[center][h2][i][u]Emperor Mateus/Exdeath[/u][/i][/h2][/center][center][h3][url=http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Edge_of_Madness_(Dissidia)][i]Edge of Madness[/i][/url]
[i](Past)[/i][/h3][/center]
	`Who dares to summon me...!?` Exdeath thought to himself as he appeared within an unknown realm alongside others who seemed to hold darkness within them, immediately observing the conflict ensuing between a few of those currently present.

	The fellow who looked like a clown certainly seemed to have something of an attitude, even if Exdeath could definitely relate to the offense of having his business interrupted by this unwanted summoning. He had almost completed his goals, having already obtained the power of the Void and taken command of the Demons of the Rift. He had also managed to previously finish off one of his longest persisting enemies, as the final blow to Galuf had been dealt once and for all. He suspected that the Warriors of Light would soon appear to face him, but this uncalled for teleportation had gotten in the way of that inevitable confrontation. Nevertheless, he seemed unable to recall certain details that had taken place lately, or what exactly he had been doing when this summoning happened -- things felt somewhat hazy.

	One of the younger ones present seemed to be egging the clown on as well, and another seemed too cowardly to do much of anything. Why had Exdeath been summoned alongside these wretches? He was far beyond these insects, so the being that looked like a demon had a lot to answer for. At this very moment, Exdeath's plans for the world had been put on hold for this charade, but the very existence of this realm he now found himself in meant that he had potentially set his sights too low -- there was another plane outside of the two worlds he knew of and the Void, meaning he had now found [i]another[/i] place that needed to fall under his power.

	"I suggest you all surrender to me immediately, for the very power of the Void is under my command! Whoever you may be, you are but mere insects compared to me!" Exdeath spoke with his usual selfish and loud-mouthed aura.

	`How laughable... These fools are like children...` Mateus, Emperor of Palamecia, contemplated internally as he observed the events occurring within the room around him, almost finding it hilarious how perfectly everything was falling into place.

	"Come now -- cast your bravados aside for a moment, and take a look around you!" The Emperor spoke, his sceptre floating just barely outside the reach of his hand as he stepped forward, "Do these events that transpire before you not even [i]slightly[/i] peak your interests? The worlds from which we came have just been proven to be naught but tiny ponds in the vast ocean of reality... I, for one, find this all quite intriguing." he continued.

	 Part of what he said was a lie, but there was no way any present - not even Chaos - would be able to tell the difference. Emperor Mateus had spent so much time deceiving the powers that ruled worlds that he doubted anyone present would be able to see through his mask. Certainly, he wanted to showcase his dominion over the others present no differently than the more openly hostile members of their group did, but all good things came with patience. For now, he had a grander design in mind for everything that was taking place here, and no one would be any the wiser.

	"I'm curious -- for what reason have you brought us all here? Perhaps it shall be in the best interests of everyone if you explain it, before the more juvenile members of this gathering find themselves unable to control their instincts?" Emperor Mateus spoke, almost with the presence of a royal chancellor.

	The Emperor of Palamecia had a dignity about him that was unquestionable, and even though Exdeath wanted to immediately scold the man for his seemingly rude attitude towards them he found himself remaining silent. Something about this man was... strange -- he looked merely like an extravagantly dressed human despot, yet he had the confidence of someone who could overpower the gods and seemed incredibly wise. Somehow, that confidence did not seem unfounded either, so perhaps there [i]were[/i] people in this room who Exdeath could see as equals -- [i]maybe[/i].

[center]~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~[/center][center][h2][i][u]Cecil Harvey[/u][/i][/h2][/center][center][h3][url=http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Burmecia][i]Burmecia[/i][/url][/h3][/center]
	`I'm not alone...?` Cecil thought to himself as he heard a voice - female from what he could tell - command him to stop where he was.

	The first thought to cross Cecil's mind was the possibility that this could have been an enemy, but the fact that they were speaking his language meant that reasoning with them was not out of the question even if they were hostile. The words that followed completely changed light of the situation though, as the stranger had confirmed the name of his location and also told him it was a fallen city -- Cecil had been right to assume that this was essentially a ghost town. Furthermore, the tone of this woman's voice had a sadness to it that made her words sound personal, indicating she might have been a survivor of whatever destroyed this land or at the very least had lost someone or something important to her due to its destruction.

	`'Burmecia'...? I've never heard of such a place, even in all the time that Cid and I spoke of travelling the world by airship... and in all the time that I led the Red Wings... not once has this name been spoken...` he thought, contemplating, but he also knew that he had been asked why he was here and needed to reply.

	Turning to face the woman who had spoken to him, Cecil's eyes widened slightly for only a moment at the sight of her appearance. An anthropomorphic rat that could even speak the human tongue? Was such a thing even possible? The immediate verdict would obviously have to be that what was standing in front of Cecil now was [i]clearly[/i] some sort of monster, and yet in spite of this Cecil's eyes did not seem to hold any judgement in them despite the initial shock of Freya's appearance. There was something in this being's eyes that was too human for him to look passed -- sadness, emotion, and a soul. That on its own could set her apart from all of the monsters that Cecil had faced in his life. If he knew [i]nothing[/i] else about her, that still would have been enough for him to not raise his sword against her. Besides, what right did he - one who had walked the path of the Dark Knight - have to pass judgement on this creature - on this woman - of whom he had seen commit no sin?

	`A true Paladin... will sheath his sword...` Cecil thought in reflection.

	His weapon had been out as he moved through this city, admittedly because he considered the possibility of a monster attacking him at any moment. While this stranger in front of him was armed too, she did not appear to be taking a combat stance. Honestly, she had every right to think he might have been a hostile element with the way he was moving through - what could only be presumed to be - her homeland or a place of significance to her. Slowly, Cecil sheathed his holy sword and took a calm posture as he faced her. The distance between them was not significant enough that - even if she had superhuman speed - he would be unable to draw his weapon before she moved in for an attack, but he also sensed no threat from her presence. All he was sensing was sadness, and an apparent feeling that he had somehow intruded on her territory. Which begged the question of where on earth he was. There was no 'Burmecia' in his world to the best of his knowledge, nor creatures anything like this woman. It was as if he had been teleported to another world.

	"You must forgive me..." Cecil spoke gently to avoid alarming the woman, "It was not my intention to come here uninvited. Actually, I've no knowledge of how I even got here..." he continued, thinking of the best way to explain himself, but deciding that it was better to tell the truth even if it was rejected. "I awoke in this place, with no memories of how I arrived... My name is Cecil Harvey, and I hail from the Kingdom of Baron. If you could direct me to my homeland, I'll take my leave without causing your city any further discomfort." he said earnestly, without a single hint of hesitation or deceit in his voice -- his eyes burning with a resolve that was unyielding.