Echelon
Prologue
The Book
By: Kagewaki Hitomi
The life stream for the plant earth. It is a small of spiritual energy of the plant and the source of life and all living things upon it. It gifted energy to a life form so that it may live. During an organisms lifetime it grows and acquires memories from its experiences such that when it dies the spiritual energy it has been gifted with returns to the plant. In turn, these memories contribute to the cycle of life as a whole by becoming more spiritual energy and allow the life stream to grow.
The life stream for the plant has been left untouched by man. Because most of humanity is unaware of the plant's life force. Two thousands Jenova arrived on earth. Jenova arrived on the plant, having traveled through space on a meteor. Their she lad for all that time. Until she was found by Kimura Weapons Development Company in 1965 around Alaska and that's when they started the Jenova Project.
Vincent Valentine who worked for the Kimura Weapons Development Company served as a gunman in The Lazarus. Until approximately 30 years prior. While on a mission in Hokkaido during the later stages of the Jenova Project, Vincent was shot by Professor Shinji who then used his body for experimental purposes.
Vincent's near-death body was placed in a large experimental capsule for use in Shinji experiments based on Grimoire's research of the Lifestream. This resulted in Vincent's anatomy being altered to where he could temporarily change his physical form into monstrous entities when enraged.
Then that same year Lucrecia injected her unborn child with Jenova cells wile in the fetal stage. Vincent had objected to the use of humans especially her and her unborn child, as live test subjects. Even so, in the interest of science, she had proceeded with the treatment and suffered various ill effects as a result.
Under the influence of Chaos, Vincent became consumed in feral rage and broke out of his confinement. Vincent and place him in a deep slumber. By the time Vincent reawakened on the operating table with Shinji and Lucrecia nowhere in sight he responded to his modified body with both anguish and rage. From there, he entered inside a coffin for approximately 30 years as a self-inflicted punishment for his inability to save Lucrecia, which Vincent referred to as his "sin".Thirty years later Ranma utilized the forbidden Umi-Senken to get away form the others. He dropped it as he entered a shop. The shop was called Shamballa House of Magic.
He looked around the shop. The one room shop was big. His eyes soon feel onto the old man that sat at the counter. He had white hair and was wearing tradition Japanese clothes and smoking a cigarette.
"Hello young man. What can I help you with?" he asked.
"Well nothing really. I just came in here to loose some people." replied Ranma.
"Oh, I see young man." he said.
The old man looked Ranma over. He read Ranma's ki energy and also found a veil of magic around him. Ranma had felt the probe by the old man. He just let it go on till he was finished the reading.
"Young man. I have something for you." he replied.
"Yeah, what is it?" asked Ranma walking to the counter.
"This." he commented while he dug under it and pulled out an old looking leather bound book.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's a book of magic. I can tell from my probe that you ki is stronger than any human I've seen. Also, you are surrounded by a very strong veil of magic around you."
"No, offence old man, but magic has brought me nothing but trouble."
"Ah! But you only ran into the bad kind. The curse kind. I ashore you this is the good kind."
"I don't know."
"The book is free. It is also accompanied with this sword." he replied and pulled a sword from the side of the counter. "The sword is a legendary European sword."
"You won't give up till I say yes. Will you?" asked Ranma.
"You got that right young man." he said.
He sighed and stated, "All right. I'll take it."
"Good young man." he replied handing him the book.
Ranma took the book and the sword. He looked the sword over it was a cross between a zwihänder hilt and guard with a broadsword blade, it was a mirror polish. The blade was thirty inches long it was a big, thick, and heavy blade. It had a leather wrapped handle.
"Um...does it have a sheath?" asked Ranma.
"Yes, here it is. And Thank you for you business." he said pulling out the sheath and handed it to Ranma.
Ranma placed the book on the table. He then took the sheath and it was made of wood with steel over the sheath to protect the wood. He sheathed the sword and tucked it into his sleeves. He used Mousse's Hidden Weapon's Technique. He picked up the book and walked to the door.
"See ya. Old man."
"Come visit again anytime young man." he called out to Ranma as he walked out the door.The fierce winds of the arctic swept over the ice field, carrying snow that tried to cover the remnants of a mighty fortress. That once housed the forces of the Dark Kingdom.
It had been almost completely destroyed by Sailor Moon and Queen Metallia's fight years ago. It was deserted, the surviving youma having fled the place long ago except for one being.
Jadite, dark general of Queen Beryl, had been condemned to eternal sleep after one failure too many against the Sailor Senshi. His body had been trapped in a giant crystal and put in the deepest levels of the castle, which saved him form being killed when it had fallen. Without Beryl and Metallia's power to feed the enchantment, it had been steadily weakening until it completely broke down.
Jadite fell on the cold, hard stone floor of the dungeon. He gasped and coughed, he was breathing. 'So, that meant he was alive. Alive and free! Maybe Queen Beryl had revised her judgment and would give him another chance!'
'That's odd.' he thought when taking in his surroundings 'There's no one here... And what happened to environmental control? It's freezing in there!'
He shakily stood up and went looking for any signs of Dark Kingdom activity. He paced up and down in the deserted corridors for hours, finding no trace of his fellow generals or youmas.
When he got on the ground floor and emerged in the frozen landscape of the North Pole instead of the throne room, he knew something was very wrong.
"We...lost!?" he screamed out than fell to his knees, and was overwhelmed by the unbelievably of it all.
"Everything is...gone? Just like that!?!"
He was trembling now. In the corner of his eye, he saw a frosted piece of Beryl's black crystal ball. He picked it up and squeezed, drawing blood. Then he screamed and wept at the loss of his purpose in life.The old man turned to the ghost of a beautiful woman, with long braided brown hair. She watched sadly as Ranma walked out the door and down the street then jumped on a roof. She watched him disappear from site.
She knew he was going to be need soon. She saw what Sephiroth was going to do. She had seen it in a vision a week before she died. He was going to turn the Earth into a sterile wasteland except for Tokyo. She had searched a proper Chosen One for years and Ranma Saotome was the planet's last chance.
"Aerith are you sure that boy is going to be able to stop Sephiroth?" he asked.
"I have confidence in him Terrance. I saw it in my vision before Sephiroth killed me. He's the only one strong enough to stop Sephiroth. I believe in him." she replied
"I hope you are right Aerith. I hope you are right." he muttered.
To be continued… In Chapter 1: Savior.Author's Note: I know I started another story without thinking about it. I just had to do it. I'm still writing my other stories. Read and Review. Kagewaki Hitomi signing out.