User:Nextoy/Dissidia Alto/Gathering of Heroes

Finally, the war’s over. After countless battles we had finally beaten Chaos and everyone returned home. I had even gotten my own adventure throughout the world, only to find Garland and myself still locked in battle. The dissidia was over, and yet his words of an endless cycle of war pursued even into this new world. Things only kept getting worse. Each time a world was saved I would only be thrusted into a new one, with worse troubles. Forever Garland would follow me into this chaos.

However, I eventually came back to the one place I thought I had left behind.

“Wh-where am I?” I had asked, getting up from the hard ground. Something felt familiar about this place, but I was still a bit groggy.

“I’m sorry to have brought you back here, Warrior of Light.” A voice spoke. Her tone sad, and her accent all too familiar.

“Cosmos..? What am I doing back here?” I asked, looking up at her. The Goddess’s golden hair, white dress, and radiant skin were all too familiar. Even the sadness in her eyes were something I had seen all too often.

“I had no choice in the matter. The Dissidia has begun anew against my will.” She admitted, looking away. I stayed silently listening to her, my helm laying at my feet and my sword sheathed. “I… you were the only one I knew I could trust, and your ties to this world are strong enough that you were fated to return, even if I could no longer summon your previous allies.” Cosmos explained, looking back up to me.

I brought myself down onto a knee and bowed before her. “I shall protect you as I did before. While neither of us want this, we must make do with what we have.” I promised, looking back up to her. “But if we cannot bring forth my old allies, then who shall join us?” I asked.

Cosmos merely pointed behind me. As I turned I saw six other warriors still unconscious. They all looked very different from each other, much like my first companions did. Some wore robes, others basic cloth, and even one dressed as some form of scientist. There was even a small child among us, much like before.

“Try not to make too many similarities between them and the Warriors of Old.” Cosmos suggested, as if she were reading my mind. Perhaps my thoughts were predictable, but she was right none-the-less. No matter what they were like, this was a new Dissidia and must be treated as such.

“The war won’t start for a while. Come, tell me of your journeys O’ Knight.” Cosmos invited, scooting to the side of her bench-like throne and patting the seat beside her. Upon hesitating she nodded, assuring me that it would be alright, so I agreed at sat beside her. My journey through the “real” world, the one our Dissidia was copied from, intrigued her greatly.

It felt like weeks that we would sit there and talk before the other warriors would arise. As they awoke she ushered me to stand beside them, thus our pleasantries had to come to an end.

“Warriors, are you all awake?” Cosmos asked after a few moments.

“Ugh, yeah…” One swiftly responded, despite his voice being that of a groggy drawl. He was wearing strange attire, with his leather armor shaped into that of basic cloth and some kind of silvery, wood handled object hanging from his hip. “Where am I..?” He asked, looking around.

“I’m sorry to drag you from your homes like this, but such was not of my control. I could only pick who, not when or why.” Cosmos apologized, doing best to hold her sadness inside her. I could hear how tired she was, regardless of whether anyone else was fooled.

“Well you can start by explaining what we’re doing here.” A quiet man spoke. He wore a long robe and his ears spiked out to the side like that of an Elf. However there was an odd object in his grasp that was shaped similarly to a crossbow, yet smaller and without any way to shoot forth a bolt or arrow.

“I was just shunted to a new world and I’m still stuck with you.” Another man spoke, who I assumed to be his partner. He was dressed in a more casual attire, and wielded a strange drill-like object and some form of sword with a chained edge.

“You are all here for war, I’m afraid. However you are protectors first and foremost, as this world is threatened by forces of destruction.” She admitted, looking down for a moment before back to us. “Please try not to be angry with me, I only wish for the best to come of all of this.”

“You strip us of our home and then beg for forgiveness. How pathetic.” The casually dressed man spoke, taking up his chainsword and drill before beginning to walk off. However, one of the girls stood before him with what seems to be a ceremonial staff in hand.

“We should at least here her out!” She told him, standing in his way. Another girl came to her side and held up a bladed disc in the shape of the moon to him as well. However the warrior forced them both aside, walking past and into the world.

“Please do not chase after him. I can do naught to force his trust, but I can at least try to appease your good natures.” She begged.

“While I’m not happy about the situation, I can’t say running away from it would do any good.” The man in leather attire pointed out, taking out some form of paper stick and setting it ablaze with a match.

“Besides,” He begun again, blowing out a puff of smoke, “The least we can do is see why you’ve decided that we’d be appropriate for the job.”

“Thank you, ranger. As I was saying, you have all been brought into a world of war to try and calm a god similar to myself, at once much different.” She explained. “Many troubles will be in your path, but you may always come back here if you need to recover and learn more about the world.”

“Oh, hohoho, but that would be too easy? What fun is discovering things if you already know the answers?” The scientist spoke, her voice filled with joy and excitement.

“Though it is easy in a different way. What holds us back from simply picking off these opposing forces you mentioned?” The robed man asked, ignoring the scientist’s joy.

“Crystal beings known as “Manikins” exist in this world. They are like copies of us, yet their minds are set only to the destruction of the world. Additionally our foes are powerful, at least as much as we are if not more.” I explained, catching an unhappy look from the group as a whole.

“No matter.” The ‘ranger’, as Cosmos called him, broke the silence. “So we gotta fight ourselves, it ain't no different than what any other man would have to do. So long as we make this world is safe I’m sure returning home can’t be that hard.” He pointed out. It almost pained me knowing how naive he was to the whole situation, but I also knew that nothing could be said. But there was one thing I could say instead.

“How much of your home do you even remember?” I asked, looking over to him.

“Why would I forget it! Why back home I…” He started, before looking confused.

“Your memories will come to you in time.” Cosmos spoke, nodding. “You’ve just came from your home to a far off world, it’ll take a while for your mind to get used to the changes.”

“How fascinating!” The scientist spoke gleefully, pulling out some sort of device and pressing her fingertips onto it. The noises it made were foreign to me, but also reminded me of lands that may no longer exist here. Lands tied to the warriors of old.

“No matter. If it is to come in time then I’ll scout out the area until I can fully recover.” The robed man announced, starting to walk off. I looked over to Cosmos and she merely nodded.

“The rest of you may as well follow suit. There’s still time to relax before the world begins to move, and I suggest you use that time to get used to your surroundings.” She suggested. “And please… be safe.” She added as her voice faded.

As the others left me and one of the girls stayed behind. Her staff and kimono gave her the most out-of-place appearance out of us all, but something about her seemed to go beyond her innocent looks.

“Why do you remain?” I asked, looking over to her.

“I-I am a shrine maiden, sir.” She answered, her bravado from before having faded. “It’s my job to protect the gods, both here and back home.”

“We do not need-”

“It’s alright, she may stay. Perhaps it is not a bad thing to have two people watching me in my weakened state.” Cosmos explained, interrupting me.

“As you wish, my lady. But what of the others?” I replied, looking over to the Goddess.

“They should be left alone to do their own work. In due time we shall see what comes of them.” Cosmos answered, resting on her seat. If time is what she needs than I will give it to her, but if this war is to be as the last than we much be careful with how much time we have.

After a moment of silence the young girl spoke to us. “So your Cosmos, and he’s a warrior like us, right?” She asked, looking over.

“Indeed.” I replied. “What about you?”

“Huh?”

“He’s asking for your name.” Cosmos translated, making me feel a bit awkward.

“Oh. I’m Dahlia! Shrine maiden to the Delta Spirits!” She answered in pride, holding her staff to her in a rather excited manner.

“Delta spirits?” I asked, looking over to her.

“Fulmen, Glaciem, Ingis! Show yourselves!” She shouted, slowly spinning the tip of her staff in the air. As she did it glowed first yellow, then blue, and finally red as three large elementals came out. All three consisted of naught but arms, torso, and a head - but each were made of an element relating to their element: lightning, ice, and fire, respectively.

“What are these?” I asked, drawing my sword and holding my shield at the ready.

“These are the Delta Spirits, those who I am sworn to protect!” She answered as I felt Cosmos tell me to put my sword down. I nodded and sheathed my sword, relaxing my stance as the spirits departed.

“So these spirits, they keep you from harm?” I asked.

At first she looked off to the side before taking a deep breath and replying, “Yes and no. We both protect each other. I defend their shrine, and in turn they defend me. Without the shrine they disappear into the Farplane, and without them I’d… well, there wouldn’t really be much for me, would there?” She explained, looking down.

“Do not worry, child. Nothing will come of them here.” Cosmos assured. “In this world they are tied to you, rather than any object.”

“What do you mean?” Dahlia asked, turning to Cosmos.

“When your journey begins you’ll know. However I haven’t the energy to explain in detail at this time.” Cosmos answered, her voice sincere.

“What do you mean you haven’t-” Dahlia began, though I cut her short.

“She means what she says. Her power is being used to keep an aura of discord from overpowering this world.” I explain.

“Oh, sorry.” She apologized. “But… still, I would like to find out some day.”

“This war is still young. You should go discover it for yourself, but remember to come back before things get dangerous. Having both of you here to defend me once the soldiers of destruction make their move would be safest for us all.” Cosmos explained, motioning for Dahlia to go. The two exchanged glances for a moment before the young girl got an excited expression.

“Oh, thank you! I’ll come back right away!” She exclaimed before rushing out of the shrine. Cosmos then scooted back over as I sat next to her, and then we simply relaxed and waited for things to come.