Disclaimer: Okay, the standard disclaimer here folks. I don't own Ragnarok Online, Gravity does and I don't own Mageknight either, Wizkids does. If I owned both then I wouldn't be here writing this fanfic. I'd make sure that this story will be the main storyline. I DON'T have any money so save yourself the trouble of trying to sue me.
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Stolen Destiny
By: Midnight Blue Eyes
Chapter 1: Wheels of Destiny
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A solitary figure stood still inside a small, round, dimly lit chamber. Its walls were lined with numerous shelves containing dusty tomes and parched scrolls as well as worktables laden with strange apparatuses. There were four candleholders evenly spaced around the room, which acted as the room's sole source of light. The dancing candlelight gracefully outlined the sole occupant's lithe form, revealing her very feminine curves. She stood in front of a large water basin, with her eyes closed in deep concentration and her hand held steadily just inches above the water's surface. She began chanting in an unknown language, indecipherable to anyone native to Rune-Midgard.
She was in the chamber once more.
The chamber, which changed, shaped and defined her life.
The chamber where she saw everything unfold, from simple converstions to major battles to the land's destiny, she witnessed everything from the water basin in the center of the room.
She was once more in the scrying chamber.
Blurry images flashed through Kastali's mind as she focused on the scrying pool. Whispers and murmurs assaulted her from all directions as though a dozen specters spoke to her, each demanding her undivided attention. The voices surged through and around her, disorienting her as she tried to follow the source of the spectral voices.
The right hand of shadow seeks the door twice opened . . .
Tides of darkness the seven shall bring . . .
The dark heralds shall once more be awoken . . .
The mightiest beast again will be free . . .
The voices stopped for a moment as though letting her commit each verse to memory. The brief pause allowed her to regain her bearings and steady herself by holding on to the basin's rim. But as she managed to stand properly again the voices surrounded her once more and resumed their whispering.
When the last of the lights is all but taken . . .Four lights from the darkness shall spring . . .
Restored is the oath, which was broken . . .
The Destined will once more be unsealed . . .
'Echoes,' thought Kastali. 'Merely echoes of a destiny once passed.'
'Would history repeat itself? Would their world share the same fate as ours?'
'Would we simply leave them to their fate?'
She pried herself away from the scrying pool, unwilling to listen to any more repetitions of past prophecies. Unwilling to be whisked away by its magic and see the destiny it beheld.
She had heard it all before.
She had lived it.
And more importantly, she had lived through it.
As she turned around to leave the chamber, a faint whisper, almost inaudible, caught her attention.
. . . the four keys . . . crimson heart . . .
She quickly spun around to face the scrying pool, expecting to see it glow a pale blue color, but was disappointed as the apparatus stood there dormant. She stood there and waited silently, hoping to hear more of this new passage.
'Could there be more?'
'Could their destiny be different from ours?'
She wondered what destiny now lied before the slayers, a destiny mysteriously indiscernible by the pool. Could this unexpected revelation actually be a small flicker of hope or does it doom their future even more? There was little else she could do now. She had already sent him to his destiny, to whichever end it might lead.
Destiny would come for them, that much is true. And they would have to meet it when it does.
'I have taught him all the skills that I could teach,' thought Kastali. 'And now it is up to his acolyte training to augment it.'
'I only hope that it will be enough.'
She thought of the young man's quest, his sole purpose for living, and how it was somehow akin to hers. She knew what he sought would be different from what he would find, no, not find, but what awaited him.
"Your destiny transcends vengeance, Zeph," Kastali said with a mixture of regret and wisdom in her voice. "Would you continue to stay in the past, or would you be able to see through the pain?"
"My role in this destiny is all but gone," she said thoughtfully. "There are only two tasks left for me."
And after voicing out the last of her pent up thoughts she left the scrying chamber. The wooden door behind her clicked softly before melding with the surrounding wall. Whatever was seen and heard inside would remain for her eyes and ears only.
Or so she thought.
If only she stayed for another minute in the chamber, she would've seen the scrying pool pulse a sinister green glow.
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Sunlight crept up on the capital city of Prontera, bathing its cobblestone streets and cement walls with its warm glow. The warm morning breeze swept through Prontera's empty streets announcing the new day, a new day of opportunities.
The sunlight that snuck into the windows of the Prancing Petite inn woke each of its occupants with its welcoming light. Not all however welcomed the sunlight back.
"AAARRGHH!" came Randt's agitated cry.
The wandering blacksmith tossed around in the bed ruffling the sheets, trying to block out the sun's radiant light. With one last flap of the bed covers he succeeded in covering himself completely.
"Five more minutes . . ." he said to no one in particular.
After his short outburst a sudden feeling of realization hit him, just as it did every time he would sleep in a comfortable mattress. Slowly he sat up on the bed and ran a hand through his chestnut brown hair, mussing it more than it already was. He then looked out the window with his ruby red eyes, using his right hand to shield them from the bright morning sun. Once his eyes had adjusted he quickly got up and got dressed. Tossing the final article of clothing, a ragged jacket, over his leather armor he thought of the new day, which awaited him.
'Another day . . .' he thought, knowing that he would have to proceed with his usual routine.
Today, it seemed, would progress like any other day that he spent in a city. He would go out to the trading square and sell his forged weapons and armor during the day and would run through the local rumor mill at night, hoping to find at least a trace of the two mysterious words that fueled his journey. He would prowl about in taverns and inns even go to such lengths as contact the local thieves' guild. Most of the money he earned went to the search, using zenny to loosen tongues. How he longed for his search to end, the answers to his questions answered, his past made clear. How he wished that today something different would happen.
Needless to say this is the part where the phrase 'be careful what you wish for' comes in.
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The afternoon sun glowed red in the horizon, painting the southern fields of Prontera with an orange blush.
An armored figure made its way up a grassy hill with a shield slung upon its armored back and a sword sheathed by its side. The figure's strawberry blonde hair, arranged in a spiky ponytail, swayed in the brisk afternoon breeze. Slowly she trudged her way up the hill deep in thought.
'I finally made it,' thought Freya 'Beyond this hill lay the capital city of Prontera.'
It had been a long journey from Payon, nearly a week of navigating through dense jungles and traversing scorching desert sands. She had vanquished every monster that strayed in her path and overcame any obstacle that would hinder her. Now she stands at the threshold of her mission.
'It shouldn't take more than a day to conclude this task.'
She grimaced inwardly at the thought. She had already given her cry of indignation after she was briefed about her quest yet she still couldn't get rid of the feeling of disappointment that plagued her. Her first official mission: to personally deliver a letter to the king. It was a messenger's job, it was menial labor, and it was not something that someone of her capabilities should be assigned to do. Yet she accepted.
And she planned to complete her first mission to the letter.
She held the letter in between two fingers, as though examining its contents. She knew that no one other than the king may open the letter, but she can't help but wonder what important message required such a capable courier.
Flashback
"Heaven Sword fighting technique: Laguna Blade!"
A brilliant flash of light followed the technique's loud declaration, illuminating the dark Payon forest. A small orb of pure energy surged through the forest striking its intended target, a large boulder, and fragmented it. Freya stuck her sword on the ground and leaned heavily on it. Her energy reserves were all but spent on trying to master the Laguna Blade.
Her eyes narrowed quickly as she realized that she was being observed.
"Well done, sister, well done. No one before you has shown as much promise as you do," said the now revealed stalker. "You are the youngest swordswoman to ever perform a Laguna Blade, however incomplete its form is."
A figure stepped out from behind a tree, dressed in samurai clothes, which was a simple white gi and a black hakama, her flaming red hair reaching the her waist. She looked like an older and more beautiful version of Freya, her aura radiating an odd amount of benevolence and wisdom.
"Sister," Freya nodded in reply. "What brings you here?"
"Am I not welcome to visit my one and only sister?" Mirrialis said, feigning indignation.
"The only time you visit is when you want to test me in combat or when I am needed to be present in the main dojo," replied Freya.
"Why Freya, I'm hurt. Can I not have some time to bond with my beloved sister?"
Freya simply raised her eyebrows in response, expecting an even more witty repartee upon her answering the question. She was surprised however that her sister dropped the ruse rather quickly. Mirrialis Romanova then turned towards her sister, a serious look adorning her beautiful face. A look, which befitted the head of the Heaven Sword school.
"Sister, I have an important mission for you," explained the older Romanova.
"I want you to deliver this message to the king," she said, producing a scroll from the folds of her gi. "The message will disappear once it is read, therefore none but the one it is intended for may read it, do you understand?"
"Yes sister," Freya responded.
"You must leave immediately as time is against us. Prepare quickly and return to me when you are ready."
Freya then wasted no time in preparing. She was traveling alone and therefore meant that she had to travel light, bringing only her padded armor, buckler and her katana. Before she left, she and her sister shared one last warm embrace before she set out to do her task.
"Be careful, dear sister, the land is full of danger as well as those who seek to hinder your mission."
"Don't worry sister, they will fall by my blade should they cross paths with me," Answered Freya confidently.
"I know that you will do your best to accomplish this task . . . and I also envy you so much, for in this journey you will learn so much and it will enlighten your training even more."
"What . . . what do you mean? I have studied all of the ancient scrolls and learned most of the techniques . . ."
"I know that . . . you are undoubtedly the most skilled out of all of us, but you have to understand this school, the heaven sword school, does not rely on the way of the sword but something even more powerful, something that all other schools fail to acknowledge," she said, closing her eyes.
Freya stared oddly at her older sister.
Mirrialis met her beloved sister's gaze and smiled serenely. "It relies on the way of the heart."
"I don't need to learn such trivialities sister! I am a warrior! I am a swordswoman! All I need is the perfection of discipline and the way of the sword," Freya cried in indignation.
Mirrialis simply smiled at her sister's naiveté and said. "Go then, dear sister, and be safe."
She then watched her only sister walk out of the dojo's main gate and into the streets of Payon.
'I wish you well Freya. May your heart find your true path.'
End flashback
Freya's thoughts of her sister's words stopped as she neared the top of the small hill. She had made it to her destination with little trouble. Looking back towards the general direction of Payon, she sighed, deeply disappointed that her first mission would be an eventless journey back and forth.
She could not have been more wrong.
Freya then returned her thoughts to the present, looking at the sight of the Rune-Midgard's capital.
Something was wrong with this picture.
Tall pillars of smoke erupted from within Prontera's walls, creating an ominous black cloud over the capital city. The conflagration inside lit the streets in a sea of crimson haze.
All other thoughts emptied from her mind as she broke into a dead run towards the besieged city.
Prontera was burning.
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Author's Note: Whew the first chapter is finally done. After three weeks of waiting I've finally finished this chapter. The fight scene was supposedly in this chapter but it was already long enough so I'll save the siege of Prontera for the next chapter.
I don't know how the other writers do it but this stuff is hard.
Hope you like this and review so that I'll know that some people are looking forward to my story. It kinda motivates me, knowing that my work is appreciated.
Midnight Blue Eyes over and out.