DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Las Lindas and other products set in the same universe are all owned by Chalo/Chalosan and SoulKat.

Please support the official release.

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

It all started a long time ago.

The escalations of events that eventually saw me becoming what I am now led me to slowly forget what once represented my core, my entire being.

But I still remember a young man that hesitated. Someone that was afraid of making large steps out of fear of stepping on shoes much larger than I could handle.

My parents and teachers held high expectations for my future career, so much that I grew confident that my life would never be endangered by worrisome concerns.

I had so much to live for, but so little trouble along the way to fear the worst.

How wrong I was.

…

And how glad I am for that.

The aspirin was taking its time to finally enter into action.

After that lengthy last lecture about Inflation and Deflation that I was forced to sit for, my mind just wasn't ready to make any serious commitments except for seeking the warmth of my bed. Or the couch in the living room, I wasn't feeling too picky right now.

The hallways were bustling with people, most of whom were already leaving the large complex of buildings owned by the University.

Breathing calmly as I continued on my merry way towards the exit of Building 12, I ended up stopping as I felt someone rushing towards me from behind and… deliver a familiar slap on my neck.

Nothing painful, and definitely nothing unusual from the perception of my 'colleagues'.

"Wazzup, Matti!" The loud voice greeted, and I turned with a tiny scowl to face the grinning visage owned by my cousin.

He was taller than me by just a few inches, and the mature look he was going for with his full beard, shoulder-length blond hair, and intellectual clothes was enough to dignify the kind of clown I was dealing with.

While the approach I was displaying sounded overly negative, especially with how strange it sounded odd considering our blood relation, the reasoning behind my dislike for my cousin.

Popular, careless, reprimanded more than once but protected by his rich father…

And also the bane of my existence ever since dad asked me to enroll here in Milan so that I could reconnect with… the rest of the family.

Not that I had anything against the city, Milan was still a beauty to the eyes despite the smog and the prevalence of pompous rich people wandering most quarters.

I still managed to find my peace despite how different it felt compared to the United States.

And then again, I saved myself from facing more trouble when I was asked if I would want to live with my Uncle and Aunt, or get one of these cheap flats available to students to the University.

Despite the fact that it was quite cramped as a place to spend five years living in, I knew that no comfort would've softened the nightmare that would've been living with my cousin's family.

He knew that too, and the unwillingness to spend too much time around the other was mutual.

But the situation that now sees us met up by the entrance of the school wasn't motivated by any emotional attachment or crap like that.

No, the issue was… that blackmail is a troublesome thing.

Sure, I was pretty much the average guy by look, and I still had my own limitations over my standing here at the Uni. But my cousin knew a detail that would pretty much screw my chances of having a peaceful stay here in Italy.

It was just a psychological issue of mine, a trauma that I ended up suffering for when I was much younger.

A little child and its fear of the unknown.

Sounds ominous, and confusing… but the reality of things is far more embarrassing.

Too embarrassing if I had to be honest.

I was… quick to panic when I ended up in unknown places. Someone that could be trusted to have around me while I explored this new place and… that's why my cousin was told of this very matter.

He was meant to keep an eye out of me if I ended up in settings I wasn't aware about, and to never leave my proximity during the first day at Uni.

And to be fair, he did comply with the request and never left my side during the entire first day at my newest 'school'.

Then he started noticing how talented I was with some of the subjects we both shared.

It was rare for two different faculties to share similar subjects, but this situation only ended up favoring him and his devious plan in exploiting my problem.

Classic homework blackmail, with the blackmail being more elaborated and more difficult to deal without messing up the delicate equilibrium that existed between us.

If I messed up something, he would've spilled the beans to some people that would definitely abuse this kind of weakness to their own amusement.

There were a couple of jocks at the University that would've surely loved to learn that fact about me and… I wasn't in the mood to be targeted to the end of my visit here in Northern Italy.

Common sense dictated finding proof and help, but even then the problem wasn't physical or 'even remotely bullying'. Asking teachers proved to be fruitless, and I knew when I needed to stop and allow the frustrating situation to continue.

All for the sake of not seeing it explode on my face, that is.

"Eugenio, what do you want?" I regarded him with a calm tone, his grin faltering a little bit at the hint of annoyance on my face.

"You know, I was just checking if we're still doing that group session for tomorrow," The young man reminded me. "The boys are all eager to be 'enlightened' by your skills, cuz! And it would be saddening if you were busy or-"

"You know I'm always happy to help my good cousin." I even added the fake smile to get him to leave as quickly as possible and…

It worked, much to my immense relief.

"Understood! I'm glad that we are so close as a family," He rebuked before ruffling my hair in the most infuriating manner. "See you tomorrow then, Matti!"

I stared at him leaving, and then I frowned when I saw him pull an umbrella and open it before leaving.

It took me a moment to realize that it was raining.

And I had left my umbrella back home.

…

Today is not my day.

Sighing dryly at the pitiful end of this school day, I proceeded to place my phone and wallet inside my water-proof bag. Once I was done with the simple task, I walked out of the cover offered by the building's inside and braved the storm-like rain that was domineering the entire city.

It wasn't a novelty for Milan to be subjected to this kind of weather, but it was also true that winter had yet to settle and that this degree of raining was quite… heavier than predicted by any recent forecasts.

Still, I decided to ignore the fact that something odd was going on with the rain. People were rushing as quickly as possible to their homes, perhaps feeling that this was just the beginning of a true storm.

I followed their example, and started to pick up the pace despite the chilling cold that was hurting my tired bones as the freezing water easily reached my skin through my clothes.

Gritting my teeth, I kept up a vigilant state whenever I had to cross the road. Mist had started to settle, and my sight was growing more limited the more I wandered the city.

I wouldn't be surprised that someone was still driving despite the terrible weather, and I wasn't taking my chances in getting hit by some moron's mistake.

A cough exploded from my lips, the cold starting to bring in more symptoms of hypothermia. I was far from freezing, but I could easily catch the common cold if I wasn't wary of how long I stayed outdoors.

The natural silence created by the constant fall of rain drops worsened my means of keeping tracks of any incoming vehicles and soon… I saw something dreadful while I was in the middle of crossing one of the bigger streets in the city.

The blinding white light that came from the direction where cars would come from got me to stop for a moment, the brightness being enough of a distraction to catch me off-guard.

I froze in panic as I noticed that I was standing in the middle of the road despite the fact a vehicle was coming my way and… I braced for the worst when I saw the light intensifying more and more.

But I couldn't hear any car's noises. Nor could I see any silhouette behind that light.

Instead of being pushed away, I was pulled.

And in that strange development, I tripped over myself and onto a… warmer floor.

It wasn't asphalt and… I quickly realized that it wasn't raining anymore.

My clothes were still drenched and… I was no longer outdoors.

I glanced up, my eyes widening as I realized that I was in a large room packed with people of various kinds.

…

And I was using 'people' in a loose manner considering their appearances. Bipedal, humanoid… but not human. They all looked like… animals?

I felt my breath hitch, and my throat tighten a little bit. The prelude of a panic attack, but I held back some more as I tried to understand the madness I was pulled into.

Something this big- I knew that I just couldn't hope for anything to go wrong for me if I put myself in that troublesome state.

There was some whispering all around the room, but my attention was stolen by a pair of… women.

The oldest of the two, both red-haired and with traits I could only relate to Coyote, stood up from her chair and glanced at me with a kind look. A motherly look.

I guess the younger one, which was currently regaling me with a fascinated look, was her daughter.

Waiting patiently as the lady prepared to speak… I ended up frowning when I was regarded with a language I couldn't recognize.

At first the woman didn't seem to catch on with my confusion, but then a 'buffalo' man beside her approached her to whisper to her something.

He was wearing what looked to be a mix of antique armor and some modern garbs. I blinked at the mere idea that I had been kidnapped by… aliens?

I could only think of this as an abduction. I had been kidnapped by a race of creatures which were possibly going to do odd things to me.

Now that worry finally got me to panic seriously. This wasn't the standard new place in a new city.

No, this was a literal otherworldly experience. One that I wasn't going to enjoy considering how many warrior-looking people were staring at me.

Finally I felt my chest compressing, and my lips parted to try and keep the air flowing one way or another.

But just as I started to feel the aching sensation behind that panic attack and the headache forming at the lack of oxygen, I felt a pair of warm hands press softly on the temples of my head from behind me.

My breath… regularized. I felt my lungs slowly regaining a correct pacing, and I felt my clothes drying up almost instantaneously.

"W-What?" I muttered as I turned to deal with who was responsible for… helping me?

And I felt my jaws dropping when I was faced with the smiling look of an angel. And it wasn't just a correlation to her beauty.

The heavenly-looking woman had some animal features herself, most prominently the pair of long ears that seemed familiar to the ones the mother-daughter duo had.

"Greeting, child of Terra," The divine being greeted. "I'm Apogeo, the heart of Prism, and I have a mission for you in regard to a grand and just deed."

I frowned. "What?"

Her lips twitched, a hint of amusement at my persisting confusion.

"You've been chosen and summoned to become a paladin of good, a protector of innocents, and a savior of what remains of Prism, my former home," She elaborated with a calm voice. "You will become a sword, a justice-doer… you shall become a Knight."

Before I had the chance of saying anything about this, I noticed a strange yellow gem forming in her hands and she… held the odd sphere for me to take.

I stared at it, initially reluctant to go through and pick that up… but then I felt a buzzing coming from the back of my head. A need, a craving… I felt this was right for me to do.

And so I ended up complying. Once I had it in my hold, I looked up to Apogeo and expected her to say more but… she started to shine brightly.

"For now I shall leave you to gain a better understanding of your stay here," The spirit-like Angel muttered. "My duty here as a messenger and as a gift-giver has been completed. May you find-"

"W-Wait! What about my family?" I asked nervously, actually holding her from fully leaving. Her blue eyes widened in surprise at that interruption. "I-I understand that this is an important job, but… but I wish to at least to tell them that-"

"You will return to the very moment you left your world," Apogeo promised with a truthful tone. "I'm happy to see how you care about them… and I know you'll make them proud here. I leave you in trustworthy hands, young human."

I blinked at that assurance, this time allowing the being to vanish from my sight as I was returned to the reality of things.

Silence greeted me as I found myself dealing with the awkward situation that I was thrown into before speaking with Apogeo.

Trustworthy hands. That's how the genuine spirit had described the group of animal-like people.

I tried to gather my wits as I prepared for quite the awkward conversation.

How should I address them? They weren't human… but they were still sentient beings.

I gritted my teeth at this very obstacle.

Why is this so frustrating? Why couldn't I have been given some more info of what is going on now instead of being given everything of… nothing?!

I started to stand up, barely noticing that someone had walked up to me and… was now staring at me with a curious look.

"Human?" A feminine voice said with an intrigued tone, urging me to turn to grace the sudden query. "Is this what you are? You're a human?"

It was the woman that was trying to speak but I couldn't understand. And now I could understand her for some strange reason.

Could it be that Apogeo did more than just fixing me up?

"Y-Yes, ma'am," I replied politely, frowning at the unexpected approach. "And if it's not too… impolite to ask, may I inquire to who I'm speaking to?"

I saw some people tensing up at my polite question, fueling my frown as I waited for an answer.

The Coyote gave me a mirthful nod, her green eyes hinting a playful side coming to play right now.

"You may, young man," She replied with a nod. "I'm Queen Rehema of Prism, the current ruler of… what is left of our long gone homeworld."

"Your majesty," The same Buffalo man tried to interrupt, only to pause at a mere glance thrown by his life.

"But now I wish to know your name," The Queen continued, her interest peaking as it was easily displayed on her visage. "It's only common courtesy."

I nodded, agreeing to that point and… taking a moment to properly kneel.

"I'm Mattia Castelnuovo. And I'm glad to make your acquaintance, Queen Rehema."

…

There was an unusual amount of silence at my introduction, but soon I was given some response. Except it wasn't through words.

Her hands were carefully over my head, checking on my hair before trailing down my face. She cupped my cheeks and lifted my stare up to her face.

"Your skin is smooth. And your hair is well-cared," The woman mused. "I guess there's not much difference between a human and a Prime."

Prime? Is this their species' name?

I was once again deprived of the chance to inquire more about this when our attention was taken away by a loud snort.

Green eyes bored onto me from the safety of the younger Coyote's chair. The girl looked slightly annoyed, if not frustrated by the scene.

"Is there something wrong, Adela?"

I continued staring at her irked look, and she kept on gazing at me with that display of irritation.

"Mother, I remind you that this human is meant to be my knight. You already have Roland to protect you," The younger woman remarked dryly. "And I wish to speak with him. In private."

The sudden demand got the entire room to a tense standstill. I could see the Queen regard her daughter with a perplexed look… and yet she sighed and nodded, accepting the request.

"I suppose it's correct for you to request this," Rehema conceded. "But I remind you that our time here is limited, and we can't afford to be there when the Empire-"

"I know, mother," The young redhead interjected with a quick nod. "And I will not waste too much time with my… protector."

The way she addressed me felt almost mocking, if not insulting. There was a degree of disdain and… I felt narrowing my eyes back at her with this kind of attitude.

Princess or not, I wasn't going to allow someone like her to just boss me around just like that.

If only I knew that an irritated princess was going to be the least of my worries in the next few hours.

AN

And so it begins! The tale forgotten by history books, the legend of those that brought a conclusion to the galactic war!