A/N: What?
What?
What in the world?!
You're doing this rewrite?!
Yes, you whopping two people that remember this story existed.
I mean, sure, most of you probably don't care about Awakening Self Insert #1000, but in my defense I wrote the original story in 2013. So, it's not like I'm hopping onto a dead fad or anything.
... Right...?
But... Hey. This is not just a rewrite. This is more of a re-imagining. The story is going to be way more fleshed out, less rushed. Hell, even some new plotlines entirely. After all, my writing has improved... I think. I'll be honest, I'm still not the best, but at least my writing isn't completely cringeworthy.
But yeah. I'll include a few more new OCs, and change and remove some of the existing ones. They'll be way less generic and I'll get to flesh each of them out a bit more. Because even though I haven't written a single story in almost two years, I have still managed to improve my storytelling skills!
Also I'm sorry I haven't updated Forgotten Dreams. Writer's Block is a form of rabies.
Awaken.
A voice echoes through my mind.
As I slowly open my eyes, a powerful ray of sunlight blinds me.
And so it's morning.
I shift uncomfortably to my side, before allowing my eyes for slowly flutter closed.
I hate mornings.
Awaken.
Um...
What?
My eyes shoot open, quickly scanning the area around me.
Wait a second.
This is not my room.
Nor is it in that weird apartment that I have to sleep in because house fire sucks...
And wait,
Is this even a real bed?!
I slowly lean up, examining my sleeping area.
...
Are you telling me that I slept on an old wooden box filled with straw?
And I am used to it?
I sigh.
It's best I find out what's going on...
I look up and around the room that I am in. It looks... Ancient.
I mean, there are bricks... I think... But, there isn't much in here.
Just a wooden table and wooden chairs.
...The most uncomfortable kind, of course.
WAIT.
THERE'S A COUPLE OF SWORDS ON THE TABLE. HOLY DAMN YES!
I rush over to the table and examine the blade.
Steel. Leather hilt. Blade length approximately twenty-five inches.
...
How do I know that?
Eh, could be iron...
But who cares?
I unsheathe the sword and hold it out in front of me.
Damn. This thing is cool...
I swing it a bit, lightly chuckling at the sound of the parting air.
I've always wanted to learn how to use one of these...
Swords have always been my favorite weapon. I dunno why. I guess it's just because of how iconic it is. It feels noble.
...
I should probably stop swinging this sword around and actually bother finding out what's going on.
I mean, it's not like I'm in a completely unknown house for know reason.
Y'know... Unless I'm in another world.
...Finally...
Er
Ahem.
Yeaaaaah. I should go find out what's going on.
I look at the blade one last time, admiring the shininess of it.
Heh.
I lean the sword a bit, my reflection soon appearing in front of it.
...
Excuse me?
What the actual hell?
I turn around, making sure that there wasn't a complete stranger behind me.
I look back down at the sword.
There is literally no way that is my face.
Okay, for starters, I don't have that pale of skin... I mean, I used to... but then it took so long to finally get my tan, but... I don't even...
And where did my freckles go? I'm a redhead.
...Er, auburn I guess?
BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER. Why are my freckles gone, and replaced the most smooth looking face I have ever seen?
I slowly place a hand on my face.
...My skin is pretty soft, actually...
AUGH.
UNIMPORTANT.
But.. At least my hair is still the same.
Y'know... The one feature about myself that I actually like.
...I suppose I'm a bit taller, and a bit more slim... And, DAMN. My facial features do look a bit more defined. My face isn't really chubby like it used to be!
Was I in a coma for a couple of years?
A coma that somehow removed my freckles?
And made me sexy?
I mean, maybe that could be possible...
Because I do look a bit older...
But... Everything around me looks a little... Simple. I don't know how to describe it. Things just... Don't look completely normal...
I mean, A lot of stuff looks kinda outline-ey, the more I look at it...
Weird.
I sigh, spotting a window on the other side of the room.
...
UNLESS...
pleaseletitbetruepleaseletitbetruepleaseletitbetruepleaseletitbetrue
I slowly approach the window.
pleaseletitbetruepleaseletitbetruepleaseletitbetruepleaseletitbetruepleaseletitbetrue
I open it.
...
Uh
Augh
Um
Eh
Ee
Ah
Wh-
Wha-
I...
Ylisse.
The Ylisse is real.
What is this?
I
I
I don't know.
I think... I think.. I need to lie down for a second... Think this all through...
"...Al..."
I sigh, staring into the blackness in front of me.
Soooo... I'm... Dreaming... I guess?
Or is this the part where the otherworldly being tells me his intentions?
...
Nothing?
Okay...
I guess I'll just-!
"Hello?" I mutter, as a large grey orb appears in front of me.
... What?
The orb sort of just floats there... Not making a noise, simply a sphere with countless images swirling across it.
Yet its full of static. Like one of those old televisions, except there are tons of different screens scattered across the surface of the sphere, and each one has something different going on.
I... Can't really make out any of it... It's going by all too fast. But... I think I see a few human shapes... Nobody I can recognize, though...
I look up from the orb, staring around at the floating black expanse around me.
"Sooooo... Do I have to touch it...?" I ask to whatever divine being may be listening.
...
Nothing. Thought so...
Well, I suppose it's worth a-!
"Is what you are doing truly right?"
"Do it!"
"Tsk. You are a fool."
"How could you-?!"
"Augh!"
"Keep fighting!"
"It's up to you, man."
"Welcome to the-!"
"Is this your destiny?!"
"Man, I'm starving."
"Die!"
"AWAKEN."
try...?!
I... Uh...
Eh? I'm back on the bed...
"Ravel!" I hear a set of booming footsteps approach.
...Uh
"Where have you been?!" A large, unshaven man bursts into the room.
"I... Uh... What?"
"Don't you I- Uh- What- me young man! You were supposed to be working in the forge hours ago!"
F-Forge?
The man grabs my hand and drags me up onto my feet and out of the room.
"Ugh, son! You've hardly been working and you are already breaking a sweat!"
Huff... I... Ugh... What do I even do...?
"I... Eugh..." I let go of the shovel in my hand, stopping to catch my breath. This work is actually really tough... And the heat... OH GODS, THE HEAAAT.
I said gods. You know what? I don't care.
"You know what? You don't seem to be working very efficiently... Just go ahead to town. I'll do the work. Here. Take these bullions. I need some more coals anyways..."
"Y-Y-Yes... Father..."
Y'know, when I pictured being dropped into a world of fantasy and adventure, I didn't really picture myself sitting in a line waiting to buy coals from some giant Scottish guy.
Yeah. Apparently Scotland transcends the fabric of reality and appears in the world of Fire Emblem. Your guess is as good as mine.
"Next!" The large, bearded man yells.
I groan, as the line shortens by another person.
So... I've managed to piece my situation together... I think.
I wrote a really terrible Awakening story years ago. Obviously, I never published it. It was back when I was younger, and more naive, and more stupid, and blah blah etc. Man, I was really obsessed with Awakening at the time.
Meanwhile I played Fates nonstop for two days and proceeded to get burned out on it. How tragic.
Now that I think about it... That seems to happen a lot...
But damn.
The square's crowded as hell.
It's hot as hell.
Frankly I wouldn't be surprised if Satan went and drug me down to hell right about now.
Is that what this is? Purgatory? Did I die in my sleep and wake up in some weird realm where my soul has to grow and realize that this fantasy dreamer stuff is really cliched and even though I am still in high school that does not mean that some anime crazy Deus Ex Machina is going to come out and make me into an awesome Masked Justice Guy?
Uh... No?
What.
"What." I repeat, this time actually saying it out loud.
The scrawny little man beside me turns to face me. "Excuuuuuse me?"
I quickly cover my mouth to prevent laughter.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch the loud snort that came out of my mouth first.
Aaaaaand... Now the entire square is staring at me...
U-Uh-Uhm... Everyone...
And... I'm blushing... Oh gosh... This is awkward...
"O-Oh... Uhmm... Sorry for the..." I mutter.
"Really now? So you think I'm juuuuust funny business, do ya surry?"
Heh.. Couldn't help it... He just... His voice is... Hehehe...
Wait...
"Surry?"
The scrawny man grunts. He... Actually looks kinda like a pig... Pink clothes, bald, fat head, he even has the nose. Hah.
"Yah. Surry. You gots a problem with that, mister tomato?"
...
"Eh... Are you drunk?"
Aaand, now he's mad.
Aaaaaaaaaaand, now he's shoving me.
"Wuzzat then? You think I'm drunk? Aren't you just a rude little apprentice, thinking you alls high and mighty on your teensy little wooden chair." He laughs, a stupid-looking smirk appearing on his fat face.
You know, I could punch him in the face...
I mean, sure, I'm not an angry person in general, I'm not particularly violent...
And I really don't ever get mad-
Except for when certain someones try and make me think they love me and then they-...
Yeah. Alright. So I do get mad. I think I can get mad again.
"Awwww... That's an awful lot of words for someone who wallows in mud all day." I say with a large grin on my face.
Oh. Right. I don't get violent. I just get incredibly passive-aggressive.
"Oh really now? Maybe you should pull summa them swords outta your arse."
"Oh reaaaaally? Perhaps-!"
"NEXT!" The Scottish clerk whose existence I forgot about calls out.
"Ooh! That's me." I immediately turn away from Mr. Piggy and walk up to the stand.
"How much coal are you buying?" The man asks.
Eh... I dig through my pack of bullions, before pulling out a couple of gold coins. "How much will this buy?"
The man takes my coins and inspects them for a couple of moment, inspecting them.
He hands them back. "Twenty gold per bag."
Ooh. Right. The economy's kinda weird here. But not like I mind.
"I'll take three."
"Yessir. Comin' right up." The Scotsman... Says? I dunno what to call him.
He digs through his stand for a couple of seconds before pulling out three bag fulls of coal.
"Thanks." I nod, before turning around and-!
WAUGH!
And now I'm on the ground...
"Awwww. Do you think you can just walk out of a conversation with Sir Hitsworth, one of the richest nobles in aaaaaaall of Ylisse?"
... Dammit.
"Ooh, so you have a mud mansion instead of a mud house?" I chuckle.
DAMMIT! I HAVE A PROBLEM!
Hitsworth kicks me in the rib.
GAH! Alright. I heard a crack. That's gonna hurt...
"Ah, if I have a mud mansion than you're in a pile a' wyvern crap."
"Wait... You're seriously a noble? I've seen preschoolers with better language skills."
He kicks me again.
"The hells a preschool?" he asks.
I lean up and look around, only to see that a whopping nobody is looking at us.
Greaaaat...
"Love you too guys." I blankly roll my eyes at the passerbys.
"I don't really care, kid." Some random guy says as he steps around me.
Kid? Rude. Oh come on now. Is that the best people can come up with nowadays?
"Well, I can't say I haven't had better d-!" ACK!
I quickly receive another swift kick to the ribs. "COULD YOU KNOCK IT OFF FOR A SECOND PLEASE?!"
Yeesh, it's so hard to snark nowadays...
Snark...
Oh...
I facepalm.
How could I forget... This is not the acceptable environment to be this level of snark...
Ugh... Not that I can help it... I don't even know why I am so-...
"What's the matter boy? Gone quiet? Cat finally got your tongue?"
I shake my head. "Nah. Just sorta bored."
Hitsworth kicks me one more.
GAH! Another crack...
"FATHER!"
A black-haired girl in a long white dress runs up to us, before turning toward Hitsworth.
"Father, leave this boy alone!"
"But Grandia, he's rude! He has to be teached a lesson!"
"Taught. And don't act like you're much better!" As she says this she moves his leg off of me, and helps me onto my feet. "Come on, you poor boy. Maybe it's best you leave..." she takes me by the hand and drags me out of the square.
Ack... "Look... Er, Grandia... I'm sorry for the trouble..."
"That's alright... I already said it. Father is not the most agreeable man..." Grandia went ahead and took me to an abandoned house nearby. Right now, she's more focusing on cleaning the wound on my side.
"I'll say..." I mutter.
She stops and lifts her head up, a glare passing over her face.
"U-uh.. Er, I'm sorry..."
"Why do you keep making those comments if you're just going to apologize for them?"
... "I don't know... It's just a habit, I guess."
I bite my lip, before looking back up at her.
"And... Sorry, for egging on your dad like that. It's as much my fault as it is his..."
Grandia looks me in eyes. "Well, you're admitting your mistake. That makes you stronger than my father already."
I sigh. "I guess..."
She pauses, moving her hair our of her eyes and giggling.
Oh, gosh... She's... Uhm.. r-r-really pretty... Ack, I'm blushing.
I must hide my face! I quickly move my view to my side, trying as hard as possible to avoid eye contact.
She sighs. "You're rather unusual, I must admit."
"W-What? How so...?"
"Well, for one, in a matter of seconds you have gone from loud and cocky to shy and quiet. Most people tend to me more consistent in that regard."
... Oh, right. Consistency isn't how I work.
"Er, I guess that describes me?" I sigh. "I've never been able to pinpoint why I act the way I do..."
Actually I have. It's wonderfully linked to my loneliness and desire to find true companionship. Because I'm pretty sure my attempt at being confident mutated into absurd levels of sarcasm and snark. But she doesn't have to know that.
Nooooobody doeeessss...
Grandia shrugs. "That's alright. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Ack! The 'you don't have to' card, the ultimate sign that I can trust them! Daaarn ittttt...!
"Oh, uh... Maybe I can explain it some other time..."
Oh gosh... I just met this girl... I don't want to burden her with my stupid life story. Half of my problems and such don't even completely apply to this world. None of my problems would even make sense in this world. My mental blockades, my growing god-complex, NONE OF IT!
She's really... I mean, she has such kind, beautiful blue eyes,
and she has such gorgeous black hair,
and don't even get me started on her-
No. No. Nonononononono Alan. Why do you have to develop a crush on every girl you meet...?
"Hm... What is your name?"
Wait... What do I tell her? Ravel?
Meh. That's my go-to alternate world name. I suppose that works just fine.
"Oh, right. My name is Ra-!"
I'm interrupted by a loud crash, followed by a booming voice.
"Lady Grandia! There you are!" My focus quickly darts to two rather bulky men in armor that have barged into the room.
N-No! Crap!
"Augustus! Gorey! Why have you come here?!"
"Your father told us you were taken by a filthy little criminal." One of the men says. "And by the looks of it, he was right!"
The two draw swords, before slowly approaching me.
"N-No! Stay away!" Grandia screams.
"I'm afraid we cannot do that, milady. Your father's orders. He wants him dead."
deadDead
DEAD
D-D-Dead?! No! I c-can't die... Not here... Not anywhere...!
"No! I will not allow you to lay a finger on him!" Grandia quickly turns toward me. "You... I need you to run! I'll distract them!" I can see her eyes starting to water a bit. "I'm sorry that we can't talk right now... But I hope we can meet again someday."
I nod, shivering a bit, I think, yet still managing to keep my cool. "Y-Yeah... It's a pleasure to have met you, Grandia..."
She nods and smiles, before turning toward the men and pulling out a book.
A book...
A book?
...!
A tome!
I have to run...! I have to do as she says and get as far away from here as possible!
I turn my head around fearfully, looking desperately for a door, as a powerful blast of wind bursts through the house.
GAH! THE WHOLE STRUCTURE'S SHAKING!
T-T-There's a hole in the wall!
I have to get out of here...!
I dash through the opening, before winding up in an alleyway.
"No! Lady Grandia! You can't do this! The whole building will fall on us if you-!" That was one of the men... But I can't hear him anymore. The building's shaking. It's too loud!
Is it... Falling?
But... But Grandia! I can't let her die in there...!
Gods damn it! I'm NOT going to let her die!
I angrily turn toward the hole.
"This one's for you."
I rush into the house, trying my hardest to ignore the creaking and the snapping of the wood.
"Grandia!" I yell. "Grandi...!"
...
They're... Gone...?
I guess they must have escaped... But...
The rattling of the structure gets louder.
And now blocks of stone are falling around me.
...
Dammit.
A/N: Let the cliffhangers commence.
Yeah. I'm sorry I've been gone for so long. But I've been through a looooot over the past couple of years.
For starters, I pretty much have not written so much as a sentence at all for months. But I actually went to go make a Pokémon fangame. Whoa! Neat!
...Actually nope the data got corrupt after 6 months of development and now it's gone.
But heeeeey I also got a girlfriend.
...Nope. Dumped me for another guy.
Also I had my house burn down.
But hey look at the bright side I got a-
No, lost that too.
...
...
Honestly, I was beginning to think my luck wasn't that bad, but the more I think about it, the more I realize it is bad...
Damn.
OH WELL~!
Anyways, the concept here is going to be the same... To a fault. Luckily I've managed to mature over the past two years and I can actually write a bit more competently. And maybe now my plots won't be so cringy. I've got a few more hopefully better ideas, and I can actually be convinced to proofread instead of just submitting for the sake of submitting.
And for the love of Naga I would appreciate it if I didn't end up review-starved like last time. Now, I know there were quite a few of you reading, but at least a third of those 32 reviews of the last story were from Emblem of Fire.
You still gots my respect, bruh. If you want to beta-read, go right ahead. I actually have quite a few chapters written ahead of time, so I may possibly be able to maintain a consistent update schedule for a whopping two weeks. If I upload weekly, that is.
But regardless. I would like as much feedback as possible. Even if my story is absolutely cringe-worthy and terrible. I do not want to be reduced to a babbling vegetable who spends his days begging for reviews...
Again.