Noctis
wintersoldier
ChronicleMan
King Kindred
Kaithe Dame
Fetzen
Eviledd1984
BunniesOfDoom
Snowdrops
Crimson FlameLevi opened his eyes to reveal that he was floating on his back in an endless black void. He felt himself… fall? No, it was gentler. Descend was a better word for it, as the sensation was akin to sinking, except he could breathe perfectly fine. Slowly, he shifted from his back until his body was vertical, landing feet-first onto a platform of some kind. He looked down to see a massive, colorful mosaic that seemed to be crafted of stained glass, displaying a highly detailed illustration of himself, with a sea-foam green backdrop. Next to this was six circles, four of them holding an image of one of his friends, and two that appeared to be filled by black silhouettes that he knew, but couldn’t exactly place. Finally, in the hand of this mosaic portrayal of himself, there was a sharp and angular silhouette that he still couldn’t place.
“Son of a lost world, there is much to do and very little time to do it.”
Levi was caught off guard by the voice. It was one he’d never heard before, and yet it was… intimately familiar. As if he’d known it his entire life. He let himself relax, and though he couldn’t place why, he felt safe here.
“There is a power that sleeps within you. You must give it form.”
Three separate, highly detailed stone dias rose from the ground, and atop each, a weapon appeared in a flash of light.
“The Power of the Warrior. Invincible Courage. A Sword of Terrible Destruction…”
“The Power of the Mystic. Inner Strength. A Staff of Wonder and Ruin…”
“The Power of the Guardian. Kindness to Aid Friends. A Shield to Repel All.”
Levi examined the three, but he didn’t take long to make his choice. He’d always protected others with everything he had, and he wasn’t about to stop now. Carefully, he lifted the shield.
“For that which is chosen, another must be given away.”
Levi thought for a moment, before walking over towards the staff. He didn’t need to rely on magic to protect anyone before. Besides, a simpler approach still allowed for a surprising amount of nuance. He took the staff in his hands, and it disappeared in a flash of light.
“You have chosen the Power of the Guardian. You have given up the Power of the Mystic.”
There was a bright flash of light, and Levi was suddenly back on that familiar beach. He looked around, and felt all of the emotion welling up inside. He knew this was a dream, and he desperately didn’t want to be reminded of everything they had just lost, and yet… it was home. Instead of allowing himself to be overcome by his emotions, he took a deep breath in, counted to four, and exhaled, letting out the emotions with it. He then looked around, and saw his friends. First was Hoshi, standing by the shack that her brother had built. The second was Morgan, sitting on the dry sand of the beach. Third was Lucian, leaning against a Paopu tree. Finally, there was Alias, standing in the shallows with the waves gently lapping against his shoes. Levi first approached Alias, however Alias spoke before he did, without turning to face him.
“What’s most important to you?”
Levi took a moment to think, before speaking with conviction. “The people I care about.” He then took a moment, remembering that this, as weird as it was, was still a dream, before turning to speak to Hoshi.
“What do you want out of life?”
Again, Levi paused thoughtfully before responding. “To broaden my horizons, know what other people experience.” Hoshi nodded, and he walked over to speak to Morgan.
“What are you the most afraid of?”
Levi sighed, but unlike the others, he didn’t think about this one. It was one he knew off the top of his head. “Being left helpless.”
Finally, he went to speak with Lucian. But before he could, he was enveloped by another flash of blinding light.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing on yet another mosaic. This one showed Destiny Islands as it fractured and broke, circled by the faces of his friends and himself. He shakily let out a breath as he took it in, before looking up.
“You will need to defend yourself and others. But you already knew that.”
Forms then rose out of the ground, figures that, despite their simple form, admittedly frightened him. Those heartless, the Shadows, rose and glared at him, ready to strike. Suddenly, the shield from before appeared on his arm with a flash of light. As the first shadow lunged at him, he intended just to knock it away, thinking he couldn’t harm it. He was surprised when the rim of the shield caught the shadow by its small neck, and kept going through as the creature burst into a cloud of darkness. I can hurt these things? He then turned to face the other two, his fear quickly melting away to reveal that confidence he typically carried, mixed with a righteous fury. ”Now you messed up. Because I can kill you now. So, I’m going to make you regret taking my world, my family, and my friends.” It didn’t take him long to dispatch the next couple of Shadows as his shield moved with an unpredictable and wild fury, striking with its boss and slashing with its rim.
He smiled as he looked over the shield with some pride, then looked up from it to be met with one last flash of blinding light.
Levi looked around as he took in the circular platform he stood on. He looked behind him, and saw people. First, they were his friends. Then, they were family and acquaintances from around the island. Then, they were the few people he had detested. Then, people he didn’t recognize. From there they remained in constant flux, always unrecognizable, and always changing.
He then looked at his environment. First the beach, then the town, then the secret place. After that, the broken remains of his world. Then, constant flux yet again. Places alien to him that he couldn’t recognize. The hanger of a massive vessel, a wild jungle, a desert, a densely packed city. Always unfamiliar, always changing.
Finally, he looked ahead as he saw the one constant thing here other than himself and the circular shape of the platform. That same creature that had come to his home in its final moments and dragged it into oblivion. The Darkside. It dropped to it’s knees and let out a burst of dark energies from the heart-shaped hole in it’s chest, and Levi raised his shield, letting the projectiles splash against it.
He didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know why he was here. He didn’t even know who was behind him. All he knew was that these people were facing down the same thing he had just faced. ”Stand back… I’ve got this.” He said to the ever-changing mob, before raising his shield and charging at the seemingly insurmountable foe, who's coming brought with it the end of the world. A simple mantra then came from deep within himself as first a whisper, then a call, then a roar, as it resonated within the depths of his heart.
Do not go silent into the night.
But rage, rage, against the dying of the light.
Levi wasn’t awakened by Zac’s warning, but instead by the ship shaking violently as it went to land. He braced himself against the console he had been leaning against as the ship came down, hoping that he wouldn’t have a second concussion in the same day. As the ship finally set down, he took a moment to register what he had just dreamed. That’s weird. By all rights, I shouldn’t remember that so clearly. It’s like what Lucian described to me. He stretched, winching slightly as he realized just how sore he was from last night’s events, combined with an odd sleeping position. He pushed himself up to his feet, and listened carefully as Zac laid out the ground rules. He was admittedly annoyed that he had been called out without being directly addressed, but didn’t feel the need to express that. Instead, he picked up his trusty bat and hoisted himself out of the cockpit and to the ground.
”Well, I for one think it’d be a good idea to travel together. Safety in numbers, right?” He then walked over towards the gate to this first district. ”That said, I’m gonna have a look around. I want to be a little better equipped than I am now. I’ll try to stay around the first district… shouldn’t be hard if they’re as obviously marked as this one is.” With that, he started into the first district, intent on finding some way to be useful.
He eventually found a strange creature with white fur, small stature, and a red pom-pom on it’s head, running a stall. He walked over to the strange creature, and it greeted him. “Hello there, kupo! Welcome to the Moogle Emporium. We have everything you could ever need, kupo!” Levi was initially wary, but he then noticed the prices were written in munny and not any other currency, in addition to the very reasonable prices. So, he pulled out his wallet.
By the time he was done, he had managed a decent amount of items. He grabbed a couple of those potions for himself as he figured they’d be useful and that Zac wasn’t going to let him mooch off of his stockpile forever. He also managed to get himself a small-ish tarp, some simple metal rods, a day’s worth of non-perishable food, a canteen, and a couple bundles of 550 cord. This still left him with… exactly a hundred munny. He considered himself broke, as that wasn’t his munny. He owed it to someone else. He then turned to look at the Moogle before he left. “By the way, I’m looking for a few people. A young man, roughly yay high, typically wearing greys, named Alias. A young woman, roughly yay high, typically wears white, named Morgan. And another young woman, roughly yay high, typically wears blue, named Hoshi. Seen any of them?” The Moogle tapped it’s chin with a stubby appendage. “Can’t say that I have, sorry kupo.” Levi sighed and shrugged. Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy. Levi started turning to leave. ”Well, if you do, could you let them know that Levi and Lucian are okay and looking for them? I think they’d appreciate knowing that their friends aren’t dead.” The moogle nodded, which made the red pom-pom bob back and forth quickly. “Will do, kupo! Good luck finding them!” With that, Levi found himself an outdoor dining table that no one was using, and got to work on making himself a new rucksack, this one having an extra loop of cord down by his waist to he could secure the bat to it.
“Son of a lost world, there is much to do and very little time to do it.”
Levi was caught off guard by the voice. It was one he’d never heard before, and yet it was… intimately familiar. As if he’d known it his entire life. He let himself relax, and though he couldn’t place why, he felt safe here.
“There is a power that sleeps within you. You must give it form.”
Three separate, highly detailed stone dias rose from the ground, and atop each, a weapon appeared in a flash of light.
“The Power of the Warrior. Invincible Courage. A Sword of Terrible Destruction…”
“The Power of the Mystic. Inner Strength. A Staff of Wonder and Ruin…”
“The Power of the Guardian. Kindness to Aid Friends. A Shield to Repel All.”
Levi examined the three, but he didn’t take long to make his choice. He’d always protected others with everything he had, and he wasn’t about to stop now. Carefully, he lifted the shield.
“For that which is chosen, another must be given away.”
Levi thought for a moment, before walking over towards the staff. He didn’t need to rely on magic to protect anyone before. Besides, a simpler approach still allowed for a surprising amount of nuance. He took the staff in his hands, and it disappeared in a flash of light.
“You have chosen the Power of the Guardian. You have given up the Power of the Mystic.”
There was a bright flash of light, and Levi was suddenly back on that familiar beach. He looked around, and felt all of the emotion welling up inside. He knew this was a dream, and he desperately didn’t want to be reminded of everything they had just lost, and yet… it was home. Instead of allowing himself to be overcome by his emotions, he took a deep breath in, counted to four, and exhaled, letting out the emotions with it. He then looked around, and saw his friends. First was Hoshi, standing by the shack that her brother had built. The second was Morgan, sitting on the dry sand of the beach. Third was Lucian, leaning against a Paopu tree. Finally, there was Alias, standing in the shallows with the waves gently lapping against his shoes. Levi first approached Alias, however Alias spoke before he did, without turning to face him.
“What’s most important to you?”
Levi took a moment to think, before speaking with conviction. “The people I care about.” He then took a moment, remembering that this, as weird as it was, was still a dream, before turning to speak to Hoshi.
“What do you want out of life?”
Again, Levi paused thoughtfully before responding. “To broaden my horizons, know what other people experience.” Hoshi nodded, and he walked over to speak to Morgan.
“What are you the most afraid of?”
Levi sighed, but unlike the others, he didn’t think about this one. It was one he knew off the top of his head. “Being left helpless.”
Finally, he went to speak with Lucian. But before he could, he was enveloped by another flash of blinding light.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing on yet another mosaic. This one showed Destiny Islands as it fractured and broke, circled by the faces of his friends and himself. He shakily let out a breath as he took it in, before looking up.
“You will need to defend yourself and others. But you already knew that.”
Forms then rose out of the ground, figures that, despite their simple form, admittedly frightened him. Those heartless, the Shadows, rose and glared at him, ready to strike. Suddenly, the shield from before appeared on his arm with a flash of light. As the first shadow lunged at him, he intended just to knock it away, thinking he couldn’t harm it. He was surprised when the rim of the shield caught the shadow by its small neck, and kept going through as the creature burst into a cloud of darkness. I can hurt these things? He then turned to face the other two, his fear quickly melting away to reveal that confidence he typically carried, mixed with a righteous fury. ”Now you messed up. Because I can kill you now. So, I’m going to make you regret taking my world, my family, and my friends.” It didn’t take him long to dispatch the next couple of Shadows as his shield moved with an unpredictable and wild fury, striking with its boss and slashing with its rim.
He smiled as he looked over the shield with some pride, then looked up from it to be met with one last flash of blinding light.
Levi looked around as he took in the circular platform he stood on. He looked behind him, and saw people. First, they were his friends. Then, they were family and acquaintances from around the island. Then, they were the few people he had detested. Then, people he didn’t recognize. From there they remained in constant flux, always unrecognizable, and always changing.
He then looked at his environment. First the beach, then the town, then the secret place. After that, the broken remains of his world. Then, constant flux yet again. Places alien to him that he couldn’t recognize. The hanger of a massive vessel, a wild jungle, a desert, a densely packed city. Always unfamiliar, always changing.
Finally, he looked ahead as he saw the one constant thing here other than himself and the circular shape of the platform. That same creature that had come to his home in its final moments and dragged it into oblivion. The Darkside. It dropped to it’s knees and let out a burst of dark energies from the heart-shaped hole in it’s chest, and Levi raised his shield, letting the projectiles splash against it.
He didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know why he was here. He didn’t even know who was behind him. All he knew was that these people were facing down the same thing he had just faced. ”Stand back… I’ve got this.” He said to the ever-changing mob, before raising his shield and charging at the seemingly insurmountable foe, who's coming brought with it the end of the world. A simple mantra then came from deep within himself as first a whisper, then a call, then a roar, as it resonated within the depths of his heart.
Do not go silent into the night.
But rage, rage, against the dying of the light.
Levi wasn’t awakened by Zac’s warning, but instead by the ship shaking violently as it went to land. He braced himself against the console he had been leaning against as the ship came down, hoping that he wouldn’t have a second concussion in the same day. As the ship finally set down, he took a moment to register what he had just dreamed. That’s weird. By all rights, I shouldn’t remember that so clearly. It’s like what Lucian described to me. He stretched, winching slightly as he realized just how sore he was from last night’s events, combined with an odd sleeping position. He pushed himself up to his feet, and listened carefully as Zac laid out the ground rules. He was admittedly annoyed that he had been called out without being directly addressed, but didn’t feel the need to express that. Instead, he picked up his trusty bat and hoisted himself out of the cockpit and to the ground.
”Well, I for one think it’d be a good idea to travel together. Safety in numbers, right?” He then walked over towards the gate to this first district. ”That said, I’m gonna have a look around. I want to be a little better equipped than I am now. I’ll try to stay around the first district… shouldn’t be hard if they’re as obviously marked as this one is.” With that, he started into the first district, intent on finding some way to be useful.
He eventually found a strange creature with white fur, small stature, and a red pom-pom on it’s head, running a stall. He walked over to the strange creature, and it greeted him. “Hello there, kupo! Welcome to the Moogle Emporium. We have everything you could ever need, kupo!” Levi was initially wary, but he then noticed the prices were written in munny and not any other currency, in addition to the very reasonable prices. So, he pulled out his wallet.
By the time he was done, he had managed a decent amount of items. He grabbed a couple of those potions for himself as he figured they’d be useful and that Zac wasn’t going to let him mooch off of his stockpile forever. He also managed to get himself a small-ish tarp, some simple metal rods, a day’s worth of non-perishable food, a canteen, and a couple bundles of 550 cord. This still left him with… exactly a hundred munny. He considered himself broke, as that wasn’t his munny. He owed it to someone else. He then turned to look at the Moogle before he left. “By the way, I’m looking for a few people. A young man, roughly yay high, typically wearing greys, named Alias. A young woman, roughly yay high, typically wears white, named Morgan. And another young woman, roughly yay high, typically wears blue, named Hoshi. Seen any of them?” The Moogle tapped it’s chin with a stubby appendage. “Can’t say that I have, sorry kupo.” Levi sighed and shrugged. Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy. Levi started turning to leave. ”Well, if you do, could you let them know that Levi and Lucian are okay and looking for them? I think they’d appreciate knowing that their friends aren’t dead.” The moogle nodded, which made the red pom-pom bob back and forth quickly. “Will do, kupo! Good luck finding them!” With that, Levi found himself an outdoor dining table that no one was using, and got to work on making himself a new rucksack, this one having an extra loop of cord down by his waist to he could secure the bat to it.
