A young man named Josh made his way through the muddy camp ground without any particular destination in mind. It has been four years since he first joined the army on his father's command,the past four years had hardened him but the sting of his family's rejection still lingered. As the eldest son of house Belling he had failed to awaken his ancestral power, a rite of passage of his family's noble line. Now he was merely a nameless soldier forced to fight on the frontlines risking his life for the kingdom, the sun was about to set and many other soldiers were making their way to the sleeping quarters, most of them just passed him by throwing provocative glances at him.
Josh paid them no mind, he had long gotten used to their behavior after all he was the only noble here and most commoners despised nobles but what they despised the most was a noble without talent and Josh fit both of those categories perfectly. But not all of them were bad he also had a few comrades who treated him fairly,and Josh returned the favor.
As he slowly approached the barracks a Steam-powered sentry robot landed infront of him, the brass-plated mechanical man with copper wires and steam pipes visible beneath its transparent glass chest,regarded him with a blank expression. A small, clockwork-powered arm extends from its side, holding a small, brass tube.
"Message for Josh belling "the robot spoke in a hissing mechanical voice, "from Commander Stewart. "
Josh receives the brass tube with a sense of concern and curiosity before opening it to read the contents inside. Josh was being summoned to the commander's office,"What is this about?" Josh asked the Steam-powered sentry but he got no answer as the sentry took off afterwards.
"That's reassuring, thanks." Sighing he turned around heading for the commander's office which was located on the east far end of the whole facility.
Josh quickly made his way passing Steam-powered carriages and clorkwork carts on his way, brass-plated robots like the mechanical man who delivered the message were busy performing various tasks. Thanks to his family and house Payne that the technological advancements of their kingdom were rapidly growing and soon they might even catch up to that of the great empire.
A loud rumbling came from the sky and when he lifted his head he could see a large airship approaching the army headquarters swiftly, his insticts instantly told him that something was not right and when he took a closer look at the approaching airship he saw the royal family's crest, "who could it be?"he thought before returning his focus to where he was headed. Soon he found himself in a spacious, neatly furnished office with a blend of industrial and ornate elements and infront of him was a a completely bald middle aged man with a calm aura, his piercing blue eyes scanned Josh from head to toe.
"Thsnk you for coming Cogger, I'm pretty sure you are wondering why I requested your presence so urgently?" The Commander spoke and asked in a calm voice
"Does it concern the royal airship that just arrived now sir?" Josh asked making the Commander smile, "You have a sharp eye cogger, yes yoh are right it does concern the airship but even I do not know why that person would want to seek someone like you, no offense son." The Commander shot him an apologetic look after his words but Josh shook his head with a smile
"Non taken sir, but If I may sk who is this person you are referring to?" But before the Commander could respond, the door to the office opened and a beautiful dark skinned woman dressed in a long flowing coat with brass buttons and gears embroidered on the hem, a pair of brown letaher pants and black boots that reached the knee entered the room, the air around her was strangely inviting and warm, her emerald eyes scanned the room and finally landed on Josh who as staring back at her albeit his gaze was one of curiosity.
Stopping right infront of him the woman looked deep into his eyes, the was little space between them and their faces were strangely close, Josh took half a step backwards as the situation was starting to get awkward for him but to his surprise the woman also took half a step forward never breaking eye contact up until the Commander cleared his throat.
"Uh uhm, cogger this is lady Aurelia her majesty's royal oracle and advisor. Lady Aurelia this young man is Josh belling." Judgiing by the woman's behavior Josh had already guessed who she was, she had never met orelia but he still remembered that his father always spoke highly of her majesty's new "Tool" as he would say, but the question was what business did the queen's precious "Tool" have with him an outcast?
"It's such an honor to meet such an important figure like yourself lady Aurelia. "Josh bowed
"I should be the one bowing, lord belling, such an honor to meet the one who will save us all." Aurelia bowed and her words and actions shook both Josh and Commander Stewart, "Lady Aurelia what are you doing?" Commander Stewart asked but the oracle paid him no mind,
"Joshua Belling, the first born child of Duke Trevor Belling, born in a noble house but failed to awaken your ancestral power, abandoned by your ancestors and family you are the epitome of a noble failure lord belling." Josh did not react to her words at all, the oracle straightened up and turned to commander Stewart finally addressing the man
"Commander, may we seat?" Huffing in frustration the Commander nodded and signaled for them to sit, Josh sat down but he could not shake of the feeling that whatever the lady wanted to discuss would bring drastic change to his already messed up existence.
"I'm sorry to be blunt but i would appreciate it if you say what you really came all the way here to say." Josh tried to maintain a certain level of respect in his tone, The Commander shot him a look and just when he was about to speak up Lady Aurelia raised her hand
"It's fine Commander, the man is right I must quickly address the matter at hand." A subtle smile appeared on her lips before turning her attention back to Josh,"Now then lord Belling, I must assume you are familiar with what my role is within the royal Court?"Josh paused before responding, choosing his words carefully as not to offend the oracle
"Yes I am, you are the advisor and the divine messenger of the court." He answered softly, lady Aurelia smiled and leaned in her face a few inches away from his again.
"That is correct, see lord Belling I have come here not on official royal business but because 'HE' had brought me here and I come bearing a painful message."She stood up with her back facing the both of them and then she took off the long coat, her slender fingers grasped the hem of the white leaning shirt she was wearing, and with a graceful motion she lifted it over her head, exposing her bare back to the two men in the room. Bother their eyes widened in wonder, the skin of her upper back was a canvas of words that seemed to have been burnt into her flesh. Josh could not understand the words burnt on the woman's back but it seemed like Commander Stewart could. His eyes traced the words on her back word for word until the last part, after he was seemingly done he closed his eyes and took a deep breath
"Fleshscript? But why, they haven't used such methods since.....no wait don't tell me-" Commander Stewart jumped out of his chair and sent it flying crashing into the wall behind him, Josh did not say a word or even move deciding to play the role of a silent observer but he did not like what was going on
"I will answer your questions later Commander for now would you care reading out the words for lord Belling."Aurelia's voice was strangely calm despite the fact that she was practically half naked in a room with two men, the Commander nodded and began
"When bloodless hands grasp forgotten might,
The ancient one's s power shall take flight.
From unexpected roots, a hero shall rise,
Without ancestral ties, yet bearing ancient eyes.
In darkness, a light shall spark anew,
Guiding the chosen one, as the ancient one breaks through.
The boy without a lineage, shall inherit the divine,
And wield the power, that shall reshape the realms.
Seek the keystone, where shadows dance and play,
And claim the forgotten throne, on the day of reckoning's sway.
For when the bloodless hand, wields the ancient might,
The ancient one's power, shall ignite the light." Josh had the urge to roll his eyes, it was a prophecy after all the real stuff of legends but one thing he could not understand was"what does it have to do with me?" He thought
After the Commander was done lady Aurelia put on her shirt and coat and turned to face them,"You are the chosen one lord Belling, the prophecy it speaks of you."A shiver ran down his spine at her words,Me? Is this some kind of sick joke? At loss for words Josh laughed hysterically catching the two by surprise
"Hahaha, good one my lady you too Commander I must admit you two almost had me there. But if that is all I will be taking my leave now." He got up and bowed but just as he was about to leave he found himself unable to move and a chill ran down his spine, a cold dense suffocating presence assaulted him from all directions but it was mostly concentrated behind him.
"You have not yet been dismissed cogger, so why don't you return to your seat." The commander's cold voice came from behind him and at the same time the cold and dense feeling disappeared, swallowing a mouthful of saliva Josh quickly sat down cursing his bad luck.
"This is not a joke lord Belling, you see in order for you to understand everything Commander Stewart has to share with you some classified information and once you hear this you will choose to either support our cause or die." Lady Aurelia spoke in a bold tone, but Josh could still not wrap his around their logic so he asked, "can't I choose not to hear the classified information and we all forget this ever happened ?" The Commander shook his head and spoke with a sigh
"Unfortunately you can't kid. See I merely acted the whole thing out from the start till now in order to get a better judge of your character, I can see you are the type of person who is self-preserving and smart. We have been searching for a person like you from day one, I do not possess lady Aurelia's ability to receive divine messages but my mother could and when she was a child she had the very same Fleshscript our lady here has but back then mother would say that the hero was not yet born, and when she died I saw with my own eyes the Fleshscript vanishing like it was never there." The Commander paused a bit looking at him dead in the eye before continuing
" See kid our world is in great danger, two hundred years ago monstrosities which we now call the Mirrorwights started appearing all over the world but the first recorded appearance of a mirrorwight was here in Havena, at the time we believed the creatures just spawned out of nowhere and at first they were not a big threat but slowly they became stronger and their attacks became more coordinated, they gained intelligence. But as they got stronger we also began advancing in our technological development and within two decades we finally learned where they originated, kagami sekai, meaning a world reflected in the mirror.
"As we delved deeper into the mysteries of the Mirrorwights, we discovered that they could enter our world through various reflective surfaces. It started with the obvious - mirrors. Any mirror, from the antique silvergate in my grandmother's attic to the vitrum in your bedroom, could serve as a portal for these entities.
But that was just the beginning. We soon learned that bodies of water, like the calm lake or the stormy sea, could also act as gateways. Even polished metals, likea knight's armor or the subtle scientia of a telescope lens, could invite the Mirrorwights into our realm.
And then there were the more unexpected entry points - the ocular gaze of certain individuals, the artefact-imbued paintings of ancient masters, and the reliqua of mystical artifacts hidden away in dusty museums. Even the natural formations of ice caves and the reflective surfaces of out transportation could provide an entryway for these beings.
But thats not all,what about the medical equipment, the medica of hospitals and clinics? Or the scientific instruments, the scientia of laboratories and research facilities? All of these are now entry points that is why every thing that reflects in our homes are all sealed artifacts, but the real question here is what is their purpose?destruction of course and now some very greedy people are now working with these monstrosities but the gods saw this and warned us to stay away from them but they did not listen and continued working with them despite the warning until one brave idiot became too ambitious and wanted to go barge into Sato the village of the divine and lay waste to the gods but the already knew he was coming with his army of Mirrorwights and he was immensely overwhelmed and sent back running with a tail between his legs but he could not run back to the mortal world because it was no longer safe for him so one of the seven rulers of kagami sekai invited him to their world where he could rest and heal from the battle." Commander Stewart paused to look at Josh who was now deeply immersed in the story he was telling, Josh raised his head to look at the Commander confused as to why he stopped
"For someone who is not interested you sure are focused kid." The Commander spoke with a smirk, Josh rolled his eyes and fixed his posture before responding nonchalantly "it's not like I have a choice." Lady Aurelia cleared her throat and the Commander stole a glance at her before resuming
"For the man's rebellious actions the gods, swore to never intervene in the never-ending war between humans and the Mirrorwights. Although we also possess our ancestral power the bloodline purity required for one to awaken their ancestral power is atleast 50 percent that is why majority of nobles are all empowered since their bloodlines are purer but it's a different story for commoners all though there are a few instances where a commoner can awaken a very powerful bloodline and become empowered there are only a few cases like that. Humans as it is could never reach the pinnacle of strength required to vanquish the Mirrorwights because the mana in the air is now polluted and with it polluted we cannot nouruish our soul seeds and because of that we cannot be like our ancestors who had godly might separate from their abilities-" Josh cut him off raising his hand
"What the hell are you on about about, what godly might? What are soul seeds?" His eyebrows twitched as he tried to suppress his frustration, the Commander flared his nostrils annoyed by Josh cutting him off eventually sighing it off and reaching for a drawer on his desk pulling out a huge a brads tube and tossing it over to Josh with a warning
"It seems like you cannot comprehend everything, so have a look at all this but tell no one that is information thatt can overturn the kingdom so with that in mind practice caution oh and after you are done reading the contents the brass tube will destroy itself as a last resort defense measure to prevent the information from being passed on physically to another person." Josh stared at the brads tube in his hands not knowing how to react, lady Aurelia nodded at the Commander and glanced at Josh who looked rather confused and she smiled
"There is still hope."She thought before kneeling down infront of Josh who now had his head down, "your path is a greater one, do not dwell on useless things. From the moment you were born you were special and for that your ancestors shunned you and denied you power and your family turned on you, but they did not know that they were preparing you for the road ahead. Where you will lose allies and walk alone until you vanquish the Mirrorwights-" before she could finish Josh chuckled at her words,
"I'm sorry my lady but I think you have the wrong guy, if that is all I would like to leave." Hia words were almost like a whisper, but the doubt lingered. What if this gibberish was actually true ? What then?
On the outside he tried to conceal his emotions but infront of an oracle, a royal one at that and a Steam-commander Josh found himself crumbling.
"I will be waiting for you here lord Belling, three days from now I will be leaving and returning to Elysia."with that the oracle left the room under the watchful eye of Commander Stewart who released a sigh after the oracle left.
"You may be excused cogger, oh and one more thing I believe you are smart enough not to say a word of what happened here to anyone else am I right? Once you read the contents of the tube you will have two choices, join us or die. I'm sorry kid " The commander's tone had changed once again to one of aggression, Josh nodded absent-minded and he got up to leave forgetting to salute the steam-commander on his way out.
Left alone in his office Commander Stewart smiled "Atleast he took it well, but I do wonder what is your goal in all of this Aurelia.." The Commander rested his head on his palm as he thought, but the next moment a beeping sound came from a circular device on his desk and the Commander tapped the device and a person wearing a cloak with the face obscured appeared in his office.
" No.8 to what do I owe the pleasure of you contacting me?" The Commander spoke in a casual tone different from the one he was using with Josh. The person knelt on one knee and spoke with a deep voice, "Permission to speak Sir?"
"Sure." Stewart answered casually and the man began explaining his reason "I'm here to give my report Commander, I believe I now know the reason behind the frequently appearing Mirrorwights near Mount Gaza. Since we know that Gaza was the closest place to Sato the village of the gods and it is the only place within Havena that has a high concentration of mana but it is not possible to enter it since it wss sealed after the last rebellion. I believe the Mirrorwights are trying to find a way in for that person to enter." At the person's last words the Commander's expression darkened
"That vile traitor still wishes to eradicate the gods, well there is nothing we can do this is a battle between him and the gods after all if we intervene we may find ourselves being the ones eradicated. So far now let us see how the gods will react to this, and try to evacuate all of the villages and small towns close to Mount Gaza as soon as possible." No.8 nodded and stood up
"And sir if I may ask, has the boy showed any signs of awakening the past four years?" Stewart was slightly taken aback by the question before gradually shaking his head
"Nothing, it seems his ancestors do not acknowledge him as one of theirs which can only mean one thing." Even though No.8 was wearing a cloak it could not mask his body language and at that time Stewart would swear he saw No.8's hand trembling slightly, but the next moment it was as if nothing happened and the only response No.8 could give was an "I see."
"Good job, No.8 after you done evacuating the small towns and villages you can return and take a break off your espionage duties for a while and just take regular missions, okay?" The Commander spoke with a smile
"Goodbye sir." With that No.8's figure exploded into a whirlwind of sparks, the holographic call had ended and Stewart sat staring at where No.8 was standing
"Goodbye." After saying that he picked up a transmission device and spoke into it "Aurelia, please return to my office I have some very interesting news I wish to share."