Disclaimer: I do not own Radiata Stories. It belongs to Tri-Ace and its publishing rights belong to Square Enix. I derive no income from the publishing of this story. It is sorely for the maximization of my utility and the utility of its readers.
Nevar: I swear Fanfiction keeps messing up my final drafts. I would've uploaded earlier otherwise. Anyhow, welcome readers both new and old to Cycles- the only Fanfic I have that's ever taken off. Please take the time to review and let me know if there were things you particularly liked or hated.
Updates will be everyday until I get to Chapter 6. Also, Chapter 1 has undergone minor editing so that it would better fit the the other chapters I've made. Changes are mostly cosmetic, making the POV seem more like it's from Jack's head than from the POV of a narrator. Does that make sense? Anyhow, enjoy!
"Jack Russell!" he heard the familiar voice of his sister Adele despite the door connecting the room and the kitchen being shut tight.
"I'm up!" he declared, despite knowing he didn't look the part, with his pajamas being on the wrong way. He'd stopped counting after the fifth rime, but it had been a good eight or so, he guessed, since he'd first started remembering. Shortly after Aphelion croaked, he always winded up falling into a deep sleep, only to reawaken at home, in bed, on the day of the knight trials, which much to his chagrin, he'd failed every single time. It seemed he'd retained his memories, and not much else. He knew how to fight. He must have had years of experience from fighting his way through his past lives, but his body remained scrawny, and the absence of his developed muscles made him frown each time
Removing the ridiculous top, he inspected his body. The feeble flesh showed no mark whatsoever of the hours of training he'd spent to master the only four weapon styles that the world was willing to give him. Nor did it show any of the burns he'd gotten from fighting Parsec the fire dragon over and over. The fit body he'd been working hard on was gone, replaced by the one he had before the knight trials. That is to say, the one that couldn't survive Ridley's Wild Pitch attack. Ever.
Briefly, he wondered how he'd managed to get his pajamas on backwards in the first place. It seemed he couldn't remember most of the things that had happened before the day of the knight try-outs. He knew some things - things he realized were essential to the play that the universe seemed intent on having him star in. He knew his father had been a great hero, that Adele was his sister, and that he lived in Solieu Village. It was only very basic info. He knew the people outside to be friends to his family, but he could recall no time he'd actually spent with them. It was an odd sensation - to know the names of the people in the village, and to instinctively think of them as friends even though he had no idea why they were friends in the first place. In another life, he might have just taken it as fact and considered having friends a blessing. This time, he wasn't so certain.
It was true that in his previous lives, he may have put those people in his party. Beating the Silver Dragon with a bunch of farmers had been hilarious, but they were friends then, not now. No. Jack had tried everyone multiple times, to see if they recalled anything. Unless they were all playing an enormous joke on him, in which case he swore he would butcher all the men and enslave the good-looking women, he decided that the universe was toying with him. He didn't know who, but somewhere, someone had to be responsible, and he would be their toy no longer!
"Well, at least you look serious," Adele said, making Jack conscious of the scowl on his face. She said nothing more as they sat on the kitchen table. Looking down, Jack noticed that there was, in fact, no food prepared. There wasn't even a plate. Before, Adele had always dragged him outside and made him practice swordplay, so he'd never noticed if there actually had been food on the table. Scowling, he asked, "Where's breakfast?"
"What are you talk-" Adele stopped herself in mid-sentence, her eyes directed at the empty surface. She seemed dumbfounded, which was new for her, but she quickly recovered her composure, saying, "I'm sure there's some bread in the pantry."
That was odd. Very odd. Jack didn't know his sister to be so absent-minded. It was unusual, to say the least. Regardless, Jack waited patiently as his sister placed a few slices of bread before him. For the only remaining family of a famous knight, the Russells lived a rather simple existence. It was sickening, knowing the greatness he was bound for but returning to this every single time. He was always a great hero at the end of the tale, one deserving of fame and riches and women, but this trap always put him back here.
It was a simple enough meal, but it sated his appetite all the same. Strange. He never recalled being hungry on the way to Radiata despite never eating breakfast before leaving before. What was up with that? First, his sister, and then his stomach. Well, at least it was a break from the usual monotony. At the end of it, she handed him his father's sword, the Arbitrator, and gave her usual speech about how he couldn't use it. Whatever. He'd gotten sick of using swords, anyway. Maybe he'd try something different this time...
Outside, he found himself staring at the sky- something he always did before leaving the village behind. It looked the same as it always did – clear, sunny, and yet somehow, something told him that the world had changed. What does it mean?
On the way to Radiata, there was one other thing Jack noticed. Where were the monsters? This was probably the only time he'd ever seen these roads so clear and safe. It was almost like the world was trying to get him to the castle safely… Or, he thought bitterly, that the world was trying to deprive him of chances to get stronger so he could get smacked around by Ridley!
With a scowl on his face, Jack did something he'd never done before- he walked off the road, and into the wilderness. He was determined to find monsters to slay, just so he could beat Ridley at least once. To his dismay, however, no matter where he looked, it was as if the monsters didn't exist. Totaus' hold on him seemed elaborate, but he'd get his chance.
When he arrived at Radiata Castle, a compulsion formed in his head. He went over to Dan, the cook, and tried out the martial arts he'd learned from watching the Dark Elves for about four of his past lives. He delivered a swift open-handed blow to the Void member's stomach, making him fall to the floor.
Jack looked down and realized the cook had a blank look on his face, similar to Adele's before he left the house. It was like he couldn't react properly to something that had never happened before. It was almost creepy. Then, suddenly, Dan became furious, and got up, only to fall down again when Jack raised his leg into the air and slammed it down hard, flooring the bigger man. Wow, this martial arts stuff actually works.
All of the other people in the room seemed to act like nothing happened, although he noted that Star had at least seemed surprised by his attack, if only for a second before freezing. Jack had expected them to help the cook, but he guessed they were scared. He looked to the older man again and offered his hand, helping him up. Oddly, he seemed to have forgotten Jack had attacked him without reason, because he got up like nothing happened. Then, out of nowhere, the man yelled "You punk!" before going back to his spot.
Wait. Was that the answer? Did he need to stop playing his usual role to change the direction of this little show? Grinning, he decided he'd soon find out.
"Jack Russell versus Ridley Silverlake!" the guard finally called out. It was time. Jack would now know if his choices really were having any effect on the way things worked out. Because if they would have the needed impact here, and he intended to make this quite a spectacle of it, then one thing could lead to another, and he just might be able to make the world something different.
He walked into the familiar arena and eyed his opponent for the nth time. Confident as always, Ridley was actually an imposing opponent when you looked at her stance, which belied extensive training with her weapon. Of course, Jack had missed this completely the first few times. Still, he knew she was a big softie under all that talk. He dropped his little sword to the side and crept forward. As he'd been counting, the female warrior and indeed everything else stood frozen for a while, unable to adapt immediately to what he was doing. Jack took the opportunity to rush forward and deliver a crushing blow to her unarmored stomach. Choosing "Berserker" as a skill really helped bridge the gap in power. A pity it didn't come with instant muscles, though.
"Well, well… I guess all those years of training really were a waste," Jack taunted, "I pity you for not having a childhood."
The girl fell to her knees, but her shock was over. She chopped horizontally, with Jack only barely dodging the axe. He wasn't sure he could block it with his arms, after all. That was a problem he'd have to address later. The girl had gotten wobbly from swinging at thin air with all her might, and Jack punished her mistake by hitting her in the back with a roundhouse kick. She fell forward with a thud. Jack took the chance to kick her axe out of her hands.
He pinned her down, yelling "Is the match over or do I need to stick her royal hiney?"
His heart thumped wildly in his chest from gratification. Not only had he beaten her for the first time ever, he'd also been getting annoyed with Ridley as of late. He remembered falling for her, to some degree, once upon a time. However, after so many repeats, he started finding her vexing. That was probably why he spent most of his reincarnations on the human side. At least then he could pick whom he'd end up with. Of course, he reminded himself, it always lasted but a moment before he found himself in his bed again. Well, not anymore. He'd make things different this time. If he couldn't get the cycle to stop, he'd sure as hell make the most of it. If he could defeat Ridley, which had never happened before, then he sure as hell could change many other things.
His victory was complete when the referee ran in and declared him the winner. A quick glance over his shoulder before leaving the arena showed him Ridley was glaring at him. If looks could kill, he'd probably never have to worry about going back to his bed again. Sadly for Ridley, however, Jack had no intention of going away any time soon. All her glaring did was make him bubble with even more malevolent joy. This world owed him for all the years it had made him do over, after all, and he intended to collect.
The rest of the examinations went by without a hitch. The remaining participants couldn't hold a candle to Ridley, who couldn't beat this current incarnation of Jack. They all fell quickly before him, as punching bags he could vent his stress on. He was glad Sebastian wasn't entered in the tournament, however. He wasn't even sure he could damage the golem with his fists, let alone withstand its Volty Blast. He noted that something had changed since his new adventure began. The others were now reacting much more quickly to the changes he was bringing. There was still a slight… lag, he supposed he could call it, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first. He wasn't sure how to interpret it. Was the world beginning to submit to him? Or had Tottaus already adapted to what he was doing? Was it already working on shutting him down? All he could do for now was to observe.
Naturally, he was allowed into the knights despite his little "demonstration" during Ridley's match, being the winner and all. It was Ridley being allowed in out of pity this time. The look she gave him invoked inside him an amount of morbid satisfaction he'd never before experienced. He could understand her reaction: She had, after all, never before in this current life been humiliated so badly in public. A small part of him felt a bit guilty about it, but then he reminded himself that she was part of the universe that was intent on keeping him prisoner within this "adventure." He wasn't even entirely sure any of them were real people, really. No. Surely, real people would never had stood by and watched him suffer.
"I am Captain Ganz Rothschild of the Rose Cochon Brigade," said a tubby man in blue armor, "I am delighted to meet you two."
Oh, Jack already knew who the Captain was. He also knew that the captain's dialogue hadn't changed one bit. He was getting tired of all the repeat lines, so he decided to drop a really big bomb on the captain by whispering "I know your father." The effect was instantaneous: the round man stared at Jack with mouth agape. The antihero then left the area with haste, even before the ceremony was over.
Lord Larks, head of the Radiata Knights, looked at the departing new knight with the slightest trace of a scowl on his face. He didn't know why, but he felt as if something very wrong had just happened. There was no way to justify his unease, however. Jack had won, utterly dominating the tournament. Perhaps, he decided, he just felt insulted by the young Jack's brashness. But then, some knights were just like that. As long as he did his duties, Jack would make a fine Radiata Knight.
It was a pain that nothing had changed with the arrangements in the castle. He was still sleeping in the run-down room in the basement with Leonard. Jack was hardly surprised, though. If this muscle-bound idiot whom Natalie always brought along with her was stuck down here, then what more a fresh recruit like him, even if he did show amazing potential in the tournament?
Ha! Amazing potential. Jack had loved the feel of crushing his opponents with his bare hands… and booted feet, of course. His kicks were a lot more painful than his punches, but they also left him open since he'd be standing on one foot for a second or two. Definitely not something he wanted against more experienced opponents, he thought.
The only other person in the room was Leonard, his… what was the term? Room captain? Whatever. The older man was staring blankly into space, likely thinking about Natalie or something. That gave the young man a brilliant idea.
"So... Natalie, eh, Pops?" Jack asked, smirking.
"W-wha- I dunno what you're talking about, runt," answered the older man, face turning crimson.
"I suppose I can't blame you," said Jack, "Athletic figure, a fine ass... I wonder if the curtains match the carpet… I certainly wouldn't mind thinking about her for 15 minutes every night, if you know what I mean."
"You disrespectful little-" Leonard moved to grab his axe, but was beaten to the punch by Jack, who had, after all, been planning to get Leonard riled up for the past minute or so. Leonard was left writhing on the ground after taking a critical hit in the nads. Jack kicked him a few times, too, for good measure. The man had bitten his lower lip to stop himself from screaming, apparently trying to preserve some dignity. It didn't really help, though: The look on his face brought Jack all the sadistic satisfaction he wanted.
He waved bye-bye to Leonard as he exited the room, making obscene gestures at the passing castle steward, Al, which the latter seemed to mostly ignore. He'd forgotten how patient Al was before Jack had gotten kicked out of the castle. Oh, well. Jack preferred picking on people with more… emotion, anyway. Part of the point was to make them react to what he was doing. The other part was that he was starting to find this fun. Perhaps he'd always been a sadist under that noble hero masquerade that he wore. Perhaps it was time for him to do some introspection.
"The path you follow cannot be wrong."
Gawain's words from the time they occupied Fort Helencia floated into his thoughts. Or at least, the message of what he said did. Jack couldn't really be expected to remember everything everyone said, now, could he?
"If Cain were alive, he'd have done the same as you."
Who was Jack Russell, really? Was he simply the boy from Solieu Village who always showed up to lead a team of adventurers against Aphelion at the end of the story? Over the course of the past reincarnations, he'd never strayed too far from his original path. Sure, he befriended different people, tried different weapon styles, and even courted different women, but he always seemed to work within a certain range. He always played the naïve, energetic boy with a strong sense of justice. Everything about him seemed to flare with positive energy. Even the Volty Blast he learned during the previous life, Army of Shadows, had him create copies of himself brimming with light, which was not exactly what it said on the box when he got it.
He had to wonder, though… Was that truly him? Or was it the role the universe forced him to play, just like everyone else? How subtle was the world's grip on him? It was time, he decided, that he thought about who he would become in this new world. The Jack who always became the spiffing image of his father was something that needed to be left behind, so this world would change with him.
He'd managed to wander into the training room without really noticing, since he was lost in thought and all. Inside, he saw one of the less-skilled (and thus, less-known) female knights. Her name was Nina, if Jack remembered correctly. If Jack remembered correctly, Nina was another member of Natalie's unofficial fan club. He wondered… Was that really just respect the girl had for the leader of the Violet Chevre? Or was it something more? The image of Nina and Natalie making out quickly entered Jack's mind. He found blood rushing down where it normally didn't. He was pretty sure the feeling was something of his- Tottaus had never put such thoughts in his head before.
Spurred on by the discovery that he had a libido, he walked over to the knight as she practiced on a training dummy. He wrapped an arm around her waist quickly, placing his head on her right shoulder. He took a moment to savor the softness that every girl's skin seemed to have before softly whispering "Hey, Nina. How about we have some fun?"
"Despicable!" she yelled, not having met Jack in this lifetime yet, although she probably would have said that even if she'd known him. She shrugged him off, and he relented, deciding it would be easier if he could wear her down in battle first. She swung her two-handed sword low, aiming for Jack's feet, but he avoided the strike by jumping up just as it passed. It wasn't a very practical move, but it achieved the intended effect - Nina had been shocked by his dexterity. This, of course, left her wide open. He planted his hands on her shoulders and leapfrogged behind her. The force of his hands on her shoulders made her stumble forward, and Jack swept her off her feet with a quick leg sweep.
He caught her easily before she fell, and kept a tight grip on her arms. Looking down, he could feel that he wore a wicked grin as he cheesily said "I see you've fallen for me."
He dropped her to the ground, however, when a burst of smoke suddenly engulfed the both of them. The smoke caught him off-guard and he inhaled a nasty amount of it. Coughing, he looked for the female knight, but was surprised to find the Void Community's Master of Disguise, Herz, fleeing the room.
He realized it was pretty obvious that Void has some sort of presence in the castle. He never would have guessed Herz was posing as Nina, though. It was something to keep in mind for next time… Provided there would be one, of course. He wished otherwise.
He quickly rushed out of the training room, asking the nearby guardsman "Did a girl with a weird hat just pass through here?"
"Sir! I do not believe it wise for you to call Lady Belflower's hat weird!" the guard tried to reprimand him. He should have realized she'd transformed by now.
"Well, where did she go?" Jack questioned.
"Sir, I am not allowed to divulge such information to new recruits!" the guard answered defiantly. Apparently, he'd have to teach this one some manners.
A second later, the guard was flat against the wall, having been on the receiving end of a strong kick. Jack had considered punching, but then remembered the guy was wearing armor. He walked over to the fallen guard and pulled him up by the collar, asking "Now, where did she go?"
When the guard gave no response whatsoever, Jack realized the fool had been knocked unconscious. Damn, these guards were weak! He dropped the man on the floor nonchalantly and decided he was late for the Rose Cochon's first meeting. He'd been late for a good thirty minutes, actually, but he only decided to acknowledge the fact when he was good and ready. He filed away the info about Herz for later. They'd never been friends, but perhaps her abilities would be useful to someone who needed power.
He walked into the now-familiar meeting room and was met by an over-enthusiastic Ganz and an extra-annoyed Ridley. He tried to act like nothing had happened, going for his seat. Ridley slammed her fists on the table, however, and stood up, giving him a glare that would've made Aphelion shudder. It made Jack freeze, and must've given the Captain a small heart attack.
"Where have you been?" she demanded to know, "We even sent someone to your room, and you weren't there!"
"Relax, honey, I found a Void spy in the training area," Jack brushed her off, taking his seat. He put his feet on the table just to be extra-annoying.
"That seems unlikely!" she screamed, all semblance of composure lost, "And why aren't you in uniform?"
Jack had actually forgotten he'd decided to stay in his regular clothes. The armor they gave newbies was just horrible, in his opinion. It was heavy, ridiculous-looking and didn't even offer much in terms of protection. Without a weapon slowing him down, it wasn't like he was going to just take the hits, anyway.
"Seemed dirty," was his simple response, not even looking at her when he said it.
"Captain!" Ridley screamed at Ganz, asking for help. Ganz, was, of course, at a loss over what to do. He'd never dealt with someone this obnoxious before, to Jack's knowledge.
"M-master Jack, I know you are highly skilled in combat, and that your father was a great hero, but PLEASE mind your manners!" was Ganz's best attempt at a scolding.
"Oh, yeah. Gawain's a great hero, too, right?" Jack pretended to think, "You should really act more like a badass, too, Tubby!"
"M-me?" the Captain stuttered, "I-I would never!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, and we have to go to Earth Valley, right?" Jack asked, "Can I go now?"
Without waiting for an answer, Jack left the room, making sure the door slammed shut behind him. At this rate, he'd be kicked out long before the Blood Orc incident, which he assumed would really shake the world up. He wondered if the Rose Cochon would even survive if he wasn't around for that. Ah, well. No concern of his if they kicked him out.
His thoughts wandered back to the incident from earlier with "Nina." Perhaps he'd make himself a Harem King, like the one in all those ero-manga he always read. The thought made him stop in his tracks. When did he read ero-manga? He certainly remembered that he had read some before, as well as other comic books, but his memory of what he'd read, exactly, seemed blurry. Ridley did always say he read too many comic books, too. Strange. Did the world give him false memories? Either way, it sounded like a plan.
It wasn't like there was anything else he needed to be, after all. He was about to take the stairs back down to his room, but then thought otherwise. He could stand to have better lodgings for what would likely be his last night as a Radiata Knight.
Meanwhile, in Lord Larks' chamber, the Lord Chamberlain and Lord Larks were in a heated debate. Well, Jasne was heated. Larks was very calm.
"The boy has shown nothing but disrespect since his arrival!" Lord Jasne's clenched fists shook at his sides, "He's even sexually harassed my poor Ridley!"
"Not precisely true, Lord Jasne" came the calm response of Lord Larks, "Jack has also shown he has incredible potential. He is simply… prone to impulsive behavior. Surely, you're not suggesting we let go of such a powerful recruit simply because of a few words? I mean, we kept Cross."
"Words!" Jasne seemed even more furious, "The boy has assaulted four officers, been the subject of at least two complaints for sexual harassment, and to top it all off, he even refuses to wear a uniform!"
"Lord Jasne, I understand your concern," the head of the knights remained calm, "However, we must also remember that young Jack is the only son of Cairn Russell. Think of the impact his banishment would have on our organization."
"Larks, don't tell me you're going to base all of this on the boy's parentage now!" Jasne retorted, "He may very well be the son of one of our finest knights, and he may also be a skilled warrior, but that is no excuse for a defender of the kingdom to act in such a revolting manner!"
"I- you are right, Lord Jasne," Larks relented, giving into Jasne's insistence. Besides, something about Jack gave him a bad feeling. He grabbed some parchment and added, "Such behavior is unbefitting of a Radiata Knight. I will have the boy removed by morning."
"Excellent, Larks!" Jasne's fury seemed to subside with most haste, "I shall leave it to you to see him off!"
Meanwhile, outside the castle…
Jack had wandered rather purposefully into the Black Town of Night and Lust. His left boot was presently planted on the face of one Alba, assistant trainee leader to the Void Community. The poor fool had attempted to rob him at first sight. Jack had to admit that his own body made him look rather plain. It was certainly not the appearance he'd want when he made his play for Totaus.
"Man, Alba, you must be a real wuss," he began, increasing the pressure on the man's face, "You just got beaten up by an unarmed teenager. What would Ortoroz think?"
"H-hey! Come on, man!" Alba pleaded, although the words were a bit unclear due to the presence of Jack's foot on his face, "You don't have to tell the boss! We can work this out!"
"What's my silence worth to you, then?" Jack asked, giving the man room to breathe. The night had just begun, just as this story was only beginning.