Final Fantasy Type-0: Change the World -The Answer-

Volume 1

by Tsukishima Souki

This is a fan translation project I am working on, of the two light novels that tell the story of the cycle directly before the events of the game. I translate from Japanese to English. Some of it still may read a bit awkwardly, so I might come back and edit it someday.

I also update on wordpress, at fftype0novel, and on my tumblr account, stiltedtranslations.

Chapter 0: The Nameless Soldier's Poem

I decided my fate for myself. Without fear of death. Without knowing the fear of confronting death…

[1]

The man ran between the burning buildings desperately.

Sparks rained down incessantly and smoke obstructed his path. He held his breath, running while hiding his face behind his arm. Sparks struck the back of his exposed hand. However, in this situation he couldn't afford to worry about such a thing.

A repetitive sound like drums playing could be heard in the distance. It was the sound of gunshots again. It came from far away, but there was a great many of them. One platoon - that was probably more than he could handle. If they were to accidentally meet, it probably wouldn't be just one group that gathered either.

Before they progressed any further, he had to reach that location. Just as he thought so, he could see the end of the alleyway. As he stood in the smoke, faces came out from the shadow of the buildings, lying in wait on the path.

At that moment, his pounding heart jumped.

Sweat ran down the hand grasping the sword. The sound of footsteps gradually drew closer. His heartbeat quickly grew in proportion to that sound. When he had reached his limit, the man jumped out from the alleyway.

"!?"

The enemies' bodies shook. Faster than they could turn their guns towards him, the man shortened the distance between them. And while rushing up vigorously, he thrust the longsword forward with all his strength.

Smack, a dull sound could be heard. The point of the sword pierced deeply into the enemy soldier's chest. Shouting, "An enemy attack!", the other soldier turned his gun in the man's direction.

The man promptly used the body of the enemy soldier he had pierced and killed as his shield. On the other side of that body, the gunshot of a rifle resounded. The shield quivered as if it had been struck by an electric shock.

"Ah!" He heard the enemy's voice of grief at the same time as the gunshots stopped. Did he regret having shot his own comrade? At any rate, it presented a good opportunity.

Withdrawing his sword from the chest of the enemy soldier, who he had made into a shield, the man broke into a run, aiming at the one remaining soldier. The enemy pulled the trigger of his rifle by reflex. The bullet gouged out the man's side, however, he closed the distance between them without stopping, swinging the longsword sideways. The tip of the sword cut through the enemy's throat and blood danced across the surrounding area.

The enemy, who had collapsed to the ground, looked upon him with contempt, and the man took a deep breath. The moment that the battle had finished, the wound in his side began to hurt.

When he touched the wound, his hand was dyed bright red. It seemed that it was a much more severe wound than he had thought. The man ground his teeth together and muttered to himself.

"Ace...where are you right now?"

Had he already arrived at the rendezvous point? At any rate, he had to hurry. The moment he thought that, a flash flickered in the background.

"!"

The brief explosion blew the man away. He tumbled across the ground and groaned in pain. When he stood again, stumbling, the alleyway that he had hidden in not so long ago had been transformed into a mountain of rubble.

It's a bombing, he thought as he raised his eyes up and saw an airship floating in the sky. He wondered if were they going to start indiscriminately bombing the soldiers' quarters here. Bombs would fall one by one and the ground would shake, transforming the surrounding landscape.

Because the army was here, the place he had always lived in would be mercilessly destroyed. The place of his memories would be destroyed. The man thought about such an extraordinary scene over and over again.

Aah, I'm in the middle of a war.

The continuous sounds of explosions, the gunfire heard in the distance, and the fear in his heart motivated him. However, an anger surpassing that fear surged in the man's chest.

I can never forgive them. For the crime of stepping foot into my country, I must teach them a lesson. While thinking that, the man reached into the breast pocket of his military uniform. The item, which that woman from before had handed over to him, could not be broken in the middle of this battle. It was still there.

The COOM[1]. It could control the fate of this war, this small magic tool.

He had to give it to that person. If he did that, this hopeless progression of this battle might be overturned. It might be impossible for me, but if it's that guy...

"Wait for me, Ace...I'm coming to fulfill my promise right now!"

So the man shouted and, dragging his body full of wounds, he walked away.

That man's name was Izana Kunagiri. A young soldier from the Suzaku Army.

While walking amidst the rubble, he remembered. About the story of how he came to stand on this battlefield.

1 ) In Japanese, this acronym is accompanied by a subtitle that says "communications instrument".