Woah, this sure feels nostalgic!
Anyways, hello to anyone who's (somehow) reading this! This'll be pretty short, but hear me out.
I'm currently writing A Gamer's Fate, and still am. But since I have a lot more time now (especially with Online Tests done), I want to try and continue this story, if only just to see how many would read it. Now, since this is an old copy, the next chapter, if it comes out, will probably be a lot different and a lot longer, so don't be too shocked!
Anyways, enjoy!
If there was one thing she hated the most in this world, it'd be surprises-, well, no. Coffee is still her eternal nemesis for all days to come, but surprises come in close behind that. To simplify, she despised being surprised.
And here she was, her mind thrown down in shock and awe at the absolute hell and devastation she was witnessing with her two eyes.
"Holy…shit."
A cyclone that rose up to the skies, cloaking the entirety of the graveyard in deadly winds, and sending out waves of violent winds out in every direction. A feat of strength that not even she could testify to have.
There she was, with Takeyama by her side, mere miles away from the location, their eyes set upon the graceful death swirling before them.
She did not have time to gaze upon such beauty for long however. The more pressing concern of who created this whirlwind was present, and whether or not she was still alive. She knew by fact that this was caused by Kei, but that was the shocker, Kei. Yes, the girl without much experience, and definitely not enough power and mana to launch such a wide-scale attack, just did exactly that.
It was most likely caused by the blade of untamed winds she gifted her with, but she wasn't quite so sure. Even in the hands of its creator, she did not remember being able to output that much power. Which lead her to believe that some external force was helping her, but who exactly?
With her mind (somewhat) set straight, she continued her run towards the graveyard.
And let's just say this: It's not pretty.
The ground was torn up, pieces and chunks of the earth were being carried off into the air and thrown around like confetti. She could also spot some unlucky dogoos who got sucked into this mess as well. They still have that goofy smile though.
She (together with the help of Takeyama's fists), broke through the barrier of spiralling wind with her [Ares' Chariot], creating a brief opening for the two to jump through the tornado.
The inside of the graveyard was…well, not better, but, well…tamer? Perhaps it was due to being inside the eye of the storm that the effects have lessened, but no time to waste now! From the looks of it, the storm was beginning to die down, which could mean several things.
No time to worry though, Kei's first on the list.
Ventus set off towards Kei's location, with Takeyama closely trailing behind. She failed to notice the wide grin he had plastered over his face.
15 minutes ago,
"W-What is that…?"
A girl gasped as she looked out of the window, seeing the violent winds sweep through the entirety of Gamindustri. Dust and rain were scattered all over, the glass dirtied and fogged up.
She gripped the edges of her skirt, lip bit in frustration as the bangs of her light purple hair fell over her eyes, tears of frustration building inside. She wanted to do something, but she couldn't, she shouldn't.
For her own safety.
While her sister was out there? Trapped inside the Gamindustri Graveyard with no chances of escape!? While she just watched from behind the glass!? Her grip tightened, not noticing the small holes her nails were digging into her white skirt.
"Nepgear, please."
Behind her, a small 'fairy' was floating, sat on a floating book seemingly forever suspended in the air.
She…couldn't help but stop her, lock down every door and opening this building has to safeguard the only person left to lead her nation. If Neptune does go down (which she wishes with all her heart to not happen), then Nepgear would need to step up as the new CPU.
She couldn't let her go, for the nation's well-being, and for her sister as well.
But something was bugging her.
Why was she feeling…nostalgic from all of this? As a record of Gamindustri's history, created solely for the purpose of keeping a tab on all that goes on in this crazy world, her brain was filled with endless memories of the past.
And something about this was…familiar, and saddening, almost suffocating.
But why couldn't she remember? It felt…familiar, but that was it. It just felt familiar, which should be impossible. Her memory and records were in perfect shape, she should be able to recall something like this perfectly!
Probably?
It almost felt like she was missing a puzzle piece, snatched away from her collection. She rummaged through her database, all her backups, her history, but nothing that could lead her to answer this nagging feeling of…regret.
Regret of what?
She shook her head, her soft blonde hair waved as steam slowly escaped from her ears, her processors incapable of withstanding the information. Running a check-up on her entire database wasn't something even she could do in a matter of seconds.
"H-Histoire!?"
By the time Nepgear turned to look back at her oracle, it was too late. Her body was already overheating, and multiple signs of the system breakdown was visible.
Back at the present,
With her fists and legs as her weapons, she carved a path through a mob of escaping monsters. They were powerful by their own right, but in this weakened state of hers? She would barely be capable of tanking even Trick's meagre attacks.
Which was why she was grateful (and somewhat dumbfounded) to have Takeyama's powerful fists by her side. Seriously. A dogoo's approaching? Splat! Down it goes! A floating bit b? Nope, crashing to the wall you go!
And since he wasn't using any mana in his attacks led her to believe that it was some kind of cultivation technique, like martial arts. That seems to be his limitation however, only allowing him close-quarter combat.
His speed greatly made up for it, but flying enemies were still a bother. He could just throw a rock really fast or something, but they didn't have the time. Right now, she's tasked Takeyama with finding the sword in question.
This tornado's gone on for over an hour already, and by this time, Kei would have been beaten.
Which would explain why the short sword she gave her was just lying on the floor.
That, however, bred life to another question. WHY was it there? Why wasn't the sword taken away yet? A monster should've at least taken it out of interest, but, there it was.
"My lord."
"Hya!? W…What?"
"Might this be the sword you were looking for?" He asked as he pulled out his cell, a picture of the blade of untamed winds stabbed into the ground. There was no mistaking it, that was the sword alright.
"…Why didn't you take it?"
"I couldn't. A strong invisible barrier was wrapped around it, roughly 10 cm in radius. I tried breaking it by force, but that seems to not be an option."
A…barrier?
Now, that's definitely not an option she integrated in. A barrier capable of blocking his fists? (And what's with his detailed measurement?)
Following his lead, the two made their way to where the sword was, and just like in the picture, it was stabbed into the ground, left untouched. And…he was right, she could sense strong ripples cascading from around the sword, protecting it.
She slowly stretched her hand out, feeling her palm run against the barrier protecting it, pushing her away. A sword that rejects its own maker, how ironic.
The environment grew eerily quiet, all noise casted away as she was left there. The howls of the winds faded away, only the soft hum of the barrier reaching her ears.
It feels nostalgic.
She admitted, noting that she did recall a moment like this, just, with a person instead of a weapon.
"Sis, please, open up."
He did everything he could think of. Smashing it down, kicking it with his leg, calling Arfoire, even using it to try and cave it open, but no matter what he did, the door he was standing before stood unharmed.
Ventus sighed, ruffling his red hair in frustration. He didn't plan it to turn out this way, and with her now gone…
He touched the door once again, feeling the barrier she had put up repel him. It's strong, he admitted. Definitely not something he could do. He would've been proud at her growth, but not now.
"Sis."
Not now.
"Sis."
…
"…Sis…please."
…
"…"
"Still no answer, I see."
"…Ah…you're, here. Right, forgot about that."
He turned to see a small girl, sitting on a floating book, her wings softly waving behind her. Her eyes were…emotionless, as always. She was just a robot anyways, built for the sole purpose of recording history. Why would something like that need emotions anyways?
But…maybe…
"…I'll be going to my ro…my workshop. Take care of her."
"I will."
It was simple back then. All she had needed to do was maintain he power as a god, and all's good in Gamindustri. Some stuff would go down here and there, but all in all, nothing too major would happen with her on the watch.
Of course, time continued, and with it, things change. All started when she…left her.
Then, all hell went loose. Monsters appeared more frequently, people fell into distress, some went crazy, others apathetic, some fighting, fuelled by their hatred and rage, some by excitement, many were dying.
With her stance on human life, she did not take much of a look at them, but her little sister…she did. That was why-
Snap out of it Ventus! You're in the middle of nowhere you idiot!
"Takeyama. What's the…sta…tus…Takeyama?"
By the time she realised, Takeyama was no longer behind her-, no, even more, he wasn't anywhere around her. She couldn't sense him at all. Checking the phone (she recently acquired) for his location only came up with an error.
Her phone wasn't going to get any signal in this place, but still, that-
…!?
No…it wasn't just Takeyama who was missing. Everything was. No monsters, no energy, no wind, nothing. The entire graveyard was completely…empty.
"Or is it? Are you sure you're looking good enough?"
"!?"
She turned to see the voice behind her, and there, standing with his arms in his pockets was a boy, his dark blue hair swaying with the none-existent wind. His piercing purple eyes locked onto hers.
Yep, heard of him before from Steamax, and as she expected, he looked creepy alright. And that subtle but fairly visible grin on his face wasn't soothing to the eyes either.
She readied herself for battle.
…Or, at least she tried to.
"Nothing moves well without time. I'm sure that applies to you as well."
Without…time?
She…was locked in place. No matter how much she tried, her limbs wouldn't move, her joints wouldn't turn, her mouth wouldn't open, her eyes couldn't blink.
"Still, with time or not, things change, don't they? Even something like a graveyard could become beautiful left alone long enough. Understand what I mean? Oh, right, you can't speak. Right, right. Right."
He took a heavy step towards her, and then another, then another. Like pushing through a wave in the sea, he made his way towards her, his eyes maintained on her. Gently, he brought up his finger towards her and,
"Boop. Heh, always wanted to do that."
Poked her nose.
"…!"
"A reaction. That's surprising!"
It was nothing but a simple flicker of the eye, seen only for a moment in this moment of frozen time, but he was shocked that much? Well, she shouldn't be able to move at all, so…
"Well, better not stick around for too long. The guard dog's waking up soon, and the owner's not happy. Ciao."
And with that, he turned around and waved, before he disappeared.
Time began to move once more. Or, it looks like that at least, since everything's back on her radar now. Takeyama was-
Fighting someone!?
"Hmph! For a human, you're good with your fists. But that is all you have!"
"And your skills are quite commendable…for someone as wretched as you."
Takeyama jumped and kicked CFW Magic's incoming scythe down into the ground, his fists clenched and already aimed at her chest. Letting go of her scythe, she bent back and leapt away, firing off several rockets as she moved away. Those rockets were easily silenced by a large rock Takeyama threw.
Truth be told, Magic was in a bit of a pickle. Not only has the entire Graveyard been subjected to this insane tornado thanks to that brat she fought, but it's also causing some problems to her guard dog, so much so that it couldn't even stand up.
It was then she realised, that this tornado was special. Not just a column of wind rising to the skies at high velocity, no. This was much more. She didn't know the full details, but since her guard dog relied on the massive amount of Negative Energy flowing from Gamindustri, she wagered that this tornado was some sort of barrier preventing that.
And she would've gone and dissected her little escapee as soon as she could, but just as she was getting ready, in comes two more people, one feeling oddly familiar yet slightly different.
As the responsible schemer she was, she went to investigate, heading towards where the sword was, but was quickly interrupted by this priest with incredible hand technique, dispatching her rockets and scythe with no excess force thrown.
He was a human, yes. But a powerful one.
But that was it. He was just a human.
And it's damn time she made use of that.
She stabbed her scythe into the ground, and with her command over Negative Energy, she brought out as much as she could from inside her and gave them a form, letting the energy surround the two of them in the form of a perfect transparent crimson hemisphere.
'[Crescent Boundary]' Was it's name, a name that she picked herself, she might add. The name didn't mean anything significant, other than the fact that the word [Crescent] was used a lot by Arfoire to name her techniques.
"…"
"How do you like it, human? Enjoy the suffocating feeling? Hmm?" She asked gleefully, her mouth stretching into a grin as she watched his expression change, sweat quickly pouring out from him as he took a step back.
A human would die being subjected by this much Energy from all sides, and he would be the same.
But,
"Pfft. Haha…hahahahaha!"
"Hmm? What, has the pain made you crazy?"
Takeyama didn't respond and continued to laugh it out, slowing down as he held his belly in pain from all the energy he was being subjected to. A human shouldn't really be experiencing something like this, but here he was!
And that was what made it so much more exciting!
"Hah…I am but a humble priest living my days out within the land of everlasting snow. I am not an adventurer, a soldier, or a hero. Yet! Here I am! Fighting a force bent on destroying humanity, with the leaders of four nations taken captive! Such a pleasure does not come easily!"
Magic shivered as she listened to him ramble. Pleasure? Exciting? This man…he was clearly not normal. To be able to deprive pleasure and excitement from a situation like this, only a maniac could do that, to which she also referred to herself of course.
"And to have the coming of my lord, ah! What an amazing turn my life has taken! The power he holds, the wisdom he exudes, it was all so intoxicating!"
His laugh stopped, and he cocked his head forward, eyes glaring at hers, the twin black orbs staring like the abyss. His grin split like the crescent moon.
"Now, wretched being. I suggest you keep your hold on this,"
"…What?"
",and make sure you won't be stolen."
"Takeyama!"
Suddenly, from behind the tall rocks, Ventus appeared. Her red hair swayed in the wind as she stopped, extending out a legion of thin black cables to stab into the barrier Magic had created, each end stabbing into the crimson surface.
Shit!
She realised a moment too late, as she was then subjected to a massive headache as she felt her energy leave her, sucked away by all the cables attached. As quickly as she could, she began pulling the barrier back, sweat trailing down her cheeks as she watched the priest walked towards her, his face expressionless once more.
"It had been fun, foul one, but your game ends here."
There wasn't even a moment to react, as she felt her body crash into the wall.
"Good bye."
"…Was that really necessary?"
"I only wished to make a good impression."
"…Riiight."
Sure…She thought as she sighed, dropping onto the floor as she felt strength leave her legs. Seriously! What the hell was up with Takeyama!? She thought that he'd be running for his life, but there he was, rambling on about how exciting this all was!
Not that she could comment on that, since the thrill of battle was quite common for folks like them. He and Kei could be said to be quite similar in that aspect-, well, maybe Kei's desire for battle was much tamer than his.
She turned her head towards where Magic was, and…judging from her appearance, she…wasn't dead? Maybe? She couldn't tell very well right now with all the restless new energy swirling inside of her.
Anyways, she was taken care of, and she didn't feel anyone else close by. That huge robot guy, CFW Brave, he didn't seem to be here at all. And since there's this damn powerful tornado blocking the graveyard, she'd wager they're pretty safe right now.
It was time to finish her mission.