My vision started to clear as the winds begin to die and the chains vanishing from my arms. I believed that I was teleported to another world so I opened my eyes and couldn't believe what I was seeing.
As I glanced, I was in the middle of this alien wilderness. There were no trees, no mountains no natural geography and certainly no airships. Instead there were tall alien structures that formed this dense 'forest' while narrow, twisted, pathways stretch around these strange structures. The place was certainly different as everything here contrasted against the man-made buildings and cities on Gaia.
From what I was seeing, this may be the world that Mayor Tanya told us about, the alien world known as Terra. I began to make my way through the maze of broken bridges and stepping stones with a gentle breeze blowing through the land, in some places I would to stroll around stagnant water which clearly reflected my image.
I was beginning to wonder who lives in this crooked wonderland or why did my friends sent me here. Is this truly the place where I can find my answers? Perhaps I could find out if I find someone who could lead me in the right direction. Even then I am alone but my only pistol would serve as my only protection, in the case of damned creatures who would ambush a lone traveler. Fortunaly, this world seemed to lack any, this adds to the question if this world is actually relatively new or is growing too old to sustain a diverse wildlife.
While there is a maze of broken makeshift bridges and stones, there is no visible footpath so this planet must be largely untouched by the spread of civilisation. If so, what is so important about this world if no one is living on it but, as I walked across this long arcing bridge, a girl stood in the middle. I blinked to confirm my suspicions. She was relatively short and wore this rather exotic outfit: A hot pink and white shirt and shorts with a black one-piece suit. She too has a long tail, much like mine.
As I walked towards, the girl began to look towards me, her eyes sparkling in the blue light, reflecting with her opal iri.
"So, you finally came." She said.
I went to her, puzzled as fuck.
"Um yeah?" I asked.
"Not to worry, for you came a long way to find out who you truly are. Correct?" She asked.
"The fuck you know that?" I asked.
"I was watching, you came through a method of teleportation, accompanied with the hooded white mage. I was about to warn you, that you're also being followed but I was teleported, here on Terra." She explained.
"So this is Terra? I suppose its a planet, right?" I asked.
"No, Terra doesn't exist as a planet. It is actually world that exists within Gaia, sapping the life force of its host. Unless you act fast, this place will be your new home." She said.
"Whoa whoa. Before we jump into that shit. Can you tell me everything you know? It includes why I have a tail." I asked her.
"Come with me then. To our town." She simply said before leading me through this portal, taking us to this weird looking settlement.
This place is a lot different than where I was: I could make out homes and buildings that surrounded this stagnant lake. The town is also occupied with residents but they looked similar to this mysterious girl but their fancy clothes varied and simple haircuts so they differed from her. Their behaviour was rather odd, in a zombie like way. As we passed, they started stared at me and made no comment of my reactions. As if they were braindead.
"This is Bran Bal, and the people you see are my peers, the Genomes. We live here. The town also serves as a factory where more of us are made." The girl introduced.
"Made!?" I barked.
"Yes. We are an artifical product, created to house the souls of the Terrans, the once majestic race that lived on this world. They are dormant and wait for Terra to be revitalised then they would walk as one of us." The girl said as we made our way through the settlement. To prove her point, she took me underground where machinery produce these people.
"We are all made to have the same purpose, to carry the souls of what was a majestic race. We are their next generation and when the time comes of Terra's manifestation of Gaia, we will become the inhabitants of this world." She explained.
I went up to one of the genomes.
"Hi" I went.
She gave me one look, became panicky and fled. I tried with the others but they did the same.
"You are a Genome, like us but there is a special purpose for you, something which we fear. " the girl explained.
"What purpose?!" I asked.
"Proceed onwards from Bran Bal and follow the path ahead, it will take you to Garland's fortress: Pandemonium. It will be there where you would find out about your past.
That is all that I know, the person you truly seek is Garland, the creator of our kind." The girl explained.
"Right...oh, I didn't catch your name..." I asked.
"Mikoto. Mikoto Tribal and it's been a pleasure to meet you...
Robi Tribal."
The way she pronounced my name was bone chilling, perhaps there is more to who I am but one thing is for certain, this castle of his must be the source of information I seek, by taking a deep breath, I left Bran Bal and headed down the path that she directed me to. At the end, I came across this demonic castle, with walls tall as towers and a howling wind echoed amongst the creepy walls, this must be Pandemonium then and definitely looks like it. Then, for some strange reason, the winds picked up and the grand doors groaned apart, revealing the grisly interior. The place looked darked so I turned on my pistol's light and headed inside.
The air was a lot colder than it was outside and also smelt musky as I walked through the pitch black. The noise was damning as faint, distorted, baby cries add to the bone chilling vibe from within this place. The forboding darkness that surrounded this citadel was perhaps an image on who this Garland was. He must be a man of power indeed to have such a grand place. Eventually I made into this courtyard and I rubbed my eyes and coughed in disgust. Hanging lifelessly, on the walls, were Genome corpses, rotting blood filled the air with the rancid stench of previous mutilations while large demonic eyeballs looked at me. i held my breath as I strolled across, taking care not to vomit in this unsightly place. I could also the caws of crows, perched along the towering walls, singing beautifully with the howling winds in this otherwise sickening torture area.
This was telling me that this is home to a lot of ghosts, wether it was Genomes or those 'Terrans' I was surely exploring a fortified graveyard. Then I came across the priciple of the fortress and felt a forboding memory that reminded me that a very tragic event happened here. It was hinted by the sounds of swords and magic, before I heard the cry of a man, as if he was falling off the ledge from this great height. Whatever happened here, I missed and I was surely walking amongst the ghosts and the grim reminders of the castle' past involvement. I returned back into the bowels of the castle, hoping to find some way out of this place as I was couldn't stand the constant memories and sounds echoing within the walls.
Then finally a room that grabbed my interest. In the middle was a gentle, glowing, machine. There is surely a plummeting drop beneath but walkways stretched around the perimeter towards the exit on the other side of this room. This machine here though, looked a lot different than the rest of the creepy architecture. It was glowing blue and, as I moved to the other side, there was a crudely shaped plane like symbol, etched into the metal work.
I continued on from this room, still hoping to find that exit when suddenly I heard this loud metal clang. I turned round, gun the ready, but could see an exit. I walked out and ahead was another creepy castle. joined up by a long bridge hanging over an abyss. After taking a deep breath, I stepped onto it and strolled across. There was the hallow roar of the wind and, much to my surprise, was carrying a haunting voice
Welcome Reaper...welcome Home...we await you...
I shrugged my head in disbelief as I continued on towards the castle. This citadel was smaller, than the larger fortress behind me, but it was still giving off a shifty aura. I slowly pushed the big wooden doors aside and walked in which they abruptly slam shut afterwards, behind me. Inside, the air was still but there was no signs of death anywhere; Just a warm fuzzy glow and an amber light piercing through the darkness. I followed corridor until I walked into a large lab where glass tanks, machinery and all sorts of gizmos were all over the place. On the walls however are photos and diagrams that featured a Genome and that paticular Genome happens to be me.
I took one of them down and examined it. Clearly I was drawn in some form of diagram with terran words describing my various features. What has Garland done to make me like this, I wonder and what made me scare the Genomes? I was surely about to find out when I heard a voice behind me.
"You finally returned, Robi! I am impressed by your efforts."
I turned to aim at a man drenched in a black cloak with a blue gem glowing eerily on his chest. His hair was brown and his eyes pupil-less.
"Who are you? Are you Garland?" I asked.
"Glad you asked. Allow me to introduce myself:
My name is Gurla, the loyal servant to Garland. The man responsible for all this and I am here to continue his work even after your 'friends' happened to sabotage his valiant efforts." He introduced himself.
"Ok what's these pictures have to do with me. If you own this place then you surely can tell me now!" I barked.
"I am happy to help clear away the mist that clouded your knowledge of your existence. Allow me...
So you see: You are a Genome but about to be assigned with a very VERY important task.
This world was inhabitant by a race known as the Terrans. They had a wonderful life until the world stated to decay, from which the source of all life, began to deteriorate. In a desperate bid to stop the end of their existance, they tried to cast a fusion spell to much failure to seek a suitable world to consume. Instead, the Terrans, the only civilisation on this aging world, charged me, and my master, the sacred duty to satisfy their wish as they locked themselves away into stasis, waiting to continue their lives once Garland successfuly restored their world, ready to assimilate the Genomes, from which my master had created for that purpose.
The world contains what's called a Life Crystal, which releases souls on the surface to grow, learn and experience life before it is returned to cumulate in the crystal's experience, allowing it to produce more complex and sentient life forms. As for Terra, this 'cycle of life' ceased and thus was the cause of the planet's dying state. Garland chose the risky descision to choose a very young planet for the spell to work on, hoping that its fresh crystal would restore Terra's. However it resisted and caused significant damage to both the planets' ecosystems. My master wasn having none of it so he tried again only this time he utilised various strategies in a bid to weaken the planet's core to a point where Terra can fuse with it and, to do that, he worked on a special breed of Genome to carry out the task to cause chaos on Gaia, so that the cycle could break and cause the planet to deteroriate.
This procedure was working but slow and incompetent, something which tested Garland's patience. He then he created you and Zidane, as part of his 'Angel of Death' plot. However, I had a brilliant idea. While he was working on Zidane, I would take you regularly to my lab, here. Knowing that you were the ideal candidate for my experimental project.
So you see, from the diagrams on these walls, you were known as Genome R0131 but was about to be harnessed with the most excruciating agony, a lifeform would endure. I wanted to create a much more powerful agent, utilising the power of Trance, to help carry out the Terrans' wish. A Genome who would house two souls combined and utilise the combined power of both.
During my experiments, I was visited by an old man; A human who appeared to come from a world other than Gaia or Terra.
He wished to continue on his life as you so, when he collapsed, I took his soul and attempted to combine his with your Terran soul, which wasn't active at the time, by using a smaller scaled version of the Fusion Spell. The result was what I called, the Hybrid Soul. With the Terran Soul and the Alien Soul,the spell would fuse both their experiences into one for the host to carry on in his life.
This was an incredibly dangerous practice however as most of my previous Hybrid combinations were extremely volatile, exploding after minutes of fusion. I went down what was causing it but turned out to be the wavelengths not syncing with each other but, when I tried it on you...yours souls did as the two halvesbegan to sing in sync and their combined experiences interlinked. You are the first Hybrid.
After the new soul was inserted, my work was done so I would finally let Garland continue his work on you and Zidane. There, he would often let you two walk amongst your brethren. Your Trance, the aura that surrounds you and your fellow counterparts, grew and flourished into a completely new stage. It even altered your anatomy, as you couldn't stop touching the Terran technology that exists on this world. Infusing the steel into your flesh, you became capable of converting raw Trance energy into pure light.
As your Trance was manifested, you became a new breed, your body coping with the incredible tax from which, through mutations, you adapted to the influx. However you are without your weaknesses.
The souls were known to be prone to violent outbursts, both trying for dominance. As I watched you wake up, you would unleash your wrath and caused collateral damage and even escaped from the chains that Garland made to keep you down.
My master investigated your fury and eventually found out that I was responsible. I got into trouble with Garland and saw you as a terrifying danger to his plans. I thought that Garland would execute me, for my ignorance, but we noticed that you went towards Zidane, seething from rage, you calmed and would protect him from harm. Garland told me that Zidane to be your twin who he believed would also experience childhood to embrace the power Trance.
He was wanting to tell me what he wanted to do with you two but Kuja found out our intentions, and threatened to jeopardise our plot. To help soften the blow, we decided to split youse up: Garland would take Zidane, deal with Kuja, and I'd take you to a remote planet until the whole situation blows over.
That's what he believed as I had a different plan.
I wanted to make you stronger and more powerful than Mikoto, Kuja and even Zidane in that matter. I've known Trance for some time now; Your connection has gotten unbelievably strong all this time so I went to work, focusing entirely on your rage. Your fuse is a lot shorter than usual, putting violence in front of words, swearing the English dictionary and threatening people with death and murder, a bloodthirsty Genome with no regard for life; the perfect template for your Trance to grow upon.
The best way to do that? By making your pitiful life as horrendous as possible and by destroying everything you built from the world's resources, throwing all matters of torment just to rile you up.
The methods work as expected and ironically. You began to see me as an absolute bully, a "fucking cunt" as you may put it: You engaged Trance could activate from a few minutes to a few seconds.
This was what I expected from a quick activating Trance. What I wasn't expect was the sheer scale of power you could unleash with your empowered state. You gained the ability to fire the most powerful ability that would make even Garland envy you: It was a tremendous energy beam capable of decimated anything in its path and I became its unfortunate target. The heat was unbearable, even for me, the intensity of a thousand suns decimated me. I had to get a new body after the terrible ordeal.
I fear it, a genome far more powerful than I wanted you to be. I believed that it was down to your hybrid soul, able to take in double the emotional state as a normal individual would and the alien soul may have went through years of experience and emotions as a result.
So I came up with the idea of working on the beam, dubbing it the Trance Beam. As well as this destructive power, you also produced additional abilities to supplement this initial might: Torrents of smaller fast yellow bolts of superhot Trance energy and soul seeking comets that can destroy man and machine. My main focus however was to make the Trance Beam even stronger and a lot more frequent than before but it seemed to have started to take effect on your body.
As I continued to press you to use this beam attack, you became more depressed and less willing to fight. The ability became weaker and weaker. I was expected highly of you as you were so close! To waste all that effort for nothing!? The last straw was drawn when you gave up altogether. Taking prolonged breaks from the stress I had pace on you.
I was having none of it. To make you the so-called Angel of Death Mk II, to make you the most powerful genome, Terra has ever seen but you failed to deliver the goods. A failure, a disgrace!
So I was left with no other option. Like a useless blunt tool, I decided to throw you away to a space station where you can die in a pile of rusted metal." He explained
Those words meant a lot to me and it answered my questions. I smirked.
"So Zidane is my twin brother? I honestly felt happy whether I was near him and we worked together. Now I know what made me blast that monster back in the Evil Forest, just because you wanted to make me pissed.
Thanks Gurla, that's all I needed to know. Now I want to go home and help make Zidane see who I am. Sorry if I interrupted your project but you need to find someone else, I have no use for you anymore." I said before walking away.
"Not at all...not...at all..." Gurla said when the metal doors locked me inside the lab. I turned.
"The fuck's with the door?" I asked.
"Oh, it must have been a draught...and it looks like it's ready to carry you to your goal.
You came back and I am amazed by how you survived the journey to where you are now and believe that you may have some use after all. Besides you may have gathered quite an arsenal on your way back." He laughed.
He began to chant and before I knew it, I was clad in a full length body suit, adorned with the same designs found on the Genomes. I couldn't take it off. I still had my pistol though so I aimed it and opened fire.
"Oh shit no! Oh no way!" I barked as my loud gun report sounded through the walls and my gun-flash lit up the darkness.
The bullets seem to unphase him before he subjected me under a mighty surge of electricity, causing my to scream in agony
"You'll become the Angel of Death Mk II. The Grim Reaper!
DEATH...INCARNATED!" he barked before knocking me out with a concussive spell.