melodiesoflife | Intro Log || The Return of the Heroes

Entry tags:

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...

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Angeal wouldn't be wrong there. Perhaps it was best for the Lifestream if Reno continued to live for quite a big longer.

Reno paused, hesitant. But he had to ask. "Who else?"

"Zack is there as is Genesis..but there's two forms for some reason. Zack's lady was there too when I left."

Angeal's voice is heavier, but that's about all that gives away anything.

Reno's shoulders drooped. Zack was here, too, trapped in a statue? The damn Crystal couldn't just leave him the fuck alone in the Lifestream? Hadn't he been through enough?

He laughed weakly and shook his head. "I guess they were serious about needin' heroes if he got snatched up. One a' the only people I can think of who'd really deserve the title, y'know? Except maybe Cloud, but apparently he's still a cadet here..."

Not that Angeal would remember him.

The Crystal stole Zack's soul out of the Lifestream but still wanted someone like Reno. It tried to get a hero like Cloud and only managed to bring a child. It made no sense.

"I dunno why there'd be two of 'em, Angeal -- but I'm sorry."

Alarm bells went off in Angeal's head at Reno's emphasis on Cloud. Not in a bad way, just moreover that he was right about time.

"So what was going on when you left?"

It was a fair question and he shook his head at the apology. "No need to be sorry, things are the way that they are. Hopefully there's a reason behind it."

Reno wouldn't respect Angeal if the other man couldn't tell time had passed for the Turk, taller with much longer hair.

"When I left?" Reno took a slow breath, trying to remember. "Shit... Some weird-ass clones with more Sephiroth DNA showed up t' cause trouble. One of 'em merged with extra J-juice an' turned into Sephiroth, except, y'know... the less than friendly one you used t' know? More like the homicidal maniac one?"

"Team effort, we help Cloud an' buddies take 'em on, but it was your boy an' Aerith who really saved our asses in the end." Reno ran a hand through his hair. "We're -- Shinra -- we're still kinda cleanin' up after all that. But at least Geostigma's gone. Last I heard, Reeve was diggin' inta' some more weird shit left behind by Shinra Sr."

He resisted the urge to spit. "Apparently some other super-soldier program besides SOLDIER. Ugh."

Reno's words made no sense to Angeal but then again the Turk would have absolutely no reason to lie. A clone turning into Sephiroth..so Sephiroth too had the power of cloning..that didn't surprise him much really.

'Homicidal maniac' was worrisome though. And he went to say he didn't know how Zack could've helped when he was already dead, but it went unspoken.

Angeal shook his head. Shinra was always up to something and it never seemed to decrease trouble. "Sounds like a pretty big project."

"Tchyeah, that's an understatement." The more Reno found out about what other trouble Shinra was involved in, the more disappointed he was. Not surprised, though.

"I dunno -- in the end, I guess it's alright. Fixin' this shit, makes me feel like I'm makin' up for some a' the shit we did." Not all of it, of course. He knew he could never make up for Sector 7. He couldn't bring all those people back. But it was something.

"Midgar is totally gone, man. Home is like a new world by itself."

Angeal understood repentance all too well so he nodded. "Making up for one's wrongs is a good place to start." Which was him taking his own advice because he planned on doing so here, helping those he could and trying not to focus so hard on himself. He'd had a LOT of time in the Lifestream to come up with this but here he was able to enact it. So here was his second chance..maybe.

But hearing that Midgar was gone made Angeal startle. "What happened to it?"

Reno frowned sympathetically. He wanted to hold onto his anger, but facing Angeal, he couldn't help but feel sorry to deliver the news.

"Sephiroth. He lost it, yo. Used a black materia t' call Meteor down, tried t' destroy the Planet. Had delusions a' godhood an' travellin' t' paradise or something, it was insane." He shook his head. "Cloud stopped 'im, but there was still a lotta damage done. Midgar is mostly rubble now."

Angeal frowned, trying to get some sort of idea as to what Reno was going on about. Midgar in ruins, Sephiroth, meteor, and black materia. None of it made any sense to him but then again the First Class reminded himself that he had ended his life, or rather had his pup end it for him and that the Turk was ahead of him time wise.

And all he could do was shake his head.

"It makes me wonder.."

"That's the short version, anyway." Reno winced. "I know it's kind of a lot t' be hit with anyway, I mean, besides winding up here. I know you guys were close."

He looked up, curious. "Wonder... what?"

If things might have been different had x, y, or z occurred? That's what Reno was thinking. Except he wasn't sure things would be different, simply as a matter of origin. Hojo, Hollander, and the other Shinra scientists had gone too far. The results of their labors would always be poisoned because the experiments themselves were corrupt. What else could possibly happen?

Were was the keyword there, though Angeal didn't bother to say anything in that regard. He wondered so much about the friends he'd had but he'd turned to a student and poured all of that love devotion and care into someone who needed him and noticed that he was there. Genesis and Sephiroth seemed to only be interested in their one upmanship games. Angeal had grown tired of them.

"I wonder if this place can change things like that sometimes."

It was a futile hope and the First Class was more than well aware of it.

"Like, stuff here changing things at home?" Reno shook his head. "I dunno, man. Last place I was at, no -- things stayed the same. It's like... It's like time's already happened, so it can't be undone, an' that's why we get weird shit like meeting people from our past -- or our future."

He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "I'm no academic, you know that, I dunno how the hell it works. All I know is, stuff seems t' stay the same no matter what. And if people disappear an' come back, sometimes they lose memories of ever bein' anywhere else but home. So I doubt we could take our experiences here there... But hell, I still have my memories of Atia."

Frustrated, he raked his fingers through his hair. "Like I said, makes little sense. If there's rules, I sure as hell can't figure 'em out. But if you mean changing things, or people, for while we're all here?" The Turk shrugged again. "Yeah -- why not? Whatever happens in this bubble stays in the bubble, right?"

With any luck, Sephiroth wouldn't destroy Aqures Ixen. That wasn't pre-destined.

Angeal sighed. Reno had a funny way of talking and putting things, but he could still translate things. And a bubble..that might be the best way to put this whole place.

So he nodded after a moment. If the Turk's report was accurate then he would have to act accordingly. But maybe this was the best thing and maybe Sephiroth would be safe here. It was a hope that Angeal would keep.

"Then we'll have to see how everything goes."

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Intro Log || The Return of the Heroes

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