CHAPTER 1
"Aeternitas: A colorful and vibrant nation filled with its own marvelous grandeurs and clandestine chronicles. Here, magic and technology coincide harmoniously. Nevertheless, it is but a utopia within its mystifying shadows."
"Caelum: The capital of Aeternitas and one of the central cities of commerce."
A stray wolf caked with mud – possibly a lost omega from its pack – sniffed the pavestones of an alleyway. Its paws felt every nook and crack between the slabs of limestone. The poor thing had unintentionally bumped into shoes of various sorts: sneakers, sandals, boots, stilettos, formal attire, among others. And whenever the wolf did, it would occasionally glance up to see the shoes' owner: some would give the poor wolf a look or two, while others wouldn't even acknowledge it. Panting, the lone wolf traversed the long alleyway filled with tall stone buildings. Eventually, the wolf crossed into the plaza square where countless citizens swarmed, going through their daily routine without even taking a minute hiatus. The wolf settled itself in the shade by a local shop, staring at a cloudless sky. As it was about to curl up to sleep, the wolf's ears perked, listening to a distant thunder. It soon sat up to a breathtaking sight of a magnificent airship sailing across the azure above. The plaza's denizens took no notice. Soon, the wolf's sight was eclipsed by a cloaked boy.
"Hey. Mister Wolf," the boy almost frightened the poor thing. "Whoops! Sorry. Come here, boy!"
He held out his hand. The wolf remained reluctant.
The boy assured, "I won't hurt you."
The wolf studied this newcomer, concluding that there was something odd about the boy. It picked up on traces of a lupine scent – this boy wasn't just a mere human, the wolf concluded. After a moment of indecision, the wolf decided to at least have his snout touch this foreign hand. The boy crouched down and began petting the wolf.
"There you go," the cloaked boy crooned. "Hmm, it seems we're not entirely different, you and I."
Something black slightly peeked out the back of the boy's cloak, like a tail. Soon, an irritated masculine voice called out the boy's name.
"Oops," the boy chuckled. "I got to go, Mister Wolf. See you later!"
The boy sprung up and ran across the plaza. The wolf's curious eyes followed until the cloaked one was well out of its sight. Eventually, the wolf curled up into a ball and peacefully dozed off into a deep sleep.
"The Celestial Order: A regime that governs Aeternitas."
A pristine airship danced in the sky, cutting through the clouds. Behind the clouds, a great city magically suspended in the air presented itself. The airship simply entered into one of the docking bays of this floating town.
"Unfortunately, Aeternitas has been riddled with skirmishes of late between the Saviors and the Rogues."
A barricade stood at the center of an abandoned and dilapidated street. Bullets flew across the area; some chipped away at old corpses, others had found solace in a new body, and those which have gone to waste. Pathetic magic spells chaotically whizzed about.
"The Saviors: Those who humbly serve under the Celestial Order for the greater good of Aeternitas."
A Savior with cropped hair patiently reloaded his machine gun within the shelter of the barricade. He stared at his fallen comrade. The way the cadaver's eyes remained unclosed after death disturbed him. The man scurried to the corpse to close his eyes. The man never really took note at the elaborate Savior uniform. It's navy and black color scheme was now encrusted with dirt and dry blood. It had a Victorian flair to it. The small, black half-cape was now shamefully torn to shreds. But now was not the time to appreciate fashion. The man got up and took aim once again.
"The Rogues: A religious cult-like rebellion which seeks to change Aeternitas to suit their personal deity."
On the other side, the Rogues seemed emotionless in their modernized medieval suits of armor. They relentlessly attacked the Saviors with their magic and bullets; primal, bestial, showing no fear. Bullet-ridden helmets rolled across the dirt. Some had the sense to pull apart the barricade that separated the two. A man with distinct facial hair and a shaven head decided to take off his helmet, unhook a grenade, place it in there, and throw his helmet over the barricade. An explosion followed with rubble flying everywhere. Ironically, a shard of glass sliced the man's temple. He soon emptied a magazine on a few Saviors.
"Mystical Guardians: The essential leaders of the Saviors and the 1st soldiers-in-command under the Celestial Order. They carry out the Order's wishes in Aeternitas' underground."
"Marauders: The leaders of the Rogues, who adopted the name the Heroes of lore once called themselves."
"Sanctum Liberi: Mortals fated for a greater purpose."
Crimson birds soared throughout the vast civilization. A maze of freeways stretched across the lands. Skyscrapers sliced into the sky, complete with wide windows and cemented bricks. Crowds of people old and young swarmed the sidewalks. Moving metal contraptions, known as automobiles, lined up and crowded the streets in an organized chaos.
Two friends vacationed on top of an academy building, overlooking the lush plains. A carefree spirit was sitting on the ledge, letting his legs dangle in midair. Youthful and energetic, he was a truly innocent boy of about fifteen years. His bright azure eyes gazed at the horizon in a trance. His smooth, neck-length, black hair was covered by a knitted cap. He had a long and open charcoal overcoat, revealing a cobalt t-shirt underneath. His faded black jeans and classic Converses completed his look.
Leaning against a wall, was a rather pensive boy—a year older than the ball of energy he was watching with half-intent. His emerald eyes had a mile long stare, focusing on nothing of interest. His hair was white as the icy snow. The front of his hairstyle was somewhat long, covering his forehead and stopping just before his eyes. The hair on the back of his head however, was wildly spiked in different directions. His fingers traced the stitching on his blue, denim jeans. His feet were encased in canvas Converse sneakers as well. With a white jacket delicately covering it, a dark grey t-shirt clung to his body. "Hey Zane," he broke the silence.
The happy-go-lucky friend responded with a heart-warming smile, "Yeah, Lucian?"
"Have you ever wondered about all the secrets of the world?"
Zane chuckled. That alone was all the agreement Lucian would need. The two had a close and strong friendship and had been the best of friends for as long as they could remember.
In a moment's notice, a girl of the same with flowing auburn hair joined them. Her knee-high Converses caressed the concrete rooftops. A light blue shirt with a designer name stitched onto it was underneath an open, light gray blouse. Her ripped jeans hugged her legs. With oceanic eyes, she contacted Lucian and Zane.
"Faith," the boy at the edge of the building acknowledged.
"I thought I'd find you two up here," she smiled.
After a while, the sun fell and the clouds thickened above.
"Somnium: A small ocean-side city where a story begins."
Giant plasma screens illuminated the seemingly empty city square. Thousands of teardrops fell from the starless sky, flooding the district. Two pairs of boots waded in the shallow waters; a duo of cloaked men, one slightly older than the other, appeared. They scanned the dark alleyways at the outskirts of the square. With a sigh, the taller, older one drew out and lit a cigarette. Growing bored, the cloaked, young one became fixated on whatever was on the big screens. Soon, the distant sound of marching made itself known. Silver suits of armor emerged at the perimeter of the plaza.
The older man dropped and stepped on his cigarette, "Rogues." He grimaced in the shadows of his cloak's hood. With a wave of his hand, scattered metal parts appeared suspended in midair in an aura of darkness. Like a puzzle, the metal pieces assembled themselves into two revolvers and magnetized towards the figure's hands.
The younger one chuckled and held out his hand; a scythe materializing in his grasp. "What else did you expect?"
Several Rogues murmured to each other.
"You two must be part of the Mystical Guardians." A rather decorated Rogue decided to reveal himself.
The young figure responded, "What of it?"
"You truly are the scum of Aeternitas, cowardly hiding behind the Celestial Order. The Rogues will not dare leave you to see another day. The Mystical Guardians and the Celestial Order will be slaughtered, every single one of them. No one will be spared. It's time for a new order. An order—"
The ringing sound of a gunshot sliced through the air. The Rogue commander collapsed in the flooded waters.
"I'm sorry," the elder figure grinned. "I hate the assholes like you who talk too much. I really do. So, is there anyone else who's not a damn coward?"
Another suit of armor with a sword in his hand ran through the waters, yelling. Bullets tore through armor and plunged into his body. Coughing, the Rogue's blood dripped into the rain water and he soon toppled over. Another Rogue sloshed through the flood coming from behind the elder figure. The younger Guardian swiftly stepped in front of him, "I got your back."
"Good."
Blood showered when the younger one's scythe carved the Rogue in half. "Sorry, Rogue. You were asking for it."
Waves and waves of Rogues closed in and surrounded the two Mystical Guardians, forcing them back to back. Bullets and blades soared across the area. More and more Rogue bodies fell, spilling blood.
"This is boring," the younger boy moaned. "Let's switch it up."
He tossed his scythe in the air. The elder Guardian held his revolvers near the youngster's waist. The young one snatched the guns while the elder one caught the scythe; a clean trade. With guns, the youngster easily picked off Rogues; fast and accurate. The other one was secretly enjoying the bloodbath the scythe came with. The transparent waters were slowly turning a dark crimson.
"Hey," the elder said.
"What is it?"
"You know, I don't understand why they would choose to invade Somnium."
"It beats me."
Just then, a multitude of magic spells flew across the air. A couple incantations struck the two, much to their surprise.
"How fun," the young Guardian coldly said. "They brought spell casters with them."
"Crap," the taller man winced.
"No worries," the young one chuckled. "Watch this." He returned the elder's revolvers. The boy closed his azure eyes and held his hands out in front of him. Almost immediately, a golden aura flowed from it. A few Rogues stopped in their tracks, panicking. In a split second, the clouds parted in the sky revealing a grand crescent moon illuminating the entire square. The rain waters formed tidal waves in reaction. The boy opened his eyes; azure turned to gold. The elder man's violet eyes studied his comrade. Waves of gold unfurled across the courtyard, taking out several Rogues. It wrapped around the two Mystical Guardians, protecting them.
"Hah," the elder one's violet eyes twinkled as he placed down his comrade's scythe. A black aura formed around his hands. He threw spears of darkness at the opposing Rogues. The body count continued to rise.
"Retreat," many Rogues yelled after more of their armored friends floated in the blood-dyed water. The armored villains scattered in fear, many cursing. Some tried to drag the cadavers of their friends. After a good minute, the city square was silent again.
The tall, purple-eyed man sighed and pulled out a cigarette.
The eyes of his friend turned from golden to light blue. The boy sullenly picked up his scythe from the blood-filled waters. Remorseful, he said, "I hate fighting."
The naïve Lunar Guardian and the jaded Dark Guardian stood at the center of the plaza, silent.
"There is a distant light far off out of our reach... I have always wondered where it would be hidden... Sadly, no mortal being will ever know..."
CHILDREN OF THE SKY