Age of Heroes

Arial come into his bedchamber and look at the portrait of his late wife. Helia is portrayed elegantly in the paintings; beside her left is another painting.

It is the painting of Ariadne smiling, her face full of joy. 

On Helia right is the painting of Arial with a crown on his head, and the majesty of his coronation, the moon and the heaven all portrayed symbolically in the crest of his family. 

A dragon holding a pearl in its claw. And then Arial sit near his bed and open a bottle of wine and drink it all in one gulp.

He just stares at the painting. The painting of Helia. And then at his daughter.

'Can I only see your smile in painting Ariadne?' He asks himself. It has been so long since he sees his daughter smiles.

He would give anything to see it again.

'What a failure I have been! What use of my strength if I can't even protect those around me?' he lamented.

'Levitia lost his life but he at least protected those who he cares about. Thinking about it, Levitia is lucky. He never had to suffer such lonely suffering.'

And then Arial sigh.

'Kyle was right. This is guilt. But even if he is right, what can I do? I can't stop. I have no purpose now' and he took another bottle and like the rest he gulped it all in one gulp.

'What lofty ambition! Save the continent. I have saved it! I have spared the human continent from its demise! How could Light treat me like this! Heavens, do you have no mercy!' He complained to the heavens.

'Even this' he said as he throws the bottle and it shattered on the corner of his bedchamber.

'I can't even get drunk. No matter how many I drink, I could never get myself drunk. Hah! I couldn't even drown in my sorrows even if I wanted to! Isn't this too cruel!' 

Then for a while there is only silence in the room, complete and utter silence.

Then slowly he stands up and lies on his bed and he sleeps. 

Suffering in silence, the sorrows and sadness…the undirected hatred…so much hate that it could even poison his vein.

Hatred towards his own fate. His own powerlessness. 

And slowly his worries and guilt dimmed as he went into a deep sleep unlike the sleep he had before, strength sapped out from his body unwillingly as something bizarre is happening.

And he dreams.

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Arial is now in an open space. This space is all white and it surrounds him. He looks at his hand and he could see his hand but all around him is white. 

He doesn't know if he is standing or floating right now.

'What is this?' He asked himself. 

'Asrana, you have awakened.' 

A voice comes out of nowhere, echoing in the infinite expanse of the space. The voice is clearly a voice of a woman, gentle but possessing some trace of power.

Arial was startled to say the least. Where is he? Is he dreaming? But how could such dreams be so vivid?

Arial look left and right but could see no one, all he could see was the emptiness of this space. So he asked the voice.

'Who are you?'

'I am your beacon to your destiny, Asrana. I am your protector, your watcher. I have guarded you from danger since the day you were born. I have seen your deepest fear, your greatest regret. Your fears and uncertainty is no secret to me Asrana. But now your destiny is calling. It is time. To fulfill your destiny' 

The word said echoing in that space, the voice is gentle and smooth but ancient.

'What destiny!'

'I will guide you, Asrana to your destiny. Come to me in the Land of Shadows and seek me. Seek me. And I will tell you of your past, the reason you have to suffer all this tragedy. I will tell you of your future. For the past is always intertwined with the future. Seek me and all of this knowledge shall be yours.'

And the white space contorted into a black hole sucking everything as the white light rush into it, like they were being sucked by an invisible force, that even light could not escape its grasp.

And as even Arial felt the pulling sensation suddenly the sucking pressure stopped into a halt as a new scene suddenly jump out of the black hole and Arial could see a different place, unlike anything he has even seen in the human continent.

He was pushed onto the scene and he stand on the ground, still in the vivid dream.

He had to ask himself…where is this place he mused in his mind, trying to see any similarities and found none.

He is standing in front of a great Godstree. How did he recognize it? One of Arial hobbies is reading and he once encounters an illustration of Godstree.

It is a tree imbued by divine power. It is said that all of it has become extinct long before Levitia rise.

Their roots run deep, its bark is as strong as metal and power radiated from it, the fruit is glowing, and the leaf is all glowing gold.

Arial look around and he could see green grass under his feet, see the birds perched on the branches of the trees, singing and chirping. 

The sky was blue and open, clear weather for miles, the sun bathe Arial in its generous light.

Slowly he approached the trees, like some unexplainable urge attack his instinct to move closer.

Closer and closer he came until he is only a few inches away from the tree and he feel like his pulse is quickening, like he is absorbing the power of the tree and the tree keeps on giving without withering. 

Arial feel at peace. 

Arial feel invincible…like nothing could penetrate his defenses, nothing could hurt him…. like he was something…. more.

Until suddenly the dark clouds clouded the blue sky up above Arial head and the light of the sun blotted out by the dark clouds.

Then thunder boomed with great ferocity and lightning bolts strikes the land near the trees, burning the grass

The impact creates a deep large craters that could fill a lake, and fog came…. a black fog fast approaching attacking the area around the tree and Arial feels like he is suffocated, holding his throats like some vile thing come inside him. 

Slowly Arial began to feel weakened as he slowly falls to the ground, his hand still clutching his throats and blood seeping out of his ears and nose. 

His vein in his eyes feel like it's going to explode and his body feel like is being burned by the hottest fire on earth.

The land shakes as the ground crumbles and creates an abyss, and from that abyss blacker fog emerges like sea of fog covering everything in its path, withering the plants and the trees, killing the birds and every life forms.

And far away his eyes caught a gigantic figure with horns on his head from the silhouette. Its eyes were bright red, and there is a glint of madness in it.

And then the voice returns again, like it came from the sky.

'It is your destiny to stop Him. Three forces of evil have conspired to release Him with the power of the Stone of Life. Seek help from the Demon kind. That boy' she said her voice then imprint an image inside Arial mind.

'He will point you to the right direction. We will meet again, Asrana. Until then'

And slowly the land around Arial feet turned to dust disappearing like ash and Arial knows that this dream is a divine dream and it is disappearing and quickly he asks

'Who are you!'

'Amara' the voice said, almost like she is whispering. 

And Arial woke up, sweats on his forehead, his heart beats like he was just in a great battle.

He then quickly summons guards to call upon the envoy. 

The envoy was quickly awakened from his sleep and hearing the emperor call him with the utmost urgency, the envoy quickly wears his robe of office, and rush towards the Emperor bedchamber.

Arial is still sweating on top of his bed, not once after the dream he moves from his bed. It has been a long time since he sweat or feel such terrible dread.

Then the envoy presents himself in front of him.

'Your Imperial Majesty, I have come heeding your summons. What is Your Imperial Majesty command?'

Arial take a deep breath and said

'Summon Lord Mikael Devonhurst to Eden…. immediately'

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