[ Day -1 ]
[ 06:45 p.m. ]
[ District: H ]
[ Location: Hunter Association's S-Rank Fortress, Secret Section. ]
Loki, Matron Supreme, and Aidan went inside the place, the place is guarded by Valkyries. As he enters, Aidan sees the Valkyries are tying some gagged people he recognizes, it was...
" Dad! Guys!? " Aidan sees it, he returns after Agni decides to return the hold to him over his body. He recognizes the people who were there, his Father and his friends; Jan, Roy, and Walt.
He quickly approaches them but his efforts are held by the Valkyries who point their spears at them.
" Halt! " Matron Supreme says, calling Aidan and pointing at him that one of the Valkyries already put a knife under Mr. Adler's chin, alongside the others.
" You wouldn't dare... " Aidan releases his flames, but the Valkyrie decides to approach the blade even deeper to their chin, already cutting some of its skin.
" Grkh! " Aidan vanquished the ignited flames, he looked at the Matron Supreme.
" Why are you doing this!? Who are you!? " Aidan asks while seeing Lord Loki slowly leaving the room while exchanging his eyes with the Matron Supreme.
* Loki approached Aidan. *
" Just do what the Matron Supreme tells you... " Loki whispers.
" Matron wha- "
" She's the Matron Supreme of the 'Sanctus Sorores'..., the one who governs the 'Children of Creator' Religion, the Religion your mother came from... "
" I know you're full of questions..., let the Matron explain it to you... " Loki ends it and pats Aidan's shoulders.
" Good luck! " Loki leaves the place, entrusting things to the Matron Supreme who decide to sit on a chair, placed in the center of the room per her request.
* Door closed. *
" So what is this about? - " Aidan started asking but was unnaturally pulled towards the Matron, his muscles were pulled into the Matron as if his mind told him to approach the Matron against his will, immediately fell kneeling in front of her chair.
As he kneels, he sees the Matron's hand, seeing shining white cracks on her hand.
" I simply use the Power of the Lord... " the Matron tells Aidan.
" You're still wondering about us, didn't you, Young Adler? Fine! "
" We are the Order of Priestess who runs the sacramental activities of the Religion. "
" Our purpose...? To make sure our Religion is not persecuted even with keeping on good terms with the gods..., Our goal- "
" The 'Sanct Avataris'? " Aidan asks while slightly looking at his Father.
" I know of it before... " Aidan says while looking back at the Matron.
" A Man with the power of god, an Avatar of the Heavenly Prince... "
" The one whose name will be named as 'Advisor', 'Warrior', and 'Judgment'... "
" An Avatar..., named 'Ragna'... "
" A name so revered that those from your religion, trying to bring the prophecies one forth by forcing the name in many of your children, believing them would be 'him', one day. "
" Perhaps..., the reason why I'm here, isn't it? "
" Even tho I'm sure my mom and dad never once think about putting the name into me..., makes me wonder why I'm here if my name doesn't even fit the requirements... "
" Are you desperate ah- " Aidan talks but does not realize that his hand already touched something, a 'White Orb'.
" When? "
" The 'Orb of Worthiness'..., with this, we will see if you are fit to be a 'Sanct Avataris'..., or not? "
" This orb is made from the Heavenly Prince's very essence..., an Item that could reveal the 'One'. " the Matron says as the Valkyrie surrounds Aidan, pointing their weapon over his neck.
" Does the orb contains some power? " Aidan asks again, feeling unsure of the nature of the thing he holds right now.
" You'll soon find out..., for the thing we did here is always done whenever the gods announce their Divine Avatar... "
" Touch the orb even harder. " The Matron says as Aidan's hands touch the Orb even harder, making it glow as the item is doing its thing.
" Hmrph! " Aidan felt something was not right in his body, a pain, something painful he felt once he touched the orb. He felt so much pain as he gripped, he tried to utter it, but-
" Silence... " Matron Supreme says while the Valkyries show his father and friends, dragging them so Aidan can see them from his position.
While his hand touched the orb, glued to it, somehow. His hand's hand palm felt burning despite him having the power of flames. A burning pain that he couldn't handle, a burning hot pain that hurt him as if he lost his fire ability for a mere second at the moment.
" Mmrrmmh... " Aidan grunts, trying to hold it even more, at this moment he closes his eyes, trying every method he could use to endure all this as the pain comes.
When closing his eyes, he was suddenly given visions...
Visions that showed him a shining creature with wings, shown to be so bright but the light fades as he sees it being stabbed and harmed by other 'bright beings' like him. From the stained bright creature, he sees below it, showing its rise as it forms a black creature, showing the creature having a blue eye with some clock ornaments inside.
After the vision was given, another came as it showed an old man with a cape and a dying woman, the same two people but the vision showed them in different forms, different places, but in the same position they were, the vision showed different interpretations of the same moment, a scene that continues to loop as the vision turns into showing a huge device, floating in an unknown place, showing Aidan that the Device is currently circulating a huge barrier bubble which inside, shows that of the..., universe?
As Aidan sees it, he is suddenly given another vision, this time, it's about a boy with glasses, a young boy shown to be holding the Orb Aidan is holding right now, and in front of him is the Matron Supreme. The vision shows the boy bleeding as he holds the Orb tight, while the White Orb is shown to be glowing even brighter than the vision shows..., that the Matron sees the thing with great fear.
After that, the vision shows the same boy, painting a mural. A boy that from the silhouette given by the vision, reminded him of someone familiar as he painted the mural while surrounded with candles.
A mural showed a White Creature with black armor, flying in the skies and black creatures parading below, the skies cracked, and people with wings fell below, people fighting the parade of black creatures or getting trampled.
As the scene changes..., Aidan sees himself witnessing a person, this time a teenager-like boy with ragged clothes and ragged brown hair, blood spilled around his body while he draws within a place Aidan couldn't recognize, drawing it all with his blood, spoiled around and painted with his fingers.
* The boy mutters. *
* The boy prays. *
* The boy mutters again and continues to paint. *
As Aidan sees it, the Boy suddenly stops, he turns his head back, looking back at Aidan who sees him after the Boy draws the same picture as in the mural, but this time, with his blood as the drawing is finished.
The Boy Aidan sees has an eye that looked like the blue eye he sees before, the one that had a shape of a clock within it.
" You... " The Boy says...
" You weren't supposed to be here... " The Boy tells Aidan who sees him via visions.
" Mmm... "
" I see... "
" The visions connected us..., regardless of time... " The Boy smirks...
" It all makes sense now, that's why this happened to me... "
" For me to bear such thing the whole time..., times even... " The Boy says and chuckles which makes Aidan curious.
" You're already seeing too much than you should have... "
" Many had tried, forced, by those..., Sisterhood... "
" But, despite their efforts and worthiness..., close..., "
" Only some of 'em, I've let this far... "
" Including you..., Aidan... " The Boy says as he seems to know Aidan.
" Even with me giving you this 'sight'..., you would be silent 'bout this..., would you? " The Boy asks while staring at Aidan as he feels his vision changes again, this time, it shows Aidan a huge tower, a huge dark tower, a tower that Aidan immediately recognizes as he finally snaps back from the visions he was given, immediately awake as his hand finally free from the White Orb.
"( It couldn't be? )" Aidan thinks of it but suddenly, hears a voice.
"( What did you see? )" A voice he heard, but not by his ears, but with his mind.
"( You? )" Aidan looks at the Matron, realizing it was her voice that came in.
"( What visions did you see? )"
"( A shining creature.., with wings... )"
"( A black being..., with a blue eye that had the features of a clock..., perhaps a Special Eye that had something related with..., time... )"
"( Perhaps..., the 'One'..., the 'Sanct Avataris' had something to do with 'Time'? )" Aidan asked the Matron as she then looked at the Valkyries around, giving them a sight that made them retract their weapons from Aidan and his gagged acquaintances.
" Time? " The Matron asks Aidan as she rises from her seat.
" Mmmm..., time... "
" I guess the ones who took this test before also mentioned it...? " Aidan asks the Matron, surprising her.
" One of the visions..., told..., shown..., me... " Aidan explains while trying to hold his mind from saying another thing he received from his visions.
" I thought you already know what I've seen? " Aidan asks wondering why the Matron asks him these questions while she can communicate with minds, perhaps even seeing it from his mind during the wave of visions earlier.
" The vision chooses the one worthy to see it. " The Matron explains.
" Even with my power, I'm unable to receive anything, even with my current position... "
" But you, Adler... "
" Since you're a Divine Avatar..., you and those like you are always proven to somehow able to take some visions from this orb... "
" And yes..., all of you almost mention the same thing, about a 'Blue Eye with Clock ornaments within'. "
" Perhaps that's the key we should consider..., it seems the 'One' is getting close. "
" He is close. " Aidan says as he stands.
" But..., I fear he won't be found and be taken under anyone... " Aidan tells the Matron bravely at that point.
" That's what I could tell you... "
" We're done here, right? " Aidan asks which the Matron nods.
" We're done..., your father and friends can be free now... " Matron Supreme gives the gesture as the Valkyries start to free them while the Matron decides to leave the place.
" Wait! " Aidan calls the Matron.
" What is it? " Matron Supreme asks.
" Was there a non-Divine Avatar who had taken this test before? " Aidan asks the Matron.
" There are many..., but most of them rarely were given visions as many as those who were Divine Avatars... " Matron Supreme explains.
" How about the ones who received it? " Aidan asks again.
" Was there a non-Divine Avatar who showed promising results of gaining the visions...? Perhaps someone who manages to do something unnatural with the orb while being tested? " Aidan asks as the Matron then replies.
" There was one..., back in April 2015... "
" A young boy, we tested him at night, and he managed to make the 'Orb of Worthiness' shine so bright that made me had to disrupt the test due to the madness the boy made at the time. "
" One promising result, despite the young boy having his body bled somehow, perhaps his body couldn't hold the pain, or something more... "
" Sadly..., in the same year, the boy had an incident... "
" At his birthday no less, the incident made the boy lose all the promising prospects as I tested him the second time during his sleep, rehabilitated... "
" Thus, making him worthless after that moment, even worse, I heard from Lord Loki he was supposed to be dead as he participated in the First Abyss Tower Raid. "
" Such a waste, all of it is wasted upon that one male child... " the Matron says while it makes Aidan silent.
" You perform well, Aidan Adler... "
" With you being given such visions made me curious about your growth... "
" Perhaps..., you could be the 'One'..., let us shall see from now on... " the Matron leaves alongside the Valkyries there, leaving Aidan and his relatives behind.
* Door closes. *
" I doubt that... " Aidan says.
" Just like I told you earlier..., if the 'Sanct Avataris'..., really comes... "
" Then I doubt, he will ever, let himself be under your Order. " Aidan says, a summary he could get after seeing so many things.
...
( Meanwhile. )
[ 08:30 p.m. ]
[ Location: Hunter Association's S-Rank Fortress' Aisle. ]
Yukino, still awake at the moment after her continuous training, walks in the aisle while seeing Lord Loki walk with a woman in Black and White robes, accompanied by his Valkyries.
" Oh..., Yukino! " Loki calls her as soon as he sees her.
" Oh, Lord Loki, hi- "
" Who is- "
" You know the Matron Supreme from the 'Sanctus Sorores', right? " Loki asks Yukino, telling her that she met the Matron before, a long time ago.
" Ah, ah..., (When was it?)... " Yukino forgets, perhaps her meeting with the Matron was unimportant to her hence she forgets it.
As Yukino bows to Loki and the Matron, they all go pass her, as the Matron passes.
" Urgh! " the Matron felt something, she felt something as if someone was pressuring her at the time, feeling a pair of eyes watching her right now.
" Mmm? " The Matron looks at Yukino.
" Matron? " Loki calls her which makes the Matron ignore the pain as she follows Loki.
Yukino was confused at her, wondering why the old-robed woman looked at her like that.
( At the same time. )
[ Realm of Candida Aeternitas ]
" That traitorous witch... " Lord Sal says as he sees things from that place.