When one rises to the challenge, the wind of sheer will and determination could sway even stagnant muddy waters. Such is the fate of the brave boy lying on the ground at the center of a big arena.
"Boman! Boman! Boman!" the crowd shouted. It was supposed to be a derogatory word pertaining to the many unfortunate who were deemed unworthy of a Zeal by any of the twelve Gods. A word that came from the shortened phrase, 'a boring man', was being chanted by everyone in the stadium. Yet, they do so with eagerness, wishing the young man to stand again and continue the fight. As he did in the many other times he got knocked down in the same match.
In the view of a bird soaring at the sky, Aeneas would appear as a small black dot at the center of the arena. Although a black hair wasn't so rare, in the kingdom of Pantera, only a handful had such a hair color. At the stands, most people were either blond or had reddish hair, while some fell to the shades of brown.
Thin yet muscular, Aeneas drowns in his own sweat. His eyes are as dark as his hair, yet, their glints were brighter than any gem trying to outshine even the noontime sun.
Most viewers expected it to be a one-sided match. In favor of Aeneas's opponent. But now, the arena became a place where no one would be able to hear their own voices as everyone persisted to chant the same word for the underdog. Yet, to the young man, their cheers were muffled and became part of the fleeting air. All his senses were focused on his opponent. It was the nonchalant expression of Alistair as he scanned the crowd while he listened to the countdown that made Aeneas furious.
"Five!"
"Four!"
As if time slowed, the provoked Aeneas thought of ways to strike Alistair down. But, the sun was at its peak.
"Three! Two!"
Aeneas stood full of vigor and gripped his wooden sword. In front is the mighty Alistair. Although he's around Aeneas's age, Alistair has more defined muscles and bigger body structure. His golden eyes glowed brighter as the rays of the sun shone over his blond hair. And around his chest, above the heart, a golden light became more visible. The light passed through his shirt, showing a distinct symbol; a small circle with a curved line forming an inverted 's' to the right.
It was Leo's, the Proud Lion's, Zeal. A mark of power bestowed at birth. The Zeal of Leo is a blessing that grants its bearers great strength and exceptional endurance under the sun's presence. As well as the inherent ability to wield fire magic, with rare ones capable of commanding light.
"The match continues!" the mediator said.
With the signal to continue the fight, Aeneas dashed. It was an action that startled Alistair since Aeneas only waited to counter from the start of their match. Nevertheless, Alistair was quick to assume his stance. He raised his wooden sword and waited for Aeneas to do his move. Aeneas stretched his right hand. Alistair smirked, he realized what Aeneas attempts to do – an upward diagonal slash.
Although Alistair is known as one of the best fighters compared to most of his age, he is still but a thirteen-year old kid. An experienced fighter in a similar situation would glimpse at his opponent's sword then back to his eyes and body. Yet, Aeneas's sudden attack stole his focus more than he thought.
Everything went as Aeneas visualized it in his head. Time seemed to become slower for him again. He observed every tiny movement Alistair made and realized that his eyes were directed at his weapon. When Aeneas reached an ideal distance, he proceeded with his slash. Alistair countered the attack with all his strength. He was late to feel that Aeneas didn't put enough power on his swing, rather, he only meant to redirect his wooden sword to hit the ground.
And it did. The tiled floor cracked and the end of his sword shattered, Alistair glimpsed at his wooden weapon questioning the reality of his situation. He glanced forward to notice that Aeneas leaped and was going for a spin, and in a split second, Aeneas's wooden sword was on its way to his head. But, Alistair's instincts took over. He raised his left hand accompanied by a loud battle cry, his face shriveled, anticipating the pain that would soon come.
Aeneas's wooden sword broke this time. Dumbfounded, he didn't know what to do next. Alistair blocking his attack wasn't included in the scope of his last-minute plan. Within the time Aeneas's brain blocked out, Alistair went for a counter and managed to hit Aeneas in the face with his elbow. With a clean and hard hit, everything went black for the brave young man.
* * *
With a gasp, Aeneas opened his eyes. An unfamiliar place greeted him. It was a wide grassy plain surrounded by huge trees. Aeneas could see both the sun and moon shining above him. Both appear in different sizes. But this time, the moon was bigger and its bluish light outshone the sun, giving the entire place a tinge of twilight.
Aeneas was weirded out yet felt normalcy with what he saw. The calm breeze hugs him with its unexpected warmth; bringing along the earthy smell of petrichor to the young boy's nose, and the calming whispers of the swaying grass to his ears. It was a foreign place, yet to Aeneas, it felt like home, like he was a wanderer who had returned to his forgotten motherland after years of blind adventure.
Soothed, the boy's eyes grew heavier with every second that passed. He was close to falling asleep when a shadowy figure woke him to full concentration. It appeared to be of a man surrounded by something dark. A cloak made of darkness itself. The figure's dreary and eldritch presence almost made his heart give in.
"Who--who are you?"
The being didn't answer. It moved closer to Aeneas, levitating with ease and emitting its regal ambience. This made him want to run away, but despite being afraid, Aeneas felt no ill-intent from the ghostly yet noble figure and decided to stay still. Only at arm's reach, the being halted. Aeneas realized that only its eyes were visible which have the shape and appearance taken after that of a man, but its colors resembled one belonging to a beast.
From under its cloak emerges its right arm, or at least the outline of it since even its body appeared to have been made of darkness as well. The dark figure pointed at Aeneas who didn't know how to react and was taken aback trying to remember how he's gotten himself in the situation.
All of a sudden, the ground began to move. Aeneas scanned his surroundings, only to look in front and see that the ghostly being had disappeared. But it didn't matter, he has a more pressing issue to look into. The quake became harsher as seconds passed by. Then, cracks began to form at the center of the area, and from it emerged a gigantic monster.
Loud voices and screams surrounded the place in a shift. The moon turned red, entirely covering the sun. The calm breeze went wild and disastrous. Even the nostalgic petrichor scent was replaced by a pungent metallic smell. People clad in armor beside Aeneas began falling one after the other. Surrounded by death and chaos, Aeneas didn't know what to do as he stood there with his eyes wide open, taking heavy breaths while watching others get their limbs torn off or obliterated by the huge monster they were fighting.
Faced against a beast of such caliber, Aeneas didn't feel like there was anything he could do, or anyone could do for that matter. He kneeled, the thoughts of becoming a hero left him. The monster took notice of the young man that had given up hope. It stared at Aeneas, lifted its huge arms covered with thick muscle and fingers with sharp claws, and reached for him who accepted his fate and lowered his head.
"What are you doing?" a familiar voice said.
Aeneas lifted his head, he saw the back of the one person he showered with admiration and his definition of a great hero who he dreams to be. A brave and mighty warrior yet compassionate and loving. His older brother, Arsen, managed to block the monster's attack and shielded him from it.
Arsen looked behind, at Aeneas who stared at him with awe, "Stand up little brother. You are stronger than you think."
The monster attacked again, this time with a much stronger strike. Arsen managed to block it but was launched far to the trees. Without his older brother stopping the monster from getting to him, Aeneas gulped as he saw the being's piercing glare. But, his brother's words lingered in his head.
"I am stronger than I think," he kept muttering these words to himself as he stood up lifting the sword he didn't know he had.
"I will be a great warrior and a hero," Aeneas told himself, pointing his blade towards the humongous monster. The beast let out a loud roar that made the wounded knights tremble with fear, and thus renders them from trying to fight further. Although Aeneas felt almost deaf when the monster's cry reached his ears, he didn't falter. He glared back at the beast a hundred times bigger than him.
Beaming with confidence and courage, Aeneas ran. He dodged the monster's attacks, hitting back after every successful evasion. The monster filled with cuts began doing random attacks as if throwing a tantrum. It made the lands shake, and blew Chaos magic that engulfed the lands with its destructive black flames.
At this point, no amount of destruction was to discourage the brave Aeneas, he continued to fight even when his feet were burning. All there is in his head, is to defeat the monster in front.
In the chaos, he heard another familiar voice calling out his name. It wasn't Arsen's. But, his focus was directed towards defeating the beast. The voice calling his name grew louder. It caught Aeneas's attention and made him stop moving.
"Aeneas!"
Aeneas woke up inside an infirmary. In front of him is a worried expression from another teenage boy a few years older than him.