Clouded Visions

[Shulk]

Ever since Shulk acquired the Monado, he knew that he was in control of his own future. The visions given by the ancient sword were an invaluable gift in countless situations, and through them, many horrible futures had not come to pass. And yet... the ambiguity of these visions ensured he could never be fully prepared for what the future had in store. When Shulk set out for Prison Island, where he saw himself in the future, he did not tell his companions about the very end of that premonition. The black void, the faceless man and his fragmented speech about something called the "Omniverse", and the odd looking gates in a pure white background. For the rest of the journey, Shulk pushed his uncertainty on the back-burner to concentrate on the parts the of the vision where he was battling his best friend's murderer.

And when that battle came to pass, when Shulk saw Fiora inside the shell of a faced Mechon, his entire world turned to blackness in the blink of an eye. He came to moments later, and it was unclear whether he was floating or standing upright. Every part of him felt weightless.

Where am I? W-What's going on? Shulk thought frantically, mouthing words that weren't coming out for some reason. And then, in the darkness, he saw a light. The shape of a person, a Homs, it looked like.

“My name is Omni. This is not the world you know. This is the Omniverse. You interest me, so I have made you part of it. The Omniverse is a place that reflects the wishes of those who are part of it. But! There are rules. I will explain them only once, so listen carefully."

A hundred different questions were begging to be asked, but in the presence of this man, Shulk found that it was impossible to formulate them. This person -- Omni -- he had the answers Shulk sought before he could think to ask the appropriate question, so he simply stood still and listened. When Omni held up a rainbow-colored orb, Shulk's breath caught in his throat, he could feel that there was an amazing power emanating from that sphere.

“This is Omnilium. It’s what ties the Omniverse together. Without it, you are nothing. With it, anything you desire can be yours. But you will need more than this. If you desire it enough, you will find it. You will find that using it comes naturally. Just think of what you desire most."

Something deep within Shulk ached at the mention of desire, and it might have been a trick in his eye, but Shulk could have sworn that he saw Omni's cryptic grin shift. Either up down though... that was unclear.

“You will not be alone in the Omniverse. There are others. Of course, they, too desire Omnilium. Do not fear death. For as long as you interest me, you will be reborn."

Shulk wanted to ask what exactly Omni meant by that. By now, Shulk had surmised that Omni was a god of sorts. But why would a god take any interest in him? He wasn't anything special!

“That’s all you need to know right now. You’ll figure out the rest soon enough. I’ll be watching … and waiting.”

The darkness peeled away, and Omni was lost amidst the endless white. Shulk blinked, and in front of him was a fountain, its presence was oddly calming. In his hand was a large red sword, something that looked very much alien to the young man. "What is this...?" He muttered, before looking all around him. There were gates of all shapes and sizes, some with strange looking people in front of them.

"Where am I?" Shulk said aloud to himself. He tried to remember how or why he came to this place, but trying to remember was like trying to navigate a thick fog. A few images, a word of two from unknown voices, that was all his memory could conjure. "I...I can't remember a thing, is this amnesia?" Shulk wondered.

The revelation that his memory was lost should have been unnerving, but Shulk strangely at ease. He couldn't remember why, but he knew that amnesia was caused by stress or head trauma. His head didn't feel concussed, so, logically, a large amount of stress had simply jumbled his memory up. "I'll just have to keep trying to remember how I got here," Shulk muttered, "in the meantime..." he held up the red sword. "What a strange weapon... I... I feel like I know what to call it." Scrunching his face, Shulk wracked his brain for something, any kind of term.

"The Monado!" Shulk exclaimed with glee. A sense of awe came over the boy, unconscious admiration and respect that could only be attributed to this blade. He didn't know why, but he felt he could take on anything with the Monado. Right now though, he didn't have any real need for it. After a bit of searching, Shulk found a hand-made scabbard on his back, and that was where the Monado fit comfortably.

"Now what...?" Shulk pondered, crossing his arms and surveying the area. There were eight gates a fair distance away from where he stood, although his depth perception was most assuredly off in this pure white landscape. He was lost, and unsure where to go -- he needed help. Shulk cupped his hands over his mouth, "Can anyone hear me? Hello!" He shouted, hoping to get someone's attention.

[Rin Okumura]

There Rin was, sitting at the fountain in the same spot he's been for about an hour. This omnillium stuff really confused him, and didn't seem like it would be useful due to how much concentration it required to make anything. He was taking a short break, flipping the pan he had made before, which was also the only thing he had managed to make since he arrived. After a few more flips of the pan, Rin sighed and stood back up to try again.

Taking hold of the omnillium that emerged from his core, Rin began concentrating on the first thing that came to mind as he had before. A few minutes passed and when something finally appeared, it was another disappointment. "Damn it!" He exclaimed as he threw a stuffed bunny to the ground. "What's the point if it takes this long to summon a stuffed animal?" Letting out another sigh, he lifted his hand to try again.

Once more, he concentrated on whatever came to mind. This time, after a couple minutes, someone interrupted him and broke his concentration when they began talking. This wasn't intentional, or so he thought, so he ignored them and the fact that there was another living thing near him. Rin tried to continue what he was doing, but now the person was mumbling about something. Did they not realize he was there? That he was trying to do something?

"One more try..." He thought, holding up his hand again with the hopes that this person wouldn't interrupt him again. Then they started shouting, leading Ri to believe that they were doing this on purpose. "Oi! Are you screwing with me!?" He shouted back as he returned the omnillium to where it was and approached the man on the other side of the fountain after grabbing Kurikara.

The first thing he noticed was his outfit. It seemed a bit strange, though he wasn't one to judge as he was wearing a school uniform. The next thing was the large sword that was on his back, was he a warrior? After noticing these details, he continued complaining. "Do you want to fight or something?" He said, continuing toward the man. As he got closer, he would clench his fist and hold it close to the man's face as he grimaced, looking him in the eye.

[Shulk]

The stranger's voice was what Shulk noticed first; his tone sounded familiar, but the spark of recognition wasn't there. The amnesia problem was quickly proving to be a major annoyance. Turning towards the direction the voice came from, Shulk peered around the gigantic fountain and saw a boy, someone who looked around his age. His outfit was unlike anything Shulk had seen before, but of course he couldn't remember what he considered "normal" clothes, it was a gut feeling. The boy was fast approaching with a sword in hand and an ugly scowl, not a good combination nor a good first impression.

"I'm sorr-" Shulk started to say, but a fist that nearly popped him right in the face made him flinch and step back. This guy wanted to fight with him? "I... no; why would I fight you?" he replied, holding up his hands to gesture peace. "I've just wound up here, with no memory of where I was before, or... who I am, exactly." Shulk explained, then it hit him. What was his name?

"I'm Shulk," he said, saying the first thing that came to mind. Shulk, like the name of his sword, felt like a natural name. He wasn't sure how or why he could remember his name of all things, but Shulk wasn't about to look a gift brog in the mouth. "Who are you?" Shulk finally asked the other boy. They might have gotten off to a bad start, but there wasn't any reason why he couldn't be friendly with this stranger.

[Rin Okumura]

Shulk submitted surprisingly fast, and caught Rin off guard. "Huh? O-Oh.." He said after the boy said he didn't want to fight. Suddenly he felt a bit embarrassed, but as the boy's situation was explained, he realized that they were both in the same boat. This brought a smile to his face, as he was no longer alone in this potentially new world. But should the son of satan even care if he's alone? Oh well.

"It looks like we're both having the same problem then!" Rin replied after he was asked for his name. He still hadn't caught up with the situation, as the new information he had received excited him to much to pay attention. "I'm Rin Okumura by the way!" Rin extended his hand for a hand shake, and whether it was accepted or not, he would look toward the gates and begin to think.

"So what do you think those things are?" He pointed in the direction of the gates, they were still just as cool as they were the first time he had seen them, so he couldn't seem to look away. This was when he noticed black smoke coming from one of them. "Is something burning over there?" He thought aloud, then he looked back at Shulk.

"What's your name by the way?" He asked this as if he wasn't paying attention before, because he actually wasn't. The excitement was just to much for him at the time.. As he thought about fire, another flash of memories came back to him and showed himself and his sword being engulfed in blue flames. This made him look at his sword and reach to try and draw it, forgetting that he was near a person he had just threatened a moment ago.

After drawing the sword just a little, his body and sword were covered in blue flames like the ones from his memories, with two of these flames looking like horns. His tail was also exposed, but he wasn't worried. "Whoah!" He shouted before quickly sheathing Kurikara, being sure to not try that again for a while..

[Shulk]

When it was clear the situation had de-escalated, Shulk felt comfortable breathing normally again. There were plenty of reasons not to fight Rin; it was pointless, easily avoided, but the biggest one being that Shulk wasn't quite sure of his own abilities yet. "Nice to meet you, Rin," Shulk said with a smile and a firm handshake. It was too soon to say that he'd made a friend, but it was a start. There was a familiar quality to the hotheaded Rin, but Shulk couldn't quite put a finger on what that that really meant.

Shulk followed Rin's gaze to one of the gates -- the one exuding a toxic looking smoke without end. Crossing his arms, Shulk's foot tapped while he looked off thoughtfully. "It looks like some sort of gate, all of them do." He stated, knowing that the answer was obvious, he didn't think it wise to make any jokes at Rin's expense, however. "As for why it's smoking, I'm not sure; we should take a closer loo-" Shulk started, before being interrupted by Rin's next question.

Shulk blinked at Rin, unsure what to think. Talk about forgetful... Shulk thought to himself, feeling somewhat annoyed. "It's Shulk, don't tell me you've already forgotten?" He said, letting his annoyance creep into his tone.

In that moment, Shulk saw something in Rin that he didn't realize he could notice: a shift in posture, the sign of someone ready to battle. It all happened in a second; Shulk swiftly stepped back, one hand on the Monado's handle as soon as Rin started to unsheathe his own sword. "What are you--" cried Shulk, who cut himself off with a gasp once Rin became engulfed in a blue flame. Shulk had already started to pull the Monado from his back when the flames encasing Rin died down in an instant. Seeing that he had put away his sword, Shulk exhaled and slowly let the Monado rest in its sheathe as well.

"What was that? Why aren't you all burned up? How did that happen?" Shulk fired off question after question while stepping towards Rin. "Were you about to attack me?" He asked after a brief pause, a wary look in his eye.

[Rin Okumura]

"I've got no clue why, just saw my sword covered in blue flames in some memory.." Rin answered. When he looked back up, he noticed Shulk walking towards him with a wary look. When asked if he was about to attack, he said, "Huh? What did I do? I was just testing something..." in a confused tone. He made sure to hold his ground in case the situation was about to turn into a fight, but still doubted that would happen.

"Anyways.. Think we should check that smoke out? Someone could be in trouble." This was said in a serious tone, as lives could be in danger. The fact that he was worried about the well being of others confused Rin, seeing how he may be the son of satan and all, but was ignored just like before. He looked toward the gate billowing smoke, and thought of what could be going on there. Was a town on fire? A horrific monster burning a forest to the ground? It didn't seem like anything good could come from smoke such as that..

"Of course, I don't know why I feel we should." Stopping to think for a moment, he continued, "Guess it just wouldn't feel right to ignore it." Rin dropped to the ground and began sitting cross legged, thinking about what they could do now. He had little success, so he turned to Shulk. "What do you think?

[Shulk]

"You're right, we should check it out. I hadn't considered that someone could be in danger," said Shulk, who looked at the smoke with a frown and a furrowed brow. "That gate looks like it's pretty far away though, we'll have to run." Shulk stated, before he took off at a reasonably fast jog. It was a good feeling, running, and Shulk appreciated being considerate enough to exercise in the past.

The run was still going to be a long one, so Shulk thought it prudent to strike up a conversation with his companion. He looked at Rin from the corner of his eye. "You said you had... the same problem as me. Does that mean your memory is gone too?" Shulk asked in-between breaths, "and that sword... I've never seen anything like it! Though... I suppose I wouldn't remember seeing any swords other than the Monado," he joked, giving a backwards glance to the Monado..

[Rin Okumura]

Rin wasn't expecting he would just suddenly start running so soon after deciding they should go, and it took him a moment to realize he would have to follow. "Oi, wait!" He yelled after standing up to begin running after him. It didn't take him long to catch up, and he made it just in time to hear his partner start a conversation.

"Yeah... The only things.. I have to go off of... Are a few words.. And flashbacks." He replied. At the mention of his sword, he looked at it and wondered himself. "I don't... Actually know. The only... Flashback I've... Seen for it.. Showed me catching.. On fire." The whole talking while running thing was beginning to wear him out, but it seemed that the conversation they were having could turn out to be important.

As they continued to run, Rin thought of something that may help Shulk as well. "By the way, when I saw certain objects or heard key words, I saw some flashes of my memories. Maybe it'll be the same for you?" The gates seemed to get a little closer as time passed, meaning that the nexus wasn't as large as they might have thought. He also noticed a few people standing near the more well-kept gates. But he decided he would ignore them for now, unless Shulk brought them up.

[Shulk]

Shulk didn't respond to Rin not because there wasn't anything to talk about, he was deep in thought about this small revelation. What he's describing sounds exactly like what I'm experiencing, but with less severity, I think. Rin is able to remember a specific memory, but I can't. Why is that...? The idea that his amnesia was more severe than Rin's was worrying; what if it was impossible to remember his past?

The gate was getting ever closer as time went on, although Shulk didn't have any idea how long they might have been running in such a featureless place. He slowed his run to a fast walk so that the conversation could be carried easier. "Yes, but... it's all very unclear. Like I'm in the bottom of a deep, dark lake. Everything's dark, and I can't understand who's saying what," Shulk tried to explain, though he looked and sounded uncertain. "I can worry about my memories later, once I've gotten my bearings." Shulk said, if only so he could take his mind off the dark implications surrounding his forgotten past.

The people around the other gates immediately were also noticed by Shulk, and he was struck by a peculiar oddity. "Hang on, if something is burning from this gate, why aren't any of those people trying to put out the fire?" He asked, looking at Rin.

[Rin Okumura]

Rin was curious why he wasn't responded to soon after he answered the question, but ignored it as they slowed to a walk and Shulk continued that way. "I feel like I've felt like that before, though I can't remember when" He said as he sped up slightly to walk beside his partner, "So I might know what you're talking about." When Shulk questioned the fact that the people by the other gates weren't reacting to the smoke coming from the gate they were headed to, Rin realized it was strange as well.

"Maybe they're just assholes?" He answered, then continued, "But if no one else will do it, it gives us even more of a reason to do it ourselves." Rin's face turned serious as it had before when he looked toward the gate again. He couldn't wait to see what awaited them outside of this blank world, but not because of excitement. There were several reasons why he needed to leave: Remembering what he's lost, helping whoever needs it, figuring out what this power of his was. He had so many questions, like Shulk, but he knew neither of them would be able to answer them.

The gate continued growing closer, and the thickness of the smoke, as well as the form of the people ignoring said smoke, were becoming clearer. He saw the men by the large metal gate, and could see they were wearing a peculiar outfit. "Whoa! It's like they're from a sci-fi!" Rin exclaimed, "Whatever that is, anyway.." Was he spitting out random words that he didn't understand now? This would make for an interesting adventure if he didn't figure something out soon.

[Shulk]

"You're right, let's see if anyone's in danger before we make any conclusions," Shulk said on his way to the gate. The people standing in front of the gate immediately caught Shulk's eye thanks to Rin drawing attention to them. They were too far away for Shulk to fully make out their appearance, they did look advanced from what he could tell. "I...don't know what a 'sci-fi' is, but I guess they look pretty different from all of the people we've seen so far," Shulk responded, "maybe we can come back later and get a closer look at them. For now, let's focus on getting through the that smoking gate," it wasn't a very subtle way of telling Rin to stay on task, but Rin struck him as the kind of guy who didn't "do" subtle.

The gate was growing increasingly closer now, it looked like the pair would be right at it in a couple of minutes or so. Right away, Shulk could feel sweat dripping down from his forehead, and his clothes seemed heavy from the heat. "If there's a fire behind there... it's gonna be a big one," he said, wiping his brow and shifting the neck of shirt from discomfort. "Is it just me... or is the air getting heavier?" He asked, and it became very evident that the young boy was out of his element entirely.

[Rin Okumura]

"It's okay, neither do I!" Rin said after Shulk explained he didn't know what sci-fi was. When it was pointed out that the air may be getting heavier, Rin nodded but didn't feel as much of a difference as Shulk was. The smell of sulfur was in the air, the gate less than a minute away, a constant wave of heat was coming from the entrance, like the breeze you feel when standing near an open door. As they arrived, Rin stopped and marveled at the gate's size. "Looks a little bigger when you're this close." He stated, walking up to the gate to touch it.

The surface of the gate was rough and hot to the touch, so he quickly pulled his hand away. Smoke would surround him when he stepped directly in front of the gate, making it difficult to see and a bit hard to breath, but he ignored that as he mentally prepared himself for what could lie behind this smoke. Guess there's no use waiting to long at this point. Let's go!"

Rin backed up a bit, then ran and jumped right into the cloud of smoke, and likely disappearing from Shulk's sight if he hadn't followed. He was far to impatient to wait now that they were this point, and the only thing on his mind was the potential task at hand, so he saw no other option besides rushing in. This is just what he did though, it felt right when he rushed things like this.

[Shulk]

Shulk had to admire Rin's indifference to the heat, the Homs was ready to hurl from the sickening taste of sulfur in the air, and Rin was still his usual hyper self. Shulk's sluggishness made him lag behind Rin, "Rin, I don't think you should--" he started to say, before the giant gate opened and a thick fog of smoke poured out. Squinting and covering his mouth with his arm, Shulk could only cough in response to his companion's headstrong attitude. The last Shulk saw of him, he was leaping straight through the gate. I'd better hurry, I don't know what'll happen if I lose him! Thought Shulk, and with his eyes shut, the heir to the Monado sprinted through the charcoal smoke and into an unknown land.

As the heat grew more intense and the air more suffocating, a sinking feeling of dread started to brew in Shulk's stomach. It felt like a warning of danger that had yet to come. The Monado felt heavier on Shulk's back, and he wasn't sure whether to dismiss his feelings as mere fear of the unknown, or something more important that would become clearer with time.