulated her into her demise. Lira felt her eyes tear up from disbelief. "You're Xeros?"

The man sighed and removed the helmet from his head, exposing his long blonde haired, tied back and those piercing green eyes. Lira continued to back away from him. Even when she tripped over herself, the young girl continued to back up. The man smiled a bit and knelt down before Lira. "The blood loss getting to you yet?" Lira shook her head in denial, causing Xeros to blurt out a cackle. "Stubborn little girl you are..."

When a forceful strike from Xeros's heavy combat boot was dropped onto Lira's chest, she gasped in pain, coughing up crimson blood as she laid there paralyzed. The ground around her when she was hit seemed to shatter from such immense strength. The girl continued to get knocked around by her 'companion.' Her face was beaten up and the amount of blood she lost was getting to a larger amount by the minute. She wheezed and tried to reach out for her swords, but her hand was crushed by Xeros's heavy boot. The man smirked and crushed it down even harder, causing the young girl to let out a yelp of pain.

"Xeros. Quit wasting time," the general warned. "She will be dead soon, anyways."

The man looked at the terrifying woman and frowned. "Why ruin the fun? She's my prey anyways."

"She was not your prey when she set foot here. The battle has been decided with or without our assistance. All shall be consumed by the void. That girl will be part of it."

"Well why not finish her off now? If's she no use to us, then why can't I end her right now?"

The woman looked at Xeros in disgust. Such a lowly human was speaking to her in such a manner? Simply disrespectful in her eyes for she was a far more superior being. However, she was specifically instructed to not kill the man. She turned away from the man, not even bothering to look at such worthless scum. "She does not matter either way. Those incompetent humans shall bring this world into despair of it's own. We do no need to further associate with such a time wasting matter. Finish your game and return back, Xeros. Dare disobey and you will surely be punished."

The blonde-haired man scoffed as soon as the woman disappeared in a portal of darkness. He looked down at Lira with sadistic eyes. He heard her breathing had become heavy and raspy, but he simply chuckled and backed away from the girl. "Your time is here. Hope you fade into oblivion, Lira~" He gestured a casual wave and oh-so-calmly disappeared in a portal of darkness.

Lira remained in her place on the ground. She felt the heat and blood slowly escape from her body. Her vision was a complete haze. The booming sounds of bombs and gun fire rung in her ears as she reluctantly closed her eyes.

Has my time really come?