An eternal bond that lives longer than love,
An eternal bond that crushes any foe,
An eternal bond that creates life,
An eternal bond that shows no fear,
This eternal bond will live in us
For we are the ones who can create
Our futures, or maybe better ourselves.
This is our bond with our friends.
Balance. Fear. Duty.
Chapter 1: Beginning
In the land of Arthis, in the city of Helia. A great battle rages between the forces of darkness and light. That's what you'd hear me saying if I didn't understand what I know now. Each force has to keep balance otherwise one become stronger and the other can't fight it. I know this how you ask, well, lets say it started long ago. When a great war had broken out and was terrorizing this land.
1003 years earlier...
All I could hear was sword clanging, screams of innocent people, pieces of bodies being cut off. The smell of blood filled my nose, the stench of decomposing bodies. All this devastation, what was it for? I fought for the darkness, killing anything that got in my way, even the children. My sword was always covered in light seekers blood.
A mysterious dark figure walked through the wretched battle field. Their head filled with thoughts of what reward they would get for killing a child, an innocent child. They entered the temple looking around in impressive dark armor covered in spikes. The figure looked forward at a small boy, sitting on the throne of the temple. The temple itself was made of white marble and crystal. A small man from around the corner popped out and screamed "NO! You will not take this boy! Who are you dark knight?" he scrambled across the floor, struggling to stand guard for the boy. The boy's bright blonde hair, perfect smile had turned into a scared expression. The figure's stance didn't change, remaining emotionless. They drew their sword from its scabbard. Raising it high above the man. Then they felt a sharp pain in their back, turning a little to see a figure holding a blade in their back, piercing their armor whilst they fell to the ground blood pouring from the wound created by the stranger's blade. Their helmet fell off revealing their hidden identity. Blonde hair fell from its bundle, spilling over their face. "She's a woman; the knight we all feared was a woman." The small man spoke. "Not yet a woman, still a girl. She's too young to spill blood yet she has. What are they up to using our young?" The stranger spoke, his voice raspy, fading from her ears. Suddenly she felt tired; she closed my eyes till she drifted off into darkness.
Right then, that's when I thought I died...never having that sort of feeling before, like I was floating, relaxed.
Darkness underneath, its claws grasping her wrist pulling her down as she gave in. Light above, a hand of bright light reached down holding itself out for her to grab a hold of. For a minute she thought on it. Before saying "Can someone really just change or does it take time?" she whispered taking a hold of the bright hand. The claws started to react, grabbing onto her pulling her down. She struggled free, sending the shadows back. Pulled high into the light, she smiled. Until a flash changed her scenery. "What?" she said falling and tumbling from mid-air into an ocean.
Plummeting, she decided to give in setting herself into a dive. She hit the water with massive force, making a huge splash. Rising from deep under the surface with a gasp trying to conjure on the air that had been missing from her lungs. "Great, now where am I?" she questioned herself aloud, looking in all directions. "An island?" she questioned seeing a piece of land off in the distance. She paddled towards it with great force and determination.
It was morning when she reached the shore, lying on her back, gasping for air. She closed her eyes and drifted of for a well deserved sleep.
"Whoa" A tripping sound. "What the heck was that?". She sat up quickly seeing three people surrounding her. Three boys. Her blonde sand filled hair had dried and he clothes were lose when she stood up feeling a slight pain from the boy face planted on the ground behind her. "Who are you?" said the tallest one, drawing his sword. "I'm...well, I don't know who I am, the question is who you three are?" she snapped giving them a sour look. "Well, she might no know her name, but she can count" one joked looking at the taller one "I'm Sean Light, don't ask about the name, please". She looked him up and down, quite thin, dark blonde hair, nice face and possibly strong. She turned to the taller one "S-I mean Lance West, and the one behind you with the sand in his mouth is Leo Poyser, a thief. He was trying to steal something off you before we stopped him" he finished. She looked at him, handsome face, muscular body, strong but no challenge or threat. She turned and helped up Leo looking him up and owns as well, his thin frame good for agility, quite strong, and an average face. "You're a changeling" she said staring at Sean. Sean looked nervous before accepting "How do you know?" he asked staring straight back at her.
"Easy, your beast-people features are recognizable to me, your hair for one, your teeth and your nails" she said keeping a calm tone.
"Hmph, you're not from here" Lance said keeping a straight face.
"No, neither is he. Or maybe I'm crazy" she said turning towards the ocean "Or this is just a dream and any second I'll wake up and continue..." she went silent.
Sean and Lance gave each other a questioning look. "Maybe we can trust you, and your not dreaming, this is as real as it gets" Leo said inspecting some shells he'd just found in the sand. She turned to them "If you trust me then I guess I can tell you my name, not anything else". They nodded, Sean and Lance lifted Leo off the ground, still playing with the shells. "My name is...Ava-Lee, not much else I can tell you" she said soft but firmly.
I felt I could trust these three, they all seemed different and had secrets. Sean being a Changeling. Lance a Knight. Leo, well, I don't think he had one.
That same night the four sat around a blazing camp fire, talking about where they had been and where this place was. Lance seemed to know a lot about this place, Sean kept a cautious eye while Leo kept trying to find things or burn stuff. Ava-Lee kept to herself only talking once and awhile. "I don't see how people can get away with it, like can't you use magic or something?" Sean asked trying to sort out the laws of this world or land. "Magic? What is that?" Leo asked cleaning his new found shells. Sean sweat dropped, falling off his small log backwards into the sand "How can you have not heard of Magic, it's so common, like people. Do you not know what a magician is? Have you heard of a mage or even a sage? A witch or a wizard?" he inquired. Lance kept looking at the two arguing over whether or not magic was real. "I believe..." she spoke keeping her eyes focused on the bright ashes and coals of the fire before her "I believe that this land, world or realm we are in is mortal to its well core, mortals don't believe in magic and you never see mortal and magicians together all the time, its just really incorrect. The worlds live by certain codes so, this world must have a code against magic. Maybe that's why he hasn't heard of magic." she said, before returning to her silence. Sean and Leo looked at each other confused. "How do you know so much about world order?" Lance asked, whipping his blade.
She looked at him for a moment before standing up "I'm not of this world and yet, I know things, is that what your pointing at?" she asked trying to figure out what he was failing to drag out of her. "The only people who should know are...well, their not entirely people but they do know the world's codes." he said staring straight at her. Her eyes filled with regret and anger "A heartless?" she muttered underneath her breathe barely enough for the other two to hear. "Yes..." He murmured. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and walked off into the near by jungle. Lance looked at the ground before following her. Leo looked at Sean and shrugged, Sean followed them soon after dragging Leo by his collar.
Running, she fell over landing in a mess of sharp sticks, muddy leaves and jaggered rocks. Her hands bleeding, she hugged her knees. Huddled up into a small space, avoiding the rain and further muddiness oh her clothes. She took the time to look at one of her hands, bleeding still, she picks small bits of rocks and sticks out of it causing her to scream out in pain. Lance her small shrilling screams making him get closer to her location. Rain pouring, he bent down finding her. "Let me see! If it gets infected you're in trouble" Lance said playfully, trying not hurt her he looked at her hands. "Ouch, how'd this happen?" he asked softly kneeling down in front of her. Her eyes narrowed, he stepped back a little bit. "You know what I am, you aren't of this world either." she stated looking him fiercely as if she was going to attack him. "Yes, I am of another world, you are too. Heartless have flooded many worlds with there evil presence, causing them to fall into chaos, some worlds have escaped but some aren't as purified." he said wrapping a bandage around one of her wounded hands. "Purified? It isn't about being pure, it's about conquering, gathering what we can for a future. We heartless want nothing more then to prosper and yet, you filthy light seekers have destroyed things that meant dear to people. And you call your selves pure." she snapped, this small argument had triggered memories of her hated past.
"Prosper? Then explain why you kill our future? Aren't they yours too? We may have destroyed things but you have done far worse, destorying and pillaging villages. You almost killed the heir to the light once, you heartless, 1000's of years ago, a girl not even of 18 was sent to kill him, and instead she was killed by none other then my family. .You sends your own children to die! For what? A piece of bread?" He argued tightening the bandage around her hand. "It was her duty, to the man that saved her. Her Father none the less. She would have been proud to die so close to finishing her mission. And for what you ask, maybe you should try getting rid of bad memories" she narrowed her eyes again. He looked at her with realization before wrapping the other bandage around her other hand. "Maybe so, but still, maybe she shouldn't have trusted the man even if it was her father or not he should've taken more care. But what if he planned it? What if it was a trick?". Ava looked at her hands before looking him holding out his hand.
Sean and Leo come running, screaming "Argh! M-m-m-m-m-MORPHS!" they screamed running past them. Quickly Lance grabbed her hand, dragging her behind him. 'Morphs?" she asked trying to keep up. "Creatures, they take your form then well, kill you." he said tugging on her hand. "Not if I kill myself first" she said drawing his sword and facing a huge mob of floating gel creatures. She raised the sword above he head, focusing 'Darkness surround me, fill me within" she whispered, eyes closed, ready for attack. 6 gels took her form and approached her. "KYA!" one screeched attacking her. Blocking its attacks flawlessly, another one decided to join the fight.
"Is she sucidal?" Leo asked popping up behind Lance. "Argh! Where'd you come from?" he yelled finding Sean next to him. "Well.." Leo said looking around and pointing in the direction opposite to the fight behind Ava and the Morphs "That way." Sean looked up at Lance then to the fight. Their jaws dropped as they saw Ava standing, sword in hand, victor of the battle. "Oh, how boring." she yawned, throwing his sword onto the ground "Your blades a bit blunt by the way". Lance smirk before treading past her and picking up his sword. Sliding it back into his scabbard he turned to come face to face with the blonde girl ' those dark hazel eyes, those lips...LIPS! Why am I thinking about her lips?' he thought. He shook his head to rid himself of the thought. "Morphs are hard to kill being gel like, what are you?" Sean asked stepping forward. "I'm a...Knight, like Lance here." she answered, winking at Lance. "I'm not a Knight anymore, disowned" he said regrettably. "You were a Knight? And you didn't tell us!" Sean yelled. Leo walked in circle around the two Knights eyeing them both carefully. "Oh god what are you doing, Leo? It's no time for stupidity. Oh, wait, your always stupid, never mind."
"Not always, just at times. Anyways, these two are definitely Knights. Except there different somehow. One's light" he pointed at Lance who seemed to be shocked by the notion, "and the other's dark" he finished pointing at Ava who seemed unfazed, emotionless. "Y-y-your a d-d-dark Knight?" Sean stuttered. Lance looked at her begging her to say no. "I have to be truthful, it's my code, I'm proud of the darkness within me. Yes, I am a dark Knight. A heartless warrior." She answered keeping her eyes from theirs. "Go! Your not welcome if you stay I'll rip you to shreds, you barbaric demon. Destory my home will you, you're the only reason I'm here! Away from my friends and family!" He yelled, his wolf like features beginning to show. "And he's the reason I'm here. His great grandfather killed me, stabbed me in the back." She smirked looking at Lance then turning back to Sean.
Sean looked at both of them before laughing "So, you two are like enemies or something. Ha, this is weird. You're from 1000 years ago, as am I. Leo and Lance is from today, we all must be connected somehow."
I never thought of it like that, it seemed too obvious but I guess obvious things can be right. Lance and I were enemies but not of the killing kind. Sean and I worked things out. Leo well, again I cannot say much, at that point he seemed like an alright guy.