Chapter 01:

Divide’s Dark Requiem

It was dark, cold. All that she had dreamed of was a sea of stars above a vast city. A place where she could fly forever, as the landscape stretched for millenia. Dark blue and violet hues upon a starry night sky. She knew nothing but the gut feeling she had lived there, and longed to drift through its skyline. The dream soon fades as the sound of an alarm blares, red light bleeding through her eyelids. As she opened her eyes she emerged from a chamber of some kind as the cold mist rolled between her talons. Yet reality was not as forgiving. Upon exiting the seed which held her, she fell upon her face. She groaned as she rubbed her beak “Ow...you know whoever put me to sleep here could have lent me the decency to give me a set of stairs to go down. Then again perhaps a ramp would be better, I can only imagine how scratched up my armor would be from falling down a set of stairs…”

During her rambling, unbeknownst to her, the dismembered parts which made up her body formed together automatically. Upon rising to her feet, another memory soon came to her, a name, she was Vowa. Around her however was anything but familiar. The room was entirely made of metal, no window or anything in sight despite the running of tubes and wires along the walls. Only visible due to the blaring red lights which flashed throughout the room. Behind her was the seed that held her for what seemed like an eternity. It was suspended up by large metal struts. Footsteps began to echo before her in the dark hallway as the sound of the alarm dissipated yet the red lights continued to flash. He was a large warrior with green and silver armor. Yet his body was anything but natural, though dark he seemed mechanical and organic in nature. She caught a glimpse of the warrior's face, he donned a strange mask she did not recognize. His eyes had a crimson glow as the light of the alarms glinted gently upon his slick armor. Vowa took a step back, her body tensing as she rapidly spoke “Who are you? What do you want? Why am I here? What is here?! And why the seed?! Last I checked birds come from eggs not seeds”

The warrior stood in slight surprise before he spoke coldly “Sadly I wasn’t paid to answer your questions, but you can call me...Whakaragi”

Vowa took another step back as she then replied “oooookaaaay well it is certainly nice to meet you Whakaragi but I believe that I have to go now-”. Before she could finish her sentence Whakaragi’s mask began to glow as he then fired a gust of wind at Vowa knocking her back against one of the metal struts that held up the seed. With an audible creak of the metal, she squawked with pain as she slumped against its indentation. Whakaragi began to walk toward her as she slowly began to get back up on her talons. “Hng-...Okay, I know, I guess waking up is bad, you could have at least told me something” She spoke as she then expanded her wings and flew up in the air. Going overhead and past Whakaragi she headed quickly towards the hallway that Whakaragi came from. The thrusters in her feet aiding in her escape. However her venture was short lived as she began getting light headed. She descended upon the ground hard as she was gasping for air. In the corner of her eye she noticed a green glow draw close across the metal floor. Whakaragi with his glowing green mask walked calmly over to her. As she tried to crawl away, she was blocked by the green warrior as he squatted down in front of her. His eyes looked empty as he then said “It is unwise to fly without air, life cannot exist without it”.Vowa continued gasping for air trying to beg Whakaragi to stop yet he stayed sitting there, looking into her eyes without an ounce of emotion. He then continued to say more quietly “It’s nothing personal, I wish I could meet your demands seeing you're just a civilian it seems. Just close your eyes, and sleep for good. It’s the only choice you have in this”.

As Vowa’s vision started to fade she began seeing that city once more in the back of her mind. The drive to want to know more was nagging her. Her eyes flared at Whakaragi as a panel opened behind her back revealing a missile. The titan’s eyes widened at the last second before being blasted by the missile that exploded in his face. Both beings are then knocked away from each other on the far ends of the hallway. Air soon flooded into Vowa’s lungs as she gasped in the new air. As she looked over to where she had fired, she took notice of a crack in the floor. Air was blowing strongly from it followed by a beam of light. Not far from ground zero of the explosion Whakaragi was rising to his feet as he then looked at her with a glare through his cracked mask. “So you are suffering from memory loss… not common but it happens. Yet now I know what you are packing” he spat as he wiped his face with his mechanical arm. “Well I cracked your fancy mask so that is one thing over you killer!” She retorted as she got up to her feet.

He chuckled as he then replied “A mere crack doesn’t fade the magic on an item”. His mask started to glow then after. Vowa in shock quickly leans forward and fires another missile right into the hole in the floor. Debris flies everywhere as Whakaragi’s mask fades while covering his face. Seeing a window of opportunity, Vowa ran into a flight and dove through the hole. The world around her seemed bright, even blinding as she tried to adjust her eyes. Far below her was an ocean as she flew through the sky. As she looked back behind her she took notice of the green warrior looking down upon her through the hole she made. “That has to be the scariest way to wake up, I ain’t sleeping in metal rooms ever again!” Vowa shakenly stated. 

To the northwest, out in the distance, she saw an island through the clouds. She smiled with some relief as she began to dive down towards the landmass. As her dull blue frame grew further away from her place of captivity, she took notice of where she had come from. Behind her was a massive city the likes of which struck familiarity to, but it was different. From what she recalled the skyline was certainly smaller and different compared to her dream. She then thought to herself There is no way that city is the same one I dreamed of, there certainly wasn’t any killing from the home I’d seen so long ago. But it calls to me, yet it also...scares me

As she drew closer to the island, she saw vast fields of grass. With forests thick and rich with life sprinkled about. Descending down upon the shoreline, Vowa landed on the golden beach which glowed softly yet warmly. The sound of the waves caressing the sandy beach was soothing as it shimmered. In fact, the whole land seemed to glow a gentle light as far as the eye could see. She crouched down, picking up some sand with her hand. The sand particles shifted through her fingers as she thought to herself “So this is what sand feels like, so soft...yet rough…”

Climbing up over the sand covered ridge before her, she moved further inland. The wind blew strongly against her frame. Panicked, she flew quickly towards the tree-line. Cutting off her thrusters and going into a glide she grappled her talons onto a branch. Crouching amongst the leaves she looked back. There was nothing. Only the gentle waves caressing the shores. With fear plaguing her mind she remained up in the tree. Yet it was not long before she felt a presence lurking towards her amongst the canopy. Looking around she couldn’t see anyone. That is until a voice void of a body spoke to her “Why have you come to this realm?”

Upon crouching further into the trees she is halted as the stranger continues “No need to hide yourself, I have a clear line of sight”

“What do you mean by…realm?”

“Did you hit your head on something Heaven Realmer? Where do you think you are?” the voice spoke with agitation. From which Vowa can deduce might be a young male or a female.

“Aren’t you a little young to harass your neighbor kid? Now where-”

Before she could finish the voice chuckled “I’m flattered but tell me where you think you are right now before I feed you to the Kalgus Xo

”“W-what in the celestial scrapheap do you even want me to say? An Island?!” Vowa stammered

A sigh soon came as the being revealed themself in front of her in a neighboring tree. Appearing into being like a rolling mist was a white huntress with a skull-like mask that dimmed. Vowa stood upright with the huntress drawing their bow in response. They both stayed there looking at each other for a full minute before Vowa broke the silence. “Why haven’t you shot at me yet?”

“You haven’t given me enough reasons to do so yet. I was raised to believe those from the realm above to be quite cruel and manipulative, yet you walk around as blind as a Kohnodo. You seem sharp in every other aspect except in one big glaring aspect”“...and that would be?” Vowa swallowed heavily.

“Your soul.” She said as she lowered her bow. In response, the blue being grew slightly more at ease.

“Thank you for not shooting me, I’m Vowa”.

The Huntress looked at her funny before responding “Kopaka of the winter plains, and welcome to Sky Realm. But you can call it Voodoo Island. Mind following me back to the village? Gandu might want to have a word with you. I have reason to believe you might be one of the few from the prophecy that the Tasu have spoken of”

“What.”

“Just follow me” the Huntress sighed as she ushered Vowa to follow her down the tree. Hopping gracefully from one branch to the next. With nowhere else she can think of to go, Vowa descends down and follows suit.

Looking up at the trees they were now walking through, Vowa took in at the thick lush greenery in silence. The sound of birds chirping as the light not only bled through the leaves above, but from where there would have been shadows; illuminating where the grass and shrubbery were. Yet it was dim in comparison to how bright the sun was. If a world were a dream that you could walk through like a warm memory, this would be it. Recalling back from earlier, Vowa promptly asked “Wait, what were you telling me earlier?”.

Kopaka began to speak the best she could about the prophecy with an eye roll. “It is believed that despite what one looks, thinks, or speaks, even if different. That our hearts remain in every incarnation. We call this… the cycle. Even a group that follows an ideal in every iteration is attuned with this cycle. But at the end of time itself is the biggest cycle of all. It flows through everything; the land, the air, and the sea. And when it ends, it is believed a new timeline is born. Where our actions here and now will affect the rebirth, It’s…kinda like leaving behind a legacy but for the universe itself that no one will ever remember. And apparently to protect that legacy we need saviors. But to me, I am unsure what grand role you play in the end of the cycle of cycles. You are just some person, lost, trying to find somewhere safe. And if helping you has some play in it, well…it's the least I can do.”

Vowa at that moment felt so small, walking amongst giants. Their trunks and leaves were so grand, untouched for who knows how long. The songs of the many beasts in the canopies above singing grand yet gently harmonic melodies. Even the patches of rich soil they walked upon in this dry yet lush day seemed to carry reverence to histories unknown.

Speaking with her heart, Vowa said “I am not sure about bringing peace, my waking moments have been terrifying. But I am glad to be here regardless”

They both walked silently through the trees, the wind blowing gently against the leaves. For a cycle of change was brewing, it was a weight that Vowa felt. Her mind then wonders “I have to leave this place soon, the tension is too much. I’ll have to find somewhere I can be safe, but for now...it seems that I have to play the role of a savior”.