Tales of Phantasy - Chelsea's Story
I wrote this a while ago, but may as well post it here. First and foremost, I already accept the fact that I am a *bad* writer (I'm an engineering major, I'm not supposed to be good at writing!), I just wrote this to make manifest the storyline in my head. Did the best I could :P
This story is not just an attempt to put a back story behind my lead PSU character Chelsea Torn, but to also bring together elements of the classic Phantasy Star series and Tales of Destiny, with a dash of Ar Tonelico.
Enjoy!
Young Chelsea is often underestimated as a Guardian due to her appearance. While her age does not deny her youth, she looks even younger than she really is. However, Chelsea had a strong drive and excelled at both Ranged ability and Technic casting ability in the Guardians academy. Her will to push through the rigorous Guardians training began at a young age....
Throughout her childhood, Chelsea was best friends with a Beast boy her age named Mattias. The two lived close together in Holtes City on Parum, going to the same school, and always enjoyed hanging out with eachother. Mattias' family didn't have a lot of money, unlike Chelsea's family, so he led a dangerous life of thievery. Chelsea's pure influence curbed his methods slightly, though she understood the situation he was in and constantly begged her parents to help his family out. When Chelsea was 8, Mattias gave her a special pendant made out of a very rare crystal mined out of the Moatoob mines. Mattias had stolen it out of his mother's jewelry box, the only expensive jewelry she had, because he always wanted to give his best friend a tangible sign of their bond. Chelsea was reluctant at first, questioning his methods, so Mattias eventually put it around her neck himself.
One week later, Mattias was walking Chelsea home on a rainy night. They were cutting through the part of Holtes where he lived, which had a reputation of being somewhat dangerous due to the slightly poor condition of the neighborhood. That night, they were approached by a tall man with long blonde hair in a braid, and oddly shining eyes. Suspicious of this man, Mattias stood in front of Chelsea and got his hand ready to grab his knife. The man demanded money out of Mattias, and inquired about the pendant when Mattias said he had no money and ordered the man to buzz off. When Mattias said he'd give his own life before he gave away his best friend's pendant, the man took this to heart....and held a gun to his head. Chelsea screamed and ran at him, and when Mattias knocked her back to keep her from getting hurt, the man shot him point-blank. Chelsea cried out, both for help and in pure sorrow, and the man made a hasty retreat before getting what he came for. All she could do was lay there and cry in the pouring rain, until the police came.
The next month, on Chelsea's 9th birthday, she demanded that her parents pay for her to enter the Guardians academy. Her parents were of course very opposed to the idea, but Chelsea would not take no for an answer. During that month, the murder of her best friend made her think about people in general, and what drove them to do things like what the mysterious man did....taking life because of some material possession. It absolutely disgusted her, and to avenge her dear friend, she wanted to protect the universe from people like that, and find out what drove them to do such things. In a compromise, Chelsea said she would enroll in the academy's accelerated learning program before beginning her Guardian's training at age 12. Her parents finally agreed, and she became one of the youngest to ever enroll in the academy.
She stepped foot into her first class, clutching Mattias' pendant, begging him to protect her and swearing that she would avenge him one day....and to be a protector to others as he was to her.
Episode 1: Purification
Chelsea moved through the Guardian's accelerated learning program easily, coming out of it at age 12 with the equivalent schooling of a high schooler, with even some university-level courses thrown in. Chelsea officially began her combat training at age 12, choosing the path of the Guntecher given her innate mental prowess. It didn't take her long to become an expert at this class, learning faster than many Guardians twice her age. She met a similar Guardian, Denlan Minday, who ended up in the same class as Chelsea. The two quickly became close friends, both sharing their ambitions with eachother. They'd even joke about one day becoming famous action heroes, saving the world from the forces of evil as a duo. Though he was older than she was, the difference never seemed to manifest in their relationship. In field training, Chelsea also met Kietrinia, a young Fortetecher in training. The two became like sisters, and people always commented on how similar they looked. A cold sniper by the name of Numair was also part of her training group. Nobody could ever get close to him because of his uncanny obsession with hunting, however.
Guardians
Chelsea mastered Guntecher at age 16, and she began embarking on official missions for the Guardians. Through her hard work and determination, she defended many innocent people and was very content with her accomplishments. Finally, she could become to others what Mattias was for her. Aside from her life as a Guardian, Chelsea also worked part-time at a children's shelter on Holtes City. The children there thought of her as a superhero, and she loved seeing the smiles on their faces as she assisted in giving these children a new, safer home. She even helped children from Mattias's very neighborhood. Chelsea also maintained a close relationship with both Denlan and Kietrinia, often helping the both of them in Guardians missions. She became a friend of many other Guardians, due to her friendly nature and constant willingness to help. People also noted that she had a great personality and could put a smile on anyone's face. However, she kept her dark past hidden from everyone but Denlan and Kietrinia.
Firebreak
A massive attack by Fire SEED hit the Gurhal system when Chelsea turned 17, and this would start the most eventful year of Chelsea's life thus far. She quickly enlisted, along with Denlan and Kietrinia, to help purify the contaminated areas in what was known as Operation Firebreak. It is here that she met Hikaru Dragonia. a dual-photon incarnate (though this would not be made known for quite some time). However, she was forced to bail mid-way through the mission because of Chelsea's and Kietrinia's high concentration of Light photons. Chelsea found this quite odd, but pressed on. It turned out that Numair knew her quite well, but Firebreak operations kept Chelsea much too busy to satisfy her curiosity. Months after the conclusion of Firebreak, many noted the vast achievements of Chelsea compared to other Guardians, and she was chosen as part of a select few to investigate strange, confidential occurances on an unidentified HIVE.
Darkness Unveiled
Reporting to Guardians HQ, Chelsea ran into Numair demanding information on the apparent disappearance of Hikaru, which had seemingly become a government consipiracy. Numair wanted to go to the same HIVE Chelsea was heading to to investigate, so they decided to go together (it would later be revealed that this HIVE became known as HIVE Nazou). It turns out that this HIVE was actually Hikaru's last known location, and her and Numair were here before investigating unknown SEED-forms. Little did they know what they were really up against. Upon arrival at this HIVE, Chelsea and Numair were immediately assaulted by the strongest SEED-forms either of them had ever met. Chelsea had fought many SEED-forms before, but nothing of this calibur. Numair, being the reckless individual he was, insisted he go on alone and before Chelsea could say anything, he found himself surrounded by several SEED-Vitaces. With one hit, these SEED-forms were nearly overloading Chelsea's and Numair's Dark Line Shields. Chelsea was planning a retreat but before anything could get worse, Hikaru busted out of a wall in the HIVE! The three of them combined barely overcame the SEED-Vitaces, and decided it was best to pull out at that point. Chelsea nearly passed out on the way back, but thought nothing of it at the time. Filing her mission report, she noted these super-powerful SEED-forms and did her own independent research before attempting any more purification exercises.
True Darkness
Chelsea found a very similar HIVE to Nazou, showing readings from the resident SEED-Forms very similar to the ones found on Nazou, but was going to need some further training to survive it. Numair and Hikaru became caught up in their own missions, so Chelsea recruited none other than her closest friends, Denlan and Kietrinia. With Kietrinia's support and Chelsea's and Denlan's Light bullet proficiency, they all felt confident they could get to the bottom of this. Chelsea's research also gave them the knowledge of one weakness of these new SEED-forms: Photon Erasers. They were capable of dispelling a natural barrier around these SEED-forms as well as neutralizing their ability to regenerate. Chelsea complained of some headaches and nausea before departing, but insisted she'd be okay.
Chelsea's condition only worsened upon arrival at the HIVE, but the three of them pressed on, now able to defeat these new SEED-forms. When they neared the A-photon reactor core, with intentions of shutting the HIVE down entirely and downloading any secret information that may be being held there, the trio came across a security lock in which one person had to stay behind and hold down the lock override. Kietrinia stayed behind, and Chelsea and Denlan entered a large room where they hoped to shut down the HIVE's systems. However, once they entered, Chelsea clutched her stomach and collapsed to the ground, writing in pain. As Denlan rushed to check on her, he noticed something very odd. She felt very cold, and she began twitching....like something was trying to burst out of her. At that point, his worst fears became true. Chelsea's research had revealed some isolated cases of Guardians contracting what had only been known as "SEED-Virus" from missions on these strange HIVEs. After an incubation period that had no static length, the inoculated victim would begin turning into a SEED-form and would have to be put down. But before he had a chance to collect his thoughts, a half-transformed Chelsea lunged straight at him! She had seemingly lost all control of her actions, so Denlan had no choice but to defend himself against his friend. After a long, arduous battle, Denlan was able to out-wit the almost-feral Chelsea, and she fell unconcious. Fearing that she may have contracted some sort of SEED-Virus beforehand, Denlan secretly obtained an experimental antidote and administered it immediately. Since she had not fully transformed, she was able to make a full recovery, but the incident left her exhausted. She apologized profusely for what happened, but Denlan could only hug her tightly and assure her that this would never happen again, as long as he was around. Asking Denlan to leave her behind so she could recover, Denlan deactivated the HIVE systems and proceeded to the reactor core with Kietrinia.
The two of them pressed on to fight a Dulk Fakis that had spawned from the A-photon reactor core. They were not having too much trouble until it suddenly transformed into some godly, angelic SEED-form. This had become more than just another Dulk Fakis....this seemed like a manifestation of some dark power. It possessed powers never seen before, and completely overwhelmed Denlan and Kietrinia. Chelsea later rejoined the fray, but the three of them still could not defeat it. When the three of them could not give any more energy to the fight, the transformed Dulk Fakis charged up a giant energy beam, and aimed at Chelsea. The blast fired, and all seemed to be over for the three young Guardians....until the very pendant Mattias gave Chelsea reflected the blast entirely, and the transformed Dulk Fakis destroyed itself with its own power. The resulting explosion seemingly absorbed the entire HIVE, though the trio managed to escape in time.
Towards the Future
Chelsea filed her mission report, giving Guardians HQ extremely valuable information about these new SEED-forms, the SEED-Virus, and the illegal research on SEED-forms going on at this HIVE and HIVE Nazou (though choosing to remain anonymous on all accounts, as she was never one for the spotlight). But Chelsea continued to wonder just what that Dulk Fakis transformed into....it was as if they were fighting not a SEED-form, but a manifestation of a Dark Force....something that was perhaps bigger than the SEED itself. She also knew how fortunate she was to have not succumbed to the SEED-Virus, and she also reflected on the pendant....it was as if Mattias had become her own guardian angel, defending her against the forces of darkness.
One thing was certain, though: she had to keep fighting. She knew she would not rest until this Dark Force was purified, once and for all. Only then would Gurhal be safe.
Episode 2: Dissent
Chelsea saw herself walking alone in the rain in Holtes City one night. In front of her she saw a young Beast boy and a small Newman girl. They seemed completely oblivious to the man approaching them. Chelsea saw the man put a gun to the boy's head, and she ran at him in some attempt to stop this child's murder, but found that she just ran right through them. She couldn't interact with the scene in any way. No amount of screaming or acting could save the child's life, and she watched him take a shot right to the head. Over and over and over and over again. The scene just kept repeating, and all she could do was watch in terror. But then, suddenly, the man turned around and faced her. She froze as he lifted his gun to her own head. Powerless. Bang.
Chelsea snapped awake on the sofa of Denlan's room, only to find Denlan there with a very concerned look on his face (Chelsea chose to just pass out in his room after the hours upon hours of research that day). He asked why she was screaming and writhing in her sleep, and all she could say was "it happened again."
Emotional
Since the incident in the HIVE with the evolved Dulk Fakis, Chelsea had done nothing but endless research on what she could only call "Dark Force," yet came up with nothing. And all the while, the painful memories of the incident that drove her here in the first place only grew stronger, taking over her mind more and more. Eventually it was decided between herself and Denlan that, while she strongly believed in her research, it was time to put it away for a while to ease her mind. The two took the time out for a night out together, even changing her official-looking clothing to something more casual and frilly. As their night came to an end in the outdoor cafe in downtown Holtes, they finally confessed their feelings to eachother. Through her newfound love, Chelsea was finally able to find at least some amount of peace.
Purple Blaze
Given the recent terrorist activity of the human supremacy group "Illuminus," it wasn't long after that Chelsea was assigned another mission. She was sent alone to investigate alleged covert operations taking place between suspected Illuminus members in the Shikon Island chain on Neudaiz. As appalled by the recent terrorist attacks as she was, Chelsea was very eager to take a strike against the Illuminus. Boarding a G-Flyer to the edge of the island chain, she took a Floader to the alleged rendezvous site. While scouting the islands from the water, keeping a low profile, something blasted by her. When she looked over, she saw a female Beast on another Floader holding Chelsea's Nanotransformer in the air! About this time, Chelsea saw the two suspects take note of this noisy Beast and made a very hasty retreat. Not only did she just get stolen from, she had already failed her mission! Enraged, Chelsea took off after the Beast girl, if nothing else than to take her in for obstruction of justice.
Oddly enough, the Beast parked at a random island and signaled for Chelsea to park beside her. Chelsea was about ready to wring her neck, but she was greeted by the Beast replacing her stolen Nanotransformer. She introduced herself as Quinn, the so-called "Purple Blaze of Death," though Chelsea wasn't ready to be grateful just yet. She instantly whipped out a Handgun and demanded an explanation for Quinn's actions. Quinn explained that it was the only way she thought she could get the attention of a Guardian, plus she already had information on Chelsea's targets. Chelsea eventually calmed down, and asked why Quinn wanted her attention in the first place. Turns out Quinn was in pursuit of other members of the target Illuminus group, who were planning an assault on a Communion of Gurhal temple on this island. Although very unorthodox, Chelsea sensed Quinn's intentions were good and they decided it was best to investigate together.
Temple of Fanatics
Before they went, Quinn gave Chelsea two things. First was an experimental Yohmei Corp rifle with a built-in EMP generator, capable of taking down robots in a single shot. Secondly, she gave Chelsea a pair of handguns she had stolen deep within a Relics site, a pair of guns known as the Twin Tornado. They were quite possibly the strongest pair of handguns known to any of the three weapon manufacturers. In return, Chelsea provided the use of her supportive Technics to assist Quinn's Axe and Spear skills.
The duo snuck into the target temple, only to find that the Illuminus had already taken control of the temple's security systems. As they battled the robots within the temple, Quinn told Chelsea more about this particular Illuminus group. Led by a high-ranking agent named Grebaum, they sought to bomb various CoG temples with intentions of striking fear and unsettlement in the Communion ranks. Given that many in the Gurhal system were turning to the CoG for help and guidance during this turbulent time of terrorist actions, what better way to terrorize the people of Gurhal than to exploit weaknesses in a body they're all looking up to? Disarming several explosives along the way, Chelsea and Quinn did eventually encounter Grebaum, who was also holding several CoG servants hostage. Chelsea demanded that Grebaum stand down, but it only made him laugh. Suddenly, Grebaum summoned forth an experimental battle robot, developed by the CoG but stolen by the Illuminus, with plans for mass-production. While extremely fast and powerful, the combined efforts of Chelsea and Quinn eventually brought it down. As the reactor core blew out, Chelsea rushed to the cockpit to apprehend Grebaum, but he had already taken his own life. The duo successfully secured the temple and placed control back in the hands of the CoG members in captivity there. Quinn then offered to escort Chelsea back to her G-Flyer via Floader. While certainly under odd circumstances, Chelsea gained a valuable ally in this treasure-hunting mercenary.
After exchanging cards and parting ways, Chelsea reflected on her first strike against the Illuminus. While her mission went in a very different direction than intended, she realized she may have saved many lives and helped people live in a more secure environment. She felt very much at peace with herself, hoping to continue to suppress the actions of the Illuminus.
The Fall
Some time had passed since the strike on the Shikon Islands. Chelsea had since turned 18 and made several other small strikes at the Illuminus, which sustained a good deal of damage from losing Grebaum. Nobody saw coming what the Illuminus had been planning from the beginning....
Chelsea arrived in Holtes City after a successful mission, only to find the city in total panic. Security robots had broken loose and were waging war on the entire city! After collecting her thoughts, Chelsea realized exactly what she needed to do: hurry to the children's shelter where she worked and protect everyone there. She ran as fast as she could through the panicked masses, destined not to let a single child get hurt, but was stopped from going downtown by the Holtes City police. As she tried explaining her situation, Denlan suddenly drove in on a stolen police hoverbike and dashed through the police barricade with Chelsea. As the two raced towards the shelter, Chelsea picked off many escaped robots from the back of the hoverbike with her EMP rifle. When they arrived at the shelter, Chelsea gave Denlan the rifle and he stood guard from the front of the building, while Chelsea dashed in and secured the area. The children were scared to death from the news of the Guardian's Colony coming under attack by the Illuminus and the infected AMF, and swarmed around Chelsea as she desperately tried to keep them all calm. Chelsea watched the news footage in horror, as she vowed that she would destroy the Illuminus ALONE if she had to.
A few days later, once Holtes was secured and the crash site was deemed safe for Guardians to investigate, Chelsea and Denlan were fearing the worst as they approached Rozenom City. They walked up to the top of a hill overlooking the city, and were taken aback at the sheer devastation of what used to be a bustling city. The ruins of the Colony loomed in the distance, and all Chelsea could do was cry in Denlan's arms, swearing vengeance over and over again. The death and destruction had gone too far, and she was going to put a stop to it.
Vengeance
Chelsea took on many survivor search-and-rescue missions the day Rozenom was deemed safe for Guardians to patrol. After securing her assigned area, she heard the screams of a child in the city's main square. Dashing to the scene, she was too late, as a tall man ended the child's screams with a shot to the back of her head, right alongside who was presumed to be her mother. Chelsea rushed at the man in a rage and thrust her Twin Tornado into the back of the man's neck forcibly, but when he turned around to face her, all she could do was drop her gun and stagger backwards. The man had long blonde hair in a braid, and glowing eyes....this was the man who murdered Mattias. Astonished that they were meeting once more, the man introduced himself as Miktran, who turned out to be none other than the head of SEED-Form research within the Illuminus. Miktran approached the shocked Chelsea, unarmed and still gathering her thoughts, frozen by the mental images of Mattias' murder and the murder of this child, and he held his dark saber at her forehead. As Miktran uttered "I'll send you to your dirty little Beast friend in a pool of cold blood," he became crippled by the blast of a handgun from behind. Chelsea looked up and saw none other than Quinn. She vowed revenge against Miktran for using her family as SEED-Virus test subjects, and together the two took on Miktran, both fighting in the name of avenging their loved ones. Just when they thought they had brought Miktran down, he infused his saber with SEED-Virus and lunged at Quinn. Chelsea screamed that she was never going to let him murder another innocent victim, and shot him square in the back of the head. She couldn't believe she had done it.
With his last breath, Miktran uttered that he created the super-powerful SEED-Forms in the HIVE Chelsea investigated, and that he is the original carrier of the virus. He began to twitch like a victim of SEED-Virus inoculation, and before Chelsea and Quinn could react, he suddenly transformed into a huge SEED-Form, emanating power never seen before. He became SEED-Miktran, calling himself the purist form of the Virus in existence, impervious to all forms of attack. This indeed seemed true, as nothing Chelsea or Quinn could do was having any effect, and he overpowered them easily. When it looked like he was about to finish them off, Chelsea blanked out. Everything became a blur. All she could hear was herself saying "I will not let him die in vain" over and over again....and suddenly something came over her. Without even thinking of doing it, Chelsea took out her Bow and charged a brilliantly white arrow. Before SEED-Miktran could react, she shot him with this arrow of light, which absorbed SEED-Miktran in a huge blast of light upon impact, and when the light faded, he was eradicated. Chelsea snapped out of her trance, and Quinn was just as astonished by this power as Chelsea was. All Chelsea knew was that, against all odds, she wasn't going to give up on Mattias and the rest of the people of Gurhal....and may have saved the entire system with the defeat of Miktran. The Illuminus had been dealt a crippling blow, and perhaps the most powerful SEED-Form in existence had been defeated.
While feeling the peace of avenging Mattias' murder and the murder of Quinn's family, Chelsea still wondered about the power that allowed her to defeat Miktran, and how similar SEED-Miktran seemed to the evolved Dulk Fakis she fought earlier. Was she suddenly in the middle of some conflict of greater powers? She now firmly believed that the defeat of the Illuminus would not be the end of all troubles in the Gurhal system, and that something far more powerful was at work here, as she had suspected before.
Little did she know what she had been caught up in from the very beginning....
Episode 3: Radiance
After the defeat of Miktran, Chelsea immediately returned to her strikes against the Illuminus with her fellow Guardians, and also convinced Quinn to join their ranks as a Fortefighter. In between missions, Chelsea spent sleepless nights trying to find out just what was behind everything, and how to put an end to what Miktran created, even submitting ideas to the head of SEED-Virus vaccine research, Maya Shidow. She also decided to move back to her hometown, renting an apartment in downtown Holtes City. It put her closer to the children's shelter, and helped to keep her motivated by being close to what she was fighting for. Even though the Guardians were very much depleted, she was determined to do her part and protect Gurhal, as they set out to do in the first place.
The answer to everything would come sooner than she thought.
While researching one night, she thought she heard someone calling her name. Figuring she was just sleep-deprived and hearing things, she blew it off at first. But after three or four times, it was hard to ignore. And suddenly she had a vision. She saw a dark planet enter the sun's orbit out of nowhere, and saw all kinds of vicious SEED-Forms within it. Something drew her to this mysterious new planet of SEED, as if it was calling out to her. It was then that she remembered some top-secret information that the Guardians had located a new planet-sized HIVE recently, and identified this place as Rykros.
She had no idea why she was being called there, but knew she had to get on board with one of the initial scouting teams. She spoke with Denlan and Numair, asking them if they could use their Commander ranks to grant her a scouting mission on Rykros. It didn't take long for Headquarters to approve this request, mentioning that Chelsea could've asked on her own behalf due to her stellar performance record. Her best friend Kietrinia demanded she take her along, and together they traveled to the dark planet Rykros.
Child of Light
Upon arrival, Chelsea immediately felt a calling again, guiding her toward the source of the calling. But Rykros was an extremely dangerous place--the atmosphere was near-inhospitable, the SEED-Forms were extremely powerful, and traps lay at every turn. But together, Chelsea and Kietrinia protected eachother and pressed farther within the giant HIVE.
Eventually they came to a dead end, with a locked door. Chelsea could feel the calling extremely close now, and decided the source was behind that very door. Given that she was called here, she had an idea. Placing her hand on the terminal, it recognized her presence and the door opened only for her. Chelsea promised she'd be right back, and left Kit to protect the doorway. Inside this room, Chelsea saw what appeared to be a huge grouping of Gra-photons. It spoke through her head that this being was the "Great Light," and that the coming of Rykros meant that a being known as Dark Force was going to soon return after 1000 years. The Great Light had chosen Chelsea as one of a group of "Lightbearers," those that would stand against the powers of Dark Force, and that she had been chosen as soon as she saw Mattias murdered. The Great Light gave her the option of forgetting this ever happened and leaving, but Chelsea didn't give it a single second thought. She wanted to fulfill her role as a Lightbearer and fight against this Dark Force, knowing that this was what she had been hunting all along, the source of all evil in Gurhal.
A beam of light appeared over Chelsea, as she was infused with Gra-photons from the Great Light. Another group of Gra-photons banded together and formed into a beautiful bow known as the Rikauteri. The Great Light said that Chelsea had been bestowed the title "Child of Light," and she immediately felt her Technics improve in power, as well as the power of this new bow.
Chelsea vowed to hunt down Dark Force and destroy it, but the Great Light explained it wouldn't be that easy. There are many fragments of Dark Force in existence, and her task was to eliminate the one currently within the Gurhal system. The Great Light could not pinpoint it, but a likely residence would be one of the Unification Points on the planets of Gurhal.
Meeting back up with Kietrinia, Chelsea demonstrated her new powers in the escape from Rykros. She discovered she had access to many powerful Technics now, even the Sacred Technic, Giresta. She used this skill to heal their injuries in full, and converted her own life energy into a powerful blast of light to clear the way back. This high-level Technic was known as Regrant, and Kit was absolutely astonished to see a Guntecher with that sort of power. As the two left Rykros, Kietrinia had her brother Numair arrange a meeting to decide their next move.
Darkness over Mellvore
Chelsea and Kietrinia waited at the Holtes City Flyer Base for Numair to pick them up with Saphris. Chelsea reflected on what has happened up until now, realizing she was chosen by the Great Light, and began to understand some of the unexplained occurences that had taken place. The SEED-Virus couldn't take her because of the Great Light's protection, and whatever came over her when she struck down SEED-Miktran must have been the Great Light's power. She also reasoned that Miktran must have been a chosen one of Dark Force, allowing Miktran to develop such a powerful strain of SEED-Virus, which created the super-powerful SEED-forms on HIVE Nazou, including the nearly invincible Dulk Fakis there. It stood to reason that perhaps the Illuminus in its entirety was being driven by Dark Force's ambitions. The great conflict between light and dark was using Chelsea as a catalyst, and she fully accepted this fate. But if the Great Light was fighting through the Lightbearers, where was Dark Force...?
Saphris finally docked at the Holtes Flyer Base, and when Chelsea and Kit boarded, they found Numair, Denlan, and Quinn waiting for them. Chelsea explained what happened to her at Rykros, and explained what had to be done, enthralled that she had so many friends willing to help her. Numair seemed a little reluctant to go on, but Kit did her best to urge him along. Numair mentioned that several sweeps of the different Unification Points showed an odd grouping of Megi-photons within the one in Lake Denes, near old Mellvore city. Chelsea presumed Dark Force was trying to intensify its power by using the energy of the confinement systems, and if it was within the system itself, they would have to attack it from within the Relics site. Numair dropped Chelsea, Denlan, and Quinn off at Lake Denes while he and Kietrinia continued to scout out the Unification Point itself from Saphris.
Gates of Denikaya
Chelsea, Denlan, and Quinn gazed up at the huge Unification Point jutting up from Lake Denes. This was known as the "Gates of Denikaya," a tool used to fight back against the original SEED-form assault on Gurhal. The first time its activation was attempted, something went horribly wrong and a great explosion wiped out the city of Mellvore. During the SEED invasion, Ethan Waber's group and Dr. Tomrain successfully activated this confinement system from within the Lake Denes Relics site. But what was meant to protect Gurhal was now being used to breed more terror in the form of Dark Force. Wasting no time, the group headed down into the Relics site.
A few rooms in, the group heard an explosion coming from the entrance. Turning around, Denlan spotted an Illuminus soldier and quickly took him out. Did the Illuminus somehow know of Chelsea's ambitions? Had Dark Force somehow communicated with the Illuminus? Whatever the reason, the group knew they were after Chelsea, and they took off running. Chelsea led the way, while Quinn and Denlan took the rear to protect Chelsea from the continual flow of Illuminus soldiers. While having to deal with the Illuminus, the Strateria within the Relics was also trying to prevent them from going any further, but Chelsea used her newfound powers to help them along. However, the group eventually came to a dead end in the chamber where a De Ragnus once made its nest, and were held at gunpoint by a large group of Illuminus soldiers. Chelsea could blow them away with a strong enough blast of Regrant, but it would drain a lot of her life force. Seeing no other option, Chelsea executed a large Regrant blast anyway, eliminating what remained of the Illuminus force. She felt weak at first, but found the energy to cast Giresta. She then opened the doorway to the confinement system the same way she unlocked the door on Rykros.
At the top of a spiral path, the group found the confinement system that activated the Gates of Denikaya, which was now directly above them. Chelsea knew it was all up to her at this point, and asked Denlan and Quinn to wait for her outside the Relics. Denlan was hesitant, but Chelsea promised him she'd return. With that, Chelsea used the Great Light's power to invoke four beautiful wings, and flew up into the Gates of Denikaya. Inside, she had to battle many powerful SEED-forms, no doubt spawns of Dark Force, but her Rikauteri was able to make short work of them. After what seemed like hours of traveling to the top of the Unification Point, she eventually entered a pitch-black chamber, and felt the darkest presence she had ever felt. This could only be one thing.
The Incarnation of Devil
Taking the Rikauteri in her hands, Chelsea stepped forward into the dark, silent chamber. She heard someone calling out to her, asking her to take his hand. Chelsea recognized the voice as....Mattias? He asked her to come with him, to run away from this place and live together forever beyond the flow of time, but Chelsea was not amused. She saw right through Dark Force's trick and blasted the apparition of Mattias with an arrow from the Rikauteri. As he faded, Chelsea demanded Dark Force show itself, and she felt the entire Unification Point rumble. What she didn't realize was what Denlan, Quinn, Numair, and Kietrinia were witnessing outside. All the Megi-photons from the Gates of Denikaya were being purged and were taking the form of an enormous demon within the ruins of Mellvore!
Chelsea invoked her wings and flew to the ruined city, where she met up with Denlan and Quinn already battling what seemed to be the true incarnation of Dark Force, but were clearly no match for Dark Force's full power. Chelsea did everything she could to keep them healed with Giresta as they attacked the demon. Numair dropped off Kietrinia to join the fray, as he circled from above and attacked Dark Force via Saphris. Dark Force seemed unfazed even with everyone attacking it at once, but the group pressed on with every ounce of energy they had, with Chelsea's healing being the only reason anyone could survive such incredible power. Even though this fight seemed hopeless, Chelsea knew she couldn't give up no matter what. But after what seemed like an eternity of fighting against this demon, it eventually did show signs of weakening, and as it realized its losing position, Dark Force took off into the stratosphere. Numair communicated that he was going to pursue it, but Chelsea said that this was up to her to finish, and so she invoked her wings and flew after it.
Dark Force waited for Chelsea, flying just outside the atmosphere of Parum. Chelsea eventually came face to face with it, using the Great Light's protection to allow her to exist here. Chelsea cried out that she wasn't going to let Dark Force bring harm to anyone else, but was met with an enormous, direct blast of dark power. Chelsea invoked a shield, but it could not stand up to such power forever, as she felt it slowly disinigrate against the blast. Her wings began to become fried by this power, and slowly, she was losing hold of her barrier. But she saw all the children at the shelter in her head, she saw Denlan, and all her friends, all those she vowed to protect, and dispelled Dark Force's blast. In her weakened state she was beginning to fall back to the planet, but in a last-ditch effort, she asked the Great Light for the strength she used to defeat SEED-Miktran with, and she felt her Rikauteri charge up. She blasted Dark Force with the same arrow of light she used against SEED-Miktran, but her devotion took over and she just endlessly shot these arrows through Dark Force, giving more power than she had left in her. It tried to retaliate, but as Chelsea exhausted the last ounce of her strength, she shot one final blast from the Rikauteri as she fell back into the atmosphere of Parum, shouting that this one was for Mattias. This arrow became embedded in Dark Force, and the demon exploded in a shower of Megi-photons.
Tonightless
Chelsea passed out as she fell back to Parum, with her Rikauteri forming a barrier around her to protect her from re-entry. But it couldn't hold on forever. Her wings were burning up in the atmosphere, and slowly the Rikauteri began to disinigrate as it used up its power to keep Chelsea alive. As she floated gently to the shore of Lake Denes, her charred wings faded and her Rikauteri was no more. She lay there tattered and beaten, as the group rushed to her aid. Denlan carried her in his arms to the Saphris, and they got her to the nearest hospital in Holtes as soon as they could.
Kietrinia was allowed to join the doctors as they tried to heal Chelsea's injuries, as she provided very high-level healing Technics. Denlan paced outside the operating room for what seemed like hours, when a doctor finally emerged from the room and asked Denlan if he could speak to him alone.
The doctor said he had something to tell Denlan, but the impatient Guntecher had had enough and demanded the doctor just come out with it already. He hoped for a simple status update, but the doctor stood in a brief silence. He then looked up.
"I'm sorry, sir. She's gone."
Epilogue: Hope
"I knew you could do it, Chelsea."
Mattias sat in the middle of an ethereal field under a tree, looking up at Chelsea, both reverted to their childhood. Chelsea walked up to him and took his hand, asking him what was going on. Mattias explained that the Great Light was giving it everything it had in order to restore enough life energy back into her body to keep her alive, and in the meantime had granted the two this one chance to formally say farewell. Chelsea had so much she wanted to say, yet no words came out. Mattias simply held her, thankful to be with his best friend again, and told her he was proud of her. Hearing that made her break into tears, as she reflected on everything she had been through. For him, she stood against powerful SEED-Forms, the Illuminus, and Dark Force itself. And for her, her battle was finally over. She felt total peace for the first time since the night Mattias was murdered.
But Mattias explained that what Chelsea confronted was merely a fragment of the true Dark Force, and it was up to the Lightbearers to continue to suppress its manifestations should it chose to begin another uprising. Other shards of Dark Force were still present in the Gurhal System, such as the one within Memoria Draconis, the minds of the Illuminus, and the very source of Rykros itself, but each Lightbearer must carry his or her individual burden and Chelsea had finished hers. She vowed to protect not just the children in the Holtes City shelter, but every living being in Gurhal. They smiled at eachother, as a bright light appeared behind Chelsea. Saying goodbye one last time, she left the field.
Denlan sat out by Raffon Lakeshore as a beautiful sunset filled the sky, staring out at Holtes City. Suddenly his life felt incomplete without Chelsea around, and Kietrinia echoed his sentiment. In mid-thought, he was startled by a bright light behind him, and when he turned around, he couldn't even move. It was Chelsea, who simply smiled and ran into his arms, as he picked her up and swung her around playfully. They held eachother, and for the first time, just enjoyed the sunset together without worry of anything else.
Chelsea stayed with the Guardians, maintaining much of her power as the Child of Light, until eventually retiring and devoting more time to the children's shelter. She felt this was her ultimate calling as a Lightbearer, and she and Kietrinia continued to spread a message of love and peace throughout the Gurhal System. Chelsea's deeds were never forgotten within the Guardians.
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Originally Posted by Xaeris
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