A slow rhythmic beat of a heart could be heard. It symbolized the sound of life. Yet - it slowly became weaker and started to fade.
Two men were standing in front of each other. They didn't look like anything significant. But both their eyes were slowly turning dull. It was because of the blood that was slowly running down their armor and bodies.
You may ask why? That question is simply answered by the broken spear shaft sticking from out the neck of one of the men and a likewise broken sword rammed inside a small unprotected area at the breast region of the other.
So while the one was bleeding out from his neck the other did so from his chest. In the end, both would succumb to their wounds and die soon. But currently, they still held on with pure willpower and stared at each other.
Losing their strength to stand they both fell to their knees into the dirt beneath them. Only the collision that happened when their bodies tried to fall forward held them still for a few moments.
Now, in each other's deadly embrace, the person impaled by the sword tried to talk.
"Good...one..." His hoarse voice only got out those two words before he got interrupted by a clot of blood rising in his throat and forcing him to cough up said blood.
The other could not speak because of his wound and could only force a small smile in response.
Seeing that, the guy who talked just returned it wryly.
Looking around, both could see what happened on the still-raging battlefield around them. Men and women alike are interlocking in combat and taking each other's lives.
A short moment of memories overcame them both. Even tranquility sat in, and they both wished they had lived differently. This outcome in their lives was just not fair.
Afterward, both slid sideways into the dirt and breathed the last of their life. A death as common as eating a meal.
Even the war around them would just continue and many more soldiers would die in the chaos that unfolded. The cries and shouts would slowly dim until a deadly silence remained, together with a red ground full of blood and the crows eating at the corpses.
For those two, it was already too late.
And the same could be said of another pair of people dying somewhere else. In a different world and a different time. In a gunfight that unfolded over a turf war. Both died together after an errand to collect some products went haywire.
Just like those soldiers on the battlefield, they both bled out and closed their eyes. War never changes its nature, no matter where one lives.
---
For a certain amount of time, there was only darkness around both of them. Only after the first guy slowly opened his eyes and saw a white ceiling above him did something happen.
He was kinda agitated at first. "Shit! I fucking landed in the Hospital!" Then, after realizing something else, he sighed in relief. "I made it..."
"Damn, you are noisy, Ben", said another person from the side after also waking up.
Being somewhat surprised at being called by his name, Ben looked to the side where he saw his friend.
"Lex, you are also alive?" He started to laugh right then and there. "So we both fucking made it! I was so sure we fucked up and died there, mate."
The other person, called Lex, looked around while his friend was still somewhat laughing. "I don't think we made it...Look around..."
Ben still smiled and looked a little bit confused about why he said that. Then he looked around as well and saw that they were not in a hospital.
"What the hell is this place?"
"Exactly...Where did we end up?" Lex was already up from the white floor they were lying on and looked around even more.
Ben just frowned and also stood up. When he also wanted to take his gun out of habit, he couldn't. There simply was no gun. "Even our guns are gone..."
Lex also checked his own holster under his jacket, and there was nothing.
"What do you think? Did we really die?", asked Ben.
"I am not sure. It still feels rather...real", said Lex in return.
"But what do we do now? Just look around. There are no freaking walls in any direction at all. Just that ceiling up there..." Ben looked up and commented on the ceiling above them that reminded him of a hospital.
"I am as confused as you are." Lex also looked up. "Never thought the afterlife would be really like this...Maybe that is the weird corridor people see? You know, the weird stuff comatose patients tell the doctors and others after they wake up. But instead of just seeing it, we entered it?"
And just when they both stared at the ceiling, something seemed to have activated, and the place changed into a real room that resembled some sort of hall with a large staircase leading to a black door at the end of the said staircase.
Both of them looked at it in surprise and slight shock at how smooth and magical the transition was.
"Looks like we are being invited.", said Lex and started walking towards the black door.
"Are you sure that is such a good idea? I kinda get the creeps", asked Ben while following. He was rather unwell at the moment. After all, his fear of ghostly stuff really pulled on his nerves at the moment.
"...You really are still scared about that after we probably died and became ghosts ourselves?", answered Lex in a questioning tone and mocked his friend's fear of the supernatural. Though he was slightly amused as well.
"Being one and seeing one is...different. And we are not even sure what this place is yet, right?"
"...As shitty as it may be, but I am sure about one thing. We died... and somehow landed here. So we don't have much of a choice but to follow the shown paths, do we?"
"...I guess you are right. But that still makes this feel so creepy." Ben sighed after a short silence of gathering courage.
It didn't take long, and they reached the door. Lex was the one who pushed it open and slowly revealed what lay behind it.
It was a rather simple room, just the same as before. But what was noticeable was that there were two thrones at the end of it, and a weird altar was erected in the middle. The altar had a clear white orb resting upon it.
"Okay...? Now what? Is this some kind of puzzle?", asked Ben.
Eugeo remained silent and walked towards the orb.
"Oi, wait up!", said Ben in haste after seeing him move and followed suit.
Examining it, Lex didn't really see much besides a dim light emitted from it at certain intervals.
Looking at it longer, he felt a slight pull from it and reacted by touching its surface. And after doing that, a black holographic screen appeared in front of the duo.
"Whoa!" Ben was surprised by that.
--Status--
*Name: Lex *
*Race: Unknown*
*Class: Unknown*
*Skills: Unknown*
Lex stared at this screen for a while. "Are we in a game or something?" That was his very first question after seeing this screen.
Ben, on the other hand, grinned now and also approached to touch the orb.
--Status--
*Name: Ben*
*Race: Unknown*
*Class: Unknown*
*Skills: Unknown*
"Looks like we both are blanks", said Ben. He wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by a voice.
[Both souls have arrived. Please spin the race tablet.]
Right after they heard that voice, a black roulette slowly appeared with what seemed to be nothing written on it. Only blank black space. But there was a lever that could be pulled.
[Please note that only one pull is allowed, and both souls acquire the same result.]
"...." Both of them stared at it, and then at each other. "So...Are you going to do it or me?" Ben asked with a slight chuckle. He was actually excited. Was this some sort of revival in a fantasy world?
"Alright, let me do it. Let's see what this will give us. Maybe we can find some answers with that." Just raising a brow, he pulled the lever, and the roulette started to spin.
Shortly after it started to stop on something that neither of them saw. The roulette was still just a blank space after all. Then, after it stopped completely, a white text appeared in a language that they couldn't read.
"So much for that...What is that?" Ben was confused about it.
[Manakete (Cosmos Clan) was spun. Since the souls of both hosts are not strong enough to hold that much power without being disintegrated into nothingness, it was transformed into a special derivative race - Branded (Divine Arch-Dragon).]
[Branded (Divine Archdragon). Extremely high Lifespan. Unlocks unique promotions. Aptitude is upgraded to Draconic Aptitude.]
[After having rolled the race, the class has now been put to Hatchling. It is below the classes Commoner or Noble or even Villager. That means it is a zero-tier class.]
--Status--
*Name: Lex*
*Race: Branded (Divine Arch-Dragon)*
*Class: Hatchling*
--*Stats:*--
HP 18
Strength 1
Magic 1
Skill 1
Speed 1
Luck 1
Defense 1
Resistance 1
Charm 1
Movement 5
--*Weapon Level *--
None
--*Skills*--
Draconic Aptitude - Base stat growth chance increased by 40%*
-------
*Name: Ben*
*Race: Branded (Divine Arch-Dragon)*
*Class: Hatchling*
--*Stats:*--
HP 18
Strength 1
Magic 1
Skill 1
Speed 1
Luck 1
Defense 1
Resistance 1
Charm 1
Movement 5
--*Weapon Level *--
None
--*Skills*--
Draconic Aptitude - Stat growth chance increased by 40%*
-------
[Now, please roll for your background.]
After that information appeared in front of them, both knew exactly what this orb implied.
"Fire Emblem?", asked Ben. He knew waht this reminded him off. Both of them were gamers who wasted their time when they were kids.
"Yeah...So it seems we go to a world where living will be pretty hard. Medieval pain the arse. And our race doesn't make it much easier for us...Wait, can we ask questions?"
[You may ask.] Weirdly enough, it was possible to talk with the orb.
"Phew, good to know. I got a question with that race of ours, though. Shouldn't we be Half-Manakete at best and not Branded?"
[Even the power of a Half-Manakete would burden your souls. If you think that you are being cheated, don't worry. The redirected race was enhanced for your advantage. Through the action of giving you a brand and making you branded, you will be able to harness the power of your bloodline to its purest form. Not even pureblood Manakete could do such a feat without going insane. And the only exchange would be your ability to transform into your dragon form.]
"Wait, you mean to say that the Brand and Branded are the same?" Lex did think things through a little bit more. The voice said it gave them a brand, but as far as Lex knew, should that not be a race in the end?
[Correct. It is also called a Crest, Holy Blood, or just a Brand. For example, Branded of the Laguz tribe use the powers of their parents. That is why the parents of branded lose their ability to transform. It is actually a gift to remain sane that many don't understand and call a curse.]
"That is weirdly not saying much. What about the nobles like Chrom? They have a brand but are not depicted as being cursed."
[Nobles are influential and circumvented rules by separating normal branded and those that have "divine" brands by gods. And not on all continents are the branded shunned.]
"I see..." Lex contemplated the new information. He just had to accept that what he knew through the games was not the real information. "Though what is a Comos Dragon?"
[A special dragon race that traverses the cosmos. Individuals you would know are Naga and Sothis.]
"Hmm? What about Ashunera?"
[Ashunera was a planetborn deity. Rare among the Universe you are traveling to and also the designated deity of the Kaga planet.]
"Kaga planet?"
[Planet name, equivalent of Gaia or, in layman's terms, Earth.]
"...Huh...Which version of FE are we going to? Archanea, Valentia or another version like Elibe or Födlan?"
[Either.]
"Either?" Now Ben also got curious.
[All asked continents exist on the same planet, just different time eras.]
"Whoa, you need to explain that. That makes no sense with the whole races being different and all."
[First came what you know as the story of Tellius, after that was resolved, and humanity regained control over the planet from the degenerating goddess, landmasses formed into the different continents known as Archanea, Födlan and so on.]
"Okay, more detail please." Lex sighed.
[The resolved crisis brought peace, and without a direct deity directing the planet towards destruction, evolution continued.]
[Humans spread all over the planet by migration.]
[The Laguz slowly lost their ability to transform at will after their bloodlines were diluted without Ashunera constantly infusing her own magical power into the planet. Interbreeding with humans and their rapidly growing numbers also didn't help their cause in that matter. Though in due time, they managed to concentrate power into Beaststones to redeem their lost innate heritage.]
[It is also about the same time, when the Earth Dragon clans, a species not native to the planet, slowly noticed their own degeneration. Unlike the Laguz, they grew in power. But said power also became their doom.]
[The rainbow sage, another dragon and among the 12 strongest at the time, essentially tried to counter this danger by creating weapons created for humanity by sacrificing his "divine" blood. The blades crafted by Ashunera were a major inspiration but he saw the flaw of just anyone being able to use said weapons and locked his creations to certain blood pacts.]
[Yet that only created widespread panic among the dragons, if they became feral, humans would slaughter them.]
[More dragons started experiments to control their growth. Prototypes of Dragonstones were created, based on the same aspect as the Beastkin used.]
[But said stones were mere prototypes and were not yet able to hold such tremendous powers. A beaststone was naturally created and only had a purpose to dig into the dormant sleeping powers in the Beastkin's blood. So a dragonstone had to do the exact opposite, while in an emergency, be able to return said powers when needed.]
[Around that time, Sothis and Naga also arrived at the planet with their own dragon clans, known as a whole as the Nabatean and Divine Dragon Clans.]
[Sothis also researched her own method to fight the degeneration that even dragons, such as her and Naga, fell to.]
[It was quickly found out that this planet as a whole was the culprit in their demise. Without a supreme deity governing over the planet, the energy slowly accumulates into their next best vessels, the dragons.]
[But such energy was not only pure energy that would be beneficial but also had negative energy to it - entropy.]
[So they were forced to create their own methods to counter this. Especially after Naga birthed her daughter, Tiki, she became worried.]
[At some point she followed the rainbow sages' example and made countermeasures to ensure that if one day humanity had to kill them, it would be wise to be on their own terms as beings in control of their minds.]
[That was the birthing time of the 12 holy bloods and corresponding weapons. Among them, the Two Flachions from her own two fangs that were gifted to two separate hero bloodlines. One in Archanea, the other in Valentia/Valm]
[Meanwhile, Sothis created another method that was akin to meditation. A healing sleep that would slow or remove the degeneration. Yet that method was flawed as it didn't stop it completely. Before Sothis could use the Dragonstones to her owwn race as well, something dark happened.]
[Humans, fuelled by greed, got wind of the weapons and heroes from other continents created by Dragons from other continents.]
[And in that they planned and executed a scheme to slaughter the Nabateans and craft their bones into weapons and their hearts and blood as a source of power that would flow into them and their descendants.]
[Sothis was among the victims while she slept.]
[And the remaining Nabetean dragons relinquished ever using dragonstones ever again after the slaughter of their leader. Too close was the similarity to the crest stones that were now created by dark rituals.]
[For crest stones fueled the bone weapons that were created and used by those humans who slaughtered them. And they had the power of the dragon that was sacrificed for them.]
[Effectively making Dragonstones a perfect way to create powerful weapons if the need arises. That also started a hunt for Manakete....]
"Okay, enough....I see where this is going. Damn... branded sure have it easy all things considered then. They basically get the bonus of having said power while totally not being affected by degeneration. In a way, having children with humans would have been a way easier thing to do, and fighting the degeneration.]
[Dragons are a very prideful race...Some tried and had hybrids(Branded). Yet war has constantly split humans and dragons apart, as seen in Elibe.]
"Don't bother about that. I think as long as we are not those weird bird Laguz, it´s alright. Actually, I wouldn't even want to be a Manakete. Just constantly thinking about Wyrmslayers would be a weakness I would hate to have to keep track of. Not to mention carrying that Dragonstone around and being fragile without it...as well as maybe be used as a sacrifice and turned into a weapon...nah", added Ben now, and just pulled the lever from the roulette again. "Let's just go over this background thing and move on."
"Wait!" Lex actually wanted to keep asking the orb a few more questions.
[Background Slaves was spun...You are twins born from the love of a female dragon of the divine tribe and a common farmer who had retired from being a soldier. Because of your brand, and speculations of its origin, you were sold into slavery by bandits after your village was attacked and your parents were murdered. Now, with collars around your necks, you serve a wealthy merchant.*
"Wow...Just wow, dude..." Lex had a blank expression on his face while death-staring at his friend.
"Haha...Hey, I didn't know there was such fucked up shit in that. Look, it even fits right into the whole thing we talked about for some reason..." Ben laughed awkwardly.
"Let's just hope you didn't fuck up our new lives right from the start. I wonder if we will be seeing how our parents will die?"
[You will wake up already in the custody of the merchant. The former bodies died from malnutrition and were at the age of 7.]
[Now if everything is answered. Statistics have been saved. Please enter the Tower of Beginning and enter your training area to promote to Tier 1 Wyrmling Class - equivalent to Commoner/Nobel/Villager.]
The voice did not even let Lex talk any further and the orb dimmed completely while a clear click sound of door opening wwas heard.
A door on the left side of the room slowly swung open, and it seemed that there was another staircase leading upwards.
"Let's just go", sighed Lex after seeing this.
"Alright", nodded Ben, and could see he was not all too happy with his pull. "But I am actually surprised. We will now become true brothers by blood, huh."
Lex stopped walking for a second and looked at Ben. "Yeah, but does that really change anything?"
Ben thought about his words. "You mean because we already had lives before this one? You know, the orb never said we would remember our past, right?"
Lex slightly widened his eyes. He was right. They were not even given that information. "Hmm, I think we will...Why else bother giving us the choice to choose otherwise or tell us all that information?"
Lex's gaze wandered towards the thrones, and he could now see the writing on a stone between them.
[Those who are ambitious enough shall pursue their desires.]
"I think we are here for a reason...Let's go..."