STAGE TWELVE: THE CELESTIAL GUARDIAN AMOS
The man before her, with long black hair and piercing deep blue eyes, is none other than the last and final piece that will make her a whole celestial again. "Amos," She called, her chest full of different kinds of feelings chaotically mixed together. "You're the one who revived me that day, right?"
Amos nodded. "That's also why my seal was weakened, and they were able to find me in the temple."
"I see." Freyja took a deep breath, taking small steps closer to him. Kirin looked away, desperately holding back his trembling. Sweat rolled down his forehead, his teeth clenched. Alaric fixed his eyes to Kirin, and secretly readied his spell just in case he does something unexpected. Alyon on the other hand, couldn't look away from the guardian, in complete awe. "Lenfiare, what are you waiting for, reclaim your guardian and open the gates to Celestia." Alyon urged.
But just before she could reach him, the four guardians escaped the medallion, all in their human forms. Afra, held Freyja's hand tightly. "Lenfiare… are you sure about this?" He asked. Freyja tried to pull her hand away, but Afra just won't let go. "Lenfiare…" Afra called, almost pleading. Then, Astrid stepped forward and yanked Afra's hand away from his master. "Afra, you have no right to deprive the Lenfiare of the truth." Astrid admonished, standing between the two of them.
"Astrid is right, Afra." Avice agreed, standing beside Freyja. "The Lenfiare deserves to know the truth. We all do." The usual playful Avice was firm and serious. And Aria, walked to his master, holding her shoulders gently. "Lenfiare, do what you must." He urged.
Afra took steps back, his head down. "Forgive me Lenfiare. Do you what you must do."
Freyja took one last glance at Kirin, who is visibly nervous, shaking, sweating buckets. Freyja took a deep breath and headed straight to Amos, reaching for his ice-cold face with her hands as he knelt before her. She and Amos closed their eyes, their foreheads touching. The thick white aura around Amos started surging, enveloping Freyja's entire body. She felt the warm stream of energy enter her, her vision turned white, memories, images, what she has long forgotten are finally returning to her.
Little Freyja Lenfiare gazed at the pure white sky, from the royal gardens of the Leafen Palace. She wondered, over and over, 'What lies beyond those barriers? What kind of worlds lie on the other side of the dimension? Are they worlds different from Celestia? Are they worlds that will not hate her? Are they beautiful worlds?' Of course, she knew that she is no ordinary Lenfiare, no matter how her father, her mother, and everyone around her tried to hide it. Someday, they said, she will bring forth the destruction of the land. No seer has denied it, not even her own mother. And what they see, have never been wrong, not even once.
'Perhaps, in another world, outside of Celestia, it will be different?' she would always wonder.
Freyja wished she was born imbecile and unfeeling, because despite the happy faces and false warmth the celestials show in front of her, she can see right through their real thoughts and feelings, crystal clear. Even the guardians so loyal to the Alfiore, and will soon be to her, she would always ponder: 'If they had the choice, will they still be loyal to her?' Freyja has never felt so alone, so cold, and so confused.
Until one day, in the gardens she saw a pale celestial with sparkling silver hair and emerald green eyes. He was sitting by himself, staring at the clear waters of the river, with a captivating look on his face. His hair, the color of snow, and his eyes, the color of grass, something that most celestials didn't like. Something, that is like her. Before she knew it, she approached him, she couldn't get her hands off his hair.
"My name is Freyja! Who are you!?" She cheerfully asked. "Leriouge Aethelmaer." He mumbled, eyes wide in surprise. "My name is Freyja." She gazed at his crystal-clear eyes and saw her reflection, for the first time, in someone else's eyes. "I'll call you Leri!" Freyja squeezed his hand tight. It was calloused, and full of scars, yet it felt very warm.
Freyja would always find him alone in that garden. She visited him every day, almost every single moment she can possibly get, she would look for him. There is something in his presence that comforts her, that tells her 'you're not alone.'
Freyja befriended the silver haired man, she constantly pestered him, he would even get angry many times. He knew who she was, and after research, she did too. He was Leriouge Aethelmaer, the person Lifenya Lenfiare Leafen, her grandmother exiled. He was a genius, someone who could rival the Leafen clan, that's why they cast him away.
Leri was, unlike what the rumors say about him, very warm and kind. He is a man of very few words, but that's only because they don't let him speak. Freyja wanted to be with him more and more. But she knew she couldn't. So, she kept every meeting, every story, conversation, every lesson, a secret. Freyja craved his presence. And she shared with him, her deepest and truest wish. "Someday, let's travel to other worlds!" She said. "Far, far beyond the gates of Celestia."
Until one day, on her fifth birthday, the high-ranking priests discovered her friendship with Leriouge. They threatened to punish him. And Freyja, for the first time, felt hatred surge in her heart. 'why are they taking him away?' Before she knew it, she used the celestial aura to injure all three high priests. Had it not been for the interference of the Alfiore, she would have killed them.
Freyja was sure, it was that day.
Soon after, armies of celestials surrounded them, pleading for the Alfiore to finally fulfil his promise to execute her. "The Lenfiare is dangerous. We need to stop her." But instead, Alfiore summoned the guardian Amos and set fire to the celestial army, and everyone else who dared go against him. Alfiore grabbed her and fled far away, to the royal gardens she loved so much. "Alfiore! What's happening!?" She pleaded, confused. Why was her father killing their own people? What did she do? Is he going to kill her? Freyja, with her own eyes, saw Kinju Alfiore draw his Celestial rune blade, in its full form. With tears in his eyes, he pleaded for her forgiveness. "Alfiore! What are you doing!?" She shouted. "NO! DON'T KILL ME!" She shouted, "Leri! Save me!"
And he did. When she opened her eyes, she saw a dark grey sword through her father's body. Blood dripping from his eyes and mouth. The celestial rune blade in his hands vanished. "A… Alfiore!!!!" Freyja cried in horror. She couldn't even move. Leriouge was there, tightly gripping the sword that took her father's life. And behind him, an army of Celestials demanding for her life.
"No way…" She felt her stomach turn.
"Lenfiare!" Just then, the Celestial guardian Avice rushed to her aid, quickly grabbing her and flying far away.
"Alfiore! No! Alfiore!!!! I'm scared!" She cried, she shouted, she demanded for Avice to fly faster, and further away from the nightmare she just saw.
Avice led her to the consort, Reyrah Fiega, before disappearing. "Help! Alfiore he's…" She cried. Reyrah hugged her, her hands trembling. But Freyja could feel her clenching fists, in resolution. Reyrah took her and ran to the top of the fourth crystal tower, where a part of the Celestial core is kept hidden. She forced her way in, almost dragging little Freyja with her. As they went up higher, and higher, Freyja could see the crimson flames devouring Celestia, and the armies of rebels, some of them phreinian, demanding to take over the celestial throne.
"Endure this, Freyja!" Reyrah shoved her into a gigantic glass-like cauldron, before she recited incantations. The celestial core entered her from all directions. The pain is something she never thought, was possible. It was excruciating, like every fiber of her muscle is torn apart. It was so hot, she felt like she's being bathed in flames. "Stop!" she pleaded for her to stop, but Reyrah did not budge. Freyja could no longer tell how long it was, but when it finally stopped, she saw the gates to the room slam open, the rebels and their phreinian allies finally caught up to them. One of them stabbed Reyrah, but she continued chanting incantations.
Finally, Reyrah smiled at her, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Freyja." She said, before a swirling portal started sucking her away. "Stop! Wait! Don't!" She shouted, pleading, reaching for her mother's hand. But instead, she pushed her further, and Reyrah, she turned her back to her.
Freyja could see nothing but darkness after that. She can feel her body as if it's being stretched into a million pieces. Until, she couldn't feel anything at all. Everything started fading from her, her senses, her mind, her memories. Everything started leaving her.
"Freyja!" Before everything was completely stripped away from her, she heard a very familiar voice. In that oblivion, she saw Leriogue, reaching out to her, calling her name. She tried to reach for his hand, but her hands, she couldn't feel them anymore.
"Leri…" she called, with her very last strand of consciousness.
Freyja groaned in pain, she fell on the ground, crouching. The four dragons too, fell on their knees, sharing the same pain as their master. Alaric, Kirin, and Alyon, panicked, but they couldn't do anything. Finally, the last piece of memory she lost, returned. It was Amos' memory.
"Amos," Leriouge said, inside the underwater temple. "Do you think, she will come to you, one day?" He asked the guardian. "Yes. Definitely." Amos answered. "Because, she is Lenfiare."
Leriouge smiled. And sealed Amos.
Freyja finally stopped groaning, and calmed down. The thick white aura around her subsided. The five guardians, vanished into thin air, their aura returning to the medallion around Freyja's neck. Alaric and Alyon rushed to her side at once. Kirin, could only look at her.
"Freyja, are you okay?" Alaric helped her stand. "Lenfiare, did you get your memories back? Are you full celestial now?" He asked, supporting her other arm.
Freyja opened her eyes, now gleaming in a golden light. She took a deep breath, and felt her body so much lighter than before. She looked at Alaric, and then at Alyon. And she smiled. "Thank you, Alaric, Alyon." She stood up, and clenched her fist over her chest.
"Is this really the gate to Celestia?" Alyon asked, reminding her of the still open portal in the Aethelmaer manor. But instead of answering, Freyja just smiled, and held her hand up. When she did, a stream of white aura escaped from her hands, slowly closing the portal. Alaric and Alyon's jaws dropped, completely confused as to why she is closing the gate she's been desperately looking for. When Freyja finally closed it down, without a word, she walked towards Kirin.
"Kirin." She called, softly. Kirin instinctively took steps back, but she grabbed both of his hands. Her piercing golden eyes beaming at his emerald orbs. She squeezed his hands tight, and then, she pulled him down to her, grabbing his face, and seizing his lips for a deep kiss.
Alaric and Alyon were taken aback. Kirin too, at first. Then, Kirin slowly closed his eyes, melting into her warmth. And soon, Kirin fell down the ground unconscious.
"Kirin! Freyja! What the hell is happening!? Tell us!" Alaric demanded. But Freyja stayed silent. She summoned the celestial dragon Avice, in his grand beast form, and carried Kirin's unconscious body with her. For one last time, she looked at Alaric and Alyon, apologetic, yet, resolute. Without saying a single word, she ordered Avice to fly out of the manor, out of Hawsdark, as far and as fast as he can, leaving both Alyon and Alaric behind.
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