The Omniverse

by Oprissmian

What happens when characters from different universes find out about others? Join the heros from many different game & movie franchises as they embark on the greatest crossover event in fictional history (more details in chapter 1)

The Omniverse

Disclaimer: I don't own the franchises that are shown in this fanfic (This disclaimer will only appear at the beginning of this chapter)

Author's note (1): So I've actually decided on making a very massive crossover story. I originally intended this story to be a Xenoblade Chronicles 2 story, but I got so many ideas on how to include other movie and game franchises. This story will start as a Xenoblade Chronicles 2-like story, and the other franchises will be added later on (The first crossover chapter is planned around chapter 4-10). Some franchises I'll definitively include are Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Persona 5, Star Wars, the MCU, Legend of Zelda and so on. Expect this fanfic to be veeeeerrrrryyyyy long as there is a lot to explore. This story also will contain a lot of time travel and alternate timelines, so be ready if things are going to be weirdly crazy.

Please note that:

1st: I'm from Germany so some grammar and vocabulary might be weird/wrong

2nd: Since there will be some extreme things happening in this fanfic, it is rated M

3rd: Since the chapters are going to be pretty long (I'm talking about 10000-20000 words long), there won't be a lot of updates.

Another thing I also want to mention is that the main calendar of the main planet where most is going to happen is different from earth. Here are a few stats in order to avoid confusion later on:

Length of year: 480 days

Orbital periods of the different moons: Moon 1 = 32 days; Moon 2 = 48 days; Moon 3 = 93 days

Length of month: 48 days

Length of week: 8 days

Length of a day: 35 hours

Length of minutes and seconds are the same as in real life.

Names of weekdays are the same as in real life; 8th day in the week is called Amthday.

Names of the months: 1st month = Boreium; 2nd month = Jovium; 3rd month = Semarium; 4th month = Lunarium; 5th month = Centaurium; 6th month = Neron; 7th month = Unvejum; 8th month = Mingar; 9th month = Zeuseium; 10th month = Vishnia

As said before, this is the time system on the main world of the story. Since some movie and game worlds that contain Earth are going to be in this fanfiction, Earth Time as we know it in real life will occur there.

Now enough of my talking, enjoy the story!

Great Western Sea

Aethria was outside of her little shelter that was located on the back of the Titan she owned. She liked to call him Gramps, since the Titan was pretty old. Aethria had been out on the sea for five days now, trying to locate a signal that must be of a sunken ship.

"How long does it even take to find the location of that darn signal?" Aethria asked in annoyance. It seemed like the device she used to locate salvage had to be placed out, but she'd need about 20.000 gold to buy a new one.

"My gut is telling that we should be near..." the Titan Aethria inhabited muttered. He (the Titan) was pretty large for a Titan nowadays. Legends said that there once were Titans much larger than today. But that was at least 60.000 years ago.

"Your gut? As if I'd trust your gut!" Aethria exclaimed loudly. But all of a sudden, the device that located salvage gave out the biggest ping yet.

"See? I knew my gut was right!" the old Titan said. The picture on the device clearly showed what Aethria was looking for: a massive sunken ship. Aethria prepared her salvaging equipment and was ready to descent into the waters of the Great Western Sea.

"I hope that this time I'll have a big catch..." Aethria thought to herself as she descended down into the water. The lower she got, the darker it became. At a depth of about 50 metres she activated the lights on her helmet. What she saw was really quite impressive.

There really seemed to be a wreck of a ship there. It looked pretty old as well. Despite being very run down, Aethria could make out that the ship had to be older than 100.000 years. Aethria swam towards what looked like a storage container. She used a waterproof screwdriver to loosen the locks that kept the container in place. Once loosened, the container floated upward, suggesting it had air in it. Using her muscular power, Aethria managed to hook the container to the crane. She then activated the crane to pull the container up and then swam back up herself.

"It looks like you made a huge catch today, Aethria." The Titan said.

The container was hooked to a mechanical device on the Titan's right side and then got rotated by 90 degrees. Aethria climbed up a ladder that was attached to the Titan and removed the helmet from her salvager outfit.

"Yeah, it might even be my best salvage so far..." Aethria muttered. She hoped to get at least 200.000 gold from what she brought up today in order to upgrade some older devices on the Titan. And she also wanted to send some money home.

"It's kind of weird though...", the Titan started, "That you declined the title of princess and decided to become a salvager. And despite them having enough money you send some of yours to them..."

"Well, I don't really like politics... Besides, I think my sister is better suited to be the next Empress of Draconia." Aethria admitted. Draconia was the largest of all nations on Eternia, so it would take a lot of time of governing.

She went into a shelter and swiped dust of what was a holographic projector. She activated it and opened a digital map of Eternia.

"Looks like the Ashnia Trading Outpost is only five titanmiles north of here.", Aethria said, "We can stay here on the sea for the night and travel to there tomorrow."

And with that Aethria went into bed and decided to sleep. Her Titan also decided to sleep since he had to be fit the next morning.

...

...

...

A long time ago, it is said that a seed was planted by the Blade known as Aurum, creating the Divine Tree. Around the routs of this tree, land formed and thus Eternia was born. Four other Blades also were created, with Pi, Alpha and Omega being directly overseen by Aurum. The last Blade, Armageddon, however wanted to destroy the world. Aurum and the other three Blades managed to defeat Armageddon, and thus Eternia was saved. But something doesn't add up. The creation of Eternia was 500.000 years ago, but we only have historic data since about 100.000 years. There are items from before that point however, and they are more advanced than current technology. The period between the creation of Eternia and the time historic data is available is simply known as the Great Historic Gap.

-Chapter One: Conflict-

-Episode One: The Reawakening-

Aethria looked concerned. She saw some soldiers from the Grand Duchy of Auraidu at the peer, which meant that she probably wouldn't get anything for her salvage. Since the Grand Duchy of Auraidu and the Lunarian Kingdom are currently at war, any salvage would be searched through to secure military supplies. Aethria just sighed as her Titan docked at the peer. She went off her Titan and the group of soldiers went into her direction.

"You! In the name of Grand Duke Ivan we will search through your salvage!" the captain of the group said. Aethria however blocked the way between the soldiers and the container with the salvage.

"I don't even fucking care about your darn war!", Aethria shouted out, "And there are no milita- GAAAARRRHHHH!" Before Aethria could finish her sentence, the captain's Blade inflicted a bad wound on Aethria.

"Fine, it seems we have to do it the hard way..." the captain muttered. He packed Aethria at her neck and was about to throw her off the peer and into the sea.

"STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" someone screamed so loud that it could be heard on the entire deck. The soldiers started to shiver as they knew whose voice it was.

"It's th-the V-V-Vice-Chairman!" one of the soldiers pointed out. The Vice-Chairman approached the group of soldiers with lots of anger on his face. The Vice-Chairman actually was a Twilight Beast, a humanoid creature with many wolf aspects. They have a tail, wolf ears, claws instead of fingernails and a better sense of smell. The Vice-Chairman here also is 3.15 metres tall, which dwarfs anyone else.

"Captain Harold, this is the fifth incident in A WEEK. WHERE THE HELL ARE YOUR MANNERS?", the Vice-Chairman shouted, "And she is a woman! What are you, a honourable solider or a stupid coward?"

"B-But Vice-Chairman Oprissmian..." the captain said before being slapped by the Vice-Chairman.

"SILENCE!", Oprissmian said, "In the name of current Chairwoman Amber, I hereby declare that the price on the next 20 orders from the Ashnia Trade Outpost are raised by 70 percent! And if there IS ONE MORE INCIDENT we'll stop providing military supplies to you. AND WE DON'T GIVE A SHIT IF YOUR DARN GRAND DUKE IS THREATENING US WITH WAR BECAUSE IF HE DOES HE'LL PAY FOR IT! MY GARANDFATHER AND YOU STUPID ASSHOLE CAN'T TELL MY AUNT AND ME WHAT TO DO!"

Captain Harold stepped back in shock. Not because he was threatened, but because he just found out that the Grand Duke of Auraidu was the grandfather of the Vice-Chairman of the Ashnia Trade Outpost.

"Oh and on my own note..." Oprissmian said as he approached the captain. He then suddenly pulled the two shuriken from his belt and sliced through the Core Crystal of the captain's Blade.

"Kasandra!" the captain shouted in grief as the broken Core Crystal of his Blade laid on the ground.

"Tell my grandfather that if this happens again...", Oprissmian said as he picked up the broken Core Crystal, "That I will destroy every single Blade in your army, including his."

Oprissmian then crushed the broken Core Crystal with his hand as the captain of the group of soldiers looked on in shock.

"AND NOW PISS OFF!" the Vice-Chairman yelled at the group of soldiers which then ran away. Oprissmian then started to walk away but stopped shortly after.

"What is it?" Aethria asked.

"The Chairwoman wants to meet you this evening..." Oprissmian simply said and then wandered off.

Aethria was a bit shocked. The Vice-Chairman was pretty harsh but Aethria realized that he had something on his mind. She couldn't just stand there and do nothing.

"Gramps, I'm going to search him.", Aethria told her Titan, "Please wait here, ok?"

Aethria walked around the massive trading outpost, searching for Oprissmian. The Ashnia Trade Outpost was the largest one in the world, so it would take quite some time before Aethria could find Oprissmian. She finally traced him down at a larger room that lied at the end of one of the trading outpost's corridors.

"Hey wait!" she screamed after Oprissmian who was about to enter the room.

"What do you want from me?" he asked in annoyance. But he was really surprised when Aethria took his hand and shacked it.

"Thanks for earlier..." Aethria said with a faint blush on her face.

"Why are you thanking me?", Oprissmian asked in surprise, "It's my job to look after you salvagers!"

Aethria knew that she had to say something. That Oprissmian, Vice-Chairman of the Ashnia Trade Outpost, really was hard to talk with.

"Anyone deserves a thanks..." Aethria said which took Oprissmian by surprise. He had assumed that humans were just egoistic, but Aethria didn't seem to be that.

"Anyway, what's your name?" Oprissmian asked as he didn't know the name of the girl he had helped earlier the day.

"Oh, I'm Aethria...", Aethria answered, "You're Vice-Chairman Oprissmian, right?"

"Correct." Oprissmian confirmed in a simple way.

"One question though, what is that room here?" Aethria asked, pointing at the building Oprissmian wanted to go into.

"Oh that's my workshop.", Oprissmian said, "I use it for various things."

The two went inside the workshop. It was a bit messy, but it seemed that Oprissmian gathered a lot of broken Core Crystals and other artefacts. A broken Core Crystal laid on a table and Oprissmian sat down on a chair next to it.

"Can you maybe explain why you have accumulated so many broken Core Crystals?" Aethria asked the Vice-Chairman of the Ashnia Trade Outpost.

"Well, I have the power to reactivate broken Core Crystals.", Oprissmian explained, "I get one full container of these each month. They're usually being sent by the Nexonian Collectivity since the Ether flow there is sometimes so low that Blades just get reversed back to their Core Crystals and if stuff goes really bad, these Core Crystals break. If I manage to reactivate them, I sell those reactivated Core Crystals for some profit."

"And what do you do if you can't reactivate a Core Crystal?" Aethria asked after hearing that not every Core Crystal could be reactivated.

"Well...", Oprissmian started, "If I'm not able to reactivate a Core Crystal, I'll crush it into dust and sell it as fertilizer. And yes, as weird as it sounds, dust of broken Core Crystals in an excellent fertilizer. Sometimes the Core Crystal can be partially reactivated. Such Core Crystals can be used as data storages or nanotechnological stuff. "

"Anyway, I should do something proper to thank you for saving me earlier..." Aethria muttered after snapping out of her thoughts.

Meanwhile at the inn...

Phira looked out of the window. She let out a loud sigh and turned around, only to see Nihilus.

"Do we really have to lay this low?" she asked in annoyance.

"Sadly yes.", Nihilus answered, "Don't worry, we'll get her soon."

"Let's just hope the person we hired is worthy of the job..." Phira muttered.

Ashnia Trade Outpost; Upper Peers

The two arrived at the peer where Aethria got threatened by the soldiers earlier that day. Her Titan still was there, floating on the waters.

"Oh hey Aethria.", the Titan said, "Is that the boy that saved you earlier? Can't you maybe go to a restaurant with him?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine with the fact that Aethria doesn't have enough money.", Oprissmian told the Titan, "Besides... I don't particularly like restaurants. Too many people there..." Aethria had an idea after hearing this.

"Why don't I show you how I get food?" Aethria asked to which Oprissmian nodded. The two went onto the Titan.

"So, I'll use this to catch something!" Aethria said proudly.

"You want to catch something with your bare hands?" Oprissmian asked in laughter.

"Huh? No, I'll catch something with THIS!" Aethria said, pointing at the thing on her lower left arm. It was a small anchor shooting device that salvagers use for different things. She attached a bait onto it and then shot the anchor into the sea.

"Hmm... Does this eve- HOLY SHIT WATCH OUT!" Oprissmian exclaimed as Aethria almost fell as something pulled on the "fishing rope". Aethria pressed the "return" button in order to pull in the anchor. As she did that it revealed that a King Crustip that bit the bait.

"Careful!", Aethria said, "Those monsters can be a big pain in the back!"

She then pulled up a sword she made out of salvage and got into a battle stance. This King Crustip was pretty fast and Aethria had to dodge lots of times. Aethria managed to get a few hits on the monster but then – surprisingly – it managed to damage Aethria's weapon. Aethria tried to defeat the King Crustip with her damaged weapon, but it was useless. She was about to be hit when suddenly a shield appeared in front of her.

"Oréni-Shou!" Oprissmian called out.

"What?" Aethria asked in confusion.

"Oréni-Shou here is my Blade.", Oprissmian said, "She's one of the two Twilight Blades. The other one, Oréni-Yéou, is owned by my sister."

The King Crustip then charged at Oprissmian but he (Oprissmian) reacted quick enough as he pulled the two shuriken that were his Blade's weapons from his belt and used them to defend himself. After that, he and his Blade were enveloped in Ether aura as they prepared on using their special move.

"DOUBLE FLAMING WHEEL!" Oprissmian and his Blade screamed as they executed their special move. The King Crustip got hit by it and got defeated.

"Thanks..." Aethria muttered.

"No problem.", Oprissmian said, "Anyways, time to make food, right?"

Aethria put the remains of the King Crustip onto the grill and sat down next to Oprissmian. She actually wanted to talk with him a bit. But before she could start a sentence Oprissmian started talking.

"It's a bit weird though...", Oprissmian commented, "You could have become the Empress of Draconia. And yet you declined the throne and became a salvager..."

"Well...", Aethria started, "I didn't feel that I deserved the throne. Not after what I've done..."

"What?" Oprissmian asked confused.

"My father..." Aethria said.

"What about your father?" Oprissmian asked, being still confused.

"My father was a strong man. He was my mentor for most of my early life.", Aethria explained, "And yet, he died at because of me."

"Huh?" Oprissmian blurted out, not believing what he just heard.

"I actually have the aptitude to be a Driver.", Aethria said, "My father and I trained a lot. However, one day, when we practiced with an Electric Element Blade... I hit to hard."

"Do you mean?" Oprissmian asked without a topic.

"Yes. He got hit by the attack.", Aethria explained, "I tried to heal him up with some medicine I had with me. But it didn't work and he ended up dying in my arms..."

"Oh...", Oprissmian said, "My sincere apologies."

Aethria was a bit taken back by this. Twilight Beasts are known for their lack of understanding and empathy, and yet Oprissmian understood her?

"Thanks...", Aethria muttered, "You seem a bit taken down."

"Well... It's complicated. My mother is the High Priestess of Twii'lya and my dad is the Duke of the Draconid Islands – You know, that Arnthalis guy." Oprissmian said.

"Your father is human?" Aethria asked in shock.

"Yeah.", Oprissmian said, "While I inherited most genes from mum, there are also a few human genes I acquired. This however is the reason why I'm so short tempered. And..."

"Hmm?" Aethria asked.

"Well... I have another form..." Oprissmian said, sighing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aethria asked in confusion.

Oprissmian let out a loud sigh before deciding to not tell Aethria the truth right now. He however needed to say something.

"I'll tell you another time.", Oprissmian said, "Anyways, I think I'll buy off your salvage."

"Really?" Aethria asked happily.

"Yes.", Oprissmian answered, "I think I'll give you five million gold coins for it."

"REALLY?!", Aethria screamed out, "You don't even know what's inside!"

"My business sense says that there's something great inside the container you salvaged." Oprissmian said.

"Then it's a deal." Aethria responded. She pulled out her credit card – a newly developed item to store money without having to carry all the coins with you – and Oprissmian transferred the five million gold coins. Then Oprissmian looked at his antique watch and gasped.

"Oh I need to go now." Oprissmian said. He then ordered some workers to remove the container from Aethria's Titan and then walked away.

A few hours later...

Aethria went up the staircases to the Chairwoman's office. The sun was already setting and many of the salvagers that worked for the Ashnia Trade Outpost already went to sleep.

"Ah, you must be Aethria Komarov.", the Chairwoman said, "I've heard about you."

"Oh really?" Aethria asked as she didn't expect the Chairwoman to know her.

"You have a high reputation you know. You're basically the best salvager known here!" the Chairwoman exclaimed.

"Thanks.", Aethria simply responded, "Anyway, the Vice-Chairman said you wanted to meet me."

"Indeed." The Chairwoman confirmed. After that two persons entered the room, a man and a woman. The woman had long black hair and yellow eyes while the man had short blond hair and purple eyes. Both were dressed in formal clothing.

"Greeting, I'm Gordon.", the man said, "The woman here is Clara, my assistant."

"Nice to meet you!" Clara exclaimed with a smile on her face. Aethria was a little surprised on how friendly the two were. It even seemed suspicious to her.

"Anyways, we're hiring world-known salvagers to retrieve a legendary treasure from the bottom of the Typhoon Sea.", Gordon explained, "Payment is 500.000 in advance, ad another two million are paid after the job is done."

Aethria almost couldn't hide her joy on how much money she would be paid. Sure, Oprissmian gave her five million gold coins earlier this day, but she had sent most of that money home.

"Oh and I'm coming with all of you. I'm actually in command of all salvagers on the mission.", Oprissmian said, "We'll depart tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. The vessels that will be used this time are the A.G.S.V. Galea and the A.G.S.V. Dragon of the Seas. The vessels are docked at Terminal 7 as always. We however need to make a stop at Serpent's Back first to replace the damaged Ether Coil in the A.G.S.V. Galea. After that we should be fine however. So, make sure you're at Terminal 7 tomorrow morning, got it?"

Aethria nodded as a sign that she understood what Oprissmian had said.

"Good." Oprissmian said.

"Since there seem to be no questions, this meeting is dismissed." the Chairwoman said. Everyone left her office and went to sleep. Well, most of them.

Two hours later...

Oprissmian sat on a bench at the upper observation platform of the trading outpost. There was a calm breeze and the waves crashed onto the cliffs below. He let out a loud sigh after which he heard someone approaching.

"Can't sleep?" Oprissmian asked, knowing that the person that approached him was Aethria.

"Yeah." Aethria said. She sat down next to Oprissmian. She actually had a faint blush on her face but Oprissmian didn't seem to notice it.

"Aethria, have you heard of Twilight Ridge?" Oprissmian suddenly asked.

"Yes.", Aethria responded, "Might it have to do with that second form of yours?"

"Sadly.", Oprissmian explained, "When I first awoke in my alternate form, I was in great rage. Not even my sister could calm me down. And trust me, she was the only one who ever managed to calm me down when I was in rage. While being in my other form I shot a massive beam of Twilight Flames and destroyed the Auraiduanian city of Supremia. 170.000 people and many Blades were killed by it. What's even worse, this city was the only city in the Grand Duchy of Auraidu that had artificial farms in greenhouses. The brutal conflict between Auraidu and Lunaria is probably a result from this..."

Aethria followed every word that Oprissmian said. After Oprissmian had finished she looked over to him and was surprised. Tears were streaming down Oprissmian's face, which was a sign of grief. Aethria was surprised by this since Twilight Beasts are known to feel no grief. She then gasped a little since he somehow remembered Aethria of herself shortly after she had accidently killed her father. She placed her hand onto Oprissmian's which surprised him. Oprissmian always thought that humans were selfish, arrogant and pathetic. But Aethria seemed to be different. He wanted to speak but Aethria was faster.

"I know it hurts you.", Aethria said, "I know that feeling to. And trust me, it feels more painful when you accidently kill a person you're close to."

After Aethria finished her sentence she felt something on her left shoulder. She looked there and blushed as she saw that Oprissmian slept in and used her left shoulder as a pillow. She then put her left arm around Oprissmian and decided to sleep too.

The next day...

Oprissmian and Aethria woke up in the early morning. The other salvagers were still asleep however. Oprissmian remembered Aethria to show up at Terminal 7 at ten o'clock and then left. Aethria decided to shop a little at the market.

The market was pretty large. Many market stalls were there selling different things. Aethria now had 500.000 gold coins and she wanted to buy some extravagant stuff.

"Oi hey there!" a voice suddenly shouted out to Aethria.

"Nicole!", Aethria shouted back, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm here to sell some stuff from daddy's company." Nicole replied. That got Aethria thinking.

"You know what, I think I want to buy a grappling hook with an electric shocker and greater range." Aethria said.

"Oh, I actually have that kind of grappling hook. A GH-40 Grappling Hook precisely.", Nicole told Aethria, "Only would cost 3.000 gold coins."

"Ok I'll buy it." Aethria confirmed. She gave Nicole the money and her old grappling hook and received the new grappling hook. After that she told her old friend goodbye and walked away. She then looked on a clock and realized that it was almost ten o'clock already.

Terminal 7 was the largest out off all terminals at the Ashnia Trade Outpost. The reason for that is the fact that the two largest registered airship in the guild are docked there. Terminal 7 also has peers for smaller airships. This will be dwarfed however once Terminal 8 is completed. That terminal will have three peers for the newly ordered three ships that are going to be identical to the A.G.S.V. Galea and the A.G.S.V. Dragon of the Seas. The names for those new salvaging vessels will be A.G.S.V. Colossus, A.G.S.V. Emergence and A.G.S.V. Phoenix.

"Your documents, please." the man at the counter told Aethria. She showed her identification card and the documents she received after accepting the job. The man looked over them and let Aethria pass. She already saw the two massive vessels that are going to be used for lifting the salvage from the bottom of the Typhoon Sea.

"You're punctual. Very nice." Oprissmian said in his frightening voice. Aethria however just looked on. At that moment, Gordon and Clara appeared.

"Looks like the beauty and the beast are already here..." Gordon said.

"WHAT?!" Aethria screamed at her employer.

"Excuse the strange behaviour from my boss.", Clara pleaded, "He often says weird things like that."

"Attention, the A.G.S.V. Galea and A.G.S.V. Dragon of the Seas are going to depart soon! Any other vessel with permission for departure and arrival has to wait!" a man in the communication suite explained via radio and loudspeakers.

"Seems like it's time to depart.", Oprissmian said, "Come on, let's go!"

The four then split up and went on their assigned vessels. While Gordon and his assistant Clara went onto the Dragon of the Seas, Oprissmian and Aethria went onto the Galea.

"Galea to Com-Suite One, were ready to depart on your mark." Oprissmian said.

"Com-Suite One to Galea, permission to depart is granted." A man in the communication suite transmitted via radio.

"Fire up the Ether Coil." Oprissmian commanded. A crew member switched a lever and the vibration of the activating Ether Coil went through the airship.

"Ether Coil is activated.", a crew member reported, "Gravity Coils are also up and running."

"Good. Retract the boarding and transport clamps.", Oprissmian demanded, "Send a signal to the Dragon of the Seas. We're ready."

The crew members on the commando bridge did what Oprissmian said. After a short while, the twenty engines of the A.G.S.V. Galea activated and the massive airship left Terminal 7, followed by the A.G.S.V. Dragon of the Seas shortly after. Oprissmian then took a microphone and made an announcement.

"Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen, her speaks Vice-Chairman Oprissmian of the Ashnia Trade Outpost. We've just left Terminal 7 and are taking course to Serpent's Back and then the Typhoon Sea. Feel free to do what you like when you're not busy with your jobs. But please note that only engineers and higher personnel are allowed to enter the room with the Ether Coil. While being at Serpent's Back, the damaged Ether Coil will be replaced. I'll inform you on further details when it's time." Oprissmian told the crew via the many loudspeakers scattered across the 720 metre long airship.

Aethria meanwhile went to her room and packed out things from her bag. She placed a photo of her father and a small flower pod with some poppies on the table the room had as today was actually the 'anniversary' of her father's death. She then went to the cantina to order something to eat.

"Oh hey Oprissmian!" Aethria shouted as she saw him.

"Oh already settled?" Oprissmian asked. Aethria sat down next to him.

"Yeah.", Aethria said, "15th 'anniversary' of my father's death, there isn't much else."

"Oh, my apologies." Oprissmian muttered.

"Nah, it's okay.", Aethria said, "Got over most of it." The two then ate their food.

"Oh, you've got night watch today.", Oprissmian told Aethria, "Make sure you're at the lookout at 21 o'clock."

Oprissmian then left the cantina and went back to the bridge. Aethria meanwhile ate a dessert and then decided to rest a little as she needed to be fit in the evening. She decided to sleep until 17 o'clock, eat dinner and then do some stuff before going to the lookout at 21 o'clock.

"Engines to full power." Oprissmian commanded as he entered the bridge. A crew member pressed some switches and pulled some switches. The twenty engines powered up and an Ether Field was deployed so that the people on the outside wouldn't get blown away by the winds.

Meanwhile on the A.G.S.V. Dragon of the Seas...

After receiving words from the Galea the Dragon of the Seas also accelerated to max speed. After that, Gordon and Clara went into their room and locked the door. Then they transformed into Nihilus and Phira.

"Looks like our plan is working." Phira said.

"Don't be so sure about that.", Nihilus exclaimed, "My father seemed to suspect us."

"Why are you calling that Oprissmian guy your father?" Phira asked.

"Maybe it's a small glitch in my programming. After all, I'm basically an artificial Blade." Nihilus confirmed.

"And yet you are in a human body. Just be happy that the human doesn't control you." Phira added.

"Anyways, let's just continue with our plan." Nihilus said. The two then transformed back into Gordon and Clara and went to eat something.

Later that day on the A.G.S.V. Galea...

Aethria had just played some tennis with some colleagues. It was time however for doing night watch. Aethria got binoculars and then went to the lookout. She looked through the binoculars and saw some lights in the distance. She first thought it was the Ashnia Trade Outpost in the distance but then she realised that those lights came of boats. And as she looked closer she found out that those boats were pirate boats.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" she screamed. Alarms went on and the enlisted personnel went to the guns. Some Drivers with Blades that used Ether Canons as weapons were called as well.

The pirates came closer and opened fire. The Galea and Dragon of the Seas then opened fire on the pirates. The weapons of the large salvaging vessels managed to destroy some pirate vessels. But then a warship appeared.

"Those pirates have a military vessel?" one of the Drivers asked in surprise.

The warship then pointed an Ether Accelerator at the A.G.S.V. Dragon of the Seas and fired. The beam of accelerated Ether hit the salvaging vessel right where the Ether Coil was located.

"Sir, the Dragon of the Seas has just been hit!" a crew member told Oprissmian aboard the A.G.S.V. Galea. The warship then aimed for the Galea but before it could fire it got hit by a torpedo.

"Proximarian vessels?" Aethria asked herself in surprise.

On the bridge, Oprissmian received a message from the military airship at the centre of the Proximarian fleet.

"Yo cousin, it's been a while!" the voice said.

"Valentin! What are you doing here?" Oprissmian asked.

"We've received words that pirates are in these waters. I decided to look and well, you can see the rest." Valentin explained his cousin. The Proximarian forces destroyed the rest of the pirate vessels and helped evacuating the burning Dragon of the Seas.

After an hour some Proximarian salvaging vessels and tugboats arrived. While the tugboats were used to bring the damaged Dragon of the Seas to the next port, the salvaging vessels were lent to Oprissmian so the job could be done.

"Thanks cousin. I owe you something." Oprissmian said and then ended the connection between the A.G.S.V. Galea and the P.M.V. Liberator. The Galea and the other vessels then continued their course towards Serpent's Back.

The next morning, Aethria went out very early. She couldn't really sleep due to the pirate attack last day. She sat down on a bench on the outside of the A.G.S.V. Galea and drank some tea from her vacuum flask. After Aethria finished drinking she heard someone approaching. She looked to the approaching person and was surprised that it was Oprissmian.

"Can't sleep?" Aethria asked to which Oprissmian nodded.

"That pirate attack worries me.", Oprissmian said, "The pirates had a military vessel and a solid tactic."

"You're right.", Aethria admitted, "Pirates normally attack wildly and not with precision."

"Yeah...", Oprissmian said, "Anyways, I realized you went out of your cabin and followed you."

"How come?" Aethria asked.

"I want to talk with you about a few things..." Oprissmian muttered.

"Really?", Aethria asked in astonishment, "I thought Twilight Beasts would regard humans as pathetic, egoistic, egocentric, gullible and dumb!"

"You're a different human..." Oprissmian confirmed.

"T-Thanks..." Aethria said with a little blush on her face. She didn't expect that a Twilight Beast would see her as a ''perfect'' human.

"So, when we're at our destination, make sure you pay attention.", Oprissmian said, "And don't let Gordon and Clara get their hands on her."

"Who is she?" Aethria asked.

"I'll explain once the job is done." Oprissmian explained.

The two then talked to each other for some time before they had to do their jobs.

Serpent's Back; one week later...

The A.G.S.V. Galea finally arrived at Serpent's Back, also known as the "Gate to the Typhoon Sea". Oprissmian was surprised when he saw the A.G.S.V. Dragon of the Seas fully repaired there. The Proximarian escort fleet then left and the A.G.S.V. Galea docked at the port on the back end of the settlement. Oprissmian told the crew that there was a two day break and everyone who didn't have to work on replacing the damaged Ether Coil could explore the town. Aethria didn't have to work on the Ether Coil since she was a salvager, so she got to go around the town.

Serpent's Back was located on the back of a massive Pegasus Serpent Titan that died during the Titan War 60.000 years ago. The settlement was a medium size and the main industrial facilities were the docks where damaged ships and airships could be repaired. Aethria wanted to eat something first and went to a renowned restaurant in the town she heard of.

When Aethria arrived at the restaurant however, there was only a sign saying it was closed. She sighed and then decided to go to a tavern instead. She wasn't very fond of that since the people in a tavern could sometimes be "difficult".

Oprissmian meanwhile decided to buy some stuff. He was working on some device but some parts were still missing. The good thing was that the town had a few shops offering gears, small Ether Coils and other stuff. After all, Oprissmian had to prepare for the impending. He went into the shop and bought lots of stuff for his project. When he left the shop about an hour and a half later, Oprissmian saw Aethria walking down the street with some scratches and bruises.

"Oh my...", Oprissmian muttered, "What has happened to you?"

"Had a fight in a tavern with some pervs." Aethria said.

"Can I beat them up?" Oprissmian asked, wanting to help.

"Nah, I already did that.", Aethria answered, "Although I didn't make it out unscathed..."

"Then let me at least bandage that large wound on your arm..." Oprissmian said, grabbing a bandage from his bag and putting it around the large cut on Aethria's right arm.

"Why is he so insisting in helping me?" Aethria asked herself in thoughts, being surprised that Oprissmian helped her so much.

The few days the crew stayed at Serpent's Back went by fast. The Ether Coil aboard the Galea got repaired, and the two massive salvaging vessels left the town to reach their target. About two hours later the two airships flew into a massive storm. This storm was the reason how the Typhoon Sea got its name. There was also the Cyclone Sea, but the storm there was much less powerful.

Time on the two airships flew by fast as well. They were only two days away from their target destination. Nobody except for Gordon, Clara and Oprissmian knew what they were going to lift from the bottom of the Typhoon Sea. Aethria meanwhile got to sleep early on Day 10 of the mission as she – and everyone else except for bridge personnel – didn't have to do things like cleaning the airship or having night watch.

...

...

...

"All personnel, report to your positions!" Oprissmian's voice screamed through the loudspeakers. Aethria woke up and ran to the salvaging deck. Every salvager aboard the A.G.S.V. Galea went there. Oprissmian himself was on a balcony overlooking the salvaging deck.

"We are reaching our position in a few moments. Your job is to attach massive Inflation devices to the object on the seafloor", Oprissmian explained, "Two of you each will attach one Inflation Device. The rest is done here. And now get to work!"

The bottom of the room opened, revealing weather-torn sea. Aethria was the first salvager to jump into the water, followed by the others. As they dived down they got to see what they were salvaging. The object that got to be salvaged was a very large construct that seemed to be at least 100.000 years old, meaning it wasn't constructed during recorded history. Aethria and another salvager montaged the first large Inflation Device, followed by the others. Once all of the Inflation Devices were installed, they got activated. The construct slowly moved towards the surface of the sea, while Oprissmian was initiating the next step.

"Are we in range?" Oprissmian asked.

"Yes sir, the construct is near enough!" a crew member reported.

"Good. Release the Grappling Anchors." Oprissmian commanded the crew.

The A.G.S.V. Galea and the A.G.S.V. Dragon of the Seas released their massive Grappling Anchors. They attached to the construct beneath the sea and helped in bringing them up faster. The salvagers meanwhile swam to the upper part of the construct and used their magnetic boots to attach to it. About five minutes later, the construct reached the surface of the sea and the airships retracted their Grappling Anchors. The two airships then flew down a bit and extended their ramps so that the salvagers could return to the vessels. Oprissmian, Gordon and Clara went down the ramps of the vessels they were on while most of the salvagers returned onto the two massive airships.

"So this is the ancient treasure we were looking for.", Oprissmian said, "At least where it's said to be located."

"Well, have fun in searching the treasure. I'm going to rest a little." Aethria said as she walked towards the ramp of the A.G.S.V. Galea.

"Actually, we want you to come with us, Aethria." Gordon said.

"Wait, really?" Aethria asked a bit annoyed, but she was also a little excited.

"Oprissmian here has to look after the two vessels and the other salvagers.", Clara explained, "And since you seem to be the most competent and experienced salvager, we thought you could come along with me and Gordon."

"Well, I can't say no..." Aethria said, now following her two employers. While she did that she suddenly remembered Oprissmian's words.

"So, when we're at our destination, make sure you pay attention. And don't let Gordon and Clara get their hands on her."

What did Oprissmian mean with that? Who was "she", and why shouldn't Gordon and Clara get their hands on "her"? Aethria thought about this for a while until she decided it wouldn't be good to her brain if she continued thinking too hard.

After about two hours, the three reached a large room with a terminal in the middle. This terminal seemed to have some sort of fingerprint scanner or similar. The room wasn't a hub however since there was only one door leading to the room.

"Aethria, please put your hand on the terminal.", Gordon said, "It only activates if the hand is that of a person with royal blood."

Aethria didn't hesitate and put her hand on the terminal. The ground shook a bit as the terminal suddenly retracted. Loud noises could be heard and at the other end of the room, a tank containing a woman appeared out of the ground. The woman had white hair with medium length, wore a white dress and had a very pale skin. A small pedestal with a bow extended out of the ground in front of the container. Both the woman and the bow had a triangular, white-coloured crystal embedded which indicated that the woman inside the container was a Blade.

"Mother..." Gordon muttered quietly.

Aethria meanwhile went towards the bow, which gave off a pulse of light. She was about to touch the crystal on the bow when suddenly Gordon realized it.

"Hey, don't touch it!" Gordon shouted out, but too late. Aethria touched the crystal which then gave off a larger pulse of light. Clara quickly revealed a Dual Scythe and stabbed into Aethria's heart with it. Aethria collapsed as she died, with blood coming out of the wound.

"Take it as an act on mercy.", Clara said to the lifeless body of Aethria, "You don't want to see what's coming."

Clara then used her Dual Scythe to destroy the bow and remove the container with the woman inside from its holding. She then gave the container to Gordon and the two decided to return to the surface.

...

...

...

Aethria woke up in a very dark place. She could see some chunks of rock floating around, which didn't make any sense to her. As she looked around she saw a woman standing at the edge of a cliff. Aethria approached the woman which seemed to notice her. When Aethria arrived, the woman turned around.

"Greetings Aethria." the woman said.

"Wait, how do you know my name?" Aethria asked, surprised that the woman knew her name.

"When we first came into contact I could read out some of the data stored in your Ether Currents." the woman explained with a smile on her face.

"When we first met?", Aethria blurted out, "I'm sorry, but I don't seem to remember how I got here..."

"You were killed by Clara.", the woman explained, "In reality, she is the ancient Blade Phira. She used her Dual Scythe to stab into your heart."

Aethria then remembered what happened and gasped. She noticed the part where the Dual Scythe went through her and stepped back.

"B-But how am I standing here?" Aethria asked in shock.

"We're in the Inversion Realm, which lies on the other side on the Edania Realm.", the woman explained, "Oh, and I'm Pi. I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself when we met."

"What is the Edania Realm?" Aethria asked in confusion.

"That's the world you come from.", Pi explained, "Here in the Inversion Realm, physics don't really exist. That's the reason why you're able to be alive in here."

Aethria then suddenly realized something. That Gordon and his assistant Clara have Pi in the Edania Realm. And Oprissmian and the others could be in great danger!

"I know your friends are in danger.", Pi said, "Allow me to help you."

"But how could you help me?", Aethria asked, "I'm dead, remember?"

"I can revive you by implanting a third of my Core Crystal into you.", Pi explained, "But it also will result in you becoming my Driver."

"That's okay.", Aethria said, "I just have the feeling that I need to help Oprissmian and the others."

Pi then stretched out her hand towards Aethria. Ether Energy got channelled from Pi to Aethria and the lower third of Pi's triangular Core Crystal got implanted into Aethria's chest. This Core Crystal Transfer opened a temporary gateway between the Inversion Realm and the Edania Realm, through which the spirits of Aethria and Pi slipped.

...

...

...

Gordon and Clara reached the entrance of the construct. When they went onto the platform they were surprised to see Oprissmian there. Gordon laid down the container and he and Clara approached Oprissmian.

"Stop right there and hand Pi over!" Oprissmian demanded.

"That's not going to happen, Father. Phira and I will use her for our own plans." Gordon said as he transformed into Nihilus and revealed his Blade Weapon, which was a massive Battle Axe. Clara then transformed into Phira and revealed her Dual Scythe she had recently used to kill Aethria.

"Don't call me Father, you traitor!" Oprissmian shouted at Nihilus.

"You really have changed over the last 30 years.", Nihilus said, "I didn't expect that you would evacuate the others."

"Shut up you lunatic!", Oprissmian yelled in rage, "And this body isn't even yours!"

Nihilus prepared to attack Oprissmian, ready to strike him.

"Where is Aethria?" Oprissmian asked in an angry tone.

"We had to kill her.", Phira explained, "We couldn't let h-"

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Oprissmian screamed in absolute anger. Aethria was the first person he formed a friendship with, and Phira just killed her? That simply was too much for his patience.

Oprissmian suddenly got enveloped in blue light. Before the others could react, a beam of concentrated Ether Energy hit Phira, severely damaging her Core Crystal.

"A-An Artifice?!" Phira – although being injured – exclaimed in shock.

Nihilus was about to attack Oprissmian when suddenly the container burst open. Pi jumped high into the air and Aethria used the bow – which also was Pi's Blade Weapon – to punch a hole into the construct and reach the surface.

"Aethria, you're alright!" Oprissmian exclaimed in relief.

"Don't worry, we're here to help you!" Aethria said as she passed the bow to Pi. Pi then fired a bunch of arrows into Nihilus' direction, but he used a shield to protect himself. The battle then began as Oprissmian, Aethria and Pi fought against Nihilus. Phira, being injured, couldn't help Nihilus in the battle. While Aethria and Pi constantly exchanged the bow to attack Nihilus, Oprissmian used the Ether Canon of the Artifice he constructed to aid in the fight. Eventually, Nihilus got cornered and Aethria aimed for his Core Crystal with Pi's bow.

But then all of a sudden Nihilus released a large amount of Ether Energy, hitting Aethria, who then flew away and would crash into the Typhoon Sea soon. Pi jumped onto Oprissmian's Artifice and Oprissmian saved Aethria from almost certain death. Realizing that the battle can't be won now, Oprissmian flew away in his Artifice, taking Pi and Aethria with him.

"What are we going to do now?" Phira asked.

"For now nothing.", Nihilus explained, "Mother is awake now, that's enough. I'll let Huntress capture them eventually.

To be continued...

Author's note (2): Phew, It took me one entire month to write this chapter.

So the basis for the story has been set and some important persons were introduced. The plot of the evil people will be explained over the course of the next few chapters, so look forward to it.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or want to suggest something, review or PM me!

Yours sincerely, Oprissmian