This fic was written by me and some friends of mine. I've been tweaking it and it still needs some editing, but I want to see what people think. All my stories take place in the same world but at different times, hence the same names of the cities.

Fates' Heroes to Be.

Three young women stood side by side on a battlefield before two fallen heroes. Above them gathered the remains of the gods whose faces were painted in the sky, the rivers, and the mountains.

The gods looked between the three women, knowing them for who they were. The three women began to talk in unison with each other.

"Throughout the history of time, we've been known as the fates, three mighty women that have the daunting task of recording the historic lives of mankind. We have recorded an allegory, the likes of which have never been seen before. We call this story The Ebony Sword and the Ivory Sheath."

All the gods were silent, waiting for one of the women to begin reading the looms. A woman with silver hair and gray eyes stepped forward, in her hand she held a solitary strand of thread and read.

"Our tale reflects the lives that have fallen before all eyes that bear it," She began. "It is fraught with violence, sorrow, and the fire of hope that burns eternal within the human soul." The woman's fingers began to dance rhythmically across the loom and stopped abruptly upon a thread that carried a faint crimson to its hue.

She gazed upon it with a gentle sorrow, and with a voice as soft as the morning breeze, continued her prose of the ages. "The thread reveals the motives of two lost spirits. One of them would be destined for a life of vengeance, and her quest to achieve her desired goal would be advanced by a weapon that would bring the downfall of all who dared oppose it. The weapon of which we speak is none other than the infamous ebony blade, a cursed mechanism of slaughter that was forged by beings better left forgotten. It found a wielder with our protagonist, a fighter capable of extinguishing life to prolong its existence, and in return, the blade would manifest its powers of slaying within this warrior. The other by which our threads offer tribute, faced a destiny which none should live. His path is dominated by the burden of suffering. Yet with the aid of an indomitable will and the powers of the ivory sheath, his journey would lead him to perform deeds that would rival those of the gods themselves."

Before the woman could proceed, she was met with the indignant protests of her otherworldly audience. The other two women raised their hands to silence them, and nodded for her to continue. Her fingers inched slowly over the thread, and with eyes closed in thought, she continued. "The Sheath..." she whispered.

Her hands stopped to momentarily caress a thread that had long been cut from the loom of time. "As far as we know, the Sheath's origin was erased from history long ago." The two women closed their eyes as the third stared straight into the eyes of the gods and goddesses in attendance. Slowly, she turned her attention back to the loom. Her hands swiftly brushed across it as if she were playing a harp. The threads vibrated vivaciously and the colors in the room began to leak. The soft twilight colors of the goddesses' dresses bled into the deep tones of the gods' tunics. The golden pillars bled into the pale clouds. The women ignored the gasps from the gods and goddesses alike.

"It was the night of a blue moon, in the lands of Alkereem." The woman's hands whipped across the loom as her hands began the frantic dance of threads. The gods watched in awe as the room faded and they found themselves staring down at the mortal land. For most, they had left that world long ago, swearing to never go back. For others, they had never ventured to the land of pain and greed. They were superiors above all mortals. Now, they stood mesmerized, staring at the land of their inferiors. "Two girls were born; twins, fair and beautiful, to match the likes of the goddesses."

No comment came from the audience. They were spellbound. "One of the girls was of the stars and moon, born in the dead of night. The other was of the sun, enlightened in the fullest. They were of the prophecy told by the ancients. They were the destroyer and creator, forever unifying the lands. The older one of the night was named Anya. The other, named Akatsukinosora, although most have since called her Sora. These two girls were cherished and loved by all except their father, Emperor Debiru." Images of the girls' past flew past the gods, time continued to speed through existence.

"Emperor Debiru feared the prophecy and took fate into his own hands, a feat not attempted by many, for to take fate is to take life and challenge creation. And that's exactly what he intended to do. On her tenth birthday, Emperor Debiru tried to drown Anya in the River Isobrand, so that she would never be given the chance to fulfill her destiny as the destroyer. However, once fate is set, it cannot be undone. The girl was rescued."

Once again images flew past the gods; time continued to quicken as her fingers rapidly worked the thread with a delicacy none could compare to. "Years passed and the daughter born of the night was long forgotten. The girls grew older. Sora knew not of her sister, and Anya knew not of her origin. However, things changed, as change does always seem to occur, and Anya soon learned of her wicked past. Enraged, she joined forces with whom I cannot name."

Time stopped momentarily and the gods looked upon the girl they knew to be Anya talking to a figure dressed in shadow. He held out a golden necklace. Hesitantly, the girl took the necklace from his fingers shrouded in darkness. Raising it to her neck, she fastened it, thus sealing her fate. Anya fell to the ground, coiling in pain; above her stood the man, staring down at his victim. "She would forever wear the seal of darkness." Time began to quicken its pace once again.

"The one called Anya soon found herself longing for only the death of her father and sister. For her sister was causing the death of the land, using the powers invested in her to do harm to all. Anya knew she had to stop her, even if it meant she was to kill kin she knew not about."

The images now showed a girl shrouded in moonlight. "She would attempt to assassinate her family on the night of the blue moon, one cycle before the solstice, Taiia. She took upon her soul the duty that would change the lives of those two fallen heroes forever." The woman's voice faded as the gods watched the scene displayed before them.