Two Destinies Part 2: Prologue: Second Chances

Author's Preface: Before you ask, my writing hiatus is NOT done yet. It's not the end of January yet, is it? Didn't think so. I just had a little inspiration burst, that's all. This chapter should sufficiently answer some of your questions... Or will it only bring up more questions? Heh heh heh... *shot* Enjoy the chapter!

The moon was full, which shined sufficient light upon Celestia as the silhouettes of five solemn heroes and one fallen hero came out into the moonlight. The light from the moon above made the skin of the dead hero seem even more ghostly pale. A red haired young man held his fallen friend in his arms, staring at what had once been the enthusiastic young teenager who was his friend. His other friends gathered around as they fully took in the burden of what had happened a little less than moments ago.

"Reid..." A girl with dark green hair placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Is everything all right?" Reid closed his eyes.

"Not exactly, Farah..." Reid said, looking away. "I can't believe this... Kyle... You're really dead... I never would have thought that this would happen..."

"He was rather reckless..." The blue haired boy sighed, trying to hide his sadness with little avail. Under his breath, he added, "I'm gonna miss Kyle calling Craymels "Caramels"..."

"Keele DOES miss Kyle, then?" The purple haired girl said, the usual bounce to her voice having faded a little. "Meredy knows that Keele actually liked Kyle deep down." Keele blushed.

"H-he was rather annoying..." Keele said. The others stared at him angrily. Seconds later, Keele added, "...though I'm sorry that he had to die like that..." The angry faces on Keele's friends faded away, revealing a small smile on each of them that too faded as their thoughts returned to Kyle.

Even though all of them were sad, Reid was the most upset. He was the one who had become closest of friends with the blond haired teenager. Maybe it was because they both were swordsmen. Maybe because they both were usually very cheery. Perhaps it was because they shared a distaste for whatever Keele had to say. It might be because they had both really enjoyed Farah's cooking. Whatever the reason was, Reid and Kyle had been really good friends. However, Reid was now staring at the pale face of his friend, knowing that he would never see that huge grin that had always caused him to smile in return or those bright blue eyes that reminded him of the sky in Inferia. Part of Reid wanted to cry, but he knew that he had to stay strong.

"I hate to bring up such a senseless suggestion..." The young dark skinned girl with a large hat spoke up just then. "How about we return to the Van Eltia? All of us, even him." The girl pointed at Kyle.

"Good idea, Chat..." Farah said, looking out toward the sea. "We can decide what to do once we get back on board." She started walking away from the cave, with the others following – except Reid. He held back a couple seconds, still staring at Kyle. After being beckoned by Meredy, Reid caught up to his friends, still carrying the burden of lost friendship in his arms.

Kyle... A familiar voice echoed gently in Kyle's ears. Kyle, wake up... Despite the wishes of the person calling out to him, Kyle refused to open his eyes. For the first time in a long time, he felt truly comfortable. His body was being cradled in comfort and he was truly happy. However, this sensation was interrupted by a hand feeling his forehead, followed by his cheek. Kyle's eyes opened slowly. An individual with eyes that sparkled like sapphires and long golden hair kneeled over him, having one warm hand of theirs placed on his cheek. Kyle smiled.

"Dad?" He said softly as he looked up into a face that very similar to his own. The person hovering over him closed his eyes and smiled.

"You're finally up..." He said, moving his hand over his son's face. "You certainly do take after me..." Kyle sat up and took in the sight before him for a couple seconds before jumping onto his father and nearly knocking him over with a hug.

"Dad!" Kyle repeated, so overcome with joy that he was about to cry. After recovering from the initial shock of being nearly knocked over, Kyle's father returned the hug, smiling lovingly. After a moment of embrace, the two blondes looked into each other's blue eyes. Kyle spoke up first. "Dad, what are you doing here?" He asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

"That's actually what I was wondering..." The older blonde said. "What are YOU doing HERE, Kyle?" Kyle raised an eyebrow in response. This certainly wasn't the answer he was expecting.

"What exactly are you talking about?"

"Just look around you, Kyle..." On his father's suggestion, he finally took in his surroundings. They were surrounded by clouds on all sides, ranging from puffy and white to grey and stormy. And then, he took another look at his father. This person looked just like all of the descriptions of the hero Stahn Aileron – long blond hair, blue eyes, and a large, caring smile. However, there was something different about his appearance. Instead of blue-trimmed armor that all the stories had described, the man in front of Kyle was wearing armor that was gilded. The green headband that was made so famous in all of the hero stories that Kyle had grown up with was replaced with a silver one. Other than the changed color scheme, Stahn looked identical to the descriptions in the stories.

However, while Kyle was examining his father and pondering about why his father was wearing a different colored outfit, magical white lights appeared from behind Stahn and, within seconds, six shimmering barely golden wings fluttered in place slowly, and Kyle stared at them silently for a few seconds, feeling both shocked and awed. It was at that moment when Kyle realized why his father had asked why HE was there.

"So, we're in heaven..." Kyle said softly. "...which means that we're dead..." Stahn's eyes drooped a little at this statement.

"Just as I feared..." He said, looking away. As he looked away, Kyle noticed something strange on his father's neck that, despite hiding behind Stahn's massive mullet, was pretty well visible. Kyle gasped when he saw this.

"Dad? What's that on your neck?" Stahn's eyes quickly focused on his son once again upon hearing the question. After a second, he sighed.

"No use keeping secrets from you..." He said afterward. "You remember all those dreams that you've been having about me? During the first one is when I got this:" He moved his hair aside to reveal a strange symbol printed on his neck. "It's a Melnic letter. I believe it's the Melnic letter A."

"Why the letter A?"

"I think it stands for one of two things: Our last name, "Aileron", or for "Angel". I have a hunch that it's probably the latter, though."

"How did you get that?"

"I was captured by two demons when I first arrived in Eternia in order to keep protecting you. They sealed that into my skin with dark magic. Shortly after, though, I was rescued by another angel and... well, you know the rest..."

"I do?" Kyle scratched his head and tried to think back to a point he might remember something. However, a grunt from his father broke his thoughts.

"Dammit, this stupid thing's acting up again..." His hand was placed on his neck. After a second, Stahn's eyes constricted as a thought entered his head.

"Dad, is something wrong?" Kyle's head was tilted innocently.

"Dammit! This is bad! Everytime this mark has started hurting, those damn demons have come after me... And if they find you here, they're going to start coming after you!"

"Wait, what demons? What are you going to do?" Kyle wrapped his hands around his father's arm. Stahn sighed.

"I'm going to do something very risky... But it's the only way to keep you safe..." Stahn slid his arm out from his son's grasp and started to rise into the air.

"Very risky?" Kyle said under his breath. He then began to plead with wild gesticulation. "Dad! You don't have to do anything risky! I'll fight those demons alongside of you!"

"No, Kyle..." A hint of sadness was lingering on his voice. "You have no idea what to expect... The demons are very cunning and evil. If they get their hands on you, they'll torture you until they get what they want..."

"But Dad..."

"I'm doing this because I love you... I became your guardian angel because I love you and I want to protect you... I'm just doing my duty as your guardian angel to protect you..." At this point, Stahn had floated above Kyle's reach, all six of his magnificent wings fully extended. Kyle looked at the puffy clouds under his feet.

"I remember now... You had said in Melnics that 'I will no longer be'..." Kyle looked up at his father. "What did you mean by that?"

"My message was cut off... What I was trying to say was that I will no longer be fudinn..."

"Fudinn? What exactly does that..." Kyle was cut off as his father began to chant in a voice that was strangely still his voice and not his at the same time.

"I sewadindzu furetsun..." He began chanting in Melnics. "Guunun tsun tan pibandi ifu tan Painmuuzu, tan pibandi tii tidiemusuwanmudzu ruufun..." Kyle was beginning to get very confused as to why his Orz Earring wasn't working. Thinking that he didn't have it, he touched his ear. The earring was still there. But then why wasn't it working? Just then, Stahn began to speak in a familiar language and voice again. "Close your eyes, Kyle..." He said. "It was not yet time for you to die... You still need to fufill your true destiny as a hero..." Kyle gasped.

"Wait, did you just say that my destiny is to become a hero?!?" A supremely joyful feeling swelled up inside of Kyle, as if he was going to burst with excitement. His greatest dream was going to come true! A bright smile illuminated Kyle's entire face. However, Kyle's reverie was broken by his father's voice sounding very panicky.

"Kyle, hurry!" He said, his wings begining to glow red, as if they were on fire. "You have to close your eyes! I only have one shot at this, and, if it fails, we're both in trouble!" Kyle nodded, then closed his eyes. After taking a deep breath, Stahn closed his eyes and continued his spell. "Give this child another chance to fufill the destiny that has been decided..." At this point, Stahn's wings were completely glowing fire red. His eyes shot open and he threw his hands forward towards Kyle. "PHOENIX... REVIVER!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

I will be a hero... Kyle thought while this was going on. I shall fufill my destiny and become a great hero... Just then, Kyle felt a warm sensation throughout his body. The heat was rather comforting, but it kept getting warmer and warmer. Just as the heat got to a point where it was almost unbearable, Kyle felt a strange sensation in his stomach, as if he was moving. And then, the heat and movement faded away, leaving Kyle feeling somewhat cold. Kyle opened his eyes slowly. He was staring up at a metallic ceiling. Just then, he heard a familiar voice.

"No, Meredy." It said. "You can't come in. I'm doing things in here."

"Come on, Keele!" Meredy's voice said. "Meredy would just like to see something! Let Meredy in!" Just then, there was a scraping sound, followed by a thud.

"Ow!" Keele said. "Was that really necessary, Meredy?!?" Kyle rotated his head slightly so he could see just what Meredy and Keele were doing. Just then, he heard Meredy gasp.

"KYLE!" She yelled, pointing at him. "Meredy saw Kyle move! Kyle is looking at Meredy!"

"What?!? Impossible!" Keele said, picking himself off of the floor. His eyes quickly met Kyle's, and, after a couple seconds, Keele yelped. "Z-zombie!" He said. "I-It's a zombie!" Kyle sat up, still looking at Keele and Meredy. Keele flinched even more when he saw Kyle move. "P-please d-don't hurt m-me, Kyle Z-zombie..." Kyle was now slightly annoyed at being called a zombie, but an evil thought entered his head. What if he played along with "being a zombie"? He stood up and slowly walked over towards Keele, the blue haired scholar getting more panicky with each step being taken towards him. Meredy just stood and watched. Just as he was a couple steps away from Keele, Kyle felt a hard whack over his head. The blond teenager slumped to the floor, holding his head in pain.

"Oww..." He whined. "My head..." Keele stood up and held his staff over Kyle, ready to hit him on the head again. However, Meredy intervened.

"Stop, Keele!" She said. "Kyle is not a zombie, Kyle is Kyle!" Keele looked at Meredy, then back at Kyle.

"Impossible." He said. "Kyle is dead... I ran an autopsy, and I got proof that he was completely dead..."

"Do I LOOK dead to you?!?" Kyle said angrily, finally having recovered from his head injury. Keele stared at Kyle for a few seconds, his face transfiguring with amazement.

"Impossible..." He said for the third time, this time with awe. "Your skin... It's returned to a healthy hue... And the cuts and blood on your face are gone... You really ARE alive... But how?" Just then, Meredy wrapped her arms around Kyle's neck and gave him a hug.

"Kyle is back!" She said. "Meredy is so happy! Meredy must tell Reid, Farah, and Chat that Kyle is back!" Kyle stood up.

"I'll tell them myself." He said, a smile returning to his face. Meredy's arms moved to around his arm. Keele kept staring.

"Amazing..." He said under his breath. "This is unlike anything I've ever seen... A clearly dead individual, brought back to life and not being a zombie... But does he remember what happened before he died?" Just then, as his thoughts snapped back to reality, he realized that Meredy and Kyle had already left the room without him. "Wait for me!" He cried, rushing out of the room.

Stahn had watched his son be incinerated by his own doing before his very eyes, but he knew that when nothing remained afterward, he had succeeded in using the spell. He smiled at his success, but then, a rush of intense pain ran throughout his body. His wings failed working, and he plummeted down to the ground. Fortunately, he landed on fluffy clouds, which absorbed most of the impact. After a couple of seconds, Stahn struggled to his feet, but then collapsed to his hands and knees. He gasped aloud as he tried to regain his breath, but it would not come back to him. "Dammit..." He whispered to himself. "I'm so weak right now... Those demons are going to capture me for sure..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "But at least Kyle is safe... That's what's most important right now..." Just then, Stahn felt the clouds undulate a little under him. Somebody had landed nearby. Dammit... Stahn thought. Here they come...

"Well, what have we here?" An unfamiliar voice said. However, the voice didn't seem demonic in nature. "A fallen angel, have we?"

"Who are you?" Stahn said weakly, trying to move his head so he could see who was talking to him.

"I am Tellezherael Axaras. However, you may call me by my surname. May I ask of your name? Or shall I just call you Fallen Angel?"

"The name's Stahn Aileron..." He said. "Don't call me a Fallen Angel..."

"Can you even stand, Aileron?" Axaras said. "What exactly took so much energy out of you? It's not like Emugunrusu have mortal energy limits..."

"My son... didn't deserve to die at such a young age... And I wouldn't let him be tortured by demons..."

"Ahh... So you performed the forbidden spell, didn't you? Normally, you should be punished by trying such a spell... But being in such a helpless state seems like punishment enough..."

"You didn't come to punish me, did you?"

"Actually, I came to help you, just like I did that other time..." Axaras stepped into Stahn's limited sight range, and the blond angel gasped at the sight. An angel with short black hair, fair skin, a white robe, and slightly blueish wings was standing before him.

"It's you!" He said. "You're the one who saved me from the demons before! I never got to thank you!"

"It was no trouble. However, you might be in some trouble now. You see, us Emugunrusu expend a lot of magical energy to sustain our humanesque forms. Your magic is nearing depletion. There is only one way for you to save yourself."

"What's that?"

"You must take another form." Axaras placed a hand over Stahn's head. "One that won't expend as much energy. That way, you can regain your magic power and return to your former strength. I shall assist you, if you'd like."

"Thank you..." Stahn said weakly. "I entrust myself with you..."

"Just close your eyes and believe in me..." Stahn did as instructed, and he felt his body fade away into nothing. "With your spirit, I shall forge a holy blade that will slay all evil..." After another second, Stahn felt himself being shaped into something new, and soon, he had taken a new form - a beautiful golden sword with silver wings on its guard and a brilliant sapphire encrusted into the blade, which served as an eye. Through this sapphire eye, the world took on a blueish hue.

So... Stahn thought. I'm a sword now... I wonder if this similar to how Dymlos felt? His thoughts began to stray back to when he was nineteen years old - to his adventures with his trusty blade Swordian Dymlos, who he'd had to say goodbye to not long later.

"Your spirit is powerful..." Axaras said. "Such a magnificent sword could not be forged from a weaker spirit. This powerful sword should never be used by those without a pure heart..." Just as Axaras said that, the sword began to glow white-hot in his hand and, with a shout, he dropped it, and the sword sliced through the clouds and fell towards Celestia. "No!" He yelled as the sword disappeared from view. "This cannot be! ...Perhaps I should learn to keep silent..."

As he fell, Stahn's thoughts were not focused on what had just happened, but on Celestia below. I'm falling... He thought. I'm falling towards Celestia... I'm falling towards Kyle... Kyle...

Author's Nota Bene: Well, this prologue was much longer than Part 1's prologue... (It's actually the size of a true chapter...) XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that it answered some of your questions from the end of Part 1. If you put Part 1 of this story on your alerts before, PLEASE PUT THIS PART ON YOUR ALERTS! Part 1 is no longer updating, so you won't hear about any updates from there. Don't expect to see anything else until the end of January! This is pretty much only a teaser chapter, I guess... XD Thanks again for reading! :D

EDIT: Fixed one subject clarification mistake that was made (I called Kyle "Keele" at one point... XD).