A slow rhythmic beat of a heart could be heard. It symbolized the sound of life. Yet - it slowly became weaker and started to fade.
Two men were standing in front of each other. They didn't look like anything significant. But both their eyes were slowly turning dull. It was because of the blood that was slowly running down their armor and bodies.
You may ask why? That question is simply answered by the broken spear shaft sticking from out the neck of one of the men and a likewise broken sword rammed inside a small unprotected area at the breast region of the other.
So while the one was bleeding out from his neck the other did so from his chest. In the end, both would succumb to their wounds and die soon. But currently, they still held on with pure willpower and stared at each other.
Losing their strength to stand they both fell to their knees into the dirt beneath them. Only the collision that happened when their bodies tried to fall forward held them still up.
Now in each other's deadly embrace, the person impaled by the sword tried to talk.
"Good...one...*cough*" His hoarse voice only got out those two words before he got interrupted by a clod of blood rising up his throat and forcing him to cough up that said blood.
The other could not say anything because of his wound and only forced himself to show a small smile on his face.
Seeing that, the guy that talked just returned it wryly.
Looking around both could see what happened on the still-raging battlefield around them. Men and women alike interlocking in combat and harvesting the lives of others.
A short moment of memories overcame them both. Even tranquility sat in and they both wished to have lived differently. This outcome in their lives was just not fair.
Afterward, both slid sideways into the dirt and breathed the last of their life. A death just as common as eating a meal.
Even the war around them would just continue on and many more soldiers would die to the chaos that unfolded. The cries and shouts would slowly dim until a deadly silence remained together with a red ground full of blood and the crows eating at the corpses.
For those two it was already too late.
And the same could be said to another pair of people dying somewhere else. In a different world and different times. In a gunfight that unfolded over a turf war. Both died together after an errand over collecting some products went haywire.
Just like those soldiers on the battlefield they both bled out and closed their eyes. War never changes its nature no matter where one lives.
---
For a certain amount of time, there was only darkness around both of them. Only after the first guy slowly opened his eyes and saw a white ceiling above him did something happen.
He was kinda agitated at first. "Shit! I fucking landed in the Hospital!" Then after realizing something else he sighed in relief. "I made it..."
"Damn you are noisy, Benny", said another person from the side after also waking up.
Being somewhat surprised being called by his name Benny looked to the side where he saw his friend.
"Eugeo, you are also alive?" He started to laugh right then and there. "So we both fucking made it! I was so sure we fucked up and died there, mate."
The other person called Eugeo looked around while his friend was still somewhat laughing. "I don't think we made it...Look around..."
Benny still smiled and looked a little bit confused about why he said that. Then he looked around as well and saw that they were not in a hospital. "What the hell is this place?"
"Exactly...Where did we end up at?" Eugeo was already up from the white floor that they were lying at and looked around even more.
Benny just frowned and also stood up. When he also wanted to take his gun out of habit he couldn't. There simply was no gun. "Even our guns are gone..."
Eugeo also checked his own holster under his jacket and there was nothing.
"What do you think? Did we really die?", asked Benny.
"I am not sure. It still feels rather...real.", said Eugeo in return.
"But what do we do now? Just look around. There are no freaking walls in any direction at all. Just that ceiling up there..." Benny looked up and commented on the ceiling above them that reminded him of a hospital.
"I am as confused as you are." Eugeo also looked up. "Never thought the afterlife would be really like this...Maybe that is the weird corridor people see? You know, the weird stuff comatose patients tell the doctors and others after they wake up. But instead of just seeing it, we entered it?"
And just when they both just stared at the ceiling that something seemed to have activated and the place changed into a real room that resembled some sort of hall with a large staircase leading to a black door at the end of the said staircase.
Both of them looked at it in surprise and slight shock at how smooth and magical the transition happened.
"Looks like we are being invited.", said Eugeo and started walking towards that back door.
"Are you sure that is such a good idea? I kinda get the creeps.", asked Benny while following. He was rather unwell at the moment. After all his fear of ghostly stuff really pulled on his nerves at the moment.
"...You really are still scared about that after we probably died and became ghosts ourselves?", answered Eugeo in a questioning tone and mocked his friend's fear of the supernatural.
"Being one and seeing one is...different. And we are not even sure what this place is yet, right?"
"...As shitty as it may be but I am sure about one thing. We died and somehow landed here. So we don't have much of a choice but to follow the shown paths, do we?"
"...I guess you are right. But that still makes this feel so creepy." Benny sighed after a short silence of gathering courage.
It didn't take long and they reached the door. Eugeo was the one that pushed it open and slowly revealed what lied behind it.
It was a rather simple room just the same as before. But what was noticeable was that there were two thrones at the end of it and a weird altar was erected in the middle. The altar had a clear white orb resting upon it.
"Okay...? Now what? Is this some kind of puzzle?", asked Benny.
Eugeo remained silent and walked towards the orb.
"Oi, wait up!", said Benny in haste after seeing him move.
Examining it, Eugeo didn't really see much besides a slight light emitted from it at certain intervals.
Looking longer at it he felt a slight pull to it and reacted with touching its surface. And after doing that a black holographic screen appeared in front of the duo.
"Whoa!" Benny was surprised by that.
--Status--
*Name: Eugeo*
*Race: Unknown*
*Class: Unknown*
*Skills: Unknown*
Eugeo stared at this screen for a while. "Are we in a game or something?" That was his very first question after seeing this screen.
Benny, on the other hand, grinned now and also approached to touch the orb.
--Status--
*Name: Benny*
*Race: Unknown*
*Class: Unknown*
*Skills: Unknown*
"Looks like we both are blanks.", said Benny. He wanted to say something else but was interrupted by a voice.
*Both souls have arrived. Please spin the race tablet.*
Right after they heard that voice a black roulette slowly appeared with what seemed to be nothing written on it. Only blank black space. But there was a lever that could be pulled.
*Please note that only one pull is allowed and both souls acquire the same race.*
"...." Both of them stared at it and then at each other. "So...Are you going to do it or me?" Benny asked with a slight chuckle. He was actually excited. Was this some sort of revival in a fantasy world?
"Alright, let me do it. Let's see what this will give us. Maybe we can find some answers with that." Just raising a brow he pulled the lever and the roulette started to spin.
Shortly after it started to stop on something that both of them didn't see. The roulette was still just blank space after all. Then after it stopped completely and a white text appeared in a language that they couldn't read.
"So much for that...What is that?" Benny was confused about it.
*Manakete (Divine) was spun. Since the souls of both hosts are not strong enough to hold that much power without being disintegrated into nothingness it was transformed into a special race - Branded (Divine Arch-Dragon).*
*Branded (Divine Archdragon). Extremely high Lifespan. Unlocks unique promotions. Aptitude is upgraded to Draconic Aptitude*
*After having rolled a mythical race, the class has now been put to Hatchling. It is the equivalent of Villager and Commoner and Noble. That means it is a zero-tier class."
--Status--
*Name: Eugeo*
*Race: Branded (Divine Arch-Dragon)*
*Class: Hatchling*
--*Stats:*--
HP 18
Strength 1
Magic 1
Skill 1
Speed 1
Luck 1
Defense 1
Resistance 1
Charm 1
Movement 5
--*Weapon Level *--
None
--*Skills*--
Draconic Aptitude - Base stat growth chance increased by 40%*
-------
*Name: Benny*
*Race: Branded (Divine Arch-Dragon)*
*Class: Hatchling*
--*Stats:*--
HP 18
Strength 1
Magic 1
Skill 1
Speed 1
Luck 1
Defense 1
Resistance 1
Charm 1
Movement 5
--*Weapon Level *--
None
--*Skills*--
Draconic Aptitude - Stat growth chance increased by 40%*
-------
*Now please roll for your background.*
After that information appeared in front of them, both knew exactly what this orb implied.
"Fire Emblem?", asked Benny.
"Yeah...So we go to a world where living will be pretty hard. And our race doesn't make it much easier for us...Wait, can we ask questions?"
*You may ask.* Weirdly enough it was possible to talk with the orb.
"Phew, good to know. I got a question with that race of ours though. Shouldn't we be Half-Manakete at best and not Branded?"
*Even the power of a Half-Manakete would incinerate your souls. If you think you are being cheated, don't worry. Through the action of giving you a brand and making you branded, you will be able to harness the power of your bloodline to its purest form. Not even pureblood Manakete could do such a feat without going insane. And the only exchange would be your ability to transform into your dragon forms.*
"Wait, you mean to say that the Brand and Branded are the same?" Eugeo did think things through a little bit more. The voice said it gave them a brand but as far as Eugeo knew should that not be a race in the end?
*Correct. It is also called Crest, Holy Blood, or just Brand. For example, Branded of the Laguz tribe harness the powers of their parents. That is why the parents of branded lose their ability to transform. It is actually a gift that many don't understand and call a curse.*
"And the nobles like Chrome? They have a brand but are not depicted as being cursed."
*Nobles are influential and circumvented that with separating normal branded and those that have "divine" brands by gods. And not on all continents the branded are shunned.
"I see..." Eugeo contemplated the new information. He just had to accept that what he knew through the games was not the real information.
"Don't bother about that. I think as long as we are not those weird bird Laguz it´s alright. Actually I wouldn't even want to be a Manakete. Just think about Wyrmslayers. That would be a weakness I would hate to have to keep track of. Not to mention carrying that Dragonstone around and being fragile without it...", added Benny now and just pulled the lever again. "Let's just go over this background thing."
"Wait!" Eugeo actually wanted to keep asking the orb.
*Background Slaves was spun...You are Twins born from the love of a female Manakete of the divine tribe and a common farmer that had retired from being a soldier. Because of your brand, you were sold into slavery by bandits after your village was attacked and your parents were murdered. Now with collars around your necks, you serve a wealthy merchant.*
"Wow...Just wow, dude..." Eugeo had a blank expression on his face while death-staring at his friend.
"Haha...Hey, I didn't know there was such fucked up shit in that." Benny laughed awkwardly.
"Let's just hope you didn't fuck up our new lives right from the start. I wonder if we will be seeing how our parents will die?"
*You will wake up already in the custody of the merchant. The former bodies died from malnutrition and are at the age of 7.*
*Now if everything is answered. Statistics have been saved. Please enter the Tower of Beginning.*
The voice did not even let Eugeo talk about the weird way they reincarnated. They basically were possessive spirits taking control of two sad lives that perished.
A door on the left side of the room opened and it seemed that there was another staircase leading upwards.
"Let's just go.", sighed Eugeo after seeing the orb dim down to a black stone.
"Alright.", nodded Benny and could see he was not all too happy with his pull. "But I am actually surprised. We will now become true brothers by blood, huh."
Eugeo stopped walking for a second and looked at Benny. "Yeah, but does that really change anything?"
Benny thought about his words. "You mean because we already had lifes before this one? You know, the orb never said we would remember our past, right?"
Eugeo slightly widened his eyes. He was right. They were not even given that information. "Hmm, I think we will...Why else bother giving us the choice to chose otherwise or just show us the information?"
Eugeo's gaze wandered towards the thrones and he could now see the writing on a stone between them.
*Those that are ambitious enough shall pursue their desires.*
"I think we are here for a reason...Let's go..."