In Fabula Nova Crystsallis

400 AF
? - 12:52

Ken had his eyes closed for some unknown time, not feeling a thing inside the darkness until there was a flash of light, making him wake up to see him falling in the sky.

"W-What the-?!" He asked until he looked around to see him about to land on sand, face first. "Crap, crap, crap, cra-" He then landed in it, with his head now stuck in it while at the very same time some of the civilians from the area begun to crowd around him. "Somebody?! Anybody?!" His hands and legs were moving quickly as he moved, but them put them on the ground and begun to pull himself out, and succeeded in doing so before landing on his rear end and took a breather. "Phew...Jeez, that was one heck of a landing!" He starts shaking his head to get the sand off, then looked around to see multiple human begins around him, observing him as if he was somewhat unwanted. "Uh...Hi guys!" He begun to get up, causing some mothers to keep their children near them.

"Mommy, what is that thing?" One child asked.

"I don't know sweetie, I really don't." The mother said, with Ken then rubbing his quills to get more of the sand off while looking around.

"Looks like I'm not in my world anymore..." He said to himself, seeing he was in a small Coastal town near a shore, seeing all the small buildings and wooden bridges, then looked at them. "So anyway, what is this place?"

"How can you not know what this place is?" An elderly man asked scornfully. "You with Paragon or the same species on that cursed part of Pulse?" Hearing this put him in question.

"Pulse? Paragon?" Ken asked, then shrugged. "I haven't heard of those names until now. In fact, I'm not even from-" It was suddenly that they started screaming and running away, putting him into question. "Huh? What's going-" His question was answered by hearing a small mechanical roar, making him look to see a mechanical panther-like beasts covered in Silver and Green armor. "What in the...What are those things?!" They quickly took a quick scan onto him, seeing all of his stats.

"Enemy located. Target: Ken the Hedgehog." One of them said in a mechanical voice before they all roared, preparing him for a fight.

"Must be after me or something. Alright then, give me your best shot!" He said just as one of them leaped, but he suddenly disappeared in a flash, catching them off guard and scanning the area while some of the civilians took a peek to see the action, but all of their attention was put by the sound of a whistle. They all looked up to see him on top of a palm tree, looking down upon them. "Hey guys, I'm right here!" He quickly jumped down so he would officially fight them, with one of them leaping toward him for a straight kill but was suddenly destroyed by him punching through it, making it fall into scraps and wires, shocking everyone.

"Did-Did you see that?!" One civilain asked.

"He just wiped it out in one blow. Who-Who or what is this thing?" A female asked now, while Ken observed his fist since he know he never had that much power before.

"Whoa...What happened? It's like I got a boost in strength, reaction and speed..." He thought to himself but looked at the last two, then did a main hand gesture, taunting them to come to him. "Alright, come on! Let's see what you've got!" They released their battle roars, enhancing their speed and strength, and quickly leaped toward him once but was dodged by him flipping backwards, then suddenly jumping to do a Homing Attack on one of them, going through and destroying another one of them. He landed on the ground while the last one charged at him. "...And now you're finished!" He quickly grabbed his chains from pants and suddenly did a quick spin with it out, hitting and destroying the head of the last machine. "And that's it, you're done!"

He stared at the last machine, wanting to see if it would move, but it never did in which let him put up the chains and suddenly heard cheering, making him look to see their thoughts toward him turn from strangeness into praise. He blinked a bit in question, but then rubbed his quills while a rather large and overweight man came into the crowd and went over to him, which caught him off guard.

"Uh...Hi?" He said just before he was picked up with the mans large hands, which took him by surprise but he was then observed upon before being put down.

"...You are not from this world, are you?" He asked in wonder, with Ken shaking his head. "Let me explain: My name is Sir Hackward. I'm the mayor of New Bodhum in the Fabula Nova Crystallis. I'd like you to come with me."

"New Bodhum? Nova Crystallis?" Ken asked while looking around, then back at Hackward with a nod.

New Bodhum - Mayors House - Time: 13:01

"...So you really aren't from this world then." Hackward said while both him and Ken sat on a table full of Seafood. "I suppose that would explain you looks in general comparing to us humans on Gran Pulse, or in Fabula for that matter. Then...I must ask...What happened to your world then?" He looked down in thought, trying to remember until he did so in a flash, which pained him .

"It...It was destroyed. By some sort of being that looks a lot like me, and with some sort of giant lava rock monster." He begun to say.

"Giant lava rock monster?" Hackward asked in which put him in thought. "I suppose you're talking about the Pulse Fal'Cie, Titan. I guess that explains on its whereabouts recently. It disappeared for some reason. We considered it disappeared and died in some way, but I guess that's not the case here." He looked up at Ken and crossed his arms. "Anywho, please continue."

"Right..." He said quietly, remembering all the events. "All my friend...All my friends are gone, some of them really are dead. The ones who are, they could be sent somewhere else, dead, lost, or worse...I don't even know that...I wish I do!" He gripped his hand sadly, trying to dull the pain of losing all of the ones he loves, which made Hackward a bit sad an sympathetic, but then looked up at him. "Anyway...What were those things out there that I destroyed a bit ago? They couldn't be wild."

"Do you wish to know?" Hackward asked, with him nodding. "Those things have been terrorizing some of our towns lately, saying they're searching for some sort of species called a 'Mobian', or a Brown 'Hedgehog'." He looked at him, who had wide eyes. "And if I were to guess, that would be you." The shock was still in him, but it was lost after a bit.

"Is someone after me? Based on what you think?" He asked.

"I believe...It would be the being known as Paragon. He came around here since 296 AF, which is 296 after the fall of Cocoon and saved by its crystal pillar." Hackward said. "Based on all we've heard, he seems to look a little bit like you." Ken begun to think about what he meant by it, thinking about who he could be talking about until he remembered the Mobian that destroyed his home, making his eyes widen but quickly turned into hatred, which caught Hackward's attention. "Something wrong? Did you do something to him to get you on his wanted list?"

"No...I never did...But he's the one who destroyed my world." Ken said while gripping his fist tightly in pure rage. "It all makes sense. If he's looking for me, then he must have found a way to get to MY world and destroy it there! He must have figured out I was never here!" He started to grind his teeth a bit. "I really want him to pay for what he did...He destroyed everything I loved..."

"Young man, don't let revenge guide you." Hackward said, with Ken paying no mind. "I understand your emotions of complete anger, but will hurting him really solve much of anything? All you will be doing is satisfying your own emotions so it can all go away. What you will do will not bring back the ones you love..." He heard this, which made him slowly think and calm down. "I want you to do something for me; Don't fight against him for the sake or revenge, because that will put you into the wrong path like it always does, but do it for the right cause. Do it for the sake of what's right, not what's right for satisfying your hatred." He looked down in thought, knowing he's right, then got up slowly.

"I...I guess I need to look around this place. Get to know the area." He said, making Hackward nod a bit, then begun to walk out.

"But wait, I must ask you something...Just one last thing." Hackward asked, making Ken stop for a bit. "May I...Have your name?" He looked at him slowly.

"...Ken: Ken the Hedgehog: Ex-World Hero." He said and finally continued out of the rather large hut, and begun to look through the small town to see a bunch of shops around, weapons and all, along with some civilians with friends and family having a good time, which saddened him as he thought of all of his lost friends and family. He then saw a small group being led my a guide, with him staring at it. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to join them..." He slowly walked to them, blending into the crowd while some gave him a look but it faded away afterwards.

"...And that over there is the planet of Cocoon!" The female guide said while pointing, with them looking to see a large moon-like planet with a scarred opening on it and covered in crystal pieces while also being held up by a large metal beam. "This was the very place where the main six Pulse L'Cie saved from the leader of the Sanctum; Galenth Dysley, known as the Sanctum Fal'Cie, Bathandelus. A crystal pillar once held this might planet by the power of Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang turning in Raganrok and crystal to keep it up. But in the year of 284 AF, Flan from the Sunleath Waterscape attempted to take it down, but it all ended in failure thanks to our military. Bless to Etro for those who died..." She did a hand signature where she closed her middle and index fingers and crossed them together, with everyone except Ken doing the same but he slowly did it anyway to gain some sort of trust. They all then finished. "Ok! Next place!" She and the others begun to keep moving, but he stared at Cocoon more.

"Held by a crystal pillar, huh?" He asked himself before following them once again, seeing them now stopping.

"And over there is our newest Cocoon, Cocoon II!" The guide said pointing as they looked at a large floating planet that looked like it was covered in technology. "Cocoon II is not also our location to where most of where people live and where our military is at, but it's also the home of our government. They make sure to do what's right for the people on Cocoon, Cocoon II, and those in Gran Pulse." They all continued, leaving him to stare at it for a while then continued.

Time: 14:32

"...And over here is the exhibit for those who saved the original Cocoon. Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang." The guide said after they continued through it more and pointed at a large wall that has just a pedestal, as it showed Oerba Dia Vanille her in her crystal stasis, in a foetus position and had her hand look like she was holding someones, but there was no Fang in it. Seeing this made the guide a bit worried.

"Uh...Where is the one next to Vanille?" A man asked, with the guide rubbing her head in confusion.

"I-I don't know. P-Perhaps someone who keeps an eye on it took it for examining or something. It'll come back soon, it's gotta." She said before turning to them with a worried smile. "Anyway, this woman here is Oerba Dia Vanille, a girl who lived on Pulse and was in the War of Transgression, the very same one in which scarred Cocoon. She had no choice but to take part in the war, but in the end saved the world she scarred. Ironic, isn't it? Just be sure to not say anything harsh, she'll listen! Anyone in their stasis always do!" She continued on with the others following, but Ken decided to no longer follow and begun to observe her crystal stasis.

"A girl...Who saved the world, huh?" He thought to himself, staring at it until her crystal begun to slightly glimmer a bit, which caught him off guard before flashing, knocking him down. "W-What the..." Her crystal begun to shine in a rainbow color and she begun to slowly turn back to normal, starting with her head and begun to go down her body while her now naked body was covered in light, which took him back by her transformation but stared by the complete beauty by it. "Whoa...I've...Never seen something like this...Before..." The light then flashed and transformed into her boots, skirt, top, necklaces, beads, bracelets, and a forming rod with a antler-like top on it, just before she landed on the ground, sound asleep, with him running and crouching down so he could shake her. "H-Hey! Wake up! C'mon, wake up!" She slowly begun to stir, then woke up to see him quickly reacted by stepping back in fear, which caught him off guard.

"W-What are you?!" She asked in shock as she was about to take out her rod, making him shake his hands.

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm it! I'm a good guy! Don't worry!" Ken said as she slowly begun to calm down, staring at him before her eyes widened a bit and put her hand away from the rod. He sighed in relief. "Jeez, I thought you were literally about to whop me."

"I've...Never seen something like you before." She said before she slowly got up to sit on her knees. "What...Are you?"

"I'm...I'm a Mobian, I guess what you'd call a anthropomorphic animal of sorts." Ken said while looking at himself after sitting down as well, then back at her with a small smile. "You're...You're Oerba Dia Vanille, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." She said before tilting her head a bit childishly and put into question. "Who are you anyway?"

"I'm Ken, Ken the Hedgehog. It's nice to meet you Vanille." He said, smiling a bit more knowing he has someone to talk to. "You never did see things like me before in your life, huh?" She shook her head, having her pigtails swing a bit.

"Nope, not at all! You're the first I've ever met!" Vanille said. "Are you from a place far different from Gran Pulse?" He looked down a bit, thinking about his world, then back ta her with a nod.

"More or less a different world, yeah." He said before looking at the pedestal. "So...Your friend Fang's gone for some reason." Vanille looked at it as well, which caught her in surprise. "I heard that you could hear in your stasis." They then looked at each other. "You wonder why Fang's not around?"

"No, I don't." Vanille said while shaking her head. "Maybe she's out of it like I am. She's probably nearby if she is."

"Yeah...Based on what I saw, it's possible." Ken said, with Vanille realizing he witnessed her being reawakened and looked down a bit.

"I'm sorry if it caught you by surprise and seeing me-" She tried to say, but he shook his head.

"I barely saw a thing. Don't worry about it." He said with a smile, making her smile back until there was a large explosion in the distance.