The unblemished moon cast down its shine upon the people from the night sky. Still amongst the cries of Dragons lay a pure Aeon on a crescent moon with impaired breathing.
The people of Fukviyu wish for protection. They wish for someone to save them.
"But where do a God turn to when they cannot answer the wishes of their believers?"
A hymn was heard across the night sky as the dragons prepared to enter the capital city. An angelic eerie voice fell on every ear.
Inside the royal palace, a mage who rivalled Aeons in power sat there in her room reading an ancient grimoire. As she was flipping through the pages using her loxes she heard frantic knocks on her door.
An emergency decree has been declared by the king. All fighters and warriors needed to go out and protect the kingdom against the dragon's attack.
The mage who was still sitting in the dark with a candle illuminating the text shut her book shut and stood up as she heard the calls of the soldiers outside her door.
"Y'all bastards really know how to annoy me do you?"
The mage slammed open the door and stormed out. None of the guards have ever seen her outside of her for the exception of meal times. She always kept to herself that mysterious mage, never even taking off the hood on her head. Even though she was a weirdo in everyone's eyes, she was an indispensable piece for the kingdom. For it is this mage who has acquired the knowledge to harness an Aeon's power.
It is said that she has saved the kingdom from several disasters with her control over Aeonic loxes.
Every warrior before the king knelt and held their heads low for the sole except for the mage.
The king addressed the situation that had happened and ordered the warriors to stop the dragons at all costs.
As the king was still speaking, the mage turned her back to the king and started to walk away. But the king did not dare to utter a word nor did the guards try to force her to prostrate herself for the king.
Because here in Fukviyu, she was their ace card. It was because she was the mage of all mages. She walked out into the night sky where the moon's blessing befell upon her.
She stared up into the sky and saw how the sight of the beautiful moon which she always admired had been blocked by the image of thousands of dragons covering the starry night skies.
The stars of the sky had started to descend upon the city of Fukviyu. Thousands of artillery rounds were being fired down onto the capital.
A massive spark of azure lightning tore across the mage's cheek as a flower manifested. A raw imitation of an Aeon… a gift which the gods had not bestowed upon her.
The whole city was wrapped around a blue barrier which absorbed the impact of thousands of artillery shells.
Seeing this, the Frost monarch decided it was time for him to act.
"Heed me world."
A silvery crown emerged on his head. Nale took a deep breath of the chilly air and then spewed ice all over the protective barrier. Inside the barrier, the mage looked amused at the barrier that started to crack under the immense pressure of the ice.
Aylin and Vivshi had finally reached Fukviyu and saw how the capital was covered in frost. A spark of crimson red then emerged on the Mage's cheek and she started to melt the ice with fire.
Vivshi told Aylin to wish for them to teleport inside the city. Aylin warned him that her energy reserves were running low and she might run out if she used another wish.
Looking around desperately, Vivshi used Velpra and infused loxes into his gun and shot at the barrier just for it to be absorbed.
"This lox structure… this power.. The Aeon of Conservation?"
Something ticked inside Vivshi, it was as if the Aeon of Freedom was swelling up with rage. Rage towards a person who used the powers of an Aeon without permission. Vivshi placed his hand onto the barrier and the black flower on his cheek immediately reacted, corroding the barrier instantly.
"Let's go Aylin!"
Vivshi grabbed onto Aylin's hand and hurriedly dragged her into the city.
Aylin looked up into the sky concerned but followed Vivshi out of trust. People were scattering in the masses and fleeing to their homes.
"Nch… someone worthy is in the city."
Nale stared down at his melting ice that was dissipating into vapour.
When the moon stood at its stillest all dragons could feel the presence of their King. It was the same paralysing feeling they felt when their King was enraged. The Aeon of Guilt had reawakened after thousands of years of slumber.
Every dragon stopped what they were doing and bowed down before Uryo, the manifestation of guilt. He raised his murky green ruined blade which had mist surrounding it and pointed at the city.
"My wife… my Rhene… I feel her… she is in the city."
With a howling scream and mist overflowing out of his open chest cavity, he plunged into the barrier, immediately shattering it into millions of shards which each reflected the moon's wishes.
The mage was taken aback and took a step back in retreat as she saw her impenetrable barrier of Conservation being shattered.
The Aeon of Guilt plunged his weapon into the ground and started to approach the mage.
"Fucking hell… had I known I would fight this monstrosity I wouldn't have even thought of picking up this job for that shithead of a king."
The mark of Desire manifested on the mage's cheek.
"I wish for telepor-"
The Aeon of Guilt's mist filled her lungs as she tried to utter her chant to fulfil her wish.
"Rhene… this is just a mere imitation of your love… such BLASPHEMY!"
He grabbed her by the mouth and threw her aside once the Aeon of Desire's mark wilted.
"You are not the one who bears the beauty of my wife, stand in my way and I will kill you."
The mage stayed quiet and silently backed away from Uryo.
Responsibility? Loyalty to that shit head? Yeah fuck that, I need to finish analysing the Aeonic structure of Breakage first… I can't die before that, the mage thought inside her head.
The mage took a deep breath and silently snuck out of the capital. With each step Uryo took towards the capital, he tainted the ground with his guilt. The blood of whom he has shed grabbed onto his boots but no matter how many souls festered onto him. He would march on until he found her.
"Almost there Aylin! Just a little bit more!"
Aylin was breathing heavily trying to keep up with Vivshi's pace. They had finally made it to the royal castle. The most extravagant building to exist on the continent.
"I can feel her in there."
"Feel who?" Aylin asked in between breaths.
"Someone very special to me."
Vivshi and Aylin pushed open the royal gates and found no guards guarding the entrance. All of them had gone out to hold out against the dragons.
The Aeon of Freedom was reacting even more fiercely than before. There was like a force dragging me towards another power.
As we were walking down the halls of the royal castle Aylin noticed a familiar person standing in the hallway. Someone she has not seen in years, standing with books in his hands.
But Vivshi quickly dragged her away before they could exchange words. Vivshi finally stopped before a large oak door.
"She is in here."
"Who is?"
Vivshi instinctively pushed the door open and the person who was sitting on a bed in front of him was his own mother.
Both of them locked eyes with each other. Aylin visibly confused looked at Vivshi and then at the woman in front of Vivshi. They shared the same hair color, the same eye color and the same facial features. It was as if seeing another identical copy of Vivshi.
The woman had shackles around her legs confining her to this room.
"Vivshi-"
Vivshi threw himself onto his mother and in a long embrace cried out.
Even with not seeing her children for years, she knew immediately that the person in front of her was the child she had left almost a decade ago.
That's when she saw Emovi covering her mouth in shock. She had been seperated from her for a few months now and was finally able to meet her again. Emovi jumped towards her mom and cried out as well.
She gently caressed both their midnight strands and the first thing that left her mouth was an apology for Vivshi and his siblings.
Vivshi didn't blame her for a single thing. It was never her fault to begin with and she just continued to embrace her.
This went on for a few more minutes until Vivshi's mom finally broke the silence and asked who was standing next to Vivshi.
"I'm Vivshi's girlfriend, Aylin. It is a pleasure to meet you, mother."
"Vivshi's mom chuckled at Aylin's comment and asked some stuff."
Outside the royal castle marched an unmatched power. Uryo approached the royal castle and all the warriors standing before him were cut down. The streets were riddled with mangled body parts and pools of blood.
With a haunting maw of green mist, the Aeon of Guilt tore away the space dimension and opened up a warp between the outside of the royal castle and the room where Aylin and Vivshi were.
The sound of an eerie footstep followed by the sound of space being distorted was heard behind Aylin.
Aylin shouted out in terror as a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into the distorted dimension.
Before Vivshi could even react Aylin was gone.
"Millennia may pass but I will always recognise you, my love."
King Uryo carried Aylin in his arms like a princess. Frightened and startled Aylin asked who the person carrying her was.
"Have you really forgotten?" He asked calmly whilst brushing her bangs to see her face more clearly.
"I don't remember anything, can you please put me down?"
King Uryo smiled and gently put Aylin down. He announced to the dragon army that he had finally found his wife again.
Every single dragon erupted in joy at the news of their Queen's return.
The mist around the Aeon of Guilt started to dissipate as he gazed upon Aylin with immense affection.
The restraints on the dragon's blood started to loosen as the Aeon of Guilt's power started to diminish.
King Uryo tried to touch Aylin around but Aylin slapped away his hand and told him not to touch her again.
"You are just as fierce as you were when we first met in those Alusian plains."
As Uryo was about to touch Aylin again. A bullet was fired but where the bullet should have hit it passed through him as his head turned into mist.
Vivshi stepped out of the royal castle with his mom behind him.
"Who do you think you are taking away from me?"
The Aeon of guilt being too infatuated with Aylin ignored Vivshi and tried to carry away Aylin.
"Release my girlfriend now," Vivshi said sternly.
King Uryo's body turned into mist which spread throughout the city.
Green mist crept ever so closer to Vivshi. The cries and screeches of the people slain by the dragons could be heard from the souls trapped in the mist. Aylin was in terror as the King materialised his body behind Vivshi and brutally thrust his blade through his body.
Her eyes filled with tears but then the next moment she couldn't believe her eyes. She was still in Vivshi and his mom's room talking. Nothing had happened.
Vivshi hurriedly freed his mom from her restraints before carrying her out of the castle. But before they could reach the gates of the city, the Aeon of guilt's mist spread past their feet and he appeared in front of them.
Aylin had to watch yet another time Vivshi being killed in front of her just to seconds later return in time. They were in the same place as before and the same thing happened. She witnessed how Vivshi was killed over and over around but time kept rewinding.
"Do you wish to end this cycle?" A calm ethereal voice asked her.
The next time Vivshi died, instead of being transported back in time, Aylin found herself in a cave with a massive crescent moon illuminating everything in a silvery glow.
Waters flowed through the cave that was covered in blue lilies that swayed as if the wind was blowing. Aylin saw in the distance a figure walking amongst the flowers. It was a girl who seemed around the same age as her. Her hair was long and black with red ends.
Aylin widened her eyes in shock as she realised that the girl had wings on her head. That's when the same angelic ethereal voice that spoke out earlier was heard singing.
- ♫ Dormi cara columbula ♫
- ♩O, columbula mea
Aylin started to approach the strange angelic girl in the fields of flowers. Spirits of those with unfulfilled dreams emerged. They were like white angelic creatures that guided her towards the girl adorned in white.
This girl… she can't be…
The girl continued to sing and then Aylin realised that the girl was actually blind and her eyes had been covered with a glittering white net.
When the girl finished her song Aylin hesitantly asked if she was the Aeon that was inside of her.
"Aeon of Desire, Moon goddess, Fulfiller of dreams, Celestia. Choose whatever suits you the best. For I have long forgotten my name."
She started to sing the same song again.
"That song you keep singing, can you tell me about it?"
"It's the only thing left that I remember. It's a song that was created alongside my birth."
"Why did you summon me in here?"
Celestia continued humming without really answering my question.
"You wished for something that was far beyond my capabilities."
"That being?"
"Freedom."
"What does that mean?" Aylin asked confused.
Celestia held her chest and turned her head toward the giant crescent moon in front of her.
"Human desire is unquenchable, a never-ending cycle. When a living creature is secure enough they start asking for more than they need.
"Moon goddess please grant me more power"
"Bestow me more territory"
"Give me more power."
With a pained expression, Celestia continued.
"I obliged and granted the humans what they wanted. But then came a day when I couldn't grant what they needed. People can turn to gods but who do gods turn to when they have nothing more to give?"
Aylin stayed quiet. She knew that she had been recklessly using her granting powers. At every inconvenience she would use her Aeonic powers to get what she wanted. She was just like those overindulgent people Celestia described.
Celestia walked towards Aylin with a petal from a lilac balancing on her index finger.
"After granting so many wishes, do you have any wishes yourself?" Aylin curiously asked.
"The moon. I wish to return to my home."
"The moon," Aylin repeated after her.
"Isn't the moon beautiful today? Celestia asked before humming her song again.
"It sure was. But today, so many bad things happened," Aylin solemnly said.
"The wishes I give, clash with each other. One side wishes for the previous user of Desire to return. Another wishes for peace for the continent. My powers are slowly fading… so many are hoping for stuff I cannot grant."
One of those unfulfilled souls came up to Aylin and took hold of her pinkie and guided her towards the water.
Aylin peered down into the flowing clear waters in what she saw wasn't her own reflection but the reflection of another woman.
The unfulfilled soul was showing herself to her.
Celestia still singing her song appeared behind her without a sound and scared her.
"This little one? She was the previous Aeon of Desire."
Aylin curiously asked Celestia if she could understand what the previous Desire was trying to convey.
Reaching out her hand, Celestia had a crescent moon on the palm of her hand that the angelic creature pressed against. A brimming silver light illuminated the room as the angelic creature resonated with Celestia.
"She wants to borrow your body," Celestia explained.
"This place only harbors souls of those who lived pure lives. None have malevolence in them, they were formed from unfulfilled wishes they couldn't have. They are made from pieces of Desire, so you are one with them."
Aylin reached out her hand towards the angelic creature.
"You are me."
The moment Aylin and the previous user of Desire touched each other an immense light swallowed Aylin and she felt how warmth entered her body.
"Anything else before I send you back?"
"Why was I chosen to be the emanator of Desire?"
Celestia answered that after the previous user of Desire perished the Aeon of Dexterity took hold of the heart of Desire. Dexterity had kept her heart hidden for years and one day she decided to give birth to a new Aeon of Desire. Dexterity had made a contract with Guilt long ago about her heart. She told him that she would give back Desire after 4000 years. She threatened him with destroying the heart and never allowing him to ever see his wife again.
Dexterity also made a contract with Celestia. She told Celestia that if she took host in Aylin, she would take her back home to the moon.
The curse which was placed upon Aylin was due to the energy being consumed by the unfulfilled souls. They constantly consume loxes to stay in the mortal realm. But now that most of them were inside Aylin she wouldn't need to worry about energy shortages. They were eating away at Aylin's loxes because of the possibility to materialise once again and fulfilling their wishes before they cease to exist.
"They all want me to thank you on their behalf, Child of the Moon."
Celestia lay down on her crescent moon.
"I will be sending you back now. Even with the moon's blessing befalling you, the night can be treacherous so please be careful my daughter."
With that Aylin was back in the same room with Vivshi and his mom. But something felt different this time. Under the moon's light, Aylin rushed out of the room with her Aeon of Desire blooming.
Vivshi and his mom followed her outside where she stood face to face with King Uryo.
Something inside Aylin took hold of her body. There was a gentle voice telling her that she was eternally grateful for what Aylin had done for her as she took control.
"It is actually you, Rhene."
Aylin, no Rhene smiled warmly at Uryo with the Aeon of Desire sprouting roots out of her cheek.
"Rhene… Rhene."
He embraced her in a long hug.
"I missed you, Dear."
Vivshi watched in confusion and realized that Aylin had changed appearance, she was a completely different person now. But something told him that Aylin would be alright and that he should just wait it out.
"It was nights like these, where we would moongaze, isn't that right Rhene?"
She nodded whilst holding bloody hands.
"Uryo, I need you to listen to me. I love you, very dearly, I missed you, I have been waiting for four millennia to see you again. But there has been a wish I have kept to myself this entire time. Please, my dear husband I wish for you not to sow any more lives for my sake. You have done enough, so can we please go home together?"
"My Queen…"
Both of them started kissing and then Rhene said her final words.
"I have fulfilled my final wish now, I got to say what I always wanted to say, thank you again Aylin, Celestia and my dearest husband."
With a satisfied smile the mark of desire slowly turned into ash and Aylin's body returned to normal.
"NO! NOOO…." Uryo desperately tried to catch the falling dust from Aylin's cheek but everything blew away up into the night sky where the moon shone.
"Rhene… RHENE!"
Uryo fell onto his knees holding what remained of his wife. He saw his wife's soul finally ascending.
A disturbing howl came from Uryo as mist was absorbed back into his body. The entire continent cleared up and all dragons got the order to stop what they were doing.
"She can't be gone… SHE CAN'T BE GONE!"
Uryo shriek echoed throughout the city.
"I promised… I would bring you back no matter what."
That's when the King got a wicked idea. He stabbed his hand into Aylin's chest and removed her heart.
"AEON OF DESIRE! I BESEECH YOU, BRING BACK MY WIFE!"
The moon left the man no answers.
"I Uryo, sacrifice this girl's soul to make this wish."
The Aeon of Desire blossomed from the heart and resonated with his words. The Aeon of Desire wilted and the moon shone down onto Aylin's corpse.
Uryo placed the heart back into her chest and watched as Aylin slowly started to turn back into his wife.
"My love."
But what opened their eyes was no longer the loving and sweet Rhene. Her soul was tainted as it was dragged back from the Aeonic realm. What remained what the impurities but Uryo never saw the bad sides of his wife. As long as he could be with her.
Without even realising it, Rhene had taken the king's own blade and impaled him through the chest with it. But he gently caressed her cheek with eyes full of love.
Uryo placed his lips against his wife's and pulled her closer with his arms around her waist.
The last words Rhene muttered were not about her husband but for the one who had saved the entire continent from her husband.
"I'm sorry, Aylin."
With that King Uryo's story ended as the Aeon of Guilt started to fade as he was no longer guilty for being separated from his wife.
They would finally be together in a different place. King Uryo's body withered away and was blown away by the wind leaving behind his ruined blade in his wake. Rhene who was a revenant looked behind her to see Vivshi staring at her with a pained expression.
"I'm sorry…"
She turned back into Aylin and fell onto the ground.