Chapter 15: Celestial

Nothingness. A lack of being, a lack of anything. A white blankness spread as far as his eyes could see, and still more. He was the only movement in millions of miles, and there was nothing to smell, hear, see, taste, or feel. It was a total sensory deprivation, a lack of anything connected to reality.

Aleos floated in this blankness, the sole object in a realm of eternity. His body throbbed with power, and his eyes glowed mystic silver. "Where am I?" He thought, and then answered his own question. "The Void."

He looked down on himself in wonder. His clothing billowed around his body like a fog, rising and falling as he drifted. He swiped a hand above his head, and felt a great nebulous mass: his hair was floating in every direction, and though mentally he was on a power high, physically his limbs began to feel weak, limp.

"There is no gravity in the Void," he said silently. And on the heels of that: "No air to breath…" At that thought, panic threatened to overwhelm him, but he struggled to contain it. "Concentrate, Aleos."

He did so, expelling breath shallowly to conserve what little oxygen he already had. His heart, which was threatening to burst, decreased its rate as Aleos reached a meditative state. His breath slowed… slowed… slowed… and stopped.

He floated motionlessly through the void. His mind had retreated to a deeper plane of consciousness, one where he was aware of nothing.

No one could say for how long Aleos drifted in this state, but after a time someone discovered him. Aleos' subconscious vaguely registered voices speaking.

"… Aleos…"

"… sent here… Sol Aurarius…"

"… how long… drifting?"

"… I see."

"Shall… awaken…"

"Yes."

"AWAKEN!"

A voice of command bellowed into the depths of Aleos being, and like a shot his being rose through the deep mental planes he had dwelt in. He inhabited his body once more with a gasp, and his eyes flew open and focused.

He was still in the Void, which was empty no longer. Surrounding him in a circle were six orbs, each burning brightly with a vibrant light. One of richest scarlet with a mist of sparks surrounding it, one of purest cerulean cloaked in droplets of water. One of an effervescent lilac crackling with electricity, another that was an odd mixing of amber and jade and masked with a faint storm of sand. One of a blinding white rippled with gold and surrounded by a rainbow, another of a voracious onyx veined with crimson and indigo flame.

Aleos watched in awe as a brilliant ray burst from each sphere and played on the ground around him, emblazoning it with a luminous emblem: that of a six-pointed star. A transparent globe shimmered at the limits of the insignia, and Aleos suddenly dropped. He landed nimbly on a seemingly translucent floor, held only by the glowing sigil of the star. The six orbs around him were half in, half out of the invisible barrier. The auras of the orbs spread out across the barrier and intertwined, forming a rainbow shield of the elements.

Aleos raised his hands and looked at them unbelievingly, he ran a hand through his hair, and found it to be lying flat, like normal. Gravity had returned. He opened his mouth and took a deep breath of the purest air he had ever breathed. He looked around him, a little apprehensively.

"Welcome, warrior of the Void," a female voice said gently, soprano and flowing like many waters.

"Perhaps it is fate that you meet us here, in the realm of the Void," a male said, a strong baritone like the rumbling of a volcano.

"If I may hazard I guess," Aleos ventured. "I believe I am in the presence of the Elemental Gods and Goddesses?"
"You are correct, Aleos Argentum." Another baritone boomed, with a voice like a thunderclap.

Aleos immediately fell to one knee. "Though you are not my lords, nonetheless I honour you."

"Arise, child of the Void. You serve a greater might than we." The thunder voice said gently, and Aleos felt a kind, but insistent wind lifted him upright. "I am Lord Jupiter." The lilac orb flashed.

"Lord Mars." The scarlet flashed.

"Lady Mercury." Cerulean flash.

"Lady Venus," the two-coloured sphere flashed, and the feminine voice was soft and gentle, though a strong power rippled beneath it.

"Lord Sol." A man's bass voice said, in a tone filled with majesty and nobility. The white-gold orb flashed.

"Lord Luna." Said a masculine voice that was a deep bass, but another baritone voice said the same words an eighth-second after, creating an eerie echo. Rifts of red and violet rose from the surface and flashed before retreating.

"I feel… overwhelmed." Aleos said, spreading his arms hopelessly. "To be honest, I had been an atheist for most of my life… but I cannot deny your existence any longer, now that I have met you. But still," his eyes clouded. "I couldn't worship any gods who let such catastrophe befall our world, or allow what happened to Aquina."

"Aleos," Mercury said gently. "That is the way of things. People are born and people die, and their friends and loved ones will mourn them. So it has been forever… hardships and disasters are but trials, to shape your self and give you worth. If a world can overcome all their evils, then the gates of Heaven are opened."

"But all things must follow a Destiny, a fate assigned to them at the dawn of time." Jupiter spoke next. "Not the little things, but the greater matters must come to pass. We are but motes of dust, carried on the great breeze of fate to our destination."

Aleos was silent, musing the words of this god. "You said I serve a greater might. Who, or what, might that be?"

"The God of the Void," Venus said grandly. "The One who created everything, not least of which space and time. The One without an origin, who was, is, and ever shall be. World without end, amen." This last word was echoed by the others, some more enthusiastically than others.

"Though sometimes we lesser gods may sometimes dislike serving him," Luna said bitterly.

"He is our creator," Jupiter said solemnly. "We were created to rule over the elements, as He rules over us. After many, many, eons of service in maintaining the elemental balance of the First Realm, He rewarded us with the governance of our own realm, one where we would reign supreme."

"Only by his grace, of course." Luna said sneeringly.

"You are fortunate He allowed you to return after the Fall, Luna." Sol reminded the dark god.

"Some would question that decision," Mars said, glowing angrily.

"You've benefited from the darkness I have brought, god of war." Luna hissed.

"Stop this bickering, both of you," Mercury ordered, and surprisingly they did. "Sorry for that, Aleos. We are not perfect."

"You're all not exactly what I imagined," Aleos said, dazed.

"We rarely are," Venus said kindly. "Do you recall when Jupiter said we all have a role to play in the great journey of life?"

"Yes," Aleos said cautiously.

"The people of Weyard will be introduced to a darkness for a time," Sol said sadly.

Mars spoke. "Having led an easy life for thousands of years, the people of Weyard are too easily deluded by visions of grandeur, and despite having the power of the Elements at their fingertips, they fall quickly to disaster. Unless rallied, how often did you see the Weyardians resisting Regnoare? And you were the only ones to rally them!"

"And so," Sol said, still melancholic. "Weyard will be plunged into a Dim Age, for a time. Heroes will rise and fall, and the children of Weyard will remember their valour."

"And in this coming Dim Age," Venus announced. "Weyard will need a guardian and a guide. One to watch, wait, and deem when the people of Weyard have strengthened enough to become the heroes they once were. When they are able to fight for everything they believe in, strike down every opposition, even if it be their own kind."

"To have the will to use Sol Aurarius to rise above the petty feuds of war and create paradise on earth." Jupiter rumbled. "That guardian, who will guide the Children of Weyard is… you."

Simultaneously, the glow of the heavenly spheres began to radiate power. The rainbow aura flowed across the sigil and over Aleos. Power flooded him, and multiple sensations crawled over his skin: hot and cold, wet and dry. An aura shimmered around his body, and began to close in, drawing like a noose around his entire body.

"To be the guardian of Weyard…"

"To have power second to one, and eternal life."

"Thwarted only by the full power of Sol Aurarius. Do you accept?"

Aleos closed his eyes, and there was only the constant hum of the raw power that surrounded him. He could atone for his mistakes and repay all those he let down… by guarding Weyard for all eternity, if need be.

But what did he care? He had nothing left. The other Fivefold were all drawn into oblivion, Aquina was dead, and his quest was complete. He had nothing more to live for.

In a voice raspy and dry, he spoke. "I accept."

The glow brightened, and the gods began to speak.

They began speaking a dialect that Aleos could not understand, and he found himself lulled by its melodious beauty.

Their voices melded, forming a single voice that was omnipotent, neither male nor female. In it there was a small hint, an echo of the sovereign power and majesty of their creator, and the voices swelled, becoming almost a song. With each note, Aleos felt his soul throb in response, a not-entirely unpleasant ache that thrummed in all his bones and in his teeth.

The song swirled around him, and its underlying tone Aleos heard the rumble of the volcano, the rushing of the river, the boom of thunder, and the gentle swaying of the trees. It was a song of the elements, and all of creation was contained within. The notes held a certain power to them, and Aleos felt them falling around him, binding him to their words:

"Aleos Argentum, Adept of the Void in the line of Argyros since the dawn of the Golden Age. We task you with the guardianship of Weyard as it undergoes this Dim Age, and thereby, we bind you with the following:

Your human form, that of the mortal Aleos, is barred from you until the Nova Age dawns. The Fivefold cannot be reunited or healed, until the Nova Age dawns. You cannot interfere directly with human affairs, but may manipulate as you see fit. You serve the Adepts, ever guiding them to the goal of relighting the lighthouses, if they prove worthy enough. You may use whatever you deem fit as trials. Do not reveal that relighting the lighthouses is the true path.

Henceforth, you are no longer Aleos, but the Wise One, Vale's protector. Guard the power of Sol Aurarius, and make certain those who will control it are worthy.

Wise One. We have petitioned the God of the Void to grant you one last favour, that we feel would be appreciated by you.

Farewell, Guardian. Godspeed."

Golden rays of light shot out from the barrier around Aleos, and he felt himself being lifted up. He tilted his head back and looked up into the void.

The golden rays gathered together above his head and formed a whirlpool. As Aleos drew near, the centre opened, and he was drawn into the portal with a dream-like slowness. The golden energy enveloped him like a womb, and he ascended past the Void.

The golden egg unravelled around him, and he found himself standing on a seemingly endless landscape of white clouds. An ultramarine sky spread above, and a warm breeze, carrying some unidentifiable pleasant scent, stirred around his body. By some impossibility, he was able to stand on the top of the clouds, the fluffy material giving just a half-inch under his feet.

He made his way across the cloudscape, trudging on and on, until something compelled him to stop. He did so, and waited.

Rays of light rose from the clouds ahead of him, and formed a giant arch some twenty feet away. Bolts of power crackled between the arch and the clouds, forming a cage-like wall. A soft, cottony cloud spread across the bars, and in a flash fused with the bolts, transforming into a door of pearl and white gold. The door opened a crack, spilling a heavenly light from within. Without a sound, the great doors swung open, revealing a blinding light inside. A shadowy figure appeared in the light, walking purposefully through the light, but never growing larger or clearer.

The figure reached a hand through the gate, and suddenly was standing on the clouds beside Aleos. The door slowly ground shut, and then slowly sank into the clouds below, leaving only a small ripple of clouds behind.

Aleos looked over the person, and there was no mistaking the figure's identity.

She wore a cerulean dress, long and flowing with small slits cut in the sides and a small v at the neck. The robe was clasped about the waist with a belt of silver and pearls, and over the dress she wore a white sleeveless vest trimmed with gold string on the edges, and open in the front.

She was barefoot, and the long gold-embroidered hem of her dress just brushed the top of her feet. Bells were affixed to her fingers by rings, and they jingled as she moved her hand. Her face was elf-like, with a petite mouth and warm blue eyes. Her hair was a wavy sapphire, held by a gold circlet on her forehead.

She walked towards him with an almost ghostly grace, and her dress rustled with every movement. She stopped in front of him, a smile playing at her lips.

"Aquina…" he breathed. "It's really you!"

"Of course, brother," she said in a lilting voice full of infinite patience. As one, they fell into each arms in an embrace.

"I never thought I'd see you in this lifetime, sister," the Void Adepts said over her shoulder.

"God's grace is infinite," she whispered back. "He allowed me to see you one last time. And Aleos, I need to tell you this." They pulled apart, and she held him at arms length. "You must stop being full of strife and grief over my death. I may have passed on from this plane, but I have not stopped my existence." She took both of his hands in her own, and his, though callused from swordplay, were limp as he struggled to take everything in.

"Heaven is a beautiful place. Our physical lives are only a precursor to the glory that awaits the good there… so don't worry about me. Remember me, but grieve no longer."

She stepped away, and paced around on the fluffy clouds. "Aleos, you and I have been the closest of siblings, from the cradle to my grave. Your journey through life has taken a new path, and I do not see that path ending anytime soon. You will endure countless hardships, and sometimes you will even curse your immortality. But remember, I, and the Elementals, will be watching over you.

So farewell, dearest brother, and be strong."

The skyscape began to haze and blur, and Aleos snapped out of his reverie. "Aquina!" he said frantically, and reached his hand out towards his blurring sister.

She reached out as well and twined her hand about his. "I love you as well, brother. Remember, we will be reunited someday."

And then she was gone, but her disembodied voice spoke last words to him:

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

Aleos fell through an endless tunnel. The walls were formed of pure waves of energy that slowly flowed through all the colours of the rainbow, and silver streaks like comets raced through at as he flew at incalculable speeds. In the distance the portal ended, and a single brilliant star shone in the waiting blackness, though it did not grow our lessen with the passing of time. The wind whipped his silver hair around in a storm, and sent his tears spinning off into the abyss, droplets of silver dew in the black nothingness. He understood what Aquina meant. Her time had passed, and his was beginning. The world of Weyard was entering a new season, and he with it.

He felt a wrench inside his stomach, and gasped.

He felt a drying sensation on his skin, and looked down. Deep cracks were opening across his skin, but there was no blood within the crevices, just more skin. His skin darkened, changing from his healthy tone to a dull grey, and it hardened to the density of diamond, though retaining its dark grey colour.

He shuddered and arched his back as the cracks deepened into his body, piercing flesh and bone alike. His heart was rent in twain, his lungs shattered into a million pieces, and his brain cleaved. But somehow, he still lived.

His organs and insides were cracked to pieces, and turned to stone. The rock grew as if alive, and enveloped his body in a shell. Jagged shards of rock sprung up around him as the rock formed into a sphere, and the was no remnant of the human Aleos left. A boulder flew through the space, aware of nothing.

Then, tendrils of energy spread through the stone, and as it touched the rock Aleos became aware of it, and of himself in turn. The stone gleamed with an inner light, and Aleos felt control of the material. It felt like nothing he had ever experienced, soft and malleable to his touch but incredibly hard otherwise. It flowed like quicksilver, but was as sturdy as iron. It had the potential for everything in creation, and Aleos felt the effect of the song at last.

But he was only a jagged sphere at the moment, and he felt guided to add one last touch…

"Rock, bend to my will. Shape me an eye to see to the heavens."

Veins of power raced to one face of the rock and congregated in a golden circle. It twisted into a mollusk shell shape, with a thin lip of stone across the centre. With a thick grinding sound, it opened to reveal a single eyeball, the iris teal in colour. White energy filled the sides, and the stone lids half-closed over the luminous eye.

Aleos felt the stone ripple under his power, and he saw the energy tunnel through his new eye. He became aware that he saw not only the physical world, but patterns of thermal energy, veins of elemental energy, and, just beyond the physical plane, the AEther between all realms. All this he saw at once, laid translucent beneath the physical plane like ghostly mist. And he was awed at his new abilities.

"This stone, of the heaven's making. I shall call you… Caelestine."

He flew down the celestial tunnel towards the blinding star, marvelling at his new body's power. "Weyard, prepare. The Wise One cometh."

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Hm, a short chapter, for once. I might as well take care of some things while I'm here, though.

Disclaimer: In case you haven't gathered by now, the Golden Sun world is property of Camelot software.

Review Responses:

aGoldenSunFangirl:

Don't worry about this fic ending anytime soon. leans closer Between you and me, this fic is about 50 done, maybe less.

ShadeDX:

Thanks, I'm flattered. )

Hey:

Yeah, typos remain one of my greatest enemies. And thanks for the compliments!

Master of Reality:

I never expected to have such a well-known writer reviewing my humble story! sniff But nonetheless, as with everyone else, I appreciate your comments and compliments! And it's good to hear you think I captured some feeling of the Lost Age as well.

Vaescent:

Men in white coats and ninjas. That is all. (Just kidding with ya: appreciate the review)

ExuroFlamma:

Good to see someone noticed the Latin strewn throughout. And that's some high praise you have for me: I thank you.

And lastly, but certainly not least:

Dracobolt:

Ah, Draco. My most faithful reviewer and good friend. Where would I be without you to catch all my stupid typos and encourage me to go on? Your opinions, whether you know it or not, always have some influence on the next chapter, whether you know it or not. I hope you'll see this fic through to the end!