My fist shall serve as a warning. A warning to never slight the light.
***
H'lornd raised an eyebrow at the woman's outburst but his lopsided grin didn't falter in the slightest.
"How crass of you, F'narni. Did this old man irk you in any way? Surely it can't warrant such crude behavior. And Eruk! You look as sinister as ever"
The horned being nodded at H'lornd, but as his fearsome face carried no features aside from his abyssal 'eyes', it was hard to say whether it was a greeting or a threat. H'lornd didn't seem to care one bit and turned his attention back to the woman, F'narni, whose rage seemed to be further stoked by H'lornd'd nonchalance.
"YOU! Do you have any idea what you've done? Do you have any idea what your antics will cause? Do you really have NO SHAME?!"
F'narni's eyes seemed to spit flames and she jabbed a delicate, green finger at H'lornd, her anger palpable. Osomonde looked at F'narni, shrugged, and emulated the very same gesture, jabbing forward a clawed, golden veined hand. Again, due to his appearance, it was unknown if he was genuinely pissed or if he was mocking F'narni. Either way, his aspect ensured that none of his actions, mocking or otherwise, looked comical.
H'lornd burst out laughing under F'narni's fierce gaze, his mighty guffaws fading quickly in the soundless void. He seemed to almost tear up but reeled in the teardrops that were threatening to fall, for F'narni had a nasty temper, and when provoked, she wouldn't hesitate to unleash the monstrous strength hidden in that petite body of hers.
"How could you give that mortal [Akceil]? Are you out of your mind? Do you want to sully 'that person''s name? Is his sacrifice really that meaningless to you?" F'narni growled, choosing to ignore H'lornd's booming laughter, for she knew if she didn't, she would lose all self-restraint and cave in his annoying face.
H'lornd's laughter immediately ceased after F'narni's reply, his back straightening and eyes narrowing. Even Eruk stopped mimicking F'narni, staring at her with what probably was an incredulous expression.
The fourth platform that floated next to them wasn't there for no reason. No, the three beings here were once a proud four. They were the four Angeals who safeguarded their respective realms.
H'lornd safeguarded Chrosta, the land of men.
F'narni choose Krandikerk, The Evergreen, where trees and plants thrived.
Eruk resided in Helmorgk, a land infused with liquid flame and brimstone.
And lastly, Ljostar protected Ljostalorg, the most mysterious of the four realms. Its lands instead of being lively and vibrant were colorless, with numerous chasms littering its body. Floating mountains and upside-down waterfalls, or 'waterdowns' as they were called weren't uncommon sights.
Together, they warded off a common enemy, the Mrykvoar, darkness incarnate. It was an ever-hungry, vile, and seemingly all-powerful force that only seeked to snuff out the numerous lifeforms that called the four realms home. Or at least they used to, many millennia ago.
Why was Ljostar missing? Well, it was an answer that pulled at the heartstrings of the remaining three Angeals. Ljostar was easily the strongest among them and fought against the Mrykvoar the most. After all, he embodied light, just like H'lornd embodied the Earth, like F'narni embodied life, like Eruk embodied death. What could hurt darkness more than light?Thus, he had an intrinsic hatred for the Mrykvoar, far more than his fellow Angeals.
A few millennia ago, tired of the never-ending battle between them and the Mrykvoar, he, with his righteous personality choose to ignore the pleas of his peers and charged in to fight with the Mrykvoar all alone. The details of the battle weren't exactly clear to this day, but what the Angeals did see was a brilliant flash of light cutting through the murky darkness.
That day was the day the Angeals triumphed against the Mrykvoar.
The day when Ljostar the bright fell.
It was a very sensitive topic for the Angeals, to say the least, and the fact that F'narni had just accused H'lornd of undermining the significance of Ljostar's death was akin to spitting in his face. After all, H'lornd was the closest to Ljostar and his sacrifice was something that H'lornd blamed himself for.
"Watch your words woman. It may have been a few thousand years but my fist strikes just as hard. Don't you dare defile his name," H'lornd snapped, his brown eyes reddening in rage. His figure seemed to grow in size but that was just the waves of murderous intent he emitted. How many eons had he honed his fist? He had fought against the Mrykvoar almost all his life, even more so than F'narni and Eruk, though not as much as Ljostar. So how could his aura not be intimidating?
F'narni gulped and tentatively took a step back. The only time she had ever seen H'lornd this angered was the day of Ljostar's death. Due to H'lornd's happy-go-lucky attitude, it was easy to forget how proficient he was with [Akceil], how powerful he truly was. It begs the question, if H'lornd had released even an iota of this very aura before Amund.... perhaps Alan would still be sleeping soundly in his bed.
"That 'mortal' is no ordinary boy. He possesses potential exceeding that of his fathers and moreover, he is 'his' successor. Who else if not he is worthy of receiving [Akceil]?" H'lornd continued after calming himself a little but his fists remained clenched.
F'narni bit her lip, mustering up some courage, "Successor? You call that...thing a successor? That abomination? He-"
F'narni was abruptly cut off when a fist whistled toward her face. It was covered in earthy brown energy and carried frightening force. It seemed simple but emitted a strange suction force that prevented her from sidestepping it or dodging out of the way. just as F'narni believed her nose compromised, a clawed hand, similarly encased in greyish-black energy, shot out, blocking the advancing fist.
"What is the meaning of this H'lornd!!! Are you truly deciding to break the pact?" F'narni yelped, shooting backward, her hair lengthing into long whip-like extentions, covered in green [Akceil] , not unlike the brown and greyish-black energy that coated H'lornd's and Eruk's fists.
H'lornd snorted and retreated his eyes showing the disdain he had for F'narni, "It is not I who is breaking the pact, it is you. Was it I who voted against releasing the swarm? Was it I who refused to help kick-start the 'Dawning'? No matter, as long as you do not interfere in my matters, I shall remain silent, or else my fist shall know the taste of your foul blood"
With a disdainful look, and a whirl of his robes, he was gone, leaving behing a furious F'narni and an ever expressionless Eruk.