Hey all, hope everyone's well. I know I said that I would be doing 'Fairy Tail: Dark Void' next, for those of you who know, but recently, something came up, and because of it, I'm not sure if I'm going to have enough time to write for a bit. So, until I'm sure, I decided to put up a story that I had in the bank for a while, and i hope I could get some feedback on it if that's okay.
Before we get into the story, just want to say a couple of things before we get into things. Firstly, I know that this might seem like a bit of a mad idea, or unusual at least, but it's something that I came up with not too long ago… actually it was when I first saw the 'Armiger unleashed' mode for the Royal edition for FFXV. I don't know how it came to mind, I'm still trying to figure it out.
Secondly, I don't plan on having any OC pairings in this story. Granted, this can change, but just so that no one is disappointed in the future, I'd thought I'd let you know. Hope no one's mad.
Thirdly, feel free to talk about parts of the story you don't like if you have something to say about them, but just mind how you say it.
Right, without further a dew (did I spell that last part right?), let's get this story on the road.
"OOOWW!"
"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"
In the city of Insomnia, Life was playing out as one would expect. Businesses were thriving, people were going about their daily lives, whether it be work, school, etc. And the town was at peace.
However, one particular citizen was having a hectic day, one that caused her to accidentally bump into one of the construction workers who was working on renovating an old video arcade. Caught off balance, this person ended up falling flat on their face, dropping a pencil case and a notebook on the floor. While those remained intact, the person felt part of their pride shattering.
"HEY! Didn't you hear me, kid!
The person in question scrambled to pick up their book and pencil case. This person then stood up, turning and bowing formally to the worker.
When the person stood up, the construction worker was surprised when he saw that it was a young woman. She had long black hair, pale skin and some of the most startling blue eyes you could see. He was momentarily stunned by the sight, before regaining his senses.
"F-Forgive me. I didn't see where I was going."
At that, the construction worker looked at her in surprise. He never saw anyone apologize so formally before. She stood up straight again, seeing concern in her eyes. This caused the worker to feel a bit guilty for shouting at her.
He scratched the back of his head before saying "Uh… it's okay." He then shot her a serious look. "Just be careful and take in what's in front of you." He said, minding his tone so as to not upset the girl further. She may have been genuine in her apology, but we wasn't keen on letting her make the same mistake. Needless to say, it would be a pain in the ass if were to constantly happen.
Now smiling, the girl nodded. "Right. Thank you sir."
With that, she turned and ran down the streets like she was in a hurry. She tripped slightly once straight after her take-off, but managed to keep her balance and continued on. As she ran, the worker watched her go, his face one of bewilderment.
"Nice girl, I guess…" he said out loud. "Kinda weird though."
…..
*RRIIIIING*
In NCI (National College of Insomnia), things were going as well as can expected from a day at college. Students were walking from place to place, lecturers were meeting each other for lunch, and everyone were, basically, kept busy for the day.
At the sound of a phone going off, one of the students had jumped, remembering that he had only just turned the volume back up on his phone after coming out of his class. He had forgotten about it as his brain was recovering from having to listen to his lecturer. That particular one was one of the few who could succeed in making the most interesting topics sound as boring as watching paint dry.
"For Pete's sake!" he cried. He then slumped his head on the table he was sitting at. "Oh man." He said, cursing his disorganization. He pulled out the phone and, while keeping his head to the table, placed it up to his ear.
"Hey, Mick... What's up?" he asked, his voice nearly gravely from how wrecked his head was.
"Not much, just wanted to ask when we've got History today." Came the voice.
"Two hours… which I plan to spent recovering from literature." The first young man said.
"Ha, bummer, dude. Professor Harbor?" Mick asked, to which Kieran nodded. "The guy's okay, but he really needs to learn how to be more… I don't know, 'alive'?"
The boy couldn't help but smile at Mick's joke. "Yeah… hey, I'll talk to you later."
"Sure. Talk to you later, Kieran." Mick said.
"See you." The young man, now known as Kieran, hung up. He pulled his head up, revealing a head of auburn hair with black highlights, green eyes and a leaf stuck to his left cheek, although that would've been stuck on he rested on the table. He was wearing a white button shirt with a collar, jeans and grey sneakers.
He looked around, wondering if anything if anything interesting was going to happen today. After a few seconds, he sighed and was about to rest his head on the table again. That is, until he heard the sound of someone running up behind him.
Curious, he turned around to see a young woman jogging up to him. She came to a stop, hunching over and resting her hands on her knees, looking to be out of breath. She raised her head up to see Kieran, giving him a slight nod in acknowledgement as she made her recovery.
Kieran widened his eyes upon seeing her. "Whoa! Aria. Are you okay!?" he asked, seeming to know the girl.
The young woman in question, now known as Aria, took in a few more deep breaths before standing up straight. She was seen to have long, black hair that hung freely, albeit with several spikes forming at the fringe, crystal blue eyes and a cheery looking smile. She wore a black bolero jacket, a white. Slim-fit t-shirt underneath that hugged her figure. Ripped jeans and sandals. She was carrying a book underneath her right arm and a pencil case in the other.
Kieran looked at the girl for a moment, before lowering his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Did you forget to take the bus again?" he asked, in slight disbelief.
Aria nodded. "Yeah. Uh, well, more so I forgot to set my alarm clock... and take my clothes out of the washer... and had to get some food." She admitted.
Kieran sighed in response. Aria always had problems with punctuality. He could never forget when they were in elementary school, she had to chase the school bus on foot since her parents were on an overnight business meeting, and her grandfather was fast asleep. Granted, she was one of the nicest people you could meet. Loving, kind, even going as far as jumping into a river on instinct to save someone if she had to.
She had been like that for as long as he could remember. At one time, there was a kid in their neighborhood who needed surgery, but her family couldn't afford it. Aria, wanting to help her, took as many odd jobs as she could handle and do at the time. When the neighborhood figured out why she was doing so many jobs, they were so amazed that they decided to help, each investing a small bit for the girl. It turned out to be more than enough for the poor girl.
The girl and her family were grateful to the neighbors, and even more grateful towards Aria. The girl wanted to pay her back, but Aria was happy enough to see that she was going to be alright.
Kieran stood up from the table and grabbed his backpack. "I'm going to get something to eat, you want something?"
Aria smiled and nodded. "That sounds awesome... i could really go for a taco or something. I'll follow you." She said.
With that, the two went over towards the cafeteria, in which they both ordered something to eat. After talking for an hour, more specifically to do with a concert that they were at at the weekend. Both were into techno and, surprisingly, Rock Metal, but both were willing to try out different genres. It was one of the many topics they would discuss as they usually would once they meet up, they realized the time and made their way to the history class.
Kieran looked over to Aria. "So, what do you think we'll be going over?" he asked her.
At that, Aria shrugged. "Who knows? I bet it'll be something cool, though." She answered. "That class never disappoints."
Kieran looked at his watch. "We've got about… fifty five minutes before we have to get to the lecture." He said before looking at Aria. "Anything you want to do before heading over?"
Aria clapped her hands together. "I know what i'm going to do."
At that, Aria got her notebook and opened on a particular page. Curious, Kieran leaned in to see what it was.
"... Seriously? Again?"
Aria looked at Kieran with a slight grin and shrugged her shoulders. "Can you blame me? It's awesome."
Kieran rolled his eyes at his friend. "Fine, whatever. Do what you like."
"Like I'd do it any other way." Aria said.
Soon after, Aria got stuck into the passage that she copied from one of the textbooks. Since she wasn't allowed to keep the book, she thought it best to copy it down so that she can read it whenever she like. Soon, her eyes were gliding across the passage.
The Legend of the Chosen
Several centuries ago, during the war between Insomnia and Nifleheim, a great darkness had overtaken the land, causing daylight to be removed from the world, and allowing countless daemons to surface, corrupting the land and killing anything that came across their paths.
During this time, The Kingslaive, warriors for the King, fought to keep the world alight. However, the battle was still a struggle, many warriors having lost their lives.
With the world looking to have been lost, hope seemed to be lost. However, a miracle came in the form of the lost king. Noctis Lucis Caelum, the 114th King of Lucis, had been lost for some time, but had finally returned with the power he needed to save the world from darkness.
Taking the war to the heart of the darkness, the King of Kings had used his power, combined with the power of the past kings to defeat the source of darkness. However, so much power was used in the process that the King of Kings lost his life.
King Noctis Lucis Caelum had given up his life in order to save the world from eternal shadow, ending the Royal bloodline, and ensuring the safety and continuity of life
Aria lifted her eyes from the passage, wide-eyed in amazement after reading, as always. Ever since she had heard the tale of King Noctis, she was in complete awe. Part of her had always wanted to do what was right, somehow make her mark on the world by helping those in need. Part of her was saddened by the fact that she would never get to meet her hero, but would continue on either way.
Aria then closed the notebook and looked at Kieran, clapping her hands and smiling hopefully. "Finished. Now, how about heading over to that smoothie store right across from here!"
Kieran raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why a smoothie?"
"'It's because that place has the best mixed berry smoothie in the WORLD! It's not something you can just miss out on." Aria explained.
Kieran sighed once more. This girl also had a habit of becoming so passionate about anything that interested her. History, movies, video games and more. Her enthusiasm was interesting at first, as there wouldn't be many people who could appreciate, or have the humility, to express what they love so much. But these days it can just be annoying, as it was something she would do ALL the time.
Deciding that there was no point suggesting any place else (as she would practically consider it blasphemy and argue with him about it), he stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Alright, let's go."
…..
"WHY!? WHY!? WHYYYYYY!?"
The two reached the smoothie shop, and Aria's eyes were practically sparkling from looking forward to the smoothie. However, when they arrived, they saw that the shop in question was closed. After seeing this, Aria's spirit shattered, followed by her collapsing onto her knees, pressing her hands and face onto the glass window of the door.
"Why is it closed? It's always open at this time." She said, a stream of comical tears flowing down her face.
Kieran looked in the store through the main window, seeing a table right next to it, allowing customers to see what was going on outside if they wanted to. His eyes caught a sign resting by the register.
"Hmm… 'Closed- due to family issues. Sorry for inconvenience'. Wonder what's going on?"
As soon as she heard Kieran read out the sign, Aria quickly recovered. she got back onto her feet, brushed herself off and nodded her head. "Well, it if was a family issue, then there's no point complaining." she said. "I hope everything's okay."
Kieran nodded in agreement. While Aria can be quite immature at times, when it came to more serious matters, she expressed a reasonable amount of maturity and respect. Although, if he had to be honest, he found it a bit scary, as it was like seeing another, unfamiliar side to the girl.
He was about to ask her something when his ears picked up on a faint sound. To him, it sounded like a scream.
"Did you hear something?" Kieran asked Aria.
Aria didn't answer. Kieran looked to see what was up, since Aria normally responded to his questions. When he did, she seemed to have a much more serious look on her face, her hands curling into fists.
Knowing what this would lead to, the young man tried to at least get her attention first.. "Uh, Aria?"
This time, Aria bolted away from the young man with surprising speed.
"W-What the! Aria!?" Kieran called back, soon chasing after her.
The girl stopped in after coming across an entrance into an alley. There, she looked in and saw two men, both wearing hoodies with the hood up. Standing with them was a girl around her age with brown hair, looking at the men with a terrified expression on her face.
"C'mon, girl. All we're asking is a loan." One of the men said to the girl.
The seconds reached out and grabbed onto her arm, causing the girl to yelp in pain. "Or, if you want, we can have a little… 'fun'? What do you say?"
The girl in question looked at the men in alarm, her eyes showing that she was too scared to say anything right now.
Kieran was soon beside Aria, trying to catch his breath surprised by his friend's speed. He looked up and saw what was going on. At this, he spoke up.
"Hey! What are you guys doing!?" he yelled.
At that, the two men turned to look at Kieran and Aria. When they did, the girl tried to escape, but the second thug noticed this, and tightened his grip even more. This caused the girl to wince, which in turn caused Kieran to glare at the men more intensely, while Aria raised an accusing eyebrow at them.
"So… this is how guys like you get you kicks, huh?" she asked them, placing a hand on her hip.
Naturally, Aria wouldn't be fond of men who spent their time either bullying others, or who would mistreat women. And seeing as these men looked dumb enough to do both, she thought it best to give these two a proper education.
"Now's as good as time as any to try 'it' out more." she thought.
The first man grinned at Aria. "Why? You wanna join us?" he asked, his eyes shamelessly looking at her figure.
Aria didn't answer. Instead, she bent down, picked up a pebble and held it with her thumb and index finger. She raised it about her head and observed it carefully, speaking as she did so.
"Honestly…" she lowered her gaze back to the men, curling her hand into a fist. "I like to have fun in another way."
Before anyone could figure out what this girl was talking about, Aria pulled back her fist and threw the pebble at the men. While not intimidating, they were soon startled by what was next.
Aria's body was instantly coated in a light blue aura, followed by her reappearing right in front of the men, the pebble now once again in her grasp.
"Surprised?" she asked.
Not giving the men a chance to respond, Aria struck the thug grasping onto the girl in the neck with an open calm, striking his Adam's apple. The man was suddenly gasping for air, the surprise causing him to release his grasp on the girl.
Aria quickly looked to the girl. "Get out of here! Quickly!"
Not needing to be told twice, the brown-haired girl tried to make a break for it. However, the first man ran up in front of her, pulled out an item, pressing a button on the side, causing a blade to pop out of the item.
"A switchblade?" Kieran thought, now afraid for his friend and the other girl's life. Deciding he needed to help, he ran forward and, just as the criminal tried to assault the girl with the weapon, and latched onto the arm that had the blade.
This caused the man to try and push back against Kieran. "What the hell is going on!?" he yelled, soon bringing a knee up to Kieran's stomach. Surprisingly, however, Kieran didn't budge.
"Nice try!" Kieran yelled, followed by head-butting the thug in his forehead. It was enough to stun the thug. Before Kieran could do any more, Aria moved forward and landed a strike with her elbow into the man's stomach, followed by an uppercut to his chin, finishing by spinning around and landing a side kick to his chest, causing him to fly into a nearby wall. The back of his head struck the wall, knocking him out cold.
Aria and Kieran turned back to check on the other thug. However, they both widened their eyes when they saw that he had recovered, and had the girl trapped with one arm around her neck, while the other handled a gun.
"You kids… shouldn't involve yourselves with grown up business." He said, turning off the safety on his gun, in full view for the students for emphasis on how serious he was.
Kieran gritted his teeth, while Aria raised her eyebrow accusingly once more, only this time giving the criminal a cocky smile.
Aria eyed Kieran briefly. "Get down."
Kieran looked at her with a look of bewilderment, unsure of what was going on, but nevertheless lowered himself to the ground, preparing for whatever was about to happen. His questions were soon answered, though, when Aria dashed forward.
Panicking, the thug aimed the gun at Aria, firing off a number of rounds at her. Aria only grinned at how predictable this man was.
While one would think that she would've got hit by the bullets, Aria showed she had another unusual trick up her sleeve. As the bullets were about to hit her, she moved from side to side in a brief flashes of blue light, avoiding them and rendering her unharmed. One could say she was phasing away from them.
The thug pulled the trigger continuously, shocked by what he was seeing. His shock was soon replaced with dread when he heard the weapon clicking instead of hearing the sounds of bullets blasting out.
Aria threw the pebble she held onto behind the thug, followed by her appearing behind the thug. The pebble had actually collided with the wall, causing Aria to land on the wall with her feet. It proved to be incredibly useful, as she sprang off the wall, sticking a foot out and striking him in the head. The thug released the girl, and fell to the ground. Unable to comprehend what was going on. He quickly got back onto his feet. Before he could say anything, Aria landed a fist into the back of his head. Showing surprising strength and knocked him out in an instant.
Collapsing to the ground, the hostage girl stepped away from the thug, looking at his unconscious form with widened eyes. She then turned to see Kieran, along with Aria who appeared right beside him. Her attention, however, was mainly focused on the latter.
Aria put both hands behind her head and smiled. "Eventful day, huh?"
…
"Was that the best idea, Aria?"
Kieran and Aria were walking back towards the campus, having managed to convince the girl they saved to keep quiet about what she had seen Aria do. They didn't need anyone to draw any attention to her.
Aria looked back towards Kieran with a small smile. "Yep. Especially since they were willing to gun us down, too." She explained. "And it's not like I was going to let her get hurt by those creeps."
"Nor would I." Kieran stated. "Just thinking it might be a more… conspicuous way of handling it."
"Well, until that day comes, I'm sticking with what I know." Aria stated, walking slightly faster than Kieran.
After a moment of silence, Kieran had a thought running through his head. "Hey, Aria. How did you get your powers?"
Aria sighed. "I told you before. I don't remember."
Kieran raised an eyebrow. "Nothing at all?"
Aria shook her head. "Nope. Nothing."
"Do you ever want to find out?" Kieran asked.
Kieran had been told by Aria about her abilities a while ago, after he had accidentally saw her warping with a toy sword. It was shocking for him at first, but after he recovered, he was keen to see and learn more. What was also beneficial was that Aria, who had been struggling to keep it a secret, was finally able to be open and honest about her abilities to someone. Having that secret weighing her down was not a pleasant feeling. Kieran had vowed to himself and to Aria that he would never reveal that she had powers to anyone, unless it was necessary. But, to be fair, one would be curious as how they managed to manifest in the first place.
"… Hmm… well, maybe someday." She admitted. "But, I'm okay with just using them to help others for now." she stated.
At that, Kieran shook his head. "Of course. Why am I not surprised? Always acting without any logic behind it." he said sarcastically.
"Hey!" Aria yelled back.
After a moment, the two ended up laughing their heads off. When they were finished, they decided that they would head over to their history class, seeing how they actually had some time left to get there… much to their surprise.
As this happened, neither were aware that they were being watched by someone. The observer was a woman, who was standing on top of a large building. She had long black hair, was dressed in a in a black gown and white sash on her sleeves that trailed down like a tail, staring down at them from one of the roof tops. She looked at them with a solemn expression, uncaring of the fact that some of the objects around her were slowly being coated with frost.
"…" she didn't say a word. Instead, the woman was having to be weighed down by a strong feeling of worry for the girl. The one who had seemingly managed to manifest a power that was thought to have been lost for so long. She couldn't understand it. How it was possible for her to use it, considering that only those of the royal bloodline were…
Her eyes seemed to narrow as a theory formed in her mind. For now, however, the woman turned away and disappeared from sight, the only sign that she was there being the frost that covered the surface she stood on.
…
"Phew. What a day."
Aria was now in her apartment, resting with her arms outstretched on the bed in her room. After the day she had, she was in no mood for studying, and had instead planned to rest and have something to eat.
The apartment was actually quite decent, with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. What more could a person ask for. she had been told that there were other places that were of the same price, only they had a lot more vibrant and aesthetic features. However, Aria couldn't be bothered with anything flashy. So long as she had a place to sleep and to keep her food cold, that was all she needed.
Even though it was only four in the afternoon, Aria had decided to call it a day and head back. The reason being that she felt she already had her fill of excitement for the day. Kieran thought it was strange, considering that she had one hell of a battery in her system (even managing to go three days without sleep a few times when she had to finish a project), but then again he was also guilty for sleeping in and resting a lot more than was medically recommended, so he wouldn't really be one to judge.
"What's the word for that… 'Lazy, right?" she thought to herself, a small grin forming on her face.
She managed to push herself off of the bed, deciding that she would need to make herself something to eat soon. Luckily, she never had to take much time to decide what to eat. Her number one choice, noodles and rice. Other than smoothies, it was her number one choice.
Taking a moment to fix her hair, she then made her way into the kitchen, looking forward for something to eat.
"Hmm, Let's see, will I go plain rice or try something new, fried, flavored, add some veggies int… intoooo..."
Aria would've continued talking out loud, which many would've been worried about had they heard her, were it not for something that caught her eye as she entered the living room. Upon entering, her eyes had caught something… unusual, to say the least, resting on her sofa.
Resting there was… a sword?
"… Okaaay… that's weird." She said, surprised what she saw. "... Then again, not the weirdest thing in my life so far."
Having seen that she can teleport and phase like some kind of fantasy being, finding a sword in her home was by far the least surprising thing she had seen so far.
She slowly approached the sword, wanting to get a better look at it. When she was close enough, she leaned forward to get a better view of what the blade looked like. From what she saw, it had a long blade, like a broader version of a long sword. The handle had a guard that covered the front of the hand, while the other side of the hilt had a wing ornament attached to it.
Aria had to admit, it was an impressive looking blade. "Wow. Wonder where it came from?" she asked out loud. Soon after, a look of dread came upon her face. "Oh no, no one broke in, did they?
"My apologies for my intrusion."
"EEP!"
Aria jumped an exact foot in the air after hearing another voice, one that she didn't recognize for that matter.. She turned and saw someone sitting in one of the other chairs in the room. Aria was certain that there was no one there the last time she looked. S
itting there now was the same woman who had been observing her and Kieran earlier today. Her eyes were locked onto Aria's face, a stone cold glare that made the resident of the apartment become more uncomfortable by the second. However, it was something that was unavoidable for the moment, given this woman's nature.
Having never seen her before, Aria looked at her with a nervous smile. "Uh… hello."
The woman nodded back to her. "Good tides to you, child."
After she said that, there was a moment of silence between the two. Aria was a bit unsure of what was going on. All she knew was that there was a woman that she didn't know sitting in her living room. What was worse, Aria was unsure of how she even managed to get in. And finally, to at the cherry onto this very unusual cupcake, she said she was the one who left that sword here.
Deciding to break the silence, Aria spoke again. "Uh… if don't mind… not that I'm trying to be rude, but… what are you doing here?" she asked as politely as she could.
The woman stood up from the chair and walked over to the couch, keeping her eyes on the sword as she moved.
"My name is Gentiana. Before i say anything further... I apologize for entering without your permission... and for frightening you." She started. "However, this is a matter that could not be postponed. I wished to confirm a suspicion that I have, and you..." she nodded towards Aria "Are the subject of that suspicion."
Aria raised an eyebrow at the woman. "What suspicion do you have?"
Gentiana turned her gaze towards Aria, who now saw that the woman had olive-green eyes. She motioned her hand towards the sword.
"Hold the sword… and I will tell you."
Aria looked back at the sword, now more curious as to what this was about. To be honest. Aria still wasn't sure if the woman was trustworthy or not. While Aria was a nice and caring person, she wasn't without caution. And that caution was going off like mad in her head. Then again... she was curious about the sword, and she would get to know what was going on as well.
"… Meh. How bad can it be?" she thought to herself.
She reached out and grabbed onto the handle of the sword. She lifted it up and, much to her surprise, the sword was quite light. She held the flat side of the blade close to her face, wanting to see what it looked like up close.
After a moment, Aria said "Well… it's a nice sword, but-"
She didn't get to say anything else, as the sword was suddenly encased in a bright blue light, escaping from Aria's grasp as it floated into the air. The girl widened her eyes at the sword, unable to make sense of what was going on. The sword suddenly spun around briefly, stopping when the point of the weapon was pointing directly at Aria.
"Huh!? Wait, I-"
The sword flew directly at Aria, striking her in the center of her chest. Instead of piercing however, the weapon seemed to disperse into pieces, the blue aura from the weapon transferring into Aria. As it traveled through her, she felt a sudden build up of energy flowing through her. Added to this was a feeling of becoming lighter, as if part of her had become freed.
She looked and saw a transparent version of the weapon circling around her, eventually stopping in front of her. A second later, the weapon disappeared from sight.
"It is true."
Aria was brought of her daze from the sound of Gentiana's voice. She turned and saw the woman's eyes slightly widened from a sudden sense of awe.
"The line… it lives…" she slowly bowed to Aria. "Through you."
"… Uh… what?"
…..
Kieran had walked into the cafeteria, hoping to get a coffee before he had to go to his lecture. Luckily, he wasn't due to be there for an hour, but it was nice to just sit down and relax, enjoying a hot beverage before he went in.
As he ordered his coffee, his eyes caught something that he had never expected. Sitting at one of the tables was Aria, nursing a cup with both hands, staring into it with a look of uncertainty.
This was… an unusual characteristic from his friend. For one thing, she was actually here earlier than she had ever been, a feet that he thought was impossible for her at this stage. As such, he quickly took the coffee, paid for it and made his way over to the girl. When he made it over to the table, he said hello, but, surprisingly, she didn't respond. So, he decided to tap her on the shoulder.
"Aria?" he asked while doing so.
"EEP!"
The girl in question jumped, accidentally banging her knee off of the table, spilling some of her tea in the process. She looked up and saw a grinning Kieran, which prompted her to punch him in the arm.
Kieran grinned. "Couldn't help it." he said. His grin started to fade as he looked at her with concern. "You okay?"
Aria sent him a playful frown at first, caressing her sore knee, which caused Kieran to let out a small chuckle. Soon after though, a troubled expression formed on her face. She didn't say anything at first, instead looking back and forth between her cup and him with worry. Kieran couldn't help but look surprised by her behaviour. She would normally quite certain of herself, so to see this kind of behavior was… odd.
In the end, Aria sighed before looking back at Kieran with a calm look. "Kieran.. I need to tell you something."
"…Um, okay." He said, taking a seat beside her.
When he was seated, Aria took a few more seconds before she was able to talk to Kieran about what she was thinking.
"Kieran… I might not be able to make to college for a while." She admitted, tightening her grip on the cup, despite the heat searing through her fingers.
Kieran raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked. "You'd always make time to come here… provided you can get in on time."
This caused Aria to smile slightly. "Usually… yeah." She looked up at Kieran. "Well, it's going to be different this time."
"How is it different?" Kieran asked.
Aria fell into silence once more. After a few seconds, she looked at him with a surprisingly serious look. "Those powers I can use. There's more to them than I thought." She started. "I know… that I said I wasn't curious about how I have them, but something happened last night that…" she soon began to trail off.
Kieran looked at his friend with great concern. "What? What's got you spooked?"
She looked around, wanting to make sure that no one was listening to them. When she was sure, she leaned forward and said "Let's head back to my apartment."
Had this not been a serious looking situation, Kieran might have made a joke about what she said. However, he could tell that this was no time for jokes. Seeing that she was already moving, he stood up from the table and followed her, now more curious about what was going on.
…..
"So…"
Kieran and Aria were now sitting in the living room of the latter's apartment. Aria had made Kieran some coffee while she helped herself to some cocoa. Kieran was happy to see that Aria seemed less… worried than before. However, he could tell that whatever she knew was still bothering her.
Kieran folded his arms and leaned back on the chair he was sitting on. "What is all the fuss about?"
Aria gave him a grin and pointed upwards with her right hand. "Watch." She simply said. She held out the hand in question and opened it, outstretching her fingers.
A second later, a bright light shun in the center, growing into the shape of a blade. The light faded, revealing that it was the blade that the woman in the black gown gave her.
"…"
When Kieran saw the sword, his eyes were as wide as they could get, as well as his mouth from the shock. Aria rested the blade on her lap before continuing to speak.
"Last night, someone gave me this sword. Apparently, it's related to these powers that i have. And it's... well... it has powers of it own, too." she seemed to become more uncomfortable as she continued to speak. "Powers that, she said... would only react to me." She spoke. She then let out a sigh of relief, happy to have finally been able to tell him what had happened. "It was pretty cool, actually... while still a bit weird, i guess. What happened was-"
"That sword." Kieran interrupted.
Aria raised an eyebrow at Kieran. "Is… something wrong?"
Kieran quickly went for his backpack and began searching through it frantically. Aria was about to ask what he was doing when he suddenly pulled out a large history book, slamming it into a nearby table.
Aria widened her eyes upon seeing the book. "Whoa! How can you carry that?" she asked him, seeing how it caused the room to shake, she wondered how Kieran's back wasn't broken from carrying that thing.
Kieran didn't pay attention, instead opening the book and frantically flicking through the pages. He stopped after a few seconds, placing a finger on a picture on the page.
"That sword… I knew I saw it before." Kieran stated, a small smirk forming on his face. he leaned to the side to allow Aria a view of the page in question, showing that it had a picture of the exact same sword that Aria had in her possession.
Dispelling the sword, Aria stood up and walked over to where Kieran sat. She then looked in at what it was that Kieran was pointing at. She wasn't able to form any words to describe what she was feeling, only able to form a look of disbelief
"… Is that…?" she managed to say first. She then managed to say "No way..."
Both students couldn't take their eyes off of the picture of the sword now in Aria's possession. The book in question was one that had records of rare and ancient items, having either been recovered by archaeologists, or have been passed down as family heirlooms. The latter required the families' permission before they were recorded in the book.
"It says here that the sword is call 'The Sword of the Father'. One of thirteen previously known royal arms." Kieran said.
At that, Aria widened her eyes. "Royal arms!? Like, the weapons of the Kings of Lucis!?" she cried.
The Royal Arms was the term for magically imbued weapons, mainly the trademark weapon of each king, that can be passed down to kings of the next generation, lending their strength to them so that they may be safe, or at least ready, for any threats that come their way.
Kieran nodded, albeit with a look of confusion on his face. "Yeah, but… it doesn't make sense. It says in the books that all the remaining, or a least known, arms were destroyed. The king 'Noctus Lucis Caelum' used them to erase the demonic side of… 'Ardyn Izunia'." he said, surprised to have read the name of the former Imperial Chancellor.
"That is not wholly true."
Aria and Kieran turned, this time Aria not jumping from surprise, instead Kieran jumping a foot into the air. As he landed back in his seat, he tried to salvage what was left of his pride, dusting off his shirt and coughing lightly.
Aria, meanwhile, seemed a bit uneasy when she saw the woman. She had a feeling that the same woman from before would be back, and not under the best circumstances.
"What do you mean?" Aria asked, ignoring the startled look on her friend's face.
Gentiana interlocked her fingers before speaking. "After destroying the physical form of Ardyn, King Noctis sacrificed his life so that he could destroy Ardyn's power at the source. Most of the royal arms were destroyed, as it required that much power to erase the Accursed Usurper for good."
She then nodded towards Aria. "The only Royal arm to have survived… was the sword embedded in his chest."
The students widened their eyes.
"The blade had lost its power, showing that the king's life had been extinguished." She continued.
Aria and Kieran raised an eyebrow each. After a few seconds, they slowly turned towards each other, their eyes widening as they soon realised what she as implying.
"Hang on a second." Kieran said first. "If the blade stopped working because there were no more in the royal bloodline alive… at least, around it…"
"And if the sword's suddenly working for me…" Aria continued.
Gentiana nodded. "That is correct, my dear. While believed to have been extinguished, it is now shown that the royal line of Lucis lives on." She stated. "In you… Aria."
"…"
Both Aria and Kieran looked like their eyes were popping out of their heads after hearing this. Kieran was the first to recover, looking towards Aria with a wide grin.
"Well… That certainly something I didn't expect to happen today." He then looked over towards Aria. "If that's the case... does that make you a princess?"
"…"
Kieran then looked slightly confused when he saw that Aria hadn't responded. He stood up and waved a hand in front of her face, followed by clicking his fingers by her eyes.
"… Aria? Hellooo?" he said.
After a few more seconds, Kieran decided to use a trick that he had used various times before when his friends seemed out of it. Slapping her in the back of the head.
"Gah!" she said, snapping out of her trance, rubbing the back of her head. "Uh, um, where were we?" Aria said, now fully recovered from her stunned state. She rubbed her hands briskly before speaking. "So… I'm a descendant of the royal bloodline, thought to have been completely extinguished, and I didn't even know." She said, trying her best to stay calm. "Not your average, everyday discovery, I'll admit, but it's certainly something." she finished, before letting out a nervous laugh.
Aria then went into the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing a milk carton. She drank straight out of the carton and, after she was finished, spat out the liquid, emphasising the shock of it all.
"That was perfectly good milk!" Kieran cried, not one to waste good food or drink.
Aria walked back into the living room, now looking more frantic. "But… how!?"
Gentiana place a hand on her chin, trying to come up with a plausible theory, at least, that could explain it all. "Well… I have heard tales of several kings who, despite dedicated to their duty may have… strayed, so to speak."
"You mean they decided to have a little 'fun' during their time?" Kieran asked with a cheeky grin on his face.
This was met with Aria slapping him in the back of the head. "This isn't the time, Kieran."
Gentiana, while not one for emotion too often, couldn't help but smile at the unusual interaction between the two. Focusing her attention back on the students, she continued to speak.
"However, it may also be possible that you may not be of the same line." she theorized. "That you have been chosen to take the mantle, to keep the world safe, were it to once again fall under the threat of darkness.. a 'safety measure', if you will."
"Certainly better than the other way." Kieran said, only to see Aria looking at him with a serous glare. Clearly, the idea of her and her family being the result of an illegitimate child was not an idea that Aria found appealing. As such, Kieran finally decided to shut up about the topic.
"How the line of Lucis lives… is not the main concern for the moment. What matters is that it lives." Gentiana stated. "And with that… comes the duty to fight against the darkness."
"What?" Aria and Kieran said at the same time.
After receiving a nod of confirmation from Gentiana, Kieran stood up and picked the book, now flicking through the pages.
"Are you talking about the daemons?" he asked. "But, they were wiped out soon after light was brought back to Lucis, after the eternal night, you know."
Gentiana narrowed her gaze at the boy. This caused him to tense up, afraid that he had offended her.
"You are correct. I was not speaking of the daemons." Gentiana explained. "Rather… the darkness I speak of originates… from another realm."
"!" At that, Aria's eyes suddenly became blank. It was more than likely that the information overload was starting to get to her. "Did you say 'other realm'? Like, another universe?"
"Yes."
Kieran put the book down on the table. "So, you need Aria's help to take down whatever threat's going on in some other world, right?"
Gentiana looked back towards Kieran. "Not just Aria." She stated, causing the boy to tilt his head to one side. "The king… or rather, 'queen', while powerful, cannot fight all their battles alone. With the strength of their allies, they would be able to persevere. Therefore, I offer you the chance to aid your friend in this endeavor."
At that, Kieran widened his eyes in amazement. He was being given an offer to travel to another universe to fight bad guys and save the day. Granted, from how Gentiana was suggesting, he would be more of a sidekick. But, who was he to judge, it wouldn't be a bad idea. Before he could think any more about it, however, he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see an enthusiastic looking Aria leaning over him.
"Sounds pretty cool, right? The chance to go to another world, fight some bad guys and save the day." Her eyes seemed to sparkle for a moment before sighing with anticipation. "It's kind of romantic in a way, huh?"
"That's what your concerned about?" he asked.
Aria shook her head. "Nope. Remember when I told you that I would use my abilities to help people?" she asked.
Kieran was silent for a brief moment, before saying "You're going though with it no matter what, aren't you?"
"Oh, you know me so well." Aria replied.
Kieran shook his head, albeit with a knowing grin on his face. This girl was really something else. Having been told all this in such little time, and she's already wanting to fly head first into danger. Anyone else and he'd reckon they'd need to have some sense knocked into them. But, with Aria…
It's just who she was.
"… Well, if you're doing this, you're going to need someone to keep you from doing anything reckless."
"Hey!" Aria yelled, slightly offended.
Kieran turned back towards the book, grabbing onto the front cover before slamming the book shut. He turned back towards Gentiana.
"So, when do we start?"
Gentiana didn't say anything. Instead she lowered her head. Soon after, a pale, blue aura formed around the woman. A few seconds later, Aria and Kieran were coated with the same aura, surprising the two of them.
"Whoa! Wha-What's goi-"
Before Kieran could finish, the auras completely enveloped them, making them appear like patches of light that were cut out into their shapes. Seconds later, the lights blinked out of existence, with Aria, Kieran and Gentiana no longer present in the apartment.
And that's the start of the new story.
I'll admit, I ain't the best when it comes to writing introductions. If it wasn't the best, then sorry, but I tried the best that I could. I'm usually better when I get further into the story anyway.
Well, with the thing that's going on, as previously stated, I don't know if I'll have enough time. But, if things are sorted out, I'll be sure to let you all know. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back to the writing. Until then, It's time for me to sign off.
Don't forget to review, see you all later, and I hope you all have a nice day.