ANNOUNCEMENT

Aaand... I'm back! This time with my own story... To tell you the truth, I started writing that story months ago, but many ideas were coming to me... I finally decided to stick with that one. Hope I won't change my mind halfway...

Please don't blame me if you see grammatical mistakes... English isn't my native language. Also I didn't played the game (watched the playthrough on YouTube eh eh...), we don't have an xbox at home unfortunately...

I don't own Tales of Vesperia. But my own characters, yes.

Enjoy! Good reviews (and negative reviews also... but mean and insulting, it's a big no for me) are accepted!

01. The Flower Woman

It was night, at this time. A dark and opressing night. Fortunately the Moon was there to recomfort me, even if it was just a little bit. Its gentle rays were piercing through the thick foliage of the trees, allowing me to find my way into the forest.

I remember very well this night. I was a simple knight at this time, and I was running. Running from a monster I've never seen before.

Monsters generally operate with rough attacks, without any strategies. Well, just with the instinct. But the one I was dealing with was quite different. I don't know how to describe it, but... sharp attacks, fluid movements, vertiginous speed... The only thing I could do was to escape, leaving with just my sword and some clothes (I was camping and I was attacked during my sleep).

I stopped in a clearing. I didn't sense anymore the strange presence around me and decided to take a break. I put my hands on my kneels to help me get my breath back. What was that monster? I was wondering. I lifted my head up and...

He was there. Just in front of me. How did he get here? That was absolutely incomprehensible! In my unity, I was well known for my ability for have never been taken, nor attacked, by surprise. My comrades tried that over and over, but each time I was able to sense them and to dodge. And tonight was the first night I encoutered someone who was able to elude me! Besides, a monster!

Everything happened in a flash. I just barely understood he was the one who fooled me... now I find myself leaning against a tree, with an awful back pain. And when I opened my eyes, he was already in front of me.

Now, I could distinguish him perfectly. And I can confirm it, it wasn't a normal monster. Human form, red skin, golden eyes, very long nose, bird claws instead of hands and feets, and dark ample clothes maintained by a rope belt. But I was struck by his imposing black-feathered wings.

During a time that I found unbearable and never-ending, the monster was looking at me, with a haughty look. Then he raised the claws who served him as hands. Very slowly. I closed my eyes, waiting for the strike and thinking that I'm gonna end here...

I heard a strike, but I felt nothing. Just heard a screaming and piercing voice. I opened my eyes once again to see what happened...
First, I thought I was in heaven. Pink flowers were floating everywhere, like animated by a magic force. Like the Halure Tree when in full bloom...

All the flowers were converging around one person.

It was like a dream. That person was actually a beautiful woman. Her long black hair was dancing along with the flowers. She was wearing white, pink and red clothes, maintened by a dark red belt and decorated with a single flower. Her little feet were dressed with white socks and sandals. Her green eyes were gently looking at me...

A moan made me go back to reality. The bird monster was lying at my feet.

Then I noticed something strange. On the top of the woman's head... a pair of fluffy and black dog ears. Another strange monster? I panicked. Is she here because she wanted to attack me as well? Maybe she stroke the bird monster because he was getting on her way... In the way to get me, the prey?

Did she sensed my worries? I don't know, but her red lips formed a gently smile. And I couldn't help myself to be eased and soothed by her warm smile.

The bird monster managed to get up and faced the dog woman with an angry groan. She raised her right arm; flowers gathered, forming a fan in her hand.

The dog woman and the bird monster standed face to face, analyzing each other. And me, still against my tree, was looking at that strange and enchanting scene.

Everything happened really fast. I just remembered that the bird monster was the first to make a move. At that moment, the ropes that were keeping the woman's fan closed came undid and, with a gracious but fast move, she opened her fan and strike. A ring bell was accompanying her move.

I didn't know what happened exactly, but the bird monster was now behind her. And she didn't moved from her place. Several seconds passed, and the bird monster finally fell on the ground.

Simply amazing. With just a fan and one strike, she had defeated the monster who gave me a hard time just before. She smiled once again to me, before turning back to face the monster's corpse.

What followed after must have been, without any doubts, the most beautiful scene I ever seen in my life. The enchanting woman raised once again her right arm and began to dance and sing.

I don't remember her song, but while she was dancing, the monster corpse was slowly disintegrating into flowers. The bells attached to her fan were ringing, accompanying her song and dance.

Now that the body had completely disappeared, she turned her head toward me, and smiled one more time...

"Please, forgot everything you saw" She said with a gently voice. "Don't tell anybody about tonight..."

I was too stunned to say anything, so I just nodded. And she disappeared in a flow a flowers.

The flowers magically vanished. The clearing was now back to normal... as if nothing had happened.

It took me -well, maybe hours, I don't remember!- to recover from what I saw. I kept asking to myself if it was a dream or not.

When I finally regained my campement, I was haunted by the scent of the being who saved me... the one that I now call "The Flower Woman".

When I returned to my unit the next morning, of course my comrades were worried about me and didn't stop questionning me about what happened the last night. So I told them everything... and I remembered the woman's last words. "Don't tell anybody about tonight...". So I obeyed her. I considered this as a repayment for what she did for me... But as I was getting older, the need to tell about her was growing inside me... and this is how I started writing my memoirs.

For my daughter and her husband. For my grandson...

Chapter 2 and 3 are finished, just have to read them once again, eventually adding a few things... it will also depend on me (I'm such a lazy person...)