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31_days2020-05-13 09:15 pm
gershom_onyx) wrote in 31_days2020-05-13 09:15 pm
Entry tags:
[05 / 13 / 20] [Fire Emblem Heroes] World of Nothing
Title: World of Nothing
Day / Prompt: 13 / The Wounded Shall Advance Into the Light
Fandom: Fire Emblem Heroes
Character(s) / Pairing(s): Bruno, Leon
Rating / Warning(s): All Ages
Word Count: 810
Notes: Inspired by the beginning of Radiant Historia.
Of all the royals of both realms, Bruno has the most knowledge of the gates and all the worlds that lay beyond their thresholds. He is responsible for creating and updating most of the maps that exist of all the gates. But Bruno is a prince of secrets, and there are gates that only he knows, gates that lead to worlds that seem to serve no purpose ....
* * * *
The first thing that Leon noticed, after passing through the gate, was the smell of the sea. The second thing was the sand at his feet, fine and white and difficult to behold because of how it reflected the sunlight. It reminded him of the shores of Valentia in the World of Shadows, but there was a quiet to the place that he found unnerving, and the air was cold despite the sunshine.
"It doesn't feel right, does it?" Bruno asked, his face unreadable behind his mask. "That's what you're thinking. There's something missing in this place." He took a seat on a flat stone that protruded from the sand like a bench. "That's what I felt when I came here for the first time. I wandered here for days before I figured out why." He stared ahead. "This is the World of Nothing."
"I'm guessing it's not on the way to our destination, is it?" Leon asked. "Did you bring me here to make a point, or is this something strictly for you?"
"I've been trying to convince you of the gravity of the situation, and you've been skeptical. That's fine. I understand." Bruno paused, as if listening to the waves. "But look around you. This is a world without any people. I've explored it. There are ruins, but they're incredibly old, almost worn away. Hard to say what happened, but there's nothing left. I come here to think, and to remind myself what the stakes are if the wars are allowed to drag on."
"I'd almost say it's peaceful," Leon replied, using the toe of his boot to draw a shape in the sand, "but that feeling doesn't go away." He sighed. "You're right: Something happened here. I'm not sensitive to magic or anything like that, but I can't shake that impression." He looked at Bruno. "You think that this is how things will end if your Summoner's left in power?"
"This is where I will bring the Summoner." Bruno rose to his feet again. "I want him to be alone here with nothing but his own regrets for all eternity."
"Sounds pretty extreme, but, if what you've told me is true, it's Askr that the Summoner's ruined, not Embla. Seems like a great deal of anger for a cause that's not yours." Leon smirked. "Got a secret that you want to share?"
"When I was here, I met another me." That made Leon pause. "And he told me of another world full of other possibilities. It's –" He caught himself. "That might be too many secrets to share, but let's say that I now know what I need to save. My world doesn't deserve to end with its fate interrupted." He thought for a second. "It's not unlike what I told you before. You come from a World of Shadows where you didn't journey with Valbar, and that's not the only fate that was changed there. We're both trying to make something right."
"I'm still not sold on your story, but it's looking better." Hard for him to tell if Bruno had his brow furrowed behind his mask. "I think you need a skeptic on your side to keep you level-headed. I might not know you that well, but I get the feeling you run a real danger of getting carried away."
That inspired a genuine laugh from Bruno. "And that's why I'm glad to have happened upon you! Every Leon I've ever met has been very perceptive." The waves washed up on the beach and receded. "I'll give you one more secret, then: One reason why this world is the way it is, as far as I can determine, is that it is a world of many gates. That's why it was so easy for us to get here. If we ever need to run, there's always a way back to this place."
"In other words, your main mission isn't necessarily to find Heroes." Leon stroked his chin. "You've put yourself in charge of the fallback plan.
"Once we've gathered our forces, we're going to have to take a huge risk," Bruno explained, "and that means we'll need to be able to minimize our losses if that risk doesn't pay off. Either I'll leave the Summoner here to die ... or we'll retreat here and, if need be, lure him here for the same fate."
"If you put it that way –" Leon grinned. "All right. I'm in."
END.
Day / Prompt: 13 / The Wounded Shall Advance Into the Light
Fandom: Fire Emblem Heroes
Character(s) / Pairing(s): Bruno, Leon
Rating / Warning(s): All Ages
Word Count: 810
Notes: Inspired by the beginning of Radiant Historia.
* * * *
The first thing that Leon noticed, after passing through the gate, was the smell of the sea. The second thing was the sand at his feet, fine and white and difficult to behold because of how it reflected the sunlight. It reminded him of the shores of Valentia in the World of Shadows, but there was a quiet to the place that he found unnerving, and the air was cold despite the sunshine.
"It doesn't feel right, does it?" Bruno asked, his face unreadable behind his mask. "That's what you're thinking. There's something missing in this place." He took a seat on a flat stone that protruded from the sand like a bench. "That's what I felt when I came here for the first time. I wandered here for days before I figured out why." He stared ahead. "This is the World of Nothing."
"I'm guessing it's not on the way to our destination, is it?" Leon asked. "Did you bring me here to make a point, or is this something strictly for you?"
"I've been trying to convince you of the gravity of the situation, and you've been skeptical. That's fine. I understand." Bruno paused, as if listening to the waves. "But look around you. This is a world without any people. I've explored it. There are ruins, but they're incredibly old, almost worn away. Hard to say what happened, but there's nothing left. I come here to think, and to remind myself what the stakes are if the wars are allowed to drag on."
"I'd almost say it's peaceful," Leon replied, using the toe of his boot to draw a shape in the sand, "but that feeling doesn't go away." He sighed. "You're right: Something happened here. I'm not sensitive to magic or anything like that, but I can't shake that impression." He looked at Bruno. "You think that this is how things will end if your Summoner's left in power?"
"This is where I will bring the Summoner." Bruno rose to his feet again. "I want him to be alone here with nothing but his own regrets for all eternity."
"Sounds pretty extreme, but, if what you've told me is true, it's Askr that the Summoner's ruined, not Embla. Seems like a great deal of anger for a cause that's not yours." Leon smirked. "Got a secret that you want to share?"
"When I was here, I met another me." That made Leon pause. "And he told me of another world full of other possibilities. It's –" He caught himself. "That might be too many secrets to share, but let's say that I now know what I need to save. My world doesn't deserve to end with its fate interrupted." He thought for a second. "It's not unlike what I told you before. You come from a World of Shadows where you didn't journey with Valbar, and that's not the only fate that was changed there. We're both trying to make something right."
"I'm still not sold on your story, but it's looking better." Hard for him to tell if Bruno had his brow furrowed behind his mask. "I think you need a skeptic on your side to keep you level-headed. I might not know you that well, but I get the feeling you run a real danger of getting carried away."
That inspired a genuine laugh from Bruno. "And that's why I'm glad to have happened upon you! Every Leon I've ever met has been very perceptive." The waves washed up on the beach and receded. "I'll give you one more secret, then: One reason why this world is the way it is, as far as I can determine, is that it is a world of many gates. That's why it was so easy for us to get here. If we ever need to run, there's always a way back to this place."
"In other words, your main mission isn't necessarily to find Heroes." Leon stroked his chin. "You've put yourself in charge of the fallback plan.
"Once we've gathered our forces, we're going to have to take a huge risk," Bruno explained, "and that means we'll need to be able to minimize our losses if that risk doesn't pay off. Either I'll leave the Summoner here to die ... or we'll retreat here and, if need be, lure him here for the same fate."
"If you put it that way –" Leon grinned. "All right. I'm in."
END.