Hello, readers. Welcome to the new chapter 1 of the rewrite to HyperDimension Neptunia!
You guys really did want this, so I have delivered. This story is, as much as I can, be a bit more different. It will, of course, follow the GENERAL idea, but I'll try and do better about creating new events and developing the plot more, stuff like that.
Oh, and of course, I'm not alone! Isn't that right, Neptune?
(Neptune, at your service! Who's ready for some comments from yours truly?!)
So, without further ado… let's return to the world of Neptunia once more! Huzzah!
Chapter 1: War's Turning Point
Gamindustri…
Here, this ever changing realm is split into four, each protected by a goddess. Each reside in Celestia, a realm far part the Lands that they oversee.
CPU Black Heart, and her Land of Black regality- Lastation.
CPU White Heart, and her Land of White serenity - Lowee.
CPU Green Heart, and her Land of Green pastures - Leanbox.
And CPU Purple Heart, and her Land of Purple progress - Planeptune.
Here, each of the goddesses fight endlessly, in attempt for total rule over Gamindustri.
This battle has continued for time immemorial, etched into history. This…
Is the Console War.
…
As if Purple Heart needed to be reminded.
As she backed off, she wondered why her mind had wandered towards the Console War's history. Perhaps she had just needed something to occupy her time.
Regardless, she chided herself. Getting distracted would get her nowhere real fast.
Black Heart casually strolled to Purple Heart, her expression haughty and her sword at the ready. "Ha. You should just give up already. I've nearly got you in place."
"Nonsense." Purple Heart fired back, her own sword raised in retaliation. "This fight has lasted for centuries by now. Why quit when I'm so close to winning?"
It was then that White Heart and Black Heart whizzed past, the two of them fighting each other. Green Heart seemed mildly annoyed as she asked, "*sigh* How much longer must I put up with this fight?"
"Can it!" White Heart yelled, swinging her battle axe directly at Green Heart. Even though she came up short, she recovered and kept talking. "If anyone's gonna earn that title of True Goddess, it's me!"
"Oh? And what makes you so sure of that?" Green Heart cat-called, sizing up White Heart in a disapproving way. "I'm fairly sure the people would never look up to someone so… tiny."
"You're one to talk!" White Heart shouted at the top of her voice, her eye growing bloody crimson. "I can't stand the way you act all high-and-mighty, Thunder Tits!"
To be fair, Green Heart was the most… gifted of the four, and it wasn't like her goddess outfit was trying to hide it. Rather than grow annoyed at White Heart's comment, however, she seemed to grow smug. "...you flatter me. Breasts symbolize fertility and maturity… befitting of a goddess. With that logic, I do believe you would be the least… fitting."
That only drove White Heart more into a rage. "GRAAH! All I hear is crap coming out of your rear! Die!"
She charged, but was intercepted by Black Heart, who had charged in and tried to take out Green Heart while the latter was distracted. However, it simply ended up with Black Heart's strike managing to block White Heart.
Even Green Heart looked surprised, seeing the blade that barely blocked the strike come out of nowhere.
"Dammit, that was close!" White Heart cursed under her breath, backing off from Black Heart, who had recovered and was glaring at White Heart with an all-too-smug expression.
"Not the way I planned that, but it should be sufficient. Your mine!" Black Heart yelled, charging forward.
(Huh. This DOES feel a little different than the previous iteration.)
(I'm trying, at least.)
As the two went sword to axe, Green Heart sighed again and asked, "In all seriousness, how much longer must we fight? I've grown tired of this repetitive nonsense."
It was then that a fifth voice spoke.
"Well, then why not get rid of one of you?" the voice asked, making White Heart, Green Heart, and Black Heart stop in place.
"Hmmm… certainly an idea." Green Heart considered.
Purple Heart saw the entire display and grew confused. "What? What are you going on about?"
"Not a bad idea. Having only two others to fight would certainly increase my odds of success…" Black Heart reasoned.
"So, who's the sad one to get rid of of us?" White Heart mused, glaring at each of the goddesses in turn.
The voice spoke again, clear and plainly to everyone but Purple Heart. "I suggest… Purple Heart… Neptune."
The three goddesses considered that, and it seemed like they were coming to an agreement. "It would be, at the very least, difficult to defeat her later, so I agree." Green Heart nodded, looking at the other two.
"What are you three on about?" Purple Heart demanded.
It was then that she noticed each of them ready their weapons, and they were all looking directly at her with their own smirks.
"Well, it would appear that we're all in agreement. So sorry!" Black Heart mockingly apologized.
"What?!" Purple Heart, too late realizing that she should have her weapon ready.
Black Heart charged ahead, followed by Green Heart and White Heart. They each tried to simultaneously land a strike on Purple Heart, but she dashed out of the way just in time.
Realizing the other three were now all against her (in a both figurative and literal sense), she knew that she needed to act fast. So while the other three were recollecting themselves for another pass, she charged forward and slammed into Black Heart, knocking the wind out of her and started slashing. Had Black Heart been any less of a fancy flier, she would've been turned into mince meat.
But by then White Heat was back up, and she quickly flew towards Purple Heart with her axe at the ready.
Purple Heart waited until the very last second, and then slammed her sword downwards just as she leapt to the side. The effect was that the sword collided with White Heart's axe, and caused her to basically sending herself in an unintentional catapult that sent her flying a few feet away, cursing Purple Heart all the way.
Then Black Heart finally recovered, forcing Purple Heart to block her strikes to stay out on top.
But it was clear she was starting to struggle. She was growing tired from the combined attack, and she hadn't even fully knocked any of them out of the running yet.
She met Black Heart in a sword lock, each of them glaring at the other.
And that's when Purple Heart just remembered about Green Heart, who had waited until the perfect moment to come flying in out of nowhere, using her massive spear to knock Purple Heart's sword clean out of her hands.
Purple Heart, knowing that she wouldn't stand a chance without her weapon, tried to jump up into the air and grab it, but a swift strike from Green Heart sent the weapon off over the edge of Celestia.
"N-no!" Purple Heart gasped, turning just in time to see Green Heart smirk at her.
Black Heart was flying at a now defenseless Purple Heart, charging up one final strike to finish the job once and for all. "This ends now! Begone!" she yelled.
All Purple Heart could do was frantically brace herself as Black Heart laid her final attack.
The resulting explosion was too much for Purple Heart to block by herself, and she fell off of Celestia. She was knocked out cold.
As she unconsciously fell, her form shined, and she transformed from her goddess form into a human form, still knocked completely unconscious.
And that's when the War began to shift.
(Heck yeah it did.)
Meanwhile, in another universe...
A young man woke up from his dreams.
This time was the most cryptic one yet. He imagined three forces of incredible strength had just teamed up against him and knocked him completely out, leaving him falling off of the edge of what looked like a floating island into the void waiting below.
Actually, now that he thought about it, he'd been having a similar dream all week: figures fighting each other, himself included, locked into a never-ending struggle.
But… this time, it felt like his part was over. The figures had already knocked him off and away.
But… why was there another figure next to him?
It feels as though he was falling with someone, like the powerful entities had knocked him and the other figure off and over.
And unless he was mistaken, the figure that was next to him had appeared like it was a girl with purple hair, knocked unconscious.
(*cough* Totally not me. *cough*)
He sighed, sitting up from his bed. He popped his back, thinking that he really needed to get a comfier place soon.
And that's when the headache started.
"GAH!" the young man cried out in pain, as his head burst into EXTREMELY sharp pain, like someone was nailing into his skull with a mallet and a railroad spike.
He staggered to his feet, holding his head the entire way.
Now… shall I start out our day today?
"N-no… I just woke up. You can stay away…" the man grumbled to himself, rubbing his temples.
But I want to come out. You've been letting me play less and less lately…
"Because each of your 'play' sessions have gotten us into more trouble than good. Now hush… I need to calm myself…" the man whispered aloud, staggering out of his home.
The headache slowly diminished as he walked throughout the city, though it was quite a struggle. Especially since he also had to focus on keeping his hood up so that no one saw his face.
It wasn't like he DIDN'T want them to see him, but… there was a time and place for everything.
He shouldered his backpack, which carried all of his essentials: his phone, his laptop, some cash, toiletries, meds, some thick books, the works. He never let the pack out of his sight: that kind of equipment was his most important tool. Losing it would mean losing everything he'd worked up to this point for.
He shouldered the pack once more, just for good measure, and continued to nurse his headache while trying to reach the place.
Eventually he found it: an old cafe he frequently made stops to.
"'Ey, C-Man." the barista on duty called out as the man opened the door. "How's it goin'?"
"Not so good… 'they' tried to come out just as I woke up this morning…" the man murmured.
"Really? Well, here. Have one on me today." the barista offered, whiping up the man's favorite - a regular drink with milk and sugar, but instead of coffee beans he instead brewed a little bit of chocolate. The resulting drink was deep, sweet, and warm.
"Always the best." the man replied, after taking a deep swig. "Maybe I'll swing by later today… assuming I'm still fine by then."
"Please, don't hesitate. And try to keep them in line for me? Hate to lose your business." the barista asked politely.
The man snorted under his breath. Nine out of ten times, all of the drinks he got were paid for by that particular barista. If he was still what that location called 'business,' it was a wonder that they were even open.
Anyway, once the man wandered around sipping his drink, he wondered what he should do today.
For some reason… he kept having a strange feeling in the back of his head. Like… he wouldn't see this place again for a long, long time.
He shook that thought away. Surely he was just still a little dizzy from his little 'exchange' this morning.
Why do you keep me locked away, hm? You know that I make us far stronger.
"Grr… you know that your version of 'stronger' and mine are two VERY different things." the man murmured under his breath.
Are they really? Ooh, do tell then. What would I need to do for you to let me loose?
'Maybe not be so damn phycotic.' the man thought in his mind.
I heard that! Rude boy!
"It's true and you know it." the man replied quietly, moving past a large crowd of people. Stares followed him as he continued to argue with his 'friend.'
Aww, but you know that I truly do care about you, right? I just have a… different way of expressing it.
"'Different' is putting it mildly. You've nearly gotten me INTO just as much trouble as you've got me out of." the man murmured, sitting down on a park bench. An old man sitting there took one look of the newcomer and then stood up, rather promptly, and then walked away.
"*sigh*... I just… I wish that I could go back." the man murmured.
Back to what? To the good old days when I was your best friend?
"No… to before I even GOT you. Before any of this all happened." the man sighed, looking down at the ground. "Before… they took them away."
Memories flashed in the man's head, one after another. Each one filled him with the same kind of regret, the same kind of sorrow.
"Anyway… guess I should get researching again." the man sighed, pulling out his laptop from his bag.
And that's when he felt something was wrong.
The hairs on his arms started standing up straight.
He looked all over. No one in sight.
That was more than suspicious. At this hour, the park was still full of people walking around. NEVER was it empty like this.
And… why did it sound like something was approaching from behind him?
He turned around and nearly choked.
A police helicopter was flying above the skyscrapers, closing in on the park. There was little doubt in the man's mind who it was for: him.
He threw his laptop into the backpack and jumped into the bushes, quickly becoming hard to see.
The heli was now right above the park, and it appeared as though they were looking around.
Then footsteps started pounding the paved roads all over. It sounded like half the police force was here right now.
The man knew that he was a wanted man (he could thank his 'friend' for that much), but it was never THIS bad. He was under the impression that as long as he didn't show his face too much and never gave his full name, he wouldn't be caught.
But now, he needed to leave. NOW.
Quietly, he crawled around the bushes, taking care to hide when the chopper or a cop drew close. It was a slow process, as he could barely move five feet without seeing another cop. Once or twice he almost got himself caught.
But eventually, after what must've been at LEAST an hour, he made it to the very edge of the park. All he needed was to make a break for the alleys once the chopper wasn't looking at him and he'd be home free.
But life couldn't be that simple, no.
Because as soon as the chopper flew to the other side of the park, he looked out of the hedge line both ways, then murmured, "Now or never!"
He charged full speed, but just as he was about to hit the other side of the road-
"FREEZE!" a loud voice blared over loud-speaker. A bright searchlight instantly trained over him, making him stand like a deer in headlights.
Cops flooded out of the park, each of them with tasers and pistols at the ready. The man was taken back by these cops organization. How the hell had they managed to catch him…?
And then that's when he looked up at the chopper.
"Well well well. Look who we have here." the voice called out.
A voice the man knew all too well.
He didn't even need to look up all the way to see his face. All he needed to see was that purple suit and tie. "You've had a good run, kid. But I've got you now. Come with us quietly, it'll make this process SO much easier for you and me."
The surrounded man grew arrogant. "You son of a-"
That was all he managed to get out before a stray taser shot blasted him right in the stomach. He fell to the ground, the electric pain scrambling his thoughts.
'N-no… not like this…' the man murmured in his mind, unable to react to the situation.
I do believe NOW you need my help, then?
The man lay there, tased and disoriented, as the cops were starting to move in closer.
"..." he stayed quiet for a moment, then…
…
"Let's play."
Good choice.
And then, all feeling faded.
He felt no pain. He felt no weakness.
He didn't… feel. All that he knew…
Was that it was time to have some fun.
He stood back up, much to the cops dismay. They instantly noticed how his face was now contorted into a twisted smile, barely human.
The same cop bravely aimed another shot of his taser at the man, and fired.
But now, the shot… did nothing.
"Awww, how cute." the man, his voice now twisted and distorted. "The brave cop thinks that'll work a second time."
And then all hell broke loose.
The man now held an old, dull knife blade, and it was clear that he knew how to use it.
Guns fired. Tasers zapped. If anything hit the man, it was clear he no longer felt it.
Laughing like a madman, he slashed his way throughout the horde of cops. Not killing them, no. The man still had enough restraint for that.
But he was still willing to leave many officers with nasty wounds that forced them to fall back - or simply fall over. Either or worked out just fine for him.
He kept forcing his way forward, but just as he reached the edge of the police line-
*BANG BANG*
Two impacts, like fast balls, drilled right into the man's back. Against all known odds, he FELT those.
They hurt like HELL.
He felt his power subsiding, and the pain grew only larger with each passing second. He felt around to his back.
Blood was oozing out of a wound in his upper back, right behind his chest region. His backpack had managed to soften most of the blow. Perhaps the books were destroyed, possibly the laptop too. But he still probably now had a bullet clinking around his body, and there was an awfully large amount of blood coming out.
He managed to turn around. The purple suit…
He had a sniper rifle in his hands, and it was aimed right at the man.
Had… he taken the shot? Likely so…
But as the man's body started going into shut-down mode, he realized what was going to happen.
Everything that he had worked up to this point for was for naught.
Even if he was tried he would be lucky to get a life sentence.
'N-no… this can't be the end…' he pleaded. 'I… I just want another chance…'
He collapsed to his side, his body numbing. 'Just… one more… chance…' he pleaded in his mind.
He had flashing images come to his mind. The girl from his dreams falling again, the chopper with the purple suit man, a shine coming from his backpack…
…
Then...
Came the falling...
...
Well. How's that for a night and day comparison?
(What did I just read?)
That, dear Neptune, was the newly revamped version of the few brief moments I give snippets of our dear OC's past. Much more intuitive than the LAST version, no?
(Yeah, last version you simply said 'you fell into a hole'. LAME!)
Exactly why I wanted to go big this time. I noticed that you didn't comment much this time around, though. Was it just because you wanted to read?
(Pretty much. I'd rather not interrupt stuff like that, especially seeing as it's new info. Time for the questions to come in full force.)
Oh, but all will be revealed in time, Neptune… in time.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this new, remade Chapter 1! Time to resume the slow climb back up to where we were, but I do feel as though I will be more into the story now that I've got a fresh pallet.
As always, if you guys have questions for me or Neptune, lemme know with a PM. Always happy to answer!
(And, until next time dear readers…!)
Stay awesome! =D
(Oooh, that outro IS kinda fun to say!)