Alright ladies, gentlemen, and those of unspecified gender, this is where the story officially kicks off…
The dates in parentheses are Earth dates to give you an idea of the timeline.
I pulled the first bit from an underrated TV series… First person to guess it (WITHOUT GOOGLING IT) gets a virtual cookie and a shout out in the next chapter.
This is also where we're introduced to our OC, a dude by the name of Victor de la Fuente. Those of you who read the original story will remember him. He's not going to be the shy, quiet type I had in the old story. Though he's Spanish (as in Spain), he's American raised… So he's like any regular 23 year old American guy… He'll cuss, he'll drink, he'll smoke, just like most guys his age. You don't like it? Sue me.
For those of you who feel this might be rushed, or a short chapter, or not enough character development, I went through several drafts of this before giving up and leaving the development for future chapters. Trust me, the pacing just did not work out. You'll learn more about Victor down the line.
I don't own FOZ or the other series. If I did, I would not be rent-poor.
Review time:
Brinyour Melcarth: Thank you
Ridli Scott: Overhaul is definitely a more appropriate term for this. Thanks for the support.
May 2 Guest: "Hurry up". I find it amusing how you just assume I'm going to hurry up simply because you asked "so nicely". The next chapter will go out when I'm damn well ready to release it. Not per your schedule.
Appbeza: Thanks for that and for the PM.
May 3 Guest: ;)
Ospery: Thank you
Founder's Cathedral, Romalia, Halkeginia
Summer, (2015)
The City of Romalia is known as the center of the Brimiric Faith. The Seat of the Papacy. The rulers of Halkeginia are ultimately bound to the Pope's will. However, as of late, the Church is mired in corruption. Pope Caius II is dead. And the Founder's Throne is the prize desired by all.
The death of the Pope was all the city could talk about. Yet all Giovanni Augustino could think of was who would succeed the pope. He was the attendant and confidant of Cardinal Viscido Sforza, a cunning snake of a man with a silver tongue who'd wormed his way to the upper echelons of the Church hierarchy. However, he owed Viscido his life and was proud to serve the will of the Founder. Which is why he found himself storming into the Papal Palace, weaving through the crowds.
"What have they heard?" he asked the guards as he walked in.
"The Pope breathes his last!" was the reply.
"Founder rest his soul" he muttered, half-heartedly.
Walking to one of the side hallways of the extravagantly decorated church, he pondered the events that had transpired the last few days.
After Pope Vittorio's death at the hands of the Ancient Dragon, the Church had been in turmoil in finding a successor. Vittorio had been the closest the Church had been to finally unifying the different factions within the church towards their ultimate endgame: The Conquest of the Holy Land. Vittorio's possession of the Founder's Void Magic had only strengthened his claim to the Papal Throne.
The different cardinals from across Halkeginia had quickly formed their usual coalitions, each pushing their successor. Ultimately, the moderates had prevailed over the fundamentalists, choosing Pope Caius to lead the Church. Caius had focused mainly on healing the rifts that had formed in the wake of Vittorio's death and reuniting Halkeginia after the Ancient Dragon incident, which had frustrated the fundamentalists since they were more interested in preparing for another crusade to the Holy Lands.
Now with Caius' death, an opportunity had arisen. And Giovanni would ensure his master accomplished what he had set out to do. Turning the corner, he found his longtime mentor waiting for him.
"My lord Cardinal" he greeted the man, bowing slightly.
"Giovanni. We must get you out of here before they lock the doors" he began as they walked through the halls towards the Chamber of Cardinals.
"And so it begins."
"You know what to do?" asked Viscido forcefully.
"Yes, my lord."
"Until the new Pope is elected, it will be anarchy in Romalia; every faction fighting for its own candidate…. Remember if, after the first vote, the Beacon's flames remain red..."
"As you said, my lord Viscido. I know what to do" interrupted Giovanni as he walked on.
Sforza was not convinced. He grabbed and pushed his young protégé up against the wall.
"I have waited a lifetime for this moment, Giovanni. The papacy is finally within our reach" he began in a tone that left no room for argument. "Now, we will go over it again. IF we fail at the first vote, I will send word-"
"On the wings of a dove-"
"-names of those Cardinals who need persuading".
"With properties, benefices, and if necessary, gold" finished Giovanni. "They call it simony, Cardinal"
"This may be the first step towards reclaiming the Holy Land. The Founder would forgive us, my son. But I will NOT forgive failure. Am I understood?"
Giovanni nodded. "I will not fail you, Cardinal".
Chamber of Cardinals
After a week locked in Conclave and two separate rounds of voting with no clear majority, the third round of voting had begun.
"Cardinal Auditore of Aquileia has garnered 2 votes" droned the Dean of the Conclave.
Sforza stood in the center, facing away from the Dean, his mind racing as he hoped his plan had worked.
"Cardinal Valjean of Lutece has garnered 4"
His skin grew cold. Could this be…
"Cardinal Sforza of Velena… 7!"
Sforza's knees grew weak as he let himself kneel in prayer, thanking the Founder.
"Cardinal Sforza has the required majority"
Of course, Viscido Sforza knew the Cardinals too well to allow his election to go without challenge or commentary.
"Correction"
And of course, it comes from HIM he thought.
"Cardinal Sforza has bought the required majority" voiced the leader of the moderates and a constant source of irritation for Sforza: Cardinal Mazarin of Tristain.
One of the fundamentalist Cardinals was quick to respond.
"What exactly is your implication, Mazarin?"
Sforza took this opportunity to address the room.
"His implication is that the Throne of Brimir is for sale" he said, smoothly.
"And has been bought by a brute up to his elbows in simony" added Cardinal Swan of Albion, another moderate.
"I see" replied Sforza, planning his next move. "Then my first act as Pope will be to conduct an inquiry into the elective process. My second act of course, will be to name a Vice Chancellor. As you know, this position is vital to Our Holy Church, and comes with benefits befitting its importance. Naturally, such a position would go to the most qualified and devoted man in this room" he finished, eyeing Cardinal Swan of Albion in particular, who was known to be quite the ambitious weasel.
Some of the other, less idealistic moderates also realized this and backed down. Those loyal to the dead pope, however, remained skeptical.
"If we may continue, Cardinals" interrupted the Dean. "Let the record show that Cardinal Viscido Sforza has the required majority".
Sforza stole a glance at Mazarin as the other Cardinals came to congratulate him. He had a feeling the moderates were going to present a problem towards his reign.
What can they do now? he wondered. I have been chosen as the Voice of the Founder now. A small chuckle escaped his lips, which did not go unnoticed by Mazarin.
September, 2015
He found himself floating… somewhere. There was nothing around him. It felt like being submerged in a deep ocean.
There was a light in the distance… A glowing figure floating in front of him.
"Mundalfr" the voice echoed ethereally.
"Mundalfr" it repeated.
What the hell is it saying? he asked himself.
The world suddenly seemed to be permeated by a noise.
The noise morphed into something more familiar.
Sirens. Police sirens
September 21, 2015, Washington, DC
Sirens. Police sirens blared
Opening his eyes, Victor de la Fuente groaned.
Fucking sirens he grumbled stumbling out of bed. Outside, a police cruiser sped down the street. The one downside to living on in the city he thought.
Victor was a young man of 23 living alone in Washington, DC. His parents, having died a year prior in a mysterious plane crash off the coast of Europe, had left him enough to live comfortably. The healing process had taken months and had nearly caused him to fail out of school, but he had finally made it on his own, now living in a small, sparsely furnished apartment in the heart of Washington, DC.
Getting out of bed, he thought back to last night's dream. He couldn't remember it though he did remember there was a glowing figure that had said something he couldn't understand.
Checking his phone, he frowned when he saw who had texted him sometime during the night.
"Victor, please talk to me. I know we didn't leave off on the best terms but believe me I still wanna be friends."
Of course she does he thought sarcastically. The text was from Erin, the one girl he'd met who in his opinion was as crazy as he was. They both shared the same interests, yet she only saw him as a friend, something that had thrown him into a melancholic funk when he'd come clean about how he felt about her.
He quickly typed out a response.
"Look, I just need some time alone. I've got a wedding to go to halfway across the world and I'm taking some time off to relax for a bit before coming back. Yes, I'm fine with being friends but I need some space and time. I'll get over it eventually and then we'll hang out and have a drink when I get back. Ok?" SEND
Of course she does he thought sarcastically. The text was from Erin, the one girl he'd met who in his opinion was as crazy as he was. For the past few months, she had been a casual thing that had, at least to him, moved towards something more. But when he'd told her as much, she'd said the exact opposite of what he'd wanted to hear.
An old friend from his time studying abroad was getting married in Australia and he'd been invited to the wedding in Gold Coast. Which explained the half-full suitcase beside his bed.
Moving towards the kitchen, he made himself some coffee while he mentally went over his schedule for the day. He still had some packing to do before heading to Dulles for a cross-country flight to Los Angeles. From there, he'd hop on another flight to Sydney.
Bzt bzt
Checking his phone again he saw Erin's reply.
"Ok. I'll hold you to that. Safe travels!"
Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California
Tom Bradley International Terminal, Gate 132
9 PM
Though the sun may have set over the City of Angels, Los Angeles International Airport was very much alive and active even late at night.
The evening rush for the trans-Pacific red-eye flights was just about to get underway.
One such flight was Oceanic 29.
A 787 operated by the second most well-known Australian airline, Oceanic 29 was only about half full this evening, a fact Captain Frank Rollins was thankful for as it meant he and his first officer Seth Lapidus would have a lighter aircraft to work with.
As he performed his walk-around outside the aircraft, the passengers prepared to board.
(pant pant) I… fucking… hate… LAX… thought Victor as he sprinted to the departure gate. His flight from DC had been forced to hold over LAX due to traffic, meaning he was cutting it very close for his connection to Sydney.
Rushing through the terminal, out of breath, he finally made it to gate 132 just as the first boarding calls were being made.
Victor, against his nature, had decided to skimp on this flight and fly Business so he could get some sleep. Thus he'd made it just as his boarding group was called.
Captain Rollins made it back to the flight deck just as the first passengers were beginning to board.
"Nothing to report on the walk-around, mate?" asked Lapidus.
"Nope. All clear. Begin pre-departure checklist".
Meanwhile, Victor walked on board and found his seat, 3K. He looked around, noticing the Business Class cabin wasn't as full as he'd expected.
Most of the passengers walked past him as they headed back.
With the cabin doors closed, the 787 pushed back from the gate and got into line for takeoff while the pilots continued their checklists to ensure a smooth flight.
"Before takeoff checklist complete" quipped Seth.
"Care to do the honors?" asked the Captain, smiling.
"Los Angeles Tower, Oceanic 29 Heavy at runway 25 Right ready to takeoff"
"Oceanic 29 Heavy, clear for takeoff 25 Right"
"Clear for takeoff 25 Right, Oceanic 29 Heavy"
"Takeoff power. Your aircraft" ordered the captain.
"My aircraft"
Both pilots placed their hands on the throttles and pushed forward. Immediately, the plane's two massive GEnx turbofan engines roared to life and the plane thundered down the runway. The pilots watched the airspeed indicator climb quickly.
"80 knots"
"Checked"
"V-1" called the automated voice as the aircraft reached the speed where it must continue with the takeoff or risk a runway overrun.
"V-1" replied the captain. "Rotate". The First Officer pulled back on the yoke and at 9:34 PM, the plane lifted off into the midnight sky.
It quickly climbed to its assigned cruise altitude and both the crew and the passengers settled in for the 14 and a half hour flight to Australia.
Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean
The shaking woke him up.
Victor's eyes shot open.
The plane was shaking.
Turbulence he figured.
Looking around, he saw most of the other passengers were still sleeping, though a few had been jolted awake.
(DING)
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we seem to have run into a few bumps, please fasten your seatbelts until the sign is turned off"
Victor was used to flying so he wasn't worried. He was rather irritated he'd been awoken with more than 9 hours still to go.
His irritability disappeared when the plane shook violently. Someone cried out as it shook again.
The plane suddenly dropped like a rock as someone screamed.
Victor grabbed the seat rest. Air pocket he reassured himself, though a part of his mind was not so sure.
Glancing outside, he saw lightning flashing. Bolts struck the plane itself.
Ok, this is definitely not normal he thought, worried.
The shaking was now nothing like he'd ever experienced.
Outside, he could hear the whine of the engines increasing as the wings flexed and bounced from the shaking.
The cabin lights flickered as people started screaming.
I'm gonna die here… thought Victor. I'm gonna die in a plance crash…
"We're gonna crash!" someone screamed.
Suddenly, there was a flash outside, as the entire plane seemed to be suspended in midair. Loose articles and food items floated for the briefest of seconds as the flash illuminated the entire cabin. And then it was gone.
Everything came crashing down. The shaking stopped. Sunlight filtered in through the windows.
Wait… Sunlight? thought Victor. He leaned over to look out the window. The other passengers had noticed it too. It was daytime outside.
Victor only had the briefest of moments to take in what he saw as the plane suddenly pitched up and the engines accelerated to max power. Moving back to the window he confirmed what he'd just seen.
The plane was much lower to the ground than it had been as it climbed back into the clouds. They were over green countryside. Behind them, some sort of castle dominated the landscape.
Looking around, that's when he first noticed it. The moon… Or rather moons. Two of them…
If you read my first attempt at this story, you probably saw this coming. If you didn't, welcome. It only gets crazier from here.
Honestly, there will be no release schedule. These first few chapters might come out a bit faster because I already wrote them (I'm working on Chapter 5 right now) but if I do end up with a long time between releases, I apologize.
Read and review! I enjoy reviews and consider constructive criticism useful… But keep it civil… I'm looking at you, Guest Review No. 1