>>Floating gardens and steel lessons<<
The light danced softly over the floating towers of the Celestial Kingdom. The structures suspended in the firmament shone with crystals of pure energy, connected by bridges of light where transited stellar sages and winged guardians. It was a world of visual harmony, where the cosmic order was law and beauty.
Zodiark, heir to the cosmos, trained in floating gardens with Alexander, his mentor of steel and iron will. The echo of swords resounded through the columns of the garden, while the seven-year-old boy, though small in stature, showed superhuman dexterity.
-Raise your arm before impact, prince. Not everything can be blocked with raw power
-advised Alexander while accurately stopping his ward's attack.
Later, in a clearing of singing trees, Zodiark sat across from Yatma. She held a scroll floating with living words.
-What do you see when you look at the stars, Zodiark? - asked the goddess in a calm voice.
-Roads. Doors that are not yet open, the boy replied.
—Then keep asking. - A prince should not only be a warrior, but also a sage.Despite the respect of his mentors and the affection shown to him by the star sages, Zodiark perceived an invisible barrier.
Some beings of light bowed before him, but avoided looking into his eyes. The guardians protected him, but rarely shared sincere words.
For many, he was not a child, but a symbol, a divine figure more feared than loved.
That night, he rested on the marble of his heavenly tower. The constellations slowly revolved around him. His thoughts were restless.
Why fight for a past I didn't live? Why protect a world I barely belong to?
[The truth according to Mithrilas]
Mithrilas, the mother goddess, awaited him in her hall of mirrors. His presence was soft as dawn and strong as the firmament.
-You have seen doubt, my son -he said to her as a veil of stars surrounded her.
-What if doubt is the beginning of truth? - Zodiark answered sincerely.
She sighed, and with a gesture, a vision appeared: a colossal war, an emptiness tearing up the heavens, and a figure shrouded in darkness.
—After the Great War against Chaos, your birth was the final pact. A promise between Nexus and balance. You were not only born... you were woven into the very warp of the cosmos. You cannot run away from that thread.
-But it wasn't my decision. I can't be a shield of something I didn't choose.
Mithrilas stroked her face tenderly, but her eyes showed melancholy.
-Sometimes, those who don't choose fate are the only ones capable of changing it.
[The Crystal Chamber: Voices of the Council]
In an unusual act, four members of the Supreme Council met informally with Zodiark in the Crystal Chamber. The place vibrated with primordial energy. There, words became symbols, and thoughts floated like light.
Chronos, the god of time, appeared first. In his robe interlaced clocks and constellations, and his eyes reflected centuries.
-Time is not a line, little prince. It's a tree with many roots and branches. Observe.
With a gesture, he showed him a mirror of liquid sand. Zodiark saw future wars, his older face, and also... a destroyed universe.
-Will this happen? - he asked.
-It depends on where you put your steps -replied Cronos, disappearing with an echo of bells.
Spacear, the goddess of space, descended like a spiral of constellations. Her voice was a whisper between galaxies.
-Space is fragile, Zodiark. There are cracks that not even light can seal. If the balance breaks, the threads connecting the realms will break.
Zodiark felt dizzy at the immensity of his words.
Divintia, radiant, walked towards him with a floating volume.
-I have seen your questions, little one. If you seek knowledge, I can offer it. But beware: not all knowledge brings comfort.
She placed her hand on his chest, and Zodiark felt a sweetness that almost made him cry.
Deadwear was the last. Shrouded in shadows, he seemed to fade as he breathed.
—Everything is born to die, Zodiark. Even you. But do not be afraid: death is not a punishment. It is the guardian of the cycle. If you want to break it... you need to understand it first.
Each of them explained to him the reason for his fate, which should take it more calmly before deciding something that he would regret in the future.
The days passed and even in his deepest dreams and thoughts he was very confused and disoriented. Without knowing what path he would choose from his decisions.
>>A different night: the escape and the meeting<<
One night, Zodiark escaped from the Celestial Kingdom. He opened a secret portal between the rings of light that separated the heavens. He fell through a silky-smooth vortex and landed in a world he did not know.
It was one of the Twelve Lesser Heavens. In it, mortal civilizations lived under the divine radiance: seraphim, angels, and magical creatures coexisted between harmony... and chaos.
Zodiark walked between the villages. He saw children playing, healers helping the sick, but also soldiers dragging prisoners, priests abusing their power. Justice shone, but its shadow was long.
saw people laughing and having fun, as well as beings fighting each other seeing who was the strongest among them all.
-Is all this worth protecting...? - he murmured.
As he wandered through the fields, he heard a sob. There he saw her: a girl with pink hair and cherry eyes, kneeling in the bushes.
-Are you all right? - he asked, approaching.
-My pet! My cat Lunki is lost... and... there's something there that wants to eat it...
Zodiark did not hesitate. They crossed a path together to find an infernal beast with multiple eyes and ethereal claws. Lunki screamed caught between black roots.
The fight was fierce. Zodiark invoked his celestial aura and his eyes shone with stellar fire. The monster's claws tore through his armor, but his sword of light split the sky and darkness was overcome.
The girl ran and hugged the cat.
-Thank you! - he said in a trembling but cheerful voice.
-I am Moniark.
-Zodiark... my name is Zodiark, he said, still gasping for the fight.
—Your name sounds... similar to mine. Do you want to... have tea at home? A wise woman always told me that a good cup of magic hot tea can start a conversation.
Zodiark smiled for the first time in days.
Moniark's house was small but warm. With magic flowers on the walls and a round table with floating cups. She spoke to him sweetly, without bowing. She showed her drawings, gave him star cookies, and before saying goodbye, took his hand.
-Can you come back someday? It would be nice to have a friend like you.
-This could be!.
-So it would be a promise?. He exclaimed with an irresistible tender smile.
-Yes! - It would be a promise.
Both shook hands with a sweet gesture, and then zodiark slowly walked away from the place back to his kingdom again before they heard of his sudden disappearance.
Use again your power to separate and open a portal from the heavens to return to your quarters.
When he arrives, he sits on a very soft blanket and begins to consider what he should do from now on having seen and experienced something that he likes very much. Feel an adventure and meet normal people and beings.
-Perhaps I should escape again and ask Moniark if she would show me her world.
-We finally made a promise that I will never break.
-But I'm afraid my mentors or my mother will get angry without thinking about what the council would say if they found out that I escaped, in a place where normal mortal beings coexist.
The questions pushed him to an inevitable decision: follow the path drawn... or forge his own.
-I think.. that... it's time to stop being a coward and go on my own to make big decisions.-I must know and understand why this burden, which I carry and why I must face a prophecy that could be fulfilled at any moment.
-I hope Aetherios doesn't get mad. I doubt he won't.
Taking an air and a sigh our protagonist already made a key decision in his future, and apparently wants to know the world that surrounds him more thoroughly to be able to decipher the reason for his legacy and that prophecy that torments him.
Also our protagonist's mother was watching him from another tower leaving a subtle comment.
-That look... is no longer that of a child who accepts. It's one who will choose.
In the distance somewhere in the celestial realm. Aetherios. felt a change... in the cosmos..
-The Thread is already moving... way ahead of schedule.
Will your decision take an unexpected turn?. or perhaps it is the right way to build and protect future generations.. could destroy everything your father had dreamed of.