Of all the things to wake up to, Caius was not where he should be and he was...breathing? The sharp tang of oxygen that filled his longs was almost too much for him. He hadn't needed to breathe for over a thousand years and now he suddenly felt the urge to cough.
He sat up, his moogle hovered close by, her tiny body seemed even smaller next to her larger hero and he looked rather strange as well. "Kupo?"
Caius' head snapped to the side toward the source of the small sound, beads rattled against each other with a deepened scowl. He wasn't pleased. "Speak."
The moogle shuddered and tried to hide from the dark knight-white mage. For now, he was in heavy black armor covered in spikes with Chaos' Revenge on his back. The wicked blade that he had given to Lightning was returned to him and that was not what he wanted at all. He was a shepherd of souls and yet again he was called to action by another force. He was irritated and rationally so. He had done his time and paid his dues. He could feel his hear beating again, the wind on his face and the sun. These things were dead to him long ago when he merged with Bahamut and lost his body to the Eidolon.
He stood up and grabbed the moogle to see if it was real that soon vanished with a squeak, only to reappear on the other side of the fountain. "I quit!"
Caius seemed a bit shocked but scoffed instead. He cast his gaze around the area and people were staring at the newest Hero of Light that looked more like a Menace from the Depths of Hell. Well, no sense standing around. His footfalls were heavy from the armor and he was tall, strongly built and powerful yet proud and confident.
After several minutes and quite a few stares, the moogle returned with her pom-pom lowered. She made a mistake and she was reprimanded for leaving her assigned hero. "S-sorry. I-I'm Lilika."
"Hm." Caius said nothing but gave a nod while he was trying to sort the matter out himself. "This is not Valhalla nor the Realm of the Dead." That much was very obvious.
She shook her head and responded meekly. "This is a place called Aqures Ixen. You're on a world called...um...Crystallis."
Caius' eyes narrowed and hardened in his gaze with a growl in his throat that rumbled. He wasn't pleased to hear that name and since he never slept through death, he saw everything and knew that he was brought here. His last memory was releasing the last Yeul into Noel's care, a set-up that he orchestrated so she could be free. Could it be possible that he was reborn by Yeul's will? No, he didn't want to think that was the case.
Something was off. Way off and he couldn't sense anything from the Chaos. In fact, he couldn't summon it. He couldn't make any sense of this place other than some familiar things around. He knew that moogles existed. He had seen them but they served the pure. He was far from pure. "What is my purpose?" He thought to ask Lilika.
She seemed startled then and backed away. She was timid even for a moogle. All others were far braver than she was and she wasn't sure if she should answer and feared for her little life. "Y-you're a Hero of Light...a protector of peace."
Caius' dark laugh was chilling and soft but cold. "Peace?"
There were others far better suited for the job. He could scarcely recall being a hero long ago in an ancient past but that has yet to be recounted here in this new world. He walked passed Lilika and decided it was better to find the answers himself.
2
He sat up, his moogle hovered close by, her tiny body seemed even smaller next to her larger hero and he looked rather strange as well. "Kupo?"
Caius' head snapped to the side toward the source of the small sound, beads rattled against each other with a deepened scowl. He wasn't pleased. "Speak."
The moogle shuddered and tried to hide from the dark knight-white mage. For now, he was in heavy black armor covered in spikes with Chaos' Revenge on his back. The wicked blade that he had given to Lightning was returned to him and that was not what he wanted at all. He was a shepherd of souls and yet again he was called to action by another force. He was irritated and rationally so. He had done his time and paid his dues. He could feel his hear beating again, the wind on his face and the sun. These things were dead to him long ago when he merged with Bahamut and lost his body to the Eidolon.
He stood up and grabbed the moogle to see if it was real that soon vanished with a squeak, only to reappear on the other side of the fountain. "I quit!"
Caius seemed a bit shocked but scoffed instead. He cast his gaze around the area and people were staring at the newest Hero of Light that looked more like a Menace from the Depths of Hell. Well, no sense standing around. His footfalls were heavy from the armor and he was tall, strongly built and powerful yet proud and confident.
After several minutes and quite a few stares, the moogle returned with her pom-pom lowered. She made a mistake and she was reprimanded for leaving her assigned hero. "S-sorry. I-I'm Lilika."
"Hm." Caius said nothing but gave a nod while he was trying to sort the matter out himself. "This is not Valhalla nor the Realm of the Dead." That much was very obvious.
She shook her head and responded meekly. "This is a place called Aqures Ixen. You're on a world called...um...Crystallis."
Caius' eyes narrowed and hardened in his gaze with a growl in his throat that rumbled. He wasn't pleased to hear that name and since he never slept through death, he saw everything and knew that he was brought here. His last memory was releasing the last Yeul into Noel's care, a set-up that he orchestrated so she could be free. Could it be possible that he was reborn by Yeul's will? No, he didn't want to think that was the case.
Something was off. Way off and he couldn't sense anything from the Chaos. In fact, he couldn't summon it. He couldn't make any sense of this place other than some familiar things around. He knew that moogles existed. He had seen them but they served the pure. He was far from pure. "What is my purpose?" He thought to ask Lilika.
She seemed startled then and backed away. She was timid even for a moogle. All others were far braver than she was and she wasn't sure if she should answer and feared for her little life. "Y-you're a Hero of Light...a protector of peace."
Caius' dark laugh was chilling and soft but cold. "Peace?"
There were others far better suited for the job. He could scarcely recall being a hero long ago in an ancient past but that has yet to be recounted here in this new world. He walked passed Lilika and decided it was better to find the answers himself.