The Stars Told Me So (Intro)

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

The Stars Told Me So
Introduction: A Nation's Grief


Our world has been ripped, torn apart by war: a meaningless massacre strewn throughout the continent of Gaitt. We were plunged into the dark underbellies of hardship, engulfing the souls and hearts of the guilty and innocent alike. For war you see, doesn't really give the souls of the innocent much choice. Many said that this violent struggle could have been avoided if one party agreed to a treaty of peace and mutual concessions; many had argued that an outbreak of war was unavoidable between the continent's two strongest powers. However, opinions mattered not in this cruel conflict, in this raging pandemonium. People had to fight, a nation had to be divided, alliances crumbled and loved ones were separated, lost to the uglies of senseless violence.

This land had fallen to Greed.

Its people submitted to Pride.

The City of Aquios was located in the continent's northern region: the pride and joy, the capital of the Kingdom Aquaria, home to Her Majesty Romeria Zim Emurelle and the church of Apris. This kingdom served as the home for the largest, most advanced runological lab in the sovereignty as well as the Great Temple of Apris - a sacred site for devout pilgrims. There lived peaceful folk, humble in worship and surrounded and protected by the land's beauty and prosperity.

As opposed to this prosperous and holy land, high up in the snowy mountains' fortress, stood the Royal City of Airyglyph, the centre of governance for the Kingdom of Airyglyph, and home to his majesty Arzei. In this cold and frigid climate, resided great legendary beings called Air Dragons, safely and warmly nestled within castle walls, breeding, breathing, waiting.

Airyglyph was ready for war.

Airyglyph was jealous and immensely frustrated by the unfairness of it all, driven on by an invisible entity called desperation. They wanted Aquaria lands, its prosperity, and its bountiful and ever-flowing wealth; because you see, its people were suffering. The rich became poor and the poor became even poorer; the satisfied grew hungry and the hungry starved. The cold was killing its populace gravely by huge numbers. So was the unfortunate situation which befell this wintry kingdom, escalating significantly in the preparation of war. Airyglyph demanded the holy lands, wanted, needed to feed its people, strived for total territorial dominance, but were strongly opposed by the Aquarians. Aquaria claimed that Apris had blessed their lands and that this blessing, this privilege was beholden to no one but the almighty's followers alone. Their defiance however, only proved to make the already strained situation worse. Both parties couldn't see eye to eye. Calm reasoning were reaching its limits, fierce disagreements turned to international disputes, and disputes evolved into physical and intentional acts of violence between the two sides, until the possible idea of truce could no longer be reached.

Airyglyph readied their units: The Dragon Brigade lead by Lord Vox, The Storm Brigade led by Count Waltar, and The Black Brigade led by the notorious Albel Nox; all of which were fearful and formidable opponents. In response to that, Aquaria dispatched their troops: The Aquaria Runological Unit led by Clair Lasband, The Aquaria Army, and The Secret Legion led by Nel Zelpher of the Crimson Blade.

After the events of the Aquor-Greeton war, it was truly unfortunate that we were left to the same fate. Gaitt's peace was threatened once more; yet another war was afoot. Our world had never been so bleak, torn by the actions, the hands of humanity. This was not the time for cowardice, not a single man retreats, least we suffer from the weight of an utter humiliating defeat. This was a turning point in our lives, this was where animosity took the place of gaiety and blitheness, this was when we had to put the past behind us and learn to be strong, and this was when the youthful displays of imaginative heroism had to come to an end. We were fighting a real battle of survival, not re-enacting the life and times of Robin Hood and his band of merry men. It was time to put those wooden swords away and pick a better poison, a more reliable compadre.

Neville Zelpher, chief intelligence officer of Aquaria long past: a great leader, a formidable combatant, and also my father. Killed in action, he passed this position down to me and somehow, I'll be lying if I said that I didn't expect the possibility of a similar fate. I didn't want those children to be involved more than they already were, whether they knew it or not.

The gravel beneath my feet shifted, my footsteps fell to a reluctant drag. The Lost City of Surferio was fast approaching and it pained me, tugged at my heartstrings that this inevitable farewell had to take place. It was much too soon for my liking. Today would be our last adventure. Today would be their first passage into maturity and the reality of a world's cruel spite; today they will learn to be real men. Gone were the moments of heart-felt merriment; gone were the days when I participated in their fantasy realm of heroic antics, watched them grow.

"Nel! Nel! Hey guys! Nel's here!"

I distinctively heard they jubilant cry of one of my fellow "heroes", unable to help the smile, which graced my lips as he was soon followed by his gang of five. He scurried over as fast as his short legs could carry him, stumbling over once in a while and occasionally blinded by his helmet, which looked twice the size of his head. The young Menodix tripped and fell forward with an unceremonious "Oof!", only to rise quickly to grin up at me.

"Nel! Nel! Nel!"

By now, the young child was joined by his group of friends. I offered them all a warm smile, kneeling down to their eye level. They had all come and were as ready and eager as always: Lucien, Vellion, Dribe, Lezard, Melt, and Roger. I patted the youngest of the lot on the head.

"Hello, boys, ready for another exciting adventure?"

I hoped the little perk of my voice sounded convincing enough.

Choruses of "Yeah!" resounded from the little mischief-makers as they reached for their respective weapons. I watched them with a lingering twinge of regret, hating the prospect of war more and more. There was a heightening doubt on my part of revealing the whole truth to them. I couldn't bear to. I still wanted to continue my position as "Lieutenant Nel", a role these children had given me during our first "manly adventure". I still wanted to explore Lezard's potential in alchemy; wished to teach Melt so much more in the art of Runology; longed to continue coaching Lucien, Dribe and Vellion in the field of defence and combat; but more than anything else, I pleaded with Apris to extend my time here just a little longer to aid Roger in getting his "healing" abilities right.

Sure, the kid was exceptionally proficient with the axe and his little landmines, but for some strange reason, there seemed to be rumours going around that the civilians would flee by the mere mention of the word "healing", especially when it was associated with the name "Roger S. Huxley". I would coax him to keep trying, but he would always grumble something along the lines of "healing" being a "girl's job" and "swords and stuff" were "for men only". I always found his subsequent blush comical when I had to unsheathe my daggers to prove my point. As far as I was concerned, the art of healing required more skill and willpower than wielding the finest of weaponry. It honed focus, required absolute awareness, and strengthened the sight of the mind. Besides, not many humanoids possessed this natural inclination towards such an art. Neglecting such potential would be an immense waste. Granted, he wasn't good at it; but for an individual outside the fields of Runology to possess such an ability... who knew what else Roger could pick up?

I patted said boy's head fondly and smirked. I loved them all from the bottom of my heart, had always and will always do, but was there anything wrong in having a particular favorite?

"Aw, Nel! Quit it would ya?"

"You're a man; you can take it!"

They laughed as I smiled, but the more I smiled the more empty I felt on the inside, and I wondered if this was how a mother felt when she watches her children grow up and slowly begin to leave her. Or rather, she leaving them. And it dawned on me there and then: this would be the last time I would ever see these children again.