Eldric's dark, forest green eyes had turned an enchanting emerald, faintly glowing. Around him, reality itself seemed to churn and ripple.
The infant was now suspended in midair, unharmed by the harrowing bird's attempts at devouring him. The headless corpse had long been turned to mince meat by the abomination's unrelenting maw.
It's molars clamped down on the infant again and again, yet to no avail. With every bite the sound of teeth smashing against each other filled the empty streets.
Every spectator had either been eaten, or fled the moment they saw the beast. All except for Aurel.
She watched as her son remained afloat, completely unaffected and unfazed. He had a somber expression, peaceful—as if all was right in the world.
She felt a mix of relief and panic. Her son was fine—alive even! However, the only source of this mystical power...
'No... He's only half a year old... Impossible...'
Being a Sigiled wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but here in Sickle... He'd normally be drafted to the front lines, this young though... The death penalty is all that awaited him.
Finally, after one last, especially powerful chomp, the Aghorath gave up on devouring the small child. Instead, it's five sockets were now focused on Aurel herself.
It looked as menacing as ever. The crooked set of teeth was now missing a several molars, and the few that remained were broken and jagged, chipped under the strain of it's own bite.
Aurel didn't have time to feel fear, the monster was already upon her, it's grotesque mouth wide open, preparing to swallow her whole.
Aurel took one last glance at her baby boy, and accepted death.
...
However, death seemed to have other plans.
The overbearing crush of the abomination's jaw never came. Instead, the whole world was enveloped in a tantalizing light.
Aurel felt warm and fuzzy as the brilliant radiance surrounded her. It lasted for a few seconds, before the world came into view once more.
The crow-thing was now almost ten meters away, with no trace of it's front beak remaining. It had somehow gotten even more grotesque.
A look of madness painted the Aghorath's face—what remained of it atleast. It's gaze locked above Aurel.
She didn't have to wait long to find out what the horrid creature was looking at. From above her descended a slender woman, her blonde hair so pale, that it could be mistaken for white.
She turned to look at Aurel, leaving the young woman stunned. Her saviour was beyond gorgeous, her beauty was simply indescribable through mere human words.
She looked to be in her twenties, wearing a white uniform, rolled at the sleeves. Four golden buttons fastening it at her chest. An embroidery etched into its breast pocket, of a crown hanging from a tree branch.
Aurel held her breath. 'The Valtherrean Garrison...'
The woman in front of her was a Seraph of the Sigil. A divine-like being that most people lived and died without witnessing.
Her deep grey eyes showed a hint of amusement as she spoke. "It seems you've gotten yourself into quite the predicament, young lady."
She spoke posh and proper, no trace of the accent used by mere peasants. The Seraph threw a glance at the floating infant.
The glow in his eyes had dimmed, and the eerie aura around him had faded. He was now... heading headfirst into the ground.
Aurel was just about to lunge and attempt to catch him, when the enigmatic stranger simply appeared beside the young boy and gently caught him.
She took a closer look at him, her eyes widening for a moment, a quiet whisper escaped her gorgeous lips. "My word..."
She handed the infant to his mother, giving her a small smile. "You have quite the boy."
Aurel tripped over her words. "T-Thank you..."
The Seraph gave a curt nod before turning back to the abomination. She drifted forward, utterly unshaken, as though facing a simple nuisance rather than the monster that had ravaged an entire district.
The Aghorath shrieked, a screech so vile Aurel's stomach lurched. Space itself seemed to warp at the sound.
Its eyeballs burst, streams of yellow pus oozing down its face. The grotesque orbs strained outward from their sockets, reaching toward the Seraph.
For a moment, she paused midair—then pressed on, as if breaking through an invisible barrier. A sly smile curved her lips.
"Reality warping and petrification? You must be at least third stratum…" Her tone was amused. "No wonder a wretch like you managed to slip past the walls in my absence."
In the next instant, both vanished in a deafening sonic boom, only to clash along the main path, closer to where the abomination had originally stood.
The Seraph hovered above the ground, her messily tied hair whipping in the wind. In her hand blazed the same divine radiance that had saved Aurel—a brilliant lance of light.
She hurled it forward. The weapon pierced the crow-thing clean through, leaving a cavernous hole in its chest.
The beast sagged lifelessly, then dissolved into the tranquil brilliance, erased from the world forever.
The Seraph stretched out her hand toward the gore-stained street ahead, a blinding light erupting from her palm.
When the brilliance receded, not a trace of human remains lingered. The street was cleaner than it had ever been—spotless, not even a speck of dust remained.
She appeared beside Aurel in an instant, startling the young woman. The Sigiled's unreal grey eyes settled on the infant in her arms.
Aurel bowed deeply, her voice trembling with gratitude. "I can't begin to express how thankful I am, ma'am. You saved our lives."
The Seraph gave a knowing nod, her gaze still locked on the child. Eldric stirred, his eyes glowing faintly as the trance faded.
---
Ethan had been lucid for some time now—ever since that grotesque thing tried to bite into him. Yet he had been nothing more than a spectator, unable to command his fragile body.
And still, he survived. Each time the monster's teeth closed in, he reached instinctively for something—like a limb he didn't know he had—and became impervious.
Now, at last, he felt in control again. A strange energy surged through him, as though he could feel every drop of blood racing through his veins.
Stranger still, he could perfectly understand the words spoken around him.
His mother's expression darkened as she looked at the Seraph. "Great Seraph, if I may…"
The woman smiled politely. "Go ahead, dear."
Aurel hesitated, troubled. "It cannot be that my son… he cannot be…"
The Seraph finished for her, amused. "A Sigiled? Of course he is. I can clearly see the Stigma carved upon his heart."
Her tone was light, even playful, while Aurel's expression fell grim.
Ethan's mind reeled. 'Sigiled? Stigma? What the hell is happening?'
So that was the burning sensation in his chest? That horrific carving pain?
"Is there any way to… remove it?" his mother whispered. "His… Sigil?"
The Seraph laughed brightly. "Erase his Sigil? That's quite a joke dear."
Her smile widened. "Most would be dancing for joy at the chance to become a warrior of the Sigil."
'So… this is a good thing?' Ethan thought, bewildered. He only knew that his body felt stronger, sharper, strangely revitalized. Even the rushing of his own blood was exhilarating.
Then the Seraph tilted her head, as if recalling something. "Ah… does Sickle still keep that barbaric law?"
Aurel nodded slowly, grief flickering across her features. The Seraph sighed.
"Of course. With that buffoon of a duke still ruling…"
For a brief moment, Aurel's eyes lit up with hope, but the thought died before she spoke it aloud.
The Seraph stepped closer. Her eyes shifted—grey becoming marble white, streaked with strange, colorful motes that swirled like stars.
Those eyes pierced not his body, but him, peering into his very soul.
Her lips curved into a small smile. "His name?"
She added, almost absently, "And yours as well, dear."
Before Aurel could answer, the Seraph's gaze fell to the ground, and she murmured softly to herself, "Well, well…"
Aurel blinked, unsure whether to reply. At last, she said, "Eldric, ma'am. His name is Eldric. Mine is Aurel."
The Seraph's expression turned curious. "Eldric? A little... morbid, no?"
'Morbid? It sounds fine to me.'
Aurel shifted uneasily. "It was his father's choice."
For the first time, surprise flashed across the Seraph's flawless face. "His father? Hm. This boy only grows more and more peculiar."
Ethan frowned. What's so strange about that? Do people here reproduce by splitting in half or something?
Then the Seraph smiled—so radiant the world seemed to brighten around her. "Ten to twelve years…"
Aurel stiffened. "I beg your pardon?"
"He has ten to twelve years before his Harrier comes for him. Fortunately for the boy, it manifested far across the world. At its pace—ten years at the earliest, twelve at the latest."
Aurel's hope flickered, only to dim again. "He'll still be only a boy…"
The Seraph chuckled. "Marked this young? He'll be one hell of a boy."
She placed a slender hand on Aurel's shoulder. "Keep him hidden, and he'll survive. His kind always do, somehow."
At last, Aurel's expression softened, the weight lifting from her shoulders. Relief had taken root.
Ethan, however, was only more confused. 'Seraph, Sigil, Stigma, Harrier, that damned bird… I know I sound like a broken record, but... What the hell is going on?!'
The Seraph seemed to consider something, then extended her arms. "May I hold him?"
Both Ethan and his mother froze. But what choice did they have? If this woman wanted to harm them, resistance would be meaningless.
Aurel reluctantly handed him over.
In between the breathtaking woman's arms, Ethan's heart couldn't help but skip a beat. She truly was unreasonably attractive, much more than a human should've been allowed to be.
She drew him close, whispering into his ear. "Remember, you owe me, little Archon."
And then, the voice came again. The ethereal presence that had spoken to him before:
"You stand before Rayne, the Brilliant."
'Wha—?'
Before he could react, she returned him to his mother. With a final wink, her form dissolved into pure light, vanishing into the air.
Stunned, Ethan's first encounter with the supernatural of the world had ended as suddenly as it began.