A World Beyond My Own
Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy X or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their owners.
Heads up: The story won't pertain much to FFX in the beginning, but eventually you'll see the similarities, and there will be more interactions with the actual characters starting next chapter.
Ch. 1 Pulled from my World
My name is Sofia Ostrovsky. I lived in a normal world, led a semi-normal, and basically existed, just like all of you, But then fate gave me a different path. And although I may not have asked for it, I never regretted taking the chance that had been given to me.
This is my story.
I jumped off the last step of the bus, waved goodbye to the bus driver, and began walking home. My name is Sofia Ostrovsky. I'm a young woman of seventeen, and I look like this. I have long pitch-black hair that reaches my waist, deep purple-blue eyes, and fair skin. I was wearing a black T-shirt over a black leather jacket, with black boots and a pair of dark blue jeans.
I reached my house, but rather than head inside, I turned to head inside my garage. Inside was my car, a red 2006 Ford Focus. It wasn't the most extravagant car available, but it was nicely priced and pretty fuel-efficient. I took my keys from there hiding place behind a box with a Christmas tree in it, put my backpack in the passenger seat, buckled myself in, and drove back out my garage. For the last ten years I had been living here, in San Francisco, ever since my dad disappeared and I had to live on my own. Until I was sixteen I had lived in an orphanage, but then I left and began to work for myself. Normally after school I would have to drive straight to my job as accountant, but today was one of my rare days off.
I drove through the city to Chinatown, intent on visiting a teacher I had. There was an odd hobby of mine that I picked up; sword fighting. I was now pretty good at it, but in the beginning I had no clue on how to even hold a sword. There weren't a lot of people that knew either, but luckily I found a guy by the name of Deiru Tamashi that had agreed to help me.
Deiru ran a dojo in Chinatown, where he taught martial arts and, to the few interested, sword fighting. He was a good teacher, and told me that if I was ever up for additional lessons I was free to stop by. So, here I was. I parked my car in the lot outside his dojo, unbuckled my seat belt and went inside. The minute I walked inside I could hear kids shouting, some little and some older than me, yelling and fighting. Deiru must be having a test day. I walked around the corner and I took at good look at the Tamashi Dojo.
One wall was covered in mirrors, making the room look twice as large for a few seconds. Another was made of windows, through which sunlight streamed in the room. The other two walls were made of polished dark wood, and the floor was lighter shade, but right now it was mainly covered with black and white mats. On each one were two students, boys and girls, going at it. Off to the side stood Deiru, looking closing at each group.
Deiru was a guy that could be anywhere from twenty to forty, but he never told anyone how old he was. His hair was as dark as mine, but short and rather spiky, while his left eye was as blue as a sapphire. The other was covered by a black eye patch, with a small scar running across. At that moment he was wearing a white martial arts outfit, with a black belt around his waist and a clipboard at his side. Occasionally he would walk to watch a specific pair fight, and then he would write something on his clipboard before walking off.
Yep, definitely a test day.
I was content to stand there and watch the other students go at it. I had to admit, Deiru taught his students well. Eventually he noticed me standing there, and walked over. He smiled. "Sofia, it's good to see you. What are you doing here? I would imagine you would be at your job." I smiled and shook my head. "No, today was my day off. I was wondering if I could receive a few extra lessons," I replied.
He frowned. "Well, as you can see, my students are in the middle of a testing session. However, I would be more than happy to help you afterward. Feel free to watch." I nodded, and sat down in a chair that was sitting on the side. For a while I watched two kids, a black boy and a Chinese girl, fight each other. The boy swung a punch, but the girl dodged it and swung for a judo chop to his side. He ducked and jabbed at her stomach with four fingers, and she doubled over, clutching her stomach.
The boy took the opportunity to give her a vicious spinning kick to the head, and she fell to the ground, unconscious. The boy walked forward to give the finishing blow, and I was about to say for him to hold on, but then the girls eyes snapped wide open. She swung her leg and kicked the side of his right knee, and the boy's eyes bulged in pain and surprise. He grabbed his knee, and in less than a few seconds the girl had him on the ground and in a headlock.
The boy flailed his arms around, trying to escape, but the girl tightened her lock on his head. Eventually, he stopped, and with a very annoyed expression said "I surrender." The girl smirked and let him go. Deiru walked over and said to the girl "Well done Christina." he looked at the boy who was getting up and added "You worked hard as well James; I'm impressed. You can both go back to the locker and change now." The boy James still looked annoyed, but he bowed respectfully and went to the door the men's lockers, while the girl Christina did the same and went to girls' lockers.
He turned to look at me and said "That went well, don't you think?" I nodded in agreement. Deiru smiled, but then turned to face the class. "Everyone, stop!" he ordered. They did, and they all stood to look at him. "Testing time is now over. Your individual scores are on the table by the refreshments, and you all may get one glass of water from the filter. After that, go change back into your regular cloths, and that concludes today's session. Understood?" He asked. "Yes sir!" they all called, before heading to the water filter and grabbing their score papers and drinks.
I waited for the next half hour next to Deiru, but after all the students had changed, their parents had arrived, and they had been picked up I looked at Deiru. "Are we able to start the lesson now?" He nodded, and led me to a door on the side of the fighting room. We walked through it, and I found myself in another dojo room, similar to the first one, only smaller, and all the walls were wood with the mats being black.
On one wall were three racks of wooden swords, of different types, sizes, and weights. This was the room Deiru used for sword fighting sessions; the main room was for martial arts classes. I hung my jacket on a hook and walked to the racks to pick up an average-sized wooden samurai sword, while Deiru chose a huge wooden broadsword. We walked to the middle of the room and we each took up a fighting stance. "Are you ready?" Deiru asked. I nodded. "Then... begin!"
I shot forward, swinging my sword in a deadly arc, but Deiru blocked it easily and the sound of smacking wood rang through the air. Deiru smiled. "Your strikes are becoming stronger. That's good to see." His smile vanished. "But don't think that will make me go easy on you." He shoved forward, and I had to jump back. He charged and brought his broadsword down in an overhead blow. I blocked it, but the force of the attack rippled through my arms. Deiru was strong.
He pressed down harder, and I took the opportunity to kick at his left leg. He jumped back to dodge, but he jabbed at me and I had to take a step back. Deiru continued after me, swinging left and right, and it was all I could do to keep blocking. My teacher wasn't giving me any room today. I frowned, and kept staying on the defensive, trying to go over any ways to get the upper hand.
Deiru was definitely stronger and faster than me, but his weapon of choice was a broadsword, which was heavier and slower than my samurai sword. Also, his sword was meant to fight enemies at a moderate distance, and would have trouble if the enemy was fighting up close. Maybe I could use that against him. Deiru swung his sword sideways and I ducked, and then shot forward with my sword coming in from the side.
His eye widened, and he blocked me with the cross guard of his sword. I kept on him, not giving him a chance to back up and gain the distance he needed. He frowned and tried to push back, but with the lack of reach all that did was create an opening for me, and I jabbed the wooden end of my sword into his stomach. His breath came out in wheeze, and I kicked the sword out of his hands.
He looked at it in astonishment, and then at me when I rested the point of my wooden sword against his throat. We stared at each other for a moment, both of us breathing heavily, until I lowered it and Deiru smiled. "Very impressive Sofia; this would make the second time you have ever beaten me." I smiled. "I learned from a good teacher."
He nodded his thanks, and we both put our swords back on the racks. "So, same time next week?" I asked. He nodded and said "I look forward to settling the score. Have a good week Sofia." I bowed. "Goodbye Deiru." I put my jacket back on and walked outside to get back in my car and drive home. On the way home a few drops of water hit my windshield, and I thought "Looks like it's going to rain soon. I like the rain."
I arrived home, parked my car in the garage and put the keys in the hiding place before I unlocked my door and went inside. I preferred living a simple life, and the way I decorated my house reflected that. The floor was made of tiled linoleum that was made to look like a chess board. A couch and chair were in front of a TV with a DVD Player and a PS2, and the walls were a simple white color, but a good portion was devoted to pictures of seen from nature. Large waterfalls and rivers, mountain valleys, forests that were filled with mist.
A favorite of mine was placed over a large fish tank of mine, and it was by far the largest picture of them all. Huge waterfalls fell in a near oval around a huge valley that was filled with fields of flower. They sky was a cloudy orange, except for a black cloud that hung around an egg blue sun. Huge fireflies flew through the whole picture, and the moment I saw it I fell in love with the picture. Only the guy I bought it from called them "pyreflies" and the picture was of a place called the "Farplane". Whatever that was.
Deciding to take a long, nice shower and get a change of clothes, I hung my jacket on a coat rack and when to the bathroom, already savoring the warm water on my skin. An hour later a walked out of my bedroom, now wearing a pair of black pajama pants and a white tank top. My hair was still slightly damp from the shower, and I walked to the kitchen to make myself something to eat. I kept it simple and just boiled some pasta and mixed it with butter and garlic salt. One of the best things I've ever eaten.
While enjoying the simple yet delicious dinner of mine, I sat down in front of the TV and turned it on. A football game was playing, the Denver Broncos vs. the Baltimore Ravens. Deciding to watch, I ate my food while watching the game. The Ravens whooped the Broncos butts, and by the time the game was over I was getting tired. Deciding to go to bed, I went to my bedroom and lay down in my bed. I closed my eyes, getting to drift off into peaceful slumber and-
BOOM!
My eyes snapped open, and immediately the sounds of people screaming could be heard. What in the world was going on? Quickly I changed back into my regular clothes, and I walked outside. The sight stunned me. A large number of people were running around screaming, and some of the houses were piles of rubble. Ground beneath me rumbled. Earthquake?
All of the people were running around screaming, except for one person, who was leaning against a street light pole. It was Deiru. I ran up to him. "Deiru!" I called. He stood up and looked at me. His clothes were different. He was wearing a black leather trench coat that reached his ankles, a white T-shirt with a pair of black pants, boots, and fingerless gloves. Most noticeable however, was the huge sword on his back. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Waiting for you. Come with me," he said, before walking off.
I looked at him in confusion. "What's going on?" I asked, but he didn't answer me. I followed after him, but as I did I saw that everyone else was running in the opposite direction, away from the shore. "Hey, shouldn't we be going the other way?" I ask Deiru. He stops, but then points to the sky and says "Look there!" I did, and I took a step back in astonishment. Floating in the sky was a huge orb of water, larger than a cathedral.
"It's known as 'Sin'," Deiru explained. I looked at him. "Sin?" I asked. He nodded, and from that orb shot a huge scaled tentacle that crashed into the side of a building. The scales flew off the tentacle in hundreds, and dozens of them landed in front of us. Three of them shook, and then they opened to turn into monsters. They were insect-like in appearance, and each of them had a set of wings and sharp teeth.
They surrounded me, and I punched and kicked them away, but ended up falling on my butt. Deiru walked up to my side and pulled his sword on his back. The blade was six feet long and a foot wide, with a crescent moon on its hilt and the handle was wrapped in blue and silver cloth, with symbols engraved on the blade. He handed me a sword. It had blade that was silver, four feet long and two inches wide, while the handle was wrapped in a cloth that was purple.
I got up and took the blade from Deiru. "A gift from Alexander," Deiru said. I looked at him and asked "My father?" The monsters started closing in on me, and I swung the sword, driving them back. "I hope the training I gave you will pay off." I nodded, and charged forward. I swung the sword at it, and it fell instantly. Instead of blood however, the monster disintegrated into lights that rose into the air before disappearing.
Not pausing to wonder at it, I ran forward, and the other two stopped me. "These ones don't matter. Just cut through them!" Deiru called. I nodded, and ran forward. I cut through one, and the other tried to hit me with its wings, but Deiru blocked it and cut that one down as well. We ran forward, but then dozens of the scales landed in front of me, along with the same number to my rear,
Three of them uncovered themselves in front of me, with two behind me. "Don't bother trying to kill them all. Get rid of the ones in the front and run!" Deiru told me. Nodding, I jumped forward and killed one, but the wings on another started glowing. Deiru killed a third, but that one shot a cluster of spines at me. I held my arm up to defend myself, but the spines pierced my arm. I could feel blood run down the side of my arm, but then Deiru tossed me a vial of green liquid.
I downed it quickly, and the hole in my arm closed up, healed completely. I glared at the monster that had shot the spines and stabbed my sword straight in the monsters face. It fell without a sound, turning into those lights. With those three down, I and Deiru kept running. We ran until we reached the Golden Gate Bridge, but then bridge trembled because of some impact. We looked at each, and then ran forward.
On the bridge was the same tentacle like monster I had seen before, with a t least six of the little monsters around it. Now I was getting irritated. "Get out of my home!" I yelled. Deiru called "They almost want to die. Use your signature move Sofia!" I looked at him and nodded. I ran forward, and jumped up, spinning around in a circle and turning my sword into a deadly circle of steel. I hit the tentacle monster, and I made at least five gashes in its skin, dealing a lot of damage in the process. My ultimate move, Whirlwind Blade.
Then Deiru's sword glowed silver and he spun his sword around in his hand over his head. Gold energy trailed from the edges of it. He spun it faster and faster, until he stopped and threw it at the monsters. It stuck in the ground in the middle of them, and exploded in a blast of light and heat. When it cleared his sword was the same as ever, but none of the little monsters remained. I looked at him in astonishment. He smiled. "My ultimate attack. Blasting Sun," he said.
Then the tentacle monster waved its tendrils, and a wave of energy exploded in the air above us, hitting us both. Deiru grimaced, and I was about to toss him a vial of green liquid when he shook his head. "No, the monster is using the spell Demi. The weaker we are, the less damage the spell will do." I looked at him, uncertain, but nodded and attacked the monster. For the next few minutes we kept on the monster as it kept casting that Demi spell, and Deiru was right; as we got weaker, so did that spell.
I slashed at it one last time, and suddenly the monster began to flail around and turn black. Lights poured out of it, and it stopped moving. We ran past it, but while we did I was thinking. Monsters, spells? Was this a dream, or was some fantasy actually coming to life? Then I was ripped out of my thoughts when I saw hundreds of scales land in front as well as behind us. Left without any way to escape, I began attacking them.
The minute I killed one however, the other six closed in and began attacking me. I held them off, but they hit me pretty hard before do the same to Deiru. He looked at me with his eye and said "This may not be good." He looked around us, until he saw a smoking car on its side by the edge of the bridge. "That! Knock it over!" he called. "Are you crazy?" I asked. He smiled. "Probably. But trust me!"
I decided to, and began hurling myself against the car. While I did, Deiru stood behind me and tried to hold off the monsters as best he could. But whenever I saw him cut one down, another immediately appeared. He looked at me, sweat on his brow. "Hurry it up!" he said. "I'm trying!" I replied. I shoved my side into the car, and it gave way a little. Sensing my chance, I shoved it again harder. It wobbled from side to side, and just as it leaned away from me I shoved on it with all my might.
The car fell over the edge, and hit a ship of coal and gasoline directly below. The fire from the engine hit the coal, the coal hit the gasoline, and the explosion was enormous. I jumped back as the shipped literally shot out of the water like a cork and had enough force to hit the bottom of the bridge and go through. All the monsters were burnt to ashes or knocked into the water below.
The boat began to slide out of the hole it had made, and Deiru called "Go!" I did, and I jumped onto the side of the bridge and ran. It continued sliding out, and as it did the other end of the bridge got closer and closer. The boat completely fell out, and I had to jump the last few feet. I managed to grab the edge by the tips of my fingers, but I could barely hang on.
Somehow, Deiru had made it ahead of me and was standing over me. "Deiru! Help me up!" I called. He stood there for a second, and I called "Come on!" The bridge shuddered, and then the end I was hanging from began to rise into the air. Deiru looked up at the sphere of water above us. "Are you certain?" he asked it. I pulled myself up, my arms straining, and I managed to get on the edge. Deiru reached down and picked me up by the front of my shirt. "This is it," he said.
I tried to remove his hand, but his grip was as hard as iron. "This is your journey," he continued. The bridge was almost within the sphere, and I could barely see because of the light. "It all starts here," Deiru declared. Then he was engulfed in the light. I could barely see, but I managed a single scream before the light enveloped me too.
Well, to the few of you who read this, thank you, and come next chapter the story will get much better!
Please review! (Flames will be ignored)