Prologue I: "A…"

Disclaimer: I own neither properties

He was so foolish, the poor lad,

He made superior people smile

Who knew not of the wings he had

Budding and growing all the while;

Not that the laurel wreath was made

Already for his curly head.

.

Silly and childish in his ways;

They said: 'His future comes to naught.'

His future! In the dreadful days

When in a toil, his feet were caught

He hacked his way to glory bright

Before his day went down in night.

…

Katharine Tynan

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Amongst rolling foothills of verdant green sat a Kominka-styled house by the mountainside. It was a quiet home, acting as only a microcosm of the total residence.

A lustrous flower garden rested in the backyard; its view of the moon unobstructed by the Alv Mountains. Blooming within was a brilliant array of Amaryllis lilies, fenced by Sakura trees. The soft rays of the moonlit night washed over the garden to strengthen its pinkish, ethereal glow.

Yet, despite its brilliance, it did little to ward away the cloak of darkness that wreathed the midnight sky—devouring all the evening stars. Even the light of the full moon seemed dimmed.

From the center of the garden, a melancholic chill emanated from two figures; A man and a woman, who had sat amongst the flowers and were simply gazing up at the moon.

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Wooden floorboards creaked as tiny feet scurried quietly down the halls of the house. Upon sneaking past some ambient light, it was revealed that it was just a nervous boy.

Although, he currently looked more like an overgrown bunny; with his whole body swaddled in a white wool blanket.

Finally reaching the backyard's sliding door, the child took a hesitant peek outside. His innocent, ruby-red eyes quickly honed in on its twin targets.

However, before he could even take a step onto the veranda, his shoulder was suddenly yanked back by a rough hand.

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"Boy! What are you doing creeping around in the middle of the night?!"

"WAH!" The boy recoiled back in shock. His scared eyes tracked the hairy limb up to a large shadow looming over him.

Although, when some moonlight shone on the shadow's face, he released a sigh of relief. "...oh, whew. It's just you, Ero-Gomi."

This was obviously the wrong response as a sweaty hand clamped down hard on the boy's face.

"Huuuuh! What did you just call me, you stupid brat!?"

Luckily, the boy was spared a full iron claw by just being roughly hanged to and fro in the air instead.

"Gah! Wait, wait, stop! I'm sorry! I meant to say that you're super awesome and wise, Grandpa!" The boy begged, his arms flailing exaggeratedly.

Fortunately, the grandfather's wrath seemed assuaged, and he dropped his grandson onto the ground.

"Hmph, better." He massaged the sides of his temple as he angrily huffed, "You've been hanging around with your mother and grandmother too much."

He clicked the sliding door shut before guiding the boy back to his bedroom. "Now, what are you doing wandering around at night? Shouldn't it be past your bedtime?"

"Well…yeah, but papa would always read me a story before bed." The edges of the boy's eyes began to water. "…but after-…."

Feeling his will weaken from seeing his grandson's sullen expression, he patted the boy's head in comfort.

"Er…cheer up, boy! Would it make you feel better if I told you a bedtime story instead?"

"Huh? For real?! You're the best, grandpa!" The boy's demeanor made a 180-degree shift as he started bouncing happily in place.

"Heh. Yeah, I know." The grandfather smugly sniffed while rubbing his nose. "But, you better go to sleep this time. Got it?" He lectured, picking the boy up by his collar and plopping him on his bed.

Though, the grandfather also turned his head to the side and quietly muttered, "...your pain in the ass mother is giving me enough grief already."

"Mhm! I know, I know! Hurry up already, gramps!" The child waved his arms exasperatedly, his eyes only gleaming brighter in anticipation.

"Ha! Getting excited now, ain't ya? You should be! I'm quite the famed storyteller, ya know! I'll blow your parent's bedtime stories out of the water!" The grandfather bragged and chortled. All the while, he affectionately ruffled his grandson's fluffy, white hair. After the boy began to swat at his hand, he settled into a nearby chair—Albeit with more bemused chuckling.

"Alright, alright, how about I regale my favorite? Hmmmm…now how did it start?" The grandfather rubbed his bearded chin in mock thought, prolonging the boy's anticipation. "Ah, I remember..."

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"...Centuries into the peaceful times of Genkai, there arrived a curse most fearsome that escaped its box. Its reach was so great that it seemed to cascade over this entire world in an instant. The curse was a silent sickness that affected the most renowned gods, the greatest of adventurers, and even the lowliest common folk. Its name was complacency."

A loud echo thundered in the room as the grandfather clapped his hands. Then, he raised them straight in the air, imitating growth.

"It was birthed from a great tower that could have reached Tenkai itself. This tower, created to seal endless swarms of monsters, had ironically created its own. Gods, who had once descended to save the remnants of humanity, eventually delved into their corrupting vices."

The grandfather snapped his fingers with a flashy spark to create a glowing, iridescent orb.

"First, was a Gluttonous Greed, interbred with Spiteful Sloth..."

The orb begins to bubble and shimmer, eventually reflecting the image of an overflowing goblet of putrid wine.

"A deranged God of Drink, so deeply enthralled in his craft that he ignores the taint already festering within it. Many adventurers who once stood as shining beacons have indeed fallen to his works. Their insatiable desire for defective ambrosia had twisted them into bitter and wicked beings—perpetuating an unending cycle of scheming and betrayal for meager coins."

"Next was a Piteous Wrath..."

Images of ceaseless battles between warring cities flash upon the orb's surface.

"A pretentious God of War haphazardly tossed his children against incredulous odds. His amusement and faux glory are his sole pleasures. Grand fields of milk and honey became painted into patches of infernal Tartarus. With only the maddened screams of the lost forever echoing throughout. The names of his children are casually forgotten as they quickly slip past his tongue with cold apathy."

"And finally, a Sloven Lust..."

Now, the orb shines a spectrum of red blossoming upon a district wafting of sex.

"A lascivious Goddess of Love, appraising her dominion, with her obsessions knowing no bounds. An army of slaves grew under her shadow; no man or woman was exempt from being caught in her ruinous gaze. The potential of many great adventurers suffocated and treated as mere toys in her ignorant hands."

"This supposed age of peace was a blundered dream. A hollow shell to nurture the eclipsing darkness within."

The orb's iridescence becomes extinguished as a wave of black encloses it.

"Yet…"

Lines cracked upon the orb's surface, revealing rays of brilliant, golden light. The orb shattered into flaking specks of diamond dust with one last breach. The golden light within descended upon the grandfather's open palm.

"A day unlike any other came when the cries of the oppressed finally awoke the heart of humanity. It sent upon this world a falling star, containing a hero and his heroine. The hero was but a teenager, cloaked in a shroud of crimson and clutching the essence of victory itself. The heroine was a fairy of snow, wreathed in a dress threaded in gold and limitless ether."

"However, both heroes had fallen into this world at the end of their tales. The man had a heart of broken glass and a steel body bursting at the seams. The girl, though, fared much worse than he. Her very existence was slowly chipping away into motes of light, leaving only that dreadful dress behind."

"So, it was fortunate that they landed near Hera, a most meddlesome goddess, in their explosive descent. When that goddess came upon their forms, her heart bled as she became overwhelmed by the girl's sheer love for the man. That prissy goddess, who had long grown cold and embittered, did something unprecedented since time immemorial. She linked her essence to the mortal's soul, enabling the girl to survive her deteriorating state."

"Although, the mortal had surprises of her own to reveal. In a breathtaking display, she had somehow tapped into the goddess's Arcanum, releasing an array of hard light. It coalesced around her beloved's body and tethered his soul back to the physical plane. The boy's coat of blades immediately receded into his body. Even some color began to return to his pallor skin. As for the girl, she fell unconscious into the goddess's open embrace from the overload of energy."

"The goddess wasn't the only divine who happened upon the scene. Sensing the massive flux of his naggy wife's divinity, the Great and Mighty Mack Daddy of the Sky heroically rushed to the scene and-"

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"Hold on." The boy interrupted with a look of complete disbelief. "The What of Wah, grandpa?"

"Oh...right. I forgot what version I was telling this to..." The grandfather sheepishly cleared his throat. "Ahem… I meant Zeus! Uhm...Anyways!…"

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"...As he took a step towards his wife, both deities were immobilized when an otherworldly pressure bore down on them. Their attention shifted towards the boy, who had awoken from his death-like state. When his confused gaze met the gods, a ring of fire emblazoned in his now steeled eyes. An explosion of lightning materialized around him in seconds, revealing a halo of armaments. All primed at the God of the Sky.

"However, in the briefest moments when their eyes connected, the two deities were seemingly pulled into a bizarre dream. Set upon the dawning sky of another world, an endless expanse of swords and falling gears littered hills of white—a gentle warmth enveloping both of them, despite the bitter snow.

"Hera had stood dumb and wide-eyed, simply awed by the surrounding scene. The frozen landscape was a Memoriam—a vast graveyard of weaponry from heroes and villains alike from across cultures and myths. A stalwart aura projected from even the more paltry-looking weapons, signifying at least some luster.

"The Lord of the Sky, though, was still for a different reason. For among those snowy hills, he saw the ethereal waves of his children long passed. From the Starlight Sword and Discus, Obsidian Axe-Sword and Bow of Hydra, the Immortal-Slaying Scythe, and many others resting in the distance.

"However, in a blinking instant, the dream shattered into a disorienting end.

"As they regathered their senses, Hera realized that the girl was no longer in her arms. In what seemed like seconds, the boy had nearly crossed a mile-long distance from the crater site. Then, with his beloved clutched protectively in his embrace, he had fixed out an outstretched hand. What bloomed from it was a massive, spectral C. Ajacis flower.

"The Sky father absorbed the sight with a manic beam. The corner of his lips threatened to tear as the ground underneath him quaked. A growing roar echoed and rumbled in his rapidly beating chest. This omen was the shatter-point he was waiting for, after all—a glorious return to the Guuhl-…*glug* *glug*…-den Age of-…*glug* *glug*…-Heroes!

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"Grandpa...seriously? Are you drinking while telling me a bedtime story?"

Unbelievably, his grandfather had somehow summoned and downed an entire bottle of nebuchadnezzar-sized wine.

"Bah! Wait till you get older, kiddo! That's how all the great stories are told!" The boy quickly leaned back into his bed as his grandfather gave a hearty belch in his direction.

"Meh. It's not like this swill can get me rat-arsed anyhow." Then, incredulously, his grandfather tossed the now empty bottle over his shoulder and into his play chest. Immediately afterward, he seemingly pulled another ridiculous bottle out of his ass. "Now, where was I…."

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"…The otherworldly heroes soon after became sights beyond measure. They made people realize the beauty of simply not having a strength of body alone, but good character.

"The crimson hero, whose infinite blades could bring down juggernauts ten times over, became a beacon to adventurers and common folk alike.

"On his quest for truth and justice, he brought down the sinister operation of the Soma Familia. The light of his holy sword and saintly flag, cleansing the sins of all the corrupted adventurers who opposed him. When many suffered from their withdrawals afterward, he was there to lend a firm, guiding hand. To their downtrodden eyes, he had become their savior, giving them renewed purpose and reconciliation.

"Furthermore, when legions of Rakia soldiers invaded Orario, he met them all by his lonesome! By simply flicking his wrist, he had hurled a mountain-sized blade that tore a great chasm between both sides. With that nonchalant gesture, he sent their spirits shattered and reeling. Generals and soldiers alike clambered over themselves to escape his burning, amber gaze.

"From then on, he earned an alias worthy of his Kleos, Maxim of the Zeus Familia!

"True to his new title, he fully integrated his own golden rule into the world. With it came an age of true peace and prosperity fostered under his care. With additional aid from the Astraea Familia, no person dared or even wished to commit crimes against their fellow man.

"His lover was no slouch herself either. On the contrary, her Fae-like beauty was so famed that it caused envy from even goddesses of beauty.

"Yet that did not earn her the feared alias, Materia Empress of the Hera Familia. No, it was gained from her legendary prowess in Thaumaturgy. With her gifted divinity, all who opposed her were atomized into primitive, formless matter.

"Even her basic spells were so grossly empowered that they could reshape entire landscapes with ease. It was said that the lowest floors of Orario's dungeon were permanently flooded from a simple wave of her hand. All without uttering a single chant or charging a spell to boot.

"Though, she earned equal infamy for her destruction of Orario's entire red-light district.

"The once luminous streets of the Ishtar Familia transformed into molten slabs of metal and ash, for none could quell her ire when that ignorant goddess of beauty laid her hands on Maxim.

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"…that was such a pain to cover up and pay off." The grandfather bitterly muttered to himself. However, he soon covered his crotch with a wince as another memory overtook him. "…and by thunder's crack, she could hold some deep grudges too. It was only one tiny peek…."

"Grandpa?" The boy drowsily poked his grandfather when he started weeping crocodile tears.

"Nghh…I'm fine...just some phantom pains."

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"…As much as he tried to refuse to acknowledge or reject it, Maxim had indeed become a Hero amongst adventurers. This was truly momentous, as this age of modernity had forgotten its ancient, heroic legends.

"Many adventurers had tried to rise to the hero of hope and justice, but all fell short. For even to the gods, he is both revered and highly coveted.

"Argh! But that lucky bastard somehow had even the sexiest and rigid of goddesses feeling faint in his presence…and…and…he rejected them all! What kind of stupid fool does-"

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Widening his eyes, the grandfather sheepishly scratched his cheek. Then, clearing his throat, he resumed.

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"...unfortunately, this crimson hero stayed dull and faithful; his mended heart solely promised to the woman that captured it at first sight.

"Hera was so enraptured by their still pure, monogamous love, that she gifted them her own church. For the time had come for the two to marry finally. The ceremony was attended by many from across the world; from the bitter enemies of Rakia to the reclusive elves of the forest, and even the dwarves from their mines. All wished to see a happy ending for these two legends.

"Afterward, the empress was only too eager to consummate their beautiful beginnings. And consummate the lovely marriage they did…for days…and days...

"Frankly, I was just proud they were looking to be chips off the old block.

"Ahem. Anyways, with the world calmed and their promises fulfilled, the lovers retired into peaceful obscurity."

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The grandfather took an inquisitive look up from his bottle. He softly chuckled when he noticed that his grandson had finally fallen asleep; drooling and snoring into his pillow. Then, getting up from his seat, he warmly patted the top of his grandson's head.

"Heh, kids your age never like hearing the romantic bits, do they?" He quietly snorted, shaking his head with a smile. "Although, as a proud storyteller, it's in poor taste if I don't at least finish the ending."

He absentmindedly gazed at the window as glimmers of pink began to dance across his eyes. Then, with a barely audible but still blithe tone, he continued.

"Afterwards, a wondrous chime was quickly born unto them. The cries of life brought joyous tears to the two lovers. For their child represented all the joys and freedom, they justly earned in this world. As such, they named their precious blessing after the instrument that tolled high at their wedding."

A faint motley of colors began to pulse and coalesce around the boy's chest. However, in mere seconds, the light dissipated as suddenly as it had appeared. The only evidence of its brief existence was engraved onto the boy's soul; shining letters radiated against a crystal vessel before flickering to a dull gray.

All of this went entirely unnoticed by the distracted grandfather. His sad eyes only reflected the image of two lovers in a sea of lilies.

Finally tearing his gaze from the window, he refocused his attention back to his slumbering grandson. Then, stopping by the bed, he whispered one last thing before leaving.

"Good night, sleep tight…young Bell."

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Skill Obtained!

{ Liaris Freese } (Passive) - Locked

*Requirements not met

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Authors Note:

I know there are already timeline and character changes/inconsistencies; half is Zeus bullshitting, and the other half is to make this story make sense.

Thank you to everyone who has taken a chance with my story.

Until next time, Peace Out.