It has...started again?
Yes I am afraid so
What shall we do then?
The only thing we can do, call for help
You plan on re-summoning the original ten to fight again?
No, they have deserved their freedom from this war
But?
But we must call on new warriors
Then allow me to lend you my strength
And lets hope this will be the last time I must do this
Chapter One
Crystillic Requiem
The faint scent was the first smell that greeted him as he opened his eyes and a gust of air being the first thing for him to feel as he stood up slowly, limbs heavy and weighed down by the red gleaming armor that adorned his body. As he stood to full height his aquamarine eyes scanned the surrounding area. In front of him were many rolling hills covered in dark green grass that swayed in the breeze. To his left was a field of delicate looking yellow flowers that shined under the early morning light. Behind him was more rolling hills and to his right, in the distance, stood a tall and shinning castle. Around the castle was huddle a small village, all the buildings close together as if they were embracing each other. "Either that or their like that in case one neighbor needs to call for another if danger should arise." The warrior thought as he gazed on the town. The air shifted a tad, blowing away from him- His hand immediately went for his blade and he whirled around quickly. In front of him, a few feet away, stood a man with a large monstrous sword and what appeared to be a meld of warped flesh and platted armor toned in dull grays and metallic blacks. He stood tall and erect despite the obvious weight that the huge blade he wielded should have put on him. The mans face was as warped as his body, his teeth yellow and his eyes completely white and empty. "Like he has no soul." The warrior in red thought. On the mans head were large horns matching the ones on his shoulders and each bent wildly and went off in all directions. The blade by his feet was cracked in several places and in those crack was what seemed to be liquid fire, bright and red, the blade itself glowing a dull and dark orange. At the beginning of the hilt was a mass of white plumage. "Who are you?" The warrior in red asked. The man only laughed, a hard and cracked laugh, before charging at him; the blade of his sword dipping into the earth below and tearing it asunder.
"Have your memories already abandoned you, you pathetic cur!" The man cried, pulling his blade up from the earth and swinging it along with his body. The warrior in red raised his shield- and went flying backwards as the other warriors blade connected with his shield. The warrior in red fell on his back and rolled with the momentum before leaping up and crouching. He took a quick analysis of himself. His shield was now dented and a deep gash ran across the length of the shield. He felt tired and lethargic and the man before him was obviously nowhere near situation itself was The other warrior only laughed at him again and charged this time raising the blade high and then slamming into the earth below. The earth itself exploded, large chucks of earth jetting up into the air as if to touch the sky, and the warrior in red went sprawling backwards, astounded by the fact that the man attacking him again could even lift the blade he had split the earth open with. "I am Garland, your enemy!" The man shouted. Before he could recover, and with shocking speed, Garland brought the blade across in a wide arc and smashed the blade against the side of the warrior in red's ribs. The warrior flipped and ran forward, slashing his blade this way and that against Garland's blade. When the warrior tried to start another barrage of attacks Garland smacked his sword away as if it were a mere toy, the blade flying high into the sky and flashing bright and then sinking deep into the earth with a loud "shunk." Garland walk over to the warrior in red, an imposing figure to the injured and crouching warrior, and laughed as he his own blade up high above him. "Looks like the first warrior of Cosmos falls." The warrior in red frantically looked around for his blade, a small glimmer of hope that he could fight back before the situation got worse, and nearly cried out in despair as he saw the blade lodged in the earth to far away for him to reach. Despair grew in him and his stomach knotted. Awoken in a strange world and he was already doomed to die.Garland laughed, bringing the blade down- Only to give out a primal scream as an arrow hit him straight in the neck, the arrow making a loud "thwack" noise.
"Away from the warrior of light!" A strong and high voice said. Garland snarled, something primal and animal like, before glaring up at the hill. There was the sound of a small snapping noise, hardly audible, and then Garland brought his blade up to avoid another two arrows. Another hail of arrows came down and Garland's blade gave a large snap before flying up. The warrior in red was surprised to see a strong chain connecting the bladed part of Garland's sword to the hilt and he was even more surprised to see that Garland threw it around with violent grace as he easily knocked arrows out of the sky before having the blade fly back down and connect to the hilt again.
"Don't intervene Eleven Prince!" Garland yelled. The warrior in red attempted to turn and gaze at his rescuer when Garland jumped back, his feet kicking up dirt, and a hail of arrows filling his place. The warrior in red stood up slowly and back away cautiously, craning his neck to see his savior. His "savior" stood on a rising hill behind him held, a bow in his hand. He stood tall, about as tall as the warrior in red himself, and was draped in green and brown tunics. The man's skin was flawless looking and pale, his eyes a bright green and his hair was blonde and glittering in sunlight. At his side was a sheathed blade. There was a rush of air behind the warrior and he turned to see Garland leap into the air. Garland's blade seemed to split and out came long lines of bright red fire that sped towards the warriors savior. The man leapt of the hill and into the flames, they flames then exploding, and the warrior in red's hope sank again as it appeared the man had died, only for the man to come flying out of the flames with a blade in hand. Garland raised his blade to intercept the elven warrior and tossed him aside as if he were a rag-doll. The elven prince landed with a soft thud to the earth held his blade steady. "If you wish to die as well then be my guest little prince." Garland bellowed. "Regardless of who you are I will still knock you down." The elven prince sneered.
"Not a chance," The elven prince said. ",and my name is Daeron Kilithdal. Heir to the Elflheim family and it's protecter!" Daeron yelled, charging forward, deft hands spinning the blade and bringing it down on Garland blade. To the warrior in red the thin blade of Daeron actually left a cut and forced Garland back. Garland laughed and swung his sword, Daeron ducking and whirling his blade around quickly before attacking again. The fight continued on back and forth for a few moments, Daeron's blade hitting twice for every one time Garland's hit, until Garland roared and managed to bring up a large chunk of earth with his upward swing. Daeron jumped back and shot a worried glance at the warrior in the red armor nearby. He looked tired and disheveled, his red hair out of place and his armor dented. The warrior flashed him a weak smile and Daeron turned to face Garland.
"A name means nothing here prince," Garland said, following Daeron's line of sight. Garland sneered and laughed before charging at the warrior in red. ",especially if you can't protect your friends."
"No!" Daeron shouted, grabbing his bow and arrows and unleashing a volley of arrows that Garland evaded with ease. The warrior in red gritted his teeth and stood tall and Garland jumped at him, blade ready to strike him down-only to dive downwards and grab his own blade. "He had been moving towards his weapon the entire time." Daeron thought. Garland through down the blade and the warrior in red moved left, dodging Garland's blade and then thrusting his own blade into Garland's foot. Daeron could see a disgusting black liquid seep out under the warriors blade and stain the grass beneath. Garland gave out a loud scream and before he could do anything the warrior in red span on his heel and thrusted the blade up, cutting deep into Garland's chest before shoving the blade into his chest.
"It is I...who has knocked you down." The warrior said. With that he pulled his blade free and watched as Garland fell to the floor, darkness consuming his body. With a content sigh the warrior dropped his blade and fell to his knees as he gripped his head, Daeron rushing over.
"Are you alright?" Daeron asked, his voice seeming far off and warped to the injured warrior.
"M-My head." The warrior in red croaked. "So many...images." Brief flashes of images filled the warriors mind and it became hard for him to focus.
"Warrior? Warrior?" The voice of his comrade became farther and farther away, the world dimming until there was nothing. Nothing but darkness.
"Um hello in there? Are you there?" A female voice asked. He opened his eyes to see a young women dressed in white robes with small red triangle adorning the trim staring at him, hands on her hips and her foot tapping impatiently on the ground before her. Behind her stood a man and women, a woman dressed in a green tunic and brown pants along with a green cap. The other dressed in nearly all red and silver hair framing his fragile looking face. The women in green met his gaze with a a polite smile but her eyes were hard. The boy on the other hand gave him a warm smile and stared at him intently. He stared at the boy for a few moments, memorizing the face as if he feared forgetting it, before the girl in white yanked on his arm. He turned to face her and the girl huffed and pushed her brunette hair out of her face. "Well?" She asked, eyeing him.
"Um..yes I am..." He tried to recall her name, something, something starting with- "...Kels." He said finishing his sentence. She smiled at him.
"Good now come on." Kels said, smiling at him. She grabbed his hand and led him forward. Around him was a busy marketplace, people running this way and that as they went about their daily routine. The sky was a bright blue and cloudless and up the road stood a large and imposing castle, seemingly made out of the finest materials ever known. "This guard here is going to escort us to the castle." She motioned towards an armored guard and he smiled back. The guard himself looked hardly of age to call himself a man and was somewhat lanky with a goofy grin and a mop of dark brown hair under his helmet. She pulled him forward towards the castle and the two men with them followed as the guard lead them towards the castle.
"Wake up!" Daeron shouted. The warrior in red slowly opened his eyes and gazed on the elven man before him, his face calm and unreadable. Daeron smiled and gave a sigh of relief before helping the warrior in red up to his feet. "Are you all right?" The warrior in red murmured something to him and pulled away, walking over to retrieve his blade.
"Who was that man?" The warrior in red asked.
"That was Garland an agent of Chaos and darkness-"
"What they need to know is...true darkness." The women said, a monstrous creature with four arms hovering above her. They were complete opposites, light and dark, good and evil, Cosmos and Chaos. Ribbons of darkness trailing behind Chaos as he thrusted his large wings against the air to stay in flight laughed at his goddess and gazed at the ten warriors before him. All of them brought together from different worlds. The warrior could feel his fingers tighten on the blade, concern wounding his heart but his face showing little expression past his calm facade.
"So be it." Chaos bellowed, flames consuming Cosmos. The warrior lunged forward and the other warriors of light cried out. This could not be happening. A sense of betrayal and hurt raked at his heart but he continued to run forward. She was there only hope. She was their freedom. She was the one he had pledged his undying loyalty to. She was the one he had failed to protect.
"COSMOS!"
"Gah!" The warrior in red faltered and fell to his knees again, gripping his head as memories flashed across is mind. Daeron ran over and he rose again, breath heavy with labor.
"Are you alright-"
"I'm fine." The warrior in red breathed. He steady himself and pushed his blade back into it's sheath. "Now tell me, who are you?" The warrior asked, turning to face Daeron. Daeron smiled.
"It appears you don't remember me warrior, but of course that is how it works. In another time, you saved me from eternal sleep and then saved the world from Chaos." Daeron said, securing his bow to his back. "Now we are warriors of Cosmos."
"Cosmos..." The warrior said quietly. The name seemed so familiar and yet in his mind it felt so distant, much like a dreams that one forgets when they awaken and start their day. The warrior knew no name such as that and yet...he wondered why the name seem so familiar to him.
"I am to take you to here. I expect that the rest of the warriors of Cosmos will be waiting there for us to arrive. It would be best not to keep them waiting." Daeron said.
"Yes, let us go." The warrior said. "Lead the way." Daeron smiled and began walking down the hill, the warrior in red following close behind. The two had walked for a while in silence before a question had began to form in the warriors mind. "So tell me...who am I?" Daeron chuckled a bit and the warrior's calm facade slipped a bit, his lips dipping down in a slight frown. Did he find his question silly the warrior pondered. Was it natural for those to come to this world to not have their memories?
"I can't say that I know for my memory is a bit hazy but I can remember you freeing me from a spell made by a dark elf called Astos. From their you defeated a many a powerful enemies until you eventually encountered a being called Chaos and then saved the world. From there...things get fuzzy." The warrior nodded, trying to recall such memories but finding none to recall. It worried him that he could hardly remember anything before waking up here in a strange world. All he could recall was a few faces. A women's, chestnut colored hair framing her face and tightly pulled back into a bow that was hidden by the silky confines of her robe and hood. A strange looking man with brown and silver hair that fell around his face, unkempt and messy. He was adorned in nearly all red, a white puffy shirt under a deep red vest and a red hat with a white feather sticking out of the top. The third was another women, dressed in a green tunic and cap, her hair black and her eyes showing a wild interest. They all seemed so familiar and yet so vague.
"I remember a few things...here and there but not much." The warrior said.
"I think your memories will return after a while." Daeron said quietly. The two cautiously walked through long fields and meadows, hands at their weapons in case of attack when suddenly lightning flashed across the sky and thunder roared. Within seconds the two were being pelted by a steady onslaught of rain, the sky now heavy with darkened clouds and everything becoming darker. In front of them was gone the luscious meadows and fields and was now a barren wasteland of cracked, hard earth. As they crested a large mound of earth lighting flashed again across the sky, showing the entirety of the large area around them. "We will head straight from here." Daeron shouted, pointing to the distance with one hand and pulling a hood over his head. The warrior in red wished that he had something to keep the rain off. "From there it is an easy passage to Orders Sanctuary, where Cosmos is." The warrior in red nodded, looking up at the dark turbulent sky above.
"What do we do about the thunder-" The warrior quickly saw Daeron's hand goes for his blade, the warrior quickly doing the same. He spun on his heel and through his sword up, the steel clashing with another, and he saw- an exact copy of himself, etched in crystal. "What the-" The crystal warrior spun and thrusted his blade, the warrior in red bringing his shield up to block the attack and then swigged his blade to parry the second attack the crystal warrior made. It was amazing that Daeron had been able to hear the enemies through the thunder and rain when he could not. The crystal warriors face showed no emotion other then a fierce animosity in its eyes. The warrior threw his armor forward and smashed his blade into the crystal warriors face and then thrusted his blade squarely into its chest. The crystal warrior gave out a loud and ragged cry before slumping to the ground, dead. The warrior turned to see Daeron dispatching his own crystal copy before another attacked him. Daeron had pulled out his sword and a small dagger and the clashing of steel could be hardly heard over the rain. The second crystal enemy resembled a women...or a man, the warrior couldn't quite figure the enemies gender. With lithe and graceful moves the crystal enemy advanced on Daeron, magical orbs of light whirling around and creating a light show in the darkened sky before they plummeted to the cruel earth below and exploded. Daeron matched grace with his attacker and ducked and weaved through the magical barrage of white light and explosions, steadily making hi way towards his enemy. The crystal man- "Or women." The warrior thought- flew back into the air, orbs of light spinning around him as if to keep him afloat. Magic. Even through the darkness and rain the warrior could see that the enemy was slowly descending, hardly seeable. Daeron pulled out his bow and unleashed a barrage of arrows, unleashing as many as he could from a seemingly endless supply of arrows, the crystal mage in turn releasing his own barrage of magic to counter Daeron's arrows. The sky exploded and Daeron jumped up and thrust his blade in between the crystal mages's ribs, a strangled cry filling the air. The two fighters fell from the sky and hit the ground. "Daeron!" The warrior shouted. The sky seemed to grow darker for a few seconds and the warrior feared that his comrade had not made it. Was that cry earlier his or the crystal beings. Suddenly lightning flashed across the sky and he could briefly make out Daeron in the distance running at him. Quickly approaching, Daeron skidded to a halt before the warrior.
"Are you okay?" Daeron asked. The warrior nodded and Daeron smiled at him. "Then lets continue onwards. I wish to leave this place quickly." The two continued to travel forwards, neither knowing wether they were going North, East, South, or West, finally cresting a large hill and watching as the rain thinned out into a light rain. Thundering had grown quiet and distant and a warmer air came, the two warriors breathing a sigh of relief and continuing onwards.The rain all but subsided and soon the sky become a light gray. The hard earth became muddy until it turned into clear water and it seemed that the two of them were walking on it. The light splashing sounds of their footsteps where the only thing heard and green lines of magic light streaming in an out of the water was the only thing to see besides for a few chunks of white structure and the gray sky. It astounded the warrior in red how they had gone from a destructive wasteland of darkness and thunder to a calm and pristine area. The ground itself, once hard, had now turned into smokey looking water that they could walk on and the darkened sky was now just grey and cloudy. All the warrior had to do was turn slightly and again see the darkened skies and flashes of thunder that they had just passed through. To the warrior it was if the two of them had just exited one world and entered another one entirely. Crystal warriors resembling themselves and various warriors, changing worlds, a battle of gods, the warriors head seemed to ache if he thought to hard about all of it at once. The warrior took another glance at himself and grimaced again. The new battle had hardly done anything to add to his armor, a few new dents and cuts marking his once shinning red armor. He would need a new shield and sword of course as well as armor but for now those were trivial thoughts to the warrior.
"Is this-"
"Order's Sanctuary?" Daeron finished. "Yes, this is where Cosmos resides."
"I see." The two continued to walk on until in the distance a small pedestal could be see and a band of people surrounding it. "They must be the other warriors."
"Yes," Daeron said. "They are. Let us make haste to join them." The warrior nodded and they both quickened their pace. Feelings of nervousness washed over the warrior as the two hurried on. What did their future in this strange world hold? Who were those crystal like enemies or rather, what were they? Why could he not remember anything from his previous life and why had he been summoned here? All of these question passed through the warriors head, and for the fact Daeron's head as well, as he continued forwards, the most important question for the warrior being: Why did this place seem so familiar?