Garuda arc
Emilia Pov
Do you know what it's like flying above the clouds? And I don't mean in airships. I mean actually flying up in the sky. To me and my people, it's a feeling like no other. Up there I feel alive. I feel free from all my worries and sorrows. Like I don't have a care in the world. That is what my people represent in this world. That is what the Guardians of Esos represented.
Freedom.
Above the clouds lies a floating city known as the kingdom of Ventus. Founded by the late god of wind, Zephyrus, he founded the kingdom to rule the skies as his domain. A race of bird and humanoid type creatures known as the avians were his descendants as well as the first children of the sky. The race that came after were hybrids between the avian and human races known as the Garuda.
Both served a purpose in Zephyrus' army so therefore he would create the two tribes of the kingdom of ventus. The Avian and Garuda tribes. Fearsome warriors feared by man since the dawn of time. With their enhanced vision, strength and speed moving faster than the speed of light, they are one of the most deadly races in esos. And most definitely the fastest as well.
However, despite how powerful both tribes were, under Zephyrus' rule, the garuda were seen as lesser beings than the avians. That their human traits made them unfit to be true children of the sky. Instead Zephryus made the heartless decision of enslaving the garuda and used them as means to an end to fight against the other gods. That was the only reason he let avians mate with humans and then force their children into his army.
The garuda seeked help from the avians who they considered their fellow brothers and sisters. But the avians back then were loyal to Zephryus and thus denied the cries of help from their sister tribe. This drove a wedge between the two tribes that went on for over a thousand years.
But not all hope is lost. For one man amongst the Garuda tribe once stood against Zephryus' rule. He believed that both tribes should be equal and fight together as one. So that they may be truly free to soar through the skies together. This man was a member of the Guardians of Esos. As well as my father.
King Edwin Sylphion. The Guardian of the Skies. After Zephyrus was defeated, King Edwin declared that the two tribes should come and work together to protect the skies of esos at the royal capital. Cardinal City. A big and beautiful floating city that was once only home to Zepheryus and the avian tribe. But thanks to King Edwin's efforts, both tribes for a while managed to coexist with one another in hopes of maintaining the peace he strived to work towards.
However, Even to this day, the garuda and avian tribes are not united. Civil war still broke out between the two tribes. And as war broke out, the capital fell from the sky, leaving thousands of casualties on both sides. Including his majesty.
But King Edwin's dream is not lost. As his daughter, I, princess Emilia Sylphion, must carry on his dream. To unite both the tribes and restore the honor of my kingdom to what it once was.
Well.....easier said than done though.
***
13 Years Ago (Year: 2300)
Kingdom of Ventus
The Capital: Cardinal City
It was cloudy on that day. But I knew it was going to rain. Not because of any weather reports from the news though. In Ventus, outside of the technology we use to communicate with other nations, we didn't have stuff like tv's, video games, or any electronics of the sort.
We spent most of our daily activities planting our food, gauding the skies, training, aiding Midgard in their affairs and stabilizing our kingdom. My people are very old fashioned. That hasn't changed in over two thousand years but that is perfectly fine with me. I was happy with my life back there. I spent some of my childhood there soaring through the skies or training with Tenjin. Speaking of which.
After a child is born from either the Avian or Garuda tribes, it is tradition to begin their training to become warriors when they reach the age of six. As the princess of my kingdom and future heir to the throne, I had to learn how to fight even sooner than any of the children that came before me.
So my training began when I was five years old. But unlike the children that came before me, I had little to no talent to speak of. I was on my hands and knees sweating pores and taking deep breaths. The sweat falling from my face onto the grass.
"Get up princess. The fight isn't over yet."
That rough voice belonged to the strongest warrior within my father's army. Tenjin Nakamura. During this he was younger. About 30 years old. He had no beard, his hair was tied in a ponytail and his left eye was still intact. He wore his green and white warrior outfit with the kingdom's insignia on the top left side of his green breast plate.
Tenjin at the time was the head of father's royal guard as well as one of his oldest friends. Apparently he found Tenjin on the streets when he was 12 years old and took him in. He trained Tenjin to be a proper warrior of the realm and now has wanted Tenjin to do the same for me since I've become of age.
When Tenjin isn't training me he is a lot more gentle and kind with me. He was practically a big brother to me. Another person I can look up to besides my father. But when he is training me.....
It's not so fun.
"You heard me princess. Stand up. The Garuda tribe surrenders to no one. Not without a fight. Are you backing down?" Tenjin asked. I grit my teeth and looked back up at him.
"No Tenjin! I mean no master!" I shouted.
"Good then stand back up. We still have half an hour before we meet with his majesty today. And there's no way I'm going to let the future queen of this kingdom attend without showcasing the results of her training." Tenjin said.
"Even though it's on her birthday today?" I asked sarcastically.
"Especially when it's her birthday today." Tenjin said. I rolled my eyes.
"Great birthday present master. Most girls my age would want a doll or a new hair brush. But getting beat up by my mentor is fun too I guess. And painful." I said as I stood up and stretched.
"Alright, cut the attitude. You should be grateful that I'm even training you at all. You're at that age when you'll need to learn how to defend yourself. I won't always be there to protect you. You know?" Tenjin asked.
Truth be told, I was really spoiled back then that you would think that the younger me was a completely different person. I was so used to being given everything by my father that actually having to do stuff like manual labor and working hard seemed so trivial and annoying to me back then.
It was thanks to Tenjin beating all of this into my head that I toughened up and changed my attitude. Of course I felt bad for how I acted so ungrateful towards him during that first year of training, but instead of apologizing with my words. I showed it through my actions. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
"Ugh whatever. Can we please just hurry this up? Daddy said he'd make time to spend my birthday with me this time so I don't wanna be late." I whined.
"Then you better stop wasting both our time and finish your training. Otherwise we'll stay here and you can miss your own party." Tenjin said.
"What!? You can't do that!" I shouted.
"I can and I will. I got permission from his majesty." Tenjin said.
"He said that!?" I asked out of shock.
"Yep. So stop your whining and let's wrap this up. The longer you take the more time you'll miss your party." Tenjin.
"But that's not fair! Why do I have to do this stupid training now anyway? I'm the princess! I should do it whenever I feel like it!" I shouted.
"And when will that be? Tomorrow? The day after? A month from now? Never? The longer you prolong your training the more complacent you'll be at staying where you are. But hey, why should I care right? I'm not the one that needs this. So if you don't want to improve, be my guest. You are the princess of this nation after all." Tenjin said.
"No, I do want it! It's just...". I couldn't say it at first. It felt shameful to even think about it.
"Just what?" Tenjin asked.
"IT'S TOO HARD! You're bigger, stronger and faster than me! I can't even land one hit on you! I'm only five years old and I'm fighting as an adult! How am I supposed to win!?" I screamed so loudly that my voice cracked a little. And despite my efforts to hold them back, tears were rolling down my face.
"I..I don't want to quit! I don't want to bring shame to my father or my people. But..I can't do it. I can't beat you. I'm too weak." I said as I began crying. I cried and cried like a baby in front of Tenjin that day.
It was shameful behavior especially for a princess. But I couldn't help it. As spoiled as I was I still had my pride even at that age. I wanted to learn and get stronger just like my father. But the constant hurdles I had to face when learning martial arts, how to use magic, how to perform aerial combat, sparing against my mentor and all while trying to live up to the legacy of my father who is both the king and a member of the guardians, the pressure was too much.
I was being crushed. I was suffocating. And everytime another child around my age performed better than me, my insecurities continued to grow. I can feel my people's eyes on me as I perform. Even if I make one tiny slip up, I can feel their cold gaze staring down at me with amusement or disappointment.
That's why I didn't want Tenjin or my father to look at me the same way. Especially not on my 5th birthday. But before those dark thoughts could linger in my mind any further, Tenjin came up and gently placed his hand on my head.
"Listen princess, I know you think I'm being too hard on you but I'm doing this for your own good. You wouldn't be able to learn this lesson if you had spared with the other kids." Tenjin said. I stopped crying and looked up at Tenjin.
"What lesson?" I asked.
"Think about it. When I started your training, what was the first thing I said I'd teach you?" Tenjin asked.
Stolen story; please report.
"Uh, how to win?" I asked. Feeling unsure of my answer.
"That's right. But let me ask you this. How can you learn how to win without knowing what it means to fail?" Tenjin asked.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"It's true that at your age you could never beat me in a fair fight at your age. But I never wanted you to. I wanted to see what it was like to face a challenge that was too hard to accomplish. To know what it was like to lose." Tenjin explained.
"So you wanted me to just lose?" I was still confused by what Tenjin was trying to tell me.
"That's part of it. Listen Emilia, you're not always gonna win every fight or solve every problem you face. That's just how life works kid. You'll fail, and fail, and keep failing no matter how strong, fast or how smart you think you are. There will always be obstacles that you can't overcome immediately. And even then maybe you still won't for a long time. But failure in of itself isn't a bad thing." Tenjin said.
"It's not?" I asked.
"Of course not. Without failure how can we grow? How can we learn from our mistakes? You think I or his majesty have't failed many times? We're not gods Emilia. We're only people. But that's why we're still here. And why I believe in my heart that no matter how many times you'll fail, you'll get back up and try again. And you'll become a stronger person because of it." Tenjin said with a soft smile as he placed his hands on my shoulders.
I stood there in awe at Tenjin's words and felt like my spirit was being lifted up.
"You..you think I can become stronger?" I asked.
"I know you can." Tenjin said.
"Stronger than you?" I asked.
"Way stronger." Tenjin replied.
"Stronger than daddy?" I asked.
"Both I and your father believe so. Emilia, no matter what comes your way, you have to be strong. Not just here. Tenjin points shows his fist. But here too. Tenjin places his hand on his chest." Tenjin said.
I placed my hand on my chest and felt my heartbeat.
A strong heart? I thought.
"But I...I'm scared." I said in a whimper.
"That's okay. It's natural. But don't let it consume you. Even if I'm not there with you physically, you'll never be alone. No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you." Tenjin said sincerely and stood back up.
"Always?" I asked while being teary eyed.
"Always." Tenjin said gently as he reached his hand out to me.
I began crying again but quickly wiped away my tears. Now I had a serious look on my face. Determined to keep going. I nodded as I grabbed onto his hand and stood back up.
"Atta girl. Now let's get back to it. Unless you don't mind watching me eating your birthday cake later." Tenjin said jokingly.
"No way! That's my cake and mine only!' I shouted.
"Then show me what you got?" Tenjin said with a smirk. I smirked back.
"Gladly. Hya!" I shouted as I jumped forward and launched a kick towards Tenjin.
***
Republic Warship
Training Room
Year 2313
"HYA!" Emilia shouted as she jumped forward and launched a kick towards Ziera. Ziera dodged and rolled away. Ziera quickly stood back up but Emilia didn't let up. Both Ziera and Emilia were in their training outfits. Ziera with her sports bra and tight gym shorts. While Emilia wore a dark green tank top and grey yoga pants.
She relentlessly struck at Ziera but Ziera countered each and everyone of her strikes. Ziera went in for a punch but Emilia dodged and elbowed Ziera in the face.
Ziera grunted and spat out some blood. Emilia then grabbed Ziera by her hair and kneed her in the stomach. She then jumped up, wrapped her leg around Ziera's head and flipped her over and hard onto the matted floor.
Ziera grunted in pain but Emilia wasn't done. She jumped towards Ziera with the attempt to land her foot onto her but Ziera rolled away in time and stood back up.
As Ziera and Emilia circled each other, Ziera smiled and so did Emilia. Both were enjoying this a lot. Emilia went in for another punch but Ziera smacked away her fist and backhanded her in the face.
Emilia went in for a kick but Ziera caught it and elbowed Emilia in the face. As Ziera held onto Emilia's leg, she scooped her up, swung her and slammed her face into the steel wall.
"Ow!" Emilia whined.
Emilia covered her face but Ziera didn't let up. She jumped towards Emilia but Emilia dodged out of the way. She tackled Ziera onto the ground. They rolled on the matted floor but it was Emilia who ended up on top of Ziera trying to pin her.
But Ziera head butted Emilia in the face. Then she threw her off, held her arm, wrapped her legs around Emilia's neck and trapped the blonde in an arm bar. Emilia grunted trying to break free but that only made Ziera tighten her grip.
With no end in sight to this struggle, Emilia sighed and tapped Ziera's leg. Ziera released Emilia, letting her catch her breath. Ziera stood up and put a hand out to Emilia.
"Good match." Ziera said with a smile. Emilia smiled back at her.
"Thanks. Same to you." Emilia said as she grabbed onto Ziera's hand and stood up.
"So counting our fight back at the empire. I'd say that's one point for you and one for me." Ziera said as she placed her hands on her hips. Emilia laughed a bit, feeling embarrassed.
"You give me too much credit. I was mostly just trying to avoid a fight with you back then." Emilia said.
"True. I was whooping your ass pretty badly too." Ziera shrugged.
"Hey! I wouldn't say you whooped me!" Emilia shouted. Ziera laughed and gently punched Emilia's arm.
"I'm just teasing ya Em. Look, just take the win okay? You're stronger than you give yourself credit for." Ziera said. Emilia smiled. It meant a lot to her that Ziera acknowledged her.
"Thanks Ziera." Emilia said happily.
"By the way, I know you said you couldn't sleep and invited me to spar with you at 5:00 in the morning but what's the real reason behind this? Haven't seen you this amped up before." Ziera said as she sat down. Emilia sat down next to her.
"Oh, well. I um." Emilia couldn't find the words. Ziera placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Em. It's okay. Just talk to me." Ziera said gently. Emilia sighed.
"My birthday is coming up in a week. So I'm a little anxious is all." Emilia said.
"Wait seriously!? Oh Em, happy early birthday!" Ziera said.
"Thanks. I'm turning 19 and all. Whew. Time sure does fly huh?" Emilia asked.
"No kidding. To think we've all been a team for the past two weeks. Now we even have two new members on board." Ziera said.
"I know right!? Ryoka and Julia are so cool! They're so strong, courageous and beautiful! I mean hot! Fudge! I meant uh...FAST! Yeah they are sooooooo fast! LIKE WHOOSH! Hahahaha! Hehehe." Emilia laughed nervously. Her face was as red as a tomato. Ziera smirked.
"Uh huh." Ziera said. Ziera made kissing noises towards Emilia.
"S-Shut up!" Emilia shouted and lightly shoved her. Ziera laughed.
"Ahaha! Sorry but Em, are they like your first crushes ever?" Ziera asked.
"NO! Yes. Ugh!" Emilia groaned and hid her face behind her legs.
"Wow! So bloodthirsty maniacs are your fancy huh? You've got strange taste in women, Em." Ziera said jokingly. Emilia was getting annoyed by Ziera's teasing and decided to shoot back.
"Oh yeah!? Says the girl who's got a thing for the new guy!" Emilia shouted.
"WHAT!? What are you talking about!?" Ziera shouted. Now her face was tomato red.
"Oh please. Me, Henro and even Ryoka and Julia see it and they're new. You've had your eyes on Jayden for a while." Emilia pointed at Ziera.
"That is so not true! We're just friends!" Ziera shouted defensively. Emilia raised an eyebrow.
"Right. Because friends are always hugging and cuddling with each other when they think nobody's looking. Not to mention getting freaky in your bedroom." Emilia then made kissing noises toward Ziera.
"G-Getting frea-! You little! When I get my hands on you!" Ziera said angrily. She was about to throttle Emilia. Emilia shot her hands up in protest.
"Okay! Okay enough teasing. I'm sorry so let's just calm down huh?" Emilia asked.
"Hmph." Ziera sat back down in a huff.
Emilia giggled. And then she began to laugh. Ziera was about to get angry again but then saw the amusement of their little argument and began to giggle herself. Then it all bowled down into them both laughing. Eventually, they stopped laughing and relaxed on the floor.
"I'm really glad we get to have moments like these, Ziera. And I'm really glad you're still with us. When you began ascending, I was so scared. I thought we were going to lose you." Emilia said sadly.
"Em. I am so, so sorry that I put you through all of that. I should have told you about my condition. About the bomb. Everything. I didn't want you to be afraid of me. Like everyone else. So for what it's worth I'll make it up to you however long that takes." Ziera said.
"Ziera, it's okay. I wasn't angry with you, just worried. You were just trying to protect everyone. I get that. So don't worry. There's nothing to forgive. I just want us to be able to trust each other. We're friends, remember?" Emilia asked with a bright smile.
"Yeah. Always." Ziera smiled back. "And since we're good friends, mind telling me what's been really making you anxious?" Ziera asked.
"Can you pull out your phone? There's something I want to show you." Emilia said.
Ziera nodded. Her right thigh opened up and revealed a pocket which had her phone inside. She pulled it out and handed it over to Emilia. Emilia searches something up on the web and shows the screen to Ziera.
"Look at this." Emilia said. Ziera did What she requested and saw articles about Emilia's kingdom. It was all in relation to the civil war between the Garuda and Avian tribes.
Civil War in Ventus escalates.
"The Garuda Tribe surrenders to no one." -Albatross. Self appointed leader of the Garuda Faction.
Civilian casualty rate rises in Ventus.
Midgard takes in more refugees from Ventus.
Citizens of Ventus blame the sylphion royal family for the fall of their kingdom.
"Guardians. I'm so sorry Em." Ziera said.
"Sorry for what? That they're telling the truth?" Emilia said in a depressed tone.
"Stop. This isn't your fault Emilia. You're doing your best." Ziera said sternly.
"Am I? All I've been doing are missions for the republic and living comfortably on this warship while my people are out there suffering everyday. I joined the republic so that I could use my influence as the princess of Ventus to help my kingdom. So that my people can be free of this stupid civil war and not have to run to the republic just to have a roof over their heads. But I haven't done anything to help them and even if I was the Garuda and Avian tribes refuse to listen to reason. Not even Tenjin could get them to stop. The mage foundation won't hear me out because I'm too young and what's worse is I have no idea on how to solve any of this!" Emilia shouted.
"Whoa easy Em! It'll be okay. We'll figure this ou-." Ziera tried to say.
"It's not okay! None of them trust me! Not even Tenjin trusts me." Emilia started getting teary eyed.
"Oh come on that's not true Emilia." Ziera asked.
"It is. He never told me about your condition. I've known him for 13 years and he never once thought to tell me about something like this. And even he thinks I'm still not ready to act as a princess yet. But the worst part is, I don't blame him." Emilia said in defeat.
"Emilia." Ziera said with a sad tone.
"Just look at all the mistakes I've made this year. I almost got myself killed back at Lockwood, I let Henro get hurt at the Azalea Forest, Jayden almost died to those dragons because I wasn't strong enough, and you nearly ascended. Despite all my training, I feel like for the longest time that I've been...a failure." Emilia said.
"Emilia. Listen, I know how you feel. It took Ryoka kicking the crap out of me to realize how selfish I've been all this time. I have no idea how to help my people either. Hell I don't even want to try and think about trying to lead them. I can't even lead this team properly." Ziera said.
"That's not true. Ziera you're a good leader." Emilia argued.
"Being good isn't enough. All those close calls are on me. I'm one of the greatest cyborgs ever created on the planet and I made too many errors in judgment. Because I've been letting my family get in my head. Letting Zenal get in my head. I know Tenjin put his faith in me to lead and I was eager to but I didn't realize how badly Zenal broke me." Ziera said.
"But he didn't Zier-".
"Please just let me finish Emilia. Heh. You know, it's funny. All I ever wanted to do growing up was to be just like Zenal. And after he betrayed me and hurt people I cared about, I just wanted to run away and get revenge on him for what he did. I didn't care about the consequences of what could happen if I succeeded. I just wanted him gone. But after my fight with Ryoka and after Jayden saved me, I realized that my hatred for Zenal was only making me become just like him. And that scares me." Ziera said while shivering a bit.
"Ziera." Emilia said.
"Which is why I'm going to prove him wrong. Why I'm going to prove people like Odysseus and the Mage Foundation wrong. I've made mistakes but I won't let them define me. I won't become like Zenal and I will never turn my back on my people ever again. No matter what, I'm still Ziera, Princess of the Machina Empire. Just like you are Emilia, Princess of Ventus. Em, don't let what those people say define you. And if Tenjin and your people still don't trust you, then we'll prove them wrong together." Ziera said.
"But how? Tenjin is one thing but how can we prove to my people that I can help them? Let alone lead them?" Emilia asked.
"Simple. We'll show them that you are capable of leading. But we'll start small. Like with our team." Ziera suggested. Emilia immediately freaked out
"Lead the team!? Oh no, no, no, no! Ziera, I'm not qualified to lead! No way!" Emilia waved her hands.
"Don't worry I'm not asking you to lead the whole team I'll help you. Think of this as some team bonding. We'll show Tenjin that we can lead the group through some training exercises and on the way we'll both learn how to manage them so we can later lead our people in the future." Ziera explained.
"I don't know Ziera. What if I mess up?" Emilia asked.
"Then you try again. Trust me I've messed up plenty of times in my life but a certain newbie on our team told me to never give up. Maybe you should take his advice this time. I know we can do this Em. So what do you say? Ready to prove them wrong?" Ziera asked.
Emilia thought about it for a moment and slowly realized that this could be it. This could be her moment. Her moment to show that she can be as strong as Tenjin, as Ziera, as Ryoka, Julia and her father. A true warrior princess. One that her people could look up to. So with a smile and fierce look in her eyes, she grabbed Ziera's hand and stood up.
"Yeah! Let's do this!" Emilia said with new found courage.