- Ariel -
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"As you can see, Aaron hasn't exactly lived a fair life." Aetherea's soft voice filled the living room.
All of us were sat around the large four cornered sofa, minus Aaron who had left an hour earlier. I looked around the room, seeing that everyone's faces showed different reactions to what they were hearing about the wine haired boy.
Jade's expression was calm and so was Death's. Now that I thought about it, the three of us didn't seem too surprised by what we were hearing. It felt like each of us had gone through our own trials and had to face our haunted pasts and now it was Aaron's turn.
The only major difference was that Aaron's goal had become our goal. That meant that this would impact more people than just him. In fact, all Nine Realms were sure to feel the effects of what we were planning to do.
"But he's just like the three of you. That's why you all met him at Rosewood Town all those months ago."
Now everything clicked into place. When I first heard this mysterious message two years ago, I felt a strange connection to what I was hearing. While the contents of what Aaron was trying to tell the world wasn't the main focus, the hidden message behind it was what brought the four of us together.
Picking a fight with Heaven itself was certainly something and I was surpised to hear that someone was crazy enough to even think about it. But behind that, there was something else that the three of us all felt when we had heard the message.
Originally, Aaron's message had been written in a language that only Incarnates could understand and it took some time for it to spread. But once translations began to surface, the mysterious message spread around the Nine Realms like wildfire. The idea of fighting against Heaven was absurd and this reignited the story of Heaven's Curse.
"S-So, Aaron's going to fight a hard battle, right?" A younger voice broke the silence, Raya speaking up, "T-Then he'll need our help, s-so we have to be there for him."
Her enthusiasm brightened the mood, a half smile spreading across my lips.
"That's right. Even if I've only just met the boy, he seems worth dying for." Circe leaned back as she spoke, her words showing that she was at least a little interested in Aaron.
"There are five of us here, seven including Aaron and Hurakan. Will this be enough to wage war against the Celestials?" Jade voiced a natural concern. Even with the seven of us, numbers were sure to be against us, even if we were strong fighters.
"H-Hey, you're not including me. It's eight with me."
Everyone turned to Raya with an eyebrow raised. It was already decided that Aetherea wouldn't join us in the fight for her own reasons and we couldn't force her too. But this was something new.
"I-I'm stronger than I was on Mount Zion. I-I've even come all of this way-"
"With my help." Circe quickly added to Raya's statement but that didn't seem like enough to hold her back.
"It's been two months since you last saw me and I've been training and fighting the whole time. You won't need to protect me."
I admired the young girl's confidence and even though we were only separated by three years, it still felt like there was a notable gap between us. In terms of power, Raya was definitely stronger than when we last met and I could feel her vibrant aura from the other side of the room as she spoke with confidence.
There just seemed to be something missing. Taking a young girl who didn't have years of fighting experience directly into a warzone didn't sit right with me. I looked over to Jade who was feeling the same, a half frown on her face.
Death leaned forward from where he was sitting, looking directly into Raya's eyes. I sat back, ready to watch the show.
"We all see that you are stronger, Raya. You're confidence and strength are not the problem. There are just some things that cannot be taught through training." The cloaked reaper didn't waver as he spoke, his deep voice filling the room.
Raya looked away slightly, but she wasn't going to concede just yet. She stood up to her feet, turning directly to Death, "Aaron's going to fight the last of the four titans. I'm going to help him do that. When we come back, he will tell you that I am ready and his vote is the only one that matters. If he says that I am not ready, then I will accept it but only he has that right."
With her mind made up, the young brown blonde calmly made her way out of the living room. The front door closed shut and silence quickly fell onto the rest of us.
Amenet looked around the room and just as she stood up, Death was quick to interrupt.
"Don't stop her."
The chocolate skinned young woman shook her head, placing both hands on her hips as she looked to Death who was now sat back in his seat.
"She's still a kid, someone has to make sure she doesn't die."
Even as she spoke, Death was unfazed, "Then it means that she wasn't ready. Besides, she'll meet up with Aaron soon. He won't let anything happen to her."
That seemed to be good enough for Amenet who sat down on the sofa with a huff. She looked over to Circe who had been mostly quiet, "So what's your story? If you're going to fight with us, it'd be nice to know who I'm fighting next to."
The Olympian raised her gaze, looking over to Amenet then briefly to me before addressing the group, "You may or may not know, but I'm an Olympian. Unlike Ariel, I am pure blooded which means I'm also in the consort of the Gods."
Circe let out a short sigh before continuing, "As you can see, I've been exiled from Elysium and that means no going back to Olympus. During our meetings, it is forbidden for any of us to tell outsiders what we have learned, it's called the Oath of Olympus."
"But the people of Ida deserved to hear an explanation as to why we turned our backs to them. The truth is, we all knew what was going to happen, it was prophecised many nights before the first day of the Eternal Cataclysm. And yet we were told to stand by and do nothing to protect Ida. A fight with Kronos and the Primordials was to be avoided at any cost, even at the expense of the Ida Kingdom."
The cinnamon brunette folded her arms under her chest, pausing for a moment, "Eventually I got sick of what I was seeing and decided to do something about what happened all those years ago. So, I descended from Elysium and told the people atop Mount Zion the truth. They had placed their unconditional faith in us and we turned our backs to them, I can only imagine what it felt like to hear the truth."
"From the time I've spent wandering this realm, I can tell that the Kami are no different and the Celestials are something else entirely. This isn't going to be an easy fight and there will be casualties. You see, the Celestials rank above both the Gods and Kami so hearing Aaron's story has me interested."
That seemed to be the entire truth. After she spoke, Circe got comfortable on the sofa, placing both legs across the seat as she leaned against the corner seat.
"There is also a fourth group, I've heard. The Deities of Al'umat Alqadima have their own way of doing things though I haven't been able to learn anything about them."
Amenet spoke up, "Yeah, they reside in the same cities and kingdoms as the people who follow them. Unlike the three groups you mentioned who all live in realms way above everything below them."
"Oh? So you're from the Ancient Nation, aren't you? Information on this kingdom is rare and so I can assume that you know more about Al'umat Alqadima."
"That's right. My brother and I guide deserving spirits to our realm so that they can live the afterlife they have earned. Our parents are both Deities of the realm, who personally guard the gates to our home region."
Circe smile warmly, "So we have two Olympians, two Deities, two Celestials in Aaron and Hurakan and one samurai."
She looked in Jade's direction, analysing her closely though the noirette wasn't fazed by this. After a while, she replied, "That also makes five Incarnates and three of the seven of us are weapons users."
"That's right. Death over here, wields his mother's scythe. You and Amenet both have two of the Twelve Blades of the Kami. Do you think it will be enough?" As Circe spoke, both her and Jade were calm, even though I could see something behind the noirette's eyes at what the Olympian was suggesting.
Jade placed her sheathed blade across her legs, holding it carefully, "This blade has served me well but if I am to reach my true potential, then it will not be enough. Even the Twelve Blades of the Kami have their limits so I am seeking something more."
I raised an eyebrow, looking to Jade. This was the first time I was hearing about a sword exceeding those of the Kami but the samurai knew what she was talking about so I kept quiet.
"The Three Transcendent Blades, wielded only by the three Great Shogun of Hinode no Tochi. Just as the twelve blades are the will of the Kami, these three swords embody the Kotoamatsukami, beings that preceeded the Kami. Unlike the twelve blades, these swords do not break and so have no durability. This makes them extremely powerful for a swordsmen but their locations are unknown and I have had no luck so far on this journey."
Amenet was clearly unaware of this even though she wielded one of the Twelve Blades of the Kami. Information regarding these Three Blades appeared to be scarce and limited to only those who knew of them from Hinode no Tochi. And now, there were very few people who remebered anything about the Land at Sunrise and Jade was one of them.
"The Twelve Blades are powerful in their own right but their durability remains their biggest weakness."
"So if you get your hands on one of those three blades, you'll be able to go all out?"
Jade nodded shortly, as if to agree with Circe's observation. The Olympian leaned forward slightly, "Now I see why Aaron is so fond of you. I want to see you at your strongest so I'll help you look for those Blades."
"The Elf Kingdom may be able to help with that." Aetherea spoke up, clearing the air. She paused for a moment, thinking before continuing, "Though it will not be easy, I have no doubt that the Blade will find your hand."
"And what about you Ariel?"
A voice from my left caught my ear. I looked up to Death who was waiting for a response.
"Yeah, Jade's looking for a new sword and Death's after another eye amulet thingy. Aaron's on the verge of mastering his Celestial magic, so what's next for you?" Amenet chimed in, curious as to what my next steps would be.
I felt her eyes challenging me, as if to assess if I was a good match for Death. Putting the older sister stuff to the side, I could tell that she wanted me to reach my full potential and for that I had to reply suitably.
"I-" I cut myself off, regaining my composure before I started again, "I've been looking for two souls. With them, I'll be able to use my magic without any limitations though I haven't been fortunate enough to come across them."
Everyone else seemed intrigued by what I was saying so I elaborated.
"The twin souls of Nyx and Erebus are said to be the greatest tools for a magic user but are only attainable with the exchange of one's own soul. If I were to sell my soul, I would get stronger but I wouldn't be myself anymore."
As I stated, I was faced with a dilemna. Through my extensive research, there was no other way to attain such power without losing yourself first.
"I think the Elf Kingdom may also be of some help." Aetherea's voice caught my ear. It seemed that this place was full of mysteries and I found myself excited just at the prospect of being able to freely explore the Elf Kingdom.
"I guess we just wait for Aaron and Raya now, no?"