Memories Reborn

[memory]

Teralyn walked into the dark, echoing chamber tentatively. Her guide seemed unhesitating as he walked into the unabated shadows, as if he knew exactly where he was going without even looking. Which was probable.

At any rate, she followed, eventually coming upon a glowing white circle in the otherwise pitch black building. The man instructed her to stand there before turning and walking further into the darkness, leaving Teralyn alone. With nothing else to do, the Genesis operative stood over the white spot and waited...

-----

"Salinas, they're all in place," Drinian noted. "Are we prepared?"
"Yes. Is everyone in their place?"

The noise of shuffling feet filled her ears for a moment.

"Alright. I'm going to begin."

The sound of a ringing sword filled the ears of nineteen individuals as iridescent light drowned out all other perception. Words echoed...

Let's go... to the world of dreams gone by...

[memory]

Twelve individuals found themselves standing in a dome-shaped room. Actually, it was more of an amphitheater, tiered seating and everything, but perfectly enclosed. They all looked around confusedly, some seeing others they recognized, others feeling lost in the group.

A woman with brown pigtails, a patchwork dress, and flat shoes. A man in a long, dark cloak. A Gria wearing light armor and wielding an oversized greatsword. A man in a light, green robe, wands and crystals and scrolls hanging at his belt. A girl wielding a long lance, from which wispy trails of cloud-like vapor drifted. An older man covered in swirling, arcane tattoos. A weak-looking girl dressed in a skirt and short tunic. A muscular man carrying a large, wavy sword. A woman dressed in immaculate white robes. A masked man covered in dark garments. A woman wearing a mix of red and blue clothes, a scar running down her face. A man hovering in midair, blazing flames hovering above his open palms.

Salinas observed all of these people, but none of them observed her even as she stepped into their midst. This was the first test. The dark-cloaked man, the woman in the patchwork dress, the Gria, and the girl in the white robes noticed first, each jumping back and alerting those around them.

"Four of you noticed me almost immediately. That's excellent." Salinas said with a smile. The group each took a step back; some drew their weapons, others took on unique stances, still others waited passively.

"All excellent reactions, as well. Please, all of you, take a seat so we can begin," she continued, sweeping her gaze across the crowd. "Your testing will begin after we're all acquainted."

[memory]

The twelve individuals slowly moved into the amphitheater, each keeping their distance from the others. They all seemed somewhat suspicious of what was going on and didn't want to be ambushed suddenly. Amused, Salinas began her spiel.

"My name is Salinas Xaruthan, Immortal of Light and the leader of Genesis." She paused, allowing the group before her to exchange glances and gasps. "I felt it was necessary to introduce myself to you all personally before continuing."

"We of the Violequan Faction have dedicated this organization, Genesis, to the eradication of the hold governments have over the land of several continents. This was originally a goal I had set for the Shining Alliance during that time, but the governments of surrounding countries did not see it our way. The government of Corneria itself helped to sponsor the creation of a group called Cerberus, which began to recruit individuals with the capacity to eliminate the leadership of the Alliance."

"I became aware of this about two weeks before the initial assault on Mercicrutia. It was at that point that I became aware that Cerberus was an enemy we could not fight with the means we had back then. Thus, with the information I had gathered, I began to structure the downfall of the Alliance in such a way that my most valuable allies would remain alive and able to fight back in the future. As former members of the Alliance, you should all know how the rest went. For a few months, we of the Violequan Faction hid and recuperated our strength, preparing for war."

"Approximately two months ago, we returned to this plane and resumed our activities. We tied together a network of corporations, clans, and other subsidiaries, each responding ultimately to one of our core group of 7 people. Once we resolved lasting issues from the days of the Alliance, I personally went to Pravoka and created a public display revealing our existence to the world."

"It was at this time that we began our skirmishes with Cerberus. Only two major incidents have occurred: the fight between one of their agents and our own Immortal of Wind, and the bombing of the escort fleet to the frigate Amphitryon." Salinas nodded at Teralyn when she said this. "Through these two liaisons with their operatives, we have discovered one key thing: we of the Violequan Faction cannot fight them face to face."

"This is where you come in. You have all been selected as the twelve strongest members of Genesis outside of the scope of the Violequan Faction. Your experience and foundational abilities are considered by us to approach our own skills; in other words, we consider you all potential heirs to the title of Immortal. The twelve of you will form the organization known as Mnemosyne, a group dedicated entirely to the fight against Cerberus. You will be the executors of the will of Genesis."

[memory]

Five Hours Prior

"So we've finalized the list of members for inclusion, yes?" Salinas asked, receiving nods from all of the six others in attendance. "Twelve isn't a bad number. I'm not sure about all of them, though... from what I've observed, only a few of them have the qualifications we discussed."

Melissa nodded. "I understand your concerns, and I agree to an extent, but I don't think we can fairly gauge their power unless we subject them to fair circumstances. What I mean by this is, some of them have had more trying circumstances than others. They're all young, they don't have the years of experience with trying events that we do."

"I have an idea," Drinian noted suddenly. It was rare to hear him speak in these meetings, so the others immediately paid attention. "We've all had experiences that we'll never forget. I mean, one outstanding experience that we all will remember forever. We can expose them to these same circumstances, right, Salinas?"

Salinas closed her eyes pensively. "Yes. That's within the realm of my powers. Everyone think of that moment... and Aimee, you can transfer that information into my mind, can't you?"

There was no response, but the bolts of electricity that began to arc between the group's foreheads indicated she understood. It took a few minutes, but the process was fairly painless.

"These will work well," Salinas remarked cheerfully. "Leila, not everyone can fly, so we're going to have to change a few details... Vander, I'm going to alter it from a Puritai tome to something else just for secrecy's sake... Mother, that's a little extreme, they'll all tackle that one in a group."

[memory]

"You will all be participating in 5 individual trials and 1 group trial, to test your qualifications to be a member of this new organization. The tests will be explained briefly in the beginning of the simulation, then you will be allowed 3 minutes of preparation time in order to offset the difficulty of the exams. If you're all ready to proceed, then we'll begin right away!"

Salinas didn't wait for their responses, even as a couple opened their mouths to speak. As Luminastra emerged from its sheath, iridescent energy poured over reality.

-----

An image of Leila Winley waited in a grassy plain strewn with smoldering airship debris. As the first examinees appeared, she launched directly into her explanation.

"I am Leila Winley, Immortal of Wind. During the fall of the Shining Alliance, I was fleeing from Melmond and heading towards a rendezvous point, where I was slated to escape into the Wind Plane with an escort of birds. Some loyalists from Special Operations came to assist me, but we ran into one of the three Adazakura-class battleships in operation and its entire escort. My forces were able to destroy the enemy escort airships, but they were destroyed shortly afterward, leaving it to me alone to defeat or evade the battleship. This will be your goal."

-----

Mnemosyne Examination One
Objective: You must reach the designated point, several miles from your starting designation. Additionally, the Adazakura-class battleship must not be able to mount an effective pursuit when you reach this point.
Battlefield: Astos Plains, several miles south of Melmond. The grassy fields are covered in airship debris, making navigation along the ground difficult, although not impossible. For your consideration, the rendezvous point has been illuminated and lowered to ground level- if you are able to reach the aerial location, however, your accomplishment will be taken into consideration.