Crumbled Ideals - World of Atonement

Crow

Cosmic Flow: the general term for the ethereal connections linking together humans and objects to their designated worlds in the Cosmic Multiverse. These flows are usually predetermined at one's creation, however factors such as tragedy or resolve may either increase or eliminate the link. They originate in worlds of pure mana, and allow their owner to access the pure energy to create appropriate thaumaturgy. A simplified term for these miracles would be "magic." While in combat, the Cosmic Flow creates a barrier, providing the user a thin wall of protection against other mana based attacks.

However like with many powers, their is great risk in using magic from the original worlds. The amount of mana that can be drawn depends on the size of the flow and world. Each time one uses magic, the flow becomes more constrained and may bottleneck the connection for a while. Thus if they strain the connection too much, they run the risk of never being able to be use magic ever again. If this happens, the pain would be unimaginable as one pushes both body and the link in order to cast thaumaturgy. In most cases when the flow is completely severed, the user is sucked into the damaged link for sustenance. They float around forever in a state of neither life nor death, feeling the pain they experienced while they still had their corporeal form for all of eternity.

The crimson blaze erupted inside of the isolated world. Fresh from the tragedy of a short while ago, the prince looked around with dull eyes. Surrounded by paved stone and a marble wall, his hazel grew clear once more. Fate had brought him to the stepping stone of his journey. On the other side of the wall was where the first being he intended to slay fought. The Cosmic Flow reacted to him, connecting him to his freshly acquired origin. With the birth and control of flames, the prince raised his arm as he commanded "Bolide." Within moments, the dying blaze had formed into a new world in the palm of his hand. Trembling from the immense power, he hurled the fireball at the wall.

Beneath a pile of rubble, a black hand grabbed the halberd that marked its grave. The minotaur groaned as he emerged from the wreckage. "Who was it that interrupted our fight!" he demanded, enraged. Debris from the damaged wall fell with his booming voice.

The prince marched into the coliseum, glaring at his opponent. His armor clacked against the marble with every step. With pride and resolve on full display, he spoke his first words to the beast. "I shall kill every Pillar in order to gain an absolute strength to save my kingdom," he stated. "Pillar of Taurus, I challenge you to a duel." Eyes of piercing determination created an atmospheric tension between the two. "Remember the name that will spell your demise: Crow Marino Alexandros Morte I."

The minotaur rose to meet the crimson challenger. Hooves echoed with each step, and his halberd was readied to strike at any moment. The tension reached an all time high as the two stood in front of one another. Crow looked up at the beast nearly twice his size, and Taurus measured the strength of his interrupter. "Tell me, Crow Marino Alexandros Morte I, are you the one that Delta Posterus had mentioned?" In the heat of the previous exchange, Taurus had forgotten the name that Delta had told him about. Neither of them willing to avert their gazes, their stare down continued.

"I am not," Crow responded. The minotaur lowered his halberd. Disappointed, Taurus walked away from the prince. "However, I can prove to be more of a challenge than anyone else," he added.

"You intend to defeat me, Crow Marino Alexandros Morte I?" Taurus tested. He stood in the center of the arena, facing Crow once more. "Tell me young man, what is it that you know of me?"

Crow followed in his steps. The clacking of armor replaced the previous echoes of hooves. "I know all too much, Taurus," he replied. "The Pillars of this world, otherwise known as the ones that hold up isolation, making this world separated from most others. Each one created out of a form of tragedy, they take refuge while keeping their identities hidden." Crow stopped in his tracks. He stood a few feet away from Taurus, ensuring that both of their weapons were in striking distance. "They have codenames asides from their Pillar names. For example: you Pillar of Taurus, are also referred to as the Pillar of Strength." Taurus' eyes grew sharper with the revelation. "With each Pillar defeated, the remoteness of the world thins, amassing a giant power in return. A power so great that it is said that whoever defeats the last Pillar will be able to realize an unobtainable illusion."