A/N: Well, I don't really know where to begin. The beginning sounds like I good place, though, I guess. Well, Fishiesinthesky and I got to talking about Aster, and how he probably ships everybody and is a secret Richter/Emil fanboy, and we were joking around, and the idea of him having a little notebook of Richter/Emil fanfiction came up. And... Well, what started off as a silly little story about Aster being a fanfiction author gained a proper plot, and antagonist, and a proper ship along with it. XD So, this is actually, in part, a jointly-written story between myself and fishiesinthesky. I'll mark each part as to who wrote it, but we worked out a summary/outline to use together, so... I can't remember who came up with what anymore, and it's a ton of work to go back through the messages and figure it out... Basically, we both worked on the ideas for this story, and we've both done writing for it so far. :3
First, though, there's some credit to give! This whole story was actually inspired by the amazing Hikaru Irving, and their awesome story Dimensional Rift-if you haven't read it yet, GO READ IT. Without that story, this wouldn't have been cooked up! XD Other credit will be given as due when segments inspired by/borrowed from (with permission, naturally) other authors come up. :3
Also, this story is technically a Richter/Aster/Emil story-because it's and awesome threesome. XD
Disclaimer: Neither myself nor fishiesinthesky claim credit for the characters used within this story. They are the property of Namco-Bandai, or the other authors who created them, and proper credit will be given where due if/when they are mentioned. Neither of us makes any profit from this work, and it is simply for our amusement and the entertainment of others.
(Author of this part: Me)
"I'm sure Aster would have wanted it this way. He was such an idealist." The half-elf smiled at Ratatosk, watching the Summon Spirit.
Ratatosk stared at Richter for a moment, stunned. He smiled hesitantly. "Thank you." Closing his eyes, he allowed Verius' power to connect with his own. Focusing, he felt himself being pulled, as if in two directions at once. With Verius' aid, he felt Emil disconnect from him, though he still felt a small connection to the now-human boy. As he felt himself being connected to Richter, who had offered his body as a host for the Summon Spirit's core, he sent his power to Emil, focusing, drawing somewhat on the half-elf's strength to aid him as he concentrated on casting the spell that would allow Emil, with Verius' aid, to leave the Ginnungagap and live out his life as a human.
A sudden shout broke the silence, Verius' voice ringing out with a warning, "Ratatosk! Wait! You're using too much power; the spell is too strong!"
Emil gave a startled yelp as a wave of energy flowed through him, jolting him. He heard Ratatosk cursing in his head, "Damn it! No, Emil, hold on to my power!" before everything went black.