Brother Valerius smiled, and Elias remembered the fleeting moment in the past when he once believed that this man might secretly be his father due to his red hair and one green eye.
"Remember these words, and they will aid you in what is to come. We serve a purpose bigger than any of us. Now, set your mind in order and listen to the Commander; she does not suffer fools or cowards, and we did not raise you to be either of those things."
'No, you did not,' Elias thought as he nodded sagely and turned around, trying not to peer at the floating ball of darkness that his mind had informed him had just shrunk a few inches in the last few minutes.
The Commander's tread on the metallic floor echoed through the space, and Elias felt a growing sense of anticipation. After so long, he would see the famous Commander whose mystique exceeded anyone that he knew of. Only seeing her from a distance for the majority of his life had given him a desire to know more about this mysterious figure.
Then he saw the Commander, and Elias went speechless as she walked out of the shadows to stand in front of him. Even before his ascension, she had been covered in shadows, but only her voice, which carried an incredible presence, had been his guideline to who he thought she might be.
He had so many expectations of what she might look like, and all of them had been wrong.
Like a proper researcher, Elias had done his best to understand the Stoneward Asylum and the Order that made this place their home. Although he could not find out everything, he knew that the Commander had led the Order for seven centuries. Seven hundred freaking years!
Powerful Siphons could live for a long time, but they still aged, and so Elias had expected that Commander Yseult would appear to be like a mortal in their fifties or early sixties; her powerful voice suggested as much, and she had lived for a long time.
He had not expected to find Commander Yseult to appear to be so young and jaw-droppingly beautiful.
'So, this is the reason why men write songs and conquer realms. Beauty like this can drive a man to madness. A man can move the world for this woman.'
Tall, lithe, and athletic, Elias thought that she walked like a cat. The Commander had short white hair that ended just above her shoulders, was wearing a heavy black jacket that stopped at her knees, a black skirt that also stopped at her knees, and long black socks.
All of this black ensemble was covered in glyphs that pulsed with a faint whiteness, and Elias realized he was seeing Lumina that were so concentrated that they were oozing from her clothing.
He knew enough about glyphs that he realized that although the commander seemed to be wearing a casual outfit, everything she wore was probably more expensive than the entire Asylum, and could protect her if she decided to maybe swim inside a damned volcano.
As a mortal, he could not see these glyphs before, but he knew one truth about the commander from looking at her clothes... he knew that in darkness, she would shine like the sun.
However, the thing that truly drew Elias's attention, more than her beauty or her clothing, was her eyes.
Like liquid pools of silver, her iris gleamed like metal, and he would swear that it was rotating as she inspected him, and he felt naked under her gaze.
Any thought about her beauty was gone when he was reminded that the person in front of him could as well be a force of nature and not a woman, and she was probably old enough that everyone around her was simply a child.
But despite all of this, why did his heart skip a beat upon seeing the curves of her face, or her upturned nose... the swell on her chest, would it be soft if he pressed his face against them? I can stand in front of you, my lady... My body may be weak and may be crushed to dust, but over my dead body would anyone get to you!
A soft cough from Brother Valerius reminded him of his manners, and Elias's face went ashen as he bowed. For a moment, he thought he had spoken out loud his thoughts. What was wrong with him?
"Commander, I did not fail your expectations. I... think I have succeeded, but I have not yet summoned my Status to confirm my Ascension." Elias was thankful that his words were clear.
She smiled, and Elias felt his heart squeeze in his chest, 'Oh, so this is what it feels like for a man to fall for the beauty of a woman. I do have desires that go beyond survival, but hugging a lightning bolt should be a safer choice than thinking of her.'
"I would advise you not to check your Status first, at least, not until you make a choice that would seperate you from nearly everyone in this world, and you do not have much time to make that decision," she gestured towards the floating orb of darkness, "that path would not remain for long, and so you have to choose now."
Elias heard the footsteps of Brother Valerius receding, and he was now left alone with the Commander. He felt distracting thoughts threatening to rise from his heart, but he suppressed them.
'As long as I get to be a Siphon and gain control over my destiny, I am willing to embark on any path, whether it be through Hell or Heaven.' that was what Elias wanted to say, instead he took the cue from the words of Brother Valerius and bowed towards the Commander, knowing that this was what she wanted to hear,
"I strive for a cause that is greater than me, Commander. This is all I want. Show me the path forward."
She paused and regarded him for a moment, and Elias wondered if she believed him; probably not, he was not wearing his best game face.
There were elements of truth in what he had said, and he truly wanted to pursue greatness, but he did not believe that any cause could be greater than his self-interest.
Finally, she spoke, slowly, " Tell me, Elias, do you wish to be an Angel?