Chapter 1: Children of the Tales

Act 1: The Letter
Terca Lumireis, Zaphias

A sunny mild-weathered afternoon, Yuri Lowell, Estelle Heurassein, Flynn Scifo, and of course the loyal animal companion Repede, decide to take a break from the traveling life and instead decide to spend the day with some children of the lower quarter of Zaphias.
"Haha, they sure look like they're having fun," Yuri commented to Flynn, as they both watched Estelle and Repede frolic in the fountain with a bunch of other little kids.
"Yeah..." Flynn said, "But I'm worried about Estelle, you know.."
"Yeah, I know, I know, 'she hasn't been very well, lately' that's all you complain about, Flynn," Yuri replied, "Come on, this is our day off nothing's going to happen."
"Hmm.. Ahah, I guess you're right! I think I'm worrying a bit too much..." Flynn laughed.
"Come on, Yuri and Flynn! You're missing all the fun!" Estelle yelled to the two of them while playing with the other children.
"Yuuuriiii!!" Karol Capel, yelled, as he ran into Zaphias with two other former travel companions, Raven, and Rita Mordio.
"Oh, hey guys, what brings you three here?" Yuri asked.
"Well.. as you know, us three have been living in Dahngrest, the city of guilds," Karol explained.
"And well..." Raven snatched an envelope out of Karol's hands.
"Hey! This is my--" Karol yelled.
"Shut it, kid," Raven laughed, "And well, Karol got this letter challenging Brave Vesperia to a test of skill, and strength."
"Yeah, the kid wouldn't shut up about it all day! So he dragged us all over here just so he could tell you," Rita complained.
"And I never got to, thanks to Raven!" Karol yelled.
"Hm, let me see that," Flynn politely took the letter from Raven.
"Hey! This could be a private guild matter!" Yuri yelled and grabbed the letter from Flynn's hands.
"H-Hey! What was--" Flynn complained.
"This could be a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know!" Yuri laughed.
"..Ugh, Yuri!" Flynn yelled.
"Haha, relax, it's just some idiot trying to scare Karol," Yuri laughed even harder.
"How do you know that!" Karol yelled at him.
"All this letter says is, 'I challenge you, Brave Vesperia...', nothing on the back, and nothing anywhere else!" Yuri said.
"I can't believe I wanted to read that," Flynn laughed.
"Oh hey, you guys!" Estelle and Repede ran to everyone, "I didn't realize you all were here! Sorry for being unable to make your---"
"Shut it, princess," Rita said, "You apologize tooooo much!" she laughed.
"Oh, my mistake," Estelle giggled.

Suddenly, the sky turned black and it was almost as dark as night outside. It started raining and lightning began to crackle, everyone sensed that this wasn't natural.
"What the hell is going on..." Yuri questioned.
"Woof! Woof-woof woof!" Repede barked.
The children all stared into the sky and ceased their playing in the fountain.
"Yuri.. Yuri.." A little girl, named Mana pulled on Yuri's jacket, "I'm scared..." she said.
"Listen... Mana..." Yuri kneeled down so he was at eye level with Mana, "Get your little brother, and tell all of the other children to go straight home, nowhere else, you hear me?"
"Y-Yes.. Yuri!" Mana ran off and told the other children to go home.
"Yuri.. What's going on!?" Rita asked.
"Brave Vesperia... I CHALLENGE YOU," A booming voice cracked from the skies.
"Oh no..." Karol said, nervously.
"What should we do!?" Estelle screamed.
"No time for that--" Flynn pointed at the sky, "You guys, we have company!" Everyone directed their attention to a bunch of soldiers that were in iron clad black armour, as they descended into the city of Zaphias.
"Dammit!" Yuri yelled.
"Okay, you guys!" Flynn took the role of commander, "Yuri, Estelle, Repede, and I will need to run back to Yuri's home to retrieve our weapons," Flynn said, "Raven, Karol, and Rita, you three make sure that all the children are inside their homes safely and don't fret to destroy any of those soldiers that are in the way!" Flynn explained, "We'll meet up at the middle sector!"
"Okay!" Raven, Karol, and Rita yelled as they all headed into their different directions.
"I knew we wouldn't get a day off..." Yuri said to himself.

"This is just too much for an old man!" Raven complained as he shot a bow at one of the enemy soldiers.
"Hey, where's Karol going!? -- ugh, dammit -- Fireball!" Rita shot a fireball at a soldier nearing at her.
"Destruction Street!" Karol unleashed a powerful arte, he crushed a soldier with his hammer, and turned around and crushed another, then swung his hammer to the side and swept three more out of the way.
"Relax, the kid's strong enough to handle himself!" Raven yelled.
"You better hope so..." Rita said.
"Dragon Upper!" Karol swung his hammer upwards, knocking a soldier into the sky, "Haha, this is too easy!" Karol laughed.
"Ahh.. The essence of youth," Raven laughed and shot a couple arrows blindly into a crowd of enemies.
"Hmph.. and you were worried!" Rita yelled.
"What!? Me!?" Raven argued, "..women.."
"AHHH!" Karol screamed. While Karol was being too cocky about his ability, a soldier larger then all the rest, disarmed him and knocked him into the ground.
The man positioned himself with his sword over Karol, "YOU TWO, THERE" the man yelled. "Any of you move and I'll chop this kid's head right off."
"Dammit..." Raven stopped picking off soldiers with his bow, and Rita had stopped casting her spells.
"You four, seize them!" The soldier commanded a couple of other soldiers to restrain Raven and Rita.
"I'm sorry.. you guys.." Karol complained.
"Quiet, kid!" The solider yelled, "Are you part of Brave Vesperia?" He asked.
"Uhm.. uhm.. uhh..." Karol panicked.
"Are you part of Brave---" The soldier was interrupted by a female warrior...
"Luna Rondo!" Judith descended from the sky and severed the soldier through the neck with her spear, and tossed him onto the ground.
"Haha!" Raven broke the grip of the soldiers restraining and pulled out his katar and slashed the two wildly, then attacked the two holding Rita.
"Not bad for an old man!" Rita laughed.
"*cough* You're welcome!" Judith yelled.
"T-Thank you!" Karol stood up and grabbed his hammer.
"I seen the weather rapidly change while flying the continent, so I had Ba'ul drop me off here!" Judith giggled.
"Oh man! We still have to meet Yuri and the others in the middle sector!" Rita yelled, and commanded the four to meet up with Yuri, Flynn, Estelle and Repede.

"Demon Fang!" Yuri unleashed a shockwave that travelled along the ground and wiped out an enemy soldier.
"Hope you didn't miss me too much~" Judith giggled as her, Rita, Raven and Karol arrived at the Middle Sector.
"Judy!" Estelle yelled, "I knew you'd come!"
"We've got company!" Flynn, again, noticed another fleet of enemy soldiers descending from the skies.
"Alright! Let's do this!" Karol laughed.
"Just remember what being cocky did to you the first time..." Rita mentioned.
"Yuri!" The little girl from before, Mana, called out to Yuri, as an enemy soldier was running towards her, it appears her leg was hurt and she couldn't move.
"Dammit!" Yuri ran towards Mana, "Get away from her!" Yuri unleashed a Demon Fang that wiped out the soldier running towards her.
"Yuri!" The little girl cried, "My leg.. it hurts.."
"I told you to go home!" Yuri yelled.
"We did! When me and Genesis got home... we opened the doors and both of our parents..." Mana began to cry.
"Don't say anymore..." Yuri said.
"But Genesis is around here somewhere, we have to find him!" Mana cried.
"Yuri, watch out!" Flynn yelled. Everybody else yelled to Yuri, trying to warn him that a .. strange looking clown .. was casting a spell, targeting Yuri!
"Dammit!" Yuri hugged Mana close to him with his back towards the clown, hoping to take the full damage of the spell.
Raven shot arrows at the clown. Rita and Estelle used their strongest magic, but this clown was impervious to anything .. invincible.
"Tehehe! Psycho Cannon!" The clown laughed as he shot a spell right at Yuri.
"No.. Yuri!" Karol yelled.. and ran as fast as he could in front of the spell.
"What the hell are you doing!" Rita screamed.
"I don't know.. I just .. Know I have to do this!" Karol cried.
"No, kid! There's a better way!" Raven yelled.
"I don't want to be a coward!" .. were Karol's last words. Karol was obliterated out of existance, there wasn't a body, and everyone was confused at what had happened.
"Ohohoho!" The clown laughed as he retreated back into the sky with the rest of the soldiers.
".. and that would have happened to Yuri and Mana if Karol..." Estelle said.
Rita interrupted her, "Shut up.. Estelle.."
The weather cleared up.. but death had fallen upon a handful of misfortunates that resided in Zaphias. People had lost loved ones, and maybe even their own lives trying to protect their loved ones. But that wasn't the matter at hand. Yuri and his friends split up and found Mana's brother, Genesis, and now they knew that if anyone would know anything about the mysterious clown and the dark knights that attacked Zaphias, they knew they would find them in Dahngrest, the city of guilds. But since Mana and Genesis are now parentless.. they find themselves being taken along by Yuri and friends.