Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Prophetic Fulfillment ❯ Found By the Wayside. ( Chapter 1 )

"I am aware that you are awake, so you can quit gawking..." ~Genesis Atlantis

Sideways
Sometimes
Somethings
Feel like I'm on the other side...
Waves of every feeling ever felt

I scream it out...
This is how it all begins...

"The New Flesh"
Nine Inch Nails

He gasped, pitched backwards sharply.

Bright light, sudden pain.

Skin met grating sand. The curious warble of a chocobo, followed by the galloping of the fleeing animal. He writhed.

Pain, drilling, stabbing, shattering his mind, body, senses, emotions, reality. He arched his back, opened his mouth to scream. Anything to give the pain a voice.

Silence.

For a moment he saw everything. Then he saw nothing.

"Yah!"

A single voice arose from the shrill howling of a cool, dry southern wind, the voice distinguishably female. She was riding atop a large, golden chocobo, it's yellowish feathers softly glowing in the brightness of a near full moon, and she was in a hurry.

The Corel desert was, perhaps, one of the most underrated of dangerous terrains. In truth, it was generally barren. Few natural monsters thrived during the scorching heat of the day, preferring to live in burrows under the soft, hot sand. And likewise, few travelers decided to venture across the area at night. Therein laid the inherent dangers the desert posed. Drastically dropping temperatures and dangerous nocturnal creatures, combined with sheer darkness claimed more lives than the heat ever did. You didn't want to be out in the desert unless you were extraordinarily powerful, lucky, downright foolish, or had a death wish. And even then, it wasn't advised.

This woman fell under the oftentimes unnoticed, 'none of the above' category. She was powerful in mind and spirit, but her fighting skills left much to be desired. She could take care of herself, but in the face of a large monster, and without the aide of magic, she would have to rely on speed or luck. And luck was something she dared not put her life in the hands of. She prided herself on not being foolish. She did, however, want to live. Letting out another yell, she squeezed the animal with her stirrups, coaxing the bird further ahead. Her residence was just a while away, and she was at most two miles away from the heart of the desert. Grasping the reins with one hand, she lowered a pair of protective goggles, shielding her violet eyes from the onslaught of sand. The storm was coming, and faster than she had anticipated.

Why didn't I leave sooner? She berated herself. She knew she was more than welcome to stay another night at Cosmo Canyon. Nanaki even insisted, but she had turned him down. Something told her that she should return. She'd spent a week away from home, and though the beauty of the Canyon, along with the warm friendliness of the Cosmanii had begun to grow on her, she knew that she had to return. Business at her chocobo ranch had just begun to boom and she couldn't leave the place to fend for itself. Besides, it would be irresponsible to leave her birds in the hands of caretakers longer than she had paid them. There was time to return to Cosmo Canyon again, and with the events which were transpiring, she knew that she would be returning again, soon enough.

Genesis Atlantis had been lucky. She had managed to allocate the required funds to leave her business for a week, just in time to witness the archaeological find of the century. Ancient Cosmanii scrolls, not only speaking of the prehistory of the region, but also of a forthcoming prophecy. By the time she had left, one thing was certain - the prophecy wasn't a good one. And, although it chilled her to the core, the scrolls left some sort of hope - references, although vague, concerning a "Chosen One."

Something was nagging her concerning this part of the prophecy. She couldn't shake it, and it didn't make sense. Genesis had shrugged it off, however. This trip had reminded her of so much, giving her incite not only concerning her birthplace, but also the history of her own people, a people now thought mythical in their scarcity. The Mage Warriors.

In truth, she herself had no idea how many Mage Warriors remained on the planet. She herself wasn't even full Mage, her powers less than that of her ancestors, either by descent, or by time. Genesis fingered the Amethyst stone hanging around her neck, keepsake of the Atlantis Clan. She hoped she could make something of herself, make her own little place this history of her family, her people.

"Wark!" She was shaken out of her reverie when Kieran, her chocobo thrust itself back, screeching in fear. Holding on, Genesis fought for control, grasping the reins and squeezing the animal with her legs. She couldn't fall off... Kieran was her best chocobo, by both breeding and training. It had to be something bad, something dangerous, and she wasn't ready for a battle. Slowly, she calmed the bird and got him to back up slowly, allowing her to see what had scared him.

"Oh... my..." She managed, her voice barely above a whisper, lost in the cool winds. A figure lay in soft sands, motionless and outstretched. She jumped from the bird, her boots sinking into the powdery grains as she knelt by the man's side, noting his steady shallow breathing, and offering a prayer of thanks to the planet.

The cold, she thought sullenly. Genesis had heard the horror stories : bodies found half buried in the sands, obviously succumbing to the drastic fluctuations in temperature, from over one hundred degrees down to near freezing. In truth, it was dumb luck that she had found him. Luckier still that she was within a reasonable distance from her home. But... something seemed off about him. Something was innately wrong, she could sense it. He wasn't injured, and he didn't quite have the right symptoms for someone suffering hypothermia. He whimpered softly every few breaths, however, as if something was hurting him, either physically or psychologically. She took a chance and poked him, softly, hoping to awaken him.

No response.

She pressed further, pushing him onto his back, checking him further for injuries and hoping to get some sort of response. He flopped, unceremoniously over, shivering with the movement. No injuries that she could find, unless they were internal.

Genesis was about to move him onto her chocobo when something in her mind clicked. Something had seemed strange about him, something in his aura, something... familiar. She squinted in the darkness, trying to see this man more clearly in the moonlight. Her eyes were rather adept at seeing in the dark, due to her heritage.

Deep, flaming red hair...

Her eyes widened as she looked to his face, his nose, his cheekbones, his chin. It all seemed to fall into place, this great coincidence. She had known many redheads in her life, but one always stood out to her - Her only friend growing up in Cosmo Canyon and the only one like her.

No... it can't be...

He moaned softly and opened his glazed over eyes slightly, the emerald color clearly visible in the light of the moon. He squinted, his eyes trying to make out her shape, make sense of his predicament, but he soon gave in to exhaustion, his eyes rolling in the back of his head as unconsciousness once again set in.

Genesis bit her lower lip as she stroked his hair back, grains of sand loosening themselves. It couldn't be him, but it had to be. She would know those eyes anywhere, they were unlike any other she had ever, or would ever see. She was once again reunited with her best friend, Reno Charlemagne.

Moving to pick him up as best as possible, she gasped, noting something she hadn't before - twin scars below his eyes, the smooth pink flesh contrasting with his pale skin. Red hair. Emerald eyes. Scars. She took a step back in disbelief. It didn't make sense. It couldn't be. She hated to jump to conclusions, but it had all come together. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"The prophecies..." Her memory flashed back to Cosmo Canyon. To the scholars. To their transliterations. She ran a finger over one scar, making sure it was real. Finding it to be so.

"...It's... you?"

"Battle Scars adorn his face. Evidence of fights in the past. Foreshadowing fights to come..."

[Fragmant of charred and damaged manuscript]

Awaken.

Am I alive?

Awaken... now.

But how...? What happened?

...Is this really me?

Am I alive?

Am... I?

Am I... me?

A moan, a whimper, then consciousness in a striking jolt, a rush of being. Reno's eyes shot open to be met with a place he had never been before, and a great deal of confusion. Nothing seemed to be making sense. How had he gotten from the Corel desert to this... place?

How am I here? I don't... feel drunk... He placed a hand on his forehead, trying to rub the sense back into himself. He didn't want to question a good thing - wherever he was, it was much better than lying in the middle of a wasteland. He looked around, curiously, moving his head with care, hoping not to worsen his subsiding headache. The room was Spartan, sparse. There were few decorations, a painting over a brick fireplace. A carpet. Minimal furniture, consisting of a sofa adjacent to his own and a coffee table. He laid his head back down and sighed. At least the sofa was soft.

Something felt weird. He knew he wasn't drunk. He couldn't remember drinking. He couldn't remember going to someone's home. All he could remember was the pain, his collapsing. And... a voice?

Reno shook his head. No... that didn't make sense... It must have been a dream, an illusion. He closed his eyes and leaned back.

But still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off... Wrong. His body felt numb, his head pounding with a force worse than any hangover, and yet he didn't feel nauseous. Just... strange. Almost undescribable. For the first time in a while, Reno was worried.

He heard footsteps coming his way, pounding and echoing from the kitchen onto the softness of carpeting. The sound seemed strange, a little too acute to his hearing, making him inwardly wince. The sound ceased. He opened his eyes slowly, looking toward the figure - A woman sat on the other sofa, calmly stirring a steaming cup of tea, seemingly oblivious to his state of consciousness.

Must have found me... Reno had to admit that she was attractive. Not over the top like many of the women he knew or worked with, but mysterious and graceful. She carried herself elegantly, even in the comfort of her home, holding herself upright, her legs crossed. She wore a white sleeveless shirt with ornate, belt like straps, which complimented the matching double belt strung around her hips. Her skirt was a light tan color and appeared to be made of suede, reached just above her black, dusty boots. Her long forearms were adorned with black fingerless gloves, reaching up to her elbows.

Her hair caught his eyes though. It was... intriguing. Straight, black waves flowed just past her shoulders, pure black except for two streaks, along either side shining silver. She blew the steam from her cup, and placed it down on the table.

"I am aware that you are awake, so you can quit gawking..." Her voice pierced through the air, simultaneously sharp and silky. She spoke with an accent he couldn't quite recognize.

Reno scrounged for words. This woman was very astute. "I... where am I?' His voice sounded strange in his ears, somehow different. In one deft motion she stood up and smiled. "I found you yesterday when I was traveling through the desert from my trip Cosmo Canyon. You are currently situated at my Chocobo ranch..."

He pulled himself up, leaning against the cushions, a thoughtful expression playing upon his face. "...And you are?"

The smile dropped from her face and she almost seemed... hurt? Reno was confused... For a moment she seemed as if she recognized him. Like she had known him before. She looked to the floor. "You don't remember me?"

He smirked, "Never seen you before, in my life."

"I'm Genesis Atlantis... We grew up together in Cosmo Canyon... our families were friends, the friendship spanning generations across the Mage Warrior line."

Reno chuckled to himself. "You're... a Mage Warrior?"

Her violet gaze shot up to meet his. She was surprised, worried, sad. How could he not remember her? Not remember what he was? She paused a moment, picking her words carefully.

"Yes... As are you... Reno Alec Charlemagne."