Aegis Eater

Artifical Confidence

Rex ran as fast as possible, swerving around corners and leaping over obstacles. He threw down a pile of barrels to deter the Ardainian Soldiers hot on his trail.

A hidden door popped open, and out came a Nopon. "Friend! Come quickly!" He shouted.

"Who-?"

"Mehmeh! No time to explain! Hurry hurry!" With no better options, Rex followed the Nopon, who shut the secret door behind him.

"Where did he go!?" Voices yelled from outside.

"Find him! Search everywhere! The farmland, the town... we won't let him get away!" A particularly angry voice yelled.

"Sir!" Heavy footsteps pounded away.

"Meh... think meanie soldiers gone now." The Nopon muttered.

"Thanks for the help... uh..." Rex motioned for the Nopon to give his name.

"Tora. Mehmeh... never liked meanie soldiers. Never let Tora buy parts from them. Even if they have extras!"

"Well... thank you, Tora. I'm Rex, and this is Gramps." Rex shook the Nopon's wing.

"Meh heh! Tora's pleasure! Tora always want to make Driver friend! But... where friend Rex's Blade?"

"Well, uh... that's the thing. I don't... have a Blade." Rex said.

"Oh! Tora did not see Core Crystal! Friend Rex is not Driver, friend Rex is Blade! Wowie... Blade friend is even cooler!" Tora did a little happy dance.

"I'm uh... not a Blade either."

"Meh? Rex not Blade? How is that possible? What could friend Rex be then?"

"Well... I'm a... Gramps? What would I be?"

"Hmm... well considering that you were a normal person until you got that Core Crystal... I guess you would be a Blade Eater." Gramps sounded hesitant to share.

"Blade Eater?" Neither Rex nor Tora seemed to know what it was.

"Well... a Blade Eater is... kind of hard to explain. It would take a moment or two for me to get the point across."

"Ooh! Tora have table we can sit at and discuss! Follow me friends!" The Nopon led the boy into his small house. "Friends, welcome to Tora's humble abode!"

"Nice little place you have here, Tora." Rex said.

"Mehmeh, Tora knows. Love this place very much!" Tora did another little dance before sitting down at his table. "Now, come sit friends! We have lots to talk about!"

Rex joined Tora at the table, and Gramps hopped out of Rex's helmet to stand on it.

"Right, so let's start with what friend Rex is." Tora said.

"Well, Rex would be classified as a "Blade Eater" now. In other words, Blade Eaters are normal people who had a Core Crystal implanted in their chest." Gramps explained. "Usually, Blade Eaters are Driver's and only have a part of the Crystal, so that their Blade can still assist them. It is also nigh impossible to attempt to use the entire Core Crystal, as the Blade it belonged to would... well... no longer exist."

"But I have the entire Core in my chest..." Rex said. "Does that mean?"

"Yes. Mythra... the Blade it belonged to... the Aegis... no longer exists." Gramps said, with a solemn tone.

"Mythra?" Rex asked. "She told me her name was Pyra. And how do you know her name anyways?"

"I was around back then, at the Aegis War, Rex. I am far older then a mere 500 years. Mythra and the Great Hero, Addam were very close with me."