A celestial soldier, a man that had lived not even a fraction of his lifespan, stood guard. He was a good soldier, one that was on his way to a higher position due to his merits. He had been a warrior for five years, and this was his last assignment.
A month more, and he would go back to Babylon, the capital of Celestia, a land of gold and good fortune, a land envied by their enemies, and in the hearts of its people.
“Нааа…”
He took a deep sigh, and drank a glass of water. Feeling the cold water slide down his throat invigorated him, he placed one foot on the walls and stared at the forest beyond him.
“One more month…and I will be a centurion.”
In charge of a hundred men, that was nice. It was a dream of his come true, he, who was born into an average family, and did not possess a noble soul. The quality of his soul was subpar by celestial standards, but he was happy, nonetheless.
“I do hope the young noble is okay.”
Although his current assignment did not seem important, he knew it was. His legion was not stationed in a city far from the reaches of his home realm, Celestia for no reason. He was not of high rank, but he did know a few things. They were apparently stationed here for the protection of a noble baby, His soul was of great quality and would mature in this forest, gaining a unique aspect.
The baby belonged to a noble lineage, and thus had an entire legion and the defenses of a city assigned to him, This city was built for the child to prosper. For him to grow his abilities. That was why only a legion populated it, and no citizens.
The soldier looked down at his scarred, and callous hands. A moment later, he manipulated the weak reserves of mana he possessed, and his hands turned into steel. This was his aspect, he was able to turn his body into tempered steel, having the ability to both cut and defend. It wasn’t a marvelous aspect, in fact, it was not even unique, many celestials had aspects like his.
But nonetheless, it was his own. And that made him special, that was his beliefs.
Celestials developed their own abilities based on the pureness and power of their soul, these were called Aspects, they could be similar, but none would be the exact copy of one another, these were the Aspects of the Celestials, A race inferior only to the Dragons and God beasts. They could have elemental affinities along with their aspects as well, turning every celestial into a force to be reckoned with. A race filled with unique individuals who were different from one another.
No wonder they were the arch-enemies of the demons.
The man continued to gaze at the lush forest, He was no fool, he knew that the last assignment would always be difficult, many creatures would be attracted by the purity of the baby celestial’s soul, and thus would try to consume it. They had managed to kill the ones that came, but who knew? Maybe a monstrosity so powerful even the commander of the legion could not defeat could come.
Life was always filled with those possibilities.
“What…is my name?”
Suddenly, the man questioned himself, his eyes were filled with confusion as the man forgot something no one should. His own name, He remembered his past, but found it to be lacking in many areas.
“… Huh?”
What was the name of his father? The name of his mother? His sister? The woman he loved? He remembered them, their figures, but their names…disappeared.
“What in the name of the Overgod…?”
But before he could ponder more, his aspect sensed a blade coming towards him. It was made him a little unique, and his senses, honed by the spartan like training of the Celestials also reacted.
He turned his hands into metal, and prepared to receive a blow.
Then the realization came.
“Ah…my name is Alkalis…”
His name meant rotation, something that spun. It wasn’t the best of names, but hey, who cared?
But then, wasn’t the world like his name?
Something…that spun?
‘Why…is the world spinning?’
Had there been a creature who cast a mental hex on him? Or perhaps an impact that stuck him?
Knowing about the defenses of the city and his own blood, which would be resistant to mind attacks, he concluded it to be the latter. He had sensed something coming towards him, and thought that maybe a monster had slammed into him.
That was why he was spinning, perhaps.
He tried to use his wings, his wings of pale white, lacking luster but enough to carry his weight and soar into the boundless sky. He was going to use them to stop his body and get a grip on himself.
But why did he feel like he was not ascending…but descending?
Then he saw blood, his own and of his comrades, his mighty forearms of steel, cut and on the
ground.
‘What?’
An impact was felt, as he finally collided with the ground, and then he saw his body in the distance, falling over, and missing a head.
His head.
‘Ah, I’m dead.’
His eyes closed by themselves, as his soul left, to be reincarnated by the Overgod, perhaps for
a greater purpose. But his ears could still hear.
A cacophony of steel, a song so harrowing it sent shivers down his distant spine, and screams.
He heard the voices of his comrades.
“Attack!”
“Inform the others, something has breached the walls!”
“AH!”
He heard their screams, and struggled to open his eyes once more, As a celestial, he was above almost all species, so even if he had been decapitated in one swift motion, he could still cling
to some life.
He saw a spear, a hesitant spear. His years as a warrior told him.
The creature that had attacked, that who had slain him, was hesitating, and his weapon
followed his master, the creature was reluctant.
His lasts thoughts were.
Why do you hesitate, you vile thing?