So Much In Common - A Songs of War FanFiction

Prologue

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Disclaimer: Before we begin, this was written when both the writers had just finished reading the script of SoW Season 2, and had not read Season 3. Any inconsistencies with that season should be excused (after all, this IS a FanFiction, and an AU)!

Also, big thanks to David R.B., Black Plasma Studios, and everyone who contributed to the Minecraft animation series "Songs of War" and the universe in which this FanFiction takes place in. We couldn't have done it without you!

Well, without further ado... here is "So Much In Common"!

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It couldn't be. It was impossible.

There was so much fire, fire that ravaged her true home. It wasn't what she had planned to return to, ashes and toil, but nothing had been going to plan for quite some time now.

All the hurt that the invasion had caused, all the lives lost... Nitsuke's heart burned fiercely, a silent anger that bespoke a desire for justice. She had never felt this helpless before. At least the area had been cleared of any hostile Netherans. She could feel relatively safe with the armed guard by her side.

"I can't believe it. We were all tricked and manipulated," Alec, the deputy of the Felden Guard, who was escorting her, commented. "First by the Necromancers, then by the Nether. It wasn't even fair! Now Felden's just... gone."

Nitsuke said nothing. She could only look at the many burning homes. She wondered just how many families had lost their lives here, literally or figuratively, and she shuddered.

"If we can find the Captain, he'll know what to do," Alec reassured her. "Keep following me." She nodded and obeyed rather numbly.

As they neared the city square, a place once bustling with activity now alone and eerie, where the flames had died down somewhat, she frowned. She saw a lone body, lying facedown on the ground, dangerously close to the shallow cliff of a hillside. A sword was stuck through the unfortunate person's back, the handle facing the smoky sky.

Then, a flicker of gold crossed her vision. She blinked, raising her hand to block the annoying light, but she suddenly stopped. Nitsuke stared at the gold sword strapped to Alec's waist and then back at the gold light. It was coming from a lapel on the prone person's clothing. The same symbol as the lime-green cloth lapel sewn onto Alec's shoulder...

Her heart dropped into her stomach. "Alec! Sir!" Before he could answer, she was already running towards the body.

Alec turned and noticed too. "It's him!" he exclaimed before running after Nitsuke. When they both arrived next to the prone body, none other than that of Captain Kiyoshi himself, Alec immediately checked for a pulse. After a moment, he turned back to Nitsuke.

"He's still alive, but he might not be for much longer," Alec said, his tone grim. "Don't remove the sword, he'll surely die from blood loss. We need to get him to safety and heal him. Do you know anything about potions?"

Nitsuke had to peel her eyes away from the blood that soaked the ground beneath her knees, staining her pant legs, the ugly wound that the Captain bore. Swallowing nausea away, she comprehended what Alec had just asked. "Y-yes, I should have a book somewhere about it. But... but it's been years, I-"

"It's worth a try. It might be his only hope for survival," Alec claimed, cutting her off.

She nodded, her heart aching at the sight of Kiyoshi. She could never wish such harm on anyone. Unknowingly, tears began to pool in her eyes. A new thought crossed her mind. Her anxiety only built. "How are we going to move him?"

"We can use a horse. There's bound to be one around here," Alec suggested. "In fact, I'll go look for a horse right now. Again, whatever you do, don't remove the sword." With that, he dashed off.

Nitsuke couldn't help but feel helpless as she kneeled there. She tried her best to lift the Captain but didn't want to move him too much for fear she would hurt him more. She finally managed to move his head into her lap at a sideways angle so he wouldn't be lying on the sword any longer. A stream of dried blood crusted on one side of his mouth. Flickers of pain crossed his features, but he didn't stir. Not knowing what else to do or if he was even alert enough to feel her, she ran a hand through his silky white hair in an attempt to comfort him, all the while intensely studying his features. His scarred ear, his roughened skin, his broken body... her face softened a level. A sudden stray thought entered her mind. He's rather handsome. But she dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it came. There was no time for that. What mattered right now was getting him out of this place alive.

*****

Like an endless dream, the memories kept replaying over and over again in Kiyoshi's head. His duel with the Necrolord... and his defeat. He still remembered battling the foul demon with all his strength and effort, while his accomplice Lucan fought his corrupted friend Niika. He remembered nearly getting the upper hand. And he remembered the shock and horror flooding through his very soul when he was hit with the Necrolord's Song, just before the wretched Voltaris' true identity was exposed. Lastly, he remembered the pain as he was stabbed in the back by his own weapon.

But all that was nothing, nothing compared to the bitter taste of failure. One thing the Necrolord had said continued to echo, refusing to stop.

"You have failed your kingdom. You are no longer standing, and Felden has fallen."

Oh, how he had wanted to keep standing, but even trained warriors such as himself had their limits. Even after everything, all his attempts, it still wasn't enough. Felden was gone, and he was to blame. He was supposed to protect it.

Kiyoshi would certainly be dead if the Necrolord hadn't left the sword in his back. If it had been removed, he would have died from blood loss fairly quickly. A part of him was wishing that had happened, because this state of semi-consciousness, an eternal reminder of his failure and his losses, may very well have been worse than death.

At one point, Kiyoshi seemed to return to reality, if only for a moment, only to see two blurry figures—who both seemed familiar to him, though he could not discern who they were—standing over him. He blacked out before he could see anything else, and that was it. Was it finally over?

Or had it just begun?