Chapter Text
Darkness. That was the only word that could've been used to describe this situation. Not that of despair and suffering, simply just empty.
A dark void that engulfed everything, no sky, no scenery, just emptiness. The only things that existed in this plane were that of a boy and a stained glass platform.
The bright green hue from the glass reflected onto his pale skin as it beckoned him to step forward.
He examined the platform below. It depicted a young maiden. Short black hair, skin pale as snow - quite similar to his - long flowing blue and yellow dress with soft red accents. She held an apple close to her heart, one small bite taken out of it, which he could only assume was her own. The boy remained silent as he took a few steps further. His balance was suddenly lost as he witnessed three stone pedestals rising from the ground. He fell back on himself as those crimson eyes of his went wide with great surprise.
In front of him awaited a sword, a shield, and a staff.
"Great power sleeps within you. If you give it form, it shall give you strength." A voice rang through his head.
The boy slowly brings himself to stand once more, his eyes carefully looking between the options. If he heard that voice properly, then it must've wanted him to choose one of the three. He gave a look of hesitance as his eyes flitted between his options.
With a small step, he moves towards one in particular: the shield. It was polished so brightly that he could see his own reflection.
His cinnamon brown hair was messy, spiked up ever so slightly. His bangs swooped to the side, unable to hide those sunken crimson red eyes and the eyebags underneath.
He picked up the shield, struggling to pull its weight. He began to carefully study it further. The shield was a brilliant red and depicted the shadow of a mouse's head in the front. On the back was a solid black grip for the wielder to hold. It all seemed so familiar to him, yet he couldn't place just what was resurfacing these feelings of nostalgia.
"The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends; a shield to repel all. Is this the power you seek?"
The boy paused for a moment, deep in thought as he stared back at his reflection. As the shield was lifted further up into the air, he saw more of himself. His body was on the thinner side. Everything about him seemed so small–he doubted that it was just because of the angle. He continued to look down. He wore a navy t-shirt underneath a mint green cardigan, accented with sky blue buttons and pale green accents. The cardigan was quite large on his thin frame, almost completely engulfing his entire torso. Strung around his shoulder hung a neon green bag, shaped to resemble the average star.
His eyes drifted back up to pitch dark void, staring out as he gave a nod of approval to the mysterious voice. Before he knew it, the shield he once held burst into a small green light.
Jumping back, he looked at the scene in confusion. Carefully studying the glimmering light from afar. The light slowly drifted closer to him–to his dismay–flickering slightly as it grew closer to his forearms. He watched quietly as the light seemed to fade into his skin.
He slowly lifted his arm into the air, hesitantly glancing at himself. There were so many questions running amok in his mind that it was hard to keep track. He continued to study himself quietly before suddenly being violently thrust toward the ground. The platform below him began to shake. The ground underneath him crumbled as the mini shards of glass that constructed it broke away and fell into the ether of the void.
His breath caught in the back of his throat. The boy scrambled to keep himself upright, hoping lightly from one foot to the other as he dodged the falling of the stained glass.
"I wouldn't give you such power if there wasn't a reason. Ah... but why waste time by giving you a history lesson," the voice went on to echo.
Long before he knew it, he could no longer keep his balance. He fell back. His body felt weightless as he plummeted deep into the pitch black void. He opened his mouth to scream but no noise came.
"The door shall be opened, destiny yearns for it."
The boy drifted towards the soft bearings of a grassy floor in his descent. He was left unscathed to his immediate surprise. He quickly glanced around, keeping his arms close as he studied the new location before him. A serene playground. He couldn't help but notice how blurred the structures looked, almost as if they weren't fully formed.
Two girls stood before him, watching him with blank stares. He first looked towards the girl wielding the sword: Her cadmium orange hair was styled in a wolf cut, her hair pulled into a high ponytail. Light brown freckles painted her tanned face, bringing a nice complementing look to her amber eyes.
Yet another pang of nostalgia hit him, but from where? Has he seen this girl before?
"The warrior. Equipped with invincible courage. Why, that sword of hers is a tool for terrible destruction."
He turned to her with a desperate hope that she had some sort of answer. Where he was, who this voice above him belonged to. She ignored him and simply asked: "What's your worst fear?"
The question caught the boy off guard. He looked away, his voice quiet and gentle as the breeze. "Upsetting others."
He was unsure why he had spoken so honestly. The girl wrung the answer out of him without even a hint of effort.
He glanced back at the girl, now seeing her incredulous look, raising up her brow as she spoke. To her, it almost seemed like he was spouting off some unknown language. "Really? Is that even scary?"
He gave a look of embarrassment before turning to the other girl: her curly chestnut hair neatly fell down to their shoulders. Her eyes were a similar color of dark brown, a tad bit of eyeliner refining them. On her bronzed skin was a small amount of beauty marks. One of importance was the one hanging low underneath her lip. He felt as if he recognized her, too.
"The mystic. Fueled by inner strength, wields both the knowledge of wonder and ruin."
"What is it that you want out of life?" She asked, her voice calm and calculated.
Yet another question. The boy could feel himself growing more weary of his current situation. Once again, he felt as if he had no filter as he so carelessly gave up his most inner thoughts.
"I want to be seen."
"Interesting."
His lips tugged into a slight smile. The girl before him didn't seem as judgemental as the last, though she was just as unhelpful when it came to answering his many questions about this mysterious place.
With no hope left, he turned behind himself. There was another boy his age standing behind him, completely to his surprise. The boy flinched and took a step back. The other boy looked familiar just like the two girls.
His shoulders squared as he locked eyes with the other boy, a gut response of his own that he couldn't understand. The sight of the other boy made him want to cower, to tuck himself away and never be found. Hesitantly, he observed the other boy as well.
The other boy held a steel dagger of some sort. His shaggy black hair was parted loosely in the middle. His ivory skin had its fair share of light scarrage, presumably from physical activity. His eyes narrowed as he stared back at the boy. Those piercing blue eyes of his were as cold as the vast ocean.
"The miscreant. A troubled soul who looks for the embrace of the dark. Perhaps you know his prowess as well?"
"What's most important in life?" The other boy flippantly asked him. It sounded as if not even he himself wanted to be here.
"My friend's happiness?" He hesitantly replied to the other.
The other boy scoffed in reply and rolled his eyes. He clearly was not amused by the boy's answer. "Friendship? That's pathetic."
The boy opened his mouth to speak as he wanted to say something back. The words were stuck on the tip of his tongue. No sound emanating from him. He stopped. He knew there was nothing he could do. He looked up towards the sky as that nameless voice filled the void once again.
"You want to make others happy, never to upset, and desire to be seen by them." The voice mused, sounding pleased by his answers.
He nods his head in a slow fashion. If one thing was for sure, those answers he gave were truthful.
"We're not done yet, Corrin. There is a long way ahead before you can truly accomplish what destiny yearns for. For now though, let this be the final test to show your worthiness."
Corrin. That was the boy's name. He was surprised the nameless voice had guessed that much about him. He pursed his lips together as if trying to speak once again. He wanted to ask just why, how, or even what was happening. He wanted his questions to be answered, for some clarity to be shed on his weary mind.
Yet, there was nothing. No sound came from him, like his voice had been stripped away. It made him question if he even had a voice to begin with.
A flash of white crossed him. As the once serene playground he stood in was replaced by the dark, empty void that he had grown familiar with. This time, however, the imagery of the maiden was gone. As of now, she had been replaced by the image of a boy around his age.
His short, brown hair was messy. Styled with several spikes that pointed in different directions. His eyes were closed, as if he were peacefully sleeping. Around his neck was a silver chain, hanging from it was a crown shaped charm. In his hand was a large key, shaped into what seemed to be a sword.
Did he know this boy, too?
Corrin couldn't help but wonder to himself as he stared down at the imagery of the brunet. What did that voice mean? What exactly did destiny yearn for, and what did it have to do with him? As his thoughts continued to spiral, he felt something loom over him.
Then it hit him, like a mass of bricks. He slowly turned behind himself as a dark shadowy figure began to form. The figure rose, towering over the boy.
His breath caught in his throat as he took a step back, those steps becoming two and then four. His steps soon turned into a full-on sprint as Corrin turned around and made a dash for the opposite side of the platform. His steps got progressively heavier. It was like running in water, constrained and slow. The shadowy figure was quicker, as its spindly digits coiled themselves around his leg. He was dragged back by the creature and lifted into the air.
His body dangled from the dark creature's grip. His head snapped back as he stared at the creature, face-to-face. Its bright yellow eyes stared into his soul. His thoughts were numb as the only thing he could feel was an intense and overwhelming feeling of panic and fear.
"Now harness the power I bestowed upon you. Fight! Fight to show you're worthy to go on this quest!"
In a bright flash, a weapon appeared in hand. Its chain dangled, slowly swinging back and forth. It had the appearance of a sort of gun. It had felt like pure instinct took over as Corrin immediately pointed the weapon, swiftly pulling the trigger and letting it rip. A sort of green light shot out, completely nailing the creature in the forehead.
The creature stumbled back, as he had done once before. Corrin was let go of as a result. The drop felt slow and floaty. He landed and regained his composure. He realized this was an opportunity - the creature had its arm placed on the ground, as its other reached to cover the spot he had hit—a perfect time for Corrin to counterattack.
He made a mad dash, as if everything was just second nature. Memorized by heart, if you could say. His steps were swift and nimble as he got closer. He pulled the weapon close to him as he continued to run, his hand running across the handle as he noticed a switch sitting above the trigger.
He pushed up on it and heard the clicking noise as a form of confirmation. He pointed the gun towards the arm of the large creature and fired. What came out of it was a long and thick tan rope with a coal hook attached. It flew out and wrapped around the bicep of the creature's arm, just enough to help him run up.
He pulled the rope back before switching the settings again. Corrin's movements were choppy at best. His mind was racing, and it felt like he was operating on pure adrenaline.
He hopped up, hitting the creature with more blasts of green light. The creature began to stand up again, slowly moving from its hunched state. Corrin began to lose his footing as he rolled back and grabbed on by only his hands. His body dangled, swaying back and forth as the fear of dropping teased his thoughts.
Corrin gritted his teeth. He knew that he couldn't give up. There was simply no way out. This was life or death. With the flick of a wrist, he changes the settings on the gun again, oughting to aim for a higher part of the creature's shadowy body.
Quickly, he sends himself up and makes a soft landing on its shoulder. He remains balanced as it starts to walk around, bringing up its claws to swat away occasionally. He fires another barrage of blasts at it until it finally collapses.
The collapse sends Corrin flying onto the ground. His landing is quite soft despite how far he descended. Before he can even begin catching his breath, he feels himself being pulled in. A sort of darkness slowly engulfed him from below.
The moment he began to notice this, it's already too late. He let out a desperate gasp for air as he flailed around. He attempts to pull himself up, but the darkness drags him further in. The suffocation came to an end as Corrin let out one final gasp. His body went limp in the pool of shadow.
"The door shall be opened, destiny yearns for it."