Chapter 1
A/N: Hi! Sadly, I have no beta at the moment so this story might suck. In fact, I'm not sure I'll ever get a beta reader so please judge accordingly. In the meantime, the main character of the story is named Ash, who is a new Dark Warrior! (I forgot the other term that they use in the game. Forgive me!) And now, enjoy the show!
-Deiji
"Oh Valkryie. Please, save my brother." A young girl was praying in the moonlight of the window of her country home. Her brother was lying a bed nearby, stricken with illness. He was breathing heavily, holding true to the predictions of the town doctor that he would not live through the night. He had been travelling about the world in the name of the the King of Artolia, searching for treasures and spying on an enemy country when he was brought back by the King's men after he passed out during an audience. The girl, his sister, hoped that he could at least make it into heaven, where he deserved to be for serving his homeland during a time of war, and continued to pray. It wasn't long before life left the young man's body.
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"Do you wish to open your eyes, Dark Warrior? Or are you that ungrateful," a forceful tone declared. A young man, wearing the clothes that he had before he contracted the disease, stood in front of the Death Goddess herself. Finding himself unable to resist her tone, he opened his eyes to reveal the light-blue pupils within. "Are you the Death Goddess," he asked of her. "That I am. Are you not pleased to be amongst the chosen," she questioned. The man looked about him, only to find that he had returned to the void upon his death. "No, I am very honored that you have chosen me. I guess Amila's prayers worked after all...," he said in a sad tone of voice. "Perhaps. Regardless of that, the God Almighty Odin has chosen you. For that, you should be overjoyed." He chuckled to himself at that comment. If he had the choice, he would have rather given his place to a soldier in the army. But turning down the offer in the face of the Valkryie herself would just make things worse. "Yeah, I'm OK with it. Working for Odin will pass the time." The Valkryie's composure was unchanging throughout the entire conversation.
"So then it is decided. What is your name, Dark Warrior," she decided.
"My name? It's Ash." With those words spoken, he vanished into thin air.
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They reappeared in a field of white flowers close to a very large castle. Ash watched as the howling summer wind picked up stray petals and pulled them into the gray sky. He looked over to see the that the Valkryie had vanished, leaving him isolated. "Now go, Dark Warrior. The Lord Odin and the Goddess Freya would like to have word with you," the familiar stern voice rang in his head. Ash sighed heavily as he noticed a long, white brick path heading in the direction of the castle. He uttered things to himself concerning his past life as he treaded along the path. He pondered over the condition of his younger sister, who was now left in the care of his mother and father, and that of the wellbeing of Artolia. Even if he really did not like the job of being a government spy, he did enjoy protecting those that he loved. Especially since that Artolia was on the losing side of the war with Villnore. He learned from a long time ago that he would do anything to protect those that he loved, even if it meant dying. He laughed to himself a bit when he finally realized this. He kept up this pattern of thought as he continued to walk along the path, noticing that this world was without animals or any other sign of wildlife other than the white flowers. "Where are the ponds, lakes, or any other body of water," Ash asked of himself. He figured that he would inquire about it once he met with Odin and Freya, whom he believed to be beyond the oversized, articulate golden doors that he stood in front of now. Letting out another deep sigh, he pushed the doors only to be greeted by yet another bright light, blinding him almost instantly.
"Hello there, Dark Warrior, and welcome to Valhalla," a great masculine voice declared. Ash knew that without a doubt that this was the voice of Odin himself.