Chain Chronicle 1. Prolugue

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer: Hello, all of you lovely people. Welcome to the first ever Chain Chronicle fanfic. I am your host, ArthurDragonpen. Just for the record, Chain Chronicle is not my creation and therefore, anything that is not an OC does not belong to me. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, here comes the prologue. Enjoy!**

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><p>"Rhys!" A somewhat melodic voice shouted off into the distance. "She's coming to"<p>

"Yeah, I see that. Hey, you okay?" I feel a pressure on my shoulder as someone tried to nudge me awake. "Can you hear me?"

"Rhys!" A smaller female voice shouted out in anger. "Don't harass her. She's already been through a lot. Let her wake up on her own."

"I… um, right." The voice said hesitantly.

Moaning, I grabbed at my head and blinked open my eyes. The first thing I saw was a face. His eyes stared down at mine, a dark brown chocolate that brought me out of the darkness. His hair was of the same color but slightly brighter with a shine that caught my eye and his face was delicately curved and fashioned as though he were an Adonis. He wore chain mail armor and a white medieval jacket with an assortment of belts that held his sword and kept his armor in check. All in all, he was quite the pretty boy. But, I wasn't given much time to admire the scenery when a sudden agonizing pain wracked my body and I whimpered. I tried speaking but no sound came out. _Could I speak at all?_

Eventually, I was able to force the words out of my mouth. "W-What happened to make me feel this bad? It feels as though I was dropped off the side of a cliff."

"Black Troops will do that to you. Lucky we found you two before they could do too much harm." The small female voice was back and I found myself searching for the voice. "Where's that voice coming from?"

"What? You didn't notice me? I'm sitting on Rhys's shoulder." I quickly looked towards the boy I had described before and my eyes regarded his figure before widening in surprise. There had been someone sitting on Rhys's shoulder and my eyes had skated right over her. The girl was no bigger than my hand and that's saying something; my hand is pretty small. Her eyes were a bright emerald green and her hair shone like a scarlet fire giving off light and warmth. She wore a pink blouse tied with a small ribbon and a purple skirt with black tights. But what most surprised me was the set of dragonfly wings attached to her back.

I gasped. "A-Are you a… fairy?"

For a second, the girl's face was blank. But, then she giggled. "A sprite actually. But, I guess that's not the biggest problem. My name is Pirika. What's yours?"

For a moment, I did nothing but stare at her in thought. Pirika became nervous and she held up her hands in reassurance. "It's alright if you don't remember. Amnesia is nothing to be afraid of. Phoena's going through the same thing."

One of her words registered. "Fiona?" My eyebrows furrowed as I sounded the word out. No doubt about it. That name made me feel something. And yet… "Who is Fiona?"

"That would be me. I'm Phoena." The soft, peaceful voice was back and I turned to see another girl on my right. She smiled at me softly and something in me wanted to smile as well but I settled for staring at her eyes of opal, shining softly and her expression of compassion. She wore a light blue dress and a brown, winter fur coat, two intricately detailed armbands, and travelling boots. In her hands, she held a blue bag that looked rather strange, now that I thought about it. Actually, what she held was not a bag but rather a gold-encrusted ancient-looking blue book. As I stared, I realized that her voice was the first that I had heard upon waking up. That, and I knew her from somewhere.

"You look familiar." Phoena's eye grew wide with surprise but also hope. Hastily, I scrambled to amend my statement. "I mean, not really familiar but I feel like I know you more than I know me." Um, does that even make sense?

Phoena nodded, her smile becoming rather forced. "I see. Oh, well, I figured that you would know who I am since you were protecting me after I was knocked out. If Rhys, Pirika, and the others hadn't come when they did, we'd both be dead."

I looked to the three of them. "Is that so?" Frowning, I said, "Thank you for saving me. But, I… I don't own anything to give you for your troubles."

Rhys shook his head. "Don't worry about it. We're just happy to see you are alright."

Pirika fluttered her wings and took flight. "That's right. You don't have to pay us back."

She may as well not have been talking. All I could think about was how to repay these kind strangers for all their help. But, what did I have to give? I had no money to my name and only the clothes off my back, which I was sure they weren't going to accept. Then, it hit me. "Would you allow me to tag along with you and your group?" I asked Rhys.

Rhys looked at Pirika before fixing me with a questioning glance. "I think that depends on why you want to."

I lowered my eyes, downcast. "Well, partly it's because I figure this is the only way to pay you back for all you've done for me. But, to be completely honest, I wish to explore this world. I want to know what caused my memory loss and, if I can, somehow regain those scattered recollections." I hadn't noticed that my voice had grown more confident until I looked up and noticed them staring at me in silence. Immediately, I lowered both my head and my voice and begged, "Please, do me the honor of allowing me to accompany you."

For a moment, they were quiet. I refused to lift my head until they gave me some sort of response. Finally, Rhys put his hand under my chin and forced me to look him in the eyes. "If you want to join us, then we won't stop you. Just know that the road ahead will be dangerous. You still willing to follow us?"

Ecstatic that he had accepted my request, I jumped up and gave each both and Rhys and Phoena big hugs. I was just about to thank them strenuously but then I stopped.

All three of them gave me a long look. "Hey, what happened?"

I spoke suddenly, almost without realizing it. "Layla, yes. That's my name… it is Layla." The laugh that bubbled up inside of me in that moment was building but I couldn't stop. It wasn't long before I burst out in chuckles and giggles of glee, my smiling face radiating even the darkest corners. I knew I must have looked mad right about now. But, I could care less.

Rhys seems to understand my thought process and smiles along with me. He held out a hand which I gladly accepted. "Okay, Layla, welcome to the Volunteer Army. Nice to have you along!"

I looked to him and grinned. "Glad to be here."

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><p><strong>And that's all for now. Sorry that it was short. I'll make sure the next chapter is longer. For now, this Chain Chronicle fanfiction is nothing more than an experiment. Depending on its reception, I will either continue or delete it. IF you don't want that to happen, you can send in reviews as well as OC requests. And I'll get to work on meeting your demands. So, I guess I'll see you later.<strong>

**ArthurDragonpen, signing off!**


	2. Chapter 1: Meeting the Team

**Chapter 1: Meeting the Team**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Chain Chronicle. I only own the OC I placed in the story.**

**A/N: I'm BAAAAACCCKKK! And in record time too! I gotta say, when I had originally wrote the plot for the story, I hadn't expected it to get so famous that quickly. I was more or less goofing around as I had believed that it would be nothing more than a side project. But, it seems that a lot of you guys want to see where this story goes. Probably because it's the only Chain Chronicle fanfic out there. So, I guess I'll oblige you. So, next up, Chapter 1! Enjoy!**

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><p>Gazing into the eyes of the unfamiliar young woman in front of me, I studied her. Her delicate curves, and short legs. Her emerald green eyes shining like green flames and unruly, hazelnut brown hair flowing past her shoulders. She wore a purple kimono top decorated with golden flowers and a black skirt with purple tights and combat boots.<p>

"It's official," I said, my mirror image copying my distressed expression, "I don't remember myself at all."

I thought that if I had gotten a good look at myself in the mirror, it would result in a few more memories popping up but unfortunately, nothing happened. I was still the same fourteen year old girl who had little to no memory when it came to where I came from.

Sighing, I turned from my image and towards the door on the other side of the room. Even after the good night's rest that I had gotten, nothing had resurfaced. But, I guess that was to be expected. I thought about Phoena. Just like me, Phoena had lost her memory as well. All she had was a mysterious book that no one could read and the support of everyone here. At least we had that last thing in common.

Yesterday, Rhys had told me to get some sleep for the trip ahead. Before we set off, he would introduce me to the members of the Army. Today was the day that would happen and I was beyond worried.

I knew weird things happened everyday around here but two completely unrelated girls both losing their memories on the same day was a little bit out there. I didn't know Phoena. But, the book she carried… that was familiar. Why? Not sure. But, it felt as though I had already had an encounter with it. Despite all that, I was nowhere close to figuring out how or even when we had crossed paths. Which was what this trip was all about. It was why I had asked to go with them. And it was why I needed to get over my fear and go say hello.

Before I lost my nerve, I twisted the doorknob and exited the room, hurrying down the hall towards the tavern. There were many unfamiliar faces in the main room but I was able to make out Pirika's shiny wings from a table at the back. As I made my way over to them, I started to catch pieces of the conversation.

"… Are we going to be waiting any longer?" Pirika asked, her question directed at Rhys.

Rhys sighed. "Hey, let's try to be patient. Layla is just trying to get accustomed to the new reality she's found herself in. It might take some time sure but I'm sure she won't keep us waiting long. Plus, Phoena said so herself."

The group turned to Phoena, who still wasn't good with all the attention. But, she stuck her chin out and defended Rhys's case. "He's right. By the time I woke up, Layla was walking about the room, already dressed. When I asked if she was ready, she asked for a few more minutes. It wouldn't be unreasonably to give her just that."

They were talking about me. So much for not standing out… desperate to get this show on the road, I coughed slightly to get their attention. "Um… g-good morning."

The table froze in shock as I addressed them. I stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before a boy with shiny blond hair got up from his seat. "Morning. Have a nice sleep?"

"Uh…" I looked at him and was caught up by his bright blue eyes regarding me sincerely. Realizing that I was staring, I dropped my gaze and mumbled, "Fine. I… uh… slept like a rock."

The boy grinned. "Slept like a rock, huh? Great. It's nice to meet you, Layla."

At that, the others snapped out of their surprise and began to greet me. The boy who talked to me first offered his seat and I thanked him. He smiled and borrowed another chair from an unoccupied table.

When everyone was settled, I reintroduced myself and the others went around the table, stating both their names and professions, starting with the blond haired boy.

He gave a cheerful grin and held out a hand that I shook almost immediately. "I'm Kain and I'm training to be a Knight."

The girl across from Kain stood up and gave me a hearty grin. "Hey, Layla. Nice to meet you. I'm Michidia. I'm an Archer, fighting alongside the Volunteer Army to take out as many Black Troops as I can with my trusty bow." She brandished it like a trophy and even I had to admit it looked pretty cool. She sat down, carefully setting her bow next to her quiver as she did so.

The girl next to her got to her feet almost as readily as Michidia had but somehow along the way…

"Aah!"

CRASH!

…Down she went. In a sudden turn of events, the pink-haired girl dressed in white face-planted after stepping on the hem of her robes and tripping over her own feet. "Owww… can you please just forget you saw that?"

I nodded mutely and she sighed in relief. Getting to her feet once more, she gave me a slightly weak smile. "Alright, let's try that again. My name is Marina and I'm a Cleric. Believe me when I say I'm a bit more competent on the battlefield."

I did my best to reassure her. "I'm sure you are. I was pretty nervous to meet all of you. Figures you guys would be nervous too."

Rhys stood up and addressed me again. "And that's everyone for now."

I frowned. "That is?"

Pirika regarded me with a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

I looked around the table. "It's just that the name 'Volunteer Army' sounded so imposing, I figured that there were more of you." The table got deathly quiet so I guess I must have made a mistake mentioning that. I tried to backpedal. "I mean, there's been so much notoriety about your group that I figured it was an actual army and… I guess I over assumed. Sorry." _Way to go, me, way to go._

Someone cleared their throat next to me and I turned to see Rhys. His eyes were dark but he still managed to give me a smile, even if it seemed a little forced. "The Army has been going through some rough patches but it is sort of a charity effort, hence the name Volunteer Army. If people want to join, they can. If they want to leave, they can. And if they have business to finish before they officially join, they do that first and join us later. That's the nature of this group."

Pirika flew to where I sat and deposited herself on the table in front of me. "We received a new recruit who had business to attend to only a day before we found you. Before we take on our next mission, we're headed back to the capital to meet up with him."

I nodded. "I see. Glancing around at the members of this ragtag team, I stood from my seat. "I guess we better get started then. We're wasting time as it is."

As the talk of the team numbers was dropped, the tension in Rhys's shoulders went away and he stood as well, the others following his lead. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Layla. Okay, guys, we've got a long journey ahead of us. But, if we hightail it and manage not to run into a multitude of Black Troops, we might be able to make it to the Vice Capital by nightfall. You all ready?"

Everyone nodded assent and he smiled. "Okay. Volunteer Army, let's move out." He turned on his heel, grabbed his equipment and walked out of the bar. We followed him into the early morning light and on to the Vice Capital.

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><p>We left around noon so there was still plenty of light left. The seven of us traveled at a brisk pace, talking amongst ourselves to pass the time. I began to learn little things about the others, like how Kain was only a Knight in Training. Apparently, he had asked to join the Army when his home had been invaded by Black Troops.<p>

I tried wrapping my mind around that. "Hold on, so you're a farmer? Why would you join the fight then? I'm sure your parents must be really worried." I didn't know for sure what his living conditions were but from what I could tell, he couldn't have been more than two years older than me. Fifteen or sixteen at the most. So in keeping with that trail of thought, his parents must have had a heart attack when he told them he was leaving.

Kain gave me a small smile. "Yeah, they definitely weren't expecting me to say it." He looked up at the sky. "But, I think that they weren't surprised when I did. Even as a kid, I had major goals. I took after my father in wanting to uphold the family farm and keep it running but I always dreamed of helping with the war effort. Guess it just took some incentive to get me here."

I thought about that. I had no memories to speak of. But, I ended up on that road with Phoena somehow. Maybe I was like Kain. Someone who felt that their destiny was on the road, helping out others when they need it the most. Given how things turned out, it's a good guess. But, it was all mere speculation.

Kain gave me a sideways glance before turning his eyes forward and focusing on the road. "I don't feel right asking but are there any family members that you remember out there right now?"

I know why he didn't want to ask but I didn't take much offense to it. "Not sure. I figure if there are, I'll remember them when the time is right. If I haven't remembered them even after we're halfway through this journey, then it's not the time to do so."

Kain lifted one eyebrow but didn't say anything. I wondered why and turned to him to say something when…

Snap! The sound of tree branches breaking sounded off to our right and automatically, Kain unstrapped his shield from his back and unsheathed his blade. All around us, the air went still and the trees rustled. From the shadows, a pair of red eyes gazed out at me. And then they appeared. They were skeletons, gray and black. Undead soldiers of war. Some carried only swords while others brandished both swords and shields.

Gesturing to me, Kain said, "Get behind me to safety. These types of Black Troops aren't fast but they're still plenty dangerous. Stay behind Michidia. We'll handle these guys."

Phoena grabbed my arm and we ran to the back of the group where it was safest. Once we were there, Rhys lifted his sword and charged into battle, Kain following his lead. Marina stayed a safe enough distance away and provided support from the middle. As for Michidia, her bow was ready, an arrow already nocked and a target already picked. With hardly a thought, she fired, the arrow flying straight and true into one skeleton's skull. It fell to the ground, bursting into dust.

I looked around at the other members as the fight went on. Pirika was darting around to certain points on the battlefield, sometimes talking to Rhys and other times remaining on the sidelines. I wasn't sure what it was all about but it seemed that this was some small part of her job. Rhys was jabbing, blocking, and decapitating any soldier that fought to break through his defense. Kain took on a slightly different role. Rhys couldn't stop all of the troops from breaking through. Every once in a while, one or two managed to get through. When they did, Kain fought them off. The two were quite the dynamic duo.

It was a while before the Black Troops dispersed, defeated by our ragtag group. After the battle, we took a quick rest. Phoena and I went around, offering everyone water while Marina tended to any wounds that Rhys and Kain might have gotten during the fight. After they were all rejuvenated, we set off once more, deciding that sticking around here much longer would call up another batch of Black Troops, which was something we didn't need. Besides, the sun was setting in the distance and the Vice Capital was still a couple of hours away at best.

I chanced a look behind us but nothing was there yet. However, there was a number of dark things standing off in the distance on the road behind us. Briefly, I wondered if we could outrun them. But, even then I doubted it.

Rhys, following my gaze, made out the enemies approaching, "We've got another pack coming in hot. Phoena, Layla…" There was no need to speak. We moved behind everyone and got ready for another fight.

As the clash happened once more, I realized that no matter what we did or where we went, the Black Troops would follow. And whenever they went, destruction was not far behind.

I sighed, my hand squeezing Phoena's tightly. "This is going to be a long afternoon."

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><p><strong>AN: It is with great sadness that I bring this next chapter to a close. Sorry. Like I promised, this chapter was indeed longer. Unfortunately, I had to take a lot of things into account when writing. I do feel that there are a few warnings I will need to place in this author's note so you can get where I'm coming from. Firstly, since Chain Chronicle is a game, I've been looking for a way to include gaming mechanics in a light that doesn't seem odd while you're reading. I'm trying to make it look realistic. Secondly, I will only add in the characters whose cards I already have. Since I have two different accounts - one on my phone and the other on my Kindle - there will still be a lot of people showing up. However, if I don't own the character card of a certain person you want to see in the story, chances are they won't show up. Adding to that, I have thought extensively about the idea of OCs and for now, I'll just leave that be. Let me get further into the story and then maybe I'll ask. Finally, last but not least, is the story itself. Now, believe it or not, this story is actually the unofficial collaboration to a story I haven't even begun writing yet. And as we get further into the story, a lot of the later on terms I use will make more sense. Other than that, that's basically everything. Please be sure to review, follow, or favorite. Tell me what you think or how I could improve the story.**

**Until next time,**

**ArthurDragonpen, signing off!**


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Chain Chronicle, Adventure, Fantasy