Thanks to everyone that has read the original Chronicles of Eos. With the sequel, as I said, characters' names were changed, but the initial letters weren't. So, if you noticed that, you'll know who is who. And why their names were changed will be explained.
And thanks to Dude Dad on YouTube for the idea of the Leiden Little League…despite the kids in this fic being terrible at baseball. Also to Backyard Baseball, the game, for the idea as well.
-miano53
Chronicles Two: Distant Memories
"Sophiar Laboratories Log: Monday, 12th of June, Year 747 ME. This is Dr. Reginald Callum and I'm reporting on Nero's status. Two days ago, he exhibited more signs of the Balouve Incident's effects. The power that radiated from the crystal that was destroyed was revealed again as Nero's arms and eyes were glowing with that power. What they were researching down there, I do not know. But what I do know is that Nero's powers are growing and it's only a matter of time until…No, I cannot think like that. Sure, he's stronger than anyone that has come out of our line, but…"
"Yo! Nero! Get your head in the game!" one of the players shouted.
Nero shook his head, unable to concentrate. He had felt bad ever since that accident Saturday night and hadn't been able to sleep well since. Which was odd as he was an avid sleeper. On the pitcher's mound for practice, Nero willed himself to concentrate and saw that Iolanda was at bat. She was still holding that moogle plush and he wondered if she would ever let it go. Probably not.
He looked around after hearing more voices than usual and saw that the parents of players were in the bleachers, watching. Some were worried, wondering if Nero had checked out, while others were shouting support. One of them was incessant with it yelling, "Okay, honey buns! Just hit the ball, right over the fence."
That someone was Iolanda's mother, Lidia. The auburn-haired woman clapped her hands, trying to cheer on little Iola as the girl wasn't that great at baseball. Another woman sat behind her and said, "She's not as good as my little boy, Ignacio."
That was Ignacio's mother, Imelda. The two glared and Nero wondered if they could be a bit quieter. It was only practice, not an actual game. At least the two weren't as bad as Jack Garland, who was banned from coming to practices as he had a habit of yelling and cursing at players. Seriously, why was he so bad at not being a heckler, Nero thought?
"Toss the ball, Batter-Wadder!" Iolanda yelled, trying to sound intimidating.
It didn't work and Nero threw the baseball, throwing a fastball. The girl saw the glass-wearing Ignacio, who was serving as catcher, catch the ball and yell, "Strike!"
"Aw, why are you doing that? That's cheating!" Iolanda yelled.
"Not really. A lot of players will throw balls this fast. Just pay attention and swing, okay?" Nero told her.
This time, he went and threw a slow ball. To his surprise, the baseball slowed down as if getting caught in a time vortex. But Iola didn't swing for a second time. That was another strike and Nero hadn't a clue what to do. He had to pitch like they were actually playing a game and he didn't know how to make it easier for Iola.
"You can do it, honey buns! C'mon!" Lidia shouted.
Iola took a few practice swings and her mother added, "Just swing like Nero's gonna steal Moggie from ya!"
That…wasn't a good idea, Nero thought. Thoughts of the girl brutally swinging the bat like he stole Moggie the moogle plush crossed his mind and he saw that Iola's stance had changed. He immediately became worried that she would use said bat to actually beat him and said, "Uh…Iola, I'm not gonna take Moggie. Please don't hit me."
He threw a fastball and the girl hit it, sending the baseball flying. It went sailing and the other players stared, unable to process what happened. The ball went over the fence and the parents cheered as Iola started running the bases. The girl actually made a home run? And all they had to do was tell her that someone was going to steal Moggie if she didn't swing?
Iolanda made it to home base and cheered. Carlo stared and said, "Uh, manipulative. But I guess it'll work."
The next player was Vivi and his adopted dad, Quan Quen, showed up. He was a cook at Kenny Crow's and the rather pale, rotund man said, "Oh, hey! Wait!"
He had a cooler chest full of stuff and said to Coach Carlo, "They've been practicing for 45 minutes and it's about 90 degrees Fahrenheit out here. Shouldn't they stay hydrated?"
"Uh…I guess?" Carlo told him.
Quan opened up the chest and said, "I got some apple juice, grape juice, lemonade, mineral water, orange slices, pretzels, ham sammies, fish sammies, Gysahl chips…"
"Okay, everyone…Mr. Quen brought lunch. Make sure to bring your gil from your parents," Carlo said, unable to continue the game without letting the kids eat.
Quan looked to the parents and said, "I got y'all covered too. I got some Ebony, espresso shots, jello shots…Er, I mean, uh…there's some Garula and Dualhorn steaks on the grill. I also got some Semur Skewers too."
He pointed at a barbecue pit he brought and Nero wondered if they were at batting practice or at a cookout. And why were they only allowed to have sandwiches? He wanted steak. And especially if it was medium rare on a plate with potatoes or in a stew, minus some carrots.
Humming happily, Nero rolled to the grill, not wanting the child-sized sandwiches. He didn't notice Ignacio following him and when he arrived at the smoking barbecue grill, the glasses-wearing catcher asked, "What are you doing over here?"
"Uh…I don't want the kiddie sandwiches?" Nero said, unsure of what to tell him besides the truth.
Ignacio rolled his eyes and opened the grill, only to get a face full of white smoke. The two saw the grilling meats and Nero wanted to take one of the skewers. It beat eating sandwiches again and he'd rather give his "hard-earned" gil to that instead. "Hard-earned" meaning his allowance from chores.
Just as he was about to take it, Quan came out of nowhere and yelled, "What are you two doing?!"
"We were just…I just wanted…" the two stammered.
"No. You're to get the sandwiches. These are for the parents," Quan told them.
Nero had an idea. It was odd, but…
Waving a hand, he said, "I think we will get those skewers."
"No. No, you won't," Quan said, flipping a few steaks.
Nero grumbled and tried again. With another wave, he said, "Yes, we will get them."
"No. No, you won't, kid," Quan said.
Dejected, Nero rolled away and Ignacio asked, "What was that all about? Using Jedi mind tricks in real life? Seriously?"
"I thought it would work, Iggy," Nero told him.
"You and Pete watch too much Stellar Odessey," Ignacio said.
"They're good movies, though! Just like Hashashin's Creed," Nero retorted.
Ignacio didn't bother to continue the argument as it was futile. Stellar Odessey and the series' fight scenes were awesome. And then there was the fact that they all had awesome powers, wielded laser swords, and fought an evil empire like Alexandrian and Nifl…
A headache and Nero wondered where that thought came from. Niflheim wasn't an empire. They were a small, snow-covered republic out west that made the Stellar Odessey movies. And Pietro came from there. Or so he was told. So, how were Niffs evil again?
"You okay, Nero?" Pietro said, munching on a sandwich.
Nero found his way to the dugout and saw the other players eating. Ignacio handed him a small sandwich and said, "You can pay me later."
"Okay, so how are we supposed to get through that?!" Cato yelled.
The blonde, with his blonde hair still wild like a Galahdian, stared at the many red-hot spikes on spinning pillars and a yellow sphere that was rotating and blocking the other side. His sisters barely made it, constantly falling into the abyss and reappearing in a shower of red light back at the start of the puzzle. To their surprise, Regina's barrier at the entrance of the dungeon held up and they had a lot more time than they thought.
He estimated that they were there for hours and was surprised that they weren't more tired. After several moments of failed jumps, his sisters arrived and saw the rotating sphere. Their minds turning to mush, the trio was trying to figure out how to hop from the small slits in the sphere while rotating and using the momentum to get to the other side.
"How did Dad figure this out? I'm getting dizzy," Stella said.
"And I can't use my powers well here. Anyone else tried?" Regina said.
Cato summoned a ball of light to his right hand and it disappeared. Stella tried to get shadows around her hands, but the black flames fizzled out. Well, using them was off the table. They had to get around the "old-fashioned" way.
"At least I can put up another…" Regina started.
Distortions started to appear and she cursed their luck. The one hunting them found a way into the ruins. Looking at where they came from, Regina placed another barrier and Cato joined her. Maybe he wouldn't get through now that two were up.
"A few runes should help too," Stella told them.
Regina nodded tossing bolts of some magic she could muster onto nearby walls. The sigils were the emblems of their ancestors. Hopefully, the runes would deter him and they'll have more time.
"You tried to use a Jedi mind trick on Mr. Quen?" Pietro asked as they walked home.
Nero didn't think that Ignacio would go around telling the team how lame he was at that moment. He just really wanted to get some steak, not a tiny fish sandwich. The dark-haired child was still hungry and his stomach growled the whole time for the latter half of practice. Seriously, he was a growing boy and needed better food.
"But to use a Jedi mind trick? Even I would know that wouldn't work," Pietro said, laughing.
Nero grumbled and said, "Hey, it was worth a shot."
The pair walked through the small, dusty town, seeing dust rise up from a small gale that blew. The empire hadn't come to that small Leiden town to pave the roads yet, so much of it was in disrepair. The bits of greenery were mainly near downtown and in the residential areas, so much of Sophiar still looked like the rest of Leide, arid and quite barren.
Headed for the shops downtown, the pair headed for a Cup Noodle truck. There, they spotted another familiar face, Iolanda's brother, the 15-year-old Giovanni. The avid fan of Cup Noodles bought about six for himself and spotted the duo.
"Done with practice?" Gio asked.
"Yep, and your sister almost murdered Nero with a baseball bat," Pietro said.
Giving him a questioning look, Gio said nothing and Nero told him, "It's because your mom said to her imagine that I stole Moggie from her. Seriously, why is she so obsessed with that moogle plush?"
"I don't know, but I would like to get rid of that stupid plush," Giovanni said, apparently having hatred for the thing.
Visions came to Nero and he could see Giovanni constantly attempting to take Moggie away and tossing it. He tried when Iolanda was taking a nap, but she woke up the instant she felt the plush wasn't there. She then started fighting like a rabid animal to get it back. The second vision was of Gio trying to take it while Iola was eating dinner. She found out and went into his room and destroyed it.
Shaking his head, as another headache had set it, Nero said, "You tried to throw it out but Iola found out every time?"
"Uh, yeah. How…?" Gio asked.
Realizing some of his powers had woken up, allowing him those visions, Nero said, "Uh…It was something I overheard from Coach."
Pietro gave him a worried look and Gio shrugged, saying, "Well, it's not my fault that Iola's like that. Just make sure she doesn't lose Moggie or else she'll make life miserable for you until she finds it."
He walked off, taking the Cup Noodles with him. Just as Nero and Pietro were about to buy some themselves, the driver said, "Sorry kids. No more Cup Noodles. That kid over there took the last six."
'And Gio's just as bad with his Cup Noodle addiction…' Nero thought, mentally sighing.
Another headache and Nero shook his head. It was worse than the last and Pietro said, "Are you okay, Nero?"
W-Who?
Nero heard another voice and looked around. Pietro then said, "Yeah, let's go home."
"You didn't hear that?" Nero asked.
"Heard what?" Pietro asked, pushing the back of the chair.
Remembering that Pietro had no way to hear what he heard and was told to keep his abilities a secret, Nero said nothing as they went home.
After making it past a large, spiked wall with a skull that Cato nicknamed the "Daemon Train", the group arrived at what they called the "Full Tilt Passageway". Gravity and its effects were all over the place and it rendered their powers even more useless. The distortions returned but Regina didn't think she had a way to create another barrier. So, they had to quickly power through the area and hope they could reach the statue.
The room started to tilt, making the distortions worse and everyone became dizzy. Following Regina, the twins headed for platforms that seemed to float on their own. That or gravity in the room made it look as if they were floating. After hopping from platform to platform and nearly falling into the abyss several times, the trio made it to the next room, only to hear, "So, that's where you three went."
Black, blue, and red wisps filled the air and Cato muttered, "Oh no. Oh no!"
"Shh! Or else he'll hear us," Stella told him.
Realizing that the creature would find them no matter where they hid, Regina led the twins to a pitfall. Without warning she pushed them down and followed, quickly making another attempt at a barrier. Luckily, there was a little left for her to summon one last barrier and she saw the face of the one masquerading as their father. He looked disappointed as he saw the trio fall into the next area.
Kneeling down at the fire-red barrier, the white-haired, pale-as-death man smirked and said, "You really think that'll keep me out? You should know how much stronger I am by now, Regi."
He placed a foot on it and it shattered like glass. Shadows appeared next to him and he motioned for the darkness to follow. They did and the man remembered those ruins, the very annoying to navigate ruins of Pitioss. If he had known that the "goddess" statue he found was worth that much to Etro, he would've destroyed it a long time ago. She would definitely reward him by giving him the power to bring Luna and the others back.
"Sh-she…She w-will. She'll help me bring her back. Just…Just have to find-find…" the man said, his voice getting distorted.
Shaking his head, he came back to himself and jumped into the pitfall, expecting to arrive in the Perspective Chamber. He'll have to stop Regina and the other two from finding that statue before he did.
Sitting in his office, at his desk, Reginald spoke into a small recorder, saying, "Sophiar Laboratories Log: Wednesday 14th of June, Year 747 ME. This is Dr. Reginald Callum again and there has been not much development in Nero's abilities. Pietro said something about him having headaches when they were returning from batting practice on Monday."
"Nero did go to bed early, which was a bit odd. But he seemed to be fine yesterday, heading for practice with Pietro. But he returned home rather pale and went straight to bed. Pietro did ask if Nero was okay. Based on his recent vitals and how he didn't wake up with glowing red eyes, I believe that he's okay. Just tired."
"He has inherited the abilities that run in my family. But his seem different somehow. I've not brought this up with anyone, especially not my father. He would probably attempt to train him to commit a coup, but I refuse to let my son become a terrorist."
"Aw, she's so elegant," Pietro said, staring dreamily at one of their teammates.
Said teammate was a blonde named Cynthia Atreus. Serving as Short Stop, Cynthia, or Cece for short, the blonde was considered the "Belle" of the Lucian Knights as almost every player had a crush on her. Save for Nero, Iolanda, Ignacio, Vivi, and another kid named Relm. She was a pretty good player, able to throw the ball, and was good at catching, but batting and running were another story. And whenever Pietro was daydreaming about her, he would miss his swings and Nero grumbled.
That day was one of those days and the Lucian Knights were losing by 5. How they miss five runs was beyond Nero's understanding. The dark-haired child grumbled in the dugout and said, "Okay, team, can we please focus on the task at hand?"
"What? What?" the others said, not getting it.
Cece was just as confused and Nero knew that she didn't know that more than half of the team had a crush on her. It wasn't her fault. Blame prepubescent boys, Nero thought. All of them wanted to go out with her, but they were far too young to start dating. And Pietro. If Dr. Callum found out, then that would lead to awkward conversations and Pete wouldn't want that.
"Okay, we can salvage this, team! We just need to hit and not get distracted by…" Coach Amici said.
"Ooh! Look a flower!" Iolanda said, seeing a small weed growing nearby and distracting Vivi and Relm.
The youngest of the team went for the flower and Coach Amici sighed. It was definitely one of those days. Too many distractions and not enough people with their heads in the game. A bullhorn and the Lucian Knights were up to bat, with Nero going first.
"Hopefully the Keycatrich Behemoths won't have to use the 'mercy rule' again…" Nero thought aloud, remembering that such a rule was used if the opposing team was losing horrendously.
He took a deep breath, took a bat, and rolled out to the batter's post. The darker-skinned children of the opposing team seemed to know that Nero was a force to be reckoned with at bat, despite his condition. Nero could sense the pitcher wanting to toss a right hook, but he quickly changed his mind the moment the dark-haired child went into his batting stance.
"What is all this?"
Nero immediately got distracted and didn't swing. That was strike one.
"Base…Baseball? What is…?"
That voice again. Nero looked around, trying to find who was contacting him telepathically. He felt something fly past him and realized it was the baseball. He shook his head, trying to get back to reality, and heard, "Nero! What are you doing? Hit the ball!"
"They're so loud."
Before he knew it, Nero's vision became cloudy and he could see a trio in black running through some ruins. Darkness and undead monsters charged after them, followed by a white-haired man that was also dressed in black. The only difference was that the man looked as if he had been in a fight with an actual behemoth and didn't change his clothes in 20 years.
The man stopped in his tracks, looked around as if sensing something, and turned around just as a bolt of lightning struck his chest. Another man appeared, looking almost exactly like the other man, but he looked worse in the clothes department. And he looked more feral than the other.
The newcomer clutched his chest and the one that was shot got up creepily, using only his legs to stand up and rise like a vampire. Nero was terrified and wanted the vision to stop. What was all this? A dream? But he was at bat! He had to wake up!
"Oh. S-sorry…I didn't mean..."
"Wh-What happened? I didn't hit him! I really didn't! We're gonna get disqualified! But I didn't hit him! He just passed out in his chair!"
Those voices. It sounded like the kids from Keycatrich and a few of his teammates. Opening his eyes and still finding his vision fuzzy, Nero could barely make out who was standing around him. He could feel the baseball bat in his hands, but he couldn't move or anything.
"Nero! Can you hear me?"
That was Coach Amici. He could hear, but he couldn't see. Nero was sure that he hadn't gotten hit by the ball. If that was the case, he was sure that he would've been in the hospital, not still sitting in his chair.
"Nero! C'mon! Wake up, bud!"
That was Pietro. He was shaking Nero awake and Nero couldn't find a way to tell him that he just couldn't see. Or move. Or anything that would suggest that he was okay.
"Someone call the emergency services! And Dr. Callum!"
Miss Imelda? She was here?
Feeling himself being taken out of his chair, Nero wanted to see what was going on. Everything was still fuzzy and he was practically paralyzed from the vision. Just as he thought about it, another vision came to him and he could see the man from the dream he had days ago.
The man in black, looking like a younger version of the two men in those ruins, sat on a throne and called for the "Kings of Lucis" to join him in the ruined throne room. He summoned a sword and twelve more weapons, glowing in brilliant light, appeared around the room. Twelve spirits also appeared in front of him, floating. Another spirit appeared at the man's left side, looking away from him.
One by one, the spirits took the weapons, attacking the man on the throne. The sight was horrible and Nero wanted that vision to stop as it was more of a nightmare. The man took every blow, getting more and more injured with every strike. He collapsed at the twelfth and held up the thirteenth weapon. He whispered for the spirit of his father to trust in him and the phantom turned into one of the spirits of light.
Just before the man could look up, the spirit stabbed him in the chest, ending him. Silence enveloped the throne room and a light came from the man's right hand. The ring on it glowed brightly and exploded violently with light, destroying everything in sight.
"AAAAH!" Nero screamed, waking up and scaring Dr. Callum and Pietro.
Reginald rushed from Sophiar after getting a call that Nero was taken to the hospital in Keycatrich. The game ended in another loss for the Lucian Knights after Nero was hauled off to the hospital. Apparently, officials determined that Nero hadn't gotten hit by a baseball. Instead, he passed out right before the Keycatrich pitcher readied himself for a pitch. Both teams were scared and the Behemoths opted for the mercy rule. The Lucian Knights couldn't concentrate and gave up another six runs when the opposing team's coach agreed to end the game.
"Nero! You okay?" Pietro asked.
Nero looked around wildly and he started speaking in that strange gibberish. His voice quickly became distorted as his blue eyes began glowing red and the veins on his neck and arms started glowing. Pietro covered his ears and Reginald did the same as hospital staff entered the room, hearing noises. The sound of his voice caused them pain as well and the trio of nurses closed their ears.
"Nero! Son, calm down! It's alright! Everything's okay!" Reginald told him, hoping he would snap out of it.
The dark-haired child started patting his chest, as if something was supposed to be there and nearly ripped out an IV on his left arm. Terrified that he was going to hurt himself, Reginald rushed to his side, ignoring the earsplitting cries of his son. He held his arms, felt his hands burning, and said, "Nero! Nero, calm down. You're alright. Everything's alright."
Nero looked at Reginald, eyes still glowing and he said, "I'm...I'm fine?"
"Yes, you're alright…Calm down. Calm down," Reginald told him.
The staff that burst into the room sighed, the sound they heard ceasing and they quickly questioned what happened. To his dismay, Reginald had to do something he usually never wanted to do. With his eyes glowing blue, he said, "Nero's fine and you all came in to check on his vitals."
The nurses' eyes started to glow with the same light, only for a few seconds, and they went about their business, with one staying behind. She glowered and said, "You know you didn't have to do that."
"What choice did I have, Lucina?" Reginald said, seeing the dark-skinned, quite short woman.
Lucina Suarez, an old friend of Reginald's, huffed and looked at Pietro. The blonde was just as confused and she said, "Well, I hope that you tell the boys the truth. Okay? I don't like whenever you Lucians mess with people's heads."
Pete was even more confused and the man sighed. He was going to have to tell Pete almost everything about Nero and him.
And there's the next chapter. So, will Nero ever have a normal life?
And in regards to his being in a wheelchair and playing baseball, the character Kenny Kawaguchi from Backyard Baseball was like that and he was one of the best players in the game. So Nero is based on him as well as little Noctis.