"NOTICE! THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR FF3 DS! IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO HAVE THE GAME RUINED, LEAVE! OTHERWISE, SIT BACK, AND ENJOY THE STORY. THANK YOU."

FFIII: Insignia's Shroud

Prologue

It has been one year since the defeat of the Cloud of Darkness. The Warriors of the Light have gone their separate ways, and this story takes place at the beginning of the new year…

Ingus' prowess as a Red Mage, a Dark Knight, and mostly, a Ninja, impressed King Sasune, and he became a General in the king's army…

Refia returned to her father at Kazus, and began to train to become the best blacksmith in the town…

Arc returned to Ur, and his prowess as a Summoner led to his starting of a Chocobo Ranch…

And Luneth…

Luneth has not been seen for the entire year… He took the Invincible and disappeared, searching for new lands and new adventures… this story takes place at the time when he discovered the land called Caurora… and met the evil Insignia…

Chapter One

It she saw it only for a second, but it was enough.

"Look out!" the girl cried as she pushed Luneth out of the way. As the poison arrow pierced her heart, she fell to the ground. Her vision began to blur, she closed her eyes, and heard sounds of a battle. She heard cries of anger and rage, and the battle sounded furious. She felt a hand on her shoulder soon after the battle ended. Her vision began to blur, and she saw the silver-haired boy come up, worried.

"Aria, hang on!" Aria shook her head.

"Promise me… that you'll… return light to… the world… please…" The boy shook her gently.

"Aria! Ariaaaa!" he screamed. As her eyes closed for the last time, she smiled… and felt a stream of tears flow onto her face…

"No… no… ARIAAAA!!" Luneth shot out of bed, his Dragoon armor in a chest next to his bed. He was breathing heavily, his pillow soaked from tears. He looked around. "The Invincible…" He looked to his left and saw Mog, the Moogle on the Invincible. He never, ever slept, which puzzled Luneth a bit, but never asked about it. "Mr. Luneth, are you okay?" the Moogle asked innocently. Luneth nodded his head. "Yeah… I'm fine." Luneth flopped back down on the bed and sighed. He had kept having this dream over and over ever since he found this new land, which the inhabitants called Caurora. It had been a year since he had left home, but he knew that he couldn't go back. There were too many memories… His eyes closed as he fell back asleep. This time he slept peacefully.

- - -

"Mog! Could'ja help me steer the ship?" said a fully armored Luneth, Holy Lance strapped to his side. He was frustrated, sleep-deprived from waking up in the night. "Sorry, Mr. Luneth!" The Moogle zoomed to the front of the airship. "Left… right… left- no wait, right!" cried the Moogle as the ship crashed into a nearby cliff. Luneth turned his head to look at the Moogle. Mog was hiding behind a barrel, looking very embarrassed and upset.

"Sorry! Sorrrrryyyyyyy!" Mog said as he ran towards the beds, hiding under the covers. Luneth walked over and quickly scooped the Moogle up.

"It's okay, Mog. We're near a castle, and I can go ask them for some help." Luneth gave the Moogle a friendly pat on the head and smiled, then went to the stairs to exit the ship. As he climbed down, he was able to get a good look at the damage. The entire front of the airship had been crushed into itself. Luneth groaned. This would take weeks to fix. He groaned again, then turned toward the castle and started.

"Whoa…" The castle was entirely made of shining black stone, polished to a gleaming shine. He noticed a Ranger at every corner of the roof, and two Knights stood guard at the drawbridge. Luneth shook off his amazement and walked toward the drawbridge. As he neared the castle's entrance, the two Knights walked together and blocked his path.

"Oh, c'mon! I need help to get my ship fixed!" Luneth said. The two Knights stood firm.

"Is that your ship in the distance?" One of them asked, gesturing towards the Invincible.

"Yes. That's my ship." Luneth said. "Now can I please come in?" The other Knight spoke. "Our king would never speak with the likes of you!" Luneth grunted.

"C'mon! I really need some help!" The Knight's began to whisper to themselves. Before Luneth could ask what they were discussing, the Knights stepped back. "I suppose you could come in. We can give you help with the ship, but we can't let you see King Obsidian! You may pass!" Luneth stepped forward, still confused about the vicious Knights.

- - -

"My liege, the boy has come for help to fix his airship. Shall he enter?" asked a cloaked figure. His spoke with a drunken slur, and sounded ridiculous, yet the man on the throne pondered his words with integrity.

"Yes, I suppose." The cloaked figure sent a telepathic message to the front guards, and he saw the boy walk in.

"He looks like a fine specimen. Shall I bring him in?" The king thought again, then answered.

"No. He just needs his airship fixed." The cloaked figure sighed. "He has a very good muscle build. Looks like he's a Dragoon. Master one, too." The king suddenly sat up.

"A… Master Dragoon!? Bring him in at once!" he said sharply. The cloaked figure smiled under his hood and sent another message to the front guards. He saw a slight pause, then the Knights grabbed him and brought him into the front building.

"He is in the castle. Shall I get him?" The king sighed and lay back on his throne.

"Yes. Go fetch him and bring him here. That is my order. Go, Insignia!" Insignia's smile grew wider and eviler under his hood. He mounted the stairs…

- - -

"Hey! Get off of me!" grunted Luneth as he was tossed into the castle.

"The king wishes to see you! Good day!" said the persistent Knights as the closed the door behind him.

"Let me out! LET ME OUT, DAMMIT!" Luneth swore as he pounded against the door.

"Now, now. Swearing will get you nowhere in life." Said a raspy voice. Luneth froze, then turned around and saw a man in a black cloak. He was wearing a black tunic and a strange black crown on his head. "Who… who the hell are you?" Luneth swore again.

"When you stop swearing, I might tell you." the strange man began to walk up the stairs.

"Hey! Get back here!" Luneth began to run after him. The man stopped and turned around. Luneth skidded to a stop, panting.

"Thank you for not using a curse word that time. My name is Insignia. I am called the Obsidian Warrior, and I am a Master Onion Knight." The man said, bowing. "M-Master Onion Knight!?" Luneth was stunned. A Master Onion Knight! Amazing!

"I get that a lot when I meet someone. The king really does wish to see you. He seems interested in you. Not many travelers come in from other continents, and he has been bored. Do you have any tales you could tell him? It's for the best. Plus he may fix your ship for it." Insignia said in a cheerful, but still raspy, voice. Luneth was taken aback. Tell a story?

"Er… I do have one story, I guess…" he said.

"Excellent! The king has been very frustrated lately. There have been claims of monster attacks, every Knight, Ranger and Mage in the castle have been acting rebelliously, and for some reason, dead people have been rising up from their graves, alive and well, as if they never died at all. It's very strange." Said Insignia as the pair climbed the seemingly endless staircase.

"Yes… strange." Luneth commented. Insignia smiled grimly in his mind. The boy was so naïve, perfect for the plan… but he could not mention it now. "We are here." He said as they finally reached the door to the throne room.