Chapter 1: A Fresh Start?

The world went dark as Rouge felt his self fading into Blue. He now knew the truth and soon his personality would be no more. His memories would be a subconscious thought. He remember he had been happy when he graduated from Magic School, he had been happy when he went on those journeys with his friends, and he was even happy when he fought the Kirin. Admit able it sucked getting kicked out of his world for being rude, but he got space magic without killing the Space Lord and hurting those kids so it was all good.

This was not happy. He could feel those feelings fading and the memories becoming mere thoughts. Blue was not a good person and Rouge could tell. He had charisma and manners which Rouge lacked, but ultimately he was a man who only cared about himself. Still Rouge knew that they had to fight. If he had won then Blue would be feeling this to. Still he didn't want to just be a subconscious thought. He wanted to be Rouge, he wanted to keep traveling, keep seeing his friends. Even if it meant never returning to Magic Kingdom he wanted to live on. Not just as a set of memories that mean nothing, but as a flesh in blood person. He wanted to be his own whole, not half of someone else.

Then it went black....

-

Rouge could smell something. A sweet aroma filled the air. How nice...wait how can I still feel?

"He's waking." A familiar voice spoke. Rouge's eyes began to open. Around him was what could only be described as a childs dream world. Everything was candy and cake. The view was enough to cause diabetic shock. It was the Kirin's world, the world of the Space Lord. He tried to sit up but quickly fell back.

"Do not try to move so soon." Beside him was a women in a kimono. She was the girl from the shrine who had showed him the way to the Space Lord in the first place. "I have only just succeeded in fishing your half-soul out of the cycle of life and rebirth. Such a thing is tiring to us both."

"Fishing my half-sole. This isn't time for shoes." Rouge said, attempting to joke so he would ignore the pain welling up inside him.

"You fancy yourself a comedian do you?" The women seemed aggravated for a moment, but then gave a awkward, but warm smile. "Well I suppose that is a sign that you are well." The Kirin dashed away back to his shrine.

"Where is he going?" Rouge snapped.

"He was correct, you are quite rude." She responded. "Regardless his job is complete. Through the manipulation of Space he recreated your former body."

It was then that Rouge realized he was no longer dressed in his original Magic Robes, but instead plain clothes that could be found in any shop. "Where are my robes?"

"The Kirin is a monster. He does not wear clothes and finds them odd. He did his best, but in the end he could only make childrens sizes so I went a bought you some. You own me about eight hundred and fifty credits."

"Alright" Rouge began to slowly make his way to sitting up. "Then how did I get here? I didn't die, I was absorbed into my 'brother' becoming on true mind and soul so how could you have pulled my soul- wait scratch that how could you pull anybody's soul out of the cycle of life and rebirth?"

"It is a complicated process. Impossible to describe in human terms. As for your half-soul, due to your strong desire to be yourself and not have your other half overwhelm you your part of the soul rejected the process. It took your self and became one with it. It then entered the cycle so that you could begin again, however due to the odd nature of its existence it could not finish and was stuck in and eternal loop never to be reborn until your other half's death."

"I see, so your saying that you somehow communicated with my soul that was looping and said that this here body is the right body." Rouge added. Admittedly he hadn't the faintest idea of what she was talking about.

"No. Not even close." She responded sternly. "However I ask you accept that explanation. It's much easier than explaining the process myself."

Rouge slowly got to his feet. He wobbled somewhat, but all in all he seemed alright. "Awesome. Either way I'm alive now. I should go home to Magic Kingdom and..."

"I'm afraid such a thing is impossible. Magic Kingdom has been destroyed." The women spoke with coldly of this event, but there was a hint of fear in her.

Rouge was mortified. He knew there would be trouble if he went home, but the fact that everyone he knew was dead and his home was gone. "What! How the hell did it happen?"

"I am not a liberty to say. However the disaster has been taken care of. Your 'brother' is taking care of it." She seemed to be avoiding something, but Rouge didn't want to push on this. He was in shock that his home was gone, but somehow he just didn't seem to care. He thought it was tragic that the people died, but somehow Magic Kingdom being gone felt expected.

"There are other problems as well. I know they arent as important as the revelation of the destruction of your homeland but..." She stood up and looked Rouge in the eyes. Rouge could see an inhuman shine in them. It was both beautiful and frightening. "All of your magic is gone."

"What!" Rouge felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. He had worked hard to get his magic and now it was gone. "Why?"

"Your magic was used to create a copy of your half of the soul for your brother. He has every drop of magic you ever had. All you have learned and experienced exist within' him. This as you know was the point of your mission. You can always regain your magic."

Rouge was silent for a moment. All his magic was gone, he thought over his journey thus far. All those people, all those things. His friends. "I needed a fresh start."

"A fresh start?" The women said quizzing.

"Yeah a chance to start over. The best part of getting my magic was seeing all those awesome places and meeting those awesome people. I want to do that again." Rouge now had a grin on his face. It's true he had lost a lot, but he could rebuild.

"Yes I suppose. A fresh start can be very nice." She tuned towards the exit. "It is time for us to leave. The Kirin would be angry if we stayed to long."

Rouge nodded, but before jumping through the gate out he had one more question. "Hey what's your name?"

"Me? I'm....I'm Rei." They then jumped through the gate.

To Be Continued