Chapter Text
Somewhere, in a place engulfed in nothing but darkness, there is an electronic ping as a device comes to life. Then, a holographic image of the table of contents of a book titled "The History of Aelion" appears. The first item on the list, highlighted in blue, is titled "The Divine Guardians."
Another soft ping indicates that this item has been selected, and a feminine voice narrates the book's contents with detailed silhouetted illustrations following the narrator's words.
History of Aelion, Chapter 1: The Divine Guardians
In the beginning, the galaxy in which Aelion would one day reside was nothing but an empty space in the grandness of the universe, but that all changed when there was a cosmic explosion from the union of Aeli and Celestia, two primordial gods of creation. They created the planets, the sun, and their greatest achievement, the planet Aelion, along with its inhabitants.
As the planet evolved, so did Aeli and Celestia’s new family, the Morningstars. They had eight children, each of whom became the Major Gods of Aelion—
“Vagatha Mariposa Monarca! Lute Rosarie Leblanc! It is 10 PM! You two should’ve been asleep an hour ago?”
Vagatha, or Vaggie as she liked to be called, was a young girl who looked to be no older than nine years old. She had a dark complexion, short, dark brown hair that faded into a lighter brown at the tips, and light brown eyes.
Lute, on the other hand, looked one year older. She had a pale complexion, long blonde hair with natural dark roots on top of her head, and hazel green eyes with brown flecks around the pupil.
They were both lying on the former's bed, reading a red hardback book that appeared normal from the outside. However, the "white pages" were actually a thick block of metal designed to resemble real paper. Inside, on the right side of the “paper,” there was a large rectangular touchscreen displaying the holographic silhouette illustration, along with three diamond-shaped buttons at the bottom. The right and left buttons were white, while the middle was gold.
Gasping, the two girls looked towards the door, where standing all disapprovingly was the former’s mother, Maria, who Vaggie shared a great resemblance with, minus the woman having dark brown eyes and black hair. Dressed in her light pink nightgown and matching robe, she looked far from pleased as she tapped her pink, fuzzy-slippered foot on the floor.
“Mom, we were just getting to the best part,” Vaggie whined.
Maria sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. “Girls, you’ve listened to that book from start to finish probably a hundred times already.” She stated rather tiredly.
Vaggie and Lute looked at the former’s mother with big, toothy smiles and the biggest pair of puppy eyes they could muster as they begged. “Please?”
Maria looked at them with a raised eyebrow, but soon an amused smile appeared on her face. She shook her head and softly laughed. “Oh, can those eyes get any bigger? Scootch over.”
Smiling happily, the girls scooted over so Maria could sit down. They then went back to the story. The book came to life as the silhouette of eight figures, representing Aeli and Celestia’s eight children, appeared as their names were called.
The first and second children were twin brothers: Lucifer the Lightbringer and Michael the Radiant. Lucifer is the God of Light, while Michael is the God of Justice.
Lucifer, true to his name, shines like a star. He is described as a carefree dreamer with eccentric ideas for all of creation that would bring nothing but joy to all those who witness them. In contrast, Michael is the more serious twin. However, like his brother, he also shines like a shining star in his own way, displaying a determined nature and an unwavering sense of virtue that he uses to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
The third child was Raphael the Healer, the God of Healing and Medicine. He is the greatest healer that the world has to offer; they even say that there isn’t an illness that the Divine healer could not cure.
The fourth child was Uriel the Omniscient, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. Moreover, he is often referred to as the God of Science by mortals, as his curious, scientific mind is unmatched and remains so to this day.
The fifth child was Ariel the Grovewalker, also known as Ariel the Nurturing. She is the Goddess of Nature. She helped humans cultivate their agriculture and, true to her title, she is described as a very nurturing person with deep compassion for all living beings.
The sixth child is the most mysterious; they are Azrael the Patient, the Deity of Death. It is their duty to collect the souls of the deceased and guide them to a realm known as Elysium, the final resting place for all mortal souls.
The seventh child is Raziel the Chronicler, the Goddess of Secrets. Like her brother Uriel, she is a studious soul who constantly seeks to expand her own knowledge, as well as preserve the history of Aelion for everyone.
And finally, the eighth and youngest child, Gabriel the Diligent, the God of Messages. Despite having a similar carefree yet charming attitude to his elder brother Lucifer, Gabriel, as his title suggests, takes his job as a divine messenger really seriously with a sheer amount of diligence.
The scene shifts to show Aelion in a state of peace, where the gods walk among the humans. However, this tranquility is disrupted when ships descend from the sky towards the planet. Out of these ships emerge beautiful humanoid women with snakes for hair, accompanied by an army of ferocious reptilian creatures.
For centuries, Aelion lived in peace until the Gorgonides appeared. They were the first otherworldly invaders who arrived on the planet with only one mission: to conquer it. With the backing of their Primordial Goddess, Akonita, along with advanced technology and possessing more numbers, they became a formidable force that proved to be a challenge, even for the ten gods.
In the ensuing battle, the holograph showed a desolate Aelion, human bodies littering the ground, with Aeli looking down sorrowfully. But the silhouette perks up as a lightbulb appears over his head. The scene changes, showing him conversing with Celestia.
Many noble humans had offered to join their gods in the fight to protect their home, but after a century of fighting, it had sadly caused much harm to the planet and the humans themselves. So, in all of his omnipotent wisdom, Aeli made a proposal with his wife that would change the world, hopefully for the better. They bestowed upon humanity a fragment of their divinity, which granted a chosen, lucky few the wondrous gift of immortality and divine powers to call their own.
However, they would not see their gift come into fruition until three decades later. The First humans to be born with this gift were a warrior named Adam Eden and twin sisters, Lilith and Evelyn Evergreen. They joined the fight against the invaders, but during a fierce battle, all three met an untimely end. However, death was merely the beginning for them, as upon their demise, they were reborn anew as immortals and with newfound powers.
Adam, driven by his strong convictions to rid the world of the Gorgonides, with tales even going as far as to say, he once saved an entire village after fighting two hundred Gorgonides on his own, only walking away with a few flesh wounds. This, along with his hunting down various creatures, had earned him the titles of Adam the Protector, the God of the Hunt.
Evelyn, commonly known as Eve, possessed a compassionate, friendly nature, leading to her being known as Eve the Cordial. She was a talented Hedge witch, and it was due to her innate talent for earth magic that, when cultivated under Ariel’s tutelage, led to Eve earning the divine title of Goddess of Earth.
Lilith, like her sister, was a practitioner of witchcraft, with a particular focus on the Arcane. Known for her free spirit and indomitable will, she used her voice and songs to uplift the waning spirits of both gods and humans, bridging the gap between them. Through her efforts, she inspired many people to join the gods' cause, earning her the title of Lilith the Harmonious, the Goddess of Unity.
After them, more and more immortals began to emerge until eventually the tide of battle had changed in Aelion’s favor, and the Goddess Akonita was severely injured by Aeli. Before retreating, Akonita cursed Aeli, telling him that the Gorgonides would be back one day to enact their revenge.
Aeli was undaunted by her dreadful, foreboding words, as he knew through his and Celestia’s gift that Aelion would be ready for anything. And he was right; On that victorious day, the Elder Gods, the new addition to the ranks of the Aelionite Patheon that we know today, had been formed. And their numbers continue to grow with each new immortal.
Even now, after new invaders appeared and our Primordial beings have departed, the people of Aelion have no reason to fear. We still have our remaining Divine Guardians to safeguard the planet in their absence.
“The End,” Maria said, closing the book. “Now, that’s it. You can read the rest tomorrow.” Her words made the girls groan in dismay, but they listened as Maria got off the bed, and the girls got comfortable under the covers.
“Good night, my darlings, and no reading that book the second I close this door. You here?” She said sternly.
“Yes, ma’am.” The girls replied, smiling like little angels, before they snuggled into their covers.
Maria closed the door, and her footfalls got fainter until they couldn’t hear them anymore.
For the next two minutes, there was nothing but silence before the girls quickly sat up and through the light generated from Vaggie’s nightlight, the girls looked at each other with a smile as Vaggie grabbed the book from the nightstand and they opened it to the next chapter.
“Holo-book, go into whisper mode,” Vaggie ordered in a hushed tone. The holo-book made a blinking sound as it came to life and began to talk in a relaxed, softer tone. “Chapter 2: Seraphiel, the Goddess of Order—”
***
“Girls, it’s time to wake up!” Maria's voice called out.
Groaning, the girls rose from the covers, their hair sticking in all directions and bags under their eyes, but they only had themselves to blame for staying up so late reading.
With a yawn, the girls got up, brushed their teeth, and made their way downstairs, where Maria was making breakfast while Vaggie’s father, Simon, read the newspaper.
Simon was a tall, large man with dark skin, light brown eyes, and curly brown hair. Despite his rather imposing appearance, his face lit up with a bright smile when he saw the girls. “Good morning, girls.” He said merrily.
“Morning, Papa!”
“Morning, Uncle Simon!”
Taking their seat, the girls look down as Maria sets a plate of Tres leches French toast, sunny-side-up eggs, and four pieces of sausage in front of them. Perking up, the girls took their silverware and happily ate it until there were only maple syrup stains left. Putting their plates in the sink, the girls ran back upstairs to change into their clothes. Once fully dressed, they bid Vaggie’s parents farewell.
“Bye, Mom, bye, Dad! Lute and I are going to play in the woods!” Vaggie exclaimed.
“Don’t forget your lunches!” Maria said, holding up two brown paper bags. The girls took the bags, thanking her and taking their leave.
The streets of their home were rather lively, with other civilians who went about their day. Suddenly, a man clad head to toe in armor went up behind them and picked up Lute. “Now, where do you think you’re going, you little rugrats!” He said in a playful tone as he tickled Lute’s sides.
Recognizing his voice, Lute laughed happily. She looks at the man. “Daddy! Let me go! That tickles!” She exclaimed.
The man chuckled as he let Lute down. He took off his helmet, revealing that he was a very handsome man with crystal blue eyes and hair similar to his daughter’s, which reached his shoulders and was tied into a low ponytail.
“Hi, Tio Beau.” Vaggie greeted.
“Going to the forest, are we?” He inquired, a smile on his face.
The girls nodded eagerly.
“Well, alright, just remember to be careful.” Beau cautioned.
“We will!” The girls replied before bolting off.
***
In the lush forest, the girls’ laughter filled the forest as they played games such as hide and seek, hiked in the nearby shallow creek that was calf-deep, collected shiny rocks, made balls of clay, climbed trees, and Vaggie scaring and chasing Lute around with a centipede in her hands.
Eventually, they grew so exhausted that they took a break and sat in the meadow, surrounded by grass and a field of flowers. As they stared at the clear blue sky, Vaggie looked at Lute. “Hey, Lute?” Lute looks at her. “What?”
“Just curious, when you get older, what type of templar do you want to be? I was thinking about joining the Order of either Adina or Adam. I hear they fight some really dangerous monsters.”
Lute chuckled, “Yeah, I can understand wanting that. And I do have thoughts about joining those two orders for a similar reason. But I will admit, I’m also a bit biased to the latter since my dad is part of that order.” Looking up at the sky, Lute smiled. “I can’t wait to get older, soon everyone will know my name. Lute Leblanc, the Black Knight.”
“Why the Black Knight?” Vaggie inquired, confused as Black Knights are usually evil in stories, but also found it ironic that she wanted to be known by a color the exact opposite of her name.
Lute smiled proudly, hands on her hips. “Because Black is a cooler color than White, not to mention my favorite color,” Lute answered, taking her reasoning with immense pride.
“But aren’t Black Knights evil?” Vaggie asked.
Lute shrugged. “Pfft! I don’t care; I plan to be a good Black Knight and show everyone they shouldn’t judge people based on appearances like my mom always says.”
“But enough about me, what about you, Vaggie? Are you going to be known as Vagatha Monarca, the Monster Hunter, when you’re older?”
“Pfft! No! I’ll be Vagatha Monarca, the Monster Slayer. It sounds way cooler than Monster Hunter," Vaggie proudly declared.
“Hmm, fair.” Lute agreed.
After staying in the field for at least another hour, the girls finally decided to head home before it got too late. They walked through the forest hand in hand and were nearing the gates when someone began screaming at the top of their lungs.
“THEY’RE COMING! THE CREATURES OF EVIL ARE COMING!”
Lute and Vaggie looked back to see a man running for his life. He pushed past the girls, knocking them over, but it could not save him from the arrow that got lodged right through his throat. The girls screamed, huddled close together as the man fell with a sickening thud, his blood pooling around him.
The girls looked back and looked in fear as a horde of creatures known as Virds began advancing towards the city. Appearance-wise, they were human-sized, grotesque-looking bipedal rodents with a full set of jagged teeth that were dressed in battle armor and were wielding curved swords.
Getting to their feet, the girls quickly ran and entered the gates before they were closed by the panicking gatekeepers. Vaggie exclaims as her foot nearly gets caught by the door as they slip inside.
Falling to the floor, Vaggie hissed as she scraped her knees on the cement floor. “Vaggie? You, okay?” Lute asked. “I’m fine, just a scratch,” Vaggie assured.
Lute helped her to her feet, and they both looked at the door. They could hear the sound of the virds banging and screeching as they tried to get in. They sighed in relief, thinking that they were safe; however, suddenly the virds got mysteriously quiet.
On the other side of the door, the Virds remained silent as they parted like the Red Sea to allow the Dark Mage to approach. He was a human male with deathly pale skin and black makeup on his face. He wore a red open-hooded robe that had a white and black checkered pattern on the inside, featuring a black eye stitched onto the back.
Touching the door, the Dark Mage eroded the door with his death magic, turning what was a new pristine thick metal door into nothing but brittle rusted metal.
At the sight of this, the town’s people, who were foolish enough not to have already run, began to do so, just as a giant Vird walks forward and bursts through the newly rusted door. Zeroing in on them and killing anyone and everything in sight. The streets were filled with nothing but chaos and the sound of the emergency bell ringing to warn the rest of the village about the impending doom.
As the girls ran, Vaggie saw an alleyway with a large dumpster. Vaggie skids to a stop and pulls Lute towards the alleyway. “Vaggie, what are you doing?” Lute asked. “We can hide here.” She said, going over to hide behind a stink dumpster.
Lute had a look of disgust as she plugged her nose. “Ugh, it smells.” She complained. “Good, my dad always said to find places that’ll hide our scent. Now shush.”
And as a vird stops exactly in front of the alleyway, it sniffed around. It could smell human, but the smelly trash, as Vaggie said, had hidden their scent, and so the giant rodent went on his way to slaughter more humans up ahead.
The girls remained in place, too terrified to move as the screams of the villagers echoed through the streets. Soon, the smell of fire and ash began to fill the entire town as buildings were set ablaze. The chaos lasted for what felt like an eternity, leaving the girls to wonder if it would ever end. As darkness fell, the sounds around them gradually faded, and everything fell quiet, leaving only the sound of a crackling fire.
Finally leaving their hiding spot, the girls saw that the streets were empty, sans the multiple bodies that littered the streets. Hearing hissing, the girls quickly ran off before they could be spotted by any Virds. However, as they turned a corner, they slammed right into the back of a Vird.
Turning around, the Vird snarls as it swings its green blade. It was heading straight down towards Lute, who was too terrified to move, but at the last second, Vaggie pushed Lute out of the way. Blood spilled on the floor as Vaggie screamed in agony. She falls to the floor, writhing with one hand holding tightly onto her bleeding eye socket after her eye had been gouged out.
The Vird's shadow loomed over her. The glint of its blade shines brightly as it raises it above its head. Just as it was about to deliver the killing blow, there was a sudden thud as a large rock collided with the creature's skull.
The Vird slightly swayed, its head cocking to one side, momentarily dazed as the rock tumbled to the ground. Blinking in confusion, its beady eyes locked onto Lute, who stood there, clutching another piece of debris in her trembling hand.
Despite shaking like a leaf, Lute summoned every ounce of courage she had, holding another piece of debris in her hand with a death grip as the monster slowly turned around to fully face her. The Vird let out a low, menacing hiss; its body arched as it got ready to pounce, but before it could, a figure crashed down from above, striking the creature with their golden axe. The ground shook and crackled from the impact, the dirt picking up in a puff of smoke.
Lute gasped as she lost her balance and fell to her knees. She looks up inquiringly as the dirt begins to clear and the figure stands up in all its glory, blood splattered on its black outfit.
The figure was male, judging by his tall, hulking frame, which was emitting a soft gold glow, and bore gold wings with a pale gold line at the bottom. He wore a black robe that was skintight at the top, with high slits on both sides of the skirt, and it was lined with gold, featuring a gold leaf design located near his groin on the front.
Over his robe, he also wore gold upper-body armor, featuring spikes around his neck and on the wrists of his sharp-fingered gold gauntlets. The front of his breastplate was engraved with a stylized gold “A.” Underneath, he wore black leather pants and matching calf-length boots adorned with gold spikes at the top.
The figure lifted his head, revealing a black LED helmet with a gold facial design that was fixed into a sharp-toothed, maniacal grin. Atop the helmet were large, curved black horns with gold spikes on the ends. Above his head, between his horns, was a gold half-halo with small spikes.
Combined with the blood splattered on his clothes, the man's mask displaying a wide, maniacal, Cheshire grin across his face, the man looked absolutely terrifying as he slowly turned his gaze towards Lute.
Lute let out a bloodcurdling scream, startling the man. "Wha--" he began before Lute hurled the rock, hitting him square in the face and causing his helmet to glitch. He yelled in surprise, stumbling back and nearly tripping over his own feet.
"Hey, what was that for? Whoa!" The man exclaims as he dodges another rock thrown at him. "Wait, stop! I'm a good guy!" His words finally got through to Lute, but she had already thrown another rock, hitting him in the head again. This time, his helmet cracked, the screen glitched before powering down completely, leaving him unable to see. The man yelled in frustration.
Suddenly, controllable laughter echoed through the air from above. “BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
The girls looked up to see a strikingly beautiful woman who emitted a similar gold glow. She had sharp facial features, long, flowing blonde hair, and emerald-green eyes. She had a tall, hourglass figure, and above her head was a rose gold half-halo that resembled thick, twisted vines with the emblem of a rose on the back. Additionally, she had a pair of pale pink wings on her back, which faded into a lighter shade at the bottom.
She wore a white, square-necked, bishop-sleeved shirt. Over it, she had a pastel sea green underbust corset featuring a faint floral pattern of leafy vines and roses. She paired this with light brown pants and cinched her waist with a thick brown belt, which had a large pouch on the left side and a pair of brown binoculars strapped to the right. Completing her outfit, she wore brown thigh-high lace-up boots. For accessories, she wore a gold necklace with a single red rose charm and gold leaf earrings.
Tearing off the helmet, the warrior threw it on the ground. Revealing that he also had fair skin, golden yellow eyes, and short brown hair.
He looked up at the sky and yelled at the woman, “SHUT UP, EVE!”
Eve, still laughing, flies down and lands next to him. She propped her arm on his shoulder. “How about no! That was hilarious! She got you good, Adam!” Eve said, grinning from ear to ear, showing off the small and cute gap between her middle top teeth.
Vaggie and Lute stared at the two-winged beings, coming to the realization that the very gods that they read about were right in front of them in the flesh. The latter’s face then turned pale when she realized that she had thrown rocks at a god; her parents are going to kill her for such disrespect.
Adam rolled his eyes and shrugged off Eve’s arm and went over to Lute. “Just shut up and heal the kid.” He grumbled.
Eve rolled her eyes at his rudeness and did as he said, approaching Vaggie. Kneeling before her, Eve smiled. “Hey, there. I’m Eve. What’s your name, sweetie?” she asked.
“Vagatha.”
Blinking rapidly, Eve stared at her in disbelief. Adam, on the other hand, barked with laughter and remarked, “HA! That’s hysterical! That sounds like something I would’ve come up with.” His words garner a look from Eve, “Adam!” She hissed, chastising the man, who just shrugged. “What? You know it’s the truth! Were her parents high when they named her?”
Rolling her eyes, Eve turns her attention back to Vaggie. “Well, Vagatha. Would you mind if I take a look at that wound?” She asked, pointing at her bleeding eye. Vaggie whimpered as she slowly sat up and removed her hand.
Holding out her hand an inch from Vaggie’s face, it glowed a light green as the pain subsided and the bleeding. Eve then magics a roll of bandages into existence and wraps it around Vaggie’s head. “This is the best I can do since your eye was gouged out. I can’t fix it.”
“Alright, now I’m going to send you to a safe place. Don’t be frightened, and have a safe trip,” Eve said.
Vaggie raised a confused eyebrow. She opened her mouth to ask for an explanation when Eve held out her hand, emitting the light green glow from her palm again. The light transferred to Vaggie’s body, lifting her off her feet. Vaggie exclaimed in surprise at the unexpected weightlessness as the glow surrounding her brightened until it blinded her. However, the experience lasted only a second before her feet landed back on the ground. Soon after, Lute appeared right next to her and lost her balance, knocking into Vaggie, and the two girls fell onto the floor.
Rising from the floor, the girls looked around and realized they were now in the forest of their home, in a camp of citizens from their village, protected by the individual followers of the two gods.
“Vaggie! Lute?” The girls whipped their heads around as Lute's mother, Fantasia, who is a woman with dark skin, silky black hair, and hazel-green eyes with brown flecks rushed over to them frantically, accompanied by Beau and Vaggie’s parents.
Tears brimmed in the girls' eyes as they rose to their feet and ran over to their parents, hugging them tightly and wailing into their clothes. Their parents promising them that everything would be all right now that they had reunited.