Chapter Text
So this city was called Lestallum in a world called Eos, that was what Hikari and the guys discovered whilst venturing in the city. The locals were welcoming and weren’t all troubled by the fact that there were travelers there. Seemed this was the place for travelers to be.
Everyone also regarded them with an odd term...Hunters. People in Lestallum believed Hikari and the guys were hunters based on their clothing choice. As before the group could do nothing but agree with the populace’s assumptions. At least here no one was suspicious of them.
“Finally! You got it right, Shin!” Max was so glad they weren’t being followed or looked at in an odd way. They returned to the lookout, where less people were stationed. Here they could talk a bit more freely than in the city.
“Oh be quiet.” Shin gave him a light glare but didn’t push further. “We still need to find this world’s key before that entity discovers its whereabouts.”
The entity he spoke of was the thing that had previously possessed Raven and Sasuke...This thing apparently was going from realm to realm collecting realm keyblades in order for its goal to be realized. What that goal was...well...That was uncertain. They didn’t even know if the entity was here or not.
“I guess, we first have to figure out what KIND of realm this is…” Hikari suggested. “Maybe that’s the secret. The name of the realm is how the key of it is located.”
“How do we figure that out anyway?” Max asked. “The entity seemed sure to know…”
“It might have something to do with connections.” Shin surmised. “Hikari...Perhaps you can locate what we seek...You’ve two realm keys...They might be able to help you.”
Nodding Hikari went to the edge of the lookout. This place was so huge...How would she even be able to find a key in this place anyway? Her eyes traveled around until they stopped in a certain location. Frowning she went to a binocular station and looked closer.
It was a smoking...Crater? Yeah, that’s what it looked like...A crater.
There was something going on there, or rather something was stirring there.
She needed to see it.
“Shin…” Moving away from the station she gave a frown. “You said...I might be able to locate the key right?” She pointed towards the giant crater. “I think...It’s there.”
“What is that anyway?” Max gave a look as well. From their vantage point, it looked like a smoking debri site or something.
“Some kind of crater.” Hikari said then looked at Shin. The being had gone strangely silent, gazing far out into the horizon...Or was he even gazing at it at all? “Hello? Earth to Shin?” She waved a hand in front of his face. The guy blinked his eyes, shook his head.
“I...Sorry…” He gripped his head. “There is...Something strange with this place...A power sleeps here...An ancient one…And it is quite...unnerving at best. I cannot tell where exactly it is...It just seems as though...It is all around. I do believe some of that ancient force IS within that smoking crater. We should definitely seek it out.”
Max gave him a stare. “Can you at least tell if this force is good or evil?”
Another shake of the head. “No...I can’t. That is what is so...unnerving about it...But...I do know this...This ancient force...Is definitely one of godly strength. And no god is inherently evil, Max...Not in any realm.”
That’s right, Shin was kind of like a god in his realm...Did that mean he could also sense such beings like him in other realms? Whatever the case, their destination had been decided. The smoking crater it is.
It took a while but they managed to hitch a ride to the road that led to the crater. From there they walked the curvy dirt until they came to an open metal doorway. Crossing the threshold they continued down the rocky terrain until they came to the end of the path.
“Hey...Look...It’s that car.” Max pointed and sure enough, the black cadillac was within sight. The owner was also here, would they encounter them? Just why would anyone be here anyway?
They ventured forth up a mountain slope. The temperature here wasn’t all that pleasant, hotter than the surface of the sun.
“What exactly are we looking for anyway?” Max had discarded his leather jacket some paces ago. It was currently hanging around his waist though in a minute it was about to be discarded all together.
“I’m...Not sure.” Hikari pushed forward. It was almost as if something were...guiding her or something. She took another step…
Then suddenly, she was falling.
“Hikari!” Max rushed to her aid and discovered she was hanging over the side of a ledge down below. “We’re coming! Hang on!”
Shin had planned on flying down there, until two unlikely people came rushing to Hikari’s aid.
“Hang on! I’ve got you!” The blonde man dressed in black grabbed Hikari’s hand. “Iggy! A little help!”
His counterpart, a man with glasses, also came to aid, the two pulling Hikari up onto the ledge. She fell to the ground, completely thankful she wasn’t a splatter below.
“Thanks…” She breathed out then looked up at Max and Shin. “I’m okay!” She called.
“Oh thank god.” Max gave a sigh of relief then gave her a light glare. “Next time watch where you’re stepping!”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah…”
“Terribly sorry, but we are in quite a hurry.” The glasses man stated. “Come Prompto, Noctis will not wait.”
“Yeah!” Prompto smiled at Hikari. “Catch ya later!” He and the other were gone down a path.
Frowning, Hikari chose to follow them just as Max and Shin came down to the ledge themselves. She heard them call for her but she was too focused in following the two that saved her. As Max and Shin finally caught up to her, the ground beneath them shook.
“Earthquake!” Max shouted as they braced themselves for the worst. The shaking subsided but it still lingered.
Then they saw it, high above them...A towering giant, with eyes that bore upon all.
“What the…?” Hikari gasped at the creature that was holding up a part of the very ground itself. This vast giant was saying something in an odd language and swiping its hand at something nearby.
“Hikari look out!” Shin pushed her against the rock as the hand came towards them though it wasn’t aiming at them in particular, it was aiming at the people that were shooting at him a ways nearby.
“What hell is going on!?” Max immediately pulled out his shield, unsure of even who to attack or who to defend. Their little group had entered a war zone and friend and foe looked all the same in this case.
Shin did not like this at all. He gripped both Max and Hikari and pulled them away from most of the huge creature’s attacks.
“We must not interfere here.” He was acting stranger than usual. A mask of divinity was upon his face. “We should NOT be here. Quickly! Before we are spotted! We must leave! NOW!”
Not an ounce of protest could be heard from Max or Hikari. They followed Shin down a pathway that led away from the fighting, however their path became blocked by soldiers in odd armor aiming guns at their heads.
“Watch out!” Max held his shield, protecting Hikari from the barrage of bullets that came their way. Shin needed no such protection, merely flinging such objects away from his person before they could hit their mark.
“We could really use some help here!” Max shouted and Hikari quickly pulled out the keyblade, but she held the Key of Self instead.
“You...Want to help?” She asked the key in her hand and already knew the answer. “Alright. Gaara...Tell me what to do…”
Max had no idea what was going on behind him, for all his concentration was towards the bullets. They would not be able to keep this up for long. Then in an instant, the bullets were gone. Max looked up from his shield and was shocked to find the soldiers encased in sand.
“Hikari?” Looking behind him he noticed Hikari held the Key of Self in her palm while the other palm was out stretched. The kanji of ‘love’ was etched onto her left brow.
“To the right!” Shin shouted and Hikari willed more sand to cover the soldiers. It took mere seconds before no soldier was standing.
“Whoa…Thanks for small favors.” Max breathed out. “We need to--”
“Over there!” Hikari had returned to herself, the tattoo on her forehead gone and now she was pointing towards the center of the space. There the giant’s attacks were focused on four men dressed in black, the attacks centered on the male with black hair holding an odd looking sword. Hikari wanted to go help them but Shin immediately grabbed her shoulder.
“This is not a battle for us.” He told her. “We cannot interfere.”
“What do you mean!? Those guys are getting creamed!” Max interjected.
Shin just stared at the battle before them. “Just trust me...We need to leave.” He wasn’t taking no for an answer. He was about to go against his better judgement and fly them out of there when the great monster like being screamed to the high heavens and disappeared. The ground was violently shaking once more.
“This place is going!” Max screamed. “We need to get out of here!”
An odd transport arrived, picking up the four men. Shin grabbed Max and Hikari; using his speed, he managed to get to the transport just as the final man was getting on board.
“Watch out!” The three rushed aboard as well, not really caring who exactly was driving the metal beast. The transporter closed and Hikari fell to the cold metal floor.
“Tell me AGAIN who’s bright idea was it to go into a freaking smoking crater!?” Max grunted while leaning against the metal wall beside Hikari.
“Oh shut up.” Hinako huffed out. “That was NUTS!!!! What the heck was that thing anyway!?”
“Dunno but no way in hell do I wanna find out!” Max huffed as well. “Why the hell did we go there anyway!?”
“A very good question indeed…” Came a voice from the shadows. The man came from them dressed in mixed matched robes and what looked like unbrushed brown locks. He looked like he could also use a bit of a shave.“Wouldn’t you agree Noctis?”
Hikari and Max had been so tired from the ordeal that they had forgotten they weren’t alone in the metal transportation. Not but a few feet away were the four men that had battled that large being...And two of them...were staring at Hikari’s group with suspicion in their eyes.
“Well, you’re certainly not a crownsguard group…” The host said then set his eyes upon Hikari. “My, this little dove is well below the age limit. Why, I do believe she is but a mere teenager by the looks of her…” He made to speak to Hikari but Shin’s form blocked him. Shin had gone quiet again, eyeing the man with a look in his eyes that spoke of power and prestige.
“Well, well...This must be the proud papa then?” The host backed away a bit, which had not gone unnoticed by all. He appeared to have a bit of...fear? In his eyes... “No...Definitely not...There is quite an air about you…Almost...Regal in a way…”
“I think you need to leave.” Shin finally spoke up, an air of commanding presence in his voice. The man tipped his hat.
“Quite right...Someone must steer us to safety…” He took a light bow. “Have heart, I shall take good care of my guests.” Then he turned and left in a rather big hurry.
“Whoa...Shin…” Hikari blinked while Max just stared. “What’s gotten into you anyway?”
Shin spoke not a word as he went to two of the men sitting in the opposite corner, the blonde and the one wearing glasses were his focus.
“You two saved Hikari from distress...Thank you.” Whatever mood he had been in changed instantly. He had returned to a calm self. “She can be quite the clutz sometimes.”
“Hey!” Hikari shouted at his back.
“What exactly were you doing there?” The blonde asked.
“We are hunters...Well...Two of us anyway.” Shin regarded Max who nodded. “Hikari is in training...We were undergoing a mission nearby and thought it was suspicious...the opened doors to the crater...”
The bulkier male of their group grunted. “Anything involving the Empire is suspicious.”
“You were right in your suspicions.” Glasses stated. “However it was not wise to bring a trainee...Especially one so young.”
“Hikari can handle her own.” Max defended Hikari, which surprised her. “But she’s still a klutz.” He got a light punch in the arm for that one.
“My name is Shin.” Shin introduced himself to the four. “The other male is Max and of course, Hikari.”
“Noctis.” Noctis spoke up first, the three men with him tensing at his name. They were expecting Shin to recognize this young man...Exactly who was he? Was he someone special in this realm?
“We have been away for quite some time.” Shin quickly recovered. “If we are supposed to recognize you, Noctis...I am afraid that will not happen.”
His words cut the tension instantly.
“Oh thank the Six!” The blonde deflated immediately. “I’m Prompto and the bulky guy is Gladio.”
“Ignis.” The glasses guy nodded.
Shin stared at the three around Noctis. Though they appeared relaxed there was a sense of tension among them still, especially when it came to Gladio. The man resembled many fighters Shin had seen before...always on alert and suspicious of everything. The other two, Ignis and Prompto, were the most relaxed, probably thankful that Shin and his group were not enemies.
“Would you be so kind,” Shin spoke his words carefully, “as to tell us exactly what happened in the crater?”
There was a brief glance between the four before Noctis spoke up.
“It’s...a long story.” He said. “Are you from Insomnia?”
“Yes.” Shin replied instantly, hoping it was the right decision to make. “Though we have not seen our homeland in quite a long time. Not since Hikari’s birth some odd years ago.”
The four again shared a look. Noctis had a depressed look about him as he approached Shin. He looked to be the leader of their little band because his friends were not stopping his approach.
“...I’ve...got some bad news…”