A/N: Definition of FanFic: FICTION (a non realistic story) made by a FAN (an ardent follower and admirer) of another person's work, using that person's ideas to make an original story. As such, the only thing that the FAN owns is their respective original story and original characters; NOT the object(s) of their FANdom.
"THIS IS STRIKE ONE! WE CANNOT MAINTAIN POSITION! WE HAVE TO-ZZHHHHH"
Mid-Childa was a war-zone. Bodies were everywhere, craters and flames were all that could be seen through the dirt and dust that clouded the skies. People were in a panic, running everywhere, cars and other vehicles speeding in every direction, desperate to avoid the destruction that was at hand. And yet, their efforts were to no avail, for no matter where they ran to, it was to no avail. There was no avoiding the light of judgment.
It came in an instant. Beams of white light that seemed to hail from the heavens. It's cry was silent, as was it's destruction. And every strike brought forth more destruction than the last, leaving nothing living or standing in its wake. And once again, the people of Mid-Childa's eyes widened as the light of judgment once again fell from the skies.
"CIRCLE PROTECTION!"
Just as the light came down from the clouds, several glyphs appeared high above the ground, preventing the light from descending, dissipating it along with themselves. As they watched the light disappear, the people of Mid-Childa breathed easy.
And then the light fell once more.
Without a sound, the ground was ripped asunder, people, cars, buildings all disintegrated in the blinding light. A silence so sudden that most people didn't have time to even utter a scream of terror, let alone make a futile attempt to escape. And thus everything within a few miles of the vicinity was annihilated.
Almost.
After a full minute, the light began to fade, and two figures could be seen standing on the only ground that wasn't a crater. Enclosed within magical glyphs, two figures, a dark haired boy and brown haired girl stood back to back, bloody and tattered, yet very much alive.
"This is Edge One. Requesting emergency evac!" The boy spoke aloud as he held up a sleek blackish staff. Immediately, a voice resonated around them.
"Roger that. Prepare for emergency transfer." A split second later, a glyph appeared underneath them, and they were gone from the battlefield. And inside a large ship.
The moment they appeared, they immediately jumped aside as a large group of soldiers marched past them. "I'm glad that you two are okay, Chrono, Ami."
Turning to the voice, the two saluted as they came face to face with a tall, beautiful woman with ocean green hair. "Ma'am. Edge One and Two reporting. We were unable to prevent the destruction. The sheer energy of the magic is far too vast in numbers and power. We could barely protect each other. Have we managed to pinpoint where the attacks are originating from. Admiral?"
The woman nodded, "Yes, just now we were able to trace the spell's origins to a sub-dimension far away from here. Take a look."
A screen appeared on the wall, and everyone in the room turned to it as a large asteroid-like cluster was displayed. "This is the Garden of Time. It is the home base of Precia Testarossa, a wanted criminal. She is also the one believed to be initiating the attacks on Mid-Childa."
"If we have the whereabouts, are we going to send in our battle ships to her base?" The brown-haired girl asked.
"We cannot. Unfortunately, the Garden of Time is located in the middle of Imaginary Space, a void where all magical spells, equipment, and technology becomes inoperable. Who knows how she did it, but it was genius of her to make a base there. We have no choice but to teleport our troops directly to the Garden itself. It will be dangerous, but it's the only choice we have. Enforcer Chrono Harlaown, you will be taking part in this operation along with the other marines. Your orders are to capture Precia Testarossa and anyone else that may be assisting her. Use your own judgment. Go get prepared. The operation will begin in ten minutes."
"Ma'am!"
The boy immediately exited the room. After a moment, the young girl spoke, "Admiral Harlaown...is there something bothering you? Aside from the obvious, of course."
The Admiral sighed, "I can't help but think that we're missing something. Like the attacks are just a diversion, or that-!"
BOOM!
"EMERGENCY ALERT! EMERGENCY ALERT! SHIP HAS TAKEN SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE HULL! AN INTRUDER HAS BEEN DETECTED! REPEAT! AN INTRUDER HAS BEEN DETECTED!"
Emergency lights flared to life as the Admiral's eyes turned stern. "All marines, scramble at once and intercept the intruders! Subdue them if possible, eliminate them if necessary! Squad Alpha, escort the engineers to get working on the damages!"
With swiftness unrivaled, the girl sped through the ship, knocking out anyone she came across until she came to a large door that was labeled restricted. "Bardiche, scythe form, please."
"YES, SIR!" The staff-like object she held illuminated yellow, and from the top of it a golden curved blade of energy formed, changing the staff into a scythe. Immediately, the girl swung it diagonally, cutting the door in two. Entering the room, the girl looked around until she found a computer.
"STATE A COMMAND."
"Please release the Lost Logia, the Jewel Seeds."
"RELEASING OF LOST LOGIA REQUIRES ADMIRAL RANK. PLEASE SHOW PROPER IDENTIFICATION."
"Bardiche."
"YES, SIR!"
The scythe shrank, turning into a small triangular device that fell into the girl's hand. It began to glow for a moment.
"LINKING WITH SHIP'S COMPUTER...LINK SUCCESSFUL. BYPASSING SECURITY...BYPASSING...BYPASSING... BYPASS SUCCESSFUL. SHALL I DISABLE THE COMPUTER AS WELL?"
"No, that's fine. Please eject the jewel seeds and disconnect now."
"YES, SIR. JEWEL SEEDS EJECTED."
And then they appeared. Floating before her were the seven jewel seeds that she needed. A small smile came to the girl's face. At last, her hunt was finally drawing to a close.
"WARNING. WHILE DELETING THE ACCESS LOGS, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THE SHIP'S COMPUTER HAS RECORDED THE LOCATION OF THE GARDEN OF TIME AS OF APROXIMATELY TEN MINUTES AGO. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT WE RETURN IMMEDIATELY TO REPORT THIS NEW INFORMATION."
"Agreed." 'Arf, can you hear me? I need to be transferred immediately.' She thought. And instantaneously, another voice appeared in her head.
'About time! I'm so glad that you're alright! I can't teleport you from where you are now, the ship is in emergency lock down. You'll have to get away from the ship, then I can bring you home! Have you recovered the rest of the seeds?'
'Yes', The girl responded mentally, 'I've got them. I'm leaving the ship now; the moment I'm at a safe distance, teleport me.'
'Okay!'
"Alright," The girl grabbed the jewel seeds, "Bardiche, let's hurry and-"
"Hold it! Don't move!"
The girl came to a stop as a pointed staff stopped inches from her face. "You're under arrest for destruction of TSAB property and theft!"
The girl slowly turned, and was immediately bound by magical ropes that sprung from the floor below her.
"This is Chrono to the bridge. I've apprehended the intruder in the restricted area. Requesting backup for transport!" Chrono's staff remained pointed at the girl's face as he glared at her. "Now, tell me. Who are you and why are you after the jewel seeds?"
The girl struggled against the ropes, to no avail. 'Arf! I messed up and got caught! You have to hurry and alert her; the TSAB know where our home is!'
'WHAT! You got caught! Don't worry, I'll tell-'
The voice in her head cut off. "Sorry, but we can't have you calling for back-up. Now, I want you to answer me!"
"..."
The girl simply looked back at him, an unreadable expression in her eyes, an expression that slightly threw Chrono off. It wasn't hate or anger, but a look of determination, mixed with something else...
At that moment, several troops rushed into the room, their weapons honing in on the girl. "Good work, Chrono." Stepping into the room, the Admiral nodded at Chrono, then looked at their captive. "!" She couldn't help but gasp as her eyes widened in surprise. "No way, that's impossible... you died years ago!"
Chrono looked at the Admiral in wonder. It was a rare moment indeed that Admiral Lindy Harlaown showed her surprise while on the job. It was not a good sign.
Moving forward, Lindy stopped right in front of the girl and looked directly at her, staring deep into the child's burgundy eyes. "...Alicia?"
The moment the child's eyes widened, the ship shook violently, causing everyone in the room save the child to fall over. At that same time there was an explosion, and the wall burst open, a tall, wolf-like woman rushing in. "There you are! YAH!" Smashing the floor , the spell circle beneath the child vanished, as did the ropes that bound her.
The moment she was free, the girl's staff appeared back in her hands, "Thanks. Let's go, Arf!"
"WAIT!" Jumping to his feet, Chrono rushed after them, following them out of the building, but lost them. Chrono was fast, but the speed of the two women were on a whole different level. The moment they had exited the ship, they had disappeared into the clouds far below, their magic signatures vanishing.
"Chrono!" He turned as a brunette flew over to him. "Admiral Harlaown wants us to meet her at the bridge. The operation is about to begin."
"Right." Sparing one last glance at where the two women disappeared, Chrono returned to the ship along with the brunette. As they entered the bridge, the two of them saluted. "Enforcer Chrono Harlaown and Temporary Assistant Nanoha Takamichi reporting."
"Good. Get in line." The two moved behind the other present soldiers at her words. Admiral Lindy moved in front of them as she spoke, "As of this moment, Operation Garden Fire will now commence. You all know your orders: Find and capture Precia Testarossa, along with the blond haired child that we believe to be her daughter, Alicia Testarossa. Use of lethal force has been authorized. For this mission, you will be under the command of Admiral Graham, who will be leading the assault. You have your orders. Now MOVE OUT!"
Immediately, massive teleportation spells activated, the soldiers disappearing in an instant, all with the same determined expression. They would either succeed or die trying.
"We're back!" The moment the two women appeared back at their home, the blond, twin-tailed girl raised her staff and an enormous purple spell circle appeared on the floor beneath her. "Listen! People are coming to hurt us and our home! Activate, guards of the Holy Garden!"
At her words, thousands upon thousands of mechanical sentry materialized into being, all moving into different positions, ready to defend the place that their master called home.
"Good. Come on, Arf. We have to go see mother!" Nodding, Arf followed after the girl as the two sped through their home, until they came to a large door. Pushing it open, she rushed forward as she felt strong magic from the other side of the Garden. They had come.
"Mother!" At the very back of the room, sitting on a large chair, was the woman she was looking for. A tall woman with long dark hair and equally dark clothes. She got to her feet as the child and Arf approached.
"Were you successful?" A single statement.
"Yes. Here you are, mother. The last of the jewel seeds."
The woman, Precia's eyes widened in delight as she took the jewels from the child that called her 'mother'. "Excellent. Now, NOW my dreams will finally be realized! I can finally go to Al-Hazard, the home of all magic and science! I can finally bring her back!"
The sound of an explosion brought the woman out of her fantasies. "What was that?"
"The TSAB, mother," The girl replied as Arf tensed for battle next to her, "They have found the location of our home and are staging an assault. I've activated the defenses, but they will only slow them down for a little bit. You have to get away, mother!"
"Foolish child. I cannot run now that my dreams are right in front of me! I'm moments away from being able to revive my precious Alicia! My precious daughter!"
The girl's eyes widened in shock, "...Ali..cia?" Behind her, the doors blew up as soldiers poured into the room. However, they were stopped by an invisible wall of energy midway through the chamber. Rushing forward, Chrono and the brunette stopped at the barrier, along with Admiral Lindy and Admiral Graham. And although their path was blocked, they could hear the conversation clearly.
The woman grinned maniacally. "Yes, Alicia. Your older sister. After all, you're nothing more than a copy of Alicia, a clone that I created myself. I wanted you to be Alicia, so I transferred her memories into your body and gave you extraordinary magical powers, but you were nothing but a failure. So, I decided to have you gather all of the jewel seeds, so that I can go to Al-Hazard and finally attain the power I need to bring her back. I thank you, you copy. You finally proved to be-"
Her words were cut off as the sound of shattering glass filled the room. Looking behind the child, Precia was shocked to see that the TSAB mages had managed to break one of the five barriers that blocked their path. She had thought that it would take them much, much longer to do so. Precia's began to sweat. At this rate, she would not have enough time to initiate the spell to transfer her to Al-Hazard...
"-atter."
She came out of her thoughts as the voice of the girl before her came to her ears. "What? What did you say?"
The child's face was hidden behind her long hair. Arf was beside her, holding her hand, but the child shook it off as she lifted her face to meet her 'mother's'. Her face was lined with tears, but her eyes were resolute. "I said it doesn't matter. Even if I am just a copy of Alicia-oneesan, that doesn't change the fact that you are still my mother. If you were to ask, I would do anything for you. And if you need me to throw away my life, I will willingly give it up to see that you are safe and can bring back my elder sister. Because...you're my mother."
The room turned silent, even the TSAB mages and soldiers halting at the child's statement. It was a statement made with the utmost sincerity; one could hear the love that radiated from her voice.
Precia looked at the child for a full moment, the child she had never thought of as anything more than a tool to meet her own agenda. If Precia had been sane, she might have embraced the child, she might have cared for her. However, the Precia that stood in the center of the Garden of Time was not sane, and cared for nothing but her own goals. But even so, a small part of her, perhaps the only part of her soul that had not been corrupted came forth, for the briefest of moments.
"Very well. Take this." With a small wave of her hand, a glass tube appeared in the air and floated into child's outstretched hands. "Consider this a parting gift from me. After this, whether you live or die, you're free to do whatever you want. If you live, it will perhaps be useful in the future. But right now, I need you to stall them long enough for me to activate all of the jewel seeds and go to Al-Hazard."
"Yes, mother. Arf, go with mother."
"WHAT! There's no way that I'm leaving you behind! I'm staying right here, with you!"
"No." The child hugged Arf, then backed away slowly, "Go with mother. This is my only request. Please... when Alicia-oneesan returns to this world...please protect her. Protect her like you would protect me. Protect her and be by her side in my place."
Arf could see the begging look in her master's eyes. And slowly, with every once of willpower that her body possessed, she walked over to where Precia was beginning to form her spell.
"I swear, that I'll come back to you. No matter how long it takes, I will come back to your side. You're my only master, and that will never change! And I promise that I will protect Alicia-sama with my life, just like you would do!"
Smiling with tears in her eyes, the child turned to Precia, meeting her eyes for the briefest of moments, and then turned back to the TSAB and the barrier, which was now down to only one layer. Her eyes turning serious, she raised her staff, "And you, Bardiche? Will you fight by my side until the very end?"
"YES, SIR! I WILL FOLLOW YOUR ORDERS UNTIL THE VERY END!"
"Thank you, my friend. Now, we have to hold up the barrier until mother and Arf can get away!"
Activating her spell, she could feel it as the TSAB mages and soldiers pounded the barrier with spells and projectiles. However, her resolve was firm. Behind her, she could feel the magical energy of the jewel seeds as they came to life, connecting with one another as Precia demanded their power, twisting and weaving the energy together as her spell came together.
"Come on, Bardiche, just a little bit longer! We have to hold out!"
"YES, SIR!"
The ground began to shake as the spell began to activate, lightning crackled around the room as the spell circle grew brighter and brighter. And just as the final barrier broke and the girl was thrown back, the spell completed, and in a burst of blinding light, both Precia and Arf vanished. "Don't move!"
The girl was completely surrounded by soldiers, although they kept a distance away from her, slightly afraid to get within striking range of her staff. Unfortunately for them, this was a big error.
"Thunder Rage."
Lightning surged through the air immediately, striking down the soldiers and mages in an instant as it filled the entire room. After several moments, the lightning stopped, and only seven people remained standing. Both of the Admirals, Chrono, the brunette, two cat-like girls that were standing on either side of Admiral Graham, and the twin-tailed girl. At the same moment the girl released the spell, both Admirals released barrier spells that blocked the fierce lightning strikes.
"How dare you!" the brunette cried, brandishing her staff, "You'll pay for that!" She made to move forward, but was stopped by the look in the blond girl's eyes. No longer was there worry or doubt in them. No, now they were the eyes of someone who had accomplished her mission, the eyes of someone who was prepared to face her fate head on, and would fight to the very end. "You...who are you..?"
"Bardiche, Scythe Form."
"YES, SIR!"
The golden blade came to life once again as the girl spun the scythe around her, the scythe coming to a stop as it pointed at the mages before her.
"I am Fate Testarossa of the Garden of Time. Enemies of mother prepare yourselves. On my name and on my life, I won't let you proceed any further."
A/N: And, there we have it. To be honest, I've had this story in my mind for a long time, and I finally decided to type it up. This Fic will be Fate-centric, and as you've probably noticed, will deviate from the normal canon of the anime and manga quite a bit. That said, while I'm brimming with ideas for this story, at the moment, it is not the highest on my priority list. That space is currently taken by In Need of Love, and Duty of the Heart. In other words, this story probably won't be updated as quick as the other two usually are.
At any rate, tell me what you think! It's my first time writing a Nanoha Fic, and any comments and critiques are more than welcome. But above all else, I just want to hear from you!
Until next time!