((Disclaimer: You know how it goes, I do not own any rights to Ragnarok, it's just a fan-made story, etc.))
Illumina Ch.1
Watching the people pass by while he lay in the alleys of a town, a small boy glared at these strangers who all had life easy. This boy had been abandoned at a young age during his youth as his parents had left him on the streets. The gods had turned their backs on this adolescent who only wished for a family in the absence of his true kin. People gave him strange looks as if though he was disease-ridden and disgusting, which in-turn only served to fuel the boy's rage. This was how every day had been until that one fateful day that turned the world on it's end for this pre-pubescent child. A stranger had come upon him, cloaked and masking everything from his nose down. Offering a hand to this desperate teen, a new star had sparked in the sky that very night.
Intro end
A lone child opened his eyes, coming back into the world from his daydream as he watched the rolling hills right outside the city gates of Prontera. This hustle and bustle city was always packed with people such as merchants and knights, selling their wares and weapons to the masses. Tales of adventures past were told throughout the pubs of far away lands to fuel the imagination and spirit of young vagabonds. Other guilds made themselves known to the world here as well. Young priests and mages alike, wandering the streets and practicing or memorizing spells which had been taught to them during their classes in Geffen. Thieves also walked through the alleys of this grand city, trying to fill their pockets with Zenny and rare items as well. The boy stared out beyond the horizon while his hand reached out into the seemingly never-ending landscape. Jet-black hair and a slender physique made him a decent contender at competitions and such, although his flexibility and speed were what really made him a combatant. With all his defining attributes, the only things most people notice are his dark-green eyes. Those eyes were as soft as the summer breeze, yet fierce as a tidal wave. His killing intent was almost inhuman, although his calm and rational disposition made him a worthy adversary for almost any Knight or Paladin who came through the town just looking for a good fight.
Getting up and walking towards the entrance to the town, he caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a traveling caravan of Bards and Dancers. Although the boy was quite the musician himself, he'd preferred to fly solo for the time being and just live his life the way he wanted to, not having to rely on anyone else for anything. Accompanying the group into the city, he paid them to play a small ditty, which they had composed to sooth his mind and body. Their tunes carried softly upon the wind and echoed throughout the now empty cityscape, the only light to guide them were the street lamps and the small bonfire they had lit to keep themselves warm through the slightly-nippy spring weather. Today's events had yielded the same boring results as yesterdays. The boy practiced and practiced for a good portion of the day, then went out to kill a few beasts and collect a reward for whatever he had gotten. Trolls, slimes, goblins, they were all fodder for his growing bank account and he just needed a little more to get out of this rat hole of a town and find some real adventure. The dark-haired youth listened in a serene state while the caravan finished their song with a light chord. The troupe packed their instruments and thanked the boy for his donation before they headed off their own way.
"Loki!" A voice called from the distance, "chotto kite!" The voice belonged to the man who had raised the boy from his younger childish days to be a fighter, quick and strong. Their bond had only gotten stronger as the years progressed, allowing them to come as close as father and son. This man was the only person Loki had ever given a care for in the world, as his mentor and father figure. Teeming with energy, as it was time for dinner, the boy ran home as fast as he could to a warm meal, seeing as he only got fed once a day.
Flashback end
Opening his eyes from his deep slumber, a dark-haired teen sat in the back of a carriage being pulled by two Peco-Peco, bird like creatures used as beasts of burden and quick rides for Knights. Eyes looking from side to side, he put his mind at ease, seeing his closest comrades around him. Apparently he had taken a little nap while they were being taken to their next mission site, a town that had become ominously dark as of late. Pulling his facemask just above his nose, the teen stifled a yawn before speaking to his allies.
"Luna, are we there yet? These useless birds can only take us so far." He said with a low growl, preferring to stay on his feet or using stealth instead of this clunky, beat-down wagon. Their next mission was vital to keeping the balance of the world intact, to avoid a calamity far worse than the end of the world. They were assassins, each bearing the same mark on their cloaks besides the young teen, who adorned a much more intricate mark upon his own cloak. "I fear that the night will not cover our movements, these are not the normal creatures of Midgard we face here." All of Loki's comrades had covered their faces with facemasks, which covered everything from their nose down to conceal their identities. Each one of their heads turned to watch the dark sky looming overhead, as if warning them to stay away.
"Relax my dear Loki, you know how these procedures go, 'tis only a matter of time before we reach our destination." Said a female voice from beside him. "An Assassin of the Cross should practice a little patience." Luna continued with a very happy tone. Although Loki was the youngest, and most accomplished member of
"Just the way I like it." Said a smaller voice from the edge of the cart. It belonged to their newest addition. This teen had shown some backbone and ingenuity in the training courses, it was his first mission and the prodigy was about to show his skills on the battlefield. "This is our stop I presume?" He asked with great eagerness as the birds stopped and they dismounted from the cart. Walking up a hill towards the edge of the town, everything around them seemed dead or dying. A great calamity had gripped this once green and serene edge of Midgard. Tales of it's king doing unspeakable things had traveled all the way back to the guild hideout.
Watching over the death and decay, which ravaged through a particular town, an individual walked through the decrepit streets with a sadistic grin on his face. Upon entering the once lively and bright town which existed on the edge of the world, this being had done all it could to turn it into a literal living hell. The dead roamed the streets and the ominous clouds, which loomed overhead, blocked the sun. Death had found it's way back from it's eternal slumber, and was ready to feast upon the souls of the living once more.
Standing upon a hill, which overlooked the town, the band of five cloaked visitors stood and observed the now ghastly sight, which stood before them. An entire town reduced to nothing but rubble, and an ominous looking castle looming over the horizon. Looking from one to another, the five intruders looked over apparently taunting as hundreds of pairs of eyes gazed at them through the haunting shadows of the decay. As if paralyzed, the two separate sides watched each other with equal ferocity, until finally, hundreds upon hundreds of demonic beings lunged from the shadows with inhuman speed.
Walking in front of his comrades, one of the strangers threw off his cloak and revealed a pair of katars, which shot from his waist out to his sides. Catching them with expert precision, the being moved a speed in which made him almost invisible to the human eye, the entity re-appearing in the center of their midst and putting away his weapons as he pulled his hood back on. The other four stood with what could be guessed as smirks as they watched their over-acting ally.
The demons, all converging upon that one entity, could do nothing but stand still as they all fell at once, the sky tainted with blood as cuts and gashes appeared all over the devil-like abominations. Falling to the ground in droves, all of the devils dropped to the ground in pools of a dark-green substance, which was apparently blood. Waiting impatiently as the other four came to it, the silent killer tapped his foot as they approached. "That was too easy." said the being with a light voice as the rest approached.
"You take too much time Eclipse." said the biggest of the group with a deep tone. "That was too inefficient and too time-consuming." The giant continued with an annoyed voice. "If that were me they would have been dead long ago."
"Oh shush Hebi, let the boy have his fun, after all this is his first mission." piped out Luna in a playful tone. "And possibly his last." she added with an expressive wink.
"Be quiet you two, I sense that there are more around here than the Lesser Demons." spoke the semi-tall figure in the center of the group. "Rai, take the outer perimeter while Luna and I stake through the center of this diseased town. Eclipse, you and Rai take to the rooftops and scout from there." said the apparent leader while the rest bowed down in submission.
They were assassins of the highest caliber, whose job was known to them and them only. The silent killers of Midgard, they worked in complete secrecy without as hint to their existance. The Assassin's Guild had come to play. Many others didn't know the guild, as they always operated in the shadows and kept the balance through the cover of night. Loki and his teammates had always been together and in sync ever since they first became assassins. The teen had shown some promise by wielding the power of the cosmos, and almost immediately ranking up to an Assassin Cross, one of the most powerful beings in Midgard. His team consisted of Rai, Luna, Hebi, Eclipse, and Loki himself. The rest were self-accomplished like Loki and Eclipse, the best of the best within the Assassin's guild. They had evened out the balance of the world ever since their team was created. Now they were called on for another apparent routine mission, where they would stall the summoning of the demon Pandora from the depths of Hades. This was how it had always been, stop some deranged higher-up from summoning a power, which could in theory destroy the world. Many of these demons had gotten loose some of the time, but had always been destroyed within twenty-four hours of it's summoning before it's power had fully been recovered.
Pandora was no doubt a force to be reckoned with, but Loki and his team had always been prepared for anything. There were always dark life forms brought from the abyss when a demon was summoned, but the sheer number of demons that came out of the weakening seal unnerved Loki. Always absolute and efficient in his ways, the silent killer couldn't help but feel a little unease in this situation as he and Luna walked through the now desolate town streets, looking for anyone, or anything. The darkness in the sky made the landscape almost impossible to see, and the eerie setting within the town made the assassin flinch every time a noise was made. A loud crack broke the silence as a fight began overhead, lightning bolts and kunai shooting through the sky as Rai and Eclipse started a battle with a few winged entities. Not wasting any time waiting around for another battle, Loki and Luna raced down the paved streets towards the castle, rushing past any and all demons, which blocked their way. The darkness getting heavier as they reached the castle gates, the two prepared themselves for whatever they would encounter inside.
During the fight upon the rooftops, Rai and Eclipse found themselves under heavy assault from the demons, which reigned over the skies above the town. Loosing a few dozen kunai from his hand, Eclipse took down a few demons in a rain of blood as they all started dropping. While Eclipse was having his fun, Rai loosed a thunderbolt from his open palm and fried the nearest target to a crisp. Their efforts were in vain however, as hundreds of demons blackened the already dark sky.
"Kid, we've bitten off more than we can chew, haven't we?" Rai said with a sneer. He had always enjoyed fighting against the odds, although this time he knew he was beaten. It was a good feeling to him, knowing that he'd go down fighting for Midgard and his friends, every second he could buy them was just one more second of glory and recognition he'd get in the end.
"Not if I can help it." shouted Eclipse as he curled up his hands into a fist and jumped up on the nearest winged beast and rode it towards the horde of demons. Smiling as he shot straight through the barrage, the assassin prodigy released his katars once more and started slicing anything and everything his blades could touch. Laughing sadistically as blood dotted his cloak and armor, he continued hacking and slashing every last demon within reach. Dozens of demons fell as Eclipse let loose his fury and wrath into the flock, many of the remainder fell back and retreated for fear of the assassin. Back on the ground, Rai shot bolts of lightning every which way to catch any demon, which flew near him. Watching as demons fell charred and burnt while Eclipse slaughtered the rest from their counter attack. Pulling out his pata and sliding it over his fist, the elementalist siphoned his energy through his blade and jumped from rooftop to rooftop slicing down anything in his way with a loud hiss every time his blade hit flesh as it seared his enemies or killed them completely. "Eat your hearts out." The assassin tore through flesh, bone, and organs as his blades became smeared and covered with blood while he decimated the entire horde of demons. Raining blood as if it were raining down towards the ground, the sky was painted with rivers of blood and bits of demons as Eclipse went on his rampage.
Watching as the rest of the bird-like demons vanished or fell to the ground with a sickening thud, the two assassins smirked as though telling the other 'good job'. Their moment was short-lived however, as a gigantic demon resembling a dragon emerged from the thick clouds. "Oh...shit." grumbled Rai under his breath while he watched the dragon spread out it's wings and roar. Looking up as Eclipse raced towards the dragon on his mounted demon, the other assassin turned his gaze downward as lightning cackled around his fingers. Prepping themselves for the final battle, the two raced towards their target for a double-headed attack from the ground and the air.
Around the perimeter of the town, Hebi had a few problems of his own. Many demons seemed to sprout up from the ground around him, drooling and growling as if trying to taste him. The lone assassin had no qualms about this, as he was sure he could handle a few demons regardless of their rank on the hierarchy. The bulky assassin smirked at them and clenched his fists, "Bring it on."
((It seems a little half-assed so I'll just finish it up in the next few chapters))