sdf - Ode to BLood

Travis was one of the early first humans, raised by The Father. He wasn't alone, raised alongside his older 'sibling' and friend Yu, the Swordsmaster. The duo were always together, moreso that Yu would follow Travis wherever he went. Unfortunately wherever Travis went, trouble followed.

*"YOU BOYS KILLED ANOTHER DRAGON!?"*

*"OI! TRAVIS GET BACK HERE YOU BRAT!"*

*"YU! STOP YOUR BRO- WHY ARE YOU JOINING HIM!?"*

Exasperated cries from their father, Gustavus, was a daily occurrence. Travis didn't go a single day before messing something up. However, he was also strangely very likeable. No matter how much mischief he pulled off, no one seemed to hate him. Not even the stone-faced Swordsmaster said anything whenever Travis pulled one of his stunts. Travis was average in power for a first human, standing at a regular 7'4". He was however scarily observant, capable of judging a person's intent, their feelings, their emotions, from a single glance. Although not a hundred percent accurate, it was still very precise. Travis' intelligence and charisma was where he shined, often making new inventions, like a machine capable of flight. Travis made Yu test the said machine from a cliffside. the machine didn't work and Yu fell, but not everyone succeeds in their first attempt. Yu was fine and in the second attempt, successfully flew in the air, albeit for only a few seconds. Travis could be described as the 'peak' of the mind, while Yu was the 'peak' of the body.

Travis had asked Yu to teach him fencing, specifically Rapier fencing as he found the weapon quite elegant. Travis wasn't a natural like Yu, however he learnt quickly. The lessons never got completed as Gustavus made his move and began to establish his empire .The Father's title was replaced, and given to him by the people he ruled was a new title, "The Emperor". As the Empire grew, so did Gustavus' ambition; to overthrow the gods and to attain freedom from their tyranny. Gustavus thus started a new project, a weapon powerful enough to kill a god, Babel. This superweapon was a highly advanced and sensitive subject, thus Travis was chosen as the head researcher. Gustavus shared many things to Travis, his secrets, his ideals, his ambitions, his goals. Travis was there to witness when Gustavus created Liberation, a weapon built to symbolize their struggle for freedom. It was funny, Liberation though younger than both Yu and Travis, acted as their aunt. She never felt younger. It also helped that she was freakishly strong. Together, Travis and Yu formed the right and left hands of the Emperor.

During this time, another species also came too be. A species, smaller than them, far far weaker than them, but looked exactly like them. "Humans" as they were called. 'Heh...guess that makes us as "Early Human" then..'

Somehow the name stuck.

They were smaller, frailer, so many took it upon themselves to nurture them. Travis was also quite fond of them, though their extremely small lifespans made their friendships rather short lasting.

Travis never got to finish his flying machine due to work, but he also made sure to continue his friendships with everyone. He would occasionally see the maker sending his father gifts, and although he never got to see them personally, Travis felt that they were probably a decent person. Travis also heard about it when his father exiled one of their own a younger First human. Travis understandably was enraged and went to his father for an explanation, but when he stepped foot near his chamber's door, all he heard was loud cries of anguish. Travis decided to not bother his father and left, trying to resume his work. Neither Travis nor his father were quite the same after that incident.

After that incident, the construction of Babel sped up, and around this time, Yu also left for his training high in the mountains, secluded. He was supposed to stay there for a few decades at most. The two brothers met and said their goodbyes, Travis hugged Yu, whether the hug was returned or not remains unknown. A promise was made between the two brothers, or rather Travis forced Yu to make a promise with him. "We'll see each other in Judgement day" Were the words uttered. Little did they know however, this meeting would be their last, the promise left unfulfilled.

Travis continued working on Babel, making friends and overall being friendly, yet nothing could truly fill the gap that Yu's departure left. He found friendship in a man named Zagris, the Zealous, general of the army. He commanded both his kin and the smaller humans. Although younger than Travis, both of them grew to be fast friends.

Travis also got around to making side projects, massive mechs and war machines in collaboration with the Maker. "Exterminator" class mechs, fast and agile, destroyers, cruisers, jets several times faster than sound, operating without a pilot, unmanned drones that could devastate entire city blocks, Titans capable of levelling whole towns in a single blast, sometimes, even cities.

During Yu's absence, Gustavus informed Travis about Azdaha, the god of freedom, who wanted to help them attain their liberty from the gods. Travis was skeptical in trusting a god, but grew to slowly warm up to Azdaha. For a god he was surprisingly chill, like the cool uncle you'd go out to barbeque with. He also learnt that Azdaha was the one who designed the project Babel. Travis wanted to ask Azdaha why he was helping them against his own Kin but he never really got the chance too.

Years passed, then decades, it was the time for Babel to enact and Judgement day to begin. Yu was nowhere to be seen. Travis panicked a bit. He had readied everything. He had decorated Yu's chambers, organized a small private feast between brothers, even brought wine without his father's knowledge. Babel was supposed to start in two days, and Yu was supposed to return today, so why hadn't he? Travis went to Gustavus to inform him, but then suddenly-

***BOOM***

An explosion, louder than anything Travis had ever heard. He rushed outside. babel had unleased and fired its shot. From the distant sky, he could see the oncer magnificent form of a god, slowly falling down, dead. Travis didn't know why. Why did Babel fire early? It was supposed to be fired in two days, why did it fire before!? Where was Yu!? What was going on!?

Travis wanted to rush into the throne room, but was halted by the presence of new arrivals. Descending from beyond the skies, angels clad in gold and white came from the heavens, splitting the sky in two. Simultaneously, the ground fissured apart, and from the deepest depths of hell, demons wreathed in fire crawled their way up. Travis knew he didn't have time to waste.

He quickly entered the battlefield, jumping down the castle walls directly. Travis knew he wasn't as strong as his brother, so he brought forth his own mechanical warriors. The ground split apart, as the factory hidden deep beneath the Empire surfaced, swallowing innumerable angels and demons whole. Then, the factory opened, and war came to ride. Machines, cold, unfeeling and uncaring, marched alongside man, both great and small. His kin, as well as the smaller humans, marched forth and fought with great zeal. Man and machine fought shoulder to shoulder. And then..

The void split open, and the incomprehensible true form of Azdaha descended. Azdaha ca.e with his own spawn, renewing the forces even more. He wrecked havoc, and for a moment victory seemed inevitable, but then ***HE*** came. Covered in energy that seemed to distort the world itself, Providence, God of Gods descended. Azdaha engaged him in direct combat, but to no avail. There was no grand clash, no earth-shaking battle. Providence raised a hand, and Azdaha was sealed. The god of freedom, the 'patron' of their kind, vanished in an instant.

Then came the massacre. Travis saw it with his own eyes. The angelic and demonic forces descending with renewed vigor, carving a bloody pathway through both his kin and the smaller humans. From the heavens, elder angels, Seraphims, Cheribums, Thrones, descended. From the hells, the seven deadly sins arose. An absolute bloodbath. There he saw everything, his comrades and friends slowly falling to the horde. He also saw the last remnants of Azdaha, his hatred and anger to be more specific, manifest itself in the form of a being of pure destruction. It rampaged through the hordes, killing angels, demons and their own. Whoever stood before it, died.

He saw Zagris, impaled by an angel, and rushed to his aid. Travis reared his fist back, punching the angel so hard that is exploded in a fountain of blood and feathers. Travis rushed to Zagris' aid, but was too late, and his friend died in his arms.

He saw Babel began to powerup once again, its target; Providence. However the god of gods didn't so much as flinch, and with another almost casual swipe, destroyed Babel, and with it, the last hope for their kin. The war was over, they had lost.

Travis ordered a full scale retreat, trying to gather what little forces that remained to flee the battlefield. They had lost, there was no point in continuing, thus he tried to save as many as he could. He barked orders, his own mechs and machines covering what little they could, escorting and protecting those that they could. But it wasn't enough. Friend after friend died around him. Travis, enraged, fought back, killing as many angels as he could as they retreated. Travis however, in this moment of irrationality was cut off from the remainder of his kin. Alone, Travis fought with his body and his mechs, but it wasn't enough. Heroism didn't win wars. An angel stabbed Travis through his stomach, the other tore open his shoulder, one stabbed his thigh, Just as Travis thought it was over, an Exalted titan, the strongest of Travis' machines, arrived, dropping from the skies. It bought Travis time, and thus he retreated back to the palace. He needed to find his father, he needed to find Gustavus-

As those thoughts raced through his mind, he saw the once magnificent castle, a testament to their hardwork, their glory, crumble and wall, destroyed. Travis could only watch as the rubble rushed to him, before burying him whole. Right before everything went to black, he saw a tall distant figure, holding the body of his father, Exhaustion kicked in, and unable tom escape the rubble, Travis was buried there.

Days passed...

Months...

Years...

***"YU! C'MON! I promise it'll work this time!"***

***"Uncle Adamas, why are you always so grumpy?"***

***"Dad, can me and Yu go to hunt some dragons? Please!!"***

***"You're a good friend Zagris."***

***"Zagris? ZAGRIS!? WAKE UP ZAG!"***

***"YU!? YU??? WHERE ARE YOU!?"***