Of golden eye

And a certain light

The Bright Lord walks an ashen land…

As the wyrm absconds

And brings the night

The Queen of White reveals her hand…

In the land of Dendra, where the ash of long-forgotten battles clouds the skies, a man with skin as pale as porcelain walks purposefully through the darkened dust. Charred leaves and soot crunch underfoot as he moves forward without a destination in mind. The man towers above passersby, paying no heed to their offers of trinkets, tonics, and weaponry.

As the sun sets and the scorching heat of the day begins to abate, the man stumbles upon the ruins of an old marble castle. Its once-majestic walls now crumbled and broken, the castle offers a place of refuge for the porcelain-skinned wanderer. He lies down in an open courtyard, gazing up at the darkening sky as the tail of the sun fades from view.

The man extends his hand towards the inky black void, feeling the pulsating energy of the universe coursing through his fingertips. His mind clears as he enters a deep state of meditative slumber, allowing the ancient magic of Chao to weave its way through his consciousness.

Though as soon as he was able to find solace, his eyes snapped open. “Hello!?” the man calls out into the void, his voice echoing through the empty halls of the reconstructed marble castle. He surveys his surroundings, taking note of the sea of white that stretches out as far as his golden eyes can see.

As he finishes taking stock of the land, a golden light descends from the heavens, filling the area with a regal glow. Delphius watches in amazement as the light takes on a voice and begins to speak.

"Delphius, my child," the light says. "Kneel before your queen."

Delphius scoffs at the mention of a queen. "I behold no monarchs in my eye," he declares boldly.

But the light is not to be ignored. With a shrieking force, it compels Delphius to his knees, his resistance utterly futile. Brought low before the divine presence, Delphius realizes that he is in the aura of something greater than he has ever known, and he can feel it in every fiber of his being.

“A touch of humility would do you well, my child,” the light admonishes. “Now tell me, has the deed been done? Has Ether been slain?”

"So that was on your command," Delphius thinks, realizing that the deed he had done was not of his own volition.

"Yes, the wretch has been put out of its misery," Delphius replies aloud to the light's inquiry.

"Good! Then we can begin immediately," the light says.

The light grows unyieldingly bright, forcing Delphius to shield his eyes. As quickly as it began, the light dims, and a small orb of energy takes its place.

"Child, hold out your hands," the light instructs.

Delphius obeys, outstretching his hands before him. A translucent crystal, flowing with Aetherical energy, floats over and falls into his possession.

"This is my body," the light declares. "Take it and become my vassal."

Delphius hesitates for a moment, but the power emanating from the crystal is too great to resist. He grips the soulstone tightly, his fingers sinking into its cool surface. Suddenly, the world around him shifts, and he feels as though he's been thrown into the midst of a cosmic landscape. Above him, an image of the Cosmic Mother glimmers in the sky, drawn out in starlight. Delphius staggers back, his heart pounding in his chest as he looks up at the massive figure before him.

"So you can see her too," a voice echoes in his mind, pulling him out of his reverie. "Good, this proves that you truly are a part of me."

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Delphius blinks, his eyes wide as he looks around for the source of the voice. "Wh-who is that?"

"The Cosmic Mother," the voice responds. "Watching and ruling above us in her infinity. Her power could be yours, assuming you have the mettle to take it."

"Do you know how?" Delphius asks eagerly.

"I do," the voice replies. "I would’ve done it myself had I not been interrupted by that arseling. But now I at least have you to carry on in my stead."

Delphius nods, his eyes shining with determination. "What would you have me do?"

"Ahh," a feminine chuckle emanates from within the stone. "It is no simple feat, Delphius. I will explain its peculiarities throughout your training."

"Training?" Delphius snorts. "Thanks to you, I have nigh unlimited power at my disposal."

"And yet, for all that power, you lack the intelligence to use it correctly," the voice chides him. "It is because of this and this alone that I will grace you with my guidance. Do you understand?"

Delphius pauses, considering the voice's words. "Yes, my lady…"

"Good," the voice says firmly. "Now, I shall honor these fetid lands with my presence once again."

The soulstone in Delphius's hand begins to glow brightly, and the world around him is swallowed up in brilliant light. As the light fades, he finds himself standing back in the castle ruins, next to a lightly armored woman armed with a sword spear.

The woman stands slightly shorter than Delphius, her long flowing dress trailing behind her. Her eyes are a piercing, shimmering gold, and the air around her seems charged with magical energy. As she outstretches her hand, Delphius suddenly feels a force compelling him to kneel before her.

Her hand still outstretched, the woman displays a wry smile, and Delphius begrudgingly takes her hand in his own, pressing his lips against her satin white glove.

Maelaezel speaks with a commanding tone, "You may henceforth refer to me as Maelaezel. Now rise, my Champion, and prepare yourself."

Taking her hand, Delphius stands next to Maelaezel, ready for whatever lies ahead. From the enormous outer gates, several highwaymen enter the castle courtyard.

One of the bandits speaks up in a gruff voice, "Well what have we here? Some ingrates trying to steal our spoils?"

"Or two lovers who just got caught in the act." A second chimes in.

The bandits laugh, save for one who notices how heavily armed the pair is. The third bandit speaks up, "Uh, Jugo. Check these guys out. They’re most certainly not raiders."

The group stops laughing altogether as they gaze upon the duo more closely.

Fear enters their eyes as the leader speaks with a stammer, "L-listen up you two. Don’t try anythin’ funny, okay?"

Maelaezel turns to Delphius, "I trust you can handle this rabble, Delphius?"

"My lady, I am unarmed," Delphius replies with a tone of sarcastic apprehension.

Maelaezel materializes a stock-looking spear and pulls it out from her chest, tossing it at Delphius, who catches it with ease. "Problem solved, hm?" she says with a smirk.

"Not quite," Delphius responds gazing over the trio of cowering assailants.

With the spear in hand, Delphius taps the ground and cracks begin to form in the stone, making their way up to the bandits.

Maelaezel rolls her eyes and says, "Hmph. How gaudy." she comments, manifesting a chair to sit down in and a glass of wine to sip on while Delphius assesses his opponents.

Then, without warning, Delphius hurls his weapon at breakneck speed, impaling one of the bandits and pinning him to the wall behind the group. The other bandits are caught off guard, unable to react before Delphius appears in front of them with a callous, indifferent look on his face.

In one swift motion, Delphius brings his hand down into the Bandit leader's skull, cleaving it in twain. The remaining two bandits look at their fallen leader, then up at Delphius in sheer terror. One begins to run away, while the other reaches for his sword.

With rage and tears in his eyes, the bandit swings downward at Delphius. But Delphius is too fast, deftly moving his body out of the way before reacting by palming the offender in the stomach, sending his innards flowing out of his backside.

As the other bandit continues to run away, Delphius turns his head, focusing on his fleeing prey. He extends one hand, and the spear that he had thrown earlier flies out of the wall, returning to his outstretched hand. He plants the spear on the ground and makes a sign with his hand. White and gold magic sigils begin to rise from the ground and surround him.

With a swift motion, Delphius impales the bandit with a spear of light that shoots up from the ground, ending the bandit's life. Delphius gives his spear a quick flourish, cleaning the tip of blood before walking back to Maelaezel who looks upon him intently, noticing the smallest fleck of blood on his cheek.

Without hesitation, she stands up to face him. The chair and glass disappear, and a handkerchief appears in her hand. She wipes the blood off his face, and with a cold tone, she says, "Sloppy…"