A World of Versus [Ms_Muffintops]

[Frostsch]

It was difficult to say when humans had come about. When the deities of the universe were born from the void, the humans were already present, aimlessly roaming the earth. Despite being far more ancient than the gods themselves, the humans were powerless. They held no power or control over others, much less themselves. Marveled by this strange paradox, the deities looked down upon the humans and enacted tragedies upon them. Some had sent floods to wash them away, while others sent monsters to consume the humans. Yet, no matter how much they toyed with the humans, they would not feel pain. They would simply continue existing for as long as the gods allowed them to, serving as empty puppets for the gods' eternal show.

Among the deities was a young goddess named Etro. Etro was not fond of mankind. Such a simple-minded species did not deserve to exist. So, Etro began to purge the humans, granting them the curse of death. Yet when humans finally began to die, something strange happened to them. They began to... feel. As the gods enacted tragedies upon the humans, they began to act in strange ways that they could no longer predict. They began to resist the gods' plays, and mourn for the death of other humans. The gods, enraged that they could no longer contain these humans, banished Etro into the afterlife with the humans. In her dying moments, Etro shattered her heart into four pieces, called crystals, and gifted it to mankind to protect themselves from the other deities. As her corpse laid decaying in darkness, she would weakly call the souls of dying humans and welcome them into the afterlife.

---Ten thousand years later---

A lone speck in the night sky glittered like gold, casting down upon the foresaken people. The Kingdom of Lucis was no more than a single city, but a grand city nonetheless. It was called Insomnia, the City that Never Sleeps.

"Sino," A voice called out.
"Sino," It repeated.
"Sino!"

The black-haired male slowly opened his eyes, glancing through his black strands of hair. He was in the backseat of a luxurious car that was driving towards the capital building of Lucis. The male folded his arms and glanced outside the window. Among the skyscrapers were large armadas of airships sailing through the skies. They all were headed to the same place that he was.

"Our esteemed guests from Niflheim are here?" The black-haired male asked, lookng back over the the driver.
"Ah, you're finally up, Sino. Niflheim has made the terms of peace quite clear. With it, we'll finally be free to open our borders once more." The driver said in a low voice.
"You don't sound too sure of yourself." Sino glanced out the window once more. He raised one leg and rested the ankle on his other knee. "The peace treaty is too generous. We've fighting a losing war, and Niflheim only asks for a small sum of gold. They don't want anything - my father's death, the crystal, nor the city." Sino pursed his lips, as if trying to make out what the evil empire was planning. Was it really okay to surrender to them?

---One hour later---

A formal ball was held on the skyscraper across from the capital building. There, fancy-dressed nobles sipped their cocktails and shared stories. Nobles from all over the world were attending the ball in order to witness this historic event. Simply by glancing through the glass windows, they would be able to see the platform that the King of Lucis and the Emperor of Niflheim would use to sign the peace treaty. While many nobles tried to approach Sino to gain his favor, he mostly kept to himself. Instead, the black-haired male found himself glancing out the window, looking uneasily at the shimmer of gold light from the sky.

"What are you staring at, Prince Sino?" A nobleman asked, glancing at the sky and noticing nothing strange in particular.
"Do you see it?" Sino asked.
"See what?" The nobleman inquired.

The black-haired male walked away from the nobleman, leaving him rather confused by the Prince's quirky attitude.
​

 

[Ms_Muffintops]

It was the first time the future Oracle had left the country since her memories could serve her. According to her father they used to pay visits to the royal family of Lucis quite often, however, that was long ago. As rose colored eyes peered down at the city of Insomnia, little glimmers of memories could be seen entering her mind, but quickly faded. Lily was but a small child when her family surrendered their kingdom to the Niflheim empire through the false hope of an alliance, and per their treaty, Tenebrae was to cease allegiance to Lucis. However, the tension would not be as thick as either nation's had with Niflheim. As far as the citizen's and outside countries were concerned, Tenebrae was as good as gone.

It was the most prestigious event to make headlines in decades. Outside surrounding the capitol building were crowds of common folk and the media hoping to catch a glimpse of royal families from each nation accompanied by a crowd of witnesses made up of diplomats and nobility. Amongst them was Lily Nox Fleuret, the princess of Tenebrae, future Oracle, and rumored soon to be fiance to the heir of the Niflheim empire. If it were up to her, that rumor would be nothing but that. A rumor.

The walk up to the building was one of a sensory overload. Lights flashing before her eyes, and flocks of journalists bombarding the velveteen rope that kept them away from the royal families. Incoherent words were shouted at her and her family only to quickly turn their attention over to other famous passersby. Soldiers from both the Lucian and Niflheim army lined the red carpet, ready should anyone try anything.

Once inside, there was a sudden change in tone. The heavy doors silenced the outsiders. A small orchestra played soft melodies and brightened the mood in the room. A grand chandelier delicately lit the entire place, leaving a pattern of twinkles on the ceiling and marble floor below it. The men were dressed in their standard tuxedos proudly accented with colors of their nation, and the women graced the floor in elegant gowns. The princess of Tenebrae turned heads as she graced the floor in a soft blue gown that hugged her feminine form. Her ash brown hair laid over her shoulder in soft waves. Many would say Lily was a sight to behold, but rumor had it that she had inherited her mother's bold tongue which was most unfavorable to prospective suitors.

"Oh my, what a lovely dress, who is it?" some woman inquired as she approached the young woman. Her gaze turned in the woman's direction... it was a lady she did not recognize. Did she not have the decency to at least introduce herself first? Every single event, all evening, that was all people asked her... trivial questions about her appearance, gossip, and intrigue. Such was the life of a princess.

"Who? I'm not wearing anyone. I may be a princess but what kind of monster makes a gown out of a person? And I certainly do not feel such an attachment to material items that I feel a need to name them...," she teased with a smirk before wandering off. Here she was, the future Oracle, a highly educated woman, a woman being sold to the Niflheim empire, a future queen, and all they wanted to know was who made her dress. Was anyone around here worth talking to?

 

[Frostsch]

Sino could hear the sound of quiet conversation quickly transform into gossip. Women spoke with delighted tones, while men chuckled in the background. The black-haired male turned over and caught sight of a beautiful girl. Her lovely brunette hair flowed perfectly, with some strands hugging the front of her shoulders. Her blue gown was simple in comparison to the other nobles, yet somehow much more elegant. He could feel his cheeks begin to warm, and his limbs tingle slightly from the colder air. Yet when Sino caught himself gawking over the girl, he immediately peeled his eyes away and told himself, she's probably just another noble of the Niflheim Empire. He slipped his hands into his dress pants and walked towards a large painting hung against one of the walls which depicted Etro. Etro, the Goddess of Death, was worshipped regularly in Insomnia. Just behind the portrait was the ray of light being cast down from the night sky. The golden lights, shimmering in the sky, was always there. Sometimes, the light would speak to Sino if he looked at it long enough.

"...Who are you?" A voice called out to him. The male pursed his lips. No matter how many times he answered it, the voice would always ask him the same question. Rather than humor the voice, Sino turned his back to the ray of light.
"I could be asking you the same thing." He replied.

The young prince spotted the same brunette beauty, who was garnering a small crowd around her. After a series of compliments, the girl immediately lashed back at the nobles with sarcasm. Why, who would wear a human being? What body part could even be used to make a wonderful dress such as hers? He smiled, just slightly, at her comment. She quickly dispelled the crowd and was headed in his direction. She looked frustrated.

Sino stepped towards the brunette as she walked in his direction, before continuing to walk with her alongside the outer edge of the ball. "You've got quite the tongue... Smart mouthing those nobles and all." Sino did his best to look barely interested by keeping his eye contact away from hers. His eyes gazed blankly at the glass walls. "It's rare to find someone so bitter at a celebratory event. You're one of the Nox Fleuret kids, right?" He turned his head over to her.

"Sino Lucis Caelum, Prince, and upcoming one-hundred fourteenth king of Lucis, at your humble service." He said in a playful tone, before bowing at her.​

 

[Ms_Muffintops]

A brow cocked at the first sound of his voice. Here to make snide remarks, was he? Bitter. She wasn't bitter. Well, maybe a little. But she was mostly bored. No one was interested in the princess of Tenebrae's presence. At this point she was nothing more than a bargain; The throne belonged to her brother. With a hand on her hip, Lily decided to give the man the benefit of the doubt and listen to him as he engaged her. There was something different about him. Lily hadn't seen him earlier on in the evening. Now that she was looking at him, he did look familiar.

Her eyes widened at the mention of his name, and her jaw laid slightly agape. So that's who he was: Prince Sino. With a soft smile, Lily gave him a nod and a gracious bow.

"I almost didn't recognize you," she confessed, "Perhaps you don't recall having ever met me. I do remember meeting you a few times when we were children. You uh, were obviously smaller, as was I."

Her eyes scanned him from head to toe. Sino was dressed rather sharply, to be expected for royalty. Good genes as the royalty of this world tended to have left him with quite the handsome looks.

"To be honest, the media doesn't do you justice," she added with a chuckle, "I've seen you featured on television. But seeing you in person finally after all these years... I still mistook you for a complete stranger."

 

[Frostsch]

Unlike Lily, Sino had almost no recollection of his apparent childhood friend. The black-haired male pursed his lips, tightening the grip on his crossed arms. "Forgive me for not recalling you. There has been a lot on my mind, being the next-in-line to combat Nifelhiem. I'm sure I've repressed a lot of memories. Like the time when I stopped a solar eclipse, or the time when I slew a behemoth with my feet. Or, like when I met you." Sino joked humorously, gently pressing two fingers against the side of his head and forming his hand into a gun. The Prince was cautious not to be overly hostile to the people of the Empire. Sure, Tenebrae maintained some of its autonomy, but Lucis education had painted most of the map as belonging to the Empire's rule. Especially after hearing about the King of Tenebrae's compliance to the Empire, it was hard to see them as a separate people. In this way, Sino was already suspicious of the beautiful girl. But, he couldn't let her know that. If she was acting all in an attempt to befriend him, then he would do the same to her. It was the entire peace treaty with the Empire that just didn't sit right to him. Why would the Empire decide on a treaty after being on the brink of victory?

"I could say the same about you, Lily Nox Fleuret. I'm sure I would've remembered such a charming girl. It's a shame we've been enemies for all these years. I might've actually considered suitoring you." Oh, what a silly concept that was. A prince, a king-to-be, serving as a simple suitor for the princess of Tenebrae.

Quiet music came on in the background. The sound of a female voice came on, singing in an ancient language, latin, while powerful tunes would send shivers down the spines of those who had yet to hear of Lucian music. The handsome prince extended his hand out towards her, slightly tilting his head. His hair gently swayed just barely in his eyes. "Care for a dance? I do hope to sway you towards the appeal of the Lucian men." He lightly chuckled.

As he came closer to the girl, she would see his crystal blue eyes grow brilliantly, lighting up the darkness of the city. "What do you think of this peace, Lily? Do you think that we'll finally restore order to the world? That humans will no longer have to fight over the crystal?" He sounded casual, and almost interested in her opinion, but in truth, he was judging her. He wanted to know how little he could trust her, and how close she was to the Empire's philosophy.

In the background, hidden in the veil of heavy clouds, was a large armada of flying airships. These large airships, large and bulky, approached the tall skyscrapers without being detected. With no barrier in place, it was clear from the looks of it - whoever owned these airships was not looking for any sort of peace.​