Dissidia Rebirth: Chapter 14

Dissidia Rebirth

Xxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 14: Final Fantasy VIII

Xxxxxxxxxx

10...9...8

She was coming, he was sure.

7...6...5

She's getting closer now, he could pratically feel her coming.

4...3...2...

He shifted his feet undernearth him, preparing himself as the footsteps turned to the sounds of a full sprint.

1!

With ease, Sparrow twirled to his left, hearing his sister yelp in surprise as her attempted glomp ended up with her pulling a full face plant in the grassy field. A blank stare on his face, Sparrow shook his head as his sister sat upon her knees, spitting out dirt and grass with an expression of shock and disgust imprinted on her features.

Aria was only a couple of years older than her younger brother however her maturity level sometimes baffles even Sparrow. Her long black hair reaches down to her lower back, letting some of her bangs strands fall in front of her brown eyes. Two sky blue hairclips keeps some of the bangs from her eyes, matching the color of the dress that wraps around her chest before rounding to the back of her waist, the ends reaching to her ankles. A dark blue tube top lined with black is underneath the dress and a white shirt is underneath it to hide her exposed bellow. A belt keeps a short denim pants in place, finished with dark brown knee length boots and a pinwheel like weapon strapped onto her left arm.

Standing up after wiping off the last bits of grass from her mouth, Sparrow's sister, Aria, turned to face her brother, giving him a soft smile afterwards, "You know, if you didn't want me to hug you, you could have told me."

Raising one eyebrow, Sparrow shook his head as he waved once with his right hand, signaling ,'What's the fun in that?'

A youth of barely 14, the teen's small stature would have caused many to doubt his poweress. However, after one experience's the way the boy fights, many would pratically avoid Sparrow. Short and small for his size, Sparrow's unruly black hair is styled similar to his father's, some of the strands hanging in front of his azure eyes. A black sleeveless shirt reaches down to his knees, the collar and the bottom lined with white and several belts straps around his waist, the buckle in the shape of a bird in flight. Another piece of leather hangs on the right side of his belt and drops down just above his knees with brown straps securing it to Sparrow's black leather pants. A black hooded poncho is placed over his shoulders, reaching to his elbows with the hood and the edges lined with white fur. The front of the poncho is split down the middle, kept together with a string secured by white buttons. Leather black shoes barely past his ankles and finally, both of his hands are covered in black leather gloves with gray cloth starting from his wrists to his elbows.

"You can be cruel you know that?" Aria smiled as she walked up and patted her little brother on the head, "though, that adds to the cute side of you Sparrow."

A frown appearing on his features, Sparrow crossed his arms, causing Aria to giggle, "Come on, it's summer break. 3 whole months away from Balamb Garden which means, no school."

When the frown on her brother's face still didn't fade, Aria just shrugged, "Where's Swift Akos? You know as well as I do that blade was forged specifically for you."

His expression softening, Sparrow nodded his head towards nearby trees, causing Aria to trail her gaze towards them. Underneath the shade lies a gunblade with silver lining and a black handle, the imprint of a hawk on the side with a small chain secured onto the at the end of the handle with another avian attached to the end. Without another word, Aria walked up to the the trees and delicately picked up Swift Akos, jogging back to her brother before holding it out to him.

"You have to keep a better eye on it Sparrow," Aria frowned, "who knows, someone might come by and take it just like that."

Looking at his sister with an expression saying, 'I can take care of myself,', Sparrow sheathed the gunblade on his left side, crossing his arms afterwards.

After seconds of staring at each other, Aria slowly realized what her brother was waiting for and as such smiled, "The reason I bothered you earlier Sparrow was to ask you if you're ready to go on that camping trip."

Uncrossing his arms to signal that he was satisfied, Sparrow nodded and spoke.

Except, he didn't move his lips.

I packed my things earlier today, he responded, there's nothing to worry about.

"That's good to hear," Aria smiled, "I was afraid that you were going to be unprepared. Remember last summer? We had to wait another day just because you didn't pack."

Rolling his eyes, Sparrow retorted, And who's to blame for that? Nobody told me we were going on a camping trip until the day we were going.

With that, Sparrow narrowed his eyes at his sister whom laughed sheepishly.

"My bad," was all she said as she waved her hand, "I guess...it slipped my mind to tell you."

Rolling his azure eyes, Sparrow continued, Is mom and dad ready?

"Almost," Aria laughed, "Mom's trying to convince dad to bring at least two moombas at Grandpa's request. It's funny, seeing the two argue over two orange furballs."

Pondering over the situation, a smile cracked onto Sparrow's features as the image of his mother and father argueing while two moombas were idlely standing in the background.  However the smile didn't last long when Aria added in, "We're hoping that this year we could help you to get over your fear of heights."

With a stomp of his foot, Sparrow shook his head violently, crossing his arms in defiance, No! I am not going to risk my life to get near a cliff or anything of the sort just to get over a fear.

Heaving out a sigh, Aria spoke, "Sparrow, you know as well as I do that you're a capable fighter and that SEED is actually considering taking you in without even taking the test. However, you have to get over that silly fear of yours."

You know as well as I do that I can't get over it so easily!, Sparrow snapped, and you also know the reason why I have that fear in the first place!

"Sparrow..." Aria reached out a hand to her brother's shoulder however Sparrow took a step back.

Don't 'Sparrow' me!, he narrowed his eyes, It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, Aria! I know that experience first hand!

Before his sister could say anymore, Sparrow stomped off, placing a great distance between himself and his sister before angrily sitting on the ground and hugging his knees. Standing where she was for several seconds, Aria calmly approached the young youth and seated herself next to him.

"Sparrow," She said softly, "I know it's hard for you to get over that fear and that experience. But you have to get over it sooner or later otherwise, entering SEED isn't going to be easy."

Silent for a moment, Sparrow buried his face into his knees before tightning his grip, ...I'm scared...

"Don't worry Sparrow," Aria smiled softly, "there's nothing to be afraid of. After all, you have mother, father, Grandpa Laguna, and I. We're always going to be there to support you when you need it. Alright?"

With that, the female placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, whom lifted his head form his knees and gazed at her with his azure eyes.

...Thanks Aria

The sky blue cladded female smiled, "Come on, let's head back home. I'm betting mom and dad are waiting for us by now."

Pushing herself to stand, Aria offered a hand to her brother whom accepted and pulled him up with little effort. Then after brushing off any excess dirt or unwanted substances, Aria and Sparrow slowly made their way towards the path that leads them home. A simple path of dirt line with grass, everything was still except for the swaying grass and the rustling leaves of the occassional bush which were touched by the small breeze. Keeping their eyes towards the horizon, both teens could easily see the floating school called Balamb in the distance, its magnificent structure shining brightly underneath the sun.

...Aria?

"H'm?" The black haired female turned her head towards her brother as they both walked.

A frown appearing on his features, Sparrow continued, Do you think...that I"ll be able to speak again someday?

This caused Aria to ponder for a moment before a smile formed on her lips and she answered, "Of couse! It just takes time for you to completely recover from the trauma that's all. Why would you ask such a question?"

Sparrow was silent for a moment, I was 8 when 'that' happened and... I'm 14 now. It should be back by then but...

The black cladded youth slowed down to a stop, causing his sister to pause, I'm...I'm starting to doubt that it's going to return.

"Now don't say that," Aria crossed her arms, shaking her head, "continue to talk to yourself like that and you'll never going to get it back." She took several steps closer to her brother, "Look Sparrow, even if you don't recover your voice you still could communicate with us. I mean, come on! Freakin' telepathy! Who doesn't want that?!"

Cracking a small smile, Sparrow spoke, Aria, you know what?

Aria blinked, "What?"

You can be a bit immature at times.

The black and blue cladded female pouted, "Hey, you know me, it's just in my nature."

Seconds later, Aria burst into laughter while Sparrow continued to smile.

"Okay, I have to admit, that was an immature moment," Aria giggled, "but I can be mature at times and you know that, right Sparrow?"

When the blue cladded female got no response for an answer, Aria exclaimed, "Sparrow! You can be means at times you know that!?"

If Sparrow could laugh he would however the best he could do was smile wider as his sister continued to complain. However, the smile upon his face slowly faded as a small breeze caused the grass around them to sway slightly, causing a sensation of discomfort crawling through the leather cladded youth.

You feel that, don't you? he asked, unsheathing Swift Akos from his side, causing his sister to pause, a blank stare upon her face.

Seeing the confusion clearly upon her face, Sparrow rolled his azure eyes, Concentrate.

Blinking several more times, it slowly dawned upon the older female on what he had meant, "...Sparrow, sometimes your ability to sense things can be a bit cree-" Aria stopped, feeling a chill run down her spine, "Sparrow?"

Instead of answering his sister, Sparrow swung Swift Ako in front of him before getting into position, nodding his heads towards Aria to do the same. Hesitant at first, Aria regained her composure as she went into a stance, pulling the sling on her Blaster Edge as she did so. Clearing her mind of her doubts and anxiety, Aria closed her eyes, concentrating on tracing the source of the unpleasant aura.

She gasped, "A sorceress?"

Shushing his sister, Sparrow glanced around nervously before he slowly started his way forward, keeping his weapon in front of him. Warily Aria followed her younger brother, turning her back to his so that she was slowly walking backwards, her brown eyes glancing around their surroundings. Several seconds of looking around revealed that there was nothing in sight however this only caused Aria to tense more, causing the black haired female to break the tension.

"Do you think," she started as she turned around to face her brother, "That we could handle one sorceress?"

"Even with the poweress of the two of you, I highly doubt that is possible."

Releasing a yelp, Aria twirled around, and before Sparrow could stop her, released the sling on her weapon. The small disc flew out from its slot and flew towards the target however before it could even near, the disc suddenly froze in mid-air and fell to the ground, useless. Blinking in shock and surprise, Aria felt a shove on her side causing her to snap her head towards the location only to make eye contact with angry azure eyes.

What did you do that for?!, Sparrow demanded, You know as well as I do that a sorceress could easily stop a projectile if not caught off guard!

Realizing her mistake, Aria opened her mouth to explain and apologize only to be interrupted by a high pitched laughter. Jumping, Aria turned her head towards the source only to gulp as she realized that she was now in eye contact with a being of magic.

Releasing another laugh at the reaction of the blue cladded female, the sorceress slowly approached the two youths, her violet eyes gleaming behind her silver and violet locks.

"It's nice to see that there are still people out there that still fear the might of someone like me," she purred as she slowly lifted her hand in front of her pale face, only to reveal sharp claws on the tips of her fingers, "otherwise, it's such a bore when I encounter someone and all they do is challenge me to a duel."

Pulling the red and black cloak tighter around her shoulders, the sorceress crossed her arms over her chest which was only covered in a red gown lined with black fur and in the point of view in front of the two teens, something that is quite revealing. As she continued to approach Aria and Sparrow, her feet would occassionally leave the confines of her long gown and reveal that she was barefoot however they never touched the ground. Though many aspects of her clothing and body was eyecatching, what caught the attention the most of the two Leonharts was the marks on her face. Purple lines starting from the edges of her mouth moves down to the side of her jaws and two more lines going down from her forehead down between her eyes. A trademark that the two knew they would never forget.

Bringing her hand back so that she was prepared to cast a spell, Aria demanded, "Who are you?"

With a small laugh, the sorceress paused on her approach, "You really want to know my name? Hah! No wonder my brother wants to be rid of people like you." Licking her lips, the sorceress replied, "However if you insist, my name is Azana and like you said, I am a sorceress."

"Azana" Aria repeated, her eyes narrowing in concentration as a sense of familiarity filled her senses. Where had she heard that name before?

Like we care if yourself to us or not, Sparrow snapped, snapping his sister out of her thoughts,leave before I change my mind.

Releasing a chorus of laughter, Azana chuckled, "Ah, the energy of youth, how I miss those days." She licked her lips once again, "and I see that though you are a male, you hold some sorceress bloodline, boy."

His eyes narrowing in annoyance, Sparrow pointed his weapon at the sorceress in warning, Leave or else I promise you, you will regret it.

"Sparrow" Aria hissed nervously, "don't tempt her."

However Azana released a dark smirk, one that sent a cold chill down the older Leonhart's back, "A challenge? Though it is rare for me to paricipate in such a grotesque sport, I accept!" Releasing a cackle, Azana lifted her hand above her head causing a black glyph to appear above her.

"Time!" she commanded, "Slow!"

A black glyph appeared beneath the two youths and in reaction, Aria and Sparrow jumped in separate directions, just in time for the a clock to appear in the glyph and disappear in a flash of light.

"Fast creatures you are," Azana smiled, "But I promise you this! You won't get away again!"

She raised her hand in front of her, "Time! Sto-"

"Oh no you don't!" Aria lifted her hand above her head, "Shiva!"

The instant the words left her lips, particles of white faded in around her, forming into small spheres before they lifted up into the air and twirled into the ground. Disappearing into the hearth, a large piece of ice suddenly popped up from the ground, revealing inside a female of blue skin and hair streaked with yellow. Arms crossed across her chest, none would believe that she would be alive until the next second, she opened her eyes. With a graceful movement of her arms and head, Shiva easily freed herself from the icy tomb, her eyes glaring deeply into Azana's. With a graceful nod towards Aria, Shiva raised her hand above her head causing streams of light to be sucked into it. Then, before the sorceress could react, Shiva placed both hands out in front of her, releasing a fury of ice and snow. Then with a snap of her fingers, the ice summon burst into particles of snow, fading into the ground soon after.

Waving her hand in front of her face to remove some of the misty frost from her sight, Aria turned to her brother whom still had his weapon out however his posture was now relaxed.

"Sparrow! You alright!?" She called, causing the black cladded teen to look her way.

With a light nod, Sparow sheathed Swift Akos however when he reconnect eye contact with his sister, his eyes went wide, Aria! Watch out!!

At first, the blue cladded female was confused on her brother's call however a cold aura smothered her body, causing Aria to widen her eyes.

"Already junctioning summons? What a surprise!"

Feeling the aura around her grow colder, Aria attempt to twirl around as she chanted a spell underneath her breath but Azana reacted too swiftly for the female.

"Stop!"

Suddenly, Aria felt herself unable to move, her body stuck in mid-twirl. Blinking in shock and frustrtation, Aria screamed, "Sparrow!"

Reacting to his sister's call, the black cladded teen unsheathed his weapno and attempted to take a step forward however froze as Azana placed a clawed hand onto his sister's shoulder.

"Nuh-uh-ah," She taunted, waving a finger at the leather cladded teen, "one step closer and your sister is done for."

To reveal the seriousness of her words, Azana traced a clawed finger across Aria's neck, causing the blue cladded female to shiver. A frown deeply etched onto his face, Sparrow responded by sheathing Swift Akos and crossed his arms.

What do you want?, he demanded, his azure eyes narrowing at the sorceress.

Releasing a laugh, Azana exclaimed, "What do I want!? What a silly question to ask me!" Insanity filling her eyes, Azana spread out her arms as she responded, "What I want is for all life to end and for me to become the sole ruler of this world!" With another laugh, she yelled, "And I'm starting with you two!"

Eyes widening shock and fear, Sparrow cried out as he ran towards his sister, Aria!

Looking up at the sorceress as best as she could, Aria felt the fear rise in her chest as she watched the sorceress raise her hand above her head, a small glyph appearing in her hand.

"Goodbye child," she grinned as she released the spell, the black glyph pulling together material of black dust, forming into a sphere as it dropped towards the blue cladded female.

Caught by surprise and too shocked to move, Aria continued to gawk as the spell continued to make its way towards her, unable to react.

"Give me strength!"

Suddenly, a blur of white and blue dashed in front of Aria and a bright flash blinded her temporarily on what was occuring. However, it must have been for her benefit since Aria heard Azana scream in rage.

"You again!? How dare you interfere!!"

Hearing the sounds of clanking armor, Aria heard the the newcomer respond, "Scream all you want sorceress but no matter what happens, you and the other Chaos warriors plans will fail."

Releasing another scream of rage, Azana snapped her hand behind her causing a dark portal to appear behind her, "You will regret this warrior!" With her words spoken, the sorceress then proceeded to sink into the black abyss, the opening closing soon after.

Gaping at what just happened, Aria turned her eyes upon the newcomer only to blink several times as he was already approaching her.

He was adorned from head to toe in blue and white armor, from the horned helm upon his head down to to the armored shoes. A cape of harvest gold billowed behind him as he sheathed his sword onto his side however held his shield in his left hand.

"Are you alright?" he asked, snapping Aria out of her gawking.

"Um..." she started but was unable to find the words to answer. After all, being attacked by a sorceress then being rescued by a knight in shining armor doesn't happen everyday.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon, the Knight turned his attention to Sparrow however was caught by surprise as he turned to find the tip of the boys weapon in his face.

Who are you?, Sparrow demanded, his azure eyes narrowing as he threateningly moved an inch closer, expecting the man to show at least a hint of nervousness.

But to his surprise, the Knight was unfazed. He even went as far as using the tips of his fingers to gently push the weapon away from his face.

"I am not an enemy if that is what you are thinking," The Knight said bluntly, "I was asked to perform after I bumped into a close..." His voice fading for a moment, Aria and Sparrow watched as he suddenly snapped back into composure, "a close friend. She asked of me to find you two."

"Eh? Us?" Aria pointed to herself, blinking in surprise as the Knight nodded.

"You and your brother are needed for a great crisis," the man explained, "a crisis between the war of the gods."

"The what?" Aria's eyes widen, her jaw practically falling to the ground, "the war of the gods?"

Instead of confirming the female's question, The Knight calmly turned and lifted his free hand. Instantly, a brilliant flash of light burst forth from his palm, blasting into the air in front of them before it once again flashed. Then slowly, the light morphed into a circular pattern, moving in an neverending circular motion.

"Follow me," he ordered as he dropped his hand and to the shock of the two youths, walked straight through the brilliant light.

Hesitant, Aria glanced towards Sparrow who did the same, both of their eyes showing uncertainty.

"What do you think Sparrow?" Aria murmured, "should we follow or return home to mom and dad?"

Pondering on the question, Sparrow heaved out a sigh, I don't trust this guy.

However, to the shock of his older sister, Sparrow took several reluctant steps forward before he too sank into the circular light.

"Sparrow!" Aria cried as she slowly approached the glowing light, her eyes glancing back and forth around her, "Don't leave-"

A hand suddenly shot forth from the glowing object and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, causing her to scream in surprise as it pulled her in. Closing her eyes, Aria expected pain, perhaps thinking that the light will burn them or done in a matter much similar. However to her surprise, nothing happened. The most she gotten was the hand releasing the grip on her shirt and hearing a small sound that sounded like a scoff.

Can you get any louder?

Slowly opening her eyes, Aria couldn't help but slap her hands onto her brother's shoulders who winced at the action, "You're alive!"

Then she released her grip on him and glanced down at her hands, "I'm alive!"

Giving his sister a blank look, Sparrow rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms, Totally a mature moment Aria.

Feeling her face flush, Aria pouted, "Come on Sparrow, don't tell me that you didn't expect anything to happen when you step into a random vortex of light?"

Waiting several seconds for an answer, all the blue cladded female got was an arched eyebrow from her brother, "....you can be evil at times you know that Sparrow?"

Releasing a small smirk at the reaction he had recieved, Sparrow jumped when a hand suddenly clamped onto his shoulder.

"We must hurry," the Knight spoke as he removed his grip from Sparrow's shoulder, "the longer we stay out in the Cornelia plains, the longer we'll be exposed to our enemies."

"Enemies?" Aria repeated, "You mean there's more than that Azana lady? How many are there?"

Instead of recieving an answer, the Knight calmly turned and started walking, "We don't have much time."

Glancing at her little brother, Aria was caught by surprise when Sparrow shrugged and almost immediately, started to follow the path of the armored warrior. Gawking for several seconds, Aria regained her composure as she shook her head, "Wait up!" With that, she ran to catch up with the two males.

Xxxxx

"How dare he interefere once more!" Azana screamed in rage as flames appeared around her palms, "to think of all the places that he appears would be here!"

The sorceress was in a throne room decorated with crumbling walls and broken pillars, her rage seething after the encounter earlier. Pacing back and forth on the withered floors, Azana snapped her violet eyes towards the throne, "Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" She stamped her foot, "Were you even listening at all!?"

Though the area around it was withered and crumbled, the throne itself was still intact and seated upon the chair was Enchanter himself. The golden clad male had been listening to the sorceress the past few minutes, his right arm rested upon an armrest while his head leaned against it for support. As always, his eyes were closed however he had listened intently to Azana the entire period she was ranting.

"I heard every word you spoke, Azana," Enchanter lifted his head from his hand, "and I have to say that his appearance is now going to make things more difficult."

The red cladded sorceresss huffed, "You think? That warrior had been appearing everywhere ever since this war started. All the plans we tried to lay out were ruined because of him! It's like as though he knows our every move! Now, he is interfereing with another plan!" After she finished, speaking, Azana went back to pacing back and forth, her violet eyes glaring deeply into the crumbling tiled floor.

"Now, now Azana," Enchanter warned, "remember the last time you lost your temper? You almost destroyed yourself and I when you lost control."

Coming to a stiff stop, Azana turned her eyes towards the golden cladded man, a frown appearing onto her features, "oh and like you opening your eyes is no different?"

Now it was Enchanter's turn to frown, "That is a different situtation than the one we are in now, Azana, let's stick to the subject."

Releasing a small huff, Azana crossed her arms, "How can you stay so calm when all of this is happening? Especially when we are practically participating in a war."

A dark smirk appeared on the golden cladded man's features, "The reason, Azana, is because once the 'real' plan is pulled into action and when I regain 'all' of my power, then everything shall be solved."

Blinking several times, Azana finally released a short laugh, "You really are like father, you know that Enchanter?"

"And I have to say that you are exactly like our mother, Azana," Enchanter smirked  as he stood up from his throne, "just wait a little longer and only the two of us shall be the only existing beings left in this world."

"Now that, I can't wait for," approching her brother, Azana purred as her fingers carassed his chest, "however, with you, maybe I can...improvise."

Gently, Enchanter gripped his sister's wrist and moved it to the side, "That, is something you have to earn, sister."

With that, he released his grip and glided past the sorceress, disappearing into a vortex of darkness. Keeping her eyes straight ahead, Azana waited for several seconds before she crossed her arms.

"Drusilla, I can sense you quite easily, reveal yourself."

At first, there was no response as the sorceress continued to stand alone in the center of the room, the silence her only reply. However, seconds later, a giggle echoed permeated through the air causing Azana to frown.

"I will only say this once, Drusilla," the red cladded sorceress warned, "come on out or else I will resort to force."

To show the seriousness of her words, Azana lifted her hand in front of her, summoning spears of red light which hovered around her body. Another giggle escaped into the room however this time, a figure stepped out of the shadows with a grin clearly plastered upon her face.

The instant the female stepped out of the safety of the shadows, she immediately stood out against the crumbling walls of the room thanks to the contrast of her pale green skin. Her hair a dark shade of green, two attenae like horns potrude from her forehead, its body covered in leaves and the flexiblity giving it a plant like appearance. Drusilla's eyes were the shade of gold however this also adds to the white of her eyes as well, giving her an eerie look as she continued to grin at the red cladded sorceress. The female was wearing a military green skirt lined with gold that reaches past her feet, practically dragging on the floor as she walked, along with a piece of cloth of the same shade covering her breasts, leaving the rest of her body bare. A gold waist armor dotted with light azure gems is strapped around her, keeping white pieces of cloth in place as they swayed along with her movements. Finally, markings of all shapes and sizes could be seen slithering around her bare skin, even crawling up the bottom of her chin and forehead to complete her look.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you better watch that temper of yours, Azana," Drusilla chirped, "otherwise like Enchanter said, you might destroy everything, including yourself."

"Don't speak to me like as though we're already allies fool," the red cladded sorceress hissed as she waved her hand, causing the red spears to disappear in a flash, "for all I know, you could be plotting against us, exactly what you are trying to do to Zarok, a man from the same world as you."

A giggle escaped Drusilla's lips, "A man? Oh poor, poor, Azana, you're the naive one here."

Azana narrowed her violet eyes, "What?"

"Do you honestly think that Chaos would summon a 'man' to be on his army?" Drusilla chirped, "After all..." A dark smirk appeared onto her features, "Humans are nothing more than creatures who are self-centered and simple-minded enough that they are willing to destroy anything to get what they want. They're such disgusting creatures." A dark chuckle followed the green skinned female's comment before she continued however with a brighter air surrounding her, "So please, don't call Zarok or I anything human related, otherwise, I consider it an insult."

"You consider it an insult?" Azana spat, "What about Zarok?"

"Oh he's almost as naive as you," Drusilla clapped her hands together, "but don't worry, by the time this war is over, he'll be on my side."

With another giggle, the green cladded female gave a small wave, "See you around, Sorceress Azana."

Eyeing the green skinned female suspiciously as she left the room, the red cladded female murmured, "Insolent Fool" as she brush back strands of her hair away from her eyes.

"A fool she maybe but her ways could be a benefit to the worlds we each live in."

Blinking in surprise, Azana quickly regained her composure as she turned and narrowed her violet eyes at the newcomer, "Louhi, it's been a while since the others and I have seen you around. Where have you been recently?"

Louhi, the newcomer, peered at her with her red eyes from where the corner which she stood, her dark azure hood and violet mask obscuring most of her face. After brushing some of her brown hair back in front of her left eye, Louhi proceeded to wrap her cloak tighter around her body, hiding the pink and violet top and skirt from view.

"I was patroling the area, seeking new opponents to destroy," Louhi calmly replied as she waved, releasing the cloak hiding her body only to reveal tan skin and golden bangles around her wrists and ankles.

Azana scoffed, "New opponents? Don't you dare lie gypsy, you know as well as I do that with the exception of Enchanter, none of us conflicted with the Cosmos Warriors yet."

Louhi narrowed her exposed eye as she once again wrapped her cloak around her body, keeping her bare arms, legs, and stomach warm, before she fingered the violet gem pinned to the middle of her cloak, "You know that is not what I meant."

"Then please rephrase on the words you just spoken," Azana crossed her arms, her violet hues narrowing as well.

"I was looking for the newly summoned from the other side," the gypsy growled, "you do not understand the importance of these patrols."

The red cladded sorceress laughed, "Really? Well then, keep up the good work but remember this Louhi," she waved her hand in the air, "they're just children, its going to be an easy win, searching for newcomers is a waste of time."

Louhi frowned behind her mask, "They all are just children now, but have you already forgotten about the Warrior?"

It was Azana's turn to frown, "Do not remind me of that...that imbecile," she clenched her fists in fury, "though he is a threat now, sooner or later he will slip up." A cocky smile appeared on her features, "and that's when we will strike him down."

She then released a chorus of laughter, her shoulders shaking from the action.

Though she was one to talk, Louhi mentally listed the sorceress as crazy before she continued, "Until then sorceress, keep your guard up for who knows..." she started to walk away, her barefeet padded against the withered floors, "he might suddenly appear and ruin the plans that you and your brother had created." With her words finished, Louhi gracefully raised her hand above her head, summoning wisps of light in her fingers before she faded from view.

Xxxxx

"This way," the Knight took a sudden turn, causing Aria to stumble over her own feet from the action.

...Klutz, Sparrow rolled his eyes as he watched his sister struggle to keep her balance and luckily was able to keep her footing.

It's been a while now since they have entered through the entryway to the world and the landscape had slowly changed from the marshes to a beautiful scenery of differentiated shaded arches and marble floors layered with water. Being in the area only recently, Sparrow had to admit, the serene calmness made him wish to stay and lie down where he was however he didn't want to admit it; after seeing his sister lying down on the floor and getting up drenched was something that Sparrow wanted to avoid especially since he could already feel the water soaking into his pants and shoes. Fingering the handle of his weapon, Sparrow paused as the Knight came to a sudden stop in front of a white throne and to his surprise, went down on one knee and bowed.

"Lady Cosmos," the Knight lifted his head, "I am here with the two warriors you speak of."

Seconds passed with silence as Aria and Sparrow watched the throne intently and both jumped as wisps of light faded into view, slowly forming into a single glowing orb.

"Rise Warrior," it said, gaining a nod as a response before the Knight stood onto his feet.

Aria gaped at this, "It...it talked!"

Thank you for stating the obvious, Sparrow frowned as he crossed his arms, his azure eyes eyeing the Knight and orb suspicously.

Seeing his response, the orb glittered more brightly before it spoke, "My name is Cosmos, Goddess of Harmony." Stopping suddenly, the goddess' light dwindled before it shined brightly, "I have sent Warrior to bring you here in order to participate in a battle against Chaos, the God of Discord."

Aria's eyes went wide,"...This...This is the war?" she turned her brown eyes towards the Knight, "This is the war you were talking about?"

The Knight nodded, "The war of the gods have been occuring for years, an endless battle between Harmony and Discord. As such, Cosmos and Chaos have summoned warriors from different worlds to battle for them however," The Knight turned his aquamarine eyes towards the goddess, "during the last few cycles, Cosmos' strength dwindled until finally, summoning warriors even became difficult."

Shifting uncomfortably where she stood, Aria murmured, "So...are...are you saying that we're...alone?"

The light shined brighter, "No, there are other warriors here however they have left the Santuary to ensure their own safety."

Sparrow frowned, So from the way you're speaking, I'm betting that Chaos' warriors are here as well?

Cosmos' light dimmed, "Yes, I had originally hoped that all of you would meet here together at once however their numbers were growing too large and as such, all of us made the decision that they need to leave." The light shined a little brighter, "I summoned another group of warriors but my strength have weakened enough that I was unable to summon them here. I beg of you, find them and stay with them until you are able to meet up with the others." Unable to keep her strength going, Cosmos felt herself fade, her light dimming as Aria watched in horror.

"But how are we suppose to know that they are on our side?!" Aria yelled, "We don't even know their names."

A soft and gentle laugh emitted from the fadng light, "They are currently traveling in a group of four and I promise you, you will know when you meet them."

Still confused, Aria took a step forward however before she could ask another question, Cosmos' light faded from sight. Raising an eyebrow as his sister cursed under her breath, Sparrow turned his azure eyes towards the Warrior, She was...vague on the information given.

The Knight gave him a blank look, "You have to make do on what you have for back then, the other warriors and I faced the same trials."

"What!?" Aria snapped her head toward the Knight, giving him a look of shock, "you were in this war as well?"

Instead of responding, a small smile appeared onto the Knight's features, surprising Aria and Sparrow even further. Then with a flick of his wrist, a doorway of light appeared behind him, a calm expression back onto his features.

"I wish you two luck," he said before he took a step back into the portal and it flashed shut before the two teens could even blink.

...great, we've been abandoned, Sparrow stated, turning his azure eyes towards his sister.

With a sheepish smile, Aria turned her gaze towards her brother, "Well, I guess all we can do is start our search..." She hesitated, "Right?"

Staring at his sister for several seconds, Sparrow eventually released a sigh, Yeah.

Giving him a soft smile, Aria then pointed in a random direction, "Then onwards towards adventure!"

Staring at his sister with a blank look, Sparrow shook his head as Aria started to march forward, You know, sometimes you act a lot like Grandpa Laguna.

"I take that as a compliment!!"