Hello...Umm...My name is Shina, Shina Aurora.
I know we haven't talked much. Golly, I don't think I've ever talked to you at all 'til now! But...but I could really use an ear to listen to what I have to say. Just for a moment...please?
There's someone I want to talk about. It...probably wouldn't surprise you that its me, ya? Is that selfish? I'm sorry. Cause, I heard you don't mind that kind of talk if someone needs help. And I...I...
I just...really need some help.
See, I grew up in this big floating city, Sancturia yeah? I lived with my mother Auris, and my little sister Kairi. I know you haven't met them, probably...But my mom's a bit of a goof at times, but she's also very loving. And sis she's...Well by golly she's the sweetest little gumdrop you'd ever darn seen!
...But, I-I became afraid for them. I was so afraid cause I love them that darn much. See, there's this bad guy, Gravitus? He's gonna to take my sister away and use her to obtain ultimate power.
I set out on a quest to save her and my people. But...I wasn't alone. There was this...boy. His name was Alex Whiter. At first I thought he'd be the one to save my people. But I was wrong. Boy, was I ever wrong.
...Cause he didn't save them. He saved me...from myself. I ain't afraid to admit I was a bit of a wreck back then. Always letting people push me around and not doing much for myself. Not that I didn't LIKE helping people, but...The demands got a bit silly, lets put it at that.
But back to Alex! See, a lotta people would say he was a bad guy. Sure, he was rough around the edges, but...It was that same roughness that chiseled away at my cage and let me spread my wings and fly. I was able to start standing up for myself, and believed that I could do more...And...and because of that...
I...Well gosh, I just wound up falling in love with him. At first it was just silly, childish admiration for the legend. But then I realized he was more than just a title. He was a person, a troubled, frightened person, but that didn't make him no different than me. Heh, he ended up falling for me too now that I think about it. Its...almost like it was destiny.
…
…
Sniff...A-And now he's dead. I...I killed him...With my own two hands I killed him! I didn't mean to do it! I-I swear, please believe me! But...but it all happened so fast and it was beyond my control that I...
...I-I'm all alone. I'm praying to you on this rock in unexplored territory for an Aurian, just miles away from where I need to be. But...I-I don't know I can make the last stretch. My legs feel so brittle, my heart is so heavy...Its like I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.
So...that's why I'm talking to you. I was kinda hoping you'd help lift some of that burden off my shoulders? Cause...he's no longer around to carry it with me.
G-Give me all the strength ya got! I-I can't fail now...not when I'm so close. I...I don't want to lose anyone else! I...don't want to be alone...Please...God.
True Finale: A Girl Named Shina Aurora
"Sniff..."
I've been sitting on this lush, forestry planet for almost two days now. At least...I think its been that long? There ain't no sun out in these parts as far as the eye can see.
Thank goodness the atmosphere's full of something similar to aura. If it weren't then...gosh, I don't even want to think about that right now! My wounds are fully healed up, but...
My knees sure feel numb. I've only been sitting on them for what, ten minutes? Thirty minutes? ...An hour? ...Gee, has it even BEEN two days since...
…
...He always was scarily good at keeping track of time. Its the little things like that ya tend to appreciate about someone once they're gone.
…
No! Focus Shina! Ya did a prayer, so now you've gotta show God you were worth his time! So get on your feet and make that first leap forward!
"Ow...Oof! Oh my poor heels...I can barely feel my legs!" I tried standing up right away. Maaaaybe this was one time to take it slow 'n easy. So I end up wobbling around for a few moments. No big deal! I'm used to being unbalanced.
Why I remember on the sixteenth birthday when I had to suddenly get used to aaaaall this new weight on my chest...
Wait...who'm I even talking to? Its just...me. Right?
"...Brrr, feelin' really cold all of a sudden here." I cuddle my arms against my body and look up. That big, bright, blue glowing sun-like thingy's staring me back. Maybe that's the source of these chills?
This whole place is totally unexplored territory for an Aurian...Wait, didn't I say that already? Oh man, I'm going nuts all by myself, ain't I? W-Well, hey, look on the brightside! This'll practically make me a bonafide Neil Armstrong!
"One small leap for me, one giant leap for family kind!" ...Yeah, that's what he first said on the moon. Totally!
"Ok Shina, practice what ya preach and make that leap!" I swing my hands up towards that glowing sphere and raise my heels off the ground. Theeen I put them back down. Then back up. Theeeen back doooown...
"...Ok seriously Shina, get that lead outta ya boots and..." My body shoots off the planet's surface and pushes through the canopy as I truimphantly declared, "Fly! Yahoo!"
Course, just cause something looks close in space doesn't mean its a walk in the park to it, so the saying goes. It takes me more than a couple hours at least until I start feeling the immense warmth the sphere's projecting. It...kind of reminds me of a hug from mom.
I'm a little famished going forward, but that's fine. If the other planets are any indication, I'm gonna be eating liquid gold from whatever treasure trove lies behind this veil! So I press my body against the bright surface and feel myself being squeezed like a ripe orange as I penetrate my way inward.
My mind sort of drifts into a state of nirvana for a few seconds as I find my body surrounding with pure, concentrated aura. I feel like I am one with the stars. 'Course, not like I wasn't expecting this. It ain't called the "Cosmos Drive" for nothing. But woooow...This feels really, really good.
"Huh?" Its a darn shame it lasted as long as I said it did though. Before I had blinked my eyes twice I was inside the massive sphere and witnessed something truly spectacular. The inner walls of the spheres were covered in bright lights similar to the Aurora Borealis seen on Earth.
Mom always joked that the people of Earth must've named the phenomenon after her late father, but I wonder if there ain't some truth to that? The Aurora Borealis has always been connected to Sancturia even when the city was on an entirely other world...But that's a history lesson for another day.
While I so earnestly wished for this vibrant landscape to be where I needed to go, my real destination was somewhere rather...drab and dull. The core of this sphere, presumably where all this pure Aura was projecting from, was this large, dirt brown planet filled with cracks like it was ready to go "Pop!" any moment.
"Huh, this...ain't what I was expecting." Was I being silly to expect I'd be greeted by a giant golden citadel spanning millions of miles wide? I mean sure it would've been a real pain in the keister but...
A dirt planet? Really? ...Oh! Maybe the golden citadel is hidden UNDERNEATH the planet! Kinda like the Aurian equivalent of Atlantis!
"Well, what am I waiting for? Better get to exploring!" I bolted straight towards the planet, the trip taking me roughly an hour at top speed...In hindsight, I really should've activated my Valkyrie Drive to make it faster, but just thinking about it reminds me of...
…
A-Anyways! My first landing on the planet is a little rocky, but thankfully the whole thing doesn't pop under the weight of my feet. That's good, right?
Ok, so first impression of this place? Not so good. The ground looks drier than a saltine cracker and there's all these icky...I want to say skin flakes, littered on the floor. But the worst thing about those flakes is that they're...sticky. Oldy, moldy and sticky. They've been around for so, so long that they're practically fossilized.
"Uuurk, I'm ready to throw up..." I turn my head up and cover my mouth until I get far, FAR away from this disgusting sight. I run a few yards before running into a somewhat better change of scenery.
There's a few mounds of dirt filled with human-sized holes. Even someone as tall as me could easily squeeze into one if I tried. N-Not that I'm any mood to. I could only begin to imagine all the cobwebs clogging that thing up.
"Huh, I thought there'd be a few more...skeletons." Yes, I have a problem with rotten skin but loooove skeletons. Guess I'm just weird like that!
Around that point I slap the side of my head and go "Oh duh!" as I remember that there's something I need to pull out. I reach into my left pocket and pull out the round runic stone that we...managed to piece together over the last two-ish years.
This was our guide to the Cosmos Drive, but...something's telling me its purpose ain't served quite yet. The etchings on the stone are the names of the Ten Sages from mom's time, including the grandfather I mentioned before...His name's right on top, Borealis Aurora, the font bigger than the rest. Guess he musta had a big ego or something. But mom's never spoken ill of him, so its kinda a shame he was alive waaaaaay before my time.
Anyways, this stone's gotta go somewhere right? This planet's pretty big, but not much bigger than say...the Earth's moon or something like that. If I just concentrate reeeeeaally hard on the stone, then...
"Aha!" The stone lit up and a trail of aura weaved to the right of my body and bolted forward straight in that direction.
"Alright...I'm sooo close I can practically taste it!" ...You know, I wonder if anyone's ever tried to lick an Aurian Drive before? ...Like I said, I'm weird like that. But I gotta keep my mind going somehow! How else is someone supposed to keep themselves company when they're...all...alone...
…
"No! Keep yer heard up Shina...! Y-You're almost there..." I barely felt the trickle of water down the right side of my face as I raised my weary legs and trotted across the planet's surface. There wasn't much to unearth beyond more and more of those holed hills, but I did run into a couple of interesting knick-knacks along the way!
Like there was this crusty bracelet that looked like it'd fit on my ring finger! I guess Aurians back then must've worn Drive bracelets like rings...That or they had really, REALLY tiny wrists.
Then I also picked up this rusty metal bowl that had a lot of ash in it. I'm guessing they set a fire in it, but for what? For warmth? For worship? There's barely record of Aurian history before the first migration of worlds. I'm literally the first Aurian to know about any of this in...golly, I can't even begin to imagine how long!
"...Oh wow I'm an idiot," I crack a cheeky grin and grab the side of my head as I start feeling a little faint, "This is the first Aurian homeworld!"
...Did I mention I can be kinda slow at times? Yeeeeah...
I spent the next minute or so spinning around with sparkles in my eyes as I try and piece together what this place could've been like long ago. I asked myself many questions about what the planet was named, how our people used to live, if there was any plantlife. But then a voice in my head told me to cut it out and stay focused, so I slowly stopped in place and cuddled the completed artifact against my chest.
"Yeah...I know, I know..."
Then I start to wrap my arms under my chest and raise my head, taking on a gruff, masculine voice as I mutter, "Come on Shina, you've got to focus! You don't get a second chance at having a family!"
I ease up on my arms and giggle, "I know Alex...I..."
…
Now I'm just making myself depressed. But for a moment, it did really feel like he was back, y'know? ...Maybe its insane, but a part of me still doesn't want to believe that he's actually dead. It wouldn't be the first time he defied death.
"He deserved to be here..." I whisper as a few tears trickle down the sides of my face. I wipe them off before they roll off the cheeks and shake my head, lifting it up with a smile.
"But...that's why I got finish this for the both of us! So no more lollygagging! Its time to go go GO!" My feet feel as light as a feather as I rush alongside the trail of aura and finally, after wearing my feet down for fifteen minutes, I arrive at the final destination.
...Well, I got my wish. Sort of.
There was a golden citadel that stood on this planet at some point in time. But it collapsed, the pristine gold rotting and dirtied over many millenniums. All that was left standing were the front gates and foyer, including its ceiling. Though everything was in shambles, I stood there in awe of the place for a whole minute. Wouldn't have surprised me if a fly wandered into my mouth during that.
After I got over my initial shock I looked down and noticed there was some sort of...idol or totem on the ground. It was the one thing on this entire planet made of wood, but the face had been rubbed out and all I could see was the person's robe. Was THIS the Grand Cosmic Aurian Sage? Or...the Goddess of Aura? The statue's features were pretty gender neutral honestly.
I put the totem down and glance at the front gates. Yep, as I suspected, there's a notch in the very front that'd be just a perfect fit for the artifact!
But as I head on towards the slot, I start getting goosebumps and my arms shake. I know I went on this journey and all but...I-I don't know what to say! Behind these gates lies a power greater than even the Neo Drive. And with great power, comes great responsibility...
Gosh, I'm honestly a little scared that I'll acquire the Cosmos Drive and go mad with power! Or what if its too great for me to handle and I blow up? Or...or what if...
"Click!"
As if guided by a hand that wasn't my own, my right arm raised the artifact piece and pushed the stone into place. I tightly bit my teeth down and started feeling a little freaked out.
"O-Ok...that's not normal..." But as I tried to tug my hand back, my fingertips remained glued to the rock, even as I grabbed onto it with my other hand.
"Ok! You can let go now!" I yelled to myself as bright, glittery blue light flooded out of the seams of the artifact and washed over my body. The stone was shoved out of the slot and grew slightly so the hole in the center could slip past my hand and onto my wrist. It bit down into place and the gravely surface was shed off to reveal a gemstone bracelet as bright, blue and beautiful as the starry skies around me.
Then, with one loud "Crack!" the door split wide open and the gushing light threw me onto my back. I wound up being knocked out for a few minutes due to my head hitting a rock, but otherwise it could've been a whooole lot worse...
When I came to I groaned and drew my eyes open slowly. The citadel's gates were now wide open to reveal...nothing. There was nothing inside but dusty ruins and a terrible, odorous musk. That smell alone was nasty enough to lift me to my feet and plug my nose, swinging my hand around to dispel the stench.
"That's horrible! Uuugh, get away!" But that's when I noticed it. Latched around my wrist right above my normal bracelet was that bright, blue and beautiful on. It was snug as a rug cuff. My heart skipped a beat and I was frightened but then that fear just...went away? It was like the stone felt just right, like it'd always been a part of me.
A wistful wind blew over me from behind and I had to hold my hair down before it got all up in my face. Then as I raised my head up I was mystified by the presence of someone who wasn't there just a moment ago. They had a ghastly light-blue body, kind of like a Force Ghost, and their limbs and head were obscured in the shadows of their robe. Despite their spiritual form, I could make out that the colors of their robe were dark blue. But there was a moving pattern on their clothes that reminded me of drifting through space and seeing the many stars that littered it.
The robe itself was also very fluffy. Very...very fluffy. Kinda like a moth's wings, if I had to make a comparison? I fought very hard not to leap at the robed figure and hug their rub to see what it felt like...Cause this person obviously wasn't alive, and I'd just like like a complete fool. But wow, this person was pretty short. The top of his head barely reaches the bottom of my chest...Oh right, I'm also just really tall. Oops!
...Still, I'm getting a lot of "That Man" vibes from this person. Enigmatic, yet one look could tell ya that they are full of saintly wisdom...
"Oh!" My eyes lit up and the next thing I knew my cheeks were bright red and I was on the ground both hands planted firmly in the dirt and my forehead nearly half buried, "I-I'm sorry! Y-You're the Grand Cosmic Aurian Sage, aren't you...sir?!"
The spirit drew his right sleeve out and with a clicking, nasally voice responded, "Raise your head o' child of mine."
So I did, and I could feel the spirit grinning from cheek to cheek. Really wish I could get a good look at his face, but that hood of his was getting good mileage out of all the light casting down upon him. But there's no doubt he sounded...well, he sounded wise, but also different than what I was expecting? Its like he's clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth with every syllable.
After sitting up on my knees the spirit lowered his right hand and whispered, "I am he of whom you refer to as the Grand Cosmic Aurian Sage. And you...are Shina Aurora, no?"
Oh my god I must be red as a beet right about now! My smile's about to escape the sides of my face too! Oh goodness I can barely breathe-
"Relax..." He waves his right hand down at me a couple times and I could hear him giggle, "It shouldn't come as any surprise, should it? Did you think I earned my merits over mere hyperbole?"
He raised his sleeves to the stars above and the power of his voice was like an echo of the heavens, "As my children rest amongst the cosmos, so too do I rest amongst their hearts. The very fiber of my being has been woven between the stars, and spread across the boundless eternity you call...reality."
"...Ummm..."A little grandiose of an intro, don'tcha think?
"..." As though he read my mind, the Sage lowered his head and appeared to smile as he giggled out, "Or to put it in simpler terms...I have been watching over you since the day you were born, Shina Aurora."
"Y-You have...?"
"Yes. Though it'd be more accurate to say...I saw the day you were born coming a long, long time ago."
"Oh! So you're clairvoyant like my mom!" I shot up and smiled in intrigue but the Sage started to turn his body and growl a little. Did...did I touch a nerve?
"Ohoho..." His chuckle returned in record time as he waved his right sleeve up and remarked, "Clairvoyance is but one of many feats the Cosmos Drive can perform. To boil down my power to just one simple, effortless task is an insult to the years it took me to create it..."
He shifted his head a bit to the right and remarked, "So...how does it feel on you? Comfortable? Uncomfortable? Please, bear your heart to me, Shina Aurora."
I lifted the bracelet up and raised the right of my lips in a sort of frown-smile combination before shrugging my shoulders and rubbing the back of my head, "I don't really...feel any different."
"Hmm..." The Sage nodded his head and waddled across the dirt, leaving nary a footprint in his wake cause...you know, he's dead.
"That's only natural. The Cosmos Drive has merely bonded to you. To wield its power you have to-"
"Touch down on it like an Aurian Drive?"
"NO!" He screamed with a hiss as I felt his cold eyes glaring at me through the shadows. He huffed a little bit and then brushed his sleeves against the front of his robe, recomposing himself into a more saintly posture as he walked back to where he started and remarked, "No...no, its not that simple. The Cosmos Drive isn't just an extension of your aura...It is an extension of the mind."
"My...mind?"
"Yes, yes! You have to will forth the power locked away in the Cosmos Drive. Without a strong will, the Drive's power will consume you!"
"..." I squinted my eyes at the Cosmos Drive and then held it out towards the Sage, "But this IS the strongest Aurian Drive, ya?"
"Absolutely."
"Even stronger than the Neo Drive?"
"...Oh, positively." He pushed his hood aside a bit with how wide his grin got.
"Well then what are you waiting for?! Show me how to use it!" As I energetically leapt in the air the Sage thrust his right sleeve up and declared, "Not so fast there!"
"Huh huh?" I blubbered in confusion.
"Did I not warn you of the consequences my child? Yet you'd so recklessly pursue power...? Perhaps you are not worthy of the Cosmos Drive after all..."
I pucker my lower lip up and bow my head, frantically apologizing to the Sage, "I-I'm sorry Mr. Sage! B-But I don't have much time...! My-"
"I know all about your sister...And of that sorry excuse for a man who calls himself 'Gravitus'."
I blinked a few times as he went on to explain, "My words are no mere boast my child. Before my soul was stripped from my body and sealed away here, I weaved my aura through every nanofiber of the universe, creating a web through which I would be able to see anything that happens in the present or the future."
"So you know what's happening right now?"
"And what WILL happen, yes. But sadly now that you unlocked the Cosmos Drive's power, I'm afraid that power is lost to me and given to you..."
I raise the Cosmos Drive up before my face again and wonder aloud, "So...if I concentrate REAAALLY hard on this, I can see the future like mom?"
"The Cosmos Drive is a path to powers that many would consider to be...unnatural."
Wow, Star Wars reference. I wonder if he did that intentionally? The subtle head nod seemed to suggest he was, but...
"But yes. The future is yours to see as you wish. But the road is long and winding, so do take care not to peer too deep..."
"...Ummm, I have a question." I say, diligently waving my hand in the air, which seemed to humor the Sage.
"Yes yes, I'm sure you do my child."
"You knew I was coming...right? Does that mean I was always destined to wield the Cosmos Drive?"
"...Destiny is a funny word to consider when viewed through the lens of a singular timeline," The Sage waved and twirled his right hand around in the air above his hood while enjoying the sight of the stars, "Did I know you were coming? Yes. But does that mean everything was predetermined? Absolutely not. You never would have made it this far without your own power."
"...That's not true. I was never alone until now." I said with my head hung low.
"Yes..." The Sage clicked his tongue and nodded a bit, "The tragedy of Alex Whiter's demise is one even I could turn away from. But barring his involvement in your journey for a moment..."
"You still traveled thousands of light years away from home, clinging to the slimmest hope that my existence, my legacy, would be real. You raced against many other similar minded folk living different lives across time and space, yet YOU were the one to cross the finish line. Its doubtful that I'd ever accept any other as the successor of my Cosmos Drive."
I clung my hands up against my chest and wiggle my hips around while looking pretty silly and embarrassed, "Awww...t-that's not true."
After my embarrassment washed away I looked down at the Cosmos Drive, and the Sage edged a little closer while remarking, "You're thinking about your sister, aren't you?"
"O-Of course!" I said with my head shooting right back up, "I haven't STOPPED thinking about her this whole trip!"
"...Its been a couple years almost, hasn't it? Why don't you...check up on her?" He wagged his right sleeve at me, giving his full permission to look onward.
I looked at the Cosmos Drive and squinted my eyes shut.
"Focus, focus..." I take deep breaths in as I concentrate on the Cosmos Drive's power. I try to envision the future, and feel my mind drifting through corridors of stars that speed by as streaks of silver. And what I see beyond the reach of the stars is something I'd never wish upon anyone.
I see Gravitus, now donning this terribly awful looking robotic black suit of armor and radiating with a powerful rainbow aura, standing triumphant high over Sancturia as the storm clouds raze the skies above. There's...no signs of my little sister.
"N-No..." I gasp and wheeze, and my mind in a desperate attempt to deny these images, shunts forward even further in time. There I witness a titanic black wyvern with the arms, legs, head and scales of a dragon looming over the collapsed, bleeding bodies of two boys that reminded me a lot of Alex. Standing amidst a glass domed arena behind this monster was a massive black hole that appeared to be swallowing everything in sight. And when I looked upon that monster's eyes, I felt a familiar fear...of helplessness.
"NO NO NO!"
"Snap out of IT!" The Sage's bellowing scream ended the nightmares and snapped my eyes wide open, where I proceeded to collapse upon my knees and pant in a cold sweat, my arms drooped limp by my hips.
"...I warned you not to peer too deep." The Sage chided me without mercy...I deserved it too.
"...But what DID you see, my child?" He asked, knowing full well ahead of time what my answer would be.
I gripped the Cosmos Drive tightly in one hand and thrust my body upright, shaking my head as the horrifying imagery continued to infect my mind, "Gravitus...victorious...A dark dragon...and the end of everything..."
"...So that is what you saw. Your most despised enemy, reigning triumphant with the power of the Neo Drive. And the judicious betrayer, Justek Arcavira, swallowing everything into darkness..."
"J-Justek...D-Did you say...Justek?" I gasped as my body tried to reel itself back into reality.
"Why yes. You DID have a harrowing encounter with that terrible man, did you not? He, so malignant a spectre, drove YOUR sword through the heart of the one you love...And ultimately proved to be the one responsible for his death."
The Sage shook his head and looked down on me with pity as I hung my head in shame. He then edged closer and used the top of one sleeve to raise my head and remark, "Now that you've seen these futures...Whatever shall you do, my child?"
"I-I..." The wretched pain in my heart forced me to my feet and got me to scream, "I need to get back! Now! T-There's still time to-"
"..." The sorrowful vibes the spirit of the Sage projected tugged at my heartstrings as he muttered, "I'm afraid that what you're asking for is...impossible."
"...W-What?"
"There are many powers I grafted onto the Cosmos Drive before I was sealed away...Instantaneous transmission was sadly not one of them. Even with the Cosmos Drive's top speed, you would not make it back to your home in time to stop Gravitus from killing your sister."
"I-I don't believe you!" I scream out as my head's rushing, "I've experienced split timelines! Where there's a will there's a way!"
"...Time isn't linear, to a degree. If factors are unchangeable, and something has a 100% possibility of occurring, then there's nothing anyone can do. Not even the Cosmos Drive wields the power to change this..."
I bitterly bite my lower lip and squeeze my hand around the Cosmos Drive and start pulling at it to the point where I feel my skin ripping off, "T-Then what good is this?!"
I yell and scream and lose completely control over myself as despair takes over, "I came all this way for this...this stupid rock and I can't even save my sister?! THEN WHAT WAS THE POINT?!"
He laid his sleeve atop my hand as it desperately tried to tear the Cosmos Drive off. His piercing gaze killed any trace of anger and frustration I had and I was left crying with a motionless expression. He then remarked in an understanding voice, "If you choose to go to your sister, then the future is truly impossible to change...But if you were to bring her here, then that would be a different story."
"Bring her...here?"
"The Cosmos Drive's power is incredible. If you listen to my voice, my teachings, then you'll accomplish many great things...We could even stop the likes of Justek Arcavira with ease."
"Stop...Justek?"
I look back down at the Cosmos Drive, and slowly raise my hand off of it. My body felt light, and the sparkle in the stone alluring. I was thinking about...avenging Alex. But more importantly...
"How does this work? How...do I save Kairi?"
"That is within your power at the moment. All you have to do is concentrate really hard on the one you cherish. My aura is weaved throughout the universe. If your love is as strong as you say, then it shall bring her to you."
...Of course my love is strong. Its stronger than even a great Sage like you could believe! I'll show you, just ya watch!
I turn around and raise the Cosmos Drive to my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut and pour my very heart and soul into the Drive's power. My concentration levels are at their maximum. I've shut out all other sights and sounds and start thinking about my memories.
I remember every waking moment I've spent with Kairi. Teaching her to play video games, helping her with homework, training with her, eating with her, sleeping with her when she's scared...Hugging her when she's sad or hurt...I don't leave any stone unturned. To hell with your ambitions Gravitus! To hell with your tyranny! I'm getting my family back...And you'll never, EVER lay a finger on my little sister!
I feel something happening. A shift in mass directly in front of me. I don't let up my concentration, and could tell that my efforts were being rewarded. A bright shiny light shone through my creased eyelids and then suddenly, something popped into place and landed on the ground with a soft, cutesy "Ooof!"
I widened my eyes and my heart melted to goo. Green shirt, blue jeans, long brown hair, cute, dimpled face...It was my little sister Kairi, just as I last remembered seeing her. She landed on her butt and rubbed it, sounding sore as could be. But when she looked up at me, her confusion was palpable.
But I was too busy trying to hold back the tears. As Kairi whispered at me "S-Shina...is that...you?" I bent down and cupped my hands around her cheeks. Her skin was lukewarm, but I could feel the blood rushing to her face as she forced a smile and giggled.
"S-Sis stop it...! Hahaha!" She's just as ticklish as I remember it...I-I...
I force my arms around under hers and embrace her in the tightest hug I've ever given out. The tears gush out of my face and trickle down onto her shirt, my attempts to say hello foiled by some hiccups.
"I...I never thought I'd see you again...! Its ok now...Its ok...Y-Your big sis' here. Everything will be alright..."
The Grand Cosmic Aurian Sage put his sleeve on my shoulder and I looked back at him with tearful eyes.
"I-I can't thank you enough...!" Was the simplest way I could express my unending appreciation.
"...Think nothing of it. You are all my children," He raised his sleeves up a bit and remarked, "So why stop at your sister? You have a grasp over how that power works now...Why not bring ALL of Sancturia here?"
"...Really?" I said, glaring at the desolate landscape.
"This world may be ruined...But you can bring it back to life, greater than ever before. You have the power my child. Just let me teach you...everything I know."
"I will. I want to learn Mr. Sage! Then I can pay Justek AND Yukari back for hurting Alex!"
"Excellent. But for now...why don't you catch up with your little sister?"
With a firm nod I turn back to Kairi and continue to hug her gently. Her warm embrace, her tender smile...I'll never let her go again. I lost so much along the way...But now that I gained my most important something back it almost felt...Worth it, y'know?
Yes...This is my happy ending. And I'll keep making happy memories going forward. Hey God? If you're listening still...Thank you for your help.
My name is Shina Aurora. And everything will be juuuust fine.
THE END
….
….
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"Crrrck...The girl is content with herself. Excellent..."
The Grand Cosmic Aurian Sage placed his sleeves upon the girl's shoulders, and she seemed unaware of his presence. The sleeves of his robe slid down, revealing a pair of four-fingered hands. The fingers were not stubby like a human's...They were claw-like, similar to a praying mantis'. The tip of his clawed fingers opened up and caressed Shina's shoulders with their sticky, prickly membranes. The back of his hands were covered in wrinkled, hardened green skin, with the pink, fleshy muscle of the sides of his hands plain as day.
"Yes...I will train you. You shall be filled with both knowledge and power...My Vestige of the Cosmos." The jaw of the Sage slipped free of the shadows that bound it in mystery. The bottom of his jaw was curved and rugged, with a pair of tiny pincers beside his drool covered mouth. He had no teeth, for the space within his mouth was instead filled with ten tiny, prehensile tongues.
"Two-thousand one hundred and FIFTY years...Two-thousand one hundred and fifty years it has been since you wrenched my soul from my body, and shackled it to the ruins of my birthplace, you accursed Ten Sages...But it seems that fate...was always on my side, Camillia Aurora."
The Sage clicked his tongues against the roof of his mouth with delight and pressed his slimy lips together into a smile, "Yukari Yakumo, Justek Arcavira, Auris Aurora, Gravitus, Alex Whiter...I must thank you all for delivering to me this girl. She shall be the perfect vessel through which I will realize my dream at long, long last."
"...The Lost Age of Aurians shall be reborn! And all who stood in the way of my dream shall wallow in the pain of loss through all eternity!"
"I...win."
Author's Note:
Well, it has been a long, long road. Starting from February of 2016 and ending off at the start of September 2018. Two and a half years for this Part of the story...
Geez, talk about long eh? Even longer than Part 4 itself ended up being. Now really, this could have ended a lot sooner. If you cut out every break I took, this would've been done in February no doubt...Which WAS my original plan, I assure you.
But things got complicated, I had to take a lot of looks at myself and how I wanted to proceed with writing this story since, if I must be honest with you all, there's still a LOT of material to go.
But Part 4 EX, or as it was SUPPOSED to be called if not for 's funky allergies to periods, 4.5, is the culmination of all stories that take place before and after it chronologically. The journey of Alex Whiter, and really the other Elemental Overlords, comes to a head here, with many revelations coming to light regarding the nature of their existence and the universe they live in.
What are Alex Whiter, Mew and Riku? Self-inserts.
Who is the Chronicler? The "Author", AKA, me.
Why is Alex called the Phoenix of Destruction? Because it was his power that wiped out the Marvel Universe.
Why was the Marvel Universe destroyed? Because Yukari Yakumo wanted to ensure that Alex would be imprisoned forever.
What happened to Kairi's sister Shina? This whole part was practically dedicated to answering THAT question. And yet really, the story's not fully told on that one...But that's for another day.
What was Justek's involvement in the "betrayal"? Simple, he was working with Yukari to undermine Shina and Alex's bond by any means necessary. But...perhaps there's more to his involvement that hasn't quite been detailed.
All these questions and more were answered throughout this Part, while simultaneously asking more questions now that the universe has opened up more and more. Now its not just as simple as this being a story about OCs going to video game worlds. Now the worlds of anime, manga and comics are fully intertwined in the lore. Anything has a chance of happening. AnyONE has a chance of appearing.
But on the subject of that. I again apologize for throwing in spoilers for Undertale, Madoka and Xenoblade Chronicles into a story that's otherwise been Touhou-centric. I do plan to explain more about Homura, Alvis and Sans at some point, but for now, well...
I'd like to talk a bit more about how Part 4 EX developed over time. While a lot of the story was planned even as far back as Part 3, there were some details that were changing even as the story went on...So lets start from the beginning!
Spyro the Dragon World:
-Not too much changed here. Year of the Dragon I felt was the best story to tackle...But I do admit it could've been paced a lot better, and I copied dialogue from the game a little TOO much. But the purpose of using Spyro and later on Crash as the first two worlds was to sort of easy into the story, give Alex and Shina room to breathe and get to know each other before the later half of the tale truly tested their mettle. Oh yeah, I did at one point plan to have a Chapter or two dedicated to the Super Bonus Round, but then I felt that was wholly unnecessary and trimmed it out.
Crash Bandicoot World:
-Again, Twinsanity felt like the most fitting game to tackle as a story. Crash of the Titans I don't dislike, but I feel it would've been a little TOO goofy for this story. Plus as far as conflicts go, the Evil Twins presented Alex with his first moral dilemma in the story. Sure, the Gaia Temporis made him immune to the two's reality bending tricks, but Shina on the other hand? Not so much. It was a test of Alex's patience, a test he ultimately failed when he handed Cortex over to the Evil Twins.
-One thing Twinsanity allowed me to do was work with some of the abandoned concepts that didn't make the final cut. I didn't want to go TOO overboard with them but I liked the idea of the Pirate Dimension and worked that one in. N. Arwhal was fun to write and if I ever do another Crash story who knows? Maybe he'll show up again.
Guilty Gear World:
-Originally the story was going to be a more original one taking place after Accent Core's plot. But I never could really figure out how to make it work in a way I was satisfied with, and with the Guilty Gear plot being re-ignited with Sign I said "Fuck it" and decided to work with that. The one thing that stuck around from the original idea though was fighting a mind-controlled Dizzy.
-The trials Alex and Shina went through were raised a bit more this time around. Now Alex had to deal with people that were just as hard-headed as he was, leading to the first instance of Alex fighting a hero in the story...And this would obviously not be the last time. But more importantly...
-This was the start of a turning point in Shina's character, where she begins to feel a little more brave and activates the Valkyrie Drive for the first time. That scene still remains one of the my favorites to have written.
-Oh also, all the Chapter titles in that story are named after Guilty Gear songs!
BlazBlue World:
-Hooooo boy did this story go through some changes. The first part of this story was always meant to cover Calamity Trigger, but after that? Well, we'll get to that in a bit.
-The idea behind splitting Alex and Shina up was to see how they'd handle their predicaments without relying on each other. Alex wound up running into the stubborn folk while Shina more-or-less ran into the kinder folk. One could say Shina lost some of her development in this story but the way I see it she had to lose before she could gain. In other words, once she gained the strength to regain that bravery on her own, THAT'S when she truly deserved to keep it. And you'll notice she never has a moment of faltering again after this point until the Touhou arc...
-This is also the point where we see Alex's urges to see justice be done and get revenge start to tear him apart. He completely and utterly is put at Terumi and Nu's mercy the whole story, only managing something of a victory against the latter because of Hakumen...On that note, yes, I MAY have given Hakumen a bit too much attention when it came to fights. I suppose that level of favoritism should've been expected considering he's my main, but I'll try to dial it back a bit next time. I promise.
-Now, the second story. BlazBlue was an ongoing story while I was writing Part 4 EX. The console version of Central Fiction was about to come out around the time the first BlazBlue story was to begin. So I'll try and make the list short about what changed:
1. Terumi went from being the final boss to his Susano'o form being the final boss. Honestly, a change for the better, cause even with the Corrupted Paradox form I can't see Terumi putting up even a bit of a fight. And though Susano'o fared poorly himself, he at least got to fight back. Oh yeah, when a villain was possessed by an artifact piece, the form is called "Corrupted Paradox".
2. Azrael was originally going to be fought in an actual, full-on battle, but when Central Fiction reminded me that he's as vulnerable to elements as the rest of us I figured there was no point drawing out a fight and had Alex handle him the way he did. I do admit now that it could've been handled better, but who knows, maybe Azrael will get the battle he truly wants someday...
3. Why couldn't Mori have gotten Jubei out sooner so his moveset would've been available for his fight? Truth be told, I don't think my prediction of how Jubei fights was TOO far off from the final product.
4. Es was not involved in the finale originally. The original plan was for Alex to actually break through Tsukuyomi with pure rage and nearly kill Amaterasu, only for Amane to still seal him up. Honestly, glad I went with this, cause Alex still needed to be weakened a bit for Amane to feasibly be able to restrain him.
5. And the biggest of all...The second story was once non-canon, instead just a What-If (Yeah, remember those? Don't worry, the old ones are still canon, though...) where Alex and Shina decided to stick around after their business was done and deal with Terumi anyways. I changed it up so Terumi grabbed the artifact piece, thus justifying why they'd stick around.
Mega Man X World:
-This was originally going to be a 1 for 1 retelling of Mega Man X5. X6 was actually originally going to be uninvolved until I started getting ideas regarding the artifact piece possessing Alex and integrating the Nightmare Virus into his experience. Of course, deciding to do the Maverick Hunter Xs beforehand helped a lot in making these changes.
-This was probably the one story where the OCs took a backseat to the video game characters. I obviously wasn't going to taint X vs. Zero after I had spent time building it up. Speaking of...THAT is probably in my Top 5 favorite fights to have written for Clash of the Elements. Utilizing a lot of X AND Classic Mega Man's arsenal, making call backs to both series and throwing in a nod to Omega in Mega Man Zero for good measure. Fun fact, the title of the second phase of that battle is a reference to a vocal remix of Dr. Wily's Castle 1 from Mega Man 2 made by the famous doujin group SOUND HOLIC...I do like to toss in nods to songs and remixes in my chapter titles quite often.
-Finally, all the development Alex and Shina have gotten culminate in this story, with the two confessing their love for one another as Shina takes a stand against Alex's split personality that threatens to drag him to destruction. This is also one of my top 5 favorite fights.
Touhou World:
-But this is the big one. At the time of starting to write Part 4 EX, Legacy in Lunatic Kingdom had released, as did Urban Legend in Limbo. Now, I never got a chance to put Sumireko into the story, but Hecatia and Junko were MAJOR game changers in how the plot went down. Getting a little ahead of myself, but in the Fall of Fantasy story I had originally planned to have Alex solo the Lunarians. But I thought that was a bad idea...UNTIL Hecatia and Junko came about and introduced the idea that the Lunarians hate Fairies, at which point I proceeded with things but with those two being involved.
-Like how ZUN handles his series, I've always tried to keep my Touhou works lined up with whatever's going in the series' timeline. But that ran into some slight complications when the story took so long to write that Touhou 16 and 15.5 came out, introducing a grand total of NINE characters...Yet none of them appeared in this story. There IS an in-story reason for that that I uhhh...Well, I'll get to that in a moment. But outside, I had already had to rewrite the plot twice to accommodate the characters from Double Dealing Character and Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom, so I wasn't in the mood to add Okina Matara despite the fact that she would've been a good fit for some of the stuff going down, being a Youkai Sage like Yukari and Kasen.
-Yes, Alex and Shina had sex. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. But what I WASN'T going to do was be explicit about it. I don't know the first thing having sex the right way and frankly the romantic undertones of that scene would've been ruined if I tried. If there's a high enough demand for it though, I can give it a shot, I guess? I do sort of know a guy who writes erotica who'd be able to help me out.
-Yukari Yakumo was always planned to be the final adversary of this storyline. There were a few hints sprinkled throughout about her identity, but those were more for the character of Alex's sake than the reader's. If you pieced together Yukari beforehand then congrats! But I did intend for her reveal to be a massive surprise to the audience.
-...So uhh, when I mentioned an in-story reason for no 15.5 or 16 characters showing up...It kind of extends to a MAJOR hiccup I made regarding unresolved foreshadowing. Yeah, remember how Alex was having some spottiness when it came to remembering events in certain video game worlds? I fully intended to reveal that his flow of information was cut off the moment Yukari disconnected from the "Author". Basically, all that Alex knew up until the start of Part 4 EX is stuff I knew at the time. So because Yukari cut him off like that, Alex didn't know anything about Guilty Gear Revelator, BlazBlue Central Fiction, or everything related to Touhou past 15. So I would've made a justification for the latter's lack of acknowledgment by saying that Okina had used her powers as a Hidden God to conceal their appearance and not throw Alex off. My sincerest apologies for forgetting to put this in. I even had it on the Outlines for crying out loud!
-There's one major thing I want to get out of the way now...I HATE how I had to end up handling the "betrayal" part of the story. The idea of using Justek's hypnotism to have Shina stab Alex while Yukari blinded him with a deception was NOT one I made lightly. I'm not trying to brag, but I wrote the growing relationship between Alex and Shina TOO well...That it wound up forcing me to go down this path if I wanted the "betrayal" to happen. That's a major problem, I suppose, with this being written as a prequel of established events. I wrote myself into a corner and by the time I got to the point I had been building up since back in Part 6 I wound up taking the cheapest route possible to get what I wanted out of this, even IF Justek's powers had been established beforehand. I suppose in some manner of speaking, the tragedy of how this HAD to happen fits in well with the character of Alex Whiter by that point...
-This leaves us with the final story...The Touhou Genocide...Or not! I want to make it clear. I did not backpedal on this plotline out of fear of backlash while I was writing. I had already wiped out Kingdom Hearts and Marvel, killed Link in the Ocarina of Time storyline, and nearly had Mario die. If I want to pull the trigger on something, I will not hesitate...But you see, I had decided against going full Genocide BEFORE Part 4 EX was starting to be written. And there was enough per-established in the story regarding the wish of the "higher-ups" and Yukari's trickery in the MAsquerade Trilogy that I could easily write an out to the Genocide and still go through with it in a sense. Ultimately, as Yukari pointed out, even if Alex attacked a fake Gensokyo, he still chose revenge over love, and death over peace. Had Alex simply went to find Shina, Yukari would have left him well enough alone. Yukari's not blameless in any of this, but neither is Alex. They both made the worst decisions possible in their attempts to protect what they cared for, and the end result is that a completely unrelated world had to pay dearly for it.
-In the end, there were no real winners in this story. Alex surrendered his faith in the world and caved in to his split-personality to wipe the universe clean. Yukari Yakumo may have saved Gensokyo, but the measures she took along the way has only painted a massive target on her back not just from the higher powers, but the people of her world. And while Shina Aurora has reached the Cosmos Drive, it appears that its creator is not what he appears to be...Anyone who has read Part 6 knows what Alex's decisions lead to, but what about Yukari and Shina? What shall happen to them? Well...Before I talk about that, there's one more thing I wish to discuss.
Other Worlds:
-Originally there were two other worlds planned for Part 4 EX. Ratchet and Clank would've been slotted between Crash Bandicoot and Guilty Gear, and would've taken place during A Crack in Time. Buuut while there were some thematic elements that could've worked for the overall story, I couldn't really find a way to make it work that well.
-The other world would've been Metal Gear Solid, taking place during the events of Peace Walker, but Mega Man X ended up taking its place for one...pretty obvious reason I'd say. The discrepancies of power for Alex alone would've been too much. At least with Spyro and Crash they tend to deal with foes that have some degree of elemental power or otherwise high-tier magic/technology. I suspect the reason I chose Metal Gear Solid at the time was because I was in the middle of enjoying the series.
Final Thoughts:
Part 4 EX is, I feel, my best work so far. Still heavily flawed, and you can tell I was working through those flaws throughout not just in writing and describing things but also with pacing in general.
...And that's actually pretty important to me right now.
See, a lot of my breaks were because of doubt that I should keep pressing onward with this story. It originally started out as some teenage fantasy. I'd never thought I'd make it this far, let alone think as far in to the future about what I want to do with the plot.
But by making it this far, it makes going back and looking at the old stuff...really hard to digest. Yet...I don't want to go back and rewrite EVERYTHING. I don't want to spend two years redoing Part 4 especially, even if I could make it better or trim it down. But Parts 5 and 6 are a different story. Those two Parts are very important for events going forward, and so I really, REALLY don't like how they were written.
Parts 1 through 4? Sure, they could use the rewriting, but a lot of the major events a rewrite would benefit from having either been brought up in Part 4 EX or can/will be brought up in the rewrites of Part 5 and 6.
...Right now though I'm tired. I've spent a lot of the Summer getting through the remainder of Part 4 EX and that's had a somewhat negative impact on my personal life. So for the next few months besides working on the redone profiles and outlines I won't be doing any major writing. No "Maverick Hunter X7", no "Something Masquerades", nothing.
When I come back, the rewritten Part 5 shall be placed under the Mario section, cause ultimately the story DID start with Mario so I consider my OCs to be Mario characters in some sense of the word. The title will be pretty much the same, so be on the look out for "RE:Lover from the Lost Aura" coming...whenever I'm ready!
As for what lies beyond the rewrites? Well, obviously Shina still needs to be saved yeah? That and much, MUCH more will be covered in "Clash of the Elements Chronicles".
And beyond BEYOND that? Well...Lets not get too ahead of ourselves? There's a lot to look forward to in the past and future.
Until next time though, thanks to whoever has stuck through this long, and take care of yourselves for me, alright?