Chapter 1: Where it starts

As they were running, Rai felt the absence of land beneath his feet. He had reached the edge of a cliff. Both Pikachu and Rai began falling toward the ground below. Rai quickly dug the blade deep into the side of the earth. His other hand grabbed Pikachu by the tail. They were now dangling for their lives over what seemed like a twenty story drop. His grip would not last if he didn't think of a way out of the situation. "I become a hero for about an hour, and then I end up in this shit!" Rai's grip was weakening as the blade was starting to loosen from the rock.

2 days before…

It was Friday morning. The alarm kept ringing to a bell over and over again. A young man reached out to try and shut off his clock to end the annoying noise. He tried to punch the snooze button, but missed twice. After a third time, he finally slammed the clock. WHAM! The boy leaned up and blocked the sun gleaming into the window.

"Man, that is bright," he told himself. This was Raimundo Ortega, a 19 year-old Hispanic college student who had the dark brown hair to match his brown eyes. Although not the athletic type, he pretty much seemed like your average person. He was one of those daydreamers, but had a curious personality. Looking at the time, it was now 10:30 a.m.

"Crap! I'm gonna be late for work!" he panicked and started rushing to his closet to quickly dress himself. His red baseball T-shirt was the first thing worn, then his black pants, and finally his white sneakers. Grabbing his school backpack, Rai dashed out of his apartment, down the stairs, and made his way to the parking lot.

Rai grabbed the keys to his ride. To the left, a Lotus vehicle with a shiny red color and steel rims sat under a shaded tree. While right next to it was a black moped; more like an antique than a means of transportation. Even though it wasn't much to look at, it still had the energy to take Rai anywhere he needed to go. He started the engine and zipped out of the neighborhood.

His hometown was none other than the gambling city of America, Las Vegas; the only place where the city uses tourism and attractions to draw people into the center of a desert. Rai had been living here for 15 years since he was just a kid. To him, it was his home. But, he had dreams of leaving the city one day and starting off on his own.

Rai made his final turn as he came to a stop in a parking lot. He locked in his moped and ran into the fast food restaurant. Quietly, he tiptoed past the customers and sneaked into the employee lounge. In a matter of minutes, he was in his black shirt and hat with his microphone attached to his ear. Walking up to the register, he began his line of work.

"Welcome! What would you like to order?" Rai picked up the orders and handled the money fast and precise as he always did. Working next to him was his friend Cristine. She had a dark brown complexion, a very skinny figure, and a 'don't mess with me' attitude.

"You do know you're late, right?" she said sarcastically.

"I know, but I overslept. C'mon, no one noticed me come in." spoke Rai proudly.

"RAIMUNDO!" a large voice filled the entire restaurant. Everyone just simply looked up at where the noise came from.

"Except your boss," Cristine chuckled.

"Yeah…I heard him."

Deep within a dark void, the sound of silence filled the emptiness of space. In it was a being, floating in darkness, a small twinkling light. In an instant, a view of the galaxy was right in front of it. Planets and stars in different shapes and sizes floated in the open reaches of outer space.

It shifted its view to the left. A small blue planet, no larger than earth, was floating and all its glory. Suddenly, it began to change to a pale grey color scheme. Fire sprouted around the planet as smoke floated in the atmosphere. Dark shadows with hissing red eyes continued to swallow the planet whole. Quickly, the shadows began to swarm to the next planet, jumping like a rope latching on to an object.

My greatest fears…have now been realized, the being thought. It knew it was the start of the end.

"This has to come to an end," said the portly man with a buttoned shirt and a red-black spotted tie. "Rai, this has been the 3rd time this week, and you just started this month!"

"Sorry Mr. Milder, I've just been…getting adjusted to the new job is all," Rai said in a sorrowful tone.

"Still trying to get adjusted?"

"Well, it is my first time working at a place like this…hehe," Rai sweating a bit. This was the first job he ever had in his life. After being rejected from more than 20 interviews, this was his only chance at work.

Mr. Milder simply sighed and patted him on the back. "Well, just be sure to try and not be late again." With that, Mr. Milder escorted Rai out of his office. He took his roll back to the register and finished his shift.

Rai walked with Cristine next to him while pushing his moped in between them. The sun had started to set and the bus usually runs around 6:30 p.m.

"So, he left you off easy today?" asked Cristine

"Yeah, but I'll be sure to be on time next week," said Rai with a thumbs up.

"Can you even make it on time? You practically live halfway across town and you still took this job anyway?" Cristine had a nag for being a "negative person."

"Nah, it's all right. I know I can make it, I just need to start finding some shortcuts around here," Rai thinking whimsically while stroking his chin.

Cristine only giggled at his elaborate scheme, "I swear Rai you are really weird."

They both made it to the bus stop. Rai balanced himself on his moped and revved the engine on.

"Well, guess I'll see ya on Monday then," he called out.

"Hey Rai," Christine quickly tapped him," you going to be good?"

Rai didn't move for a while. He turned around and smiled back at her.

"I'm good" Rai winked and shot off home. Cristine gave a smile and got on the bus. Rai was at a stop light when he noticed a sleeping homeless person laying on the street. Looking at the light, he pulled out a twenty and put it in his pocket. The light changed to green and he took off.

Rai finally got home. He began his routine of doing the dishes and finishing any homework from class. Because of the economical downfall, his mother had to work night shifts at a casino while his father worked on repairing garage doors. Often times, Rai would go with his father on his jobs to fix any broken springs, hinges, etc. As for his oldest brother, he worked part time at the market during the midnight hour. So far they managed to get by with the house payments. But since he had just move out, paying for college was something Rai had to do alone.

He flipped open his laptop, then went online to his bank account. So far, he managed to save half of the money needed, but still came short. Man, I really need to get my act together or I'm out of the job, he thought.

There was a knock at the door. Rai was confused because he was not expecting anyone this late. Just then, his younger brothers immediately jumped into his room with hyperactive energy. Being the youngest, Bryan was scrawny and short for 12 years. Prowl, the 16-year old, was the second younger brother who had a small muscle body, but was a complete jerk. They would often times feel bored at home now that Rai had moved out and decide to drop in now and again.

"Hey Rai, it's time for movie night!" Bryan shouted in excitement. He quickly handed Rai his laptop, jumping up and down with such excitement.

"Hold on, shorty." Rai signed off and began searching the web for some good shows to watch online.

As Rai skimmed the web for movie websites, a pop up came up showing an ad for an anime coming out on DVD. Honestly, he didn't really care for anime because of the mature nature of cartoon characters and much emphasis on the women. After one experience, he saw nothing but a couple of guys getting nosebleeds just by looking at girls in swimsuits. He exited the webpages and made his way to some good movies online.

"I say start off with some comedy, and then we end it off with a good old fashion horror flick!" exclaimed Prowl as he pointed to the heavens.

"You do realize that Bryan is hear, right?" Rai pointed out.

"Bryan, go stand in the hallway," Prowl pointed at the door.

"There is no hallway."

"Exactly."

The light being flew deeper into the darkness. Once settled, it began chanting a small incantation; a language never heard of. Lights began to encircle the small figure, crops and lines all with strange writings; the darkness running away from the purple light.

"Let a hero rise. Bring one who will protect these new homes that have been given life." A lightning strike shot from the center, flying into the deep void above.

The next day, Rai got home from repairing a garage door with his father. He didn't work on the weekends so he took the opportunity in the early morning to make a few bucks. His main priority was having the tools prepared and helping to repair the door when the job needed two people. The springs had snapped and the opener was unable to move the door. Replacing an old spring and a quick nudge on the opener earned him at least $40. Tired, he dragged his feet up to his apartment and relaxed on his bed. He didn't care if he still had his sweaty clothes on from yesterday or he had his tool belt intact with the gear in his pockets.

"Oh sweet rancheros that's good! ~" he said in relief, readying for a long nap. . As he started to close his eyes, a light began radiating from his computer. "What the hell?" He jumped to his laptop and tried to turn on the system, but it didn't respond. Only numbers and error messages flashed on the screen.

"Ah man, you got to be kidding! Don't tell me I'm gonna have to get this fixed." Rai's computer started to flash more messages faster. The screen shot dark. Completely black. "Now what?" Instantly, strange symbols appeared on the computer screen: circles, words, purple lights. In a flash, the room was empty with nothing but a smoking laptop lying on the floor.

Rai was unconscious for hours. It was long before he woke up in pitch black darkness. He couldn't tell which way was up, down, left, or right. He had no clue where he was It was as if he was floating in midair.

"Who… what… where…where am I!" Out in the open, there was a small light buzzing towards him. It landed softly right on his nose. The light grew brighter, the light blinding Rai's eyes. Looking back, the light took a new form. A beautiful maiden now floating in its place. Her hair as Blue as the ocean, with her elegant dress shimmering from her aura. Her long hair gave off a dark purple tone complemented by her figure that hid under her dress. She looked no older than Rai from his perspective. Her smile gave off a feeling of warmth and comfort.

"Welcome…hero of this dimension," said the woman.

"...Now that…is pretty hot," Rai drooling from the mouth.

"I have summoned you here, for the sake of this universe now rests within your hands," she spoke softly.

"Yeah…wait…Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up here miss," Rai said nervously, "I…uh…I'm gonna need you to explain what's going on here Ms…"

"Novena."

"Riiiiight," Rai said optimistically. He crossed his legs and sat in the air. Rai began listening to Novena's explanation.

"You are familiar with the theory of infinite universes back in your world, am I correct?" she asked.

Rai answered, "Yeah, I know it. There are supposed to be like parallel worlds or more than one earth, or something like that."

"What if it was not a theory…but a fact," she said.

"You serious?" Rai said confused at the thought. "How is that supposed to be possible?"

Novena wiped her arm in midair and revealed a vast galaxy in the deep center of space. "Your world has had the capacity to create new worlds from the hearts and dreams of your people. In return, they breathe a new life of their own. Anything that your people create will become existent in another universe."

Rai was now curious at the idea. "So, things that are in movies, books, television…they become real?" she nodded, but grew silent.

"That is my highest concern for." Her smile slowly became a frown as she conjured up six floating circles around themselves. "These worlds have the most encouragement from the hearts of many, those that are from across the seas of your home. In a land called Japan." Rai understood she was talking about Japanese animation, but wasn't too thrilled about it. "The orbs around us are located in every galaxy; there are always six in total: The Soul of Fantasy, The Soul of Knowledge, The Soul of Terror, The Soul of Cosmos, The Soul of Honor, and The Soul of Life. These powers are distributed each for new worlds to form and are guarded by noblest protectors. However, it seems there is a dark force that has begun to take form. I'm afraid that a dark power is manipulating one of the souls to use for their own desires. In result, the worlds in that galaxy will eventually fall one by one. Only by rejoining these souls will it restore balance to the universe. " The glowing spheres disappeared.

"Let me guess," Rai interrupted, "You want me to go and find these (air quotes) souls so that these worlds will be fixed and go back to the way they were? I'm sorry but I think you need to find someone one else."

"But…"

"Look, it's not that I don't care what's going on. But, this is a big job for someone else like a hero and believe me, I ain't no hero. I'm barely trying to get by as it is in a job that gets me $8 a day, although I might be getting screwed with my boss and…" Novena took Rai's hands in hers. Rai's heart skipped a beat, losing his train of thought.

"I know you can do this, you have a talent not seen by anyone in a millennium. Working hard and looking for the brighter side in life. That is what separates you from anyone else." At that moment, a shining white light glowed from Rai's hands; a large shaft that stretched to a height of 6 feet compared to Rai who was only 5 ft. 9 in. A razor steel blade formed at the end, resembling a large cutter with a brown wooden rod and a glowing red jewel at the tip.

"Your weapon," Novena spoke out, "The Sentinel Scythe." Rai was awed by how odd his weapon was. He always thought a hero usually received a sword or a key when going on a large quest. For him, it was a first. Looking back at the portal, he saw the galaxy, so inspiring. He thought if it were his own world, he wouldn't want it to end either.

"Well…I did plan on leaving home eventually…,"Rai said, "But there's like a hundred places to look. Where do I start?" Novena hugged Rai tightly, while he began to turn red.

"Thank you hero. Your journey will soon begin." Novena opened a window to a planet. "You will start here. Once you find the first soul, it will lead you to the next. Remember, the weapon's power is only matched by the wielder." Rai felt determined now that he was given an important task, ready to take on the challenge ahead. But first-

"So, do I need instructions for-," Rai was cut off when he noticed dark red eyes were surrounding both Rai and Novena. The window was being blocked by dark shadows, hissing with dark, bloody stares. More eyes started to spring from the darkness around them.

"They have arrived sooner than expected," said Novena.

"Don't tell me they're the bad guys," Rai unpleased by the situation. Novena quickly grabbed Rai and opened a new portal to another world that somewhat resembled earth.

"Take this alternate route. May time and space aid you on your quest."

Rai was prepared to be sent through any means of magic or teleportation, but instead was chucked from a throw and flew into the portal. Novena had cast a blinding light; confusing the creatures of the dark. She was gone.

In the middle of the woods, a small yellow mouse with red cheeks was gnawing on a blue berry. It enjoyed the succulent fruit that restored some energy after just a few bites. Its lightning bolt tail stood straight up after sensing something in the distance. Peeking through the bushes, a blue spiral appeared out of nowhere. A boy got spat out and tumbled into a roll straight into a tree. WHACK! Head first. The scythe followed right behind, sharply landing in the tree.

"Well, that could have gone better," Rai said while rubbing the back of his head. He walked up to the tree and pulled trying to remove the scythe. After regaining his motive, he started to observe the area to try and get a grip on the situation.

"Let's see, there's nothing but trees around me, no sign of any people or resources," Rai looked to his left and saw a herd of rhinos that appeared to be made of stone, chewing on some grass. "And there are wild animals in the area. Yep, I know where I'm at." He noticed something was rustling in the bushes. Rai quietly sneaked up to the bush and poked it with his scythe. No response. This time, he lashed the pole straight down, landing on top of something. BONK! A lightning bolt shot from the bushes and spooked the rhinos. They were now charging directly at Rai! He started running like his life depended on it (which it did).

"*pant*…*pant*…note to self, don't be poking into other bushes business!" cried out Rai. Next to him was the small yellow rodent dashing by his side. "Pikachu?"

As they were running, Rai felt the absence of land beneath his feet. He had reached the edge of a cliff. Both Pikachu and Rai began falling toward the ground below. Rai quickly dug the blade deep into the side of the earth. His other hand grabbed Pikachu by the tail. They were now dangling on the ledge that can easily be seen as a twenty story drop. His grip would not last if he didn't think of a way out of the situation. "I become a hero for about an hour, and then I end up in this shit!" Rai's grip was loosening as the blade was starting to loosen from the rock.

Looking straight up, he noticed the rhinos lost sight of them and left.

"Whew…that was close." Rai looked down at the long fall to the bottom. Maybe if I try inching my way back up, I can pull both of us out, Rai thought. He shimmied up the stalk of the scythe using his legs and his free hand, making sure not to tug to hard or the blade would slip out. Rai suddenly heard the wings of a bird flying toward them. A brown and white bird with an orange beak landed on top of the blade.

"Starly," it said.

"Hey! Shoo! Get out of here!" Rai yelled at the bird to scare it away. The bird kicked off the blade when flying off. The scythe slid out from the rock and both Pikachu and Rai were sent yelling and falling, "CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!"

-To Be Continued-

I do not own any of the following anime or characters, but to be used in a fictional story for enjoyment and satisfaction. Comment and leave a review on the story so far. Go ahead, I can take a hit! Ha-ha just kidding, it's all good. See ya next time!