User blog:ZiedGray/Brave Frontier: Another Tale - Prologue

"It's no use! They just keep coming!" cried the blonde girl to her comrade while battling another wave of the God Army's forces.

"Stay strong! We can't give up now! Not when we're so close!" shouted the fiery swordsman from Agni Empire as he took down another group of the God Army's vanguard.

They were being pressed, farther and farther back from their defensive line, the relentless pursuit by the God Army threatening to bear fruit as they drew ever closer to the fleeing refugees. They must not falter, they could not afford it! They were the only ones left separating these people between life and death—a gruesome death at the hands of the God Army, who vowed to rid Grand Gaia of the plague known as mankind.

In the midst of battle, another war raged within the burning swordsman. His mind and body struggled between duty and fatigue, and that mere momentary lapse made him fail to notice one of the enemy's attacks. A stray swing of a mace landed squarely on his chest plate, a loud ''clang! ''resounding across the field as the swordsman was swept off his feet by the sheer force of the attack. By no means was it a fatal attack but it was effective a best, stunning the swordsman as he hit the ground back first.

Dazed, the valiant swordsman wrestled to get his bearings, only to realize that he was lined up for a coup de grâce. He watched in horror as that same hammer that toppled him came down for the final blow, only to be stopped midway by a pair of swords, wielded by the man he considered a friend and rival.

"Sleeping on the job?" the man quipped, spinning out of the deadlock to counter his opponent.

The saviour watched his opponent fall first before he sheathed both swords and offered his hand to help the downed swordsman. Hand gratefully accepted, the fiery swordsman pulled himself up, a look of gratitude faintly visible in his expression.

"Hardly." he finally responded. "How are things on your side?"

The question was met with a grim look by the other warrior. "Most of the refugees have made it, but a group of stragglers came under attack, I was told the opponent was strong. I'm on my way there now."

"Then we're coming with you!" the blonde female interrupted, panting as she desperately tried to catch her breath.

For a moment, the other warrior considered the merit of having more allies by his side to help save the stragglers, but that would mean leaving the ones who haven't crossed the gate yet vulnerable to attack. He sighed, both arms folding across his chest as he took a deep breath. He had made up his mind, and this was the right choice.

"No." he firmly replied. "Reed, Lucana, these people need both of you here. Not all of them have crossed the gate yet, and should you leave them unprotected, who knows what would happen to them? Leave the stragglers to me. Your roles in this have yet to end."

"But—!" Lucana tried to argue, only to be stopped by Reed.

"Eru, I'm counting on you."

With a confident smirk, Eru turned around. "Who do you think I am? I told you to leave the stragglers to me, just focus on getting the people across the gate safely. I'll stop the God Army right where they are while I'm at it too, so don't you two worry." he said and ran off to the direction of the stragglers under attack.

True to his word, the stragglers indeed made it to the gate, with not even a single God Army force on their tail. Impressed by this, both Reed and Lucana stood by the gate, waiting patiently for their comrade to return. The minutes felt like hours, the hour like eternity. When the last group of people had finally crossed the gate, Eru was still nowhere in sight. Realizing what it meant, Reed simply put a hand on Lucana's shoulder, urging her to the direction of Lucius' gate.

With heavy hearts, both Reed and Lucana stepped into the gate where the promised land awaits.









"Haven't you grown tired of this story?" the old lady asked the young teenager with a loving smile. "Oh dear! I've told you this story so many times that I already lost count!" she chuckled mildly.

The teenager who sat on the floor across the old lady smiled in return. Ever since he was but a fledgling, when he first heard this story, he had grown fond of it. The story of how Elgaia came to be, he would never grow tired of it. "Grandma, it's my favorite story. I might not get the chance to hear it from you for a while so I wanted to hear it one last time before I head off to the Imperial Capital."

The old lady's loving smile faded at the mention of the young boy's departure, to be replaced by a lonely expression. "Ah yes, of course. For the Apprentice Summoner Acceptance Trials right?" she tried to mask her loneliness with an even brighter smile.

She knew this day would come sooner or later. This young boy after all, showed an incredible affinity with spirits. It was only a matter of time before the Akras Summoner's Hall noticed his existence and have him recruited into the Summoner ranks. Perhaps such is the fate of those blessed with the power to commune with spirits of the past.

"Grandma, I will make sure to visit you every chance I can get. I'm not sure how hard it would be to learn the ways of a summoner but if I can take a break, I would spend it with you so don't worry too much okay?" assured the young teenager, as if he picked up on the hidden emotions of his grandmother.

"Such a sweet boy." she was finally able to smile a genuine one again. "I'm not worried about you going away, I'm worried about what you're going to have to go through when you get accepted. I've heard rumors about how tough the road to becoming a Summoner is."

The teen responded with a sheepish smile. "Grandma, you say it like I'm guaranteed to be accepted." he chuckled.

"Oh shush now! I'm sure you'll be a fine Summoner one day." she reassured her grandson. "Remember the time you got swarmed by a pack of Burnies?" she laughed cheerfuly at the memory.

The youngster's cheeks flushed at the reminder. It wasn't the best memory he had about his ability but considering what he did at a young age, it was enough evidence that he had talent. "Yes, I remember." he painfully admitted. "I summoned a Mandragora."

"Exactly!" his grandmother enthusiastically agreed.

"But it didn't do me any good though, the Burnies ate that Mandragora for lunch..." he sighed, shoulders drooping.

"But they left you alone after that right?" his grandmother winked. "You'll be fine."

"Thanks... I guess." he laughed.

A moment of silence descended upon the two, the older woman stood up from her rocking chair and headed for the kitchen, preparing to get dinner ready. "When are you leaving?" she finally asked, tone less livelier than a while ago.

"Tomorrow."