melodiesoflife | Intro Log || The Return of the Heroes

Characters: All the "Heroes of Light" (only new characters can start threads).
Where: Aqures Ixen.
When: The 5th of September. The new Heroes of Light will awaken early in the morning.
Summary: The new Heroes of Light awaken in Aqures Ixen and are informed by their assigned Moogles of what the situation and what their destinies are. This a log for them to react to the situation, meet each other and be welcomed by the former batches of Heroes of Light. It marks the first time since January that Heroes of Light have appeared in Aqures Ixen.
Warning: N/A

Where you were or what you were doing— It does not really matter. Not any more. Within an instant, the world around you collapses. Reality twists and shatters... Or maybe you are the one who is collapsing and shattering away from reality as you knew it. No matter what the answer is, it will only take a few seconds for you to find yourself sinking into a void, your world vanishing into the distance. There is nothing but darkness as far as the eye can see. Even you feel different: all the powers you might once have had, are now gone. It is silent, cold and it feels as though life itself is slipping out of you.

At this moment, when it looks as though nothing but a never-ending void awaits you, a red Crystal forms before you. In this void, its warmth compels you to grab it. Upon doing so, you can hear a soft, soothing voice speaking:

"Wake up."

Soon, the void itself vanishes and is replaced by distant noises of engines. Had it all been nothing more than a dream? The soothing voice repeats its call one more time, but is soon replaced with a much less graceful "Wake up Kupo." Hand clutched on your Crystal, the call of the Moogle may finally wake you up. But you are no longer in your world, nor in the void. You are before the Crystal of Fire, in the third district of a city called Aqures Ixen. At this point, you may realize the engine noise actually originates from an Airship flying low over the city and headed to dock beneath the castle. As if it wasn't strange enough, your clothes have changed as well. They are now a reflection of the Jobs you are wielding. Last but not least, you are surrounded by Moogles, small and fluffy creatures who are more than happy to tell you about everything you want to know, about your 'destiny' as a Hero of Light, about what awaits you.

Or at least, they will tell you everything they do know, which isn't much in the end.

The only people around you are like you-- There are quite a few of them, all clothed in their Job garbs and most likely wondering what is happening. If somehow you do not realize it, the Moogle who woke you up will be more than happy to inform you there are others like you around. In fact, there are other Heroes who have arrived in the course of the past year and they will come soon! Like you, they have Jobs and a Crystal.

If asked, the Moogles will mention that the city was recently attacked by the Heran Empire and nearly destroyed by Ultima Weapon. What's the Heran Empire? What's Ultima Weapon? Better to ask to the heroes who saw it all.

The Other Heroes
— Shortly Thereafter —
Thanks to the efficiency of Mognet, it does not take long for the other Heroes to come around: those who arrived in this world within the past year. You may have imagined heroic and charismatic figures when your Moogle told you that there were other Heroes of Light in this city. You may have imagined persons with fearsome powers when they told you about how they fiercely battled each other past month. And more importantly, you may have imagined them as people who would have all the answers to your, doubtlessly, numerous questions.

If so, you may be up for a tragic disappointment. Still, for the most part they know more than you on the situation and may be more than happy to fill you in, especially if your Moogle didn't tell you much.

The City of Aqures Ixen
— Anytime —
With the recent attack, Aqures Ixen is under reconstruction. The city was saved for the most part, but there are ruined buildings, the Sixth District is nothing but wasteland now and the Thirteenth District has become a graveyard. Even so, there are a lot of things left to do in the city for newcomers. A few groups of Triple Triad players are playing before Mognet Office in the ninth district, mostly Moogles as many of them are not working after what happened. And of course, they are more than happy to teach the rule to anyone passing by. Characters are free to enter and play games of Triple Triad, and if they do so they will be given very basic cards and explained the rules. This may be the start of a promising career!

Characters are also free to visit the city-- Mognet Office just behind the Triple Triad games is filled with Moogles, most of them panicked, tired, busy or slacking now that their director has disappeared. They can also visit Airship Port in the twelfth district from where characters can board for free Airships from Shoopuf Airline-- Though they have to make a request 48 hours in before to do so.

Or maybe you could visit your new house in the 11th District, and get to know your new neighbors and housemate. Hopefully your neighbors are people you will get along with.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
— 19:00 —
Characters venturing by the city's outskirts at this specific time will be able to see a most peculiar sight: a flying saucer seemingly abducting a cow before flying away and disappearing into the sky without leaving any traces of its presence. If your character do see it, hopefully there will be someone with them. Otherwise, nobody will believe their story.

Was it an UFO or just a hallucination? Only the future will tell...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[His moogle made mention of some calamity, but Graham was a bit too panicked at the time to really process. He tilts his head as he tries to recall what it was.]

"Calamity" is a heavy name. What could be a more urgent problem than the Empire who tried to burn this city down?

It's more of a phenomenon to be stopped than an enemy to be defeated, from what I've been able to gather. If we don't do something about it, it'll slowly cover the entire world in crystal.

[Oh no, he doesn't like the sound of that at all. He blinks in surprise for a moment before he begins to pace nervously in front of Levy, swinging his wrench in circles.]

What? Covering the world in crystal? The whole planet being brought to a halt? I'm not sure I can think of a more frightening end to things. Nothing will change, entropy given way to stasis. An endless oblivion! You say "if we don't so something about it"? Isn't something being done about it? What can we do? I don't want to be crystallized!

I don't know. That's what we're trying to figure out. Anyone who gets too close to it just gets turned to crystal themselves. It's hard to fight against something that just... happens. But that's what we're here to figure out.

Where does one start on figuring this out? How do you reverse crystallize something? With chemistry? I'm afraid I'm no help there. With magic? I'm no help there either. Why bring people here to be heroes when they can't be of any help at all? It doesn't make any sense!

[Now he's getting rather agitated. On the last word, he tosses the wrench high into the air, forgetting that he's not as good at it as he used to be. When he tries to catch it on the way back down, it slips from his grip and hits the street. This keeps happening today, and it's gone from depressing him in angering him.]

What is someone supposed to do when they can't even do the things they could always do?!

There are crystal research facilities in the city, and a lot of us have started working to find things like that out. But that's not the only thing that will help. We'll need people who are good at fighting too.

[Levy yelps as he tosses the wrench, and once again even louder as it falls to the ground.]

Hey, what the heck! Someone could get hurt like that!

Fighting...

[Graham scoops up the wrench and looks at it sadly, like it betrayed him. Then, after a moment, he grimaces in anger, and with all his might, grabs it by the end and slams the head of it off the street as hard as he can manage. It's impressive, and the stone cracks a bit, but it's not nearly as good as he can usually do. Graham inspects the damage, and shakes his head in disappointment.]

Yes, that's something I can do! But I'm only a fraction of myself. I've been shattered into pieces and if they can't be collected again, then I'll never be the same! What good am I as a Hero then? Or even a villain?!

[If Graham's aim here was to make Levy incredibly nervous, he's certainly succeeded. She flinches noticeably as the wrench impacts the ground again, one eye still squinting tightly closed as she looks back at him.]

Ah... r-right. Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out.

[He has that effect on people. Graham sighs dramatically, and plops down on the curb next to them.]

People spend their whole lives trying to figure out their place in the universe. How they fit into the grand scheme of creation, and what their purpose is. And suddenly, I am forced to start all over, in every way! I've become even smaller and more insignificant than I ever was. A grain of sand dropped into an unfamiliar ocean!

[Wrench dropped to the sidewalk beside him, Graham holds his head in his hands. Looks like it's time for a downswing.]

Hey, hey... just because you're in a new place, that doesn't change who you are!

[Levy hesitantly approaches, very tentatively putting a hand on his shoulder.]

[Graham blinks up at her through his bangs. That act of sympathy really moves him.]

But when I arrived, I was told I was a Hero of Light. Something I'm not! Am I supposed to stay as me, or change to fit that role? Can a villain really change their nature so easily?

You don't seem like a villain to me. Why do you say that?

The things I've done. The things I will do. The people I associate with. The fact that I crawl along in the dirt and the dark with the others who have succumbed to a harsh world, and learned to adjust. Down, but not out. Doing what I can to survive!

[He stands up now, hefting his wrench onto his shoulder, standing up straight and square-shouldered.]

I accepted it long ago. Embraced it. And that's what I am now.

So you're a criminal?

Isn't that just another word for villain? A common criminal, a common villain, just another person who is doing the things that make is necessary for heroes to exist.

You say it like it's something noble.

But it's true, isn't it? Without villains, heroes would just be other ordinary people! But of course, it's a circular relationship. There are no shadows without light! And it also comes down to a matter of perspective. One man's hero is another's villain. And now, all I can do is see if I'm able to switch my heart as easily as a light switch, so that I can turn from villain to hero!

[He laughs, because the whole damn thing sounds so absurd. And he begins to wander off. He's got a long adventure ahead of him.]

Intro Log || The Return of the Heroes

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