Disclaimer: I do not own final fantasy or any of the characters.
The many possibilities of a multiverse.
Noel's verse.
Amidst the endless stretch of debris, ruination buried in miles and miles of sand. The world less then a shadow of its former glory, even in the brink of its final moments, remained serene and solemn. The sun no longer shine, and vegetation eventually drew its last breath.
Even in this lamentable world, the night sky stayed ever so beautiful, as if in an eternal mockery of the pathetic, dying planet, engulfed by alluring abyssal shadows.
Life forms were sparse and scattered, with everything to lose and nothing to gain, what predestination decided upon was cruel, for a single young man a life of damnation and solitude. But he never stopped hoping, that maybe somewhere, somehow there will be salvation.
A creation of naught eventually returns to naught.
Reality was crumbling, like the shattered fragments of his heart when the last of his family, friends and accomplices departed, discarded behind were the bonds they shared and the fond memories he treasured. He felt hurt, betrayed and unwanted. He held the small hands of the girl he adored, the warmth he once remembered replaced by inanimate chill. She appeared so peaceful, as if in a slumber, seemingly to be awoken anytime. But that was unfortunately, not the case. He brushed a hand across her cheeks, porcelain skin cold and colorless. Eyes that would no longer open, and voice that could no longer speak. She too, was gone. He was abandoned, again and again, even by those that promised to never leave him.
Fragile, fragile lies.
He wandered aimlessly in the deserted terrain, rejected by the universe, rejected by existence. Maybe eventually, he'll fall prey to a roaming behemoth or some other mid-boss class creatures. There was an annoying ache in his stomach, reminded him of hunger, that he hasn't eaten for the past few days. It was however, nothing compared to the incredible melancholy that lingered in his heart, it hurts so, so much. Solitude was unbelievably painful, even the toughest of man, will ultimately become deranged.
He didn't want to forget the comfort of embracing someone, the enjoyment of small talk, the brief exchange of greetings that held no other significance but to acknowledge he existed. He didn't want to be alone.
He didn't want to be alone...
On that doleful night, the young man made a wish.
Morning never came, or perhaps it did, he couldn't tell, everyday was the same, monochromatic and dull. He has long lost count of the months, let alone time, all these man made calculations no longer mattered, he simply wandered endlessly, from frozen deserts to dried oases. Every once in a blue moon, he'll stumble upon sporadic greenery, the last of this era, stubbornly clinging onto life. It was comforting, because it reminded so much of himself.
In the distance, he heard a distasteful wail, a battle cry of stray wildlife. Not an unusual occurrence, battles between monsters were common, the strong will feast upon the weak, it always have been, and always will be, even as the world approaches its demise. He had no interest in these petty fights. When he departed however, another caught his ears, resounding from the same place, was a cry so humane and desperate. He must be hallucinating... he must be, but deep inside, he wanted to be proven wrong, he couldn't help himself to run towards the sound. He wanted so badly to confirm that he wasn't going insane.
He saw the enormous figure from afar, powerful, distorted and famished, a creature birthed from despair, with no other emotions but to satisfy its own craving for meat. Against it was a small, frail figure with arms and legs very much like his, a nostalgic sight that he almost forgotten. He was ecstatic, yet fearful, because there were times almost too frequent that he would dream of companion, only to wake up feeling despondent and lost to find out that it was but a fancy imagination, a trick of the mind. He pinched himself so many times to ascertain, not this time, there wouldn't be rain on his parade. The human... no, person before him was very much real and alive, but not for long if he doesn't intervene.
He jumped in immediately, shielding the stranger from an otherwise life threatening blow, twin swords manifested in his hands, the wistful touch of cold metal hilts against his palms, ones he hadn't felt in very, very long. Not when he lost the need to hunt for survival. The weight of the monster's claw threw him back. He was already weaken by the state of nutrition deficiency, only now when it mattered, he realized just how much damage the lack of food done to his body. He felt dizzy from the sudden adrenaline rush, vision blurred and stamina weakened, a lesser beast like this wouldn't even pose a challenge for him in the past served as a hassle.
Even with a body that felt unresponsive and heavy, he desired to protect the stranger. Struggling to match up with the agility and grace he once had, he swung his swords clumsily, piercing through the vulnerable openings of the beast's coarse armored skin. Breathing all of the sudden became difficult, he was rasping, he knew immediately that at least weeks have passed since the death of Yeul.
From the corner of his eyes as he dodged the creature's pressing attacks, he saw the stranger, confused and tentative, he hollered, between a jump and a side step,
"Run away!"
Counter attack, a swift flick of his sword following a white burst of magic drove the monster back. It retaliated quickly, a sharpened claw scratched his chest, a gaping red tore in its path. Bits of fabric fluttered in the wind, a gash of sticky scarlet stained his top vivid. He stumbled, clinging onto the rooted blade as he clasped onto the fresh wound. He bit his lips and shouted bitterly,
"Stop standing there, go! Run!"
"No!"
The voice of a boy, he turned his head to match the stranger's gaze, glassy blue akin to newly polished marbles. The juvenile shook his head to affirm his answer, lifting his arms, a flash of green and silver danced brilliantly at his command, healing magic. The boy was manipulating healing magic. There was warmth that he hadn't felt in a very long time, the pain alleviating as the mist of light enveloped him gently, it was reassuring. It was the solace he craved for.
"I'll fight too!"
Sparks of carmine and azure, fire and lightning summoning forth at the boy's behest, an array of spells bombarded recklessly in all directions, the beast howled in agony, flinching from each violent contact. Drawing up his swords, he dashed forth, the creature staggered and weaken, it didn't take more then a few hacks before the monstrosity finally subsided into a lifeless heap. He looked at their achievement proudly, he couldn't recall the last time he fought side by side with someone, but victory tasted sweeter then any honey, stronger then any addiction. He loved this feeling... Companionship and camaraderie.
"I'm Noel, Noel Kreiss." He turned to the boy and uttered a name he haven't heard in a while. A name that no one else was around to address.
"Hope Estheim."
Noel mused, it was almost ludicrous, because hope, was the very thing he wished for.
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Hope's verse.
Hope recalled encountering a contortion of rays, where time and space collided into an unrecognizable mess and all forms of logic decided to disobey all laws of physics. Reality crumbled into a worm hole. He always heard about those, a fragility that could easily be disrupted by surrounding factors, it was exactly like the descriptions, mysterious, intriguing and captivating.
An outstretched hand subconsciously reached for it, as if an invisible force drawing him in. Hope knew he shouldn't, but he doesn't stop himself. It felt completely unreal, like special effects straight out of computer graphics, it was hot, but nothing unbearable. Pulsing in a slow, steady rhythm, like heartbeats, soothing and calming. He could be torn to pieces, yet at that point of time, he didn't care, he merely wanted to witness, to find out, what was beyond the dazzling mess, a bewitching hypnosis to relinquish all forms of common sense.
The next moment, he was falling, miles and miles of flashing lights glaring golden as he passed. Branches of possibilities stretching everlastingly, timelines tracing an elegant waltz through eternity. And when Hope finally realized, something inside him snapped, finally released from the stupefaction, he panicked, concluding it was a terrible idea. He knew following his instinct was bad, because the last time that happened, he fell off a building. He wasn't Snow, he had a brain that he frequently used. Had, because apparently, it failed him again.
Fortunately, Hope wasn't completely unlucky, despite landing unceremoniously on sand, he was pretty much unscathed. It could be far worse, if the wormhole closed up before he exit, he would be trapped forever in the realm of nothingness, the infinity void of no return. he didn't spare more then a second to entertain that horrifying thought.
With wobbling arms, he picked himself up, patting off remnants of dirt from his clothing. Cautiously, he observed his surroundings. None, no visible landmarks, or anything that even remotely suggested human inhabitation. A world left behind by time, of perpetual nothingness. He stood corrected, because all of the sudden, trapped in the distortion of space didn't seem much different.
The wind howled with lugubrious notes, like a forlorn spirit with no where to return. Was he back in the past? Or... he swallowed a distressingly, future? He begged silently, may his former guess be correct.
It was cold... and incredibly lonely.
With nothing to gauge distance, Hope didn't know how far he travelled. The last visible rubble looked exactly like the next, and the one following, he might be walking in circles for all he's concerned, but it wasn't as if he had a destination in mind to get to. His peace was short-lived, because it wasn't long before he encountered other residents of this god forsaken place, and they weren't exactly welcoming.
A grotesque deformed atrocity lunged at him, skin jagged with grey, monstrous scales, he recognized it, a Chonchon, hostile and aggressive to any that unsuspectingly strayed in its path. He took the first down easily, but one after another they swarmed, by the time he reach his fiftieth, Hope was utterly exhausted. Limbs heavy under fatigue, each dodge became increasingly difficult to maneuver, switches between attacking and recovering became more laborious by the second. The last one was exceptionally resilient. A fatal mistake and Hope was launched into the air, his health blazing red, and the monster swung its claws, it was over...
Amongst the sea of carcass will be his pitiful body rotting away into the oblivion.
His premonition never realized.
Flash of stark blue invaded his vision, a loud reverberating clash halted the Chonchon's attacks, a scene where one could only witness in a movie unfolded before his eyes, only except, he was the damsel in distress. Hope was again protected by a strong silhouette, just like Light once did, the man fought in his stead, for a task he was too incompetent to complete.
The brunette was worn, defeated by prior lassitude, his movements gyrated inelegantly, like a drunken on the dance floor, but Hope couldn't take his eyes off him.
"Run away!"
He heard the man shouted, tone tenacious and full of determination. Why would he go so far to protect someone he never even met.
A distasteful snap and a world dyed crimson, blood was spilling from the young man's chest, Hope's heart tensed and immediately swapped to medic.
"Stop standing there, go! Run!"
The man persisted, and Hope snapped instantly.
"No!"
Without a moment of hesitation, he casted recovery spells, skills he polished whilst travelling with the group. He neither had the brute strength of Snow, Fang and Lightning, nor the saboteur spells Vanille excel in, but when it came to cures and ravaging, he could hold his ground. He never thought he'll ever be glad that he was an l'cie. Hope simply didn't want the brunette hurt in his stead.
The rest ended swiftly with the creature staggered and defeated.
Catching his breath, the stranger introduced himself as Noel Kreiss, with enthusiasm of a delighted puppy. No, perhaps puppy would be too docile a word to describe him. Because beyond the surface were eyes filled with so much sorrow, the eyes of someone that lost, of someone that's hurt. Just like Light, a soft, tender gaze whispering unspoken melodies of sadness. And Hope doesn't pry.
That night they sat under the stars, over a small camp fire and ate the remains of the beast. Hope never expected it to taste good, or maybe it was simply his famished stomach talking, satisfied with the meal, Hope flopped to the ground, landing braced by soft consolation of sand.
Noel was surprisingly garrulous, they talked about many things, mostly answering the little questions Noel asked. About his time, his family, the death of his mother, and his adventures... He was easy to communicate with, there were no prejudice nor judgments in his reactions, simply fascination, By the fact there were so many people living harmoniously (or almost harmoniously) in such huge societies. Something this timeline deserted.
Hope didn't know why he was comfortable sharing so many personal information.
A silent slump and Noel was beside him. Hope gazed solemnly at the sky. The entrancing, unattainable, sky. Celestial bodies flickered brightly in a meek pearlescent glow, sand illuminated by milky silver across limitless horizons.
So beautiful, yet so tragic.
"You know, someone once told me that when people die, they become stars... Watching over us... Protecting us." Noel muttered quietly.
Hope contemplated, "Wouldn't that make them all voyeurs?" He replied after a short halt.
And Noel laughed. "Great, nice way to ruin things for me."
Stars huh... Hope wondered if Nora was watching him right now, would she be proud?
"So, what are you planning to do now?" Noel continued, sounding uncertain, as if he was almost frighten to know the answer.
Hope paused before answering sincerely,
"I guess..." He mumbled softly, "Find a way back home?"
There was a dejected 'oh' in Noel's voice, and inaudible murmurs not meant for Hope's ears. Even without looking, Hope felt the young man's disconsolate sadness.
It must be unbearable to be the last human...
Noel hid it quickly, his overflowing emotions buried at the back of his mind.
"I'll help you!" He offered earnestly, selflessly... And Hope felt his heart shattered in a million pieces.
A/n: I am not sure when this would take place in the canon universe (probably pre FF13-2?), but hey, it's a fanfic, so don't get so butt hurt over plot holes. But yeah, this will probably be a ficlet that'll be concluded in the next chapter! Reviews will be loved and appreciated!