Gila sat in his Rebirth Clamshell with his legs and arms crossed, his eyes closed as he was deep in thought. He replayed each moment of the challenge against me mentally, a light hum rumbling in his throat. As he meditated on the matter, he sensed a presence approaching him.
"Master Gila, you have a visitor," Ame said, approaching him then stepped side, turning her gaze toward the one approaching him.
Gila opened his eyes, his gaze lifting up to meet the one standing before him. "Xiao Shang, what are you doing here?"
Xiao Shang smirked at Gila and placed his hands in his pockets, his red eyes gleaming with fascination. "Word on the Border is that you challenged King Nox and lost. Even lost Simcha and Leo?"
Gila chuckled softly and relaxed upon his sea throne, shaking his head and exhaling softly. "I did lose, but it wasn't because I was weak or under prepared. They were just better than me. We did just lose Luke, Priscilla, and Sauline.."
"Well, we didn't lose them. They just converted. Sauline isn't named Sauline anymore. She goes by Pauline of Aldebaran. Even Luke, Priscilla, and Aquila joined her. Things are playing out exactly like He wants," Xiao Shang shared, walking over to the smaller clamshell seat and sat down.
"Miss Pauline actually converted..? Huh, I see. So there is something about Lord Nox that I'm not understanding yet. He works so closely with God, yet...I can't seem to grasp the extent of that connection or why I feel connected to him," Gila said, looking up at the ceiling of his throne room.
"You are Mariella's son, and there is only one compatible figure for an Elonun. Another Elonun, a King. How do you think your sisters Clover and Gemma were born? Who do you think is their father?" Xiao Shang asked, looking over at Gila with a raised eyebrow.
"Lord Nox is their father, but he isn't mine. He wasn't there when I was born, and he wasn't there when mother was slain by The Heroes of Justice. Still, I don't blame him...I saw The Wilderness that he was in," Gila said, tapping his finger against his arm with a thoughtful expression.
"Even then...The Supervisor told me that someone else is my dad. Some guy named Merin Tsu," Gila said, turning his gaze to Xiao Shang. "Do you know him?"
Xiao Shang looked ahead and let out a soft exhale. "You naive Little Alrean, Merin is not your father. If you want to know who your dad is, I suggest you go out and find your answer. But before that, you should go to the Kaus Tekoah Avar."
"Kaus...Tekoah Avar..? What's that?" Gila asked curiously, looking over at Ame for her wisdom.
Ame rose an eyebrow as Gila looked at her then she groaned softly, her hand swiping down from her face. "Are you serious? You don't know one of the Trideca Events and you go to St. Goken Academy. You're so privileged, Master Gila, and you don't even realize."
"Well instead of shaming me, how about you explain you long-eared seahorse!" Gila barked, pointing his finger at Ame.
"Long-ear? The Coral is calling the damn Crab blue now? You have long ears too, you Alrean Beast! Ugh, whatever. The Kaus Tekoah Avar is a Meet that takes place for 32 days from December 18 to January 18th," Ame began, closing her eyes as she explained to remember every detail.
"And I believe it involves defeating three Beasts: Giansar, the Black Dragon, Ethanim, the Serpent, and the Sagittarius's rival, Scorpius," Ame finished, opening her eyes with a light exhale. "Had to get help from the Spirit to even answer this..."
Gila hummed with intrigue, his gaze returning back to the ceiling as his lips curled into an interested grin. "I see...so it's a Mazzaroth Event? I briefly remember mother saying something about this...maybe Lord Nox will be there too..."
"Maybe he will. Who knows what that King is thinking about with God? All I know, this year and next year will have many signs. The Infinity Council will be overseeing some of these as well," Xiao Shang said, standing up and flashing his Number 4 badge.
"So you'll be at the event?" Gila asked, slouching upon his clamshell and looking up at Xiao Shang.
"I will be. Giansar and Scorpius are still active. The event takes place all over St. Goken and currently they are in the Capricorn Kingdom, Deneb Algedi is the name of the location," Xiao Shang said, warping away from the throne room.
"He could warp the entire time and had me lead him? Yesha...hold my tongue," Ame said with an exasperated sigh, holding her hand against her face.
Gila chuckled softly and closed his eyes. "Maybe I'll just join this event, and hopefully get more answers there..."
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Pauline stood in front of a white board with pictures of Giansar and Scorpius placed upon them, red strings and thumbtacks stringing each picture together. "Alright team, listen up! Deneb Algedi is in great danger and we need to travel to Meijiang. Luke! What are your reports?"
"I've gotten about 30 eyewitness accounts and I've also been reviewing a few Stargazers, and each of them have reported an entire constellation traversing the skies to Deneb Algedi's Temple. No one knows what for yet, but we have nine days left to figure something out," Luke answered, tapping his pen against his notebook.
"Nine days? Oh right, the season ends on January 18th... What can we do though? We barely know anything about this Draco. It's a constellation, but is it more?" Priscilla asked, humming in deep thought and held her finger over her lips.
Aquila hummed softly along with his fiancee, closing his eyes for a moment then felt his spirit move within him, as if God poked his back. He jolted slightly and opened his eyes quickly, glancing behind himself to see an eagle resting upon a desk behind him.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wing you shall take refuge;
His Truth shall be your shield and buckler...
Aquila, hearing the Lord's voice coming as a whisper, felt moved by the promise and exhaled softly. He looked forward toward his group, giving them a determined smile. "I say, we go. The Lord is with us in this, and we should take the fight to the enemy."
"What's with this sudden surge in confidence?" Priscilla asked, looking at her significant other with a surprised expression.
"I just have a good feeling about going to Meijiang. We could warn people who can't see Draco approaching and help them evacuate if it gets to that point," Aquila suggested, looking at Pauline for her verdict.
Pauline hummed softly at Aquila and looked at her board, taking the pin out from the Deneb Algedi Temple and to the City of Meijiang. "Alright, we head to the city first then we go into the Citadel afterwards. I just don't know how this will go."
"Oh right...we were persecuting Believers just a week ago, so there will be people who just don't trust us," Priscilla said with a sigh, lowering her head.
"Who said you have to go alone?" A voice asked from the entrance of the meeting room.
Everyone turned around to see Peter, John, and Mark standing at the entrance, each of them overhearing their conversation. Pauline looked at them in shock, surprised that my Disciples would join them on their journey.
"Peter, John, Mark. Why are you three here?" Pauline asked, watching them walk toward the table then shifted her eyes to Mark.
Mark met Pauline's gaze with a serious expression. "My cousin is currently in Meijiang ministering and he called me as he got news about Draco arriving at Deneb Algedi. I don't know where the other Apostles are, but the three of us were called by God to come here."
"And you already know, our Predecessors followed Jesus to the end and we carry that same flame. Where ever the Lord tells us to go, we move! Now we have talks about Scorpius appearing? It's been a while since we were active," Peter said, cracking his knuckles with a determined grin.
"I see. Well, if that's the case then it will be the seven of us going to Deneb Algedi. I hope you all are prepared for a long drive. It's gonna take us about nine hours to get from Seolhart to Meijiang, including the ID check at the Nebula Border," Pauline said, walking off to collect her things.
John smiled excitedly and looked at Peter and Mark, wrapping his arms around their necks and pulling them in for a huddle. "Alright, I know you two have history with Pauline, but the Lord revealed something to me..."
"Draco is a Legion, so we have to prepare for a long battle and our heels will be bruised. Do you still have the Heavenly Key, Peter?" John continued, turning his gaze to Peter.
Peter nodded, and wrapped his thumb around his necklace with a golden key hooked upon it. "I do, but do you think it'll come to that? I don't usually choose it over my Polaris Rod unless I absolutely have to."
"Well taken Draco is coming with Antares, we might have to use the key to unlock a Gate of Heaven so God may send Bethlehem to aid us. Although, we do not have Matthew here to interpret the sign. As far as we know, only Matthew has seen the Star of Bethlehem in his account," Mark said, trying to keep his voice low in the huddle.
Luke overheard Mark and wrote down in his notebook about the Heavenly Key and the Star of Bethlehem, wondering how both came into play in the Kaus Tekoah Avar. He let out a hum and read over the eyewitness accounts and the Stargazers' testimonies.
Meanwhile, Gila arrived in Meijiang via Mariella's river stream then leaped out of the waters into a heroic landing. He stood up onto his feet, looking around at the beautiful city and gasped in awe. Buildings stretched up to the skies, autumn trees waved in the air with praises to the Lord while Ru Yiang Dragons roamed around the air.
"Well, well. Look who arrived in Meijiang, and a bit late at that," Xiao Shang said, leaning against a tree while looking at his watch.
Gila scoffed at Xiao Shang with a chuckle and waved his hand dismissively at the young Ruby Emperor, taking his banter lightly. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I can't just fast travel here like you. I didn't even know this place existed."
"Hmph," Xiao Shang scoffed, lowering his arm and looking out into the city. "Well, welcome to Deneb Algedi, the Capricorn Kingdom. This is one of many locations that Lady Liao Ru of the Heavenly City of Shangqui conquered and united in God's name."
"That's a mouthful of a name, honestly. But, this Lady Liao Ru person sounds interesting. Does she have a Successor as well?" Gila asked, looking over at Xiao Shang with a smile.
Xiao Shang nodded, getting off the tree and glancing up at the sky. "She does. Her name is Yang Ru, Number 3 of the Infinity Council. She's overseeing the Kaus Tekoah Avar as well here. Come, I'll take you to our observatory."
"Observatory? Aren't we supposed to be defeating Giansar and Scorpius?" Gila asked, following behind Xiao Shang with rushed steps. "Hey, hold on bro!"
The two began to traverse through the City of Meijiang, their feet traversing along precious roads made of amber bricks and emerald jades along the ground. Within the middle of their city stood the Capricorn Champion, Imara, a woman who preserved the Lord's truth of His Dual Nature and was killed for her devotion.
"Why does the sign on the base of the statue have another name?" Gila asked, walking over to the sign and crouched down to read the name. "Gedi...Al Gedi..."
Xiao Shang looked to Gila, watching his curiosity and began to realize how sheltered Manaport made him. "Gedi is her real name, but Imara is her Qutsadian name. Outside of these walls, she's like another star in the sky for God to use, but here...she holds weight."
Gila hummed at the fact then stood up, looking up at the statue and smiled up at her. After receiving his answer, he began to follow Xiao Shang once more through the city. They soon reached the Algedi Observatory, the two climbing to the top to meet up with Yang Ru.
Yang Ru looked out the wide windows with her arms crossed, her gaze focused upon two moving red supergiants in the sky and gripped her sleeve. "Lord Nox...where are you? They are getting closer to Deneb Algedi by the second..."
"Yang Ru," Xiao Shang sounded from behind her, knocking on the wide open door.
Yang Ru turned around to face Xiao Shang and Gila, her eyes shifting toward Gila and felt his immense Rebirth Energy. "Xiao Shang, and I see you brought Mariella's son with you. While you were in St. Goken, did you see anything strange?"
Xiao Shang shrugged his shoulders as he walked into the room and walked to the wide windows. "No signs in St. Goken other than Nox's widely active Border. However, I did notice something here. With Ethanim injured, Draco is weaker but not by much."
"Who is Draco?" Gila asked, looking at the two curiously as he walked forward.
Yang Ru turned her gaze to Gila, watching him approach the windows to observe the visible stars in the day sky. "Draco is a constellation that represents Terminus as The Dragon. However, it is more than that. Draco is a Legion of Spirits and Daemon that add up to a dragon's power, but certain entities within it are insanely powerful."
"Whoa...so it is more than one enemy. I wonder how this fits into the Trideca Crown..." Gila said in slight awe, his eyes moving up to see the red supergiants floating across the sky toward Deneb Algedi.
----------------------
Hours went by and Pauline drove down the silent country roads toward the Nebula Border, Qutsade revealing more of her Border to the group as they reached a checkpoint. Armed forces watched the van approach the post, one Valkyria walking forward to stop them and tapped the hood of the van.
Pauline rolled down the window, watching a Captain approach her window. She held up her Randall United ID, meeting the Captain's gaze. "We are here upon official business, so if you may allow us to pass."
The Captain took her ID and held his flashlight toward it, taking a few glances at her to see if the identity matched. He handed her back the ID and sighed. "We can't allow you through, Ms. Pauline of Aldebaran. Right now, Meijiang's Empress, Dabih, is in grave danger and the entire Military Force is on high alert."
"We know of Draco's arrival here and the planned targeting of Deneb Algedi's Temple. We just need to warn the people of Meijiang to flee from the city until something can be done," Pauline negotiated, placing her ID inside the cupboard.
The Captain shook his head, meeting Pauline's gaze and locking eyes with her. "There's another reason we can't let you in. Your history. Manaport is still a threat to us, and we don't know if your supposed conversion is true."
"I understand your doubt about us, but this is serious. We need to warn these people about Draco," Luke said, looking at the captain with a serious expression.
The Captain sighed softly and crossed his arms, looking ahead at the night city beyond the post. "These people are scared of you. You should know this already."
"Let them pass by," A voice sounded as they approached, catching the Captain's attention.
The Captain grunted as a man cloaked in green began approaching then took a step back. "Mister Barnabas...You are out this late?"
Barnabas nodded at the captain and walked toward the van, looking inside and noticing Mark in the backseat then smiled at him. "Ahh, you did show up. Glad you could come with for this task."
Mark smiled at his cousin, giving him a nod. "It was by the Lord's will that I am here."
Barnabas tapped the roof of the van, giving the okay for Pauline to drive into the city. He followed behind the van and gave them directions to his current place of residency within Meijiang. Once they made it, he took them into the comfort of his home to rest for the night.
"Alright, here you all go," Barnabas said, gently setting down a tray of snacks and tea upon the table before sitting down. "Well, looks like most of the gang is all here."
"Man, what were you all doing to get these people this afraid of you? Never before have I seen a captain so reluctant on letting someone by," John said, taking a macaroon off the tray and took a bite.
"You don't even want to know the story, but all I can say is that I am thankful that I converted... although in recent days I have had a thorn in my side I can not explain," Pauline said, slouching back on the couch with a sigh.
Barnabas chuckled softly at her and looked down at the ground, interlocking his fingers together. "You don't have to worry too much now that you're here. The Lord is here with us all... Now, unto serious business. The Magi have been observing the stars for a while and praying... Draco is going to try to destroy Deneb Algedi."
"What?! Why? What are they planning to do?" Priscilla asked in terror, breaking out into a worried sweat.
"They plan to destroy the main star of the Gedi Constellation, which will inherently destroy the entire Capricorn Star System. Losing that many stars will destabilize all realms on Earth... including Qutsade," Barnabas revealed, looking up at the group at their mixed expressions.
"No way...that will kill Imara for good! Not only that, but throw the entire Tropical Realm off balance! How are they planning this?" Peter asked, standing up on his feet in disbelief.
"Antares Alph and Antares Bet, the two red supergiants approaching Deneb Algedi. They will make it here in two days...Kaus Tekoah Avar ends when the entire Draco Constellation is complete. Right now, Ethanim is injured but not fully defeated," Barnabas explained, gripping his hands slightly tighter as he revealed the information.
Luke exhaled softly as he processed the information, wondering how they could possibly stop a constellation from forming in the sky then remembered Peter's Heavenly Key. 'No, we can't use that yet...we still don't know where Matthew is...'
While everyone planned their strategies on how to deal with Draco and the multiple conditions they had to choose from, the Star of Giansar rushed across the skies like a missile and hovered over the Algedi Observatory. He shone a dim light over the observatory, letting out a roar as it sent down a dark light.
Gila heard the roar and looked up, noticing a beam of light crashing down onto the building then grunted heavily. Yang Ru and Xiao Shang looked over at Gila when he collapsed on the floor, hearing him growling and groaning in pain.
"What...is happening...to me?!" Gila groaned and panted, looking at his hand to see the Crest of Giansar burning onto his skin and began corrupting him.
Yang Ru grunted as she tensed into her battle stance, watching Gila closely as black draconic aura began rising from his body. "No way...an Elonun was corrupted again..?!"
Gila's eyes flashed red as the Crest of Giansar took place within him, his lips curling into a chuckle power rushed through his body. "This vessel...who knew an Elonun's body could contain so much power!"
"Gila!" Xiao Shang yelled, charging toward him to try to break him free from Giansar's control.
Gila laughed coldly, blocking Xiao Shang's attack then grappled onto his jacket before flinging him across the room. Xiao Shang grunted as he crashed through the observation equipment, the destroyed equipment piling on top of him.
"Yes, yes! Mariella, you gave birth at the best time possible. Lord Terminus was right to wait for the Redemption Cup to end! It's time for us to take everything back!" Giansar roared through Gila before flying out the window, forcibly summoning Mayim to ride on.
Mayim's cries and roars filled the streets of Meijiang, large jets of water crashing down from his mouth to destroy multiple buildings. The citizens screamed and yelled for help as they rushed to safety, their panic soon reaching the ears of Pauline and the others.
Rushing out of Barnabas' home, they looked up in the air to see the Star of Giansar shining brightly above Meijiang with a faintly shining Ethanim beside it. Barnabas looked at the sky, noticing one star was missing from completing Draco then grunted softly.
"Wait, that's Gila! What is he doing?!" Priscilla called out, pointing up at the possessed young Elonun causing destruction in tbe city.
"Gila!" Pauline called out, her voice echoing up to his ears and catching his attention.
Gila looked down at the ground, noticing Pauline and the others and paused for a second. His eyes returned to a normal blue for a split moment before flashing red again, his grin becoming wide with mischief. "If it isn't the Conversions!"
Pauline stepped forward and unsheathed her rapier, getting into her stance and exhaled slowly. "What are you doing?! Get down here now!"
"Wait, you know this monster?!" A mother screamed then gasped, pointing at Pauline and her group. "It's Sauline of Jade Taurus and her Subjugators! They are here to destroy Meijiang!"
"Wait, wait, wait! Hold on! You've got this all wrong! We're here to warn you all of Draco's incoming! Please hear us out!" Priscilla called out, screaming in terror as a jet of water crashed near her feet.
"You want your friend back? Come take him, but you'll only get him back in blood!" Gila roared, launching himself toward the ground.
Peter rushed forward, pulling Pauline back and clashed with Gila before grunting as he was pushed back. Gila laughed as he charged forward with a straight which Peter narrowly dodged then countered with a knee to his stomach, followed with a blast of light to push him back.
As Gila skidded backwards, John warped in front of Gila with a swiping chop, followed with a silhouette forming behind Gila to knock him airborne with an erupting light geyser. Casting his line toward Gila, Peter wrapped his hook around Gila's leg using his Polaris Rod.
"It's not going to be that easy!" Gila bellowed, unleashing a beam of black energy from his mouth with a roar.
Mark ran forward as the beam came down and casted a barrier of light to protect the others, the darkness beam crashing onto the barrier and began to immediately crack it. As it began to shatter, Barnabas placed his hand upon Mark's shoulder and shared his Spirit Energy with him, strengthening the barrier.
Gila let out a roar and flew to the ground, lowering his body temperature and stomped on the ground, spikes of ice rising from the ground toward the group. Before the spike reached them, Pauline sliced through the spikes of ice like butter, gracefully landing upon an icy stump and pointing her rapier toward Gila.
"I don't know which demon you are possessing Gila, but in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I will cast you out!" Pauline declared, her Holy Fire rushing from her chest with conviction.
Gila chuckled at Pauline and used a burst of speed to strike Pauline with a double knee strike, the force of his attack knocking her down the street at high speeds. He dashed after her and formed a water sword in his hand, leaping forward with an overhead slash.
Pauline recovered in the air and blocked his slash then landed on her feet, shifting her weight to speed behind him with a roundhouse kick. Gila ducked under her kick and thrusted his sword backwards, but Pauline managed to block the attack, her blade scraping against his as she slid down.
"I'll wash you away! Mayim, Deep Spray!" Gila roared, holding his hand toward Pauline.
Mayim roared and fired streams of water beams toward Pauline, a few beams striking buildings while others headed straight for her. Suddenly, Aquila's eagle swooped down and used his wings to cut through the beams before flying back up and crashing into Mayim.
Aquila ran forward and slid along the ground for a sweep kick, but Gila leaped over him and fired a jet of water toward him from his feet. Aquila manipulated the water into an arrow and fired it back at Gila's face, landing a direct attack and knocking him down.
"This is starting to get annoying! I'm taking all of you down! Realm Manifest—" Gila began, but groaned heavily as Luke landed a surging gut blow against his stomach.
Luke pulled his hand away and pushed his glasses up, studying Gila and the Crest of Giansar upon his hand. "Hmph...Spirits like you disgust me. Your failures are not our problem!"
Gila growled and roared, charging toward Luke with a right hook, but Luke swiftly evaded the attack then dodged Gila's second strike. Redirecting Gila around himself, Luke tossed Gila over his shoulder then glid forward with a shovel hook to his cheek.
Gila grunted softly as he rolled along the ground then recovered onto his feet, forming a hand seal once again. "Realm Manife—"
Luke appeared in front of him with a surging blow to his face then compounded his spirit energy into his feet, boosting his Speed to 2004. Lightning crackled around Luke's feet, his Spirit Energy reaching S Rank levels and just enough to outspeed Gila.
"Screw this! This vessel is an Elonun! Why am I losing?!" Gila roared then grunted as his heart began to thump hard against his chest.
Gila's eyes returned blue and he looked up at the sky, "Mayim! Let Pauline Subjugate you and attack me!"
Mayim looked toward his master and noticed Gila's blue eyes, knowing the command truly came from him. He quickly flew toward Pauline and bowed his head to her, the Crest of Levayeit glowing upon his scales.
Pauline grunted softly with hesitation, but felt pushed to quickly tame Mayim just for this moment. She placed her hand upon the beast's forehead, forming a connection with him and expelled Giansar's control from his body.
Immediately after becoming freed, Mayim let out a roar and turned toward Gila and charged up a beam of energy in his mouth. He roared and fired the massive beam of energy at Gila, the beam forming a trench in the ground due to its power.
Gila felt Giansar trying to escape his body, but he defied Giansar's desire and trapped him within his body using an Elonun Skill, Ice Armor. Gila created thick frozen armor around himself so Giansar could not leave him, the beam crashing and washing over him like a tidal wave.
The Star of Giansar let out a painful roar, the star twinkling brightly and slowly becoming more dim as if it were moving away from Earth. The beam thinned and dissolved, Gila's armor cracking to reveal him damaged but safe while the Crest of Giansar shattered from his hand.
"Gila!" Pauline called out, dropping her rapier and hurrying to him to catch him before he fell. "Hey, are you alright?"
Gila chuckled and sprang back up with his usual energy, exhaling loudly and crossed his arms. "I'm 100% okay, but that was so strange...Was I possessed?"
"Yes, you were. Your Spirit is weak, and the enemy knows that. Besides...the Star of Giansar arrived here way too fast as if it knew you were already here," Luke said, approaching Gila and awakened his Holy Fire in his hands then placed his hands upon him.
Gila grunted softly as the fires consumed his body but did not burn him. He felt the presence of The Comforter near him, His Hands covering Gila and placing him into a deep sleep for a true recovery. Everyone gasped as he suddenly passed out, no one knowing why he suddenly fell into slumber.
"Let's take him back to my home, and we can regroup and replan from there. There's not much we can do tonight," Barnabas said, adjusting his cloak and grunting softly.
In agreement, Pauline and Luke supported Gila on their shoulders and everyone began to retreat back to Barnabas' home for the night. Despite Gila being saved, the heavens still moved and the threat continued to approach as a third, subtle star began to twinkle in the sky.
As the night passed by, I walked through the Algedi Forest while as The Echo with Hyeon Bae, Reene, Simcha, Leo, and Song Jae-in following behind closely. Up above, the Star of Bethlehem calmly glid through the skies, leading us toward Meijiang.
"This stroll is nice and all, Lord Nox...but is there a reason we didn't take a ride to Meijiang or at the very least on horseback?" Simcha asked with a light groan. "We've been literally walking for nine hours and visiting Temples...what are we doing?"
Hyeon Bae glanced up at the sky, seeing the Star of Bethlehem leading them and smiled as the Star revealed many others along the path. "I think this is nice. It's like God is telling us a night time story through the stars."
"Oh, like that constellation! The Little Marchers made of stars like Su Cleo, Al Vloey, and Phiox A! Oh and that one! Orion's Bow!" Reene said, pointing at the stars with excitement.
I listened to the girls call out constellations and Simcha whine like a small cub, letting out a soft chuckle and stopped walking as I noticed a man dressed in a light blue and white cloak. "This year there will be many signs and wonders...it isn't enough to point them out."
Hyeon Bae grunted softly as she accidentally bumped into me then looked ahead, peeking over me to see the man looking up at the sky then glanced up to see the Star of Bethlehem hovering now. "Huh..? The Star stopped..."
"Levi," I called out to the man, my voice immediately catching his attention.
Levi, also known as Matthew, looked over at me and grunted softly as he stood up. "The Echo... You're here in Deneb Algedi as well? I suppose the Lord has told you what's happening?"
"Yes. It isn't only Draco we are worrying about, but Scorpius as well. To think Terminus would hide in the tail of the scorpion now than reveal himself. All is well, though. The Lord has revealed Orion's Bow to us, so the Sharpshooter will soon arrive," I said, the Crest of Sagittarius faintly glowing upon my hand.
Matthew smiled at my words and looked back up at the sky. "Well, since you're here... I'll show you to the Magi."
We all followed Matthew into the Meijiang Observatory, a beautiful watch tower made from white marble with two Angel Statues guarding the entrance. Making our way to the top of the tower, we noticed two men standing before the massive window ahead observing the stars.
"Reinhart, Jericho," Matthew called to the two men ahead, walking toward them with a smile on his face.
Reinhart turned around first and noticed us behind Matthew then grunted in shock, seeing my face underneath my cloak. "Noxius...is that really you?"
I lowered my hood, letting out a soft chuckle and exhaling softly. "It is quite a surprise seeing you as well, Prince Reinhart. You're becoming a Magi now?"
Reinhart smiled then turned around to look at the stars once again. "I was called here. Kesith's stars are glowing brightly above, but one star is missing. The same is with Akrab or Scorpius, but we know who's missing."
"Indeed we do. Thuban, the Subtle. However, we don't know when or where it will show up and there's only nine days left of this event. After the 18th, Kesith becomes less visible and Al Kaus can't be used," Jericho explained, crossing his arms with a soft exhale.
"Wait a second, are we talking about the Mazzaroths? The Zodiacs are not aligned?" Hyeon Bae asked, looking up at me.
"Each Zodiac Constellation tells a story about God which our Champions preserve. For over 900 years, the Sagittarius was known as the villain because of Terminus's distortion," I explained, walking forward to the window and pointed at Kesith.
"The Archer is pointing at the heart of the Scorpion, who will soon arrive at Deneb Algedi in two days. The arrow, Al Kaus, pierces through Antares and destroys the serpent...but because there are two enemies, Scorpius has two hearts...two Antares," I added, subtly glancing back at the Prince of Sagittarius Kingdom, Reinhart.
"Wait, is that why God revealed Orion's Bow and the Little Marchers? Wait, are WE called to beat Draco and Scorpius?!" Song Jae-in asked in pure disbelief, feeling her heart drop down to her feet.
"There are many constellations in the sky tonight...Aquila is one of them. The Lord has us under His feathers for He shall not let us fall, as long as we remain in Him. Do you trust him?" I asked, looking back at the young Valkyrias.
The three of them took a moment to answer, their fears causing them to hesitate. However, they remembered their time in the Wilderness and remembered how God pulled them through the storms before. With a clear mind, they each nodded with determination and a smile.
With that, Matthew led us out of the observatory with Reinhart and Jericho following behind then we all began our march to Meijiang. Up above, the Star of Bethlehem began to move again, guiding us toward Meijiang once again but at a quicker pace as urgency was now priority.
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It was one day before both Antares Alph and Antares Bet arrived, Giansar and Ethanim both still faintly glowing in the sky for Draco while Shaula and Lesath awaited their hearts to arrive. The sun shone brightly in the sky, casting down a warm blanket of heat for the people of Meijiang and kissing them good morning.
Pauline, Luke, Mark, and Barnabas sat in the dining room to go over the urgent situation and how to stop Draco from forming and how to defeat Scorpius. Despite the many ideas placed on the table, none of them stuck due to the enemy being fairly complex to them.
"Eight days left with one more day until Antares appears and completes Scorpius. So the Scorpius has always been the enemy...so how did Sagittarius get called the enemy..?" Peter said to himself as he sat on top of the roof in deep thought, leaning forward with his arms resting on his laps.
Aquila looked up at Peter and noticed him in deep thought, finding it unusual for Peter to think so hard on a topic instead of going in head first. "This situation surely is making him a strategist now. Still, how are we to defeat Draco if we don't know where the final star is."
"The last star is named Thuban, The Stuble. That star, despite being bright, is hard to see because it can blend in with other stars. Using Astronomy, the Subtle will sit in front of another star and use that star's light to disguise its own," John said, looking up at Peter and wondered what he was thinking about.
"Wait what? Are you saying that Draco could have already been here?!" Aquila asked loudly, his tone etched with shock and disbelief.
"Lower you voice..! Meijiang's people still don't trust you even after we stopped Gila, but yes...I theorize that Draco could have shown up for a moment, but disappeared when we drove back Giansar," John answered, rubbing the back of his head with a soft sigh.
John!
John the Beloved!
The Son of Destruction is approaching!
John heard the words of God coming from the screeches of Aquila's eagle, his gaze shifting upward to see Judas approaching with a grin on his face. "Judas!"
"Ahh, Rabbi...you don't understand how it hurts to be called the son of destruction and perdition especially when I've come to help your Echo fight off Draco," Judas replied, cleaning his ear with his pinky and sighed.
John's gaze hardened as he listened Judas continuously deny Jesus' divinity by calling him 'Rabbi'. "You want to help us..? Then why did God warn me of your coming? What do you want, son of Iscariot?!"
Aquila and Priscilla became on edge as John became more defensive, now knowing Judas did not have good intentions. They could feel that Judas had already had his mind made up, but they also knew he wasn't dumb enough to reveal it now.
Judas glanced up at Peter, his eyes glowing as he stared at his rival. "I see that The Rock is here as well. You're falling for the same trap when our ancestors followed Jesus. He never listened to my ancestor and got Himself and my ancestor killed!"
Peter's eyes flashed with righteousness as he heard Judas' accusation, his gaze slowly lifting to meet Judas' twisted eyes. "Your ancestor did get my Lord crucified...but it was to fulfill scripture. Your ancestor was predestined to betray Jesus...it was already written. However, Judas Iscariot II...your ancestor died because he killed himself."
Judas' gaze hardened and he took a step forward, black lightning crackling around his hand. He closed his eyes and scoffed with a chuckle. "Sure, that may be true...but I still don't understand how your ancestor was forgiven when he died Christ THREE TIMES while mine betrayed once and was sent to hell for it!"
"Because he accepted his actions as his own when Satan entered him. His mind was already made up from the start even before the Last Supper, he has no one to blame but himself. Now you follow the same Trail of Agony," Peter said, calmly descending off the roof with the Mark of God shining on his right hand.
"Now isn't the time for arguments amongst my Apostles that God has given me," The Echo said, walking forward with his Sovereign Butterflies fluttering around him.
Judas, and the others turned around to see The Echo standing before them with Matthew, Hyeon Bae, Reene, Song Jae-in, Simcha, and Leo following behind. John and Peter's eyes lit up as they saw Matthew, the two of them running over to him.
"Matthew, you're still alive!" John said happily, laughing with joy as he beat Peter to Matthew.
"Levi! Where have you been?! Do you not know what has been going on recently?" Peter asked, wrapping his arm around Matthew with a chuckle.
Matthew chuckled at the two, an embarrassed smile forming upon his lips. "I've been in St. Goken the entire time, just in Meijiang with the Magi to observe the season. I didn't know you all missed me that much."
Judas looked back at them and shifted his gaze to The Echo, looking him up and down but could not describe him nor his aura. "Who the hell are you? How do you know Matthew?"
"I am the One Used By God, I am the Fruits of God's Good Labor. I am His Echo. You can call me, Echo," The Echo said, walking forward to Judas and placed my hand upon his shoulder. "It is not too late to turn around. If God can redeem His persecutors, he can redeem a betrayer."
Judas looked up at The Echo, unable to see his face as it seemed like his Sovereign Butterfly wings were covering his face. He felt a hint of uncomfortably within his Spirit and swiped The Echo's hand from his shoulder with a scoff.
"I don't need pity from someone who can not use his own voice. I am only here to help stop Draco...then I will prove to the Disciples why Peter never deserved the Grace he was given!" Judas declared, pointing his finger at Peter.
"I see. So when we stop Draco, are you going to steal the victory like you've been stealing from Aetherpoint and pocketing money given to you for the poor? What will you do when God catches you again?" The Echo asked, gripping Judas' wrist and holding it up to reveal a stolen Stigmata upon his hand.
"What?! You steal from The Border?! That's like stealing straight from King Nox and the Residents! You're kidnapping!" Priscilla gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.
Judas snatched his hand away and scoffed at The Echo, looking down at his hand at the Zanhhet Stigmata upon his hand. "Sure, I took Zanhhet but that's only because it helps cut through enemies easier! The Dividing Cut will bring us victory!"
"Us? Or just you? If you don't intend on actually helping, and you're just looking for glory...you're better off going to a normal Event. I don't have time to waste dealing with children right now," The Echo said, walking past Judas to Barnabas' front door.
The Star of Thuban began to glow in the sky, subtly shifting above and hovering over Judas. Thuban began to rain down a faint beam of light over Judas, the dark whispers in his mind only growing louder as the Crest of Thuban slowly formed in Judas' eye.
"Children..? Is that how you see me, Echo? You know, you sound a lot like someone I know..." Judas said lowly, glancing over his shoulder at The Echo.
"I hope you do know him... because you were one of the twelve to climb to the top of The Absolute. Not because you were skilled, but because God wanted you to see him again. Judas, do not play with me right now," The Echo said, looking back at Judas with golden eyes.
"Okay, okay! How about we all take a break okay? We're all stressed about Draco and Scorpius, so we just need a breather right? You agree, Reene and Jae-in?" Hyeon Bae asked, awkwardly laughing to try to lighten the tension.
"Mhm! Let's all just go inside and take a small break!" Reene laughed awkwardly, hurrying to Barnabas' house with Hyeon Bae and Song Jae-in.
Everyone watched as the three Valkyrias hurried into the peaceful yet stressed home while everyone watched them leave swiftly. The tension was still high between Judas and The Echo, The Echo already knowing something had entered Judas, but it was not Terminus directly. The Echo hummed and walked into the home as the situation was slightly defused.
Pauline sighed as another plan went to waste, another ball of paper being tossed aside to the pile. She stretched her arms and grunted softly, opening her eyes and gasped as she noticed The Echo. "Echo! You're here?!"
Luke, Mark, and Barnabas looked over at The Echo and the others then noticed Matthew with the ground, a wave of hope lighting up in their gazes. They each watched as The Echo approached the table and sat down at the head with the young Valkyrias sitting near him.
"I've received word from God that you all are trying to figure out Draco and Scorpius. I have come to echo revelation," The Echo began, his gaze shifting between each of them with a serious gaze.
"What's the word? What's going on?" Luke asked, prepared to jot down whatever The Echo said.
"Draco is already here, but Thuban is not in the right place in the sky. Thuban is closer to Vega and Polaris than it is to Ethanim. Draco is facing another direction," The Echo explained.
"Wait, so John was right? What star is Thuban disguising itself with?" Aquila asked, his gaze turning to look at John.
"It's Vega..." John said in realization, looking up quickly with revelation. "Draco is targeting the Lyre while Scorpius is targeting Deneb Algedi..!"
Barnabas ran his hands through his hair and sat back in his seat, exhaling deeply and closed his eyes. "So we truly only have one win condition...stop Draco and Scorpius. Wait, if Draco is here why is this Mazzaroth not over?"
"No one body can function without a heart. Draco still needs his heart so he can act...but we can prevent that from happening. We just need to complete Al Kaus and Sagitta to see it through," The Echo answered then formed a mock diagram of the two constellations using tiny orbs of light.
Luke stared at the constellations, noticing Al Kaus was a bow and not an arrow. "Al Kaus is a bow, but isn't the arrow that the Sagittarius uses named Nunki? Why do we need Al Kaus?"
"Because there are two hearts, and we already have been given Orion's Bow which Prince Reinhart is in possession of naturally from birth. Al Kaus is for me to deal with Draco. We just have to figure out which Antares is used for his heart because it extends our time by two more days," The Echo explained, his gaze focusing on Sagitta then glanced at Aquila's eagle.
Aquila's eagle, knowing The Echo's thoughts, nodded at him, giving The Echo the okay to search for the stars which will reveal Sagitta to him. Aquila's eagle looked at Sagitta, knowing how the story would already end, with victory.
"Alright, so we know Draco is targeting The Lyre, so that leaves Scorpius wanting to destroy another Mazzaroth. What for though...why would they need to destroy another constellation?" Pauline asked herself, leaning forward against the table as her head began to hurt.
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"Seriously, how could you go out there and get possessed on the FIRST DAY? Lord, I didn't think I would be your assistant AND your babysitter," Ame sighed, standing beside Gila as he stood against a wall in an alleyway.
"I mean, I can't put too much blame on him. He's sheltered and Manaport has been lying to him. There's no possible way he could have been prepared for a demon of that level to possess him, but I did witness something interesting," Xiao Shang said, looking at Gila with intrigue.
"Yeah, I noticed it too. He was able to break free from possession... as if Giansar never truly had a hold on him. It seemed more like Gila was caught off guard that lets me know that the Elonun can fight off corruption now," Yang Ru said, crossing her arms with a hum.
Gila looked out into the streets, watching as the citizens of Meijiang traversed back and forth then sighed softly. "I do wonder...why was I targeted though? It was so sudden...out of everyone here, I was the one who was targeted."
"The enemy doesn't strike just anyone. They only target those who still has some light in them. However, it's different with you. They want you fallen from God's Grace," Yang Ru explained.
"I guess so..." Gila said then grunted softly as he began to sense immense energy within the crowd, his attention being led toward Judas.
As Judas passed by, Gila felt the same corruptive energy he experienced within Judas. Impulsively, he got off the wall and rushed after the son of perdition to see if his gut feeling was true. Alarmed, Ame, Xiao Shang, and Yang Ru followed behind him and soon caught up.
"Hey, you! Guy with the long braid!" Gila called out, squinting to get a better look at Judas.
Judas stopped walking and looked back at Gila, his left eye glowing a faint white color. He grunted softly as he felt Rebirth Energy coming from Gila. 'His energy...it is very similar to Noxius' Rebirth Energy. So, he has a son now as well..?'
"You must be an Elonun, one of Noxius' children? Tch, what luck I have today huh?" Judas asked, slightly annoyed to be looking at Gila.
'What..? I am one of Lord Nox's children..? Just who is this guy..?' Gila asked himself mentally, raising an eyebrow as he studied Judas' appearance.
Judas studied Gila as well, noticing his broken Manaport Badge upon his Sea Serpent hoodie and smirked. "Oh? So you're with Manaport huh? Well, I guess my luck has turned around. I can kill you and take your power...An Elonun is stacked with Stigmata and Blessings.."
Gila immediately got on edge, noticing the Crest of Thuban shining in his left eye then got into his Dragon Stance. He felt goosebumps riding all over his body as he sensed a different draconic energy flowing through Judas, one that wasn't Alrean Blood.
'Whoa...what is this energy I'm feeling..? This doesn't even feel natural...' Gila questioned mentally, feeling his breathing deepening from hesitation.