Well, it's been two months since I posted the Foreword of my story, and I now have a computer that is usable enough for me to type on. So, without further ado, here's chapter one… Okay, I lied.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Final Fantasy license or any of the characters portrayed in this novelization. Those rights belong solely to Square-Enix. Now here's chapter one.

Before beginning the story in earnest, I would first like to let you know that this story will not begin like other stories. A flashback before a near-death experience, for example, or a beginning where everything is as it should be. This story is not a work of fiction, and it will not be told as such.

This book may also not be entirely accurate in some places. The contents of this story are dependent upon the memories of the people writing it. Human memory is not eternal, and there are some parts that cannot be remembered sufficiently to be anything but a summary of the events that happened. That having been said, what follows will be an account of the war against Chaos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It was a quiet night. Peaceful, even. The streets were nearly empty. The only people around were a few shopkeepers, looking as if they wished they were at home like everyone else. Even the town square was quiet, the vendors finished hawking their goods for the day.

The local tavern that I was at was a different story. The musicians on the raised platform had just started playing "The Merry Traveler", and nearly everyone in the room was clapping and stomping their feet along with the music. I say nearly everyone; one person had his face buried in a mug of ale, trying to drown his sorrows with alcohol.

That person was me. It had been the same routine for nearly a year: go out into the crowds, knock out a couple of rich out-of-towners, take their money, and drink the rest of the day. I'm not going to say that I was happy, but I wasn't suffering. At least, not until that quiet night.

I was on my fourth mug of ale, but the memories still came. An intense heat, a glowing inferno where my family's house was supposed to be. The townspeople were already clustered around the raging fire, but I already knew what had happened. The fire began to burn out, and the people began walking away, their interest fading. I sat by the charred remains of my house, waiting for the last embers to die. A couple charred bones were all that I had been waiting to see. I slowly stood up and began walking down the street.

I don't know how long I had walked, or how far. All that I could feel was a sense of numbness, a deadened feeling that filled me entirely. I rented a room in an inn on the outskirts of town. There was nowhere else for me to go, and no reason for me to do anything else. I sat in that room for nearly a day before the pain of loss finally hit me. When it did, though, it hit me like… well, like one of the Four Fiends in a really bad mood. I sat on my bed and cried for hours, until there were no more tears. I suppose I fell into a depression at that time. I went down to the tavern and spent all my money drinking. It had become an addiction, the pattern that I had fallen into. Every time I tried to put myself on a new path, it called me back, persuading me to take the easy way out. Instead of working my way through the pain, I postponed feeling it. I would probably be doing the same right now if not for that one fateful night. It seemed an unlucky coincidence that I could not forget my problems on that night. I have since learned that what may seem like coincidence is actually the subtle weavings of Destiny, of Fate.

But I'm rambling. As I said before, I could not forget my pain. Hoping to exhaust myself enough to fall asleep, I began walking around the town, stopping just long enough to clear my head at the fountain. That was when my life changed, for both better and worse.

I sometimes wonder if things may have turned out differently had I not decided to stop at the fountain, or if I had waited just a bit longer before setting out. Of course such a thing is an impossibility if fate takes as strong of a hand as it did with me. I really had no control over my life, or I would not have chosen the hard life of a warrior.

I continued walking down the street at a brisk pace, hoping the exertion would drive away any unwanted memories. Then they appeared. I dodged behind a house so they wouldn't see me. I didn't know why, but I wanted to stay out of their way as possible. I soon found a reason for my apprehension. One of them wore a red-lined cape, and though the other almost completely disappeared into the surrounding darkness, I knew what they were. Mages, of the Red and Black orders. Mages were rare in Coneria, even more so after the Black Order was blamed for the restless seas and the bad weather. To see even a Red Mage, respected by nearly all in the world for their mastery of both types of magic, was a surprise. But to see him in the company of a Black Mage? It was almost too much to hope for. Mages normally carried items that could be sold for a hefty profit, and I was already thinking of what I might find. Of course, mages were dangerous to steal from, but the best could normally manage it with very little difficulty. And I was one of the best in Coneria.

The two continued through the town headed for the west gate leading out into the forest. I quickly checked my belt to make sure I still had my sword, and followed. The sword had become almost a part of me, so much so that I could never tell if it was with me or not. They stopped upon reaching the large western gate, and I quickly dove behind a large barrel. Had they seen me? Were they even now backtracking, making sure that no one was following them? I breathed easier when they moved on into the forest. I counted to twenty- slowly- then followed them, making sure to stay in the shadows created by the silver moon. The yellow moon was beginning to rise along the eastern horizon, looking for all the world like a pale sun. I grinned and drew my sword quietly. They were close, now; the faint rustle of a mage's robes rustling over the long-dead leaves, the occasional snap as a red-lined cape caught on the branches of a bush, was just enough to give the two mages away.

I stalked forward, slowly, ever so slowly… and stopped as a wooden staff shot out from behind a large oak tree. The next thing I knew, there was an arm wrapped around my shoulders and a blade at my throat. I swallowed loudly. This was not going the way I had planned.

"I could kill you now, but I'm curious as to why you were following us. Of course, I'll kill you anyway, once you're done explaining," A voice whispered in my ear. I could tell by the sound of his voice that it was the Red Mage- black magic does strange things to a mage's mind and body, including their voice. Then the Black Mage spoke, and I began to wish that the other had killed me when I had the chance.

"Let him go. He's no harm to anyone in the state he's in right now." The words were innocuous enough, but the voice was enough to drive a man mad. It started as a sibilant hiss at the beginning, but there was a strange quality to it, almost as if he was drilling into your mind and driving you insane, slowly but surely. The Red followed the Black's orders though, and I thought I was home free. Of course, I was trapped tighter than I had been when the Red Mage held me hostage. I now owed the Black Mage my life, because his friend would have killed me had he not spoken. Then I spotted salvation swinging through the trees. One of my childhood friends was coming to my rescue. The Elven thief, Kyle.

The thief landed right in front of me, and drew his twin blades. He never got a chance to use them, though, for as soon as he touched the ground, the clearing that we were standing in began glowing. I looked up in the sky, and was perplexed by what I saw. Where there was supposed to be two moons was only one, and it was neither yellow nor silver, but a brightly shining gold. I looked around and for the first time, I noticed the ruins nearby. Four stone balls sat in a row along a stone wall. Each ball had a picture of one of the elements engraved on it. What really amazed me was that the orbs seemed to be pulling the light from the moon in towards themselves, and with each second, they grew brighter. A bright flash lit the sky, and when I next looked, the stone orbs had been changed to pure crystal, each one a different color. Red for fire, green for earth, blue for water, and white for air.

I looked at the three others standing with me. Each one of them looked as spellbound as I felt at the moment. It seemed that I would have to be the foolhardy one. I sighed and walked up to the wall. It was more of pedestal, once I got close to it. I reached out and put my hands on the red orb and… nothing happened. I picked it up and tried to move another, but no matter what I did, it wouldn't budge. Sighing, I went back to the other three. My boldness seemed to startle them out of their stupor as, one by one, they each went up and claimed an orb. The Black Mage took water, while the Red chose air. That left earth for Kyle, and he happily took it.

The glow started fading from the air. I looked up again and saw the silver and yellow moons moving away from each other. I looked at the two mages and grinned. We all knew what the orbs meant. The prophecy of Lukahn was well known in all lands. "An age of darkness and shadow shall descend upon the world. The Orb Bearers shall come, and put an end to evil. The Orb Bearers… The Light Warriors". I shook my head, and looked more closely at the orb I had chosen. It felt warm to the touch, and glowed with a dull light. We knew what were supposed to do, but we had no idea how to go about doing it. Finally, Kyle spoke up.

"So, we're pretty much total strangers, we've been brought here by what seems like pure, dumb luck- or un-luck, if you prefer-, and we're supposed to rekindle the light of the four elemental orbs, without any inkling of how to go about doing it. Is that pretty much all that we have to do, or are we supposed to put an end to crime, too?"

The Red Mage shook his head. "It would probably be best if we we're introduced first. I'm Robert, and my creepy companion is Jacob." The Black Mage waved slowly. "So, who might you be?" I introduced myself and Kyle, and then sat on the ground for a moment.

"This is too much… I need to get some rest." I stood up again, making sure to keep a tight hold on the Orb of Fire. "I've got a room at an inn on the east side of town. We could all stay there for the night."

Jacob –who shall now be referred to as "Jake"- agreed in his sepulchral voice. "We all need rest… But how will we get in? The gates are locked to all coming in after sunset."

I gestured to the orbs. "These will be our keys." We all walked back through the forest to the west gate. A guard blocked our path, prohibiting us from going any further. I sighed and walked forward, making sure to keep the orb hidden.

"Access to the city is restricted after sunset. Who are you, that you think you can bypass the law?" It was at this point that I revealed my orb. The other's walked forward, each following my lead. The guard could only stare in surprise.

"Who are we? We're the Orb Bearers, the Light Warriors. Now, I suggest you let us in before we force our way in." The guard was still staring, but he finally called up to the watchman on top of the wall.

"Dyl, open the gates for these people. And then…" He swallowed audibly. "Then send a messenger up to the castle. Tell them…" He took a moment to recompose himself, dabbing at his forehead with a handkerchief. "Tell them that the Light Warriors are here."

There was a faint clatter from atop the wall, and the gate quickly opened. I thanked the guard and we were on our way.

"Could we have really forced our way in?" Kyle wondered after a while. I merely shrugged. After a fifteen minute walk through town, we stopped outside the inn that had been my home for nearly a year. I quietly opened the door and walked up the woman behind the counter. She looked up at me and smiled sympathetically. She had been one of the many that had watched my home burn to the ground, but unlike the others, it was more to see if everyone was all right instead of simply gawking.

"Steven. How are you feeling today? Do you want your usual rooms?"

"I'm feeling fine, and, yes, I would like the usual rooms. Oh," I lowered my voice and went on. "Do you know of a place where my companions and I could lay low for awhile?" She frowned, thinking.

"I'll have to have the owner make up a list, but I'm sure we can find a place somewhere." She handed the key to me and we went on up to the rooms. I divided rooming up according to who had known each other longer.

"Mages, you get the room beyond that door," I said, pointing to the only other door in the room. I turned to Kyle. "We sleep in this room." The two mages trekked into their room and went straight to sleep, or so they've told me. I sat on my bed, swung my feet up, and put my head on the pillow. It had been a very eventful night.

Whoo… started writing this at midnight, finished at four in the morning. I'm dead tired, but I feel a strange sense of accomplishment. So, first real chapter. I must say, this is much easier to write than my other story. Now…

marinawings- "Breathless anticipation?" Sounds like you were really looking forward to this… hope it satisfies.

Seagull 12348- Cool! You like me, you really like me! Seriously, though, I'm glad you like it.

Ovo- Y'know, you have one of the easiest names on this site. And (for those of you who had a chance to read it), I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again- If a choice is preordained, how can it truly be called a choice?

Well, chapter two should be up shortly. I'm going to keep this going, even if only a few people read it.

See y'all later!

Theoneknownasme