The Aegis Awakens
//Chapter Three; Life Force Part One//
*The first part of this chapter takes place before Regan met Malos in the memory of Elysium.*
With binoculars in hand, Rex started the night watch. He looked out at the cloudy night sky before he suddenly spotted a somewhat familiar vessel following them. "It's the black ship from the harbor... Is it...following us..?" He wondered before someone speaking to him caught his attention.
"Ugh, it's way too cold up here."
It was the Driver girl from earlier, but she did not have her Blade with her this time. "Oh. It's you-" Rex started but was quickly interrupted by her.
"I'll have you know. I've got a name...it's Nia." He honestly already knew that but if she was not going to call him Rex, then he refused to call her by her name.
"They're boozin' below deck...you should join 'em."
Rex raised a brow at her, "Why aren't you there?" He asked and he watched as she turned her back to him.
"It's not that I hate it. I just...really don't need a headache right now." She explained, which caused Rex to let out a light chuckle.
"You're lucky you aren't a salvager then." His words caused Nia to turn around to face him.
"Why's that?"
"The Salvager's Code...swim like a fish and drink like one too." He explained which caused Nia to sigh.
"Ugh...sounds terrible. I don't think I'll be changin' careers." Rex nodded at that before he spoke.
"Probably for the best... Anyway, I bet you drivers make a hell of a lot more than salvagers do!" He commented since Regan had never even told him how much she was making.
"So, kid-"
"My name's Rex."
Nia sighed, "Okay, Rex...why did you start salvaging in the first place?" She asked before she looked in the direction that he was now pointing in.
"That there," Rex said simply, and she almost seemed a bit bewildered at this. "The...World Tree? I don't get it."
"You know, you find all sorts of things digging through salvage... Some of it trash, some of its treasure...but all of it from people long gone." Rex started.
"Have you noticed how there are fewer Titans each day? I saw one go under just the other day. It was a pretty big one. There must've been loads of animals still living on it... Living space is running out day by day. Sooner or later, we'll be the ones sinking down into the Cloud Sea. But up there... Elysium is waiting for us. " Rex finished, but he felt a bit annoyed as Nia started to laugh.
"Seriously, kid? "Elysium"? Don't tell me you believe that guff!" Nia paused for a second and looked genuinely curious for a moment, "So that's, uh...why you're a salvager? It's just a lie for children, and there is just an overgrown shrub!"
Rex, despite feeling annoyed at the dismissal, responded, "If there is a way to get up there, maybe it's hidden below the clouds. Is it really that crazy?"
"Seriously, though...?"
"There's be no need to fight over dwindling land and resources... No need to worry about our homes sinking away... Everyone could have peace and security. I mean, a dream like that... Isn't that worth believing in?"
"No one can tell you what to believe but..." She trailed off, but she instead said something else. "Hmm... "everyone", huh...? I always thought people were pretty selfish by nature. But you..."
"Huh?"
"D'you have parents?"
"Nope. When I asked Gramps, he told me they died when I was just a kid."
"Gramps... Oh yeah, the same one that taught you how to use arts?"
Rex nodded before he started talking again. "Yup. He practically raised me himself...he's not like us, though."
"Not like...?" When Rex did not respond, she spoke again. "I'm not sure I catch your drift...but this Gramps of yours sounds alright." Nia was silent for a moment; however, she asked something else after a couple of seconds. "Oh, by the way... How long have you known that Driver friend of yours? You seemed close."
"Just about two years now. Despite that, though...she still hasn't told a lot about herself. All I know is that she seems to have a problem with trusting people."
"You still trust her then?"
Rex nodded, "Of course. I think she probably just had something really bad happen to her before she met me...and I think she does trust me, even though she is still hesitant to tell me things."
"Hmm, have you ever asked?" Nia questioned, and Rex quickly nodded his head.
"I did once... She started...crying." The boy explained before he let out a sigh. "After that, I haven't dared to ask her again. I figure...that when or if she wants to tell me, she will."
Nia looked thoughtful at that, "Huh... that's actually quite respectful of you. You're alright, kid." She looked out at the cloud sea before saying something to herself. "Not that different from me."
•°•°•°•°•°•°•
After leaving the dream- or memory version rather- of Elysium, Regan found herself being awoken by Rex. "It's time for me to head out. I thought I'd let you know." Regan nodded before she winced at the throbbing coming from her hand. Rex looked concerned at this, and he grabbed her hand to examine it. "Again? What happened this time...?" He questioned her, but Regan shook her head.
"I don't know, but what I do know...is that I'm okay. It's just a scratch. Besides, you need to go... I'll take care of it myself, promise."
The boy almost seemed a bit hesitant to leave, but he eventually relented and let go of her hand. "Okay... See you in a bit." Regan watched as he headed down the stairs before she let out a sigh a glanced down at her hand. It was not a lethal wound but even so, it still hurt like hell. She knew that Malos had definitely been suspicious as well as worried as the cut had so suddenly formed- seemingly with no cause for it.
He had always been very good at seeing right through her, so it was difficult for her to hide things from him. Regan knew that he would figure it out eventually...but part of her still hoped that he would not. The Elf knew that it was hopeless, and she should not bother hiding it. Despite knowing that, she refused to just tell him. At the moment, she was far more concerned with keeping Rex safe.
•°•°•
After they managed to get the ancient-looking vessel pulled up, Regan found herself watching as it floated. "You need to get that patched up, Rega." The Driver let out a sigh as her Blade said those words.
She nodded, "I know that, Eva... Nia's most definitely a healer, so I'll see if she has any spare bandages." Regan knew that mainly because the twin rings weapon class was healer-based.
"Then do it, now."
Eva definitely was not typically the type to be so stern but whenever Regan was injured, she seemed to become much more strict. She had every right to be worried, and Regan honestly could not be more grateful for the concern. "Okay, okay..." Regan relented and went to look for Nia. Luckily, or unluckily in a sense, for her, she found the Gormotti girl standing next to Jin and Pyra.
"Uh, Nia... Can I talk to you for a second?" Regan requested, and the Gormotti girl looked at her.
"Sure, what is it?" The Elf simply held out her right hand. Nia looked at for a second."How'd this happen exactly? You do this in your sleep or somethin'?" She decided against telling the full truth and simply nodded yes to the question.
"I see... Here." Nia applied a poultice to her hand, and the Elf nodded in thanks. "You should be more careful...it's not normal to do this kind of thing in your sleep." The Gormotti girl stated and it was clear that was completely serious.
"I know... Most of the time, the pain wakes me up...so I think I'll be fine." Nia did not seem convinced but let it go as Jin and Pyra started walking away.
"That was pretty good. You're not half bad, y'know that?" Nia complimented while crossing her arms over her chest. The fifteen-year-old turned red at that.
"I do this kind of stuff all the time, remember...?" He almost looked to be embarrassed. As Jin and Pyra started walking to the entrance of the ship, the former of the two suddenly turned around and looked pointedly at Rex.
"You, with us."
"What...me?"
"You're gonna drag the kid along, seriously?" Nia questioned before a gentle look from Pyra made her pause.
"He's already proved himself to be capable, Nia. May even give him a bonus if things go well enough." Something seemed very wrong about that statement, and Regan knew that the word if really bothered her.
"Oh, and you should come to." Pyra looked at Regan now. Only now did Regan notice that Pyra was once again wearing the cloak. The Elf just nodded, for she had already been planning on going in anyway. She was not about to let Rex do it alone, and she was going to keep him safe. For a moment, Rex, Regan, and Nia stood there.
Suddenly, Nia quickly turned to Rex and snapped at him. "Well, what're you waitin' for? You have your orders, now move it!" He stepped back at that before Pyra called out to them.
"C'mon, stop wasting time kids!" She almost seemed to be agitated and annoyed, and it felt like her true self was slipping through.
"Wow... Never seen Pyra get that angry before." Nia commented.
"Gramps always told me to respect my elders." Nia stared at him for a moment.
"Elders?" After a moment of silence between the two, they both started laughing. Regan smiled a little at that before she started following after Jin and Pyra. She glanced back to make sure that Rex was following, and to her relief, he was.
They were very close to the entrance when the metal door was suddenly busted open. A strange creature came skittering out of the ship, and Nia pulled the twin rings off of her belt. Nia looked back at Regan for a second, "No fighting for you at the moment. You don't need to cause any further strain to your hand." Regan said nothing and simply nodded in response. She would listen to that order for now but if Rex was in danger, she would not hesitate to protect him.
•°•°•
They had managed to make their way through a majority of the ship before they had any incidents. There was a shark-like creature standing before them, and Regan stayed close as the rest of them fought it. At first, they seemed to have little to no problem with it until it suddenly managed to sling Rex across the room with its tail.
"Rex!" Regan yelled which unfortunately caused the creature to turn its attention to her. Pyra and Jin did not even get a chance to say or do anything before it charged at her. She felt her back slam against the wall, and she winced in pain as her head smacked against the wall. Luckily before it could do any more damage, Jin and Pyra managed to finish it off.
Nia and Rex, the latter of the two only having managed to receive bruises when he had been slung across the room, made their way over to Regan. "Dammit, I told you to be careful." Nia hissed out as she started healing both Regan and Rex.
"I'm fine. I've had worse...trust me." The Elf stated as she felt the familiar energy as Nia healed her. All of sudden Nia paused for a moment- almost looking to be confused.
"Huh...but you..."
The Gormotti girl trailed off before she got up and walked over to where Jin and Pyra were standing. Both Jin and Pyra were currently giving Regan an odd look, and Pyra suddenly muttered to herself and Jin. "Huh, interesting... Why wasn't she regenerating...?" Pyra sounded curious. Jin said nothing...his expression indicating that he likely did not know the answer.
"There, that's Addam's crest," Pyra stated as they all looked towards the door in front of them.
"You. Open this door." Jin said to Rex which caused the boy to shoot him a confused look.
"But why?" He asked, and Jin spoke again.
"This door...will only open to one of you people." Rex raised a brow.
"One of me? What do you-" Pyra swiftly cut the boy off.
"Just do it, Rex. It'll be fine."
The fifteen-year-old still looked a bit hesitant but nodded and went to examine the door. Regan walked up behind him before she spoke, "It's not that complicated of a mechanism... Just go with your gut." She stated before she watched as the door opened as Rex touched the seal. The most complicated thing was that you clearly had to be from Leftheria, but it was not that good of a lock since anyone from Leftheria could open it.
"Woah," Rex said before he walked forward to another door with a crest on it.
"Just as I thought," Pyra muttered quietly as the floor behaved strangely under Rex's feet.
Both Regan and Nia attempted to follow Rex, but Jin's voice stopped them in their tracks. "Wait. There, open that door too." He said to Rex, and the boy nodded. Reaching his hand towards the seal, Rex succeeded in opening the next and last door.
"Wh-what is that thing?" Rex questioned.
Regan did not hesitate in catching up with Rex and found herself standing before an unconscious Malos. He was in some sort of a container, and his arms were crossed over his chest. She could only just barely see a hint of his core crystal peaking out due to the way his arms were crossed. Looking down, she spotted the familiar form of his Aegis sword on a pedestal in front of him. It looked the exact same as it had once done, and the purple, crucifix-shaped core crystal shined strongly on its hilt.
She was silent for a moment, unable to bring herself to look away from the sword. When she did look away from it and towards Rex, she barely managed to utter out a warning before he touched the sword. Regan heard Pyra telling Rex to stop, but it was already too late. The reaction the sword gave let Regan know that Rex had just unintentionally formed a bond with Malos. "Rex-"
She cut herself off in shock as the end of a very familiar sword was now stabbed through Rex's chest and directly through his heart. Regan had not even seen Jin move, and she only got a second to watch in horror when something hard hit the back of her head and knocked her face-first onto the ground. "Don't take it personally, it's an act of mercy. At least you won't be alive to see what's coming." Jin stated before pulling the sword out which caused Rex's body to fall to the floor.
The masked man then swiftly destroyed Malos' sword, and it shattered into pieces. Turning his attention to Regan's unconscious form, he quickly hit Eva with the hilt of his sword which caused her small body to slam against the wall of the ship. The impact seemed to stun the Blade, and he raised his sword and turned Regan over. Jin aimed the sword at the center of her chest, and he already knew exactly the amount of force and where exactly to aim.
He was just about to bring the sword down when suddenly...he just stopped. His expression seemed to change, and he almost looked hesitant. "Jin...why aren't you-" Pyra cut herself off as he quickly put away his sword.
"Nia." He said, and she looked at him. Nia looked visibly shaken and had clearly been staring at Rex's body in shock.
"Wh-what...?" She asked before she watched as Jin suddenly lifted Regan into his arms.
"Dromarch, carry her. We're taking her."
"What?!! So first, you murder Rex for no reason and now you want to kidnap his friend?!!" Nia questioned, her ears pinned back in anger.
"Just do it, Nia. We'll explain later..." Despite Pyra's calm tone, the look on her face indicated that she actually felt a bit upset at how things had transpired. Nia shut her mouth at that and watched as Jin set Regan on Dromarch's back. Dromarch said nothing to this but looked upset.
"Nia, call the Monoceros." Pyra said.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•
Feeling dazed and confused, the boy found himself in an unfamiliar setting. It was a beautiful place, he had to admit. He honestly had no idea where he was, nor how he had got there. To be honest, he could not even remember his own name at the moment. Fields of green, beautiful blue sky, and trees adorned the scenery. Outside of that, he spotted only one other person there. It was a man, a very tall one he noted, wearing black plated armor and staggering plate pauldrons.
"Uh...excuse me?" He called out as he approached the man who he could clearly see was leaning against a tree.
The man was silent for only a moment before he suddenly spoke. "That sound...it hasn't stopped, except for one time." He stated which caused the boy to glance around.
"You...mean that bell sound? Is the Praetorium somewhere nearby...? Uh, what is this place?"
"This is Elysium...the place where long ago, man lived in harmony with their creator. It's where...we were born."
"Get out... Really?!!"
At that moment, the man finally looked down at him. The boy took this moment to take in the man's appearance. The man had jagged black hair and sort of unfriendly grey eyes. Considering how much taller the man was than him, the boy had to strain a bit to see the man's face properly. Something then compelled him, he was not sure what, to look at the man's chest. That is when he saw the crucifix-shaped core crystal, that was deep purple in color.
"Is that a core crystal...? You're a...Blade?"
The man looked him over for a moment before speaking. "The name's Malos, kid." The tone of voice the man had was honestly more neutral than anything and was definitely less hostile than the boy had been expecting. Although, the man honestly still did not seem that friendly. Perhaps it was his eyes, but the boy could not be sure.
After a moment of silence, he came to realize that the man was waiting for him to introduce himself. "Oh... I'm uh..." He trailed off, unable to locate something as basic as his name in his mind. Malos sighed and it was clear that he was a bit agitated.
"Your name's Rex."
Rex, that seemed right to him...but how could the man possibly know that...? Rex did not recall ever seeing this man before yet he somehow knew his name. "Oh, right... How did you know that, though...?"
"Just now, when you touched the sword."
He felt nothing but confusion at that. "Sword...? Sorry... I can't seem to remember how I got here." Rex stated and took a moment to look around again. The man was once again silent for a few seconds before he finally spoke.
"You were killed...stabbed through the heart by Jin," Malos explained, and the way he said Jin indicated that he was upset by something. "Killed...by Jin...?" Rex questioned out loud, and he wondered if it was really true. He simply stood there for a moment before something flashed in his mind. A disturbing scene of Jin stabbing him popped up in his mind.
Almost feeling nauseated, Rex suddenly held a hand over his mouth. "I remember now... That bastard stabbed me." He did not move at first before his eyes widened. "Oh, man...this is bad! Everyone in the guild is in danger...and Regan, what if they've already hurt her! I have to get out of here... Wait, I can't do anything if I'm dead. Titan's foot, if I wasn't dead I'd kick that guy's arse!" Rex fell to his knees in the grass and hunched over, clearly devastated that he could not do anything.
Malos watched the kid for a moment before he spoke, "Rex, could you do something for me?" He asked which caused Rex to look back at him. "Will you take me to Elysium?" His words caused Rex to feel confused.
"Elysium...? But isn't that...here?"
"Unfortunately, this word is nothing more than a memory. The real Elysium lies in your world...atop the World Tree that rises from the heart of Alrest." Malos started and Rex got up from the ground.
"I'd love to help..." Rex suddenly trailed off and looked like he just remembered something. "But I'm dead, remember? How can I help if I'm not breathing?"
The Blade looked to be thinking before he motioned towards his core crystal. "It is possible for you to revived...and for that to happen, I will give you half of my life force... You will have to agree to one thing, however."
Rex raised a brow at that, "What is it?"
"You will become my Driver...the Driver of the Aegis."
"Driver...of the Aegis?" Rex asked.
"What the-," Rex said but then cut himself off as Malos' core crystal pulsed, almost like a heartbeat.
"Is this place really your home?"
"Yes."
"And it really exists?"
Malos nodded and told Rex something, "You really wanna save the world, kid? By going to Elysium, you can do just that...stop the slow demise that is this world's fate."
Rex nodded, and he looked happy now. "Alright, I'm in. Let's go to Elysium."
"Okay. Now, place your hand on my chest."
Confusion fell onto Rex's expression until he saw Malos' core crystal pulse again. "Oh..." He muttered quietly before his eyes filled with determination and he raised his hand. Considering how tall Malos was, he had to stretch his arm a bit. Once he touched the crystal, a similar reaction to when he had touched the sword occurred.
Even through the bright light, Rex could not help but notice that Malos' expression now looked a little pained.
When he was revived, Rex found himself back on the ancient ship. He looked down as a purple core crystal appeared in his hand, and the sword he had seen before materialized in his hand. Not too long after it had appeared the sword activated and a deep purple, almost resembling a dark flame, a light came from the sword.
All Rex knew was that he had to hurry.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•
*Bonus Scene*
Regan quietly walked towards one of the many rooms in the castle, and a guard bowed their head to her. She bowed her head back and glanced down at the crucifix-shaped core crystal shining in the center of her chest. "Ant...how is she?" She asked as she entered the room, and her Driver glanced at her.
"It's not good... The doctor said that...she won't make it through the night..." Ant explained, and she held a newborn baby in her arms.
"I'm sorry..." Regan apologized and bowed her head. Her Driver was silent before setting the newborn down onto the bed. The baby was wrapped in blankets and her pale face peeked out from within the cocoon of blankets. "Is...there really nothing that can be done...?"
Ant let out a sigh, tears dripping down her cheeks. "No... The doctor said it's best to just make her as comfortable as possible... Dammit, I can't believe this is happening..." She got up from the bed and walked closer to Regan.
"Ant, you just gave birth a few hours ago...you need to rest," Regan advised, but Ant shook her head.
"How could I possibly rest while my daughter is dying before my very eyes...? How can I possibly tell Julian of his daughter's death when he returns...? How do I tell Raymond that his little sister will be in the ground before she ever gets a chance to grow up...?"
Regan looked down at the floor at that, "Ant, I..." She trailed off, unable to find anything else to say. Seeing her Driver in pain made her upset, and she wished to make it stop. Regan wished that Ant would not have to cry over her child...that the child would live.
"Ant...there's something I can do for her."
Ant looked down at her daughter for a moment before she looked at Regan, "What...what is it...?" She grabbed at her Blade's shoulders, and she stared Regan directly in the eyes.
The Blade met her gaze with soft eyes, "In order for her to survive...I will give her my life force. She will live, but..."
"But what?"
Tears welled up in Regan's ocean blue eyes, "I will have to give her all of my core crystal." She explained, and Ant gasped in response.
"But...won't that kill you...?"
"As an Aegis, I can survive a short time without my core...but not for long."
"But...why would you...?"
"You're my Driver... At the end of the day, your happiness matters the most to me... I love you, Ant...and I wish that it did not have to be this way... I will not allow your daughter to die, just so I can stay with you... You are not going to change my mind."
Ant sobbed in response, "Regan..." The Blade said nothing else to her Driver and approached the currently sleeping infant.
Her core crystal started to glow brightly.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•
*I debated on whether or not to end the chapter here or allow the rest to stay in. In the end, I decided to end the chapter after Rex is revived. I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed it.*
*Sincerely, Talleybear*