Break Your World I (Shatterpoint Paradox Part 2)

Year: Unknown

Time: Unknown

"Ugh…" Raizo murmured as his eyes slowly began to open. As the boy gradually began to regain his consciousness, a strong throbbing sensation assaulted his head hindering any immediate movement. His hazy vision came to focus as he found himself gazing at an unfamiliar ceiling. Unsure of what to make of it, he closed his eyes briefly before opening them again still finding his gaze locked on that unfamiliar ceiling. Managing to get the muscles in his neck to respond, Raizo turned his head from left to right in order to grasp some clue as to where he was.

"What the…hell?" He asked himself as his awareness began to seize the forefront of his mind. As his body lazily responded to his will from the listless blood flow feeling as though it was being restored through his body, his crimson hues scanned the room he was currently lying in. The four-walled corridor was massive in scope measuring about 14' by 16' feet. The walls were tan in color with white trimming as various portraits of different landscapes and seascapes decorated them. A small wooden table was located about 4 feet down from the foot of his bed with a silver tray that carried glasses of different sizes. To his left sat a unique crouch framed with embroidered gold and dark red cushions while another set of chairs that matched the couch sat on his right.

Moving his body around carefully, he felt himself lying atop a massive queen-sized bed that managed to occupy about a good 33% of the room. The sheets were very soft, to be expected of silk and he felt himself being warmed by a comforting blanket. As he tried to maneuver himself around, his body became assailed by pain again finding it rather difficult to move. Suddenly, strange bubbling noise came to his ears. Reacting to the sound, he saw that there was a jug filled with clear liquid sitting beside his bed on the right side. A long tube was being extended from it as he followed it to be under the blanket and stuck in his arm.

"Is this…some sort of medicine?" he asked himself softly reaching for the strange object and pulling it out followed by the bandages that were wrapped around it. Doing so, he found himself sitting up on his own taking a deep breath before taking another look around the room. This room was truly unfamiliar to the lad as he could not fathom what kind of location would house such quarters. Stopping his wandering gaze at the southwestern part of the room, he saw that there was a window obscured by massive curtains of a dark brown and burgundy color. Seeing that, he instantly felt himself driven by the need to gaze out in order to obtain some idea as to where he was at. As a result, Raizo began to stir his sore body to action moving the covers away from his body.

"What is this?" he gasped in shock as he cast his sight down upon his vessel. His entire torso was covered in bandages and he was wearing some sort of black-and-white patient garb. Trying to recall what happened to cause all of this only made the headache feel that much worse. Groaning in agony, the youth clutched both sides of his head as he heard a ringing in his ears. Trying to shake that pain off, he casually jumped out of bed and made his way to the window staggering like a child learning to walk for the first time. A few seconds passed before he made it to his destination. As he parted the drapes, the male could only widen his eyes in shock and tremble in fear and uncertainty.

Outside the window, a mass of buildings of various sizes and walls separating districts creating a maze-like series of structures welcomed the sight of the male. As he peered out the window, he realized he was inside a massive spire overlooking all of those structures as a result. However, despite the unfamiliar banners and colors of the flags flying around, Raizo knew just exactly where he was.

"The…Capital?!" he cried out in dismay. How the hell did he wind up in the camp of his enemy? Was he captured and being held prisoner? If that was the case, then why was he in such a location that was giving him comfort as opposed to a prison? Did they develop a special type of locking mechanism to hold him back from escaping? What on earth was happening right now? All of these questions and more spiraled around inside Raizo's brain. The last thing he remembered clearly was killing Aquilo but after that, everything went completely blank.

"Did…it not work?" he said recalling how he went back in time to change the fate of his clan and ultimately hope to spare the world of pain and suffering that should have destroyed civilization many times over. He knew for a fact that he arrived in time before that traitorous bastard led his clan to its fate but why was he here in the Capital of all places? Better yet, wasn't the place in which he was located the palace? That only piled on more questions. Feeling angry and balling his fists in frustration, Raizo struck the wall hard.

"Damn it all!"

Responding to his yell, the door to his room flung open as someone came rushing inside.

"Your Highness!" the deep voice echoed underneath the armor of a new presence. Raizo's confused yet astonished expression turned towards the visitor. Seeing the silver armor draped with a white and red cape as well as yellow eyes and a unique helmet caused the youth to rejoice. Despite it being a step back from when he last gazed upon the material, Raizo recognized the armor of Incursio.

"Tatsumi, you're here!" he gasped finding the strength to stand up in order to greet his old comrade. However, the person in the armor merely tilted his head at the boy's response as though he was unsure of what the boy was saying.

"Your Highness, did you just wake up from a dream? I understand you were out for a while but I don't know who this Tatsumi person is," the voice spoke. Scrunching his eyebrows together, Raizo stepped back on guard.

"The one who owns Incursio is my friend, Tatsumi; if you are not him then who the hell are you?!"

The armor user humored the disillusioned blood wolf as he casually disengaged the teigu. As the silver suit disappears, the muscular frame of a gentleman in his late 20s forms before him sporting a black shirt and tan pants accompanied by a white trench coat. The manly facial features of the man fill Raizo's eyes as the boy notes the rather artistic hairstyle that bound the jet-black locks of hair into a straight cylindrical protrusion from the man's scalp. Crossing his arms over his bulging chest, the guy smiles gently to alleviate the nerves of the hesitant youth.

"I'm not sure who this Tatsumi person is but don't you recognize me? I'm your personal bodyguard, Bulat. You should probably lie back down in bed Your Highness," Bulat suggested. However, Raizo merely shifted his stance in further discomfort as he felt confused even more than before. Who the hell was this Bulat guy and why did he have the Incursio armor? Why is he serving as a bodyguard and what is up with this title of 'Your Highness'? As these questions and more ran through the youth's mind, he felt even more anxiety build up in his chest. Seeing the boy shuffle around on his feet, Bulat stepped closer to Raizo in order to try to calm him down.

"Prince Raizo, please. It's for your own good," he spoke. Was he really just addressed as Prince? That title placed before his name made the ambiguous male stare wide-eyed at his bodyguard in astonishment. The sound of it reverberated in his mind which then caused him to dash past the stranger and out the open door.

"Your Highness please wait!" Bulat shouted reaching out to stop him but the youth was too fast. Not trying to think about where to go next, Raizo dashed down the wide-open hallway trying to escape from this place. He didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do next but all he could focus on doing was escaping from the castle.

"Stop!"

The cry of his bodyguard echoed down the hall but the legs of the male propelled him forward as he maneuvered his way around the structure of the castle as fast as he could. Coming to see what the commotion was all about, guards draped in purple and gold robes with small plates of armor began to move. Seeing the boy dash past them at an alarming rate, the guards looked around to see what was happening.

"His Majesty is out of it, stop him!" Bulat ordered. As they sought to stop the youth, Raizo merely jumped around them and kept going ignoring them. He caught glimpses of their faces but he wasn't trying to get caught up in identifying them at all. Soon the castle began to stir as various personnel within the corridor tried to cut off Raizo's escape but that was when things would only go even further south.

The confused assassin rounds corner after corner gradually descending the spire with Bulat hot on his pursuit. Given the tightness of some of the areas within the castle, the bodyguard could not use Incursio to just speedily capture the boy. One, it would damage the interior of the building; two, Bulat didn't want to injure the youth from the resulting force. As such, it would fall to the guards' swift response to the alert of the chase in order to stop the boy; however, this would only cause things to go bad. As the ranks of the men and women charged with the security of the inner ward began to gather to stop the rampant youth, Raizo's reaction was one of a threatened animal forced into a cage. Feeling encroached upon, the youth began to fight.

"Get out of my way!" he yelled out as he started swinging at the oncoming people who tried to stop him. He batted down every person who made a swipe at him by shrugging off grapple movements or swiftly dealing knock-out blows to anyone who tried to make a move on him. Fortunately for them, the youth had some sense of restraint despite his distraught behavior at the moment. The highly trained individuals in uniform had origins that came from being a part of the Jade Dragons and the occasional one being a part of the Blood Wolves; however, their skills were inferior to the boy. For the most part, they were holding back on him but even if they were serious the result would still be the same.

Bulat closed the distance as the large skirmish broke out between the teen and the personnel. The muscled man had hopes that he would snap the kid back to reason before this madness got out of hand. As he got closer to the source of the commotion, he saw various guards laid out rubbing parts of their bodies where intense pain was felt. Some suffered fractures while others had dislocated limbs. As the man laid his eyes upon the disoriented prince dealing with the men and women who opposed him, Bulat tried to use his voice to reason with the boy one more time.

"Your Highness, please stop! This is getting out of control!"

Raizo turned his sharp gaze at the man as a small hint of killing intent filled his crimson irises. Turning back, the youth searched for a foreseeable exit but there was none that he was familiar with. Feeling like a cornered animal with no way out, the boy decided that he would have to make one of his own. His eyes fell upon a window where the light shined in; this gave him quite a ludicrous idea. It was a ridiculously stupid idea but he could not stand to be within this place anymore for he could not trust what he had seen or heard so far.

As the last of the guards were tossed aside from his path, the male dashed towards the illuminated exit. Seeing this move, Bulat noticed what Raizo was going to do. Not trying to see if his assumption would be wrong, the man barreled through the body-littered hall after the boy. If it wasn't for the fact that the area was so compact he would have easily armored up in Incursio and use the armor's augmented speed to grab the kid but for now, he'd have to just rely on his body to overcome the distance. It was easier said than done as Raizo was surprisingly more agile and thus faster than the man. Before Bulat had the chance, a loud shattering noise echoed as the silhouette of the Crown Prince was seen bursting through the frame of the window.

"PRINCE RAIZO!" the man yelled as he rushed to the opening decorated in broken fragments of glass. As he stared out of the open area, all that could be seen was the back of the 19-year-old male falling helplessly towards the ground below. Slinking back inside, he turned around and observed the men and women struggling to their feet. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall.

"GET UP AND SOUND THE ALARM!" he ordered in anger. Bulat knew that the youth's safety was in danger but he feared that his injuries would only be worse from the fall. Any other normal human being would have no hope of surviving but Raizo wasn't an ordinary child. He was surrounded by too many extraordinary individuals to be just a normal human being. Bulat's thoughts soon turned to wishful thinking.

I just hope his power will activate before it's too late.

As Raizo plummeted hundreds upon hundreds of feet down toward the ground, time seemed to slow down in his mind. His plan was to jump out of the window and activate his Fury state in order to glide over the distance but he soon discovered that it would not be possible.

What the hell is going on? Why can't I activate my transformation? Indra? Now is not the time to be condescending to me!

As he began to panic in his mind over his lack of power, Raizo tried calling out the god that dwelled within him. Much to his surprise, there was no response. However, it was not only the lack of a response that captivated his heart as the chill of fear ran down his spine, it was something else. Closing his eyes, he tried to tap into his inner power this time at least calling for the miscellaneous Calm state but there was no response. As his mind soon returned to reality, he had to face the fact that he did not have the power of Indra's Judgment.

Dammit, how the hell could I forget so fast? Changing the timeline erased my intake of Indra's Judgment. How could I be so fucking stupid?!

Frustrated with himself, the fear inside the boy tried to force him to accept the fact that he would meet his untimely demise in just mere seconds. His anxiety and impatience were going to be the death of him. Just when he awoke in his new reality, he would not be able to experience it all thanks to one bad judgment call. At least, that's what the common man would have one think. Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation around his right wrist and on the back of his left hand. A gleaming light emitted from both areas respectively when it happened. On his right hand, a mysterious black bracelet had appeared with a red and gold striped design around it and on his left hand was a mysterious, dark yellow sigil in the shape of a spade completed in a series of unique spirals-like flames. As if embraced by a hypnotic state, Raizo's lips moved and uttered a chant he did not recognize.

"Edict, come forth! Fragarach!"

With these words stated, an additional ray of radiance emerged from his right hand. This light began to grow out and form in the shape of a sword that Raizo involuntarily gripped. As the light faded, the blade materialized into reality. The length of the blade was at least 4 to 5 feet and about 6 inches or so in width. The outer edge was translucent white that could only be seen by the rush of the wind. The inner portion of the blade was a solid blue. Its handle was black with crystal in the middle of where the guard and the blade intersected. Furthermore, red feathers hung from around the guard's uniquely curved "T" shape.

As soon as the blood entered the realm of existence, a massive gust of wind brushed against the boy's body and sustained him in the air granting him flight. His rapid descent toward the ground below had ended not a second too soon. As he looked around, he saw that there was no one around using any weird power to hold him or anything so his eyes then rested upon the newly formed blade. Captivated by its unique luster it had become obvious that he had never seen it before. As he moved his arm around slowly he began to get a feel for the blade judging its weight and such. Although it felt foreign to him, it also felt strangely natural as if he had it with him all his life.

"Where did you come from?" he asked rhetorically observing the finer details of the weapon. When he swung the blade, his body instantly propelled in that very direction at an alarming rate. As he swung it in the opposite direction, he flew in that very direction. Bringing it back to a resting position, he stopped in midair.

"I see, so I can fly with you by using the wind eh? All right then, how about this!" he said thrusting the blade forward. He propelled forward away from the spire he had fallen from. The wind carried the youth endlessly through the air as he was taken in the direction of his choice. While he was playing around, various bells began to ring throughout the area like alarms and he could see people appearing like ants rushing around.

Looks like I just managed to grab everyone's attention. Shit…

Unsure of what these people would do since he was flying through the air; the youth swung Fragarach downward and descended rapidly toward a nearby courtyard. Careless about the amount of force he put behind the swing, he was thrust uncontrollably in that direction and soon collided with the ground but luckily a gush of air had softened his landing for the most part. A small dust cloud enveloped the area as the male landed on the ground. The blade soon disappeared after serving its purpose at that moment. Sore from the impact, Raizo rubbed his head in pain.

"Ouch…"

When the dust settled, an icy presence had emerged and was approaching the boy softly. Feeling a dark aura, Raizo jumped to his feet and was in a defensive stance; however, he was unarmed. As his heart began to beat heavily, his right hand began to glow once more but a different blade would manifest in its place. Although he was intrigued by it, Raizo didn't care so long as he had a weapon. It was at this moment that his lips moved of their own volition once more.

"Edict, come forth: Kusanagi!"

A 4-foot-long katana emerged into existence. Its blade was black and silver with a serrated edge and featured a blue and gold hilt. Although it was different in shape from Vajra, Raizo felt a great affinity towards this particular weapon like it was the perfect weapon. He gripped the blade in the familiar Ikazuchi-style that was taught to him by his master long ago.

Well, if I'm holding this weapon like this then not everything about me has changed.

Pushing away unnecessary thoughts, his potential foe came into view. The silhouette took the shape of a female with long, frost-blue hair and icy, cerulean blue eyes. Sporting a white uniform that was native to soldiers of the Empire, her rather suggestive style of clothing was familiar. The short skirt that would dangerously threaten to show her feminine parts as well as the ridiculously exposed cleavage along with the deadly white and black heeled boots and uniquely black scarf belonged to one person whom the boy deemed an enemy beyond all things.

"Esdeath…" he uttered with great animosity. An aura of resentment and pure killing intent began to radiate around the male as he gripped his blade tightly. If he had the powers of Indra's Judgment, this fight would be easy but since his powers have changed…well he wasn't sure how things would turn out. His current powers were as unknown to him as the reason why he was here in the capital. As a result, he would have to rely on his raw skill to fight but something wasn't right. Despite his obviously menacing way of speaking her name and the way he was ready to fight, the general did not seem to be phased. Did she not perceive him as a threat? Or perhaps she knew something about him that he didn't? What happened next only sought to confuse him even more as she suddenly kneeled before him.

"My Prince, the entire palace is ablaze trying to figure out where you have gone. It is a great fortune that I have managed to discover you myself. Please let me take you back to your room where you may rest as you are unwell," she pleaded in a formal tone. Raizo felt his grip loosen around his blade at that moment. Was she being serious right now? Once again he found himself being addressed as royalty. Were these people okay or something? Last he checked he wasn't the prince of anything so maybe he appeared as someone different to these people or everyone is an idiot.

Shaking his head, Raizo readjusted his hand around the hilt of his sword. No matter what kind of confusing logic she tried to spill, it still didn't change the fact that he saw this woman as an enemy. Why should he believe anything she's saying? After all, the last time he checked they were enemies. Aquilo may not be here but she is and that's enough reason for him to take action. If he brought Esdeath down then perhaps the war would end at last. As Raizo positioned himself to strike, another presence came out of nowhere that he did not feel at all. Before he had time to turn around, his vision suddenly became hazy as everything started to fade. The blade he had in his hand disappeared and the youth collapsed to the ground.

"Yeah, this was about to get ugly," a female voice sighed as she leaned down toward Raizo's view. The last thing the boy caught a glimpse of was red hair before darkness took hold and he was out. Standing upright pushing her ruby, red hair aside, a woman in a white shirt draped by a green dress had come into the fray quickly diffusing the situation and motioning Esdeath to stand up. Her cobalt blue eyes peered over at Esdeath who remained kneeling, this time in respect to the new presence.

"Princess Adena, I did not expect you to show up here," the icy general expressed before slowly rising to her feet at the redheaded tall girl's signal.

"You're lucky I did show up. Otherwise, your head would probably be bouncing on the ground. Did you not sense the killing intent?" inquired the beauty as she leaned down and picked up the boy.

"I did but I figured I would try to speak to him first. If His Highness wishes to end my life then regardless of my offense, I would accept it."

"You are amazingly and stubbornly loyal especially to the family of someone who leveled the kingdom you served before."

"With all due respect Princess but I'm only loyal because of the fact that Her Majesty appeals greatly to my pride. Besides, being on this side of things has made life rather fun for me."

"Yeah…okay well long as you weren't trying to use those unnecessarily exposed tits to try and seduce my man, I won't have to burn you to a crisp so. Anyways, let's get this boy back to his room before he causes more trouble."

*****

Hours later after the big uproar caused by Raizo, things within the grounds of the palace had managed to settle down. Currently, the male had been resting inside his room except Adena was in there watching over him. Bulat stood guard outside the door once more while Esdeath was charged with making sure the injured personnel was all appropriately being tended to in the medical wing. In addition, the fact that it was born of a misunderstanding had to be passed around given the status of his mind.

"Ugh…" Raizo groaned softly as his eyes slowly began to open, his vision currently hazy. His body felt heavy from the fatigue of his rather eventful afternoon. As his muddled mind became clear with the lethargic moments that seemed to pass, his eyes beheld the same unfamiliar ceiling from before. Numbness faded away while his conscious self stirred. He felt off more than likely due to the fact that he had grown accustomed to the accelerated feeling of Indra's Judgment in his veins. Without it, everything seemed to decelerate drastically but such was the new reality that he had to face.

"Well look at who is finally waking up," Adena smirked as she observed the prince open his eyes to behold the world once again. Moving closer to his bed so that he wouldn't make any sudden movements, the redhead kept an eye on him to see if he would act irregularly or something once again. The last thing she wanted was for the lad to go on a rampage once again with the possibility of stirring the entire kingdom up.

"A…Adena?" Raizo called out softly while he gradually caught his bearings. He was relieved to see a friendly face amidst all of this confusion that he found himself in. Perhaps he would find out what is going on through her. As he went to sit up in the bed, he felt more pain surge through his body from the wounds that were covered by the bandages. The damage that was apparently done to his body thoroughly registered to his brain thanks to his little escapade before as well as the lack of adrenaline flowing through his veins. Seeing the boy struggle, the beauty beside him reached out and held him for a moment to ease his pacing.

"Don't rush things. Your body still hasn't fully recovered from the accident and that little stunt you pulled before only slows it down," Adena sighed as she climbed on the bed beside him. She gently pulled him close to her bosom as her immense warmth enveloped him. As he was immersed in the embrace, Raizo's face filled with a blush.

"Don't go being an idiot the moment you wake up. I haven't been able to visit you thanks to the duties entrusted to me by your mother while you were being treated. Here I was finally able to be free today and you go off on a little run. Don't scare me like that," Adena ranted.

"S…sorry…but I just…I don't understand what's going on that's all. As for my injuries, couldn't you heal me with your powers?" inquired Raizo.

"I did already but I could only heal the visible physical damage. From what the doctors said, you suffered quite a deal of trauma that affected you physiologically. I did what I could but…"

It was then that the girl had tears flowing down her face as a result of recalling all that happened. Unsure of the reason, Raizo merely tilted his head with a puzzled expression in response.

"I can't believe Raiden tried to have you assassinated! I know we're at war but…why would a parent try to do this to his own son?! I can't bear the thought of losing my beloved husband!"

When Adena began to sob, Raizo was instantly lost in thought due to the astonishment of what she said. Raiden, his "father", tried to assassinate him? Was that the reason why he was lying up in this bed right now? To add even more pressure, another war was going on but who were they fighting against and why was his father involved? An assassination attempt was something he never thought he'd be the victim of again anytime soon but if he's royalty, it somehow makes sense. All of these facts were just scrambling his already perplexed mind but there was one more fact that he happened to highlight. Touching Adena's shoulder, the female wiped away the tears staining her resplendent face. As his crimson irises peered into her cobalt hues, he took a deep breath but couldn't help to blush.

"You…just called me your husband…right?" he stammered. Adena raised an eyebrow at the question but nodded.

"Yes, you're my husband, and I'm your wife. Remember? We were promised to each other when we were kids after all."

"Well…yeah but…I…thought you were with…someone else…"

"Heh, you're joking, right? I told you that you'd be the only one I'd ever give myself to."

"What about Ze…Zephyria?"

"What? What does the leader of those nomads have to do with me?"

"I…I…I don't know…this is all so complicated to me…"

Raizo clutched his head as he tried to wrap his mind over all of this. Just how much did things change when he went back in time and killed Aquilo? This was just too much for him to understand. If there was only some way for him to find out what exactly changed from the world he knew to this…mind breaking point in time.

"My love…you really should get some rest. It seems like your diagnosis of possible amnesia really is a thing. You did hit your head pretty hard after all. Why don't you lay back…?" Adena began to say out of concern.

"No," Raizo spoke grabbing her hand and cutting her off, "I need to know what all is going on. I feel like I just went to sleep and lost most of my memory."

"I see. What was the last thing you remember?"

Hearing that question, the prince began to think trying to rummage through his void of a memory. His mind was fragmented with shards that belonged to old world line that he knew and what he could perceive of the current one. As such, the pain in his head grew. The last thing that was clear to him was the face of Aquilo and the fact that he was outed as a traitor and executed. Wait…no that wasn't right. Was that how the current world saw it? No, he killed Aquilo himself and that was what changed everything so why were the memories changing?

"Hey, don't overdo it. It's fine if you can't remember exactly. I think there may be a way to help if you are interested my darling."

"Y…Yes, I'd like to know what's happened…at least from the past six years," he said looking to the side in embarrassment. The redheaded princess chuckled softly as she watched his reaction. Even though they were discussing something serious, she couldn't help but see how cute he was to her.

"Well then, why don't you come with me to the library? I think there's something you can read that will help you bridge that gap."

Nodding in agreement, the male gradually pulled himself together to get out of the bed. Though he felt like he should be able to handle it, Adena helped him get up and gave him a robe to wear before they set off. When they exited the room, Bulat gave a concerned expression towards the boy but Adena merely motioned that it was okay. Entrusting the princess with the care of her husband, they went ahead unimpeded by anyone in the castle.