“The twin blades, Solga and Lunas, were weapons wielded by the first Seraph, Valkyrie. However, legends state that the two blades were originally one, broken apart after Valkyrie was slain by The Constellation. Since then, generations of Polus knights have attempted to combine the blades together, but were met with failure, never being able to reveal its true form. Eclipse, the sword that swallows all, remains buried in scripture, never again seeing the light of day.”
Artifacts of Legend, penned by Arch Magus Virgil.
———
Sarathiel
Sarathiel gasps in awe at the sight of the blade of legend. Its existence has always been engulfed in rumor and speculation, as it has never been recorded after Valkyrie’s death, but here it is before him, its incandescent aura basking the area in empyrean wonder. He staggers bringing himself up as the raw energy scorches the air around him.
“Lorelai?” he mutters as a childlike glee envelopes his body. “You… you’ve brought back The Eclipse.”
Sarathiel gawks at Lorelai, enamored by her celestial presence. It is like gazing upon the majesty of the first Seraph herself. The celestial essence wraps itself around her body, as if welcoming a deity from the stars above, and covers her armor in a swirling translucent nebula of primordial color.
“I knew your light could never fade,” he says enraptured. “You’ve transcended your limits again. As you always have. As you always will.”
Sarathiel unleashes an inhuman scream, gathering the rest of his ash-grey aura around him. It condenses and fuses with the armor, melding it to his flesh.
“Once again, I’ve drifted further away from your side. But I’ll continue to chase after you no matter how many years it takes, until the day comes when we can share in the battlefield as equals!”
His steel armor begins to change, merging together with his bones and flesh. The aura goes into his blood and prevents his body from collapsing, fueling the nightmarish transformation until he becomes an unsightly abomination.
“O’ rage my fury!” he screams amidst the pain. “Rend my body into pieces, let steel and flesh become as one, and transfigure me into a vessel of unbridled destruction!”
Sarathiel grows in size as his shape becomes transfigured, his bulk replaced with a slender, unnaturally tall physique. His great-axe fuses itself into his arm and his body transforms into a beastly amalgamation with bits of steel and flesh jutting out from his mangled body. Now more closer to monster than man, Sarathiel lets out a deep rasp, his voice mechanical and savage.
“Titanomachia.”
His body struggles to control its murderous impulse. A tiny sliver of sanity is all that’s left of his former being, preventing him from ravaging the city around him.
“Leave!” he roars towards the bystanders, his voice an inhuman collision between animalistic ferocity and metallic vibration. Every word is jagged with a sharp resonance, and his guttural cries denote a carnal savagery. “I won’t be able to stop myself. Run away!”
The knights and students evacuate the premises, leaving only Sarathiel and Lorelai to remain.
“This must be done. I’m baring my all before you, Lorelai. If I don’t, I know that I’ll regret it forever. Let my body be your canvas, and use me to reach even greater heights!”
Sarathiel lets out one last cry of pain before abandoning his humanity entirely, instinct and the desire for destruction are the only impulses left to control his being. The newborn creature jitters with irregular movement, twitching erratically within its unnatural frame.
”LoOoOoreElaAaAI!” the monster screams as it charges at Lorelai.
———
The Knight
The Knight didn’t expect Sarathiel to go so far, but this is an opportunity for it to evaluate the full might of one of the nation’s strongest.
The Knight slashes the air with The Eclipse, rending the space in front of them in a cross-shaped pattern and causing a vacuum of nearby matter to coalesce and explode, stopping the creature’s assault and launching it straight into the barracks. It smashes through the walls with a loud crash before landing on top of the quarters. It struggles and writhes on the ground, yet ultimately undamaged by the attack.
The creature lunges at The Knight again, maniacally waving its axe around with unabated rage. The Knight can use The Eclipse to sever the space and bypass the creature’s defense, but doing so will kill Sarathiel, and The Knight still needs him alive.
The impact from its manic strikes echo throughout the entire capital. The Knight uses the mini explosions to make the creature halt its advance, but the attacks prove fruitless as it heals itself using the aura-circulated blood within it. The Knight is locked in a stalemate, unable to kill Sarathiel or do any significant damage to him.
The creature destroys the buildings around them and the entire district shakes amongst the destruction. The other knights desperately attempt to help with the monster’s subjugation, but they’re helpless, unable to interfere with the battle. The raging tornado of dust spawned from the creature’s mad rampage blinds them if they attempt to get closer, and Lorelai’s pure energy scorches all that attempt to draw near.
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Unable to deflect the creature’s powerful attacks, The Knight is forced to use The Eclipse to make small separations in space, teleporting it across the battlefield. It whittles away at the creature’s body, making sure to avoid inflicting any fatal wounds, but the monster continues to rampage on, unbothered by its injuries.
The Knight becomes more aggressive and severs the creature’s leg in an effort to slow its rampage, but the act only serves to fuel its rage, and the leg quickly regrows as the aura combines with the metal and flesh to create a grotesque substitute. However, the energy used to regrow its limbs is taxing, and the creature noticeably slows down as its slashes become less powerful.
It roars out in anger as its monstrous form begins to change. Two spikes begin to stretch outward from his helm and a ghastly pale energy creeps around the base. The grey aura concentrates at the very tips, coalescing into a small, vibrating orb, before unleashing a gigantic ray of metallic silver at The Knight’s body. It manages to teleport to safety just in time, but the blast of energy turns the ground into a smooth, treacherous surface. The Knight avoids the slippery ground as the creature continues to shoot its beams throughout the area, transforming the environment into a lustrous landscape.
The creature hesitates for a split second, exhausted from the continuous use of aura, and The Knight uses the chance to quickly teleport behind it and cut off the spikes. The creature howls from pain, the horns sensitive from the concentration of aura, and falls onto the floor. The creature’s shape begins to twist and change again as its size grows even larger. Metal begins to bubble around the surface of its body as the monster loses any remaining semblance of both human and creature. Now, it is but a crazed, jumbled mass.
Annalay emerges from the castle and flies above the destruction, surveying the fight from above. The noise has alerted the castle and the entire city is put on high alert, locking down the other districts.
“Just what the fuck is that idiot doing…” she groans. “Lor… is that you Lorelai!? What’s with your armor? Wait… is that The Eclipse!?”
“I’m a little bit busy right now, Annalay!” The Knight cries out, avoiding the feral creature’s blows.
“Do you need any help? Even I would struggle to survive when Sarathiel transforms like this.”
“I promised to bear his everything by myself. I have to respect his resolve as a warrior!”
The monster finalizes its final, nightmarish transformation and begins to gather energy around its back, growing fleshy, metallic wings. It flies in the air with an unsettling crudeness and launches itself at Annalay, howling and screeching all the while.
“By your word then!” she shouts, knocking the monster back onto the ground with the blunt of her halberd. “I’ll make sure the damage is contained within the district!”
Annalay begins to recite a chant, growing sturdy roots and logs that surround and trap the two in the area. The creature angrily tries to tear the barrier apart, but its efforts prove fruitless, and it once again turns its attention towards The Knight.
With no other choice left, The Knight abandons using The Eclipse to attack and sheathes it to the side. It redistributes the ratio of muscles within its body, abandoning defense, and concentrates the majority into its arms and legs.
The monster attempts to swing at them but is forcibly stopped. The Knight’s grip crushes the malformed mockery of an arm and rips it out of the monster’s body. It staggers onto its knees as The Knight takes a deep breath in and slams the creature straight in the abdomen with a crushing blow from its fist. The monster gasps, air unable to enter its malignant body, and desperately attempts to swipe at The Knight as a creeping terror envelopes its primitive mind.
The Knight continues to assault its body, sending powerful blows that tear and dent at the monster’s armor, before delivering a devastating kick directed at the front bend of its knees, crushing the joints in its legs and immobilizing it. The creature desperately attempts to fly away from its relentless pursuer, but is caught by The Knight who rips the wings apart from its body, causing the creature to scream in agony.
Now unable to fly, the creature is thrown high into the air, floating momentarily in the sky, before landing straight into The Knight’s knee, crushing its spine and pulverizing the bones in its body. It cries out in desperation as it attempts to crawl away from The Knight, but it is no use. Blow after blow comes down upon its face. Again, and again, and again. Each impact lets out a ghastly squelch as the monster’s screams ring through the air. Its regeneration prevents it from falling unconscious as The Knight pummels it into a pitiful, bloodied mess for what seems like an eternity. It whimpers and hollers from the pain, unable to escape the never-ending cycle of torment.
Finally, the monster becomes silent and Sarathiel’s transformation begins to wear off. The flesh and armor separate back into different parts, and his body regains its human form, changing the skeletal structure back to normal. He lays immobile on the ground with every bone and organ in his body severely damaged, his face brutally bludgeoned beyond all recognition, but even so, he manages to cling onto life.
The Knight dissipates the nebula of color around them, changing the armor back into its golden shine. Although its optimized close-combat form is powerful, it puts a large strain onto its body, causing The Knight to stagger momentarily.
“I’ve subdued Sarathiel. It’s ok to release the barrier now, Annalay,” The Knight calls out, recovering its footing.
The giant mass of roots and wood retreat back into the earth and unseals the district. Annalay lands down near The Knight and shakes her head towards the unconscious body before them, now turned into a bruised and bloodied clump.
“The entire city is in a panic because of this idiot,” she sighs. “I hope he achieved whatever it is he was trying to do. When he wakes up, Ascalon’s going to make him wish he stayed unconscious.”
She beams at The Knight, thoroughly impressed by the fight. A hint of bloodlust passes through her eyes, as if she wants to let loose against The Knight this very moment, but sensibility wins over and she gives up on the notion.
“But at least some good came from all of this. Not only have the blades recognized you again, but you’ve even managed to bring back The Eclipse! Your strength continues to grow with each tribulation sent your way. Damn I’m jealous of you. Hell, I’m even tempted to charge at you right now.”
The Knight crosses its arms, unamused, and glares at the Annalay. She awkwardly turns around and picks up the unrecognizable mass of flesh from the ground, struggling to fit him onto her back.
“Anyways, I’ll carry this big lug back to the castle. We’re soothing the citizens right now so business should be back to normal within a few hours. Why don’t you take a look around the entertainment district after you head back? It’ll be night by then and I don’t want to let this dumbass ruin your evening. Take some time off and relax for a bit.”
“Alright, but I need to pick something up from my room first,” The Knight replies, dusting off the dust and debris on its armor. “I’ve been meaning to take a look after all of the praise I've heard.”
“Oh, don’t worry. It’ll be an experience to remember.”