Delsin Novak
"What is the meaning of this, General?!"
"There's nothing to worry about." General Leywin explained as he lower himself down, bringing his gaze level with mine. "What you just experienced was a battle in the aether orb I made."
"Aether orb? A battle...? It was a test? Why? ...And are these two men Asuras?"
"...Someone just really wanted to see you fight. And you fought well."
"Indeed! Very impressive!" The tall, shabby man came up close. His hand clamped around my jaw, turning my face from side to side as though inspecting a relic. "So brutal... so aggressive...! And despite having a weaker mana core than Caera, you still forced the battle into a draw through sheer cunning. I dare say, you're even more impressive than Arthur!" He spoke almost like he was whispering.
"...Agh—!" He stinks! The stench hit me like a wall. A faint chill crept down my spine as I was unable to hide away the discomfort in my tone as I tried to pull back, but his grip held firm.
"Aldir." A voice called. A girl, who looked no older than twelve or thirteen, dressed in a simple black dress with two black horns jutting out from the side of her head, framing her golden eyes that felt ancient. Her choppy hair looked more like soft feathers rather than actual strands of blonde locks, much like General Arthur.
"Wren." Aldir, the other asura came to save me, "I'd need you to stop what you're doing." He spoke, pulling Wren away from me.
"...Thank you..."
"..." He nodded.
"Uhm... here, let me..." Caera stepped out of the shallow pool, iridescent droplets trailing down her skin and soaking into her clothes as she offered me her hand, giving me an awkward, apologetic smile.
"I'm fine." But I pushed myself up on my own. As soon as I stepped out of the water, a wave of warmth washed over me once the moisture clinging to my skin and clothes evaporated instantly, leaving me completely dry and clean. I took a quick look over Caera to see that she was also dried.
"..."
A few paces away, the Scythe, Seris, stood perfectly still. Her piercing gaze was too locked on my direction. It was hard to tell what she had in mind as she did so.
Wren snapped his fingers. A deep, sudden rumble could be felt as the earth shifted. Smooth stone spiraled upward from the ground, effortlessly weaving itself into a simple table and a set of chairs.
"Please, sit." General Leywin offered, taking a seat himself.
My legs felt like lead anyway. Without thinking much, I sat on one of the stone chairs. "Thank you, sir."
Everyone gathered around the table, taking their seats—except for Caera and the Scythe Seris, for there were no chairs prepared for them. The two Alacryans simply stood in the back, watching.
"..."
"So, Delsin." General Leywin called out to me. "What would you think if I were to place you in a... relatively special position?"
"I'm sorry...?" I turned to him.
"He wants to make you a Lance." Regis chimed in.
"Not quite," Aldir corrected.
"Yeah, he isn't strong enough for that. Just leave him to me and the aether orb," Wren said confidently, leaning back in his stone chair at an angle that could cause him to fall. "I will make the boy as strong as a young asura in a matter of weeks—maybe months."
"Sure, that's great, but let me—"
"If you want me to train the two in back. Sure. I can even take that retainer boy too. More fun to me," Wren continued, casually cutting the general off.
"Can you let me talk to him now?!" General Leywin scolded, pinching his nose bridge before turning back to me.
"Well, you see, we are at war and..." He paused, his expression turned thoughtful. "And of course, we all wanted to win this war. To do that, we'll need to give everything we have. Our full effort... our entire strength... for our home, our future."
His eyes locked onto mine. "You understand?"
"Yes... Yes sir."
"Great!" His tone lightened slightly as the girl who looked like him stepped up beside him. "Which is why we must make good use of everything available to us."
"...?"
"Delsin," he said, gesturing toward the girl, "this is Sylvie."
"...Uhh..." My gaze flickered between General Leywin and Sylvie, "...Hi, Sylvie." My hand moved, giving her a tiny, uncertain wave.
"Hi." She smiled. It was barely there, but she seemed happy.
"Sylvie is an asura," General Leywin continued, "And she is my bond... Well, she was my bond. Because she is an asura, she is undoubtedly powerful. But due to certain complications with my core, I cannot form an equal contract with her."
A subtle tension crept into the air.
"So, I would like you to do that instead." He said.
"...General," I spoke slowly, worried that he wouldn't hear me. "What exactly are you asking of me?"
The answer came without hesitation.
"We need you to receive my will—and fight with us. For the sake of Dicathen." Sylvie spoke with the elegant, measured cadence of a mature woman rather than a child.
My eyes went wide. "Why... me?" The words came out quieter than I intended. "Out of all the people you could choose. Why me?"
"You have the potential." A blade of purple manifested in his grip and he slowly pointed it at me.
I could hear what might have sounded like tiny screams coming from the blade. As it came closer to my face, it began to glitch, the purple edge flickering violently in and out of shape as it struggled to maintain its form.
"You can see that, right?" General Leywin asked softly, letting the blade vanish on its own. "That has never happened before. Ever. You have a special potential, Delsin. A potential to be even stronger than me. That's why I chose you." He leaned back.
"It is true that I'm strong. People look at me now and consider me the strongest, a true god—Haha..." He laughed. "They place their hopes on me, believing that they're in hands of the almighty Lance Godspell."
"..." He let the silence hang for a moment.
"But I myself don't believe that just being strong is enough. Not after..." His gaze sharpened. "I can't do this alone, Delsin. Dicathen needs more than one godspell."
***
Later, we spoke at length.
General Leywin and the other provided answers for some of my inquiries—about Sylvie's will, the training, Aether, and this special potential of mine. He showed me. And it turned out I could resist his power, disrupting and making it unstable. Simply being near him was enough to destabilize his aether arts—to the point that he had to exert extra effort just to maintain control.
He spoke, too, of the war. He stated it'll start off by reclaiming Carn and Mayburn. Only then will they concentrate all their forces and make the best preparations to reclaim Blackbend. Thus, reclaim both the Wall and Greengate in the process. From there they would push toward Xyrus City.
"If you have any more questions." he said at last. "Feel free to ask."
I drew a breath that felt too large for my chest. "I'm in," I said. "I'll do anything you order. But in return... I want the best possible treatment for my mother."
"Your mother is ill...?" He asked. "Is that the only reason you're agreeing to this?"
"...My... father..." My throat tightened. "He's been imprisoned at Xyrus. It's been months since his last letter, and... since you've already got plans to reclaim the city, please count me in."
"I understand, Delsin. I'll consider it—but you will have to prove yourself strong enough first."
Relief hit me so hard my hands trembled. "Thank you, sir!"
General Leywin gave a small nod. "Well, let's stop here for now. See you soon, Delsin."
"Yes sir!"
***
Nico Sever
Where am I? Everything is so dark...
And I felt so weak...
"I'm sorry, Scythe Nico. It's not like I betrayed you or anything. I'm trying to help you. Your doubt for our god is making you crazy. It's making you ill to the point that even the legacy couldn't fully heal you. Please, allow me to show you the greatness of Agrona Vritra."
Draneeve...
I shouldn't have trust this f*cker!
"I can't believe this!!! Agrona finally recognized my potential and loyalty! Once this is over, I'll be among the retainers!! I might be chosen by Dragoth or Viessa or Melzri or even you!!"
What the f*ck is wrong with this guy? Is he high?
"Tell me, Scythe Nico, as a Scythe, would you choose... me?"
"...F*ck you..."
Draneeve only chuckled softly. "...Yes, please take your time. But be sure to watch me fulfill my duty. It won't take too long... Because those Dicathens won't last a day once my chance comes."