The beasts had pressed my back up against the wall of the house, Atlas cradled in my arms as I warily eyed each of them. It felt as though they'd rip me apart at any second. Using my core now would be far too taxing for my body, as I'd used it earlier– unless I wanted to deal with the whiplash that came later. However, it was that or death.
I shook my head, propping Atlas up against the wall. He looked so.. Helpless, yet at peace. Like there was nothing burdening him, but his skin was far more pale than I was used to, like he was… sick. Green light emanated from my hands– though it was weak. I could barely spark up enough to illuminate the night, and pain sparked through my chest as the beasts grew closer.
The feeling of dread had already taken root in the pit of my stomach, as the light cut off almost instantly. I couldn't control my soul energy whilst fear was overcoming my nerves. My entire body shook, and I shut my eyes, a feeble cry escaping my lips.
"H-help…."
Death loomed closer, hovering over me. I could feel the cold steel of its scythe of fear pressed against my neck. I tried to draw breath, but it was as though it was sitting on my chest, staring down from its throne of the deceased and taunting me as I took my last feeble breaths.
The beast brought its claws down, but they never raked their way through my flesh as I anticipated, tensing against the burning pain I knew was to come. I paused, waiting for the end, wondering why there wasn't a stream of blood running warm through my fingertips. And my eyes slowly peeled open– and instead of my blood, the beast's golden ichor painted the ground.
Ichor was the blood of the Elysian Beasts– the blood of the gods the people worshipped. And it only pegged the question– if they had the same blood as the gods… then were they once gods themselves? No textbook had the answer to that question.
Overwhelming relief flooded my body as I gasped, breathing for the first time in what felt like years. Nearly collapsing to my knees, I turned my head to face the one who had saved my life.
The beast roared, eyes fixated on the culprit. A man stood, glasses resting upon his nose, with wild, red hair down to his shoulders, and crimson eyes. It was half-tied up in a bun at the back of his head, with some some framing his face in a messy fringe, a halberd resting between his fingers.
The man turned on his heel, and I could do nothing but watch as he cleared his throat and spoke. He was not looking at me– though he addressed me by name. He knew my name, but I was focusing too much on Atlas to care for that.
"Xīng Hua. Take the boy with you to safety. I and my… crew will handle the rest."
–
My eyes darted around. As I regained my senses, I now properly took notice of the man's crew. He had four others along with him, so 5 in total. There was a woman with black hair and green eyes– they seemed to shine like emeralds upon the crown that was her face, I thought. There was also one man with brown hair and blue eyes, one with black hair and green eyes, similar to the woman, and another with red hair and red eyes like their supposed-leader.
I could do nothing but stare dumbfounded as they dispatched the beasts with what seemed like ease.
"Over here, Anthony!" The red-haired man yelled, causing the brown-haired one– named Anthony, I guessed– to raise his greatsword, muttering a few words, stabbing his blade into the ground.
[Typhoon]
I had never seen air magic that powerful before. Soul particles converged at a singular point before forming a swirling vortex around his sword as all the beasts were sucked in, preventing their movement. I could only hope the barn wasn't being caught up in the wind.
The redheaded leader immediately followed up with another spell, raising his halberd. He seemed to be an Amplifier, with a fire affinity. However, he was certainly one of the stronger ones– and I could feel his strength being exerted as pressure on the air around us.
"To dust."
[Hellflame Spear]
Flames converged around the tip of his halberd, flowing freely up and down the blade and converging into a white-hot point. The halberd took upon the shape of a lance as the man stepped forward, arm back, before throwing it with precision, spearing through the horde of beasts caught up in the air as they burst into flame, the smell of seared flesh filling the clearing, ashes floating away in the wind as the man turned to me.
I flinched at his stare. He was right in front of me, smiling very friendly. But I couldn't read him… at all. As though the smile was nothing more than a mask for a monster that hid underneath. He approached me calmly, but I didn't notice until he was right in front of me. His voice was unnaturally sweet, I thought.
"My name is Jasper," He then pointed to the red-haired girl, "That's my sister, Mari. The brown-haired man is Anthony, the black-haired man is Makko, and the black-haired woman is Nessa."
Jasper, Mari, Anthony, Makko, and Nessa. I recounted their names one by one, attempting to get them to stick.
"My group is called the Lizards, and we're from Sumeria." Sumeria was the country that bordered Huāgōng, a country with vast amounts of desert, with a beautiful, lush city in its centre, ruled by the Larsa family.
"Couldn't help but notice you were in some trouble, Miss Hua." I didn't know them, and had never seen them in town before– yet they knew me. And the Lizards… I was wary of them. I had heard that name before, but I couldn't remember why, nor for what– I'd have to think about it properly later.
Jasper leaned forward, attempting to take Atlas from my arms, but I curled them instinctively, hiding his limp body from the man. However, he persisted.
"I don't intend on hurting him," He promised, words slick and oily. I didn't trust his words. "I just want to examine him– he's only just awakened his core, after all, as that was what attracted the beasts, right?" How had he known that? He couldn't have– but before I had time to think over what he had said, he was talking again.
"We need to make sure his core is stable– you can watch me, if you want. And besides, you need rest as well. You're both just children. It has been a long day."
I had to agree with him there. My body was weak from overuse of magic, and I could barely focus, let alone protect Atlas if anything happened. It was probably just… best to let them have him. Jasper reached out and took him from my arms with no resistance on my part, holding his limp body as I stumbled sluggishly, keeling over as it all seemed to fade to black.
—
ATLAS REYES' POV:
It had been a while since I had been able to feel anything. My body felt light, weightless even, as I drowned in the perpetual darkness. The silence was like a noose around my neck, ready to pull tight as the ground beneath my feet opened up.
However, it didn't. A light grew from a small orb before me, growing brighter and brighter as I was pulled towards it by an invisible cord, tugging on my centre as the star symbol on my chest shone a bright white until I could touch the light and… it all disappeared.
Suddenly, I was spectating something. A memory of some sort. I couldn't tell whether it was mine, or another person's– but I could do nothing but watch.
A boy– perhaps 12 years of age– sat upon the streets paved with gold towers rising high into the sky, illuminating the darkness. However, it truly was a perfect world– starkly contrasted by the boy who sat in rags, chewing on the stale piece of bread he had been given out of pity. Such utopias could only be maintained by trampling on the backs of those suffering the most.
He scampered through the chartered streets, hunched over as though he carried the world upon his back. Turning a corner, and then another one, he slipped down through a grill leading to the sewers, descending down a ladder. His feet were bare, and he slipped a few times, black hair becoming more matted and pressed to his skull in the humid air. However, he pushed on, eventually coming to a section of wall which looked out of place. Knocking three times, he uttered a password.
"Deus ex machina."
God from the machine.
"Ex nihilo." From nothing.
A response came, and the wall slid to the side, and another boy, with neck-length brown hair and stark blue eyes, peeked around the corner carefully, making sure it was who he wanted to see.
"Ah, you're back," His eyes glanced down to the food in the other male's hands, "with food. Deianira and Evanora will be happy about that!"
I wasn't sure who these people were, or the reason I was spectating their lives, but I continued to watch.
The black-haired boy climbed over the rock and through the opening, pushing past a growth of vines and arriving in a dimly-lit room. A lamp– lit by a glowing white flame– illuminated the room, with a few boxes and cloth draped over. Lined up lay four more pieces of cloth, with blankets over them– likely where these children slept.
Behind him, however, two girls rushed in. One had sleek, black hair down to her mid-chest, with purple eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, and the other had hair of a fiery red, curly locks tied back into a ponytail and eyes to match.
"Oh, you're both back– our lord and saviour has returned, and with him, he's brought food. How did your patrol go, Deia?" The black-haired one, I assumed was called Deianira, responded curtly.
"They are hardening the security and upping the patrols, Arwan. Emperor Caelus, apparently, is collecting all orphans– he's already checked all the kids with parents– as supposedly, the god of destruction and war has reincarnated. He wants to find them and turn them into a weapon of war to kill the Creator."
The scene shifted, and I saw the passage of time in a few, quick moments. The black-haired boy fought with a blade exceptionally well, I noted, training with the other three, in what I assumed to be some sort of military camp, easily taking them despite being outnumbered.
"You truly are strong, Xeno. Thankfully, you're on our side!" Deianira said as the battle drew to a close.
Xeno? Where had I heard that name before? Pain spiked throughout my head, the scene blurring as I was brought back to the empty darkness. My vision blurred, and it felt as though someone was tearing their claws through each and every part of my brain, and I remembered.
Falling. Endless nothingness.
Purgatory. And then her.
"ISABELLA!" I roared. "COME OUT!"
The world I was in changed shape. And suddenly, I was standing amongst creation, and everything was perfect. Isabella kneeled near a stream, the colours refracting off the water. Her white hair whipped in the wind, clothed in a white dress, fit for nothing but the angels. And now, I noticed, she was exceptionally beautiful, seemingly bathed in light wherever she went. And not only that, but… the animals seemed to flock to her, wanting to be around her– and she cared for them, like she would her children.
Her steel blue eyes caught my multicoloured ones, and she stood, sandals pressing weightlessly against the earth beneath her feet as she made her way over to me. Her breaths were ethereal, as though she was breathing a different air to me.
"I suppose you have come with questions." She sighed. "The place we are in is known as a Mind's Eye. Everyone has one within their soul. But that is off topic. I am… sorry, for keeping such things from you. You, Xeno, no, Atlas, were once a warrior. The strongest, perhaps. But you chose the wrong side in the war, and died with me. I can't answer your question– who I am– just yet. You are not yet strong enough to bear that burden. I cannot speak with you any further, and it will probably be a while before we may speak again. I wish you luck."
She turned on her heel, and began to walk away. Further and further, but I couldn't reach her no matter how hard I tried.
"Wait! Why did you save me!"
I reached out– and suddenly, I was no longer there.