I have felt this once before.
My previous life.
Again I never wished to feel this way.
Voices from back then are brought up again"You going to pursue what. You'll never make enough money doing that. Stick to what your brother and sister are doing. You should not go into that. Think about the pay. You've got to be better. "
My breathing was heavy. My eyes are getting fuzzy and blurry. Am I really going to faint right here?
I am paralyzed standing at the podium.
Have I not met standards once again?
Am I going to be cast out? Singled out once more?
I gaze into the Chalice as I see no tint of color, only the reflection of the Stained Glass Artwork above reflecting on the water.
With my emotionless face.
I stood there.
As the light from the day begins to drain, twilight is upon us.
Suddenly I feel a warm touch on my back.
I calm back down to reality.
I begin to breathe normally.
I turned to see the two bodies on me.
It was Marko and Lila. The two who have cared for me all this time. The two have helped me all this time.
Yes, they were my parents.
"It's all right Val," Marko says, patting my head.
"You're going to be alright sweetie, just breathe," Lila says in a calm and soothing voice.
I shed tears as I was disappointed, sad, scared, and angry that I didn't get selected but they were there to comfort me. As my watery eyes began to clear I glanced over at Eriko, Vincent, and Elise who should be overjoyed and happy. Looking sad and disappointed.
"Shouldn't they be happy?" I thought to myself but I realized looking from their perspective their daughter got the blessings as I didn't.
The looks on their faces read "We are ashamed." Vincent said.
Marko stands and heads towards their direction.
I thought to myself "Oh no he's going to say something."
Marko stops in his tracks.
Eriko hesitant to look up"Sir Marko I am deeply sorry for this em-"
He kneels down and gives Eriko a hug.
"Congratulations Ms.Eriko"
The Agnello family smile at Markos' gesture.
Lila heads on over as well.
"Congratulations Eriko," Lila says.
Marko stands up "What with the down faces for?" Marko was acting like his usual self. Marko and Lila celebrate with the Agnello family as I make my well as well.
"Congrats Eri," I say with a smile in my voice.
"Thank you, Val," she responds.
"We all should be celebrating. Let us make our way home." Marko demands.
As we were about to leave a voice called as it echoes throughout the cathedral.
"Marina family I will say a Non mage is just as rare as a Dyad Mage." The pastor says.
Am not too sure if that was a compliment or if it was a pity for me.
"Thank you pastor. Enjoy the rest of your evening."
"Thank you again" Lila says.
We reach the doors as the pastor voice calls out "Remember this Mr. Valerus, a twelve-star mage can be chosen at any point of their life" as the doors of the cathedral close.
SHUT
The pastor stands there motionless. His arms drop. His head slouches down. The light from the eyes of the pastor disappears.
DROP
The pastor's body drops as a hooded figure emerges from the shadows.
"Ugh controlling that body for that long of a time was a haste.I would've preferred a younger host."
VRMM a orb materlizes.
ZING
"Deadman do you read? Is the selection done?" a mysterious voice calls from the void of the shadows.
"Yes it is done my lord"
ZING
"I really thought you were going to get caught there by A Federation Captain. It would've been unfortunate. Who would I talk too about the amount of blood I consummed in a day" a female voice speaks in the background
"Knowing what we were facing I had to be extra careful with those interactions. I am afraid you wouldn't be too suited for that. You would take other measures. "
"What did you say!"
"Bloody Queen please be quiet." The other male voice speaks.
"Have him watch his tongue when he speaks. Just you watch Deadman later tonight I'll prove it too you"
"Next time we'll have a nice little chat." Deadman speaks.
"Of course like we always do" Bloody Queen responds.
"We now have the whereabouts of two more twelve-star mages. What is the plan now?" Deadman speaks.
"Retrieve both Virgo and Valerus Marina tonight alive. Before the Captain gets suspicious and reports us too the Federation.I have a similar assignment too you as well Bloody Queen"
"Of course sir. May I ask? Why keep Valerus Marina alive as well?"
"I would like to know that too. Is the verge of death acceptable?" Bloody Queen asks.
Brief moments of silence.
"Alive."the voice responds.
"As you wish" both respond.
ZING
ZING
"Valerus Marina, hmmm"
Walking back home that line stuck in my head. Playing in a loop. "A nonmage is just as rare as a Dyad Mage. Twelve Star mages can be chosen at any point in their life." With Eriko and her family walking ahead I couldn't help but fall back in line a little.
"Hmm, you worried something was wrong? What's bothering you? " Marko asks.
"Oh, nothing father." I respond.
"You're hungry aren't you?"
"Ehh"
Lila jumps in "Could it possibly be about what the pastor said?"
I remain silent not answering her.
"It is," Lila remarks.
"Well don't be down son. You will do fine. You have great combat prowess. You're exceptionally quick I'd say almost as quick as me."
That is true. What I haven't realized while training with Marko is I've been keeping up with his pace. I've seen him breaking a sweat too.
"With training and perseverance, you will be better than me in all ways. That is the truth Valerus"
"No matter if you're an irregular mage or not. We still love you and the strengths that you have." Lila says with a comforting voice.
"Dont focus on what you don't have focus on what you do have," Marko says.
Words that hit me in the right spot. Words that I didn't know I needed.
Back at home, we have a grand dinner celebrating this joyous occasion.
As I get up from my seat and head towards my room I hear a voice call out my name.
"Sir Valerus I wish to speak with you" Vincent calls.
He and Elise stand side by side one another trying to cheer me up.
"It's alright I understand it's not that deep" a saying I would say in my previous life.
"Alright, but Eriko wishes to speak with you out on the balcony."
"O-Ok" why did I stutter? I wonder to myself.
I go past the two and return to their rooms while Marko and Lila clean up. Eriko awaits me under the moonlight standing on the deck.
I see her staring at the moon as the light reflects upon her face with the stars filling the night sky.
"You called for me Twelve Star Mage of Virgo," I said jokingly.
Eriko turned around surprised. "Please don't call me that, just act normal" she requested with her face flushed red.
"Well, it's not going to be so normal from here on. You have immense power at your disposal and you'll just grow stronger." I said to her,
With a short pause, "You'll grow strong as well." Eriko says walking around me with her hands behind her back. "I won't let this blessing mess up our friendship. It's just a title. Twelve Star Mage Dyad Mage won't matter" She looks up to the sky and makes a grabbing motion with her hands.
"I see" as I walk towards "So what did you want to talk about?"
"I just was wondering what you are going to do. What is your dream or goal in life?"
Ah a question that I have never asked myself. What is my endgame for this world? Will I just go for the normal route and strive to be the leader of this world? Should I hunt down all the bad guys and become a vigilante at night?
Questions that I asked myself.
"Wh-What is yours Eri?"
"Hmm, mine?" as she puts her hand to her head.
"I just want to explore the world. Visit the other three regions."
"Why chose that"
"Why? No disrespect to your parents or mine but I don't wanna live my life cooped up in some mansion. I wanna explore the world and travel by having this-" she shows her Virgo Symbol "allows me to do that. It also gives me the power to change the world."
"Now that I shared mine you had enough time to think what's yours?"
"Um. Um. To be the greatest mage this world has ever seen" I said with a soft voice.
"Huh what was that" Eriko motions cupping her hands around her ears.
"She's purposefully doing this," I thought.
"To be the greatest mage this world has ever seen" I repeated with a little more volume
GIGGLE GIGGLE
"I could hear you for the first time," she chuckled. "So you want to be the Ruler of the Nation?"
"No, I want to live my best life and be the best mage I can possibly be."
Eriko looks at me, "That's a good dream. A simple and easy one"
"Is that what you wanted?" I asked.
"Yes, that's all I wanted" as she smiles.
WOOSH WOOSH WOOSH
The autumn winds blow harshly as it becomes winter soon.
"It's getting chilly. We should head back inside"
"Goodnight Val"
"Goodnight Eri"
As we both leave the balcony.
I head over to the dining hall as the light still seems to be on. I peek inside. It's Marko and Lila. They seem to be discussing something. I am going to wish them goodnight. "F-"
"An irregular please that's not worthy of my time. It's pathetic" Marko says.
I stood frozen out the door and I couldn't say anything or move my feet. I zoned out and I couldn't hear anything but my thoughts as scenarios went in my head. I then had the sudden urge to run towards the exit and run away. "Why am I doing this?
"Is something my father would say. Now I told myself if I ever had a kid I would never treat them like that" Marko says with confidence.
"Yes dear I know you told too me many times"
"You think I am being a good father to him?"
"Of course you are dear."
"Especially about what happened today?"Valerus will grow up to be something special. Something remarkable."
SLAM
"What was that?"
PAT PAT PAT
"Marko huff huff" Vincent out of breath.
"Sir Valerus seems to have run away"
"Wha"
"Why would he-"
"Ohh he must've heard me talking about how my father would talk. Stay here dear I'll go fetch him and clear the misunderstanding. He shouldn't be that far off."
Marko heads off
Marko materializes his scythe.
----------------------------------------------------------
PANT PANT PANT
"Why did I run? Why am I running away? They love me right? Right?
I found myself in a park with a fountain surrounded by giant trees. Cobblestone roads with streetlights.
HUFF HUFF PANT
"Great am lost. I've never been to this part of Kubridge. It's dark. Was it always this dark?" I thought to myself. I looked around the moonlight lighting my way. "The streetlights are all out."
STEP STEP STEP
"I heard footstops coming from in front of me in the pitch black darkness.
The moonlight shines at the point where the darkness ends. A man in a white robe appears. He looked familiar. "Pastor is that you? What are you doing at his hour of the night"
His body shakes and turns to mush. The pastor who was once there turns into raw meat.
"What the- "
STEP STEP
"Mr.Marina" , a calm but devious voice, speaks as they step forward. A man dressed in all black with a robe over his head comes to the light.
"Who are you?" I questioned him as I began to feel uneasy.
The man stops in his tracks.
"The man who has come to recruit you"
"What's going on?" I wondered as I took a stance.
The figure stops "Dont worry" Purple Magic circles begin to light up within the area with the command of his hand.
Corpses begin to rise up from them.
"We shall talk later. Just come with me."
"Sorry I played too many video games and watched too much anime to trust you" I yelled and stuck out my right hand and materialized my scythe.
"Interesting and unique choice of words. This A-N-I-M-E word intrigues me. Would you care to explain it too me while you come over here."
"Nah" I said with arrogance as I twirl my scythe around. "If you want me your going to have to take me by force"
"Very well"
SNAP
The corpses rush at me.
"Low-level grunts," I said to myself.
I swing the scythe around decapitating the heads of the corpses. One by one I dance and keep chopping off the heads of these mindless zombies."These are some level one noobs. This is fun. A real battle where my life is actually in danger. The training went well"
DROP DROP
The corpses begin to drop as I begin to move closer too this hooded figure.
SLAM
I slammed the scythe into the ground as I would punch and kick the corpses too the ground linning them up to chop them all in half in one quick strike.
"Score again!"
"Hmm. You move pretty well. How about-"
SNAP
New Corpses emerge but this time with wands.
"Hell, he put some costumes on them. That's cute. Reminds me of a little RPG that I used too play"
BLAST
A ball of fire the size of a basketball shoots towards me.
"Shit" I dodge the attack. The socrhcing flames brazes my face as I felt the heat as it was passing me by "Did that thing just shoot a fireball?"
BLAST BLAST BLAST
I dodged the continuous blast being sent by me. Weaving left to right. Side to side. Cutting through the ones that I couldn't dodge. Feeling the heat of the fire disperse into two parts as I begin to close in on the spellcasting corpses.
HMPH
One appears right in front of me about to shoot a point-blank-range fireball at my face. I duck as I feel the fire brazily miss my skin. I grabbed the scythe and I stood on the ends of it too kick that corpse in the head. Rocking its head back. As it was stunned I stabbed the corpse upwards with my scythe as I swing my scythe around impaling the other ones and turn them into a shishkabob. I throw the corpses at the hooded figure as he deflects them with a magic barrier.
"He's gone. A distraction?" the figure says to himself.
"Gotcha" I appear behind them going for a killing blow.
ZIP ZIP ZIP
I get caught mid-swing by these threads. "Damn didn't think of that," I thought to myself.
"Agh"
"I must say, Mr. Valerus, you move very well. Quick Reaction Time. An excellent weapon handler.A very unique fighting style. Am surprised the Chalice of Paths didn't make you a weapon enhancer mage"
I struggle to move the threads dig deeper into my skin.
ARGH
"Oh, my lord didnt want you too hurt I'll just knock you out" The hooded figure moves closer.
"Why the hell does he want me?" I questioned.
I close my eyes as I brace myself for a blow.
SLASH
The threads get slashed as am in the someones arms.
"The only person getting knocked out is you scum," Marko says confidently.
"Marko pleased to meet you again"
"Again? When- ah whatever" Marko thought really hard before answering.
SLASH
The hooded figure avoided being cut by placing one of the corpses in front of him.
"Sorry I am not letting you walk out of here alive. Valerus stay back and watch me beat the hell out of this scum."
"Scum scum scum is that all you can call me?"
"Yes. Scum" Marko readies his Scythe.
"I am Deadman."
Marko pauses. Puts on a thinking face.
"Oh, you're one of those Phantom Order mages that keeps appearing. Yeah, I know you."
"It is an honor" making a bowing gesture."-To bring your corpse back to The Federation" Deadman says sinisterly. As more magic circles appears.
"Well, that can be said about you as well. I take your corpse. I might become the next Head Captain. Head Captain Marko Marina. Yeah I like the sound of that." Marko says with confidence.