Chapter Four

The Birth of an Envoy– Part Four.

“W-what… n-no. How could this… how could this be? This can’t be…” Before Aelius, pinned to a boulder by her own lance through her chest, was Alea.

He saw her a few times since the first time they met, if not just from a distance. He even saw portraits of her through the newspapers. She had grown her hair out longer, and her body had matured further. She grew up to be the breathtaking girl Aelius always knew she would be.

But now, her eyes were closed shut eternally, one of them gouged out. Her legs and one arm were missing, and half the top of her head was caved in by a brutal impact. Limply she hung, still and unmoving.

No trace of her warmth remained for Aelius to return to.

“W-what happened here?” He felt tears forming at the corner of his eyes. Alea was such a wonderful person. How could she end up with this fate? “Please… tell me, what happened here.”

Just looking at the wounds, he could tell she died horrifically and painfully. There was nothing in the world that could justify such a terrible thing happening to someone that deserved only good things.

“She was killed by a type of predator. A predator that does not belong in my world.” Stecia turned to face him. “She was my most favourite daughter, and she wound up as prey to a… skal.”

“A skal?”

“Yes. They are a species governed by unnatural and different laws than my human subjects are. Since ancient times they preyed on Mages and, in doing so, grew stronger. So strong to the point that even the weakest skal among them can only be injured by the powers of an Eighth Star and beyond.”

“A-and Alea ran into one of these things?”

“She did not run into it. She was targeted. Hunted down, and she was powerless to defend herself against it. Aelius, I called you here for an important reason. The other Holy Knights may be targeted to. And not just them. All key figures of humanity may not be safe.”

The Goddess Stecia turned to him. He could see the grief in her gaze and soft eyes. Ah, he realised that truly, he was in the presence of a Divine Being.

His mind struggled to understand how this could have happened– maybe it was just a nightmare? In one instant, he felt as though everything he worked towards for the last three years had been torn away from him.

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“You are the only one who held such a pure adoration for her. I’m sorry you were exposed to this, but… this is what I must do for Fate to be satisfied. Go on. Approach her corpse.”

Aelius bit his lips with heartache. His eyes were unsure, darting between the body of a woman he had fallen in love with many years ago, and the projection of the awe-inspiring Goddess of his world.

“Now raise your hand to her.” He did as told, and Stecia approached, gently placing her hand down on his shoulder.

As soon as the Divine Goddess’ skin made contact, he jolted with an electrifying power shooting through his entire being.

Tears were streaming down her glowing cheeks as she spoke. “Alea was ambushed before she became able of harnessing the power I gave her at birth. Upon her death, that power has begun leaking out, allowing me to temporarily manifest. Before all of my gifted power dissipates back into nature’s equilibrium, I will designate you as the new vessel.”

Aelius could not understand her explanation. It was all too much to take in, in such a short time.

“Normally, it was not meant to happen this way. But, I cannot trust anyone else other than you to shoulder the burden of repelling the Skals and their masters. They are a scourge which must be eradicated in your lifetime. In fifteen years, if left unchecked, those festering pests will usher in the destruction of all of Ophelia.”

Aelius’ eyes widened as a golden light strayed out from Alea’s glowing body and came drifting toward him. As it entered the pores on his skin, he gasped. The warmness and power of the Divine felt liberating. Overwhelming. Heavenly.

“If not for my manifesting, and personally guiding this power into you, this amount of power would obliterate your entire soul. Or any other whom would try to covet it. With this, Aelius, my child, you are now my envoy. If you wish to protect all you love, you will follow my will.”

Aelius fell to his knees as the transfer ended, gasping, as the ball of warmth settled into the bottom of his stomach. The feeling that his entire existence was about to fade away gradually grew farther, and he looked up at the Goddess through his rugged breaths.

“Once again, forgive me for burdening you with all of this. It will be a difficult journey ahead of you, but I have faith in you just as you have faith in me. My child, never lose hope. Fate decrees that you will prevail.”

As Aelius listened intently, unable to make sense of what she was saying, he froze. Something in his body was suddenly screaming at him. A tangible, intense fear in the air choking him around the throat.

His dilated pupils dashed around his surroundings and then he settled on a pair of red eyes glaring at him from behind the veil of the darkness around him.

What is that thing?

A growl filled his ears.

“It’s coming,” Stecia said and as if on cue, it came lunging out.

First was the silhouette revealing itself to be a humanoid shape. But the odd thing was how hunched the spine was, not that Aelius had more than a split second to think more about it.

Then second were the red, crimson pupils shaped in a reptilian slit.

Third were the scales, green and abhorrent, rough and cracked, together along with claws outstretched.

“Watch out!” Aelius called out while the raptor-like creature, the skal, plunged into Stecia, tearing through her face from behind.