ROC: Shujiri Reborn

RoK Chronicles:  Shujiri Reborn

Shujiri floated serenely through the nothingness of the Void.  He couldn't feel his body - indeed, it didn't exist any longer.

Huh.  Is this what it's like to truly die?  What happened to Rune-Midgard?  I don't understand what's going on, but I'm okay with that, I guess.

A piercing light broke through the emptiness surrounding him, and his body took on form again, outlined by the light.  Are you truly ready to give up so soon, my warrior?  A familiar voice asked from somewhere inside his mind.

In a flash, he was suddenly standing on the ground in the middle of a beautiful garden.  Flowers of every color, size, and variety (including many he'd never seen before) surrounded him, lightly scenting the air with a heavenly fragrance.  In the distance he could see a palace made from the whitest marble he'd ever seen.

Puzzled, Shujiri pushed aside a lock of his dark blue bangs.  "Valhalla?"

"Indeed, child."

Turning around, Shujiri saw the form of a woman, more beautiful than any he'd ever seen before.  Her long flowing hair seemed to levitate slightly - upon further inspection Shujiri noticed that her whole body was floating.  His eyes took in every inch of her body, from her feet up to her face - which he swore he knew.  Suddenly he realized who he was in the presence of, and dropped to one knee.

"Milady Freya." He said reverently, bowing his head.

Freya's feet gently touched the ground, and she walked over to him, her footsteps not making a sound as they moved across the supple grass of the garden floor.  Gently she pulled his head up to look at her.

"Honestly, my child.  Do you think you need to avert your eyes from me?  After all you have done in my service you have nothing to fear."  Her lilting voice sent waves of soothing calm through his very soul.

"But milady, I am an assassin.  My hands, even my very soul, are stained with blood.  I do not deserve to look upon one so pure as you."

Freya's laughter rang out like a bell across the grounds of the garden.  "Do not think me so pure as to avoid taking up the sword myself.  I have taken just as many lives, if not many more.  When you took up your blade, did you even once do it for personal gain?"

Shujiri shook his head, his long bangs falling over the left side of his face again.  "No, milady.  I wield my katar for the people of Rune-Midgard, and in the name of the goddess Freya."  Shujiri thought a moment, then asked, "Milady, what happened to Rune-Midgard?  The last thing I remember, I was fighting off monsters in the Tower of Thanatos, and then I was floating in an endless Void."

Freya nodded her head sadly.  "The Rune-Midgard you speak of has fallen to the forces of evil.  Mayhaps one day we can restore it to its former glory.  But it is only one of many such worlds.  This is why I have brought you here, Shujiri."

Shujiri stood and tilted his head. "I'm afraid I do not understand, milady."

Freya turned to gaze into the center of one of the nearby flowers.  "The universe is comprised of many different worlds.  All similar, but none identical.  These worlds are all known as Rune-Midgard, though they are distinguished by the gods with other names.  The Rune-Midgard you have come from was called Void.  As it's name suggests, it was closest to the Void at the edge of the universe."  She turned back to Shujiri.  "It cannot be redeemed at this point.  So I have pulled you from that world, and am sending you to a different Rune-Midgard.  But I felt I owed at least one of you an explanation."

"One of...?"  Shujiri shot her a questioning glance.

"I've moved the souls of many of your comrades, as well.  However, most of them will have little-to-no memory of Void." She smiled mischievously, "In fact, only one smart-mouthed little bird will even remember that Rune-Midgard as Void."

Shujiri smiled fondly.  He didn't need any other description to know Freya was referring to Pharin, his friend Ghebriel's mouthy homunculus, who had no problem telling everyone and anyone who'd listen exactly what was on his mind.  Shujiri looked up at the azure sky.

"So why pull me out and explain all this to me?  Surely there are other, stronger and smarter warriors you could entrust with this information."

"Of course there are.  And more experienced as well, I assure you."  She laid a hand on his shoulder.  "But none more honest, or devoted to his friends and his ideals.  You are by far the best choice for this."

Shujiri blushed at the unexpected praise, a reaction he was most certainly not used to.

"Now," Freya clapped her hands together, and a whirlwind started to form around Shujiri, "I am sending you to RoK Rune-Midgard.  You will find a few of your old friends are already there.  Some may have changed a bit, and some will look exactly the same." The whirlwind gained intensity, and Shujiri struggled to keep his eyes focused on his guardian deity.  "However, few of them will remember more than snippets of their lives in Void.  One thing they will never forget, though - their friends.  So seek them out.  They will give you strength, just as you will strengthen them."  The whirlwind grew so fierce Shujiri was forced to close his eyes, as the maelstrom tore at his clothing, shredding it.  He heard Freya's last words to him echo in his mind - You will become stronger than you ever were in Void.  Make me proud, my warrior.  Then the world went black.

When he awoke, Shujiri was in the middle of a town he'd never seen before.  Spotting a guard, he asked where he was.

"Ah, a new adventurer, eh?  Welcome to RoK City!  Adventure capital of Rune-Midgard.  We have many amenities for novices, including a job changer, and a training room, where..."

Shujiri gradually tuned the man out, as he went on to describe the architecture and history of the city.  Glancing down at his clothing, he realized he was a Novice again, though thank the goddess, he was a High Novice, and wouldn't have to go through rebirth again.  He tried recalling his favorite skills and found that none would come to mind.  Hanging his head, he decided it was time to start training again...