000 - What Makes The Sky Blue

Heyaaaaa me again don't forget to give me feedback which to fix

and I'm kinda using AI to help me describe some situation because my English is pretty bad so I'm sorry

Thank You

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[3rd Pov]

In the dimly lit room, the girl with flowing sky blue hair and blue eyes sat huddled in a corner, recalling the pain from the cruel experiments she had endured in the past.

As she curled up, a sense of unease began to grow as the sound of footsteps approached. The key turned in the lock, and the door creaked open, revealing a familiar figure - a lady knight with pale brown hair and red eyes, dressed in the regal attire of an empire knight, her cape billowing behind her with each step.

"Lyria, are you okay?" The knight approached the girl with blue hair.

"Ah, Katalina, I'm fine. Did you bring another book for me to read?" The blue-haired girl responded, From the previous conversation we know the Knight name is Katalina and the blue haired girl is Lyria

"Not this time. I didn't bring a storybook for you," Katalina said with a serious tone.

"Hmm?" Lyria was puzzled as it was the first time Katalina had used such a serious tone, usually speaking softly to her.

"You always mentioned wanting to see the outside world, right? This time, I will help fulfill your request," she said seriously, offering her hand to Lyria.

"Ah, Katalina? Really? You'll help me see the various sights in the sky?" Lyria exclaimed excitedly with sparkling eyes.

Katalina smiled at her enthusiasm, taking Lyria's hand and explaining her plans for later.

{~~~~~~~}

[Rei Pov]

It has been a week since my conversation with Djeeta, and it seems like Djeeta has made her choice and started preparing the stuff she needs to become a skyfarer.

This week, I have been practicing with grandma because I don't have any other activities besides talking to other neighbors or playing with the kids who often play with Vyrn.

"So I heard you're going to join Djeeta and Vyrn to become a skyfarer, right?" Grandma suddenly stopped and asked me.

"Ahh, how did you know? We were planning to tell you tomorrow after we have everything prepared," Rei was surprised because Grandma knew they were going to leave the island.

"Hohoho, you are still too early to hide something from this grandma."

"Even though your progress in training has been going smoothly when I train you, you are still not ready to do it for real, Rei," suddenly Grandma put on a serious expression.

Suddenly, I shivered seeing Grandma's gaze, 'ughh this pressure? Grandma really has never been serious while training me and Djeeta.'

"Have you ever killed someone or a monster, Rei?"

"Ah... no... no, I have never killed anyone or a monster," Rei answered hesitantly.

"Well then, you need to be prepared to do it on your journey, Rei. If you hesitate, it will be your life or your friend's life as payment," my grandmother warned seriously.

"Yes... I will try, but I don't know what will happen if I kill another human, but I am prepared to kill monsters that attack us," Rei replied seriously, looking into grandma's eyes.

"Well, that's enough for now, but remember my warning, Rei, do not hesitate when the time comes."

"Okay," Rei answered firmly and seriously.

"Hohoho, then let's continue your training, I will make sure you are ready for your journey," Grandma prepared herself.

"Haha, then please take care of me," Rei prepared his stance and gripped his sword tightly.

"Djeeta, Rei, have both of you prepared your belongings?" Vyrn asked.

"Yes, Djeeta and I have prepared everything and are just waiting for the airship to arrive tomorrow," Rei nodded.

"Alright, now we just have to let everyone know that we're going to leave this island," Djeeta exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Say, are you serious about leaving the village?" Vyrn asked hesitantly.

"Sure, your dad mentioned the end of the sky in his letter, but reaching there might seem impossible..."

"It's okay, Vyrn, I have a plan for it," Djeeta answered cheerfully.

"Oh! You mean with the Sky Map? The thing the Astrals put together centuries ago?"

'Hmm, the Sky Map? If I'm not mistaken, the one who has the Sky Map is the primal beast, and the first primal beast we will encounter is Tiamat, who is in Port Breeze and has the power to control the wind,' Rei tried to remember the story of Granblue Fantasy, as it had been a while since he read arc 1 of the story.

Huh? Suddenly, Rei saw something on the edge of his vision. "Huh, is that an airship? Is the airship we are waiting for coming early?"

*BOOOM*

"UAHHHHH!" "KYAAAAAA!" Vyrn and Djeeta were startled by the sudden sound of an explosion.

"Djeeta, Vyrn, look, there's an airship exploding over there," Rei pointed to where the smoke was rising.

"We should check it out," Djeeta suddenly went towards the smoke.

"Hey, Djeeta, don't rush, we should inform Grandma first," Vyrn tried to stop Djeeta, but Djeeta was already far away and didn't hear him.

"Come on, Vyrn, it could be dangerous if Djeeta is alone," Rei chased after Djeeta, with Vyrn following behind.

<~~~~~~~~~>

Rei and Vyrn continued to chase after Djeeta, who was running towards the direction of the previous smoke. Before Djeeta reached there, Rei managed to grab Djeeta's hand and stop her.

"Djeeta, stop, don't rush like that, it could be dangerous if suddenly a lot of monsters come to the source of the sound," Rei said.

"Ahhh, I'm sorry, Rei, I'm just curious about what happened and maybe someone is hurt, so I hurried to help," Djeeta replied, looking down and appearing sad.

"Hahhhh... It's okay, I'm just worried about you, even Vyrn is worried," Rei said.

"Hm!, Rei's right, you should stop being too curious, Djeeta, and think before you act," Vyrn said, slightly annoyed because he was always being left behind.

"Sorry, Vyrn, I'll give you an apple later as compensation."

"Eek!"

Suddenly, a girl's voice was heard while the three of them were chatting.

"Ouch..."

As the three of them turned towards the source of the sound, Rei suddenly felt something strange in his chest when he saw the girl.

'What is this feeling in my chest? Why do I feel this?' Rei was confused because he suddenly felt something strange in his body when he saw the girl with blue hair and blue eyes.

Then he realized as he observed the characteristics of the girl.

'Huh, blue hair and blue eyes, and not wearing shoes? That's Lyria, so the airship that crashed is the airship from the empire because Katalina and Lyria were trying to escape from them,' Rei realized that the plot had already begun and started to recall a bit about the story of Granblue Fantasy.

Lyria then noticed the three of them but stopped when she saw Rei, feeling something strange in her body just like Rei did. But before she could ask about it, she remembered Katalina.

"P-please, s-save us!"

The girl pleaded to the three of us, tears falling and body trembling.

'Ughh.'

'Suddenly, the tightness in my chest increased, what's happening?' Rei shook her head and approached Lyria.

"Hey, calm down first, tell us what happened to you."

"Ah, yes..." Before Lyria could explain what happened, there was suddenly the sound of metal approaching.

Soldiers in pursuit of the girl show up. Their armor suggests they are with the villainous Erste Empire.

"You there! Halt! Drop your sword! Hands in the air!" one of the soldiers threatened the group.

"Who are you guys? Are you trying to pick a fight?" Djeeta moved forward and tried to protect both of us.

"If your life means anything to you, you'll cooperate and hand over that girl."

"Well, like hell we can hand over the poor girl to you people." Djeeta prepared her sword and attacked them.

"Rei, you take care of the girl, I'll attack them."

"No! This time I will help you, Djeeta. I have been trained by Grandma for a month, so this time I can protect myself as well." Rei also prepared his weapon.

Djeeta wanted to say something else, but before she could, the soldiers pulled out their weapons.

"So that's how we're gonna play it, huh? Don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Tch, okay, Rei, you take one and leave the other to me." Djeeta stepped forward and attacked one of the soldiers.

As the soldiers advanced towards Rei, his grip on the sword tightened, his heart pounding in his chest. Despite his lack of experience in real combat, he squared his shoulders and prepared himself for the impending clash.

With a deep breath, Rei made the first move, his sword swinging but the soldier easily deflected his attacks.

Rei stumbled back, But the determination in his eyes remained unwavering.

As the fight intensified, Rei found himself relying on instinct and quick reflexes to evade the soldier's blows. Each strike and parry taught him valuable lessons, slowly honing his skills despite his lack of experience.

With a mix of fear and adrenaline coursing through his veins, Rei refused to back down.

"Hyaaaah." Rei's sword parries the warrior's halberd.

"Argh! Why you little..." The warrior starts to falter and grow tired.

"Right there!" Rei stabs his sword into the soldier's thigh since his sword couldn't pierce his armor.

"ARGHH!" The soldier falls, and Rei delivers a blow with the hilt of his sword to the back of the soldier's head, causing him to lose consciousness.

"Betcha weren't expecting that, huh? You can only dream of matching my pals sword skills!" Vyrn exclaimed excitedly.

"Rei, you did it." Djeeta comes after defeating the warrior she has been fighting and congratulates Rei.

"Phew... yes, it seems like grandma's training has truly proven effective."

After that, the two of them approached the blue-haired girl to inquire about what had happened to her.

"Hey, before you explain what happened, could you tell us your name first?" Rei pretended to not know Lyria's name.

"Oh, yes. Let me introduce myself, my name is Lyria. Those people were chasing me because they wanted to lock me in a room and make me use that stone with a very dark aura. I don't know what stone it is," Lyria explained to the three of them.

"But every time they gave me that stone, my body felt incredibly painful, and my head felt like it was about to explode," Lyria continued her story, trembling.

In the midst of Lyria recounting her harrowing experience, Rei suddenly felt a surge of empathy towards her. he suddenly reached out and pulled Lyria into a tender embrace.

Lyria, taken aback by the unexpected gesture, found solace in Rei's comforting arms. His hug was warm and reassuring, providing her with a sense of security and understanding that she hadn't felt before.

As they stood there, wrapped in each other's embrace, Lyria felt a wave of emotions wash over her. She couldn't help but let out a few tears, but they were tears of relief and gratitude for Rei's compassionate gesture. Rei held her close, offering his silent support and unwavering presence as Lyria poured out her heart to him.

'huh, why is this? suddenly I really want to protect Lyria? and this anger... anger that wants to destroy the Erste Empire.'

When Rei hugged Lyria, he didn't realize that slowly but surely, his body was emitting a very dark and evil aura.

"*sob* *sob* Lyria, I feel so sorry for you, why would they dare to do such a thing?" Vyrn looked sad upon hearing Lyria's story.

Meanwhile, Djeeta at first felt sad upon hearing Lyria's story, but when Rei hugged Lyria, suddenly her feelings changed drastically.

'Huh, what is this feeling? Why does my chest feel tight when I see the two of them together?' Djeeta was confused by her emotions because this was the first time she had ever felt this way.

"Lyria! Where are you?"

Suddenly, a voice from behind the tree appeared, then a woman wearing an Empire uniform with a cape, pale brown hair, and red eyes showed up and looked at them.

"Hey! What are you doing to Lyria, let her go!" The woman was preparing to attack them, but Djeeta had already taken out her weapon first because the woman was wearing an Empire uniform.

"Katalina! Wait, don't attack them," Lyria freed herself from Rei's embrace and approached the woman named Katalina.

"Lyria? Why are you stopping me? Aren't they the ones making you cry?" Katalina moved Lyria behind her and protected her.

"No, actually they're the ones who saved me and... I cried for a different reason," Lyria answered, feeling embarrassed as she said the last sentence.

"So that's the true story," Katalina said as she sheathed her sword and bowed slightly.

"Thank you so much for protecting Lyria and I apologize for almost attacking you."

"Ah, it's okay. Lyria explained everything earlier so we understand why you acted that way," Rei forgave Katalina.

"You should have seen it, Katalina! Both of them saved me! It was so... heroic!" Lyria exclaimed excitedly.

Katalina smiled at Lyria's happy and amazed expression.

"So, um... Who are you exactly?" Vyrn suddenly asked Katalina.

"Oh, yes, how rude of me. I know Lyria mentioned my name, but let me properly introduce myself. My name is Katalina Aryze."

"If you don't mind, could the three of you also tell me your names?"

"My name is Vyrn, and this is Djeeta, and the other one is Rei," Vyrn pointed to the two of us.

"Are the soldiers also chasing you?"

"That's right... we were being chased," Katalina remembered they were still on the run.

"We need to leave before they come back," Katalina panicked and tried to get Lyria to continue running.

"Lieutenant Katalina!" suddenly a voice was heard.

"Did I give the order for you to stop and smell the roses out here, Lieutenant?"

"C-Captain Pommern! Terribly sorry, sir. I'll return Lyria to the ship immediately—" Katalina panicked and tried to deceive the person named Pommern.

"Enough of these lies! You're the one who took her away from the ship, aren't you?"

"To defy the mighty Erste Empire requires profound bravery... and profound stupidity."

"Which means you must surely be aware of the gravity of your actions, yes?" the person approached Katalina.

"Captain... I simply thought it was too dangerous for us to attempt using the power of the primal beasts. The primals are a legacy of the Astrals... Terrifying weapons that set the skies ablaze during the War. There's still much we don't know about them. To wield their power is—" Katalina tried to explain her reasons.

"Huh, if this continues, that person will summon Hydra like in the original story," Rei tried to find a solution to escape.

"And if it continues to the original story, then Djeeta and Lyria will combine their life forces and be connected to each other until the end," Rei glanced at Djeeta and Lyria.

Combining their life forces meant that Djeeta's life force would be connected to Lyria and Lyria would be connected to Djeeta. If one of them dies, they both die, and they cannot be too far apart or they die.

Rei will not let that to happen, as her remembers from the original story just how many times both of them nearly lost their lives because their lives were connected, whether from the underworlders who kidnapped Lyria or from some other incident.

"Don't change the topic!" Pommern suddenly shouted loudly.

"I'll purge this place of anyone who opposes us! For I do declare, the power to control the primals belongs to the Empire!"

"Release the Hydra!"

"Yes, Sir!" the soldiers yelled and began preparations to release the Hydra from its cage.

"Use the Hydra! Spread out in formation to prevent them from escaping!"

*GROAAARRR!*

"Where did this crazy monster come from? Did that beard-twirling fool bring it with him?" Vyrn panicked upon seeing such a massive creature suddenly appear.

"You really intend to burn this island to the ground, don't you?" Katalina readied her rapier.

"What! Burn this island?" Djeeta panicked and also prepared her sword.

"You think I will let you burn our island?"

"Everyone, forgive me... this is all happening because of me..." Lyria said sadly, bowing her head.

"You don't need to apologize, Lyria, none of this is your fault, and I... no, we will not let them take you back." Rei stroked Lyria's head and also prepared his sword.

*GRRRRR!* The hydra grew angrier and began to attack.

"Hold on... we're not actually thinking about tangling with that thing, right?" Vyrn said, panicking.

"Hydra! Dispose of this miserable little moppet! May they serve as a fitting example of what happens when you defy the Empire!" Pommern shouted loudly.