Peace, that was all that he desired. Peace, a peace upon his kingdom, his land and his people, a peace where no mother may mourn her son or wife her spouse. A period where, in peace, comrades who yearned each other's company never needed to yearn for it after death, where one can enjoy the company and the warmth of others, without being crouched over the cold grave of his comrades.
He desired order. He desired peace. That was all that he desired.
His maroon eyes pleaded to the Ignian before him, pushing forth his hand as he watched the Ignians face contort in contemplation. "Give me your saber." A simple command, a simple gesture, a simple means for the Ignian to relinquish their honour for the sake of their
life, he thought. For the sake of peace. He watched his eyes, the hesitation and the contemplation to his command. Cold condensation escaped his nose, puffs of white flowing upwards as he smiled, waiting for the fire within the man in front of him to be stifled and smothered slowly by the promise of peace. Why did the Ignians not desire peace?
Only the Earth knew why. Yet it remained silent.
Soon enough he was given the light saber, with Alexi's heart becoming easy knowing that no rash actions were to be made. He inspected the rather ornate saber, its detail and craftsmanship, its tedious creation wherein runes were inscribed in a word that was only familiar with those who knew Ignian. The blacksmith who made it was proud, the Ignian who wielded it…- how did an Ignian mage get access to such a tool?
Hesitantly, he passed it onto Private Petrikov that was behind him. A small and rather meak fellow, with large orange eyes and dirty brown hair, who then retreated in earnestness unsure of the Mage that was in front of them. The Ignian Mage's fear was their fear, his restlessness was his men's restlessness. Alexi could not let that come to pass, so he showed no fear, trying to ease the nerves of his men and the Mage who tried to make a frantic dash into probable oblivion. He couldn't tell, within those Crimson eyes, why the Ignian ran. Pain and death was not the reason, those eyes said much. The earth called to him, yet he ignored it.
"Alright then, you may stand." With his tongue changing back into what he was familiar with, the familiarity and coolness that was the Zemlyian tongue, compared to the rough and imperial nonsense of what the Ignians spoke as his gaze went to the men of Grey dress that blocked the Ignian's escape.
"Nichavo, Halenkov, get the restraints for our guest and bring him to Major Borno…- " As he beckoned at the two that were named. Before a sense of relief that resided within him was sullied with fear, the emerald iris' cracking as he felt the earth beneath him fracturing, pleading him to get to safety. The earth pleaded and begged for Alexi to get to safety, why did he not listen?
"EVERYBODY, RETREAT!" Was what he would have wanted to have shouted as he pulled on the Ignian's arm, but his plea was cut out as a riveting earthquake shook the mountain, so much so that all he saw was steam, rock, smoke and blood as his eyes auspices registered. Such an explosion reminded him of the fury that a siege mortar let off when fired during training within the distance of the Zevelenko Officer College, but he never imagined being in the receiving end of such fury, his cape being ripped off of him, powerlessness engulfing him as the sky welcomed and the earth scowled at his departure. The Earth loved him.
The air got thinner, the ground beneath him became distant, the pain within him burning. Feeling the mana within him escaping as his domain was out of his reach. The love for the earth was far away.
"Why…?" Was what he whispered. His eyes trembled as the surrounding sky slowly faded to black. Alexi Dimitrokovich was soon to embrace the earth that he had departed.
Yet a riveting pain coursed within him.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major Borno was roused by an explosion which had taken place, from where he was escorted by a detail of Grenadiers who marched along side him. Walking steadily to the two trusted officers that ought to have cleaned up the path, before seeing in front of him a rather frightened Private Petrikov who ran towards the group, his face perplexed and twisted with fear as the Major pushed pass the rather confused guardsman who lead in front, grabbing ahold of the frightened Private from the sides of his trenchcoat, preventing him from running.
It could have been mistaken for cowardice, but within the boy in front of him was utter fear.
Upon closer inspection, the private had blemishes and bruises across his skin, the grey uniform in tatters as his small, disturbed face bore a gash that graze from his chin to his right cheek.
The tensed orange eyes let out a plea of despair, with the Majors brown eyes narrowing, before nodding his head up and down slowly. The private understood, taking a deep breath as he did in sync to the nodding of the head, as the major let go, moving his hands in a rather particular motion.
The country had failed the vulnerable Petrikov, he was never meant to be on the front lines. Major Borno was aware.
The Major: 'What happened?'
The Private signed back in a rather rushed motion, his hands were blistered, sore and shaking, in the way that he tried to sign it was painful but he fulfilled the duty nonetheless: 'Lieutenant Dimitrokov, fallen, there.'
With the private pointing his hand down the valley, with the majors eyes averting in surprise as he cocked his nestled head as a brisk breeze caressed his nape, a hand moving towards his face as he stroked the black bristles that were on his chin.
The valley… the far distant valley that laid below was asunder before his eyes. The Earth was furious.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A warmth surged within, a strange earthly warmth that cradled their soul, slowly swaying. It called for them, it encouraged them, it swore to them intermittently, it promised their safety, it promised to protect them.
They were confused, disheartened. They did not want to wake up. The soul was content on death, it yearned for death, the flame of life was to peeter out. It had already become familiar with death. The soul was embraced in the arms of death itself. Yet the voice refused to understand those desires, it persisted, it called and cried and wailed, it wanted to be heard. It blew at the embers of the fleeting soul. The soul wished to remain alone, its embers slowly fading. Yet a voice continued to call out, with the embers thence glowing. The soul, in wanting to be left alone, listened. If listening granted it peace, then so be it, letting the embers die out was what it desired.
"Child of flame." The voice said.
"Daughter of fire." It called.
"Priestess." It spurred.
"Sister." It whispered.
"..." The soul was vaguely familiar with that word.
"Death does not desire you." The voice heartedly declared.
"I do not want to hear you." The soul responded.
"But yet you hear me."
". . ."
"Did you forget about our promise?" The familiar voice called out once more. "Will you die without fulfilling our promise…?" It sounded betrayed.
"Our promise…" The vague emotion from remembering that promise kindled her spirit.
"So you do remember." He smiled. "I'll be waiting."
"..."
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
His heart thumped and rumbled like a beating drum used in the forced marches. His lungs inhaling deep breaths as his emerald eyes readjusted, his body positioned crab like as he had taken deep breaths. The earth had embraced him once more, more earnestly and selfishly as he moistened his lips, before an unending urge uprooted his body as he collapsed onto the floor, spewing out the contents of this mornings breakfast as the mana within him surged and dissipated like a wave under clear moonlight. The sheer amount of mana encompassing him was suffocating, it strangled and sickened him. It tore within his gut and burdened the faculties of his brain as all he could sense was pure, concentrated mana that wished to suffocate him. After the contents of his stomach emptied, his eyes widened in pain.
The earth below him was chewed up and soft, sinking slightly in the soil as he moved his head around in disbelief, slowly standing up, his legs shivering in fear and trepidation he mouthed in sheer shock, his boots slowly sinking into the soil as he pushed against the earthly mess that tried to swallow him.
Before him, the earth's crust was shattered, with the typography of the terrain being unrecognisable as brown and black dirt was churned from their deep settlements, with cuts and blemishes disfiguring the grey valley. It spanned several hundred meters with Alexi as its epicenter. He would then slowly look down towards his hands, which were shaking as his confused breaths let out a mutter of confusion as a gentle green emission slowly flowed throughout his body, before dissipating into the air. Had he split the earth?
That mana within him was draining, alluring and powerful. The mana within him was so dense and sickening… it was so immense, powerful, imminent, omnipotent and seething, that not even the likes of the World Destroyer, one of the mysterious Great Zemliyan Mages, would have ever been capable in mustering in a hundred painstaking lifetimes. His heart trembled as his moist stricken eyes surveyed the landscape before him. He saw a wall of stone not far in front of him, he started approaching.
Alexi Dimitrikovich was an unremarkable Mage only known for his intellect. He was a son of a cobbler. He had barely made it out with passing grades within the Mage academy. He couldn't even break the earth even if he tried. But yet he did.
Sullenly, he moved from the crater in which he had created, his eyes defeated as the cogs within his brain refused to turn. Why did it happen? Why did it happen? Why has this happened? Was all that he asked himself.
But the answer to his question was apparent. He feared answering that question, so he suppressed it. Such an answer was further suppressed by a being in front of him.
A wall of stone, twice his height, sat crosslegged on the floor with seven glowing eyes on its weirdly shaped head. It cradled something within its arms.
It was featureless. It had no face, save the eyes on its head. Its head stuck out from its chest, with green growths incorporated within its body, like vines, visible on the outermost layer, glowing and dimming, in a rhythm akin to that of a heart. Its arms were long and its legs were slightly stubby. It was imperfect and incomplete, as if it was abandoned by its creator as there were cracks within the living stone, forced into a deep slumber. But now it was awake.
Alexi Dimitrikov, by no will of his own, was compelled to get closer and closer towards the giant golem. His instincts screamed fear yet his heart remained steadfast. His mouth was slightly agape, beholding a creation he was unfamiliar with. In fact, what was this earthly monster? Had it enticed his body in approaching it? What was within its arms?
The earthly creature, as if reading his mind like an open book, slowly revealed what was within its arms, gently and caringly revealing that which was hidden.
A sapphire. A mage in which that betrayed his trust, a person in which he vilified with every fiber of his being. They had brought harm when he had promised peace. Alexi slowly raised his hand as a mountain of earth was slowly beginning to rise into the sky, shaking the earth. It was displeased. The Golem did not stir, nor did its 7 glowing eyes flicker in response.
'That is enough' A voice called out from behind, with Alexis' eyes beginning to narrow in confusion as he felt his body beginning to seize to a stop.
'Sleep' It said, so thus, he slept.