The Age of Fairy Tales
Kingdom of Spira
(Jecht's Theme Final Fantasy X Starts to Play)
'I remember once thinking to myself…This world is too small.'
'I remember, gazing out across the sea and wondering what lied out there.'
'Not a lot to look at from home but ya can't help but feel that little tug in the back of your head.'
A single man stood on a beach, looking out across the sea.
'Who am I?'
The man turned to the raft he had built by himself and the small boy playing near it.
'I'm someone who wanted to take his kid and show him the world…The world on the other side of the sea…'
He placed the boy on the raft and pushed it out into the water, hopping on when it was out deep enough.
'But I made a mistake…'
The raft reached the seeming edge of the sea and then something happened.
For at the end of the sea was a literal waterfall.
The father and son both screamed as the raft went over the edge and fell into darkness.
'We fell down into the darkness, falling into the borders between worlds.'
"DAAAAAAAD!" The boy screamed as he fell and disappeared into the darknes.
"TIDUS!" The man screamed before he vanished next.
'When I awoke, I wasn't in the world I knew anymore.'
The man seemed to fall for a very long time.
'Falling was all I felt for what seemed like an eternity.'
And then he thought he saw something…
'I only remember the feeling of a soft and gentle hand…'
"It will be all right…" The girl whispered and then man's vision was engulfed by light.
When the man awoke, he was lying face down on a beach, having apparently been carried here by the water.
'And the world I knew was gone…apparently forever.'
The man spent a long time on the beach, looking for his son but never found him. The man was distraught, falling to his knees in despair.
'And then…they came.'
The man heard a snarling sound and raised his head to see something approaching him.
Teeth round sharp and eyes glowing red.
It lunged at him…
'I probably should have died…'
SHINK!
The creature was cut in half by a strange weapon.
'Still wondering if I should have.'
"Are you all right?"
He turned around to see his savior.
A woman with a deep tan, whose age is hard to tell due to her short stature, standing at about four feet tall, and of her fine features and mischievous expression. Her sandy brown hair reaches her ankles, in a long braid bound by a golden cord. She had a wide, squarish frame that exaggerated her shortness, and she wore brown pants with a loose, dark green tunic cinched with a brown leather belt at her waist.
The most notable part of her outfit was a sleeveless long coat, dark brown and coarse on the outside with glittering flecks.
'The only reason I didn't…Someone felt sorry for me.'
He was now in a dark room with the woman outside, speaking to someone. This man heavily contrasted with the woman's appearance, dressed in a way that should have been comical but he actually seemed to make it work. He had dark, close cut hair which was almost shaved off, and a checkered vest showed off his wiry frame thin but with sharp lines of muscle like he had been chiseled from stone.
He wore an ankle length, grey-blue cape likened to the color of a storm sky which is clasped onto his shoulders with a silver chain, a silver belt with a round buckle, matching boots, and bright white slacks with deep side pockets. He also wore red gloves which are decorated in crystals.
"No birth record, no medical history…He didn't even know about the Grimm. I say he has a severe case of amnesia or…or he might be like…her, Headmaster." The woman spoke softly.
"Hmm." The Headmaster looked at the man in the cell with an intrigued smile on his face.
'So they helped me.'
"HA!"
A first with a glowing purple crystal collided with a large black sword, producing a shockwave that knocked both fighters back.
'Taught me about the world.'
The woman who named Xanthe Rumpole educated him thoroughly about the new world he had found himself in.
The world called Remnant.
A world of monsters and warriors battling every day.
A struggle of Light and Darkness.
The man raised his sword as he suddenly engulfed in fire, burning through the Grimm surrounding him.
He lost track of how long he had been fighting.
"Jecht Beam!"
Beams of light shot from his eyes, petrifying anything in sight.
"Jecht Blade!"
Energy gathered in his sword that then cut through every Grimm within reach.
"Jecht Bomber!"
And the next most impossible thing was when he created a powerful gravitational force that crushed the Grimm that surrounded him.
More came at him which was fine for him as he unveiled his next move. "Meteor!"
A literal meteor was called down from the heavens and he caught it before hurling at the enemy.
Within moments, the entire battlefield had been cleared of Grimm.
But an amazing and terrifying discovery had been made.
And I made an important discovery.
(Jecht's Theme Final Fantasy X Ends)
"There's no doubt about it, Headmaster." Xanthe spoke to the Headmaster in his office. "He can use magic."
"Magic huh?" The Headmaster brought his hands together. "The only people who have magic left on this planet are Ozpin, the Maidens, and the big one herself. Along with anyone who has found one of the Divine Weapons."
"Do you mean Salem or…" Xanthe asked but trailed off.
"Right, the Ocean Knight." The Headmaster nodded. "So where did he come from and how can he have magic?"
"I do not know for certain Headmaster Theodore. I know I found him on a beach facing the sea during a routine mission." Xanthe answered. "He spoke of his kingdom of Spira where his people have magic but there is no such place. No kingdom or island has that name."
"Spira…" The Headmaster named Theodore brought a finger to his chin. "That name does sound familiar."
"Headmaster?"
"There is a legend of an island or rather a kingdom that exists at the bottom of the sea but can appear at times when the walls between it and the rest of the world are temporarily weakened. An old religion that sprung up thousands of years ago, spoke of people finding themselves in a paradise…The problem was that they had to give up their bodies and souls to be a part of it." Theodore stood up from his chair and walked over to the window, looking out across the desert land surrounding his kingdom.
"Give up their bodies and souls?" Xanthe questioned with an astonished look on her face. "Who would do something so foolish?"
"Hey, remember where we live, Rumplole? Desperation can be found pretty fast here in Vacuo if you're not strong enough to handle it." Theodore pointed out with a small smirk. "Oz spoke about this legend one time. He said it was around the time he first started to reincarnate on this planet but he wasn't present to see its beginning. But someone else we know was…"
Xanthe immediately understand to whom he was referring to. "Aqua. The Silver or Ocean Knight, depending on her title at the time."
"Yep." Theodore turned back around from the window. "While Oz was off doing his own thing, she was doing hers too. Problem is she is much harder to keep track than Oz or even Salem."
"Do we inform Ozpin of this?" Xanthe questioned.
Theodore simply looked at her. "…Are you kidding?"
Did not realize how big an impact I would make.
Xxx
"How is this possible?"
From the top of Beacon Tower, Headmaster Ozpin could see almost the entirety of Vale. He would enjoy staring out the window, taking more than one moment to collect his thoughts and he needed a great amount of time to process what he had just learned.
Someone out there with magic and it wasn't him or the Maidens…And they were not even connected with Salem.
Or…
Ozpin's mind raced as he recalled the face of the young woman who had seemingly followed him through the ages.
'Aqua, do you have a connection with this?' The part of Ozma wondered from within the depths of the soul that had spent thousands of years dying and merging with like-minded souls to continue living. 'The Kingdom of Spira…You mentioned something about it before, concerning the cult of Yevon at the time and their dangerous practices. Yes, they had found the Staff of Creation around that time and tried to use it to restore to mankind magic.'
Aqua had tried to warn him about this cult of Yevon, explaining they were spreading their religion across the land, promising sanctuary and refuge from the Grimm on their island.
'Only it wasn't a sanctuary. It was a prison.' Ozpin held a hand over his chest. 'In many ways, similar to the one I have built around myself and perhaps where this Jetch has come from.'
This man known as Jecht simply washed up on shore and was found by Xanthe Rumplole before being taken back to Shade Academy. There, they had done a test for everything and come up with very little. No DNA or fingerprint matches to possible family which was understandable given he was found in Vacuo which was notoriously the least technological of the kingdoms. He supposedly didn't have his Aura unlocked before his training under Theodore but had shown the kind of speed and strength that would only be found in veteran Huntsmen.
And now this apparent magic.
Jecht had no surname and as soon as he gained his Huntsmen license after passing the Vacuo Hunter License Test that is offered in most cities that are part of the kingdoms.
He was out there, somewhere.
'And it's only a matter of time before Salem learns of this.' Ozpin narrowed his eyes. 'If something is happening out there we need to get on top of this.'
Xxx
"How is this possible?!"
Deep in the dark depths of the land some called the Dragon Continent while others once called it the Land of Darkness, in a dark castle built into a mountain seemingly made of purple crystalline material, a woman with pale skin and hair scraped her black nails across the table she was seated at.
What has caused her to become so upset?
It is because the impossible has happened.
"Impossible…" She muttered as she stood up from her chair and approached the nearest window. "Impossible."
Somewhere out there…
There was someone with the gift of magic.
It was not one of the Maidens, Ozpin or even her.
She had seen and felt through the Grimm slain in Vacuo.
A warrior unlike any the world had seen before…Unless you were from the Age of the Gods where humanity wielded magic against the Grimm.
The doors opened and in walked her subordinates who quickly bowed with one of them speaking. "You have summoned us, Your Grace?"
"There has been an unexpected development in Vacuo." She spoke, turning away from the window and returning to her chair. "One that must be addressed immediately or they might become a threat to our plans."
The person who spoke immediately stood up, revealing sharp wrist blades and a scorpion tail that uncurled from his waist. "Give me the word and I will hunt down this threat."
"Not yet, Tyrian." She raised her hand in a placating manner.
The man immediately dropped back to his knees in submission.
"This man wields a power similar to my own and Ozpin." She continued, surprising her subordinates. "Before I make decisions, I want to know who he is. Dr. Watts, Clayton."
The two men with mustaches on their faces lifted their heads. "Yes, Ma'am."
"I want you to dig up any contacts you have and have them find out everything about this person, a man by the name of Jecht." She instructed. "Do whatever it takes but I want to know everything about this man."
"It will be done." The man known as Watts nodded.
"I will have my contacts dig up anything and everything they can find." Clayton stood and straightened himself.
She then turned to the other "Tyrian, Hazel."
"Yes, my queen?" The man with the scorpion tail raised his head with a smile while the muscular man next to him simply waited for orders.
"My spies in Vacuo have reported of the existence of a group known as the Crown. They are dedicated to restoring the monarchy in Vacuo and they have spent the last few years scouting out people with powerful Semblances to recruit into their organization." Salem explained. "Their leaders are Jax and Gilliam Asturias, both of whom are convinced that they are descendants from Vacuo's original king: Malik the Sunderer. I am sending you both to meet with these leaders and convince them into working with us into tracking down this Jecht if they have no already heard of him in some manner. In exchange for their assistance, they will be promised Vacuo…Once we have both this Jecht and the Sword."
"As you wish." Hazel nodded in compliances.
"As my goddess commands." Tyrian grinned.
"And if this alliance bears fruit, we can gain another benefit." Salem noted in satisfaction. "It has come to my attention that the Semblance of Gilliam Asturias allows her to drain Aura from those she touches but at the same can transfer the very Aura she steals to others. I believe this ability ties into their plan to conquer Vacuo somehow. I believe this can be made to benefit us against our own opponents as well…Including against her."
They knew of whom she spoke.
In her long life, their mistress had made countless enemies but only two had survived throughout her years and continued to be a nuisance.
One was Ozpin whom they knew was currently the Headmaster of Beacon Academy.
The other was someone Salem had once called friend…before she became a mortal enemy and was known by many names:
The Ocean or Silver Knight.
The Last Empress or Empress of Mistral, depending on who you asked about that title.
The One who Named the Gods.
Lady Schnee.
The leader of Team AEON.
And likely many more names that Salem knew but cared not to recall, for in all that time she had only ever had referred to herself as…
'Aqua. Is this you're doing? Have you learned how to give magic to others like Ozpin?' Salem thought as she turned to her throne.
This had the potential to be a very big problem for her, especially since she only started the first stage of her plans since the end of the Great War after her followers of that time had been wiped out. If another being capable of wielding magic was appearing, Salem would have to consider halting her plans no matter how much she wished otherwise. She had only just now gathered the pawns she needed but as skilled as they were now, she knew they would have to become much stronger against Aqua and this new potential adversary.
'If I gain a proper understanding of him, perhaps I can bring him over to my side but if now…' Salem looked up to the ceiling, seeing statues of winged beasts crouched down with snarling faces revealing razor sharp teeth. 'I know the Grimm have not been forbidden from hunting this man unlike her so perhaps I can make use of them here. I only hope it does not come that before my plans are ready.'
Xxx
In the following months since they had first met, Aqua and Poppy traveled all across the land, saving villages from Grimm, battling bandits and slavers alike and simply continued traveling with no apparent destination in mind. In the time of their travel, Aqua helped Poppy learn how to fight by training her.
Not with a Keyblade of course but her skills were enough to properly wield a sword that had been made by a grateful blacksmith from one of the villages they had saved.
Aqua had pondered about awakening Poppy's Aura by using the same trick that Neo had done for her but she wasn't sure how much time she planned to alter. One could argue she had already altered it beyond recognition but Aqua wasn't one to take these steps without careful consideration. For the moment, she would focus on building up Poppy's skills and then consider awakening her Aura if Poppy had shown herself mature enough for it. The girl's heart was still broken from the loss of her family and village and Aqua knew too much power all at once would do more harm than good.
They made their way through the land, eventually reaching the coast and stopped at a nearby village that was built right on a beach.
"Wow." Poppy muttered as she and Aqua came to the end of the canyon they spent the better part of a day walking through and took their first step out onto the beach.
The village there was nothing like her village.
The people had built their village right on the beach with logs tied together on the water, allowing the people to walk on them and where they kept their wooden boats. Unlike the wooden houses of Poppy's village, the people here lived in huts built around palm trees, presumably to give them extra stability from the occasional tropical storm.
"This is amazing." Poppy whispered in awe, making her way out into the sun.
The girl had changed a great deal since leaving her village.
Over the months of training under Aqua, Poppy had grown slightly taller with a lean but muscular figure. Her hair had grown longer, reaching down to her back while still tied in a ponytail. She wore a white top under a hide breastplate, a skirt with shorts underneath, lace-up boots and a pair of gloves.
"This is amazing." Poppy mumbled, seeing the new village she and her mentor had come upon.
There were rumors of a village out here, protected by not only steep cliffs but also had a shallow enough shore that most sea based Grimm couldn't cross without slowing considerably and revealing themselves on the surface, allowing the villagers to attack. As it was a fishing village, boat oats, fishing harpoons and even shields were found in a few of the shops, no doubt made by the villagers for hunting and protection against the Grimm. Seagulls flew in the sky over the village which the fisherman used as a way to find fish in the water, judging by the locations the seagulls would flock to.
Aqua's nose perked up as an aroma filled the air and she looked to a nearby hut, seeing food on display.
Sea Food.
If there was one kind of meal she loved in all the worlds it was sea food. She followed the direction of the smell and let out an astonished gasp, seeing a shop with pots and pans held over open fire that was used to cook fish and crabs.
It resulted in a grumbling sound from Aqua's stomach which made her blush as Poppy looked at her with a small smile. "…Hungry?"
"Give me a break. We haven't had much of a home cooked meal for a while now." Aqua retorted but was still blushing.
Shaking her head, Poppy walked over to the restaurant, followed quickly by Aqua. Soon enough a meal consisting of crab and celery with cheese sauce along with a plate full of what they called sushi was placed on the table.
"This is good." Aqua sighed happily as she ate her meal with gusto. "I haven't had a chance to stop and rest like this for a while."
Poppy nodded in agreement; taking a sip of the cup of fresh water she had been given. "They sure know how to make a person feel welcome."
It was nice to take a break from everything and feel like there was nothing wrong with the world.
If only for a moment.
"I take you two are new around here." The restaurant owner said as he refilled their cups with fresh water.
"You can say that." Aqua nodded. "We've been traveling south for the last week or so."
"Well, let me give you some advice then." The owner leaned forward. "You heard of this new religion springing up?"
Aqua and Poppy both paused, glancing at each other for a second before back to the owner with Aqua speaking. "No, I can't say we have."
"Well let me tell you then, don't get involved. They are bunch of lunatics spreading the idea that this island of theirs is actually the gateway to a place where the Grimm can't reach. A paradise." The owner shook his head. "I know a few fishermen who went out to investigate this island they were talking about. They never came back."
Poppy had a very bad feeling when hearing this, comparing this rumor to the forest near her village that everyone said to avoid at any and all cost.
"I would not go near them unless I was driven mad." The owner looked up and scowled. "Speak of the Grimm…"
Aqua and Poppy followed his gaze and spotted a group of cloaked men approaching the village, led by a young woman who was dressed…rather provocatively. She had long silver hair and wore a blue headband that finished with blue beads and yellow tassels. The headdress has two long plums that zigzagged, making an 'M' shape. Aqua was quick to notice she had yellow eyes and combined with her silver hair, she briefly thought she was looking at someone who could possibly be related to Xehanort but knew that was impossible.
She wore a blue and black bra with a curlicue design linked in front by a yellow chain and a black thong with a thin yellow belt, gold bracelets, blue armbands and wristbands, green sashes decorated with a strange emblem resembling the letter 'A' with an eye at the top.
"People of this village." The woman stepped forward and spoke with tone that conveyed a deep sense of authority. "I am Lady Yunalesca and I bring to you the word of Yevon."
Aqua and Poppy slowly stood up, both of them getting a feeling that something bad was going to happen.
Xxx
On the beach of an island that resided in the middle of an ocean seemingly without end, a single boy washed up there. He moaned as he rolled onto his back and looked up at the sun.
"Are you all right?" Someone rushed up to the boy and knelt down next to him. "Can you speak? Can you tell me your name?"
His name?
It was…
"Ti…dus." The boy managed to speak, his voice barely above a whisper before he blacked out.
