It has been thirteen years since the final conflict between Cosmos and Chaos erupted.  Ever since the destruction of Chaos, a very fragile peace has followed.  But what awaits the world now, as a new threat beckons at its doorstep?  Will anyone be prepared for the arrival of Shinryu...?  Can the mighty dragon be stopped?  The fantasy begins now...

 

It's a cold and quiet summer evening, and the ocean waves gently crash on the shore.  The moon rides high and the town is ever peaceful, as people go about their daily night life.  Among the crowd walks a lone man, one that you could say, stands out from the crowd.  He seems quiet and stoic and he has clothing that would mark him as a solider.  His name is Lucius Sablewind.  The man always keeps to himself, closed from anyone who tries so much as to make contact with him.  He notices an inn nearby, and as he walks towards it, he sees the name of the inn up top.  "The Blazing Phoenix huh?" he says to himself.  With that, he enters the inn, and then he goes straight to the bartender and asks for a drink.  At the far end of the table, he sees a woman, no doubt a warrior, taking a drink herself.  He immediately took notice of the weapon she was wielding, and he stared at the weapon intently, wondering who could have forged it.

{Rabiyu}Rabiyu looked a little relieved, but also kept her eyes opened."I hope the Goddess can help her." She said to the Paladin. "By the way you reacted the moment your eyes were laid on her, she must be someone very important to you, right? A dear friend or relative? Your lover, perhaps? In any case, let's hurry, she needs Cosmos' help."{Ernst}"I guess he just forgot that I was not part of past cycles." Ernst said. "Oh well, there is nothing I can do about that."The young man closed his book and put it inside a pocket of his cloak. He then got up and looked at the retreating figures, his eyes stopping on Exdeath and Garland."How interesting. Maybe he can't shake the feeling of being unable to send the Goddess of Harmony into the Void." He thought. "I find him rather amusing, somewhat simple minded, but amusing. The other one is, by the lack of a better term, a complete paradox. I sense chaos within him."Ernst then looked at the pink haired girl."She holds chaos as well, her whole being is shrouded in chaos."After a couple of seconds of watching Lumina, Ernst followed his...comrades?...companions?...he had to find a word to describe his current relationship with these guys.

{Lumina}

Lumina looked bored by the discussion on the enemy the others were having.

"If they are so foolish, then why do they keep winning?" She thought.

Still, breaking patterns was what chaos was all about. She noticed Ernst looking at her and flashed him a smile.

"Well, boys, I'm off." She proclaimed to the others. "Wish me luck!"

In a swirl of dark mist, Lumina was gone.

 

{Joker}

Joker became visible as soon as Rabiyu spoke to him. He found himself wishing Cecil would be right, but he had become too pessimistic to not be worried.

"What do you feel?" He asked the Huntress quietly.

Cecil looked at Rabiyu and nodded. "Yes, Rosa is my true love.  We've known each other since we were children...she's a very important person to me.  She's been with me through good times and bad times.  I cannot believe she ended up here.  I did not want her to end up in this conflict...Rosa." he said, as he touched Rosa's face, and she moved ever so slightly, but remained unconscious. Suddenly, Cosmos appeared in front of Cecil and his friends, and then she looked down to Rosa's face.  "And who might this young woman be?" the goddess asked, calm and serene.

 

Meanwhile, Garland decided it was time that he and his comrades started to move out.  "Come, we must go now.  Our plans take root now.  We must strike before Shinryu makes its move!" he said, as he walked forward, his Claymore dragging behind him, leaving cracks on the floor.  Exdeath simply disappeared into thin air, and Barbaricia took to the skies, transforming into a powerful gust of wind.  Now the beasts and soldiers were also on the move.  Everything was set now.  The descendants of Chaos had decided to make their move now.

 

In the meantime, Lucius remained clueless as to where he was.  He didn't know how much time he had been underground.  Days?  Weeks?  All he knew is that he was tired to the point of exhaustion.  He then sat down on a nearby boulder and then fell to the ground, weakened.  "Is it my fate to die here...?" he said to himself, as his eyes closed ever so slowly.

{Rabiyu}Rabiyu looked at Joker, a calm look on her face."Someone was watching us from afar. It was not a single entity, but many."The young Huntress looked behind her."I could sense the spirits getting restless, it was like they were suffering by the presence of chaos. That much chaos gathered in one single spot must mean that something or someone was watching us and was ready to attack."A few seconds passed when Rabiyu remained silent, Cecil broke said silence with an explanation about Rosa."Yes, Rosa is my true love.  We've known each other since we were children...she's a very important person to me.  She's been with me through good times and bad times.  I cannot believe she ended up here.  I did not want her to end up in this conflict...Rosa."It was then that the Goddess of Harmony showed up."And who might this young woman be?" she asked."We found her some time ago. By Cecil's explanation she is from his home world, and I want to think that she is supposed to join your warriors." Rabiyu then bowed at Cosmos. "That, of course, is your choice, Mistress."{Ernst}Ernst tilted his head when the pink haired warrior disappeared."How strange." He said. "Is it prudent to send Lumina to fight against the Warriors of Cosmos alone? Wouldn't be better if one of---"The blond man looked behind him to discover that most of his companions were gone."went along with her...? *sigh* For the love of Etro...they are so uncaring. I suppose that she will be fine on her own."Ernst gave one last look to the spot where the pink haired girl used to be before he ran to catch up with Garland.

Cosmos looked at the unconscious Rosa, and then she looked at Cecil, who had a concerned look on his face.  Cosmos knelt down and put her hand on his shoulder and nodded.  "It will all be all right." she said, as she concentrated her power to form an orb of light.  After a few seconds, the orb of light transformed into a Sand Pearl. Cecil was quite taken by surprise by this.  "A Sand Pearl?  But only Antlions possess this item!  Incredible!" Cecil said in awe.  Cosmos truly was an incredible entity.  The fact that she was able to create items like the Sand Pearl out of nothingness was quite a sight.  After a few seconds, Rosa woke up, and her eyes shifted from Cecil to the others, and then she slowly sat up.  "W-where am I?" she asked, slightly startled.

 

Meanwhile, Garland and the others had already made their way across the Infernal Planes, and now were heading towards a cave that traveled deep underground. Before heading into the cave, Garland stopped and then turned around to face all of his comrades.  He eyed them out, seeing their faces full of determination and rage. "Now then, all of you must be prepared for whatever comes our way.  The warriors of Cosmos may be of lesser numbers than us, but that does not mean that they are any less powerful.  Do not let down your guard." he said, as he then turned around and headed into the cave.  

{Joker}

Joker grunted.

"I'm not that surprised." He commented. "Villains always seem to have access to scrying abilities. Rather unfair, if you ask me."

The Watcher eyed Rosa.

"So, a missing love." He thought. "Convenient. I wish that was a conclusive test."

 

{Lumina}

Outside the Sanctuary, Lumina appeared in a swirl of darkness. Infiltration mission. Not the funnest, but it should have its moments. Maybe even convince a few people that she was here to be recruited. She had a few...disguises she could use...

As Cosmos and the others explained to Rosa what was happening, she was able to get a better grasp of the situation at hand, and after being informed of everything, she turned towards Cecil.  "I was worried about you Cecil.  I couldn't stop worrying about you, and that must have been what brought me here." she said, touching her beloved's face. Cecil smiled warmly and they both embraced each other, kissing each other gently in the lips, and then he looked at Cosmos and the others.  "Thank you, all of you.  You were of great help to Rosa.  Now then, we must continue on our mission." he said, and then, suddenly, they saw someone in the distance.

 

"Who is that?" Rosa asked, as the figure of a girl appeared from far away.  The girl seemed to be heading this way.  Cosmos stayed calm, with no show of worry on her face.  Little did they know that it was Lumina who was coming straight at them.

{Rabiyu}Rabiyu was watching the reunion of Cecil and Rosa, but somehow it made her feel lonely."I'm glad, but why do I feel like crying? I know there is something I'm missing and maybe my memories are the key."The young Huntress' ears twitched, the sudden feeling of a new presence came to her and was not surprised to see a figure in the distance."Someone is coming." She said flatly. "Should we take precautions in case of an enemy attack?"She then looked at Cosmos, her face without any sign of worry."Or is she one of your new recruits, Mistress?" Rabiyu asked Cosmos.

{Joker & Lumina}

Joker eyed Cecil and Rosa as the embraced. He couldn't help but feel tragedy was on the horizon. It always seemed to be on his world. The Watcher turned to see the figure the others had pointed out. A new recruit, perhaps?

As the figure came closed, it resolved into a pink haired girl with a pony tail on one side of her head, wearing a school uniform.

"Um, hi." She called out when she was close enough. "I..my name is Serah Farron. Could someone tell me where I am?"

Everyone stood still for a moment, and then they looked at Cosmos, but the goddess didn't seem to be fazed by this new face showing up.  Rosa however, felt that something is wrong.  She didn't indicate it, but Cecil could also feel the strange feeling.  Cosmos walked towards Serah and smiled warmly.  "Welcome to Order's Sanctuary.  I assume that you have come to side with us?" the goddess asked with calm grace.  Cecil and Rosa felt a little bit uneasy, but they wanted to hear what the new recruit had to say.  They couldn't deny that something was off about this girl.  Cecil wondered if Joker and Rabiyu felt the same way.

{Joker & Lumina}

"I...I guess so." The girl calling herself Serah Farron answered. "I'm not really sure what that means, though."

"You've stumbled into a war." Joker answered, a little darkly. "A war between Order and Chaos. You are currently talking to the head of the Order side, the goddess Cosmos."

"Serah" looked wide eyed at Cosmos.

{Rabiyu}Rabiyu was looking at "Serah" speaking with both Joker and Cosmos before her eyes moved towards her other two companions."Cecil and Rosa must be thinking something similar." She thought.As Joker finished giving the short version of their current situation to Serah, Rabiyu decided to speak."The Mistress is our leader and we are her warriors who are supposed to protect her and defeat the Warriors of Chaos."The Huntress looked around before speaking once again."It may seem that we are the only ones here, but the others are walking their own paths. Rosa here," she said as she glanced at Rosa. "is a new recruit as well.Rabiyu put her hand on her chest and made a small bow, she didn't took her eyes away from Serah."Since you honored us with your name, I feel is proper to return the sentiment. My name is Rabiyu, it is a pleasure to meet you."

{Joker & Lumina}

"And I am called Joker." Joker introduced himself, following Rabiyu's lead.

Might as well try to be friendly.

"Nice to meet you." Serah said with a wave.

(Oh my God guys, I'm so sorry for the super late reply!  I was hospitalized for a week, and I wasn't able to come online during all that time, plus I was working on writing another chapter of my story!  Ah, I'm so sorry, but now I am back!)

 

Cecil eyed Serah out and then glanced over at Rosa.  Both of them were thinking the same thing.  Clearly this woman had something suspicious about her, but there was no way to be sure.  But, just to be polite, both of them introduced themselves.  "I am Cecil." the paladin said.  "And I'm Rosa." she said, and they both continued to glance at Serah.  Cecil quietly noticed that Joker and Rabiyu were also feeling uneasy, but for some reason, Cosmos didn't seem to be fazed at all.  But there was clearly something up.  They were prepared for the worst.

(Oh my God guys, I'm so sorry for the super late reply!  I was hospitalized for a week, and I wasn't able to come online during all that time, plus I was working on writing another chapter of my story!  Ah, I'm so sorry, but now I am back!)

(oh man, a week in the hospital is more then a good reason to be late. You doing alright?){Joker & Lumina}Serah smiled and waved at Cecil and Rosa. "Nice to meet you both." She said.Joker crossed his arms and started walking around the new comer, watching her from inside his hood."What do you remember?" He asked.Serah turned her head to follow Joker on his trek around her."Not much." She answered. "Bits and pieces with my sister."Joker nodded."Typical." He said, coming to a stop in front of her. "This war does have an odd effect on the memory. Now, combat experience?"Serah shrugged, looking a little hopeless.

(It doesn't matter if you're late! You health comes first. I hope you're doing alright.){Rabiyu}Rabiyu was watching Serah while Joker was asking questions."I have a feeling that she knows more than she says." She thought.Slowly Rabiyu moved her eyes towards the Goddess of Harmony."And there is her. She doesn't look worried in the least."Rabiyu's mind focused once Joker asked about Serah's combat experience."If she doesn't have much combat experience, then she will be in constant danger" Rabiyu said.

(Thank you both for understanding, and yeah, I feel as healthy as a clam now, thanks to God! )

 

Cecil and Rosa saw everything unraveling before them, and for now, Serah seemed to be a normal person...but something about her still didn't seem quite right.  All of a sudden, an explosion could be heard in the distance, just a few miles off from Order's Sanctuary.  At that, Cecil and Rosa and the rest looked to the horizon uneasily.

 

"Our friends could be in danger, we must make haste and help them!" Cecil proclaimed as he and Rosa went running towards the fumes of the explosion.

 

"My love, what do you think this could be?" Rosa asked, looking worried.

 

"I don't know Rosa...but whatever it is, it cannot be good.  Joker, Rabiyu, come on!  Lady Cosmos, we shall see each other again!" he shouted as he kept running towards the source of the explosion.

 

At that same moment, one of Garland's soldiers gave a signal. they were ready to attack.  They had everything set in place.  The explosion was meant to lure the remaining warriors away from Cosmos.  And the plan was going swimmingly well.

Rabiyu was about to question Serah about her sister, but at that same moment an explosion could be heard in the distance."It seems we can't get a moment to rest." She said flatly while taking out a pair of daggers from under her cloak. "Take care and be careful, Mistress"Giving a small bow to Cosmos and a last look at Serah, Rabiyu ran towards the source of the explosion, her cloak of mist vanished."The Chaos is near, I can feel it."At that same moment, a sudden pain on the Huntress' chest made her slow down."Uh? What was that?" She thought. "It feels as if someone was calling me."After a couple of seconds the pain disappeared and the Huntress resumed her way."

Garland stood at the top of a hill overlooking Order's Sanctuary, and with a wave of his hand, he sent hordes of monsters and manikins towards the warriors of Cosmos. Exdeath, Barbaricia and the others scattered about the battlefield, keeping a weather eye out for any other of Cosmos' allies.

 

"This time, you fall..." Garland muttered under his breath, directing the statement to the Goddess of Harmony herself.  He then looked to the battle, as Cecil and Rosa started cutting through the enemy lines.

 

"We must protect the Goddess at all times Rosa!" Cecil shouted, while Rosa nodded in agreement, drawing her bow and taking out the swarms of enemies with her arrows of light.  Cecil then looked back towards Rabiyu.

 

"My friend, we must hold the line as long as we can while we wait for reinforcements to arrive!" he said, blocking off a manikin and destroying it immediately.  He then charged forward, switching between his Paladin and Dark Knight forms to take out dozens of enemies at once.

 

"Hmph, everything is going as planned..." Garland muttered to himself, giving out a laugh of satisfaction.

{Ernst & Rabiyu}"It will be done."Rabiyu said to Cecil as she did a front flip against a manikin that was about to stab her."You will need more than that to even land a scratch."The Huntress then stabbed the manikin on its back and focused on a fire spell. The manikin exploded after a few seconds. Rabiyu then whispered a few words making a summoning circle appear in front of her. The head of Bahamut coming out and unleashing a beam of energy against a large amount of manikins."It is impressive what a little girl can do." A voice said to Rabiyu. "But it is expected coming from a Dra'thul, even if it is a half-breed one."Rabiyu once again put a hand on her chest while she looked at the source of the voice. Said source was a young man sitting on a rock, he looked slightly bored and if the book in his hands was a sign, he was not that interested in the fight."Who are you?" She asked as she took her bow and pointed an arrow at her enemy."Who am I is inconsequential, but I suppose that you must call me something so...call me Ernst, Rabiyu of the Praestigia Forest.""You...know me?" Rabiyu asked. "And what do you mean by "Dra'thul" and "Praestigia"? I don't remember any-"Before she could finish, another group of manikins showed up making it impossible to continue with the converstation. The Huntress then began to take out her enemies with her arrows, but always looking at Ernst just in case he tried to attack. Ernst on the other hand was writing on his book while looking around the battlefield.

Cecil and Rosa struggled to hold the line against the ever increasing number of manikins and monsters, and all the while, the Descendants of Chaos were simply standing and watching, preferring to let their soldiers do their work for them.  Rosa cast protective spells and then caste Haste on herself, Cecil and Rabiyu.  Cecil kept alternating between his dark knight and paladin forms to take out the increasing number of foes.

 

"There are too many of them!  We are being overrun!" Cecil shouted as he shot out a sphere of darkness to engulf nearby Sahagins.

 

"We must stand strong!" Rosa said as she fired off a flurry of arrows of light that pierced through a dozen manikins.

 

Meanwhile, Garland continued to stand watch, and Exdeath and Barbaricia were scattered across the battlefield.  The manikins and monsters were mobilizing just as he had expected, and everything was according to plan.  Then he fixed his gaze on Cosmos, who was standing beside her throne, closing her eyes and charging her energy.  At that, Garland chuckled and crossed his arms.

 

"Excellent...let us see what you will do now, Goddess of Harmony..." Garland muttered to himself as the battle raged on.

{Ernst & Rabiyu}Rabiyu felt the effects of Rosa's spells working, most of the manikins around her were gone, leaving a very calm Ernst sitting on a rock."It's your turn now!" She yelled as she fired an arrow towards Ernst.Ernst looked up to see the arrow getting closer to his face and, to Rabiyu's surprise, when it was a few inches from its mark the arrow turned into dust in the air."Impossible!" Rabiyu said, shooting arrow after arrow only for them to turn into dust."Stubborn as always." Ernst said as he closed and put the book inside his cloak. "I assure you, Rabiyu, you can't hurt me. Use all the arrows you want, but none will reach their mark. I am not seeking a fight, not against you anyways, just bother some of the monsters or the constructs to pass the time."The Huntress was glaring at Ernst at the moment."Who or what are you?!" She yelled. "What is your goal?!"The young man shrugged and pointed behind Rabiyu."I just want to go home, just like you, even of you don't remember, yet." He said flatly. "We have a mission on our world, Rabiyu, and if taking down the Goddess of Harmony is the key to go back, then I will take her and her warriors down."

The battle was intensifying with each passing minute, and the monsters and manikins were only increasing in number and strength.  It wouldn't be long before Order's Sanctuary was completely overrun.  The Descendants of Chaos were calmly watching everything go about.  Garland kept his gaze fixed on Cosmos, who was increasing her power.

 

"Now, all that is vile and cruel...vanish..." Cosmos uttered, and with that, a radiant wave of light cleansed the entire battlefield, destroying all the manikins and monsters that had been vigorously attacking her outnumbered warriors.  Exdeath and Barbariccia were taken by surprise and they averted their gaze to prevent themselves from being hurt by the light, but Garland faced the light head on.

 

"I see.  Stubborn as always...Goddess of Harmony..." Garland muttered.

 

"And you are as reckless as ever, Garland." Cosmos replied.  All of a sudden, a distant noise could be heard, and everyone remained silent for a few moments.

{Ernst & Rabiyu}"I don't care about a mission or whatever," Rabiyu said as she pulled a dagger from under her skirt. "but if you try to get close to the Mistress then I will fight for real."Ernst kept is bored look while giving a shrug."And here I thought Elves were smart. Here is the deal...stand aside or else you will die, no matter if your kind lives for hundred of years, nothing can defeat the passing of time."Rabiyu ran towards Ernst, but came to a stop once a wave of Light came from Cosmos."How interesting." Ernst thought. "Her strength is astounding..."Both warriors faced the light head on. Once the light was gone, along with the monsters and manikins, a distant noise made Rabiyu and Ernst unable to continue their fight."What was that sound?" Rabiyu asked.

The noise that sounded so distant suddenly became stronger, and everyone in the battlefield stopped, turning their heads towards the source of the noise.  Cecil and Rosa stood back to back in case this was a trap set by the enemy.  But then, as they looked at the enemy's faces, they saw that they too, were caught unaware of this strange event that was occurring.  Then, all of a sudden, the earth began to shake violently, and everyone in the battlefield stumbled and started falling one by one.

 

"What is this!?" Cecil exclaimed, feeling clueless.

 

Shortly after, thunder started cracking in the sky, and the sky darkened into a deep and ominous black, and from the swirling clouds came a mighty and terrible dragon, clad in golden armor, swooping down into the battlefield.  It was none other than...Shinryu!