CHAPTER 6: Name
An unknown battlefield.
A war is being fought between two races.
Magical spells against supernatural abilities.
A huge and fierce looking red dragon’s roar was followed by-
A long and beautiful looking blue phoenix’s screech.
The battlefield was filled with the sound of clashing roars and the thudding of wings.
On the same field, countless battles unfolded- some had just begun, some were already over and others were reaching their very climax.
Countless lives faded away into the neverending cycle of Samsara.
In the heart of the battlefield, a large battle suddenly came to a halt.
Both sides turned their gaze to the same spot.
A large shadow, stretching wide, covered the entire battlefield.
A gargantuan creature's mighty roar shook everyone present. Six pairs of glowing eyes– red, blue, golden, green, white and gleaming black. Shining like lightning trapped in crystals high upon its colossal form.
The entire warfield fell still.
Even the wind stopped as it seemed to have faced a giant wall, as though the world itself was holding its breath.
All the other creatures, once locked in battle, froze. Especially the dragons scattered across the warfield, every single one of them trembled.
Their gazes turned in the same direction. Some roared back in excitement. Others shivered as if a PRIMAL FEAR had just washed over them. A few bellowed even louder, with the intent to prove that they were no less fierce.
Then.
Before the eyes of all who watched, a seven-headed black dragon descended upon the battlefield. Its vast wings caused storms and when it landed, the ground quaked beneath its weight.
Its central head remained still, eyes closed. Dark and flawless scales shining beneath the sunlight.
What they could tell though, is that, if one were to look directly at that figure.
They wouldn't be themselves anymore.
They would lose themselves and become ‘something'... Something that they didn't dare to imagine.
All of them subconsciously lowered their gazes as if it was an instinct.
A soldier suddenly fell to his knees.
And then, a booming sound encompassing the whole warfield, followed right after.
As everyone, from each and every battlefield, fell to their knees.
A few moments passed, after which, a large part of them tried to stand up.
However,
Everyone felt a crushing pressure pressing down upon them.
Trembling, sweat poured from their bodies as if they were under a heavy rain.
As if, standing before the presence of this being was a
Fear started to find its way into the hearts of many.
They had already mentally prepared themselves for their death long ago, when they entered the war.
Like, their was already written on the battlefield.
Still.
They had a faint hope that they would at least have the right to decide how they would die.
Either by suicide, or at the hands of their enemy.
But
Now, they all had the same thought.
Their ending could be
Because right at this moment they all knew that the 'figure' who entered the battlefield standing atop the gargantuan black dragon, had unimaginable power.
Power, that can erase them from the battlefield, from this world, like they never even existed to begin with.
They felt that, to this the war, in which countless lives were lost by the passing moment, the war which was supposed to be their LAST STRUGGLE, the war that has been continuing for the past 100 years, was NOTHING but an—
The who was reigning all the minds across the seemingly borderless field, let out a light sigh.
The who caused a hundred-years' war to come to a standstill, closed eyes and raised head towards the vast and boundless sky.
A few minutes passed.
Then.
The sky slowly started to emit a golden light.
And
A scene replaced the white clouds.
In that scene, a youth, roughly eighteen, was sleeping peacefully under a Redwood tree, without a single care about the world.
He had a slender body with pitch black hair.
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His eyes were closed.
His pale skin looked like it was devoid of any blood.
And then.
The colossal, seven-headed black dragon’s fourth head, which had its eyes closed as if in a deep slumber, suddenly trembled.
The fourth dragonhead raised its neck towards the sky and slowly started to open its eyes.
In the scene in the sky, the boy's body started to slowly float upward.
In the battlefield, the fourth dragonhead’s eyes fully opened.
In the scene the youth, still hovering in the air, opened his eyes as well.
The dragon and the youth looked at each other.
“...”
Without uttering a single word, the boy in the scene suddenly shivered.
…
Lumking City.
The capital of the Kingdom of Elysia.
Inside the Royal Palace of Elysia.
Right after the ringing sound of the bell announced the arrival of midnight.
Inside a room, at the very top of the palace.
Despite being a room in the palace, the atmosphere around here was somewhat lonesome and eerie.
A female figure wearing a white robe with elegant design was sitting near a ten-feet long white mirror.
A sweet and pleasant voice echoed the whole room as the woman in white parted her pink, rose-like lips and started to sing,
She picked up a haircomber from a luxurious looking white desk beside the mirror.
She started to comb her long white-hair while looking at the mirror before her.
Her left hand- managing the hair's position, right hand- combing certain parts carefully.
Singing to this point, her jade-like hands paused, her left hand slowly gripping the hair.
The haircomber fell from the right.
She pursed her delicate lips as if remembering something unpleasant.
Her sharp-nose lightly reddened as suddenly two drops of tears dripped down her flawless skin, touching the cheek and chin.
The woman silently weeped for quite awhile.
The white figure stood up and went near a window.
Then.
She closed her eyes.
And
She shifted her head towards the vast and boundless sky.
The woman in white started to sing once again,
She the same line times.
After which, she opened her eyes.
Her lips curved into a gentle smile.
But her eyes were shining strangely.
Her eyes had– white-irises encircling golden pupils.
The woman in white slightly chuckled and said in a dreamy voice,
"One day I WILL see your eyes again. And when I do, I will gouge out those eyes of yours and swallow them! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
By the end of the sentence, she burst into laughter.
She cackled like a maniac for a few seconds.
After which tears of blood started to drip down her face as she started shouting.
“IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME! NOT HER!
Why, just why did you abandon me? HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME BEHIND?! How could you…”
The white figure fell into the ground while crying miserably.
“DID you ever think that how would I live without YOU in this world? DO you know how much I've been through all these years? All alone? Do you?"
She complained as she slowly lifted her left hand and looked at the ring finger. Her right hand reached that finger and gently touched.
Suddenly a beautifully crafted wedding-ring became visible in that left ring finger.
"Every time I feel lonely and helpless as all kinds of pressure from all around the world tries to push me down to a grave, I look at this ring and remember the old times. When only you and I existed. I remember when we walked around the whole world, when we visited every kingdom and city holding our hands together”, her eyes had swollen by this point. She brought her left hand closer and gently kissed the ring.
After a long while she wiped her tears and stood up.
Nearing the white-desk, she sat down.
Looking at the mirror, she tried to smile.
But she eventually failed to keep that face as she bit down her lips.
“I don't know why or how but, I have this feeling that we will meet very, very soon…"
She used the word twice, indirectly indicating that her long awaited meeting will occur within an expected period of time. Taking a deep breath, she regained her composure.
She stood up and went near her bed. And stopped right before the bedside cabinet. There was a miniature portrait on that cabinet.
In the portrait could be seen—
A newlywed couple, still wearing the wedding clothes.
The man was wearing an elegant black robe covered in strange patterns.
The woman was wearing a beautiful black wedding gown covered in the same patterns.
The groom was sitting on an exquisite black chair. Looking at his bride with a warm smile.
There was a softness to him, his hair and eyes were as dark as the soot of a dying fire, smudged and shadowed against his pale skin.
The bride was sitting on his lap with slightly flushed cheeks.
She had eyes of a luminous blue and hair like the still, dark surface of a midnight lake.
Both of their hands were locked into the other’s.
On top of the groom's left hand, there was a tattoo containing the letter—
While the bride had the letter— tattooed in a similar way but on her right hand.
The bride looked quite similar to the white-robed woman but much younger and slender.
The woman in white sighed once again and let herself sprawl over the bed next to the cabinet.
…
Aetherwood, Aethelgard.
Redwood's territory.
A few minutes ago.
The youth was hovering in the air beneath the Redwood tree.
Just a moment ago, he was sleeping under the tree, when he subconsciously felt himself being in a very light condition. As if, he was floating upwards.
Then he woke up instantly and opened his eyes.
Before him, instead of some tree branches, was a scene.
A scene of a battlefield.
There, he felt a pair of eyes looking directly at him.
“Huh?"
He frowned a bit and blinked a few times to adjust his vision.
Then.
He saw a seven-headed dragon,black scales covering its whole body like shining armor.
Its size was so big, it was impossible to guess the whole figure from just a downward glance.
At this time, the head at the center of its neck was shifted towards him.
And then.
Their eyes met.
He saw two grey eyes strangely shining, looking right into his eyes.
A few seconds later, he suddenly shivered as the dragon loosened up a bit of its bone-chilling aura.
His eyes went wide after which he did a double take,
"This…”
Right now, he felt an extremely sinister aura moving towards him.
However, the next second, the aura seemed to merge into something around him.
Right after that, he felt his own aura resonating in sync with the sinister aura that just came from the grey-eyed dragon.
‘Am I… dreaming?’
He frowned.
‘Strange…I don't remember having any dreams like this in the past. And this feeling, it feels too real to be a dream. Also, I can vaguely sense a person standing atop the dragonhead.’
Reaching to this point on his train of thoughts, the boy raised his chin up a bit,with eyebrows knitted together, he tried to look at the figure in front, who stood exactly opposite to him with an incomprehensible presence.
By now, he could vaguely see the appearance of the man before him. But whenever he tried to focus, he felt as though the man didn't have any face.
However, if the white-robed woman were to be here, she probably would've instantly recognized this man. Since, this man's appearance was actually strikingly similar to the groom from that portrait.
As for the youth, he felt his heart acting in a strange motion. He became confused and… unknowingly hopeful.
‘I feel connected to him… in an unexpected way. It's like… we are related by blood.’
Yes.
The youth felt like the person before him might be someone who is closely related to him.
‘Ah… family. It has to be the feeling of a familial bond.’
He lowered his gaze for a second.
‘But… Why NOW? And… Why like this? He isn't here to get rid of me, right?’
His one year of experiences made him nervous because he had seen the way the world works. How cruel and unreasonable a person can be just for even a measly grain of rice or a single chunk of meat.
He became nervous. With these unshakeable doubts and hopes, he decided to just ask his questions first.
Because deep inside he already knew if the person before him were to kill him, he wouldn't be able to resist for even a single heartbeat.
For some reasons, he even discarded the idea of using the unknown power which he discovered within himself recently.
In the end, he gazed up once again. His eyes were resolute. However, betraying his gaze, his tone was expectedly anxious as he asked,
“Your Excellency…may I know who you are? Or, do you perhaps… know me?”
He waited for a reply but didn't receive any response at all.
“It is strange actually, how familiar I am feeling towards you. To be honest, I have no memories of myself, until just a year ago. And recently I—”
The youth didn't get to finish his line when,
A sudden sound of chuckling stopped him.The youth was startled. As he had never even considered the scene, where the very first response he would get from the mysterious person who stood atop the gargantuan seven-headed dragon with an enigmatic aura, would be to ‘chortle’.
“... Ahem”
The youth let out a fake cough and straightened himself as he continued,
“Your Excellency, if yo—”
Once again his speech got interrupted as a loud sigh rang in the air.
And then a similar to the youth's but more matured and dignified voice spoke.
“Okay, stop. It feels weird to be addressed like that, especially when the other person is myself.”
The person shook his head and added,
“Yes, you are right. I AM related to you.”
The youth felt a bit shaken upon confirming one of his doubts.
Then the mysterious man before him added,
“To be more precise…”
The man paused and with an amused tone he pronounced three words one by one—
As the words fell into the youth’s ears, he was confused at first but soon did a double take and was dumbfounded. His facial muscles twitched, pupils dilated.
“Huh? I am… YOU?”
The boy still couldn't believe the fact and asked once again in a more direct manner this time.
“Yes. You are me. To be more accurate, the ‘young’ me.”
Then as if remembering something, the man said,
"Judging from your current state, you… don't know your name, right?”
The youth nodded as if he were in a daze.
Seeing this sight, the man smiled wryly for reasons only he knew.
And then.
He said,
“Your name is—”