.+GATE+.
Greetings! ^_^ Bulbasaur4 here, bringing to life a totally brand new story straight from my crazy brain!
Hey, don't deny the influence of my craziness in this thing too, it's equal opportunity crazy.
Oh... y-yeah, McNinja helped too. *shifty eyes* My bad.Anyways... I-erm, we hope you enjoy m-erm, our story! This first introduction chapter is written by yours truely. However, we will be alternating chapters. ^_^
*peer* and if all goes well our different styles of writing will complement each other and make a story that is truly memorable.
A Bulbasaur4 & Dr.McNinja Production
+GATE+
Peace.
It is the desire of every mother who has cried her son off to war.
It is the hope of every soldier who has been flung into a fight they do not understand.
It is something that, until the rise of Ishtan, was owned only by children in their innocent ignorance.
War and unrest was commonplace before, kingdoms vying for power and influence over their neighbors.
It was the Kingdom of Ishtan, under the leadership of Cyrus, the Knight of the Spire, that made peace a sudden and harsh reality.
Whether through war, through negotiation or fear
Order was the hammer with which peace was forged, and Order is the chain that binds the world to that peace still
Some do not like the cold metal of those chains though.
Those they just toss out like trash.
And after all this time I’m starting to feel like it…
Chapter 1
A miracle. That is what Isake thought had happened when his sharp green eyes caught the sight of a city in the distance. He had been trudging through barren desert for what seemed like months with nothing but a jug of water fastened to his pants and a loosely tied on cloak for protection. His throat had been dry, his clothing had been encrusted with sand and his hopes had also almost been dashed for good. They would have died too, had he not stumbled across the city of Remnar.
“Ahhh… more water please!” Isake gasped as he finished his third large mug of water. The people within the restaurant gazed upon him with both shock and awe. Oblivious, Isake received his fourth mug and soon set to work drinking down the precious and refreshing liquid. The walk to Remnar had not taken Isake long for the city sighting gave him his second wind along with refreshed hopes. It didn’t even take him long to pinpoint a restaurant to quench his thirsts once in the city itself. To Isake, Remnar was a precious sight but it was not an unordinary one when compared to the other cities he had mistakenly come across.
All the buildings were made out of sandstone and aligned in neat little rows that filled the entire town. They were protected by the wicked desert sandstorms and vicious winds by a large and thick castle-like gate which stretched in a large circle around all of the structures. However, other than the individual little things such as desert plants and the occasional welcome mat, nothing in the town was out of place. Every building was the same as the next and every stone seemed as if it were meant to be placed in its particular spot. Even the streets were crafted to look like cobblestone with each stone being perfectly shaped and a pattern easily defined the entire road.
In fact, the people itself mirrored the entire town’s set up as well. All of them wore exactly the same thing, except for gender differences. Women wore plain white dresses to their ankles with hoods attached to the collar. Men wore baggy tawny pants with white shirts tucked in and occasionally had the difference of a hood attached to their shirt. Everyone had sandals as well- every single one of them had the typical light brown sandal wrapped about their feet. While Isake didn’t mind the towns or the people, he couldn’t help but pity them a bit.
The only thing that was different when compared to the rest of the town, were the three large and structurally sound white towers. The three of them were not round in shape, but looked like large slim white rectangles reaching to the sky. The top of the towers looked flat as well- as if some large giant had dropped its building blocks in the middle of the town. Isake knew better though. While the town seemed different by the three towers, every city was still the same. They all had towers. They all had three towers- three perfectly aligned white towers that spoke out to the rest of the world like beacons.
In a way, Isake was a beacon too. However, he was a completely different type.
“That was delightful!” Isake said brightly, rubbing his stomach as he leaned back in his chair. Before him upon a tall wooden table were seven empty mugs and a few plates that appeared to at one point, contain food. He had only been there for less than an hour, but it was clear that most of the customers within the restaurant could not take their eyes off him. Not even the waitress could utter a sentence without sounding like a timid school girl.
“Umm… s-sir, y-your bill.” She said, swiftly taking a flattened stone and placing it before him. Isake stood up quickly, startling the girl as he turned his gaze towards her. Taking a hand and running it through his thick red hair, he managed to brush a few of the short front strands out of his eyes.
“I am sure this will pay for it.” He stated, reaching into the deep pocket of his black pants. He then brought his hand out and opened it, revealing three large silver coins. The girl’s eyes widened as Isake set them down on the table.
“They’re not of use to me much anyway!” Isake said loudly, which was soon followed by a laugh. His laugh ended abruptly when he noticed that now the restaurant was dead silent.
Isake was a polite fellow and did not outburst at people; despite the fact that deep down within his core, he sometimes wanted to yell at them. Isake understood however, he understood why their gazes were always glued to him. He was not one of them. He was not a perfectly refined citizen in white, but rather he was a criminal.
The night sky greeted him as Isake exited the restaurant. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he began trudging through the city. No one wandered on the streets during the night. They went promptly to their destinations and didn’t give it a second thought.
“I wonder if they even dream…” Isake mumbled, entering a darkened alleyway. Shadows seemed to consume the entire inner path, except for a few illuminated spots that gave way to the first moon’s strong rays. It was rather easy, giving the fact that alleyways served no purpose in Remnar or any city for that matter. There was nothing in the alleyways… or in the streets… or anywhere. It was a barren place, mirroring the desert in its absences. To Isake, the only difference between a town and the desert were two things. One, a town has food and water. Two, a town was owned and governed by law and in Isake’s mind, the desert was better overall.
“Hmmm…” Isake mumbled as he slumped against one of the alleyway’s walls. “… If only the desert had an all day food supply.” He grinned silently to himself as his eyes grew heavy and soon sleep grasped his consciousness.
~~~~
“So, you have arrived here after all.” A man stood on top of one of the white towers, standing close to the edge. His arms were crossed and his lips were pursed as he gazed downwards at Remnar. His long flowing jacket of white rippled violently in the wind from being so high up in the air. The Gates did not protect the upper half of the towers, but the towers did not need such protection measures.
“Shall we throw the exile out of our city?” Another man asked, slowly approaching. His stature was not as grand as the jacketed man and he wore the same plain clothes as the rest of the townsfolk. Upon comparison, the only difference between him and the townsfolk was the small silver and circular badge he wore upon his shirt front. The other man however, along with his white jacket, was completely different. His silvery white hair alone was enough to make him stand out- let alone the long low ponytail that he wore it in.
“No. Let him be for now…”
“B-but sir… the rules state…”
“I know what the rules state.” The silver haired one turned around swiftly, glaring at the other. “Or do you think I am so absentminded that I forgot?”
“N-n-no sir… I just thought we should-”
“You should listen to me. I have executive orders from the order to handle this… this disturbance myself.”
“Yes sir.”
With that, the other man left- opening a small hatch and disappearing beneath the top of the tower. The silver haired one stood in silence and resumed staring downwards. As time crept onwards, a smile began forming upon his face. His foot began tapping the top of the tower upon where he stood, as his body slowly trembled with an inner excitement.
“Soon we will meet, exile. I sense you are the one we have been waiting for… so please, do not disappoint me.”
~~~~
Isake was walking on air like a cloud trailing upon the sky. His arms were spread wide like a bird’s wings and he was soaring to unimaginable heights. The wind that brushed against his face felt soothing and cooled off his tan, sun-beat skin. As he flew around the sky however, slowly he felt pressure grow upon his abdomen. Ignoring it, Isake continued to enjoy himself in the deep blue sky. As time grew on however, the pressure continued on and off to the point where it felt like he was being stabbed. Giving out a rough cry, Isake clutched his abdomen as he started to fall from the sky…
“AAAARRRRRRGGGHHH!!” Isake screamed as his eyes fluttered open and he slumped over.
“Aheeeeeee!!” A girl’s scream echoed the air, as a small figure stumbled backwards. Breathing heavily, Isake looked up as a few beads of sweat dripped down his face. A small girl slowly stood up, standing no taller than Isake as he sat up straight.
“You… what…” Isake fumbled with his words, trying to gather his thoughts and shake off the dream. “What are you doing here?” He finally asked, rubbing his forehead as he absently gazed at his stomach to see that it was still there.
“I’m sorry mister!” The girl squeaked, her chin-length strawberry blonde hair bobbing with her movements as she bowed lightly. “I thought you were dead so I poked you a few times to see if you really dead. I didn’t know you were sleeping!”
Isake blinked a few times as he absently scratched the back of his head. “Oh… okay… that makes se-wait a minute!” Isake swiftly stood up, pointing an accusing finger at the girl.
“What is a little girl doing checking out dead people in an alleyway?”
“Well… ermm… you see-”
“Small children should be frolicking in the sun!”
“..But we’re not allowed to be outsi-”
“And they should be building sand castles in the desert!”
“..Ermm.. We’re not allowed to go-”
“And children should be playing tag, playing pranks…”
“MISTER!” The little girl practically roared, causing Isake to turn around from his ramblings, having walked down the alleyway in his dramatic dialogue. Blinking a few times, being startled upon hearing a townsperson yell… let alone a child, he took a few moments before responding.
“… eh, yah?”
“What’s your name?” She asked, smiling brightly as her eyes seemed to sparkle with an inner innocence like nothing had happened.
+GATE+
