Hello everyone, long time no see! Well then uh…Finals got to me, and it kinda burned me out so badly I lost track of writing, but…thanks to my new Co-Writer, Shadow Ninja Koopa, he has helped me finish this chapter and the many to come! As such let's begin our Review Replies!
JeffryFai: I am sad only you and Koopa reviewed. T^T As such I treasure the fact you did so to begin with. Thank you so very much! I am glad you enjoyed the laughs. Cheveyo , laid-back…hmm makes me wonder if you might think the same in the upcoming chapters. And I, no WE, shall continue to do our best!
Warnings: Blood, death (Manikins…will…die!), OC involvement, maybe some OOC. MAYBE. Still having trouble with some character personalities. ESPECIALLY Kefka...stupid homicidal joker expy!
Disclaimer: NO MORE! I AM SICK OF THESE YOU KNOW THE TRUTH!
Couples: OC/OC, Warrior of Light/OC, possible Onion Knight/Terra, Firion/OC. So if you don't like don't read. Sorry, came with dream and sticking with it.
Well if we get lucky our monthly updates will turn two updates a month! Just how fast can we go Koopa!?
I would like to thank my awesome Beta-Reader for taking the time out of her busy schedule to edit an amateur writer's work! I love you girl T^T!
Chapter 8 will be separated into two parts. Why? The Entire thing is over 40 PAGES, and the max for me is 24!
"Blahblahblah"-Talking
Blahblahblah-Thinking
/Blahblahblah/-Telepathy
Chapter VIII Part 1: Train to Miako
The Warrior of Light's eyes fluttered as he awoke in the guest room of his Summoner's house. He slowly rose from the bed, placing his index and for fingers on the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily. His eyes closed as he pressed slightly on the area around his eyes.
What was that? That dream?
Flames of red-orange replaced the blank darkness in his mind. Multiple cries of help and death rang through his ears. He thought hard and wondered why he had such a dream, and the significance of it. Could it have been a vision of the future? Or perhaps a vision of the past? Maybe from his lost past? Perhaps not. Chances are they were from that girl's past. He would ask her later, when she feels up to actually talking instead of being fidgety and quiet.
Speaking of, was she up again?
He turned to the clock as it read 5:30 a.m. He highly doubted she would. Until he heard the wind picking up outside, followed by the windows rattling. Removing the covers from his legs he walked towards the window, seeing the summoner outside. Next to her were several empty cans. She seemed to be walking, but then turned a few times, her hands not moving in the slightest, only her feet. Several leaves floated towards her. She must have seen the light yellow colored leaf as she shuffled a bit and rotated in the opposite direction of the leaf. She did the same with the next.
Her constant spiral movements and rotations made the warrior question her actions. Was she practicing a form of martial arts, or just basic dodging and evasion techniques? He wasn't one to pry but he was curious about the girl's actions. He didn't bother placing the jacket he wore due to the girl's insistence as he believed the turtleneck navy blue sweater he wore would shield him from the cold. He was resilient to the cold anyway, due to having traveled to the cold regions of the old world for his own quest of the crystal, there was no point.
Outside, the girl was breathing lightly, trying to steady her once heavy breathing. Sweat glided on her fair skinned face and the new sleeveless, turtleneck white shirt she wore was damp around her neck and upper back. Ironically, the coal black tie she wore was not damp, but remained dry. Her arms were covered by similar colored arm sleeves that traveled from her upper arm down to her wrists, barely covering them. Her skirt, boots and ribbon in her hair, that helped keep in place a small braid that pulled back hair that would get in her face besides her bangs, were all the same pitch black color. It was a stark contrast to her pink, sleeveless blouse shirt, blue skirt and red ribbon she wore few days ago.
Her breath steadied and she breathed in once more. Her right hand reached into a pocket, where she dragged out a necklace with a silver cross in the shape of a sword. Bringing the cross to her lips, she lightly kissed it. The cross glowed, a light blue aura surrounding it. The cross floated away from the girl, and morphed into what appeared to be a light blue book, as blue as the sky. The silver cross became an insignia on the tome. The girl's hands took the floating book into her hands and opened it, shuffling through the pages till she came to a white bookmark with odd inscriptions on it, a pink ribbon tied into a small knot at the top of it.
"Star Ocean." She spoke silently. The book must have understood her as suddenly the pages flied wildly as they turned to the section Hikari was asking for. Placing the bookmark into the book, she slammed the book close and the book glowed once again. But this time, instead of morphing into the silver cross, it morphed into the sword she wielded a few nights back during her first fight with the warrior. The sword transformed into its bow form with a swift rotation of her wrist. Drawing back the handle that connected the strings, she concentrated her energy to form an arrow of blue energy. Pointing the bow to the sky, she released the arrow, the blue light flying towards the sky. Hikari held out her hand towards the path, causing the arrow to stop and travel back towards her. Hikari quickly grabbed one of the soda cans that were on the porch of the shrine. Throwing it to the air, the arrow changed directory from her to the can, hitting it dead on, but causing it to spin in the air and remain in it.
Hikari kept her right hand in the air, the blue arrow continuously striking the can. By now the Warrior of Light had exited the house and was watching the girl's arrow.
48, 49, 50, 51…He counted the number of times the arrow would strike the can. The girl moaned and tightened her muscles. The arrow's speed had increase, but it was still slow enough for Light to track with ease. Hikari's moans turned to groans, alerting the silver haired male that she was concentrating too hard. That was bound to cause problems. Sure enough, the arrow went out of control and instead of striking the can, it flew towards her at an extremely fast rate. The warrior was about to rush to her rescue when the arrow came into contact with a small energy shield that enveloped the girl. The can fell to the ground with a clang and the arrow decimated into the air. Hikari panted heavily, rushing to get her air back. She dropped to her knees, an air of disappointment and displeasure around her. Once again she was depressed. The warrior didn't understand why though. She did a fantastic job at controlling her own arrow to hit the can a hundred times and she was smart enough to develop a shield around her. That was impressive quick thinking in his eyes.
"100 times." His voice called out to the girl, who in turn, stood up to face him. "You hit the can 100 times. That was good control. You may have lost the projectile but you managed to create a shield in such little time." The girl shook her head in disagreement.
"No, I had that shield up from the beginning. I knew I would have lost it eventually." She then snorted, as if finding something funny in what she said. "It's pretty funny. Six months, and after all that training, I still can only control up to four bullets and I can only make them last for a few seconds. I'm only good at archery and healing. It's kind of sad. Magic is based on the images we produce of ourselves. The stronger the image, the stronger one's magic. It should be easy but, I'm afraid I can't quite grasp my own image yet."
"Then what about the battle two days ago?" The girl laughed softly and pathetically.
"A fluke. I was so desperate back then I was willing to do anything. At first I thought I might actually be competent enough to fight but, I haven't been able to perform my invention since then…"
"Invention?" His mind drifted back to the time of their battle. He recalled Hikari manipulating the air around her to rotate around her weapon at the time.
"Yes. It's called Aero Surge. It's basically branched off of Barrier Surge, a magic-enhanced attack where you charge at the enemy with a barrier around you. But I added a wind element to mine to create more of a counter attack move if anything. The move you saw me perform was Gale Strike, a simple strike attack with wind added as the element," She explained as she tried to keep a straight face, but failed as Light could easily see the disappointment and sadness on her face.
"Hikari, you say your incompetent but your mastery over healing spells is impressive. You mastered the fourth tier and you're still so young. To me, that is proof of your skills. Forgive my intrusion but, why are you not expanding on what you know and instead trying to turn yourself into a fighter?" It was something that boggled him. All his former comrades and present each had an area of expertise they worked on. Firion, a weapon master, Cecil both a paladin and dark knight worked on both white and black magic, and then there was Rei, who knew she was a pure mage and did nothing but improve her spells from what Firion explained. Even Haruka knew who she was, a swordswoman and even she was still in training. So, why was this girl forcing herself to do something she clearly has no experience or skill in? Unless….
"Does it have to do with your missing sister?" An eerie silence accompanied the air. The weary trees shed different colored leaves. As they fell onto the ground one by one, neither spoke a word. It felt like eternity that a voice pierced the silence. Hikari lifted her head and faced the tall, proud warrior in front of her.
"Light…you see…Actually I-"
"My, this is a rather tense situation." Both warrior and summoner turned to the awakened Cheveyo, yawning rather loudly.
"G-good morning Shishou," Hikari spoke in her usual tone, somewhat shy but cheerful. She walked over to him as Light stood in the same place, barely moving. Those words between them were enough to confirm the truth. Hikari wanted to find her sister. While he may not know why, he began to wonder if they even had the time. Chaos' forces grew stronger day by day, while the Cosmos warrior remained separated, unable to contact one another due to not knowing where everyone is. Could they spare the moments to try and locate the missing woman? Would this come to be a regretful action later?
I will discuss it with Firion and Cecil, after I learn the whole story. His thoughts clear and mind set; he followed the summons of the young female and followed her back inside. Once the door closed, the various cans spread across the field slowly disintegrated into small; nearly dust sized, blue particles.
"Ah. Why were you up so early? Is this common practice?" The warrior recalled what it was he came down to ask her about. The girl replied with a soft confession.
"Yes and no. I can normally get up this early by myself but…I've been having dreams that have been assisting in that."
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In a mere two hours, the group was awake, dressed, feed and ready to go. Due to the implications of increased danger, Cheveyo had stayed up the night along with Yukihito to create protection charms and implant them onto the clothing the summoners wore, thus acting like armor to defend the wearer. Alongside Hikari, both Rei and Shirou have also gained new clothing, though Rei created hers a few weeks back, Shirou's was made by Yukihito recently.
Rei's new outfit consisted of a white top, black fur jacket that had black and white straps at the end of both sleeves and the rim that stretched to her upper thigh, navy shorts, brown boots and long, black stockings. Her jacket had belt-like accessories on the arms. Like her outfit, her hair was changed a bit too. Instead of it being in twin tails, she now had her waist length hair in a half-up ponytail.
As for Shirou, his outfit consisted of a white, sleeveless un-zipped hoodie showing a navy blue t-shirt, regular jeans and white tennis shoes. A black wristband was on both his wrists with an odd insignia on it.
Now they were planning to leave at the 10:00 am train to Miako. They WERE planning on going to the train station by themselves so that they wouldn't have to deal with people or the rush due to the tourist season. They managed to arrive just in time to relax.
What they didn't plan on...was this.
"NO NO NO NO NO! I CHANGED MY MIND YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO!" Haruka and Makoto held Hikari as tightly as possibly, tears streaming out of their eyes like water out of a fountain. The three summoners and warriors were at the train station in Fuyuki District. The place was that of a normal train station, though it was not that large but it was busy. Various bystanders watched as Hikari tried to pry herself away from the hands of her over protective guardian. Shirou grabbed Hikari by her waist, pulling her against him as Haruka held onto the girl's neck as well in desperation.
If anything it was like they were playing tug of war with the blonde as the rope.
The group was shouting various things back and forth, Shirou declaring the fact that Haruka gave Hikari consent to leave and can't take it back, Rei also arguing that the tickets are non refundable. Haruka obviously didn't listen and continued to scream out that she didn't want Hikari to leave. Cheveyo was on the sidelines, giving no commentary and watching his new apprentice dying from the lack of air, smiling at the scene. Cecil and Firion were behind Haruka, trying but failing to pry the woman's arms off of Hikari. And Makoto was holding onto Cecil, not letting him do as he pleased and agreeing with Haruka with Hikari not leaving.
Hikari was now of desperate need in the oxygen deprived lungs, her face turning slightly blue and eyes dilating.
/Oxygen…can't…breathe…help…/
The Warrior, having enough of the constant bickering, and hearing the telepathic cry for help walked up to them and shouted, loud enough for them to all to hear.
"Do you realize that she is not breathing?!" Everyone turned to him, and then to Hikari. Sure enough, she passed out. Haruka immediately released the blonde and in that split second, the so called dying girl ran behind the warrior, possibly seeking protection.
"Hey, you were acting! And why the hell are you hiding behind him!?" Haruka scolded as Hikari did not say a word.
"Because out of the group, I was the only one who did not try to kill her or rip her apart," The warrior's answer was blunt and simple, and possibly a jab at his comrades as Firion scratched his nose with his right index finger and Cecil averted his eyes. Shirou and Rei did not reply as they were busy holding Makoto and Haruka back, each wanting to rip the older man apart themselves and spout out words that caused nearby mothers to cover the ears of their children.
"H-hey there are children here!" Firion and Cecil replied to the startling remarks of the females. Light however remained unfazed and unsurprised. He was expecting this the moment the startled female ran behind him.
"I-I'm sorry…" She whispered in shame.
"Don't apologize. I am glad we are leaving this place. I doubt I could handle your 'Guardian' and 'Friend' much longer," He emphasized two certain words, making sure she understood.
"Hmm? But you seemed to be handling them well. You lasted longer than Shishou,he almost killed them on the first day."
"There are some things we are not meant to talk about in public my dear apprentice. You may end up starting something you shouldn't." The older man's words echoed as a smile appeared on his lips. But by then Hikari was in front of Light, using his back as a shield. Even the Warrior had to admit that he felt a chilly aura from the smiling priest.
Yeah…maybe it was time to board the train.
The sudden whistling alerted the group and realized the train would be departing any second. Shirou grabbed the backpack he laid down next to him earlier and threw it over his shoulder. Rei grabbed her one side bag and suitcasewhile Hikari had but a backpack. As the Jewel Summoner and Martial Artist boarded the train with Cecil and Firion, Hikari stayed behind. She turned to face the still hysterical Haruka and Makoto, though she had calmed down and was wearing a supportive smile. In a split second, the female raised her hand, giving her the thumbs up sign.
"Get your ass back here by Winter Solance! And if you don't then I will hunt you down and drag you back!" Makoto called out, making Hikari smile.
"Please don't forget about the errand in Eden and Australius! I would like to live an extra twenty years!" Cheveyo shouted as Hikari and Light boarded the train.
"Forget about the errand! Just come home safe!" Haruka burst into tears. This was nothing more than heartbreaking for her. Her little Hikari, going out into the world. She couldn't take it!
"Tone down the drama sis! She's not going off to save the world!" Makoto snapped, causing Shirou to snort. The door closed and the train began to move. Slowly it picked up speed and eventually it left the train station entirely. The teacher slumped to the ground, hardly believing Hikari was outside the village. Her head turned to face Cheveyo, who had a stern look on his face.
"Uhm….she'll be okay…right?" Cheveyo knew exactly what she was asking. His eyes turned towards the sky. With a sigh he shrugged and carried a callous smirk.
"I can't say. I won't be with her."
"I WAS BEING SERIOUS!"
"I know you wereI just didn't feel like doing the same." Haruka clenched her fists and stomped off, having raised herself off the ground to yell at the man. Realizing she won't get her answer, she left the man, words of hatred and name calling leaving her lips every three seconds. Makoto followed, equally as mad. Once they left, Cheveyo chuckled before the stern look replaced the smirk on his face.
"I am but a leaf drifting through the winds circulating Mundeus. I cannot give an answer for the unknown future."
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The three summoners and warriors, each with either a backpack or suitcase, were making their way to the car containing their room. Unlike the usual passengers who would be in the regular cars, Hikari's status allowed her and her friends to board the train in the first class car. Once they got to it, one of the waiters opened the door and revealed the rather large cabin. It consisted of six arm chair seats on either side. The cabin was a mix of red and brown, giving off an elegant feel. The cabin smelled of apple cinnamon and the window on the side gave off a perfect view of the hills and grassy fields, the autumn colored trees and various animals and monsters.
"Please enjoy your stay Lady Himemiya." The waiter bowed in respect.
"N-no, thank you for such an elaborate room!" She trembled, bowing back in respect to the worker.
"If you need anything please don't hesitate to call for us. Having the daughter of Mana Alexei and the head of the Himemiya Temple on board is truly an honor." While he did mean to complement, a sad look occupied the girl's face for a mili second, something only the Warrior caught before she switched to a smile.
"Thank you very much." The waiter bowed and was about to leave the group until he remembered something. "Oh yes, you and your guests are currently the only ones in the car for today. Odd, giving that this is the traveling season."
"Are you serious?! We got the entire car to ourselves?!" The waiter nodded to Shirou's claim. In that second, Shirou ran into the car and immediately settled himself at the seat in the middle on the right. Rei decided to be on the opposite side, and Hikari took her seat next to Shirou nearest to the window.
"Perhaps it is a good thing to have this much space, we can talk about matters that shouldn't be heard by bystanders," Cecil replied as he sat next to Shirou and Firion sat Next to Rei, leaving the second window seat to Light.
"Even if they did hear anything we can just wipe their minds clean," Rei replied.
"Do you like causing amnesia or something?" Shirou asked the female across form him.
"What gave you that impression?" An icy cold stare accompanied the female's words.
"Maybe because you've been using that phrase a lot…" Shirou sulked in his chair at the feel of the heavy stare.
"Just because I use a phrase over and over again doesn't mean I am obsessed with it," Rei huffed as she crosser arms.
"Down woman," Shirou remarked.
"Do I look like a dog?"
You act like one…Yeah, better not say that out loud. Shirou murmured in his mind as the consequences of him saying something out loud played in his mind. He had just recently recovered from an attack a few weeks back, along with a wound a few days ago, and he was not in the mood to be sent to the hospital again. A sudden flash caught the group's attention and they turned to the blonde priestess who had pulled out a camera and was taking pictures like an eager tourist.
"Trigger finger much?" Firion shielded his eyes form the bright flash of the cheap camera.
"Mep, I'm sorry," Hikari quickly placed the camera in the coal black skirt pocket.
"No I didn't mean you had to put it away. What I meant was you like to take pictures right?" He asked the female, which she nodded.
"I believe that there are things your eyes could miss but your camera cannot. So, in order you catch those things your eyes would miss, I wanted to capture it. Because of that I have a job as an amateur photographer," She explained with more enthusiasm that what she had in the past days. It actually looked like she was alive.
"You work?" The warrior sitting next to her asked.
"Yes. I need to if I want to have the money to spend on food and my own things."
"Then how do you pay for your education?" Cecil asked.
"My mother left behind enough money to continue my education through college but I was not allowed to touch it due to certain requirements, one of them to become the Priestess of the Himemiya Temple. Until I turn eighteen and am seeing as the rightful successor to the Himemiya family, the money is to be held by the government. However, the government gives me a sort of Pell Grant to pay for food, clothing and other necessities. Since Haruka is my legal guardian, she pays for my education, but she also pays Makoto and Yuji's. I felt guilty for leeching off of her, so I decided to work a part-time job to pay for my own school funds, or at least lessen the burden on her. She's taken such good care of me, I owe her at least that much," In that instant a different take of the school teacher, swordswoman, hyperactive woman came to the minds of the warriors. Perhaps Haruka wasn't as bad as she made herself. The warrior's first impression of her gave off a woman who was carefree. Yes she had responsibilities and possibly took care of them, but with her personality they honestly thought she had little to no worries or stresses. Realizing the three warriors were feeling guilty, Hikari immediately changed the subject.
"I'm sorry! Uh, Warrior, no Light!" His head was raised at the word of warrior and only succeeded in giving her attention the moment the final word left her mouth. "D-didn't you want to talk about something this morning?"
"Yes I did," He followed the girl's example. "I wanted to ask you a few questions if that is alright."
"I don't know if I can answer all of them, but I'll try."
"And if she can't answer them I am sure I can," Rei remarked. Realizing he was going to get answers, the Warrior thought through what he thought was important to talk about.
"Reiki and Mana...I've heard the two being energy sources, but what is the difference between them?"
"Ah…well…" Hikari placed her right index finger on her chin, looking up at the ceiling, contemplating the right words to use to describe what she was about to explain. "Okay. Mana and Reiki, as you said, are two energy sources used to cast magic. While Mana calls upon the outside forces of the world and relies on mental energy, Reiki calls upon the power inside you, and relies on physical energy. However, they are two different forces and having them come into contact can produce three different effects. One, the energies cancel out each other, two, an explosion of magic, or three; combine through the use of a medium to create a whole new magic. Though this has yet to work."
"Then as a priestess, you would be a better fighter than a supporting role?"
"Not exactly. Even though I am using physical energy to cast my spells, I am also using spiritual energy, the energy of the soul that is constantly recycled and reused. Mana and Reiki are both part of the energy that dwells in all of creation but while Mana is uses the mental energy and spell-casting to take control of the natural energy filling the atmosphere around you; Reiki is fueled by the natural energy within the user. So Mana is associated with the mental energy and Reiki is associated with physical energy and spirit energy. Hmm….maybe the best way to put it as Mana using the life energy in nature and elemental spirits, while Reiki is using the life energy of yourself. So I could be a decent fighter but it all comes down to preparation and training. Do you understand?" Hikari explained the best she could and hoped the warrior understood.
"In other words, Mana is the energy outside, and Reiki is the energy inside," Firion summarized the girl's explanation. The warrior understood completely and nodded.
"Do you have anymore questions?"
"A few actually," He stated. "If Reiki is something that relies on one's inner self, then how does that incorporate into your fighting style?"
"….Okay….uhm…..let's see…." She was obviously hesitant about answering it, either because of something else or because she couldn't put it into words. After a long silence, she was able to speak. "Every person with Reiki has an ability, an Inherit Skill that grants a person a similar, but to a lesser extent, ability as the God or Goddess they serve. Mine is something called Dual Energy." Rei immediately faced the priestess in training, an aggressive form of shock on her face.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Hikari flinched and lowered her head.
"Called it…so freakin called it…" Shirou mumbled. He knew Rei would react the way she did once she learned f the girl's Inherit Skill.
"I take it it's not a good ability?" Firion spoke the obvious given the tension in the room.
"Ugh…It's a rare skill, even among those with Reiki. There's a reason for it, it's practically the worst skill to have. Dual Energy grants you the skills of using both Reiki and Mana," Rei sighed heavily as she placed a hand on her head, pushing her loose black hair slightly back in the process.
"How is that bad?" The warrior asked.
"Reiki and Mana are two colliding forces, opposites, like Cosmos and Chaos. You can't use both at the same time, and due to spell requirements and calculations; a person with Dual Energy can only go up to the third tier of ANY kind of magic. If there was a superpower lottery, the Dual Energy skill is defiantly the worse, unless you can overcome the handicap of keeping the two powers separated, then it's useful. But it's hard to establish a firm identity of yourself to do magic. I don't know how it works on your world but here we need a strong, mental version of ourselves to perform it. The stronger the vision, the more powerful our magic," Rei explained.
"In simple terms, I'm pretty much useless." Hikari sadly replied. "All I am good at is archery and simple swordsmanship."
"But you managed to use the fourth tier of Cure to help me two nights ago." The warrior blurted out, causing Rei to raise an eyebrow.
"That is because of my second rare skill, Healing."
"Huh…so you're half adequate."
"You shouldn't be talking, last I checked you can't heal to save your life," Firion remarked at his summoner.
"I excel in all kinds of magic besides healing; it's my main and only Achilles' heel." Rei boasted.
"But there's like twenty kinds! How do you find the time to practice, AND being the Student Council President?!"
"Three words Ogami; Dedication, productiveness, and interest. I refuse to be like the summoners of the past. I will create my own legend through this." And with that the argument ended, if you could call it an argument. Light sat there. He didn't get the answer he wanted.
"And how does this pertain to my earlier question?"
"Oh right, well…I can do archery and a beginners level of kendo. As for magic…uhm…OH!" Her eyes widen as she was struck with an idea to make the subject more understandable. "In the medieval days, when magic wasn't as organized as it is now, there were these groups of mages called Red Mages! I'm similar to them as I can do a little bit of all kinds of magic, but not the highest levels." This brought Light to close his eyes, causing the female to worry.
"Ironic. I traveled with one before."
"You have!?" Her eyes lit up like Christmas lights. Obviously the warrior said something that made her intrigued and excited. "What was he like? Was he clad in red like his name said? What were his spells? Was he able to perform up to the third tier? Was-" She immediately stopped once she saw the warrior's shocked expression. He was taken aback by the woman's oncoming onslaught of questions and didn't expect that from the female. Even Cecil and Firion were blinking madly at the girl's sudden change in character. This was immediately fixed as she reverted to her more meek character.
"Ah….I'm sorry…." She bowed, lowering her head in apology.
"It is alright." He breathed in silently. "To answer your questions; He…was a very eccentric man, yes he was, it mostly consisted of black and white magic, and yes since that was the highest spells my world could go up to."
"Amazing…that's kind of similar to the past of Mundus. Most mages could only go up to the third tiers until much more powerful spells were developed by scholars and mathematicians."
"You use math for spell casting?" Cecil was now interested.
"Yes but I also use a little bit of Gematria, Notarikon, and Numerology. Due to my Mana and Reiki overlapping, I have to use my own specific equations since both powers tend to use formulas that overlap, and both Reiki and Mana cannot be used at the same time or else they cancel out, so it makes it harder to do higher level spells past the fourth-tier in spell casting. But I also use basic chants retaining to my goddess."
"Though you managed to cast Curasa, which is a level four tier spell correct? That is two levels away from the most powerful healing spell in existence correct? Is that what you are aiming for?" Light mentioning the spells caused Hikari to flinch. She turned to him, her normal polite and cheerful expression exchanged with a disappointed smile.
"I doubt someone like me…can ever perform that miracle itself. I have to create my own spell incantations and formulas in order for spells to work, through words or math formulas. Even then…I only have ten or twelve spells in my inventory…" Her eyes closed in regard of her last statement. Light noticed the girl's lack of confidence in herself growing and decided to change the subject for her sake, thinking it was rude of him to keep speaking about a subject she wasn't comfortable with. Cecil cleared his throat, tough mostly to alert Light. The warrior turned towards his fellow comrade and both exchange glances, almost having a silent conversation. With a nod of his head, the leader of the Warriors of Cosmos let Cecil ask his question.
"I have a question myself. What is your duty as a priestess? It's been on my mind lately and I asked Yukihito about it. He said that the duty of a priestess or priest heavily depends on the deity they serve. Is this true?" The female's once meek and insecure façade faded away the moment Cecil asked that question. It was a question that required not a teenager to answer, but from a person who was a part of that society. The answer needed to be from the priestess Hikari needed to be. Her tone immediately changed to that of seriousness.
"Yes but there are three separate duties we all share and perform, the first being to stop the rise of demons and defeat them. Demons feed upon a persons negative feelings like wrath and envy and uses that to increase their powers. Similar to the gods, the more faith they have, the more powerful the god and thus, the more powerful the followers of that god," Hikari explained. "And if we let the demons continue to grow, they could end up becoming gods themselves, and torment the people to become even stronger. All they desire is power and destruction."
"That's a scary thought in of itself," Shirou commented.
"Not as scary as it happening," Firion muttered, earning a glance from his summoner.
"And the second?"
"To increase the number of believers in the deity's existence and power," Hikari answered. "As I said earlier, the amount of faith that one deity has is proportional to the amount of faith the people of Mundeus have in him or her, and adding that to the power they are born with. In order to do so, we do things like exorcising demons, helping dead spirits move on, preventing the collapse of spirits, or participating in rituals related to the goddess, and also carrying out orders the god or goddess has made."
"And how many believe in your goddess Hikari?" Cecil asked.
"…I…uh…" The girl's sudden refusal to talk raised a few eyebrows.
"Hikari?"
"Himemiya…don't tell me…."
"I…don't know…." The girl's face turned bright red once she admitted that. The warriors blinked, the jewel summoner deadpanned, and Shirou just sat there.
"Why?"
"I know we have most of Akikaze, and there are some followers across the world, but my knowledge of them is slim to none. My mother didn't tell me everything before she died. It was so unexpected, I don't even think she would have predicted dying that early," Hikari explained sadly.
"That's a surprise; your mother's Inherit Skill was Future Sight wasn't it?" Rei brought up.
"Y-yes, or at least, I think so. My mother didn't like talking about her abilities or herself."
"I can tell you this much, she was a freakin one man army!" Shirou trembled once the words came form his mouth. "Taking projection and reinforcement to a whole new level and completely decimated one of the other nation's armies!"
"Before we talk about her lets finish up with the questions. Tell them the last one Himemiya, they will get a kick out of it."
"And how would you know about it?" Firion glanced at Rei.
"Everyone knows about it, it's basically a threat to any foolish human being on the planet. You should know this too its part of the information."
"Wait, a threat?" The Warrior of Light didn't show it but it was obvious by the tone that he was confused. His gaze fixed on Hikari; she held a look of disappointment, but there was something else.
Was it…resentment?
It wasn't until he heard the priestess' next few words that the feeling he had was slightly confirmed.
"The final duty of a priestess…is to protect our deities power at all cost."
"What...do you mean?" Firion was hesitant in asking once the girl's eyes changed from an unsure look into an apprehensive gaze.
"What I said a few moments ago, about how the people's faith in the goddess or god determines their power. You see, should another of the God's servants wish to convert or take a land that belongs to a different god, well….that is basically waging a war against the god."
The compartment fell into an eerie silence. The only noise that was even admitted in the car was that of the train running on the tracks. Certainly, the warriors were not expecting that type of answer. Still, Cecil could relate to it in a way. As such, he was the one to break the silence.
"Just like a war between countries, it is possible for a war between gods to occur."
"Yes, but the odds of that happening are very slim. The last war of the gods was twenty years ago, but that was because of a misunderstanding. However, if it were to happen, normal civilians would not take part in it, only the followers of the deities. And the head priest or priestess is the leader and the one who is always at the front lines," Hikari explained as her eyes downcast from the gaze of the others. This reveal was certainly unexpected; even so, they could see it happening. They have seen a war between gods, as they are a part of one themselves. The sudden reminder of their circumstance brought one question to the minds of the warriors. Cecil and Firion were unsure if they should ask the petite female, not wanting to confuse or upset her. Sadly, their leader didn't share their uncertainty.
"Then if your goddess were to declare Cosmos as a threat, then we would become your enemies."
The two warriors were shocked. They were hoping their leader wouldn't pry into a delicate subject, but now that he did….
Surprisingly though, the priestess did not deny it. Instead, she slowly shook her head in a small nod. The phrase "action speaks louder than words" was instantly used. Despite it being confirmed, it was obvious that she would not wish of such a thing. Or rather, like she did not want to.
"I need to go to the restroom, I'll be back." She left the room with a smile, not looking to even be disturbed by what was said. Once she closed the door, the two warriors glanced at the leader. They weren't angry, merely curious.
"Why did you ask that? I don't think that needed to be said." Indeed, the way the girl explained it was enough for them to confirm it. It didn't matter which god or who it was; if the goddess was threatened, then the order would be given, and Hikari would have no choice but to obey.
"I had to make it clear to her and see if she was going to accept that." Light's answer was blunt honesty. As a soldier for Cosmos himself, his duty was to protect the goddess as well as her powers, which now resides in his precious comrades. It would be painful but he was willing to fight the girl should it come down to that. However…
"Shouldn't one of you guys go talk to her?" asked Shirou
"Shirou, why don't you go and talk to her?" Cecil replied with an odd smirk on his face
"M-me?!" Shirou exclaimed. "No way am I going to make her feel worse. Rei you go."
"And why should I go?"
"You're both girls..."
"And what does that have to do with anything?"
"I think a little bonding between you two might soften you up."
"That's the last thing I need to be!"
"You make it sound like it's a problem!"
"Being soft means showing mercy to an enemy and there is no way I will do that!"
"That doesn't mean Hikari will make you soft! Last I checked you were on good terms with her!"
"Good terms are different from being friends with her!"
"Sorry to interrupt your bickering contest!" All eyes focused on Firion, who was annoyed at the little spat. "But has anyone noticed he left?"
The two summoners and Cecil both noticed their leader had disappeared.
"Ah, so he took the initiative. You might be losing Shirou."
"GYAAAAH!" Shirou clutched his head when he realized the mistake he made. Cecil was obviously taking delight in the boy's suffering, slightly scaring Firion a bit.
"Cecil...this is a side I thought you never had..."
"It's only towards Shirou, mostly because he makes a commotion over every little thing concerning Hikari. It's actually quite cute in a way and difficult not to tease about."
"Riiight...too bad you're the only one who thinks so."
The warrior was walking down the brown colored halls and compartments. The boxes were empty, just like the man from before said. It was both relaxing, but also unnerving. Why was this empty? There were many people boarding the train earlier, so why is this compartment only filled with them? As he made it towards the Restroom, he hesitated. What was he going to say to her? 'Sorry that we may have to fight each other if your goddess sees Cosmos as a threat?' No, that wouldn't help at all. He shook his head and thought,
Perhaps it is best if I got someone who is better than I am at this.
As he turned to walk away, the door opened a bit "Light? Is that you?" Too late. Standing behind him was Hikari, having closed the door to the restroom. "Is something wrong?"
"No. I just came to see if you were alright." He was just going to have to lie his way out of it, even though it was the truth.
"But I just left a moment ago, why wouldn't I be?"
….Okay then…she wasn't disturbed. The girl's resilience was rather surprising. Might as well tell her the truth.
"Was I too conceited when I said that we might have to be enemies if the situation calls for it?"
"Oh that! No, no you weren't. You were only speaking the truth; I can't deny that or fight it. Though, I am praying that it doesn't happen," She held her hands together against her stomach. Light blinked as he listened to her. "We might have not known each other long but, I can tell you're really devoted to Cosmosand to your mission. Your duty gives you strength and the will to press on. Anyone could see you, Firion and Cecil had it rough in that cycle, but you continue to stay strong. Your determination and your strength, I can't help but envy and respect it." Her words were true. She did not falter, but her head lowered once she admitted the envy she felt.
"I see. Thank you for your compliments," Light said bowing his head a bit. He then realized now was a good chance to ask a question that has been on his mind for a while.
"Hikari, do you mind if I ask you one more question?"
"What is it?"
"I ask that you forgive me if this question seems... harsh. But I wish to know, what happened to your sister, Akiza Himemiya?" A sharp intake of air and wide eyes, why would Hikari react that way? Her eyes lowered once more as she stood there. No words were exchanged, only silence between the two. She must have been trying to find the right words to say. The hum of the train and the wind whistling through the nearby door that lead to the other car was the only noise. Finally, Hikari closed her eyes and sighed.
"I don't know. She went missing shortly after she left home on her last visit six months ago…In truth, she's the true head of the Himemiya Shrine. It's a tradition for the oldest child in the family to become the head shrine maiden. When she disappeared, I was to take her place. Most of the world thinks she is dead, but I don't. I know she's alive. She is one of the most strongest spell casters in the world, so much so that she became the leader of Septentrio's Fighting Unit, Valkyrie, at the age of twenty-one, and they are said to be the most formidable fighting group of Mundeus. That is enough to tell me she is alive. She has to be…" Her voice broke a little once her last words were said.
"I see... Hopefully she is alive, for your sake."
"Thank you. But wishing for her to be alive was all I could do in the beginning. Now," She gazed out to the rapidly changing scenery. She stayed silent for the next few moments, as if afraid to say something. Light knew what it is she wanted.
"You wish to find her correct?"
"…"
The warrior continued to breathe at a solid pace, waiting for at least some confirmation. Perhaps the girl's silence was her answer. "As leader of the Heroes of Cosmos, it is not only my job to lead and make sure my comrades is safe, but to also compromise with them in order to keep us united. So this is my question, do you wish to look for answers concerning your sister's absence and possibly find her while we are searching for our friends?"
"Eh?" Hikari glanced at the warrior next to her.
"Wanting to find your family, there is nothing wrong with that. I have to respect your own wishes since I am the one who is forcing you against your will into our war. If I did not respect it, then that would make me a hypocrite to ask so much of you but not assist you in return. As such, I will allow you to search for your sister, on the condition that it will not endanger the rest of us," Light had to explain it in a way that was understandable. It might have been a bit mean to say those last few words but if the search would risk revealing the cycles of battle and their own existence, he would rather not think of the consequences.
"Light... Thank you. I promise I won't make that mistake!" Hikari replied with a small smile on her face
"Good. Now let's head back-"
"Greetings Warriors of Cosmos." Both the warrior and the priestess eyes widen with a slight gasp leaving Hikari as a voice echoed in their heads. They knew the sound of that voice all too well. It was the same voice that haunted her dreams for the past few days and was a source of annoyance and worry for the Warrior. They scanned the area wildly, trying to find the presence or shadow of their enemy, but there was no one around.
"He's not here..." Her words were true. They couldn't sense him at all, but his voice was as clear as day.
"I'm afraid I am not here at present. I am merely a voyeur to an…unexpected accident."
"Accident?" Hikari's voice cracked. Suddenly the train jolted to a stop, causing Hikari to tumble and fall on her behind. In a few seconds, the train started up once more but took off at a speed that was faster than before. The recoil of the sudden stop and speed up caused several windows to break. Light followed his instincts and covered his summoner with his body to prevent any of the shards from injuring her. The shards scattered across the floor and onto the clothed back of the warrior, which he easily shook off once he stood. Hikari removed herself from the protection of the warrior and gave him a gratifying smile.
"Thank you Light."
"As you can now tell, this train has now been boarded by several manikins. I suggest you hurry after all they have orders to attack."
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"Hey Emperor!" Shirou shouted, barely able to contain his anger. "Where the hell are you!?"
"Calm down Shirou!" Firion demanded, causing the young man to grit his teeth. "Emperor what is your plan this time?"
"Is it not obvious what my plan is? Very well allow me to explain. The manikins have been given orders to attack anyone on this train. Simple minded creatures but they have their purpose." At that point, an ear piercing shriek filled the air
"What the hell?!" Rei hissed.
"I almost forgot, I have several kinds of winged beasts at my disposal, circling the outside of the train. I wander how much damage they can deal to it. Fascinating beasts, demons are. Don't you think so Firion?"
"We stopped you once already Emperor! What's stopping us from doing it again?!"
"Nothing much I'm afraid, however you better move quickly. You wouldn't want the bomb to go off would you?"
"A BOMB!?" This not only startled Cecil, but everyone else who could hear the telepathic voice.
"Oh did I forget to mention that? My, I am getting forgetful. I wonder how you will handle this one." His viper like voice began to get fainter as the Emperor's laughter traveled along everyone's ears. Hikari immediately ran to the door, opening the door with aggressive and frightened strength before she took off into the second car. Once the girl took off, Light tried his best to follow her but wasn't able to keep up. The constant rattling of the train and the sudden attacks made him loose his balance and slow down.
"Warrior!" Firion called out as he, Cecil, Rei, and Shirou all ran after him.
"So you heard everything as well?!" Cecil asked.
"Everything!" The leader continued to rush forward, having opened another car door and finding Hikari on the other side, desperately trying to open the door leading to the passenger's car. The screams and cries of the people rang through the dining car door. Hikari bit her lip as she placed her hand on the door. Once she did, a magic circle appeared and imprinted itself on the door.
"UNLOCK!" Hikari screeched. The sound of shattered glass accompanied the glowing light of the small circle, a barrier that was suppose to be around the door destroyed and the door unlocked. She swung the door open and came face to face with a carbon copy of Cecil. Immediately Light had yanked on her collar to pull her back before the black sword could reach her face. In mere seconds, Rei had raised her arm and her hand formed a gun like position.
"Fire!" A small fireball formed at the tip of her finger before launching itself at the manikin and destroyed its head. As the false Cecil fell to the ground, two other manikins turned to face them, the smaller green one raced forward, while the larger Light blue one stayed back as if preparing for something. Shirou rushed forward towards the green copy and prepared to punch it in the face; the manikin dodged to the side and sliced its opponent with its small sword, carving a gash into the black haired martial artist.
"Shirou!" Cecil called out as he rushed into the fray, changing into his dark knight form and released four dark orbs [Dark Cannon] at his foe. The manikin was unable to dodge as he was pushed towards Cecil who stabbed his opponent with his spear sword and unleashed the power of darkness into the crystalized puppet's stomach, causing the copy to implode on itself [Soul Eater]. The light blue soldier at this point charged forward but was sent to the floor by an arrow of energy rushing through its right leg. Before it was able to hit the ground, the Warrior of Light summoned his armor and weapons, knocking the manikin upward with his shield.
"Aero!" Hikari called out as the soldier was sent flying into the wall of the cabin where it fell into crystal pieces.
"Dammit it's so tight in here!" Shirou complained as he gripped his arm. "And why the same arm!? This thing got healed not even two days ago!" Hikari was about to run towards him until Light grabbed her shoulder.
"What are you-"
"Demons can only be destroyed by Reiki right?! You're needed in the next car for that and for calming the people!" Light explained, keeping a calm composure against the trembling and worried Hikari.
"Don't worry about Shirou I can cast Cura! Just go!" Cecil ordered the female as he reverted to his Paladin form and a familiar light green glow surrounded the bleeding wound. The boy grimaced at the feeling of the skin stitching itself back together.
"Let's go Himemiya!" Rei ran past her and into the passenger's car. With reluctance, the girl followed the rebel warrior and jewel summoner.
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OKAY HERE IS CHAPTER 8 PART 1! DID YOU ENJOY IT, DID YOU!? AND DON'T QUESTION MY MADNESS OF MAKING THIS A TWO PARTER INSTEAD OF TWO DIFFERENT CHAPTERS! I WANNA BE DIFFERENT!
And as some of you may have seen I am giving the warriors some of their abilities from their respective games. Why? Because I want to and I find it odd that their abilities were referenced in Dissidia but not used. I'm guessing it was due to space and all. Either way, they are using them.
Well then until next time, please read and review. I don't care if it's just to say good job, or to criticize me! Hell you can even point out your favorite parts of the story, just review! I live off of reviews, and reviews tell me I do a good job!
