From a world long destroyed, existed a prophecy that foretold of a significant event in the history of the multiverse. A significant event that would forever change the worlds which everyone inhabited. With the destruction of the world in which it existed, the prophecy was forgotten for a long time. It wasn't until someone stumbled upon it by complete accident that it was remember for the first time in over a millennium. This is that prophecy.
In the common year of 2007
A tournament will be hosted
On the world of Pianeta
One Hundred Twenty Eight
The fighters will number
Fighting in groups of four
At the end only one will stand
Above all the rest of the fighters
And they shall change the multiverse forever
It wasn't this part of the prophecy that worried the two men sitting behind their desks in an old an ancient castle. It was the part of the prophecy that came next that caused them to decide to host the tournament themselves. It was that part of the prophecy that nobody but them knew. What secrets did the rest of the prophecy tell? How would the champion change the multiverse in such a monumental way? Only the two men knew. And they weren't talking. At least not about the rest of the prophecy. They were far too busy gathering participants for the tournament itself.
Lucretia Merces, a brilliant strategist from Sol Falena had been called in to gather the participants for the tournament. She was a woman that the two men could trust to complete the job. Lucretia was certain about working for these two men, who had called themselves "Blood" and "Flame". Though she knew their true identities, because she always knew everything, she would refer to them as what they wished out of respect. Blood was the crimson-haired man sitting on the left. He wore full body armor that suggested that he was a warrior, or at least that he had been a warrior at one point. A wooden mask covered his face almost entirely, concealing his true identity. Flame was the crimson-haired man sitting on the right. He looked to be a lot more casual than Blood was. Instead of full body armor, he wore a simple white jacket, with black pants. He too had a wooden mask covering the majority of his face. Lucretias face was the only one out in plain sight in the room, and on it was a clear sense of concern. It wasn't the task that stood before her that caused such concern, instead it was something much deeper in her mind.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked.
"Of course we are" Blood told her. It was something that he had been considering for a long time. Blood was very confident in his decision to go through with everything. He had always had an air of confidence about him, and it was no different with the tournament.
"And you?" Lucretia motioned to Flame.
"Yeah, I'm sure" Flame told her, without the same confidence that his partner had. It was clear that he had some inkling of doubt inside fo him. But the inkling of doubt wasn't enough to change his mind.
"You know, changing the future... changing a prophecy" Lucretia told them, as if she had doubts of her own about what they were doing. And how could she not? Nothing was certain about anything in the multiverse. She of all people knew that.
"Prophecies are meant to be broken" Flame told her. "I of all people know tha. So long as we live our lives in accordance with some prophecy written long ago, nothing will change. I for one will not stand by idly and allow things to happen without doing something about it".
That was all Lucretia really needed to hear. She wanted to make sure that her employers were confident in what they were doing. Though she could betray them at any time if she wished, as long as their goals stayed the same she would not. She had to be sure that they would go through with everything.
"Of course, by hosting this tournament you may very well be fulfilling the prophecies yourself."
Blood looked at the strategist for a moment, only for a moment, and immediately knew his answer. He knew that if one day someone asked him that very question, how he would respond. "History has a way of setting it's own course" he began. "If we do not hold this tournament, someone else will. If in the end, everything is going to be the same, then we must do at least what we can to make a change. Better that we take a little control of the situation, than to sit by idly and watch events unfold. I personally don't want to be remembered as the man who gave up. I want to stand and face time head on. We will fight with everything we have to change the course of history- and if we must, we will die doing it".
By this point, Lucretia had covered all of the bases. Time was a tricky thing, even for a genius like her. She would've been a fool not to have questions for the two men that sat before her. But now she was ready to set forth with their plan. There was nothing that could have made her more ready.
"Very well" she told them. "What would you have me do?"
Blood picked a list up off of his desk, and handed it to Lucretia. "This is a list of all of the participants. We would like you to bring them back to the castle."
Lucretia quickly glanced over the list, and none of the names were any that she had recognized. She wasn't surprised at all by this, nor was she surprised at most of the names on the list. "Some of them might refuse to come."
"We trust you will be able to get them all. You are renowned for your brilliant mind Lady Merces. We have the utmost confidence in you." Flame told her.
"Very well" Lucretia said, smiling. "And please don't call me Lady Merces. I never did like all the formalities".
The strategist turned to leave the office. She glanced at the list one last time. Some of them would be a welcome challenge for her. But like Blood and Flame, she had confidence in herself. She knew what she was doing- and knew for certain that she would succeed.
By Cloud and Squall