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Shepherds Game

Prologue:

Beginning of a Shepherd

High in the mountains there was a village dedicated to the worship of Maotelus an empyrean that gave a blessing allowing the purifying of hellions, beings corrupted by malevolence. The town was burning, smoke trailed up into the sky, malevolence lingered on each corpse as men in blue and white uniforms raided the town. Screams echoed throughout the valleys as people died or died protecting others.

A man with brown hair, brown eyes with a pale face clad in a blue shirt and tan pants sprinted through the village. He was searching for someone anyone wondering where the one supposed to be protecting them had gone with his soldiers. He saw people being killed left and right calling his title. He had barely made it to shrine of Maotelus. A little while later a burst of malevolence came out of the shrine heading to the far horizon.

Amber eyes stared out at the scene watching what little remain of the town black hair drifting into her vision as she watched the seraphim make their way down the mountain. They were probably there to find out what happened. She saw a woman's corpse by the town entrance seeing her chance she moved with speed that belied her appearance nestling her child near the corpse easily visible for one to find. The seraphs had just arrived at the town as she hid in the woods by the town to observe

She watched with bated breath as the small old seraph raised her child in a telekinetic grip. She watched as another woman approached with a similar bundle. There was some talk and the other child was taken in a similar grip as the seraphim traversed back up the mountain. The woman at the entrance went back into the town. She left as she saw the seraphs leave.

The children slept peacefully as their new guardians carried them up the mountain to live their new lives. She briefly wondered if her child will be safe, but she was sure they would take care of both children like they were their own. After all the seraphim were supposed to be the protectors of man.

The child with a little necklace shaped to look like a crow with his name carved in it was carried into the night by invisible hands towards the top of the mountain to Elysium. His name was Sorey no last name to be known. He will spend years of his life up there. Wondering about the world below.

It has been a year since the destruction of the town. The children had been adopted into Elysium a town of only seraphim The seraph that had found him a very old looking man with gray hair, thick eyebrows that covered his eyes, a long thick goatee, wrinkles that completely covered his face and a stern aura that seem to emanate from him. He wore an exquisite blue shirt with gold highlights, along with a white undershirt and pants. He is extremely short even despite him wearing height boosting geta sandals. His name was Zenrus and he was the leader of this town.

He had adopted both children into his home. The child they had found now known as Sorey, was a very happy and curious child always getting into trouble exploring. He had a tuft of brown hair, with green eyes and a very fair complexion dressed in a blue baby suit made out of cotton. The other child named by his mother as he was handed to the seraphs was named Mikleo and he was a water seraph. He had cyan-white hair with expressive violet eyes, he seem to share Sorey's enthusiasm to explore if a bit more cautiously.

Zenrus was always kind and patient with them if stern about his rules which they always managed to get away with breaking them. Sure when he caught them he punished them with things like manual labor for what they did how much depending on how severe it was. They were always laughing though as close as brothers always standing up for one another, always fighting with each other and there when needed.

The years were passed learning how to read, write, do math, history, language they learned all from Zenrus or Gramps as they affectionately called him. They learned how to cook, hunt, fight and strategize from Gramps and some of the other Seraphim. They learned about ruins and humans from their books about, malevolence and hellions.

Zenrus taught them the alphabet as they were four despite how much they complained about how boring it was. He then taught them how to read and write as they were five and six showing them interesting books and stories knowing how difficult it could be to keep children's attention what really took their interest was the Celestial Record tales and legends about shepherds, lords of calamity and dragons all it took.

Sorey and Mikleo lived a peaceful life riddled with curiosity and wonder protected by Zenrus' domain an ability seraphim and hellions have that bless and/or curse the land and anything living there. They lived like this for a time exploring, learning under the watchful eyes of the seraphs that lived in Elysium.

11 years later, Elysium

Mikleo was just beginning to hone his seraphic artes he had used them before in small amounts that always left him exhausted. Now though, he was learning how to properly use them from Zenrus and the other seraphim. This was quite surprising for Sorey this was the first time Mikleo and him haven't been able to learn or do something together. Sorey was happy for his brother but he was just a bit envious of Mikleo he himself was unable to use seraphic artes.

Sorey and Mikleo started to spend less and less time together as Mikleo went deeper and deeper into something Sorey could not. He was actually starting to become quite lonely despite the other seraphim trying to cheer him up which he was quite grateful for but it just wasn't the same.

(Change in POV: Sorey)

He just wanted to be with his friend and brother to learn with him and be merry. Unfortunately he wasn't a seraph which means he could not learn seraphic artes, but he could learn martial and hidden artes. A thought struck him.

"If I can't learn seraphic artes then I'll learn every other arte to near perfection and surprise them all," He thought, "That'll certainly catch Gramps' attention, but first I'll need a good night's sleep"

Unknowing of what he'd gain tomorrow he went to sleep dreaming of surprising everyone with his skill. Not knowing that he'd gain something that let average people climb from below earth to far above the heavens. Not knowing how his twelve year old life would change.