Chapter 15: The Meeting
Shivan walked calmly down the alleyway. Curiosity pulled on his mind with every step. The path seemed to extend forever on into darkness. Rain pelted the ground and interrupted his thoughts.
At last the monotonous scenery changed. Some three or four yards before Shivan there was a pale mist hanging low in the air. As Shivan approached, his heart beat faster, and his eyes beheld a sight: there in the mist were many cloaked figures, hooded so their faces were concealed. The rain seemed to slip off of their bodies, and in each there was a deep-seated mystery. Their robes were a dark violet and appeared to be fashioned of fine silk, for they glittered dully as water struck the cloth.
"Who are you?" Shivan asked.
"You know who we are." The voice seemed to come from all of them at once. It was hollow and lifeless.
"If I did, I wouldn't be asking."
One of them stepped forward. He was the tallest, at six and a half feet, overcastting the others.
"We are the YSB Elite." His voice was commanding and vibrant, and it echoed ever so slightly, much unlike the first voice.
"Elite?"
"Got a problem with that? Sue me."
"Take off your hood."
"As you wish."
The man lifted his hands to pull his hood from his head. There was a bold face with long brown hair, shallow, forbidding black eyes, and silken skin. Atop his head was a band of silver engraved with similar symbols as the ones written on the walls of the place. Rain fell on his face, but he was not bothered.
"Now who the **** are you?" Shivan asked.
"Ramza. I am the Lord of the Legends."
"The who?"
"Us! The Legends. We have called you here to speak of a very pressing matter."
"Who else is here?"
Ramza sighed. "I could not assemble the whole of my party. But I have gathered those who would come to protect you during this time, and bear -"
"Who are they?" Shivan interrupted.
"Fine," Ramza conceded. Without looking back, he said, "Stewards?"
The first removed her hood with fine fingers.
There was a woman there, whose eyes sparkled in a fair face, and whose long golden hair hung on her shoulders, illuminating her smooth, pale skin. She was as the sun: terrible and beautiful, and she wore a silver band like Ramza.
"I am Sacred Solar, Second to Ramza." Her voice was fair and musical.
Another removed his hood.
His face was radiant, a dark flare burning in his eyes. As the others, his hair was long, but his was pitch black, darker than even the world around him. His gaze was piercing and it seemed that no command issued from his mouth could be denied. He too wore a silver band on his head.
"I am The Darkshine Knight, Third to Ramza." His voice was deep and harsh.
"Everyone else now," Ramza said.
As one, the entire company revealed their faces.
"I do not recognize them," Shivan said.
"You are not supposed to," Ramza said, adding, "Not now, anyway. Vagrant, Spirit, ns. They will one day have great influence in this world, or so I prophesy. But we did not bring you here to chat about our identities: rather, there is some matter that could wait no longer. We are approaching the end of our age and the coming of another. Gamefaqs and virtual reality will never be the same. A shadow could fall across the world, the world of the conscious, the world of the living. And only you have the power to stop this now."
Shivan walked calmly down the alleyway. Curiosity pulled on his mind with every step. The path seemed to extend forever on into darkness. Rain pelted the ground and interrupted his thoughts.
At last the monotonous scenery changed. Some three or four yards before Shivan there was a pale mist hanging low in the air. As Shivan approached, his heart beat faster, and his eyes beheld a sight: there in the mist were many cloaked figures, hooded so their faces were concealed. The rain seemed to slip off of their bodies, and in each there was a deep-seated mystery. Their robes were a dark violet and appeared to be fashioned of fine silk, for they glittered dully as water struck the cloth.
"Who are you?" Shivan asked.
"You know who we are." The voice seemed to come from all of them at once. It was hollow and lifeless.
"If I did, I wouldn't be asking."
One of them stepped forward. He was the tallest, at six and a half feet, overcastting the others.
"We are the YSB Elite." His voice was commanding and vibrant, and it echoed ever so slightly, much unlike the first voice.
"Elite?"
"Got a problem with that? Sue me."
"Take off your hood."
"As you wish."
The man lifted his hands to pull his hood from his head. There was a bold face with long brown hair, shallow, forbidding black eyes, and silken skin. Atop his head was a band of silver engraved with similar symbols as the ones written on the walls of the place. Rain fell on his face, but he was not bothered.
"Now who the **** are you?" Shivan asked.
"Ramza. I am the Lord of the Legends."
"The who?"
"Us! The Legends. We have called you here to speak of a very pressing matter."
"Who else is here?"
Ramza sighed. "I could not assemble the whole of my party. But I have gathered those who would come to protect you during this time, and bear -"
"Who are they?" Shivan interrupted.
"Fine," Ramza conceded. Without looking back, he said, "Stewards?"
The first removed her hood with fine fingers.
There was a woman there, whose eyes sparkled in a fair face, and whose long golden hair hung on her shoulders, illuminating her smooth, pale skin. She was as the sun: terrible and beautiful, and she wore a silver band like Ramza.
"I am Sacred Solar, Second to Ramza." Her voice was fair and musical.
Another removed his hood.
His face was radiant, a dark flare burning in his eyes. As the others, his hair was long, but his was pitch black, darker than even the world around him. His gaze was piercing and it seemed that no command issued from his mouth could be denied. He too wore a silver band on his head.
"I am The Darkshine Knight, Third to Ramza." His voice was deep and harsh.
"Everyone else now," Ramza said.
As one, the entire company revealed their faces.
"I do not recognize them," Shivan said.
"You are not supposed to," Ramza said, adding, "Not now, anyway. Vagrant, Spirit, ns. They will one day have great influence in this world, or so I prophesy. But we did not bring you here to chat about our identities: rather, there is some matter that could wait no longer. We are approaching the end of our age and the coming of another. Gamefaqs and virtual reality will never be the same. A shadow could fall across the world, the world of the conscious, the world of the living. And only you have the power to stop this now."