Meteo Emblem 1

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Contents
*Star #1 "The Guardian Star Whispers"...005
*Star #2 "Host of the Star Accursed"...051
*Star #3 "Zaun's Influence"...097
*Star #4 "The Guardian Star of Destruction"...143

005
Narrator: Long ago./In a very distant past.../Civilization had grown extremely advanced, its people unknowing of poverty or destitution. Every day was one of peace and abundance, or so they say.//They believed their lives of calm and harmony would last always./However//one day, the stars fell from the sky...

006
Narrator: That day, all civilization on Earth was put to an end... Destroyed in an instant, as legend would have it...//Yet...//Destruction is not the only thing the stars brought along with them on the day they fell.//... In the great lengths of time that followed//The strange power they possessed graced humanity with a newfound potential.

007
Narrator: A new race of human beings.../gifted with the power of the stars.//As they gained awareness of their abilities, the new race of men started to investigate the ways in which they could use them.//Thus began a new age of civilization, built upon the Power of the Stars. The Meteor Civilization.//In the dawn of the new era, people came up with a name for the power that surpassed mankind and transcended everything.../They coined it "Nova", in reference to its stellar origin.[tn: "Shinsei", or literally "New Star" is Japanese for "Nova". As a consequence, translating that line as-is would have created a redundancy, as it is already a translation.]

008
*Star #1"The Guardian Star Whispers".

010
Zaun: ... So? Have you made up your mind?
Dan: Of course! I want... I want the power to surpass him!!
Zaun: Good! Then I shall bestow a special Star upon you./But be sure to remember this, if anything.

011
Zaun: That star may exhibit the power it will take to outmatch him... but whether that happens or not depends on you!

013
Narrator: Vale of Arakan.[tn: Arakan=Arhat, a Buddhist who's attained Nirvana.]
Aris: Pfff...//(I'm pretty sure... it'd be somewhere around here.
Rikan: Here I am.

014
Aris: Ah.
Rikan: Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Rikan./And this here, is Karu.
Karu: Squeak.
Aris: Ah, yes. I am...
Rikan: I know who you are.//That spearhead-shaped object on the tip of your tail is a Guardian Star. A gift Zaun-sensei grants his favorite students... You need not explain anything. I was more than aware that one of his disciples would show up someday.

015
Aris: I see. Well, it's an honor to meet you./I'm one of Zaun-sensei's four best students, the ones who compose the Elemental Guard: Aris of the Blue Dragon. I have come here because there's something I need to ask of you.[tn: The Kanji read "The Four Guardian Stars", possibly with a pun involving the sun.]//The thing is, our master Zaun has been missing for a couple of years.../He gave me this, shortly before his disappearance. He told me that should anything happen, I was to go see Rikan-sensei and present him with it...
Rikan: This is a special key I've created for him. Actually when he asked me to manufacture it, he told me that should a disciple of his bring it to me, I should lead them to a certain place./Probably he anticipated this day and prepared in kind.
Aris: .....Uh. A certain place...?

016
Rikan: !!
Aris: (Dark Blades?!)//...Who's there?!
Rikan: Hh... Them...?!

017
Rikan: The Black Hound assassins!!//I did hear rumors about them being on Zaun-sensei's trail... But I thought I'd made sure they wouldn't find out about our meeting...!
Aris: ...?!//What would such dangerous people want with my sensei...?

019
Rikan: (Su... such amazing skill...!!)//...?!

020
Aris: KENRYUU SENPUU! [tn: Blade-Dragon Whirlwind/Stegosaurus Whirlwind.]

022
Rikan: You're indeed one of Zaun-sensei's favored pupils./That weapon you've used... It's no ordinary blade, I take it.
Aris: You're right. It's the Blue Dragon Sword. There's a fragment of star between the blade and the hilt./It's a special sword that reacts to the Nova released by my Guardian Star, and in so doing, sees its power multiplied.

023
Aris: Well... Although it's a sword I've never cut up anyone with it... I merely use it as a club to knock my opponents around with, more like.
Rikan: They aren't dead, then?
Aris: They're not. I simply knocked them out.//Oh, yeah.//Can you take me to that place you've mentioned earlier? I'd like to see this through as quickly as possible...
Rikan: Ah.//Take little Karu with you, then. He can lead you all the way there.
Karu: Squeak.
Rikan: It's a difficult place to go to, so an old man like me would only slow you down.
Aris: But... Is it gonna be alright?/Will an animal really be able to lead me there?
Karu: Squeak!!!
Aris: ?!//That's fast!!
Rikan: Hohoho... Looks like you've gotten on his bad side!

024
Aris: Aaaaah. Wait for me! Karu!! You're supposed to take me theeeeere!!
Rikan: Hohoho. Well well well.//How strange. For someone possessed of such strength, she's such a young maiden in spirit.
Tatouman: Yeah. Agreed.
Rikan: ...?!//!!
Tatouman: A swordsman who won't cut down her opponents/is ultimately no more than a child!
Rikan: Uuugh...

025
Aris: Ka... Karu-kun. Wait for meeeee!!//I'm sorry I doubted you, so won't you slow down a little bit pleaaaaase?!!//...?!

026
Aris: Ow ow ow.../I fell over...//!//Ah. Would this happen... to be the place...?

027
Karu: Squea. Squeak.
Aris: I see. That'd be the keyhole?
Karu: Squeak!!
Aris: (What am I going to find behind that door?/Or maybe it's a storehouse with something hidden in it?//Anyway. Let's open it...//This is something Zaun-sensei went through a lot of trouble to hide./What on Earth could it be?)

028
Karu: Squea?
Aris: That's.../That's... a boy... right...?

029
Dan: ...... Uuuhn...
*peek*
Aris: Hah!//Oh no. I saw it!
Dan: Where am I?
Aris: ......//Here... It's a raincoat... Anyway, you put it on, for now.
Dan: .../Duh?
*fidgeting*
Karu: Squeak.//Squeeeaak.
Aris: What's wrong, Karu?//.........!!

030
Aris: A Guardian Star?!
Dan: ?

031
Aris: Hey, you! How come you've got a Guardian Star?
Dan: .....//What's this?
Aris: (He doesn't even know why he's got a Guardian Star... No, that's not it. Judging by the look on his face, he doesn't even know what that is./Memory loss?//The sensei supposedly had four Guardian Stars, though... And he's bestowed them upon us along with the alias of Elemental Guard./So where does the fifth one come from?/ And........ It's already implanted into the boy, at that.)//How did you end up inside that stone casket?
Karu: !
Aris: Can you remember anything?
Karu: !!

032
Aris: .......?!//Eeeeek. Again?!//I've had my share of falling over for the daaaaaay!!!
Karu: Squeeak.//Squeak.
Aris: BWAH!!

033
Aris: ...Hh?!//(Ah! Thank God he's alright!/Looks like he's lost consciousness.)//Achoo!!//......../I'm completely soaked......//Oh, man... What a bad day... Between the rain and the valley's waters, I haven't been able to remain dry for one second.//I need to dry out my clothes before he wakes up...

034
Dan: Well... Um... I wasn't really trying to peek...
Aris: I see. You've seen everything, then, am I right?
Dan: Hey there. Wait! You just happened to be in front of me when I opened my eyes.../Wwaaaaah.
Aris: Actually you're right. I'm the one who let you sleep there... Sorry I've been so careless./That felt so weird.
Dan: ...You could have noticed that... before kicking me!!
Aris: ... Erm... You really can't remember anything?
Dan: ........

035
Dan: ... I only have faint memories. Fragments of the dreams I had when I was asleep.../A jet-black, gigantic star plummeting towards me...
Aris: Hum? You dreamed of a falling star?//That'd be a part of old legend and little else, don't you think? You know, a story from the time when the stars the Nova comes from fell here on Earth.
Dan: ?
Aris: No way?! You mean you don't have any memories of the tale of "The day the stars fell" either?
Dan: So. What's Nova?
Aris: ?/Alright, I'll explain, so listen.

036
Aris: Long, long ago, when the stars fell on Earth, burning everything... Well, those stars had an energy in them called Nova./When they hit the ground, the stars shattered in countless fragments the energy of which influenced the life forms all around.//An as-of-yet unseen, transcendental power was brought to the surface and awakened into humanity. For example.../This is the kind of destructive power a frail-bodied little girl like me can muster with enough training.
Dan: ...!//And this is the kind of power you've kicked me with earlier...?!
Aris: That energy goes by the name of Nova./The higher the concentration of it, the greater the amount of strength you can display.

037
Aris: Normally, Nova is invisible and formless.../But concentrate enough of it and it can be seen. It looks a lot like starlight, too.//Those objects with a high density of Nova in them... They are called Guardian Stars./Those who have them are possessed of abilities far beyond those of an average Nova user.

038
Aris: That said.../your Guardian Star is different from ours...//......
Dan: I'm hungryyyy.
Aris: ... Ahem... I'm talking to you. Care to listen...?
Dan: Yes ma'am! I'm listening with all the attention I'm capable of!!
Aris: Hem... Ahem.../Then I shall proceed with the explanation.//Guardian Stars are made of densely aggregated Nova... And luminescence is one of their properties.
Dan: ......
Aris: But your Star doesn't emit any light at all.
Dan: (Rather than emitting light, it's totally black, which is the exact opposite... Could that have anything to do with the star I saw in my dreams?)

039
Aris: In addition...
Flashback!Zaun: Listen, Aris./Protect this as the treasure it is. If anything happens to me, you'll have to use it./You're the kindest among my disciples... I'm sure you won't fail to do as I say.
Aris: I've done everything as Zaun-sensei instructed, but the mystery keeps getting deeper........
Dan: (Za... Zaun...?)
Flashback!Zaun: Then I shall bestow a special Star upon you!
Dan: (That name sounds familiar.../Like... a faint echo remaining in my memory...)

040
Tatouman: Right on!! Zaun stole that Star away!!
Aris: Who... Who are you?!
Tatouman: Oops! Introductions first, I guess./Tatouman. Captain of the Black Hounds!!
Aris: (Captain of the Black Hounds?)!
Tatouman: A couple of years ago, Zaun stole that Guardian Star from my employer and ran off with it!/Which is why I've been ordered to get it back!//Thing is, I have no idea where he's disappeared to... So I spied upon his disciples.../But I never thought he'd bury the thing away...
Dan: .......

041
Aris: Zaun-sensei doesn't resort to stealing!!/Whoever your employer is, to call my master a thief?!
Tatouman: Hey there! Can't have that. See, I'm the one with a right to be bitching around...//For my part.
Aris: (I can't feel his presence!)
Tatouman: I went through hell and back looking for this thing./And there it is, in the possession of some weak-ass half-pint. I'm the one who should be pissed!!

042
Tatouman: What? Down after a single strike?

043
Aris: Wha. Your body...//What the heck's is wrong with that body of yours...?
Tatouman: Ah-hah. I take it you've never seen a mutant before?[tn: The Kanji say Altered Human Being.]//I don't have a Guardian Star. But by forcibly implanting stellar shards within my body, I've reshaped it into a powerful conduct for Nova use./What's more, by performing alterations geared towards combat ability, I've obtained a power above that of you Guardian Star users!!//You don't even know what a mutant is... Does your childish ignorance of the world know any bounds?
Aris: Why, you... Don't make light of the Guardian Stars!!
Tatouman: Idiot...

044
Tatouman: So.../You gonna cut through this too?//See? You fell for the oldest one in the book.../This proves how inexperienced a child you really are!//Distracted as you were.../you've made yourself full of openings!!!

045
Tatouman: And the price for distraction on the battlefield is death!/I found out your weak spot when I saw you failing to kill my men.
Aris: Ri... Rikan.../What have you done to Rikan-sensei...?
Tatouman: Aaah... You mean him? I cracked open his skull, shoved my fingers into his brain and sucked out his memories!! In other words, he's been my unwilling guide on the way here!!
Aris: ......!! Why, you...!!
Tatouman: I told you, didn't I?

046
Tatouman: I'm the one who should be pissed!! For being unable to execute my employer's orders!
Aris: Aaah.
Tatouman: I'm gonna have to beat the hell out of you to get the Star back so I can present it to my master!!
Aris: Aaaaaah.
Dan: (I knew that name sounded familiar somehow...)
Flashback!Zaun: What's wrong? Remember why I, Zaun gave you your Star!!/On your feet, Dan!!!

047
Dan: (Dan... That's right... It was Dan.........!!//I didn't need your telling me... I was about to get up anyway.........//It's always been there... Telling me to stand up...//Giving me power...)

048
Dan: (Yes. My Guardian Star.)

049
Dan: My Guardian Star is whispering to me!!!
Tatouman: Uuuuh?!
Aris: A deliberate resonance on the Guardian Star's part?!
Tatouman: What's going on with that Nova's light? What is that overwhelming power...?!/Who the hell are you?!!

050
Dan: Dan!/That is my name... The name of the one who will defeat you!![/end