Okay. So. Whoops. I know I said a Kuroka story was next, but it's kinda stuck in development hell at the moment. Oh well. Next is a chapter of Valkyrie, and then something else, idk what. Stay tuned. I'll have more to say at the bottom.
Also, as usual, I didn't have a beta, so there's probably errors galore. Try to ignore them, or just shoot me a PM and I'll fix em. Ez Pz.
(One tiny thing. You may notice some glaring similarities between this story and LordxSesshomaru's story, Issei Hyoudou: The Scorpion. Long story short, it inspired me to write this one and I got his permission before doing so. That's about all I have to say about that.)
Read and Review!
"Idaios. You...have made me proud." So spoke the King, Leonidas.
Two warriors stood at the center of a courtyard, surrounded by hundreds of men and women from all over the country.
One of the warriors had short brown hair, close cut and badly kempt. His hair was complemented by a short beard of the same shade. This was the older man, Leonidas. He stood at six feet four inches tall, and was covered in rippling muscle, earned from years of hard training and many more years of harder battles. He had several scars along his body, but one in particular, a long, vertical cut from a shortsword, stood out on his face. The grizzled warrior had on several pieces of custom made armor, with a brightly shining bronze breastplate and bracers, and held in his arm a similarly bright bronze helmet, with a vertical cut-out for the face and eyes. At his hip was a shortsword, and on his back was a spear. He stood facing the other warrior.
The other man, slightly shorter than Leonidas but no less muscular, had longer but still-short hair, the same color but a lighter shade. He, too, was covered in armor, though it was vastly different from the Leonidas'. Whereas Leonidas had only a bronze breastplate, helmet, braces, and armored sandals, Idaios was clad in red armor adorned with shining emeralds, and bore no helmet. The armor shown with an otherworldly glow, and greatly resembled Leonidas' in shape. On his hip was a painted-red sword, as well as a black dagger. He carried no spear.
"Thank you, King." Idaios said, nodding deeply.
Leonidas nodded back, and turned to address the crowd. He spoke loud and clearly, in a voice befitting a king.
"For seventeen years you have you watched alongside me as this young man grows into the pinnacle of what we should be! He has shown admirability in both battle and strategy, as well as distinguished himself as a remarkable leader! I could not be more proud to stand among him as a Spartan!" Leonidas yelled, and the crowd answered back in deep, guttural shouts.
"I have no greater honor, than to name him successor to my throne!" Once again, a rouse of yells. Idaios wore an expression of utmost pride. He'd worked hard for this day.
"What's more, I am not the only one to have chosen him! So too, has Ares!" At this, Leonidas threw his arms up and shouted the name of the God of War, and the entire crowd knelt. Leonidas and Idaios were the only ones left standing, and even the King bowed his head a little.
Idaios stretched his arms out to the sides, palms open. As he did, the sword and dagger at his hip flew into his outstretched hands. He pointed them both towards the sky, and suddenly a helmet in the same style of his armor appeared around his head. It, too, was the same shining red as the rest of his equipment, save for two emerald eyes. His helmet had no cutout, unlike Leonidas'. Thin flames covered his breastplate, licking upward as if they wanted to flee. The crowd looked up at him from their places on the ground in reverence. This was the chosen of their gods.
This was the heir to the throne of Sparta.
Idaios sheathed his sword and dagger, and his helmet disappeared. The crowd ceased kneeling, and Leonidas resumed his speech.
"I hope that all of you will join us tonight, as we feast in honor of this warriors' coronation! Bear that in mind, and go with the Gods!" Leonidas yelled, and the crowd roared. With that, they all began to disperse, with the vast majority being gone in several minutes. A few people still lingered around the courtyard, but no one of importance, save for Leonidas and Idaios themselves.
"A rousing speech." Idaios said. He and Leonidas began walking, away from the courtyard.
"I spoke the truth." Leonidas responded.
"Of course." The two of them said nothing more for several minutes, walking in silence. When they reached their destination, a large stone building used for military meetings, Leonidas stopped and turned to Idaios.
"Idaios." Leonidas said. Idaios looked him in the eyes.
"Yes, King?"
"...I'm proud of you, son." Leonidas said, and clasped the younger man on the shoulder before heading inside.
Idaios, now alone, turned away from the building, and walked away. He had nothing to do for the rest of the day, save prepare for his feast. With that in mind, he decided to visit a friend.
Idaios walked along the streets of Sparta. He didn't remove his armor, though a red cape had formed out of seemingly nothing on his back. Citizens, men and women alike, would wave or greet him as he passed, and he would return their gestures. While he was a warrior, he was kind. Even helots would nod to him as he passed, something not many could claim.
Idaios walked for several minutes before coming up on a ramshackle cottage near the edge of the city. He approached the wooden door, and knocked respectfully before entering.
Inside the cottage was an old man, engrossed in writing something in a scroll at a table that took up most of the one-room space.
"Cleonicus." Idaios spoke. The old man didn't respond. Idaios sighed, and approached him from behind. His hand was but a few inches from the elder's back when Cleonicus suddenly snapped around, grabbing Idaios' wrist and flinging the much bigger man into a wall, shaking the whole cottage.
Idaios groaned, picking himself up off the ground. He hadn't been hurt, thanks to his armor, but it was annoying.
"You startled me." The man said in a voice filled with humor. Cleonicus smiled, revealing his mouth with only a few teeth in it.
"It would seem so." Idaios said, shaking himself off.
Cleonicus was a short man, and very old. He had gray hair down to his shoulders, and one of his eyes saw nothing. He was hard at hearing, and he could barely walk. That being said, he was also one of the strongest men the world had ever seen. He'd taught Idaios how to fight with nothing but his hands, and Idaios couldn't be more grateful for it. But, he could never properly express his gratitude for one reason and one reason only;
Cleonicus was a slave.
Helots, they were called. The subjugated working class of Sparta. They did everything a respectful Spartan would not; build, farm, educate. While there were more of them than there were of any other social class by a great amount, the Spartans kept them in line with savage beatings and random killings, so they could not rebel. Cleonicus, however, was an old friend of Leonidas, and helped train and raise both him and his son, so he was safe from the murder and violence. Even then, however, he was still treated like garbage by the rest of the population, and could not be spoken to respectfully in public.
"You need to work on your form. If I wanted it, you'd be dead." Cleonicus said with a chuckle.
"I doubt it. I won't die till Lord Ares deems it fit." Idaios responded. His faith in the War God was unbreakable, ever since he'd been blessed with the armor of the Dragon.
"Bah. I can't believe you're still on that. It isn't your hokey war God that gave you that armor, my boy." Cleonicus said, sitting back down at his table. Idaios took a seat across from him.
"That is what you believe. I choose to believe that Lord Ares willed this."
"And what does the Dragon say?"
"He says little. His memory is gone, and what he does offer means nothing."
"Of course. Ah well, not like it makes any difference. What did you come here for, Idaios?" Cleonicus, as crotchety as he was, was a man of action. He didn't enjoy idle conversation. He'd much rather be scribing something, or off collecting ingredients for a wild concoction than sitting and chatting.
"I want you to be there tonight." Idaios said, skipping straight to the point. As a Spartan, he too had little love for prolonged conversation.
"...You know I can't."
"...Even so."
"You'd see me flogged?"
"..."
"Bah, I understand. I'll...I'll try to make it, I suppose." Cleonicus said.
"I'm glad." Idaios said, allowing a rare smile onto his face.
"Pah! Well, if that's all, off with you! I'm just about done with this scroll!" Cleonicus said, waving his soon-to-be King out the door. Idaios rose from the table, and left without another word.
Still bored, Idaios decided to use the perks of his gift from Ares. He looked up to the sky, and two draconian wings unfurled from his back. With a beat of his mighty appendages, he was airborne.
Idaios loved to fly. Ever since he'd gained the ability to use his wings, he'd relished every chance he had to use them. Whether it was in battle, scouting, or just flying around, he couldn't get enough of being in the air. Not only that, but he'd never met another who could take to the sky as he could. He enjoyed the solitude.
All of a sudden, during his flight, Idaios felt a sensation unlike anything he'd felt before. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight, and gave him quite the unpleasant feeling in his stomach.
[Idaios.]
"Dragon? What was that?" Idaios asked, pausing in the air. The dragon in his armor rarely spoke, but when it did, it was important.
[I know not; my memory fails me. All I know, is that you should be careful.]
"A threat?"
[It's very possible.]
"Then I must ensure it does not reach Sparta." Idaios said, rushing towards the source of the disturbance.
Idaios, as smart and powerful as he was, was only seventeen. So, he was still brash and uncautious. He took off towards the perceived threat without a second thought. He felt secure in the notion that he was the only mortal who could fly, and as such, he was safe.
If he would've stopped to reconsider, his life might have unfolded very differently.
Idaios rushed towards the source of the strange feeling, flying over miles and miles of land. He passed forests and farmland, rivers and streams, flying straight north without stopping. As he came over the Arcadian mountains, far to the north or Sparta, he felt the sensation again, only much stronger. He looked down upon the mountains, and saw a collection of tents and equipment.
An army had taken root in the mountains. Thousands of men moved through the mountain camp, far below Idaios. The warrior looked down with a snarl. They dare to move troops this close to Sparta? They'd pay.
Idaios drew his wings close to his body, and began to free-fall towards the mountain camp. Soldiers looked up to see a red-clad figure hurtling at them like a meteor, and many scrambled for weapons. Just before he slammed into the ground, Idaios threw open his wings and come to a complete stop, hovering several feet off the ground. The men of the camp looked at him in awe and terror.
"What business has an army in these lands?" Idaios shouted. He looked around, anticipating an answer. None spoke. "Answer me!"
"Calm yourself, scion of Sparta. They do not understand." A strange man exited the most ornate tent, drawing Idaios' attention. He was apparently the only one there who spoke Greek, but even he spoke it with a heavily foreign accent.
The odd man was wearing a white robe with red accents, and had upon his head a jeweled crown. He carried in his left hand a staff with an orb upon it, had a mischievous look in his bright blue eyes.
"Why are you here?" Idaios shouted.
"Why am I here, personally? Or, why is my army here? Or, perhaps you mean why are any of us here? Your people's Laconic phrase leaves much to be desired, Spartan. I'll ask you to elaborate on what you say." The robed man said, without a hint of fear or terror, unlike his soldiers. If anything, he sounded condescending.
"Why does your army sneak along a mountain? Who do you seek to conquer?" Idaios said, his patience wearing thin.
"Ah, I see. Well, my army sneaks along this mountain to conquer all of Greece, of course. Starting with Sparta." The man said, a smile on his face.
"You think I'd let you?" Idaios said, ready to wield his famous sword and bloodthirsty dagger at a moment's notice.
"I knew you wouldn't. That's why I brought you here, today." The man said, grinning an evil grin.
"What?" Idaios, now wary, hovered twenty or so feet off the ground. He knew something foul was afoot, but they could not touch him in the air, and no arrow could pierce him.
"You felt my power. It's what drew you to this place. Did you think it was by accident you found my army? I summoned you, Dragon of Ares." The man said, discarding his robe. Under it, he had on several pieces of plate-mail, with chainmail under it. The armor was painted white, and the chainmail blue.
"Why?" Idaios spoke. By now, his intuition was screaming at him to leave. Something was wrong. But, he stayed. The army didn't look that strong, and he was safe in the air.
"To get rid of you, of course. Can't have you stopping my invasion, can I?" The man spoke.
"Who are you to challenge me?" Idaios asked. He readied his wings to flee. There was something extremely off about the aura the man was exuding.
"God-King Xerxes. Ruler of Persia...chosen of the White Dragon."
[Idaios, go!]
Idaios' eyes shot open in realization, and he took to the sky in the blink of an eye. Once he felt secure above the clouds, he stopped.
"What...what was he talking about? There's another Dragon? Speak, worm!"
[I remember now. My eternal rival...sealed away alongside myself. The White Dragon. Albion.]
"You should've stayed in bed, Spartan!" Idaios looked down in time to see a flash of blue, before something smashed into his face with the force of a catapult, sending him reeling through the air.
Idaios steadied himself just in time to be hit again, even harder this time. His breastplate cracked under the blow of the unseen assailant, and he fought for breath.
"This is all the fight the Chosen of the Red has? Pathetic!"
Idaios shouted at the top of his lungs, filled with rage.
[Boost!] His dragon roared alongside him, and their power doubled. Idaios searched the sky, and a blue flash in the distance caught his eye. This time, he was ready, and he saw Xerxes rush for him. He set himself in an airborne stance, ready to counterattack, but he never got the chance. Xerxes stopped, several feet in front of him.
"I see you've unlocked the power of the Dragon as well. Yours would be to double your own power, it would seem. How selfish." Xerxes said, condescending. On his back, attached to his plate, were two bright white wings with blue feathers seemingly made of light.
Idaios said nothing. It wasn't his custom to speak during a fight. He found it...insulting.
"Always the stoic, aren't you? Very well. Since you've neglected to ask, I suppose I'll tell you straight forward. Mine is the power to divide." Xerxes said. Idaios charged at him, but the God-King's wings flared in brightness, and suddenly he felt as if the world had shifted out from underneath him.
[Divide!] "A wonderful feeling, isn't it? I've never personally felt it, but people I use it on seem...reluctant to continue, afterwards.
[Boost! Boost!] "Silence!" Idaios screamed, quadrupling his power and charging again. He drew his sword mid-dash, bringing it down in a relentless arc onto the neck of the invader.
[Half Dimension!] "Trying to kill me with a dagger, are you? How rude!" Xerxes yelled, throwing Idaios away from him with a savage mid-air kick.
Idaios looked down at his sword in confusion. What at one point had been a sword of normal length, had turned into a blade smaller than his usual dagger. Roaring in anger, he threw the blade away, and faced Xerxes with his fists raised.
"Fighting like the heathen, then? Very well. Come on!" Xerxes shouted, and they flew at each other. Idaios, confident in himself being the only one who could fly, never trained in fistfighting in the air. On the ground, he was a force of nature with only his hands, but in the air, he knew next to nothing.
Xerxes, on the other hand, had trained extensively with his wings and aerial combat. He knew that he wasn't the only one with the power to fly, and as such, he must be ready. The knowledge served him well.
Xerxes tossed Idaios around like a ragdoll. A cacophony of Boosts and Divides rang in the air. Every time Idaios would try to raise his power, Xerxes would bring it back to normal and then some.
"Is this your best, Spartan?I expected more from the prince of your country!" Xerxes yelled, throwing Idaios away from him.
"You will be silent!" Idaios roared. He threw yet another punch at the White warrior, only to have it deflected and a kick delivered to his chest.
"Spartan, you're so weak I almost want to tell the men not to do the next phase of my plan." Xerxes said, laughing savagely. As he spoke, Idaios heard a sound like the release of several catapults. "Oh. Guess I'm too late."
"What good will catapults do you here?" Idaios asked. Blood trickled from his mouth, and his breathing was ragged. He'd landed not a single solid hit on Xerxes, and the man had landed what had to be a hundred on him. He wasn't faring well. If he could just get to the ground…
"Oh, I'm so glad you asked." Xerxes said. He let out another laugh, then charged at Idaios. The boy raised his fists in defense, but Xerxes grabbed his wrists and pulled him into a savage upward kick. Disoriented, Idaios could do nothing as Xerxes grabbed him by the throat and launched downward with the boy in tow.
Idaios looked down to see a massive stone crest over the clouds. His eyes widened. Xerxes' men were launching stones straight up? Then…
Idaios was broken out of his thoughts as Xerxes brought him up by the throat, and slammed him into the oncoming rock. The stone shattered from the impact, and Idaios felt his ribs crack. He fell towards the ground, his battered wings doing nothing to slow his descent.
"Is this your best, Spartan?!" Xerxes yelled. He shot downward, and planted his feet in the Spartan's chest, sending him rocketing towards another catapult shot. Idaios smashed into the gigantic stone, even more of his body breaking at the impact. He fell unconscious for second, only to be woken up at the impact of his body on the ground. Idaios groaned. He could feel several broken bones, and his flesh was similar injured.
Idaios tried to get up. He scraped at the ground, trying to pull himself up, trying to get out of the crater he'd made. He couldn't. His limbs failed him. He'd landed in a rocky plain, surrounded by nothing but shrubs and stone. There was no one to help him here.
"Dragon...more…"
[You might not be able to handle it. I don't know the limits of-]
"More!"
[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!] Idaios' power suddenly skyrocketed, going well beyond what it had been at first. Xerxes rushed towards him from above, aiming to repeat the same brutal downward kick that had sent Idaios plummeting in the first place. If it connected, it would kill him.
"Die, Spartan!" Xerxes roared, shooting towards Issei with force of a meteor.
When Xerxes' feet were mere inches from Idaios' chest, the Spartan launched into the air next to his opponent, grabbed his legs, flipped him over and slammed him into the ground head-first. The massive impact of the move cracked the ground under Xerxes, and nearly killed the man. Blood poured from his nose and ears.
"...Interesting. Very interesting. Tell me, Spartan...can you go farther?" Xerxes said, cackling. Idaios threw him away in disdain, sending the bloodied man crashing a few feet from himself. He'd thrown the man away, dismissing him as a threat until he heard mumbling and laughing. Idaios walked over to the man facedown in the dirt, and rolled him over with a foot.
"...and I shall take you to the limits of White Paradise!" Xerxes screamed at Idaios, a wild look in his eyes.
[No!] "What?!" Idaios and his Dragon shouted simultaneously as Xerxes' power increased a hundredfold, blasting away the area around them. Idaios was flung into the air, and he struggled not to be blown away. He frantically flapped his damaged wings, trying to steady himself.
Xerxes, now in a large crater, climbed out. His body was now that of a humanoid dragon covered in armor, and he looked completely monstrous.
"Idaios! Had you laid down and died like a good Spartan, I would've granted you a merciful death! But, since you scar my face, I have no choice but to grant you an eternity of suffering! Now, kneel!" Xerxes shouted, his voice a like screaming inferno.
Xerxes launched himself at Idaios far faster than the eye could keep up. His massive clawed hand grabbed the boy's head and drug him along the rocky ground, making the Spartan grit his teeth in pain. He raised his arm and threw Idaios into a mountain in the distance, shaking the whole thing and nearly collapsing it. Idaios' bones all but shattered, leaving him an unmoving mess, embedded in the side of the mountain. His armor completely broke, dispersing into motes of red light and leaving him nearly naked, save for a loincloth and black skirt. Xerxes shot over to him, and inspected the still Spartan.
"Hm. Fitting, I suppose." Mid-sentence, Xerxes' transformation regressed, and he went back into his human form. He placed his hand on Idaios' now-bare chest, and divided his almost non-existent power several times. At this point, Idaios was long unconscious
"I think...in honor of our battle here, I'll leave you as a tribute to your Gods. An eternal sacrifice, before I pillage their lands and destroy their believers. That alright with you?" Xerxes said, laughing. He began casting some form of Persian sorcery, the light around him becoming tainted with a perverse green and black color. Chains formed around Idaios, pulling him further into the rock.
"You'll never grow old. You'll never hurt. Your body will never wither. You'll never hunger or thirst. But, your mind...that will be untouched. Enjoy your own personal Tartarus, Idaios." Xerxes said. He raised his hand, and fired off a simple fireball at the stone over Idaios' prison, collapsing a ton of rock over the hole in the mountain. He spat on Idaios' living grave, and walked away.
"Lord Ajuka...I think we found it." A devil researcher said, talking to someone over a cell phone.
"I'll be there in a moment with Sirzechs. Don't touch anything." Ajuka Beelzebub replied.
"Yes, sir." The researcher said, hanging up. No sooner than he put the phone back in his pocket, large green magic circle formed on the ground, revealing two men. They were both tall, but one had long crimson hair while the other had short green hair. The researcher bowed to both of them, before standing up and addressing the situation.
"We found him right where you'd predicted, Lord Ajuka. Although, it wasn't a tomb like you said it'd be."
"No? What was it, then?" The green haired man, Ajuka Beelzebub, asked his subordinate.
"He's just...chained up, in there. There's no burial chamber, coffin, or anything. It's like someone tried to bury him alive."
"Hmmm...let's open it up and see for ourselves, shall we?" Ajuka said. He walked towards the mountainside excavation, the researcher and red-haired man in tow behind him.
Deep inside a tunnel made for the excavation, was an area blocked off by 'caution' tape. Ajuka waved his hand, and the tape itself made way for them as they passed. Behind the tape, and in front of the three men, was an outcropping in the rock. The faintest outline of a chain-shape could be seen in the rock, and the whole thing had a vaguely humanoid shape.
"Would you mind, Sirzechs?" Ajuka asked the red haired man, Sirzechs Lucifer.
"Not at all. Please stand back." Sirzechs said. Ajuka and the researcher compiled, standing several steps away from the rock. Sirzechs' red eyes flared with power, and the rock itself started to disintegrate.
"...please...help…" The three of them heard a faint whisper. Without a word, Sirzechs began to destroy the rock at a much faster pace. Behind it, they could see a well-developed and muscular teen wreathed in chains, struggling against them. As the rock crumbled, he fell out of it ungracefully, lying on the ground wrapped in the constraints. His breathing was erratic, and he seemed to be in great relief. Sirzechs flicked his finger, and the chains binding the boy were sliced to ribbons.
The boy raised his hands, flexing his fingers and his arms as if he didn't believe it was real. "...Who are you?" He asked Sirzechs, warily.
"My name is Sirzechs Lucifer. This is Ajuka Beelzebub and Percival Mathers." Sirzechs said, referencing the people behind him. "Who...are you?" He asked, curious.
"I am... Idaios. Who do you serve?" Idaios asked. These people wore strange garb. He didn't trust them.
"I am the King of Devils, Sirzech Lucifer. These two serve me, technically speaking." Sirzechs said. In reality, Ajuka was basically his right hand man and the researcher had nothing to do with him, but for simplicity's sake, this was easiest.
"Where is Devils? Are you an ally of Sparta?" Idaios asked. He wasn't sure if these people were his enemies.
"Sparta...? Ah...so that's how it is…" Ajuka said, mumbling to himself. "If I may-"
"I'm conversing with your master, helot. Hold your tongue." Idaios said sharply.
"...Maybe you'd better elaborate, Sirzechs…" Ajuka whispered to Sirzechs, sensing that Idaios didn't really understand the dynamic.
"Allow me to clarify. These two people are in no way...helots, as you called them. Ajuka is my equal, and Percival is employed by us. Do not speak down to them." Sirzechs said.
"...My mistake." Idaios said. This was the closest thing to an apology they'd get from a Spartan.
"If you'll allow me to finish, I believe I understand what's happened. Though...maybe you'd like to go somewhere else? I'm sure you've seen enough of this cave." Ajuka said.
"I cannot. I need to get back home. My father will need my help to stop Xerxes. I thank you for the rescue, but I must leave." Idaios said, standing up. Once he was at full height, he was taller than all of the men there by several inches.
Sirzechs and Ajuka looked at each other in worry. "Idaios, I think you should wait a minute…" Ajuka started to say, before Idaios walked past them all and out of the mouth of the cave. He stepped out onto the mountainside, the three devils right behind him.
"What...is this…?" Idaios said, unbelieving. When he'd been put in the cave, there was nothing but rocky plains and fertile forests for miles and miles in all directions, but when he left…
...he overlooked a large modern city off in the distance.
"What sorcery is this? I do not...I do not understand…" Idaios fell to his knees. The lush and beautiful greece he once knew...was gone. Replaced by something foreign, unfamiliar. Idaios felt he'd never left the cave, he was just having another nightmare.
"Idaios...I don't know what happened to you, but I want to help. Please come with us." Sirzechs said, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder.
Idaios said nothing. Without a word, his wings unfurled from his back, and he shot towards the city in the distance at an unimaginable speed. Sirzechs and Ajuka followed after him, wide eyed. Percival stayed behind.
"What is this? What is this God-forsaken smell in the air? What are these...things? I don't understand!"
[Idaios, you must calm yourself. I believe those man can help you.]
"Dragon, what is happening?! What is this place?" Idaios yelled, frantic.
[...I don't know.]
"Then...I am lost…" Idaios said bitterly. He reached the city, and dropped down onto the street, furling his wings. Several people stopping what they were doing and looked at him, only to turn back around and mind their own business.
All around him, hundreds of people were doing a hundred different things. He understood nothing. There were strange constructs of iron and stone, but he was familiar with none of them. One of the people passing by was eating what appeared to be an intestine on bread, but even that he could not claim to understand.
Idaios felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, ready to fight, but it was just Sirzechs.
"Sirzechs of Lucifer...I will go with you. I know not where I am. Please...let us leave this place." Idaios said. He had the look of both a defeated man and a scared child. Sirzechs felt horrible for him. Ajuka had filled him in on what he believed had happened, and then left to prepare the underworld.
Ajuka was almost positive that this was the lost son of Leonidas, sealed away by Xerxes 1 before the fall of Sparta. Everything lined up. Now all Sirzechs had to do was get a conversation out of him.
"It would be my pleasure. Please, come with me." Sirzechs said. He led Idaios behind one of the buildings, and teleported them both someplace else.
"What did you just do? Where are we?" Idaios asked, nearly falling to his feet. He picked himself up, and looked around. He and Sirzechs were now in a strange room, filled with high quality wood and luxurious furniture. "Ah! This must be the home of a nobleman. No other person could afford such amazing things." Idaios said, thoroughly inspecting the room.
Sirzechs had a tentative smile. Idaios was going to be...a handful. "Not quite. Why don't you take a seat, Idaios? Then we can get started." The older man sat down at a loveseat in front of a coffee table, gesturing to a seat on the other side of it.
"As you wish." Idaios replied. He sat across from Sirzechs, on the ornate seat with green lining. While Idaios appeared outwardly relaxed, this couldn't have been further from the truth. In reality, his mind was racing and he was having trouble not panicking. If it wasn't for his intensive mental training, he probably would've lost his cool by now. But, he was a Spartan, and Spartans don't panic, ever. So, he didn't.
"Let's talk about where you're from. What country were you born in?"
"Sparta."
"Where?"
"Sparta. Greece."
"When were you born?"
"Diosthios."
"What?"
"Diosthios. The last lunar cycle? Do your people not know of this?"
"Ah...we call those 'months'. Diosthios would be the last month of the year, then. December."
"You have such strange names."
"To me, Diosthios sounds strange. It doesn't translate well."
"Translate? We're both speaking Greek."
"I'm not, actually. I'm speaking Latin, and to me, so are you."
"That doesn't make sense."
"It's on of the perks of being a Devil. I hear all languages as my native language, and everything I tell people sounds like their native language to them. Thus, I hear Latin and you hear Greek."
"I see. Where in the world is your country, this 'Devils' you mentioned?" Idaios asked. When conversing, it was only polite to keep things about the both of you, and not just one-sided.
"It's not a country, it's a race. We live in the underworld, a place like here but...not. I'm sorry, explaining that would just make things more complicated."
"I understand."
"...Very well then, moving on. Who were your parents?"
"Leonidas and Gorgo. I need to see them again, if you could arrange that."
Sirzechs went quiet. Leonidas. The famed King of Sparta.
How was he supposed to tell this boy his father had died well over two thousand years ago?
"Idaios...I need you to listen carefully, okay? Try to stay calm."
"I'm a Spartan. We're trained to stay calm in any situation."
"...Okay. I don't know the whole story, not yet, but...you were in that cave a lot longer than you think."
Idaios' expression hardered. "...It couldn't have been more than a moon. There's no way."
Sirzechs looked down, in dismay. He did not like breaking bad news, but it was part of his job as king, and he'd gotten used to it. "Idaios...you were in that cave for over two thousand years."
Idaios' eyes widened, and for a fraction of a second, he looked terrified. He swallowed, and his fake calm returned. "Impossible. I'd be dead."
"Normally, yes, but the man who put you in there-"
"Xerxes." Idaios said, and spat on the floor in disdain. Sirzechs tried his hardest not to look disgusted, but he let his expression slip. This should've been Serafall's problem.
"-yes, Xerxes...he put a complicated series of magic chains on you. They kept you young and healthy, and didn't let you escape. You must have gone unconscious to cope with the stress."
Idaios looked down, thinking rapidly. "So...my father. My mother. Cleonicus. All my brothers in arms. All...gone?"
"I'm afraid so. Sparta was conquered and destroyed, like so many other civilizations. I'm sorry. I can't imagine what this feels like."
"I'm...a soldier...I was...the heir to the throne. I can't...feel…" Idaios said. He appeared to be struggling with keeping himself calm.
"Idaios-"
"I'm a soldier with no army. I'm a king with no country. Everyone I know...is dead."
Sirzechs had nothing to say.
Idaios eyes' unfocused. He set his teeth. On his belt, his dagger still lay, untouched by time much like himself. In one swift motion, he unsheathed it, aiming for his throat...but something held his hand back.
"You can't!" Came a feminine voice from behind him. Idaios snapped his head around, and came face-to-face with one of the prettiest girls he'd ever seen. She had bright violet eyes, beautiful raven black hair, and was holding his hand back with her own. That was her single best trait to him. That she'd be able to hold back his massive strength with her own, and not even struggle...Idaios found it very attractive. He dropped the dagger, letting it fall to the floor with a loud clatter.
"Aphrodite?" Idaios asked, truly not believing his eyes. The girl looked at him with worried eyes, before stepping back a bit and looking to Sirzechs with silent questions.
"Not quite, Idaios. This is Akeno, my sister Rias' best friend and queen." The man explained.
"Ah... I see. That's disappointing. I would've very much liked to buy her hand." Idaios said, nodding in approval.
"Not that kind of queen…" Sirzechs said, not sure how to clear up this particular misconception.
"Then she's a maiden?"
"Yes, but...let's talk about that later, shall we?"
"I have so many questions." A little girl with white hair said, entering the room behind Akeno. Alongside the white haired girl, was a blonde boy and red haired girl.
"As do I, child." Idaios replied quietly, noticing all the strangely dressed people come into the room.
"Idaios? Please do refrain from trying to kill yourself." Sirzechs said. His heart was racing, though he didn't show it. He was extremely worried for the boy.
"Being the last one alive in an army is a disgrace. It's so pathetic I can't stand it. Not only did I outlive the army...I outlived the country. This is the greatest shame." Idaios said, eyeing the fallen dagger. The girl who'd stopped his hand noticed his eyes, and swiftly picked it up before he could.
Everyone in the room looked at him in sadness. Ajuka had filled in Rias and her peerage on the situation, in preparation of what was to come.
"Idaios, this might seem sudden, but your life doesn't have to end here. You can still be a soldier, and a King, in time. Sparta might have been destroyed, but as long as you live, the Spartans live with you."
"Elaborate." Idaios said shortly.
"I offer you a place amongst my people. You could become a Devil, immortal and powerful. You'd live amongst the people you see behind you, with Rias, my sister there, as your master. You would start from the lowest class, socially, but as your prove yourself, either academically or militarily, you would rise until you could take my position or higher."
"So...I could continue Sparta? I could rebuild?"
"If that's what you desire, then nothing could stand in your way."
"I…" Idaios looked to have trouble making a decision. This man was offering him so much, and if what he said was really true, then he didn't have much of a choice. "Am I to choose this willingly?" He asked.
"You do have a choice. If you so desire, I can leave you in Greece with a large sum of wealth, to do what you see fit. Personally, I think the life I offer would suit you far better." Sirzechs said, a smile on his face. "Why don't I let you meet these people, and you can decide in a minute? I'll be right outside." With that, Sirzechs stood up and left the room, going out the same way all the other people came in.
"Idaios, is it?" The red haired one said, offering him her hand to shake.
"I carry no weapon. Your queen holds my dagger." Idaios said, ignoring her hand.
"What?" Rias asked, confused.
"Your hand. That gesture is meant to reveal hidden weapons. I would not dishonor myself by carrying such things in your home." Idaios said.
"Ah...in this era, this is just a formal gesture of greeting someone." Rias explained.
Idaios looked at her hand again, considering. With some hesitation, he clasped her hand, clenched it, and let go. Rias found it a bit odd, but didn't critique him on it.
"You would be my...master, then? A woman, master of the King of Sparta. Ha!" Idaios laughed out loud at the notion. Rias, Akeno, and the little girl looked a bit peeved at the comment, but only one of them commented.
"Were women not treated equally in your society, Idaios?" Akeno asked, curious.
"No. Why would they be?" At his question, he received some awkward stares. "Are they here? Or...now, I should say?" Idaios asked.
"Women are equal to men in most places around the world, yes." Rias answered.
"...Oh. My apologies, then. I spoke poorly." Spartans did not like apologizing, no, but they hated not using manners even more. If Idaios had insulted Rias in her own house, he would absolutely apologize to her. To do otherwise would be unbefitting of a Spartan.
"Don't worry about it. If you join us, there'll be a lot of things you'll learn in time, so don't fret about them now." Rias said, waving the comments off.
"You...would teach me the ways of this world?" Idaios asked. That could be very valuable, if he wanted to rebuild Sparta.
Rias looked shocked. "Of course. You'll learn everything we could teach you, if you let us. Now, before we go any further, how about I introduce everyone?"
"That would be ideal, I suppose." Idaios said, nodding.
"This is Akeno Himejima, my queen. My brother mentioned her earlier."
"Hi, Idaios. It's good to meet you." The raven haired girl said, bowing to him.
"The pleasure is mine, but...why do you bow? I was under the impression I would be a slave." Idaios asked, confused.
"Slave is the wrong word for it, but you'll figure that out. As for bowing, it's the custom upon meeting someone in this country." Akeno explained.
"I thought shaking hands was custom?" Idaios said, confused.
Rias and Akeno shared a glance, not sure how to proceed. "That's not wrong, it's just...that's generally done in the west, and not here...bowing is more appropriate." Rias explained, trying not to confuse him.
"I see." Idaios said, taking in the information.
"Anyway...this is Koneko Toujou, my rook." Rias said, pointing at the short white-haired girl. She nodded to Idaios, and that was a custom he understood. He nodded back. This was the Spartan way of greeting. A warrior's nod.
"I know not of what a rook is, but I'm glad to meet you, little warrior." Idaios said.
"And finally, this is my knight, Kiba Yuuto." Rias said, pointing to the blonde boy. He offered a hand for Idaios to shake, and the Spartan looked over the boy carefully.
"This is a boy? How old are you?" Idaios asked, ignoring Kiba's hand.
"Ah...sixteen years." Kiba asked, putting his hand down by his side.
"Sixteen years! Why are you so small, Kiba son of Yuuto?" Idaios asked boisterously, chuckling at the small size of the boy.
"This is normal for today's men. There's no need to have so much muscle." Kiba said. The comment had bruised his pride, just a bit. After all, it was true. Next to Idaios, he looked like a shrimp.
"A sad world that I now live in, it would seem." Idaios said, shaking his head.
"That's not...that's not how names work, Idaios." Rias said, interjecting.
"Hm? What do you mean?" Idaios asked, confused.
"Kiba's name is just 'Kiba Yuuto,' not Kiba son of Yuuto. People don't put their father's name in their own anymore." Rias explained.
"...Oh. There is much I have to learn, it would seem." Idaios said. Once again, he eyed the dagger in Akeno's hand, wondering if he could take it from her.
"Stop it. You can't. I won't let you." Akeno said forcefully. She saw his eyes lock onto the dagger again, and put it behind her back.
"That dagger was given to me by my father. I will have it back." Idaios said, narrowing his eyes.
"You can have it back when you aren't going to kill yourself with it." Akeno said, mirroring his action.
"I must. I...I have lived this nightmare long enough. It's time for me to wake up. My coronation is tonight." Idaios said, his eyes glazing over.
The group of devils suddenly had no idea what to do. That was why he'd been handling this so well; he'd convinced himself it was a nightmare.
"Idaios...I'm so sorry this happened to you, but...it's not a nightmare. This is real." Rias said, speaking softly.
"If that's true, then...I have nothing. No reason for living. You don't understand. None of you understand." Idaios said, putting his head in his hands.
"No one could ever understand, but...if you let me, I can give you a new reason for living. Didn't you say you would rebuild Sparta?" Rias asked. She approached him, and cupped his head in her hands. "Please, Idaios. Live your life by my side."
Idaios looked her square in the eye for what seemed like an eternity.
"...I accept." He said, suddenly.
"Yay!" Akeno said, lightly clapping.
"Glad to have you, Idaios." Kiba said, giving a thumbs up.
Koneko nodded again. "Welcome." She said shortly.
Sirzechs chose then to re-enter the room. "Is everything settled?" He asked.
"Yes, all except one thing." Idaios said, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
"What's that, Idaios?" Rias asked, confused. She'd thought they covered everything.
"My introduction. I listened to all of yours, now it's only fair that I tell you my name."
"Of course. Go ahead." Sirzechs said, nodding.
"I am Idaios, son of Leonidas, and I am the last King of Sparta."
Couple of things about the story here.
1. I am by no means a history expert. Please don't jump in the reviews and go 'oh belial, that's so not how it went down' because I'll probs just ignore it. If you find something wrong (and you know what you're talking about) send me a PM. We'll talk about it.
2. What's up with the Juggernaut Drive? Well, part of the reason the Juggernaut drive is so taxing and dangerous to use in canon is because Issei and Vali are the latest in an incredibly long line of their sacred gear's users. Idaios and Xerxes, however, are the first to wield both of their respective gears. As such, I'm taking a lot of liberties with how stuff goes down. PM me if you have an issue.
3. I'm trying to stick with historically accurate views on Spartan culture, but I'm definitely taking some liberties with certain stuff and things. For example, I have literally no idea how the government of Sparta worked, so Idaios was just heir to the throne. Don't PM me on this, it's not changing. Try to deal with it.
4. I do not know what the geography or cities (city?) of Sparta were like. As such, descriptions are both scarce and more than likely inaccurate. Sue me.
5. I don't know when Ddraig and Albion were actually sealed, so I'm just going to assume it was some time around 550-500bc, the same time in which Idaios was born. Somewhere around there, anyway.
6. Why does Idaios talk so strange? He speaks using a (my) version of the Laconic speech, basically a Spartan way of talking that involved saying much with few words.
I think that's all I've got, but it's probably not. If you find something wrong, PM me. Other than that, don't forget to leave a review! Bye!