The Xepher Saga
Tale 1: Orologio and Eculemess
Based off of the XEPHER music video faetured in DDR: SuperNova
Loving to talk to all the people...
Look at the sky and see this crazy world
Existing in this place now are uncleanable lies...
Until now what you don't know does exist.
Chapter 1
She stood there looking at him with those mischievous eyes, as if they were beckoning him. Her light blue hair appeared to be in a wide ponytail, all underneath a small bonnet. She was dressed in an odd garb, something between a dress and a jumpsuit. The neck area had extents that curved at the base on either side of the neck, curved up, and extended themselves halfway across the shoulder. It had a mixture of white and orange as its color, but white was predominant, with the orange spots looking like paint splotches. It got even more curious farther down, near the legs. What was peculiar was the way the fabric seemed to blend with the skin. Her feet were bare and her face pale. Yet she smiled.
The image vanished once more. Not another one, Orologio thought, standing up. He looked around, but once again saw no traces of the girl. What's going on? he wondered. First there was that creepy guy with the big scar across his nose, then there was that freaky red-headed guy, and this girl. Who are they, and what does it mean? His thoughts were interuppted by a call from down the street.
"Orologio!" he heard it call. "Orologio!" He didn't even bother to check. "Where are ya, Anime?!"
"Anime" was what his two friends, Ayumo and Sakai would call him. Orologio had short blond hair, save one strand which was oddly much longer then the rest. He always wore his clothes in a thin red coat, held together by a red buckle. His face was smooth, almost baby-like, with orange eyes. Indeed, he looked like what one would see on an anime show.
Ayumo and Sakai approached him, looking up at him. Despite them all being roughly the same age, Ayumo and Sakai were extremely short, coming up only to Orololgio's thighs. Sakai always wanted to be the "Anime hero," but never had the appearance, though he tried. He always wore a black-red combination of clothing, he even dyed his hair red and spiked it up. Ayumo was a little wider and even shorter than Sakai. He had short curly black hair, and possibly the biggest eyes Sakai or Orologio had ever seen. He never had any intrest in anime, contrary to his obsessed friend Sakai.
"What are you doing here, Anime? You were supposed to meet us at my place!" Sakai said.
"And we ran out of popcorn..." Ayumo mumbled.
"Yeah, poor Ayumo here..." Sakai said, waving his hands around Ayumo, "ran out of stuff to eat. He...he..." Sakai started to sniffle, pretending to cry. "He wakes up every day, inhales his breakfast...and he has to suffer all thorughout the school day, starving until lunch! Then he has to wait longer for dinner! And here I stand, not wanting to see a friend suffer, offer him something to eat with the promise to entertain and...and..."
"Alright, alright. I get it. I just got a little...sidetracked is all," said Orologio.
"Have you been seeing things again?" Sakai asked, peering into Orologio's eyes. Orologio looked away. "You have, haven't you? Man, you should see a doctor or something..."
"I didn't know you cared..." Orologio said, heavily laced with sarcasm.
"I don't. What I DO care about..." Sakai said, entering a weird pose, "is ULTRA MEGA TYPHOON GALAXY FORCE SEVEN!" he shouted, entering a new pose upon each word.
Orologio sighed. There was no point in arguing. Sakai was an anime fan after all...
Orologio couldn't sleep. He couldn't keep his mind off of the strange hallucinations. He especially kept thinking about the blue-haired girl. Who were they? Why was he seeing things? His mind finally started to drift to other things, and he eventually entered a light sleep.
The sleep was quickly interrupted by the sounds of footsteps in the hall. He shrugged it off, thinking it must be his mother or sister going to the bathroom or something. He pulled up the covers and tried to fall back asleep. But as soon as he closed his eyes he heard the footsteps again, this time closer. He sat up, and looked around. All was quiet again.
Before closing his eyes again, he checked to make sure his knife was under his pillow, just in case. With that accomplished, he turned away from the door and tried once more to fall asleep. But again, the footsteps picked up, and this time they were right outside his door.
He heard the door creak, and in a smal fit of madness turned slowly to see who was there. He almost wished he hadn't. For the fifth time that day, he was staring at the blue-haired girl once more. He blinked. No, still there. He tried holding his eyes closed again, this time for a longer period, and re-opened them. She was still there.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then she turned and ran. Orologio jumped out of his bed and into the hallway, just in time to see her turn down the stairs. He dashed back into his room, hurredly put his clothes on, and rushed downstairs, out into the night.
It was a quiet night, and the full moon cast its eerie light upon the earth, enabling Orologio to see. He saw the girl running down the sidewalk, and ran full speed after her. She seemed to look back at him, then continued...running? No, her feet no longer touched the ground. She was gliding.
As he chased her, a million thoughts went through his head: Who is she? Is she a ghost? Is she just a hallucination? It didn't matter to him. He decided that that could be figured out once he caught her. The chase took them out of the suburbs, towards a rather large park. They eventually reached an odd rock. Its sides were almost perfectly vertical, with two sides going up beyond the rest of the rock. It looked almost like a crab's claw. The girl then stood in front of the rock, and just watched him come closer.
When he finally came to a stop about four feet from the rock, she smiled and turned around. She seemd to shrink as she glided into the rock. Then she was gone. Orologio had had enough. He was sick of these hide-and-seek games. He made a beeline for the rock, and started touching everywhere he could. He didn't know what he was looking for. A trap door? A movie projector? Maybe a keypad? He frantically searched all over, but found nothing. He was about to give up when he noticed something protruding form the ground not too far away.
It was a dark orange in color, and the moon cast a reflection off its polished surface. It was coming out of the ground at an angle, and he tried to pull it lose. It took some effort, but after awhile it started to move. Then it got easier and easier until it was finally out.
Whatever it was, it was actually quite long. He had to hold it wiht both hands. He examined the part that was stuck in the ground. Strangely, there was not a speck of dirt to be found. He felt the tip, then let go in pain. He looked at his finger; it was bleeding slightly. He sucked on it for a bit then slowly approached the mysterious item.
The tip had an intresting design. As it moved back along the thing, it divided into two. Heading back, the two lines got farther and farther apart, then quickly returned. There was nothing between them, so the area looked similar to a deformed needle's eye. It then became exceedingly narrow, which was then countered by what looked like a flattened, minature and upisde-down crown. Farther down, the edges got gradually narrower and narrower, then wider and wider. It was then interrupted by what looked like a sword-helm, except that there was an elliptical hole near the top, and too flat curved spikes near the base.
Beyond that, it was pretty much straight the rest of the way down, except the "loop" at the end. All in all, it looked like a giant clock hand. Orologio carefully analyzed the tip and surrounding area. Everything above the "hilt" had sharp edges. Like a blade. Orologio grabbed the bottom half and started swing it. It felt almost natural. Exactly how was this never found?
He turned his attention once more towards the rock where the girl vanished. He slowly walked towards it, and became aware of a purple glow surrounding the rock. He tried to touch the rock, but it was blocked by an invisible bubble. He decided to try and punch through.
After nursing his fist, Orologio decided to try once more, this time with the blade. He swung at the bubble, and he felt the blade cut through something. The glow disappeared, and the instant he touched the rock he felt sharp paints shoot up his arm and through the rest of his body. He screamed in agony, but he could not remove his arm.
When the pain finally stopped, Orologio realized he'd been kneeling. His hand was now free, and he turned around and began to run back home, and nearly fell into nothing.
He scrambled back up, and took a good look around. He was no longer in a park in the middle of the night, he was now standing on a floating island in dark purple space. Glancing around, he could see what looked like stars way in the distance, but before them were other islands floating as well..They ranged in size, from big to small, and there appeared to be different structures, sometimes multiple, on some of the larger islands. The bottoms of these islands ended in jagged peaks.
He looked behind him and saw the rock. It was the same, yet not the same. On the front was a carved "bowl" with 12 markings circling the inside. In the center was a small cylinder which was connected to two gigantic clock hands. The "clock" currently read 4:15.
Orologio began to panic. Alright, alright. It's alright. Calm down, Orologio. Just calm down. he told himself. Think about this logically. You chased a floating blue-haired into a park and saw her go into a rock. Then you found a clock hand sword thing, and then found yourself on a floating island. There's only one logical explanation. You got some sleep after all. Orologio calmly sat down, then laid down on his back. He closed his eyes, thinking about himself waking up in his own room.
"Hello, there!"
Orologio pretended not to hear.
"I say hello, there!"
Orologio closed his eyes tighter. I don't hear anyhting. La-lalalala...
"Kid?"
Lalalalalalalala... I-will-wake-up-in-my-room-and-won't-remember-any-of-this Lalalalala...
"KID!"
Orologio suddenly felt water get poured all over him. He sat up, sputtering.
"Oh, thank goodness you're alive! I thought we lost ya. I don't know what I'd do if I found another-"
"Shhh!" The voice was cut off by what soudned like a female's hush.
Orologio opened his eyes, and looked upon the people who nearly drowned him. The voice who had called to him belonged to a muscular man with a long chin. He wore a green helmet, but Orologio could see some gray hair sticking out from it, however.
Beside him kneeled a girl with long brown hair. She had a soft face with warm eyes, and she too wore a green helmet. "You okay?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," said Orologio, standing up. "Damn, it didn't work."
"Hmm? What didn't work?" said the girl, also standing up.
Orologio looked at the girl. "...Nothing. Never mind."
"What?"
"Just...Nevermind."
"Come on, tell me-"
"I said NEVERMIND!" Orologio shouted.
"Okay, okay. Geez," said the girl.
"So, what you be doin' here, laddie?" said the man.
"That's what I've been trying to figure out," Orologio said, going past them. For the first time, he noticed a small land bridge connecting that small island to one twice its size. Standing on that island was a group of about 7-8 others, with varying heights and genders. They all wore green helmets and, now that Orologio finall had a good look, matching green outfits. "Um..."
"Hey, kid. This yours?" said the big man, holding the sword.
Orologio looked at it for a bit, then said "Nah, not really. I just found it. You can have it. I'm just going to try and get out of here.
"Out of where?" asked the girl, chasing him.
"What do you mean 'out of where?' Here, this place, these floating islands, this great abyss. I'm going to go home. You know, 'Earth?' Where islands don't float in a black sky?" Orologio said, not slowing down.
The girl however, did. '''Earth'? I don't think I've ever heard of that village..."
Orologio stopped this time. He turned around in astonsihment. "W-What?! You don't even know the name of your home planet?!"
"Home...planet?" said the big man.
"Earth...a place where islands don't float...huh. Wier-" She interrupted herself and dashed back to where the big man was still holding the sword. She looked it over, then rushed it over to Orologio. "This is yours."
"No, really, it's okay. You can keep it," Orologio said, pushing it back. "I don't need it. I just found it on the ground.."
"No, it is yours, O Chosen One," she said, practically bowing down and placing the sword on the ground below him.
"Chosen one?!" Orologio shouted and laughed at the same time. "Chosen one, that's a good one! What do you think this is? An anime?!" Anime. Orologio was suddenly hit by the thoughts of his home. What if he never found his way back? What if he never woke up? What if this isn't a dream?!
"Fine, I'll take it. Who are you guys anyway?" he asked, picking up the sword.
"My name is Othello. I am the leader of this traveling band that you see before you," said the girl.
"Name's Heagrin," the big man said. "I'm the one that woke ya!"
"What's your name?" asked Othello.
Orologio hesitated a monent before he answered. "...Orologio. My name's Orologio. Now can anyone tell me what the hell's going on?! And what's this 'Chosen One' business?!"
Before anyone could answer, there was unearthly howl that pierced throgh the air. Orologio turned around just in time to have his face scratched by razor-sharp claws. Orologio went down and clutched his face, while the Othello, Heagrin, and the rest pulled out their own set of small swords and atacked the beast. Orolgio looked at the monster. It looked like a giant black panther, only far more demonic. It's eyes glowed crimson, and its mouth looked like the gates of hell.
Orologio saw the monster grab one of Othello's friends in its claws and rip him in two..
Then the monster grabbed Othello.
Orologio, seeing no other choice, grabbed his blade and charged at the monster. He jumped and slashed the monster's paw off, freeing Othello. The monster reared back in pain and then swung its still attached paw at Orologio.
Orologio whipped around and blocked the attack. The sudden defense stunned the beast for a moment, allowing Orologio to cut off the remaining paw. The beast wailed in pain, the dashed off using its two hind legs. But Orologio wasn't about to let this monster get away with what he'd done, so he chased him. across the island.
As the monster prepared to leap to another island, Orologio quickly ran under him and drove the tip of his blade right into the beast's heart. The monster was frozen in place for a minute, giving enough time for Orologio to draw his blade out and flee. The monster's eyes grew dull, and it sank slowly to the ground. Because of it's position, the monster then flipped over the edge and plummeted down into nothing.
Orologio stood with both hands on the hilt, the red slowly oozing down the blade. But Orologio stood his ground, as if he expected the monster to come back. It never did, so he slowly turned around and walked back to where Othello was crouching. "You alright?" he said, extending his hand.
"Yes. I-I'm fine. A little shaken, but I'm alright." Othello took Orologio's hand and stood up. "I'm just sorry about Schlub," she said, glancing toward's her former comrade. "He was so young...he was just about to become a full-fledged member too..."
"I don't mean to be rude, but what was that thing?! I think for saving your life you at least owe me some information," said Orologio.
"Very well," said Othello, straightening herself, "I'll tell you. But only if you promise to help us."
"Whatever," Orologio grunted.
"Good." Othello's face cheered up. "Now, I suppose I should start by tellig you where you are. I've read about you, Orologio. Well, not about you specifically, but you as the Chosen One. It is said that in the time of a great drakness, a Chosen One will appear to help reawaken the power of the Queen of Time. Long ago, she was a normal girl, but she found herself to be ageless. She couldn't bear the thought of outliving everyone she knew, she thought it would be too much responsibility. She blamed herself, so she sealed herself away in that rock. She set a timer, so she'd reawaken when she belived she would be mature enough. And in her absence, a wave of darkness has spread his hands across the world...
"These islands used to be one gigantic continent, but the darkness has managed to split it up. I speak of course, of Scar. Scar is a cold, evil killer. He tortures without mercy, kills without discriminaiton. And worst of all, he has an entire legion of monsters and demons under his control, ready to destroy anything with his command. But we believe he isn't alone. Scar may be an excellent warrior, but he's no schemer. We think that there's someone else pulling all the strings, someone very, very powerful, and very, very evil."
"Okay, but that doesn't exactly answer my question: Where am I?!"
"Hmm...," Othello said. "Ahh! I think I've got it! This place you come from, Earth, may be a part of the 3rd Dimension. Otherwise kown to you as 3D. 3D is the ability to go forward, backward, left, right, up, down, and everything in between. This is the Fourth Dimension; otherwise known as "time." This dimension is absolutely vital for your world's survival. Without this place, time would wreak havoc upon your world. Which I beleive is already beginning to happen."
"Those images...!"
"These 'images' may very well have been caused by the disruption in this world. So, helping us means you'll also be helping yourself. I'm pretty sure you won;t be able to go home until this world is fixed, anyway. What do you say?"
"...I'll do it. So what do I have to do?"
" For right now, just follow me back to our village. Once we arrive, I'm pretty sure we can answer any other questions you may have..."