Chapter 5: Chapter 3 [Awakening: The Hero & The Devil]

It's been Five years since they were first born into this world.

Both Luna and Niel had long become accustomed to their respective situations, having experienced a relatively simple life up to this point.

Yet today, an odd sense of foreboding seemed to permeate their surroundings.

___________________________________________

 

On the side of Luna, the sun had began its ascent. While the skies have still yet to completely rid of the gloom of night, the light of dawn has already scattered the darkness.

She watched the sunrise through the window of her room.

Because the floor was quite high and her room faced the path of the sun, she had a very clear view of the daybreak.

She awoke rather abruptly before the sun even arose, as an unusual sense of irritation seem to flow within her chest. At the beginning, she didn't think much of it, believing it to be her own excitement.

It was after all her 5th birthday, thinking of it to be the day she awakens her Mana.

As the time passed, the sense of vexation only continued to grow. Now, as the light of the sun grows increasingly bright across the horizon, she could feel her heart start to beat strongly. No matter how foolish or oblivious she may be, even she could tell,

'Something is wrong.'

◊◊◊

On the other side of the world, Niel was currently experiencing a similar situation. As the sun continues to fall below the horizon, with darkness starting to conquer the skies, the dreadful feeling occupying his heart only grows stronger.

He, too, did not think much of it at first. But as the insistent feeling continued to linger and germinate, he could no longer ignore his current situation.

Mana circulated around his body, scanning for any anomaly. Within his heart, he found a dark patch slowly spreading outward. He didn't know when and where it came from, it was as though it had suddenly emerged with no warning.

Trying to rid himself of it, Mana once again circulated his body, struggling to expel the aberration. Though his efforts were rendered futile, as it only seemed to accelerate his growing discomfort.

He attempted to calm himself, striving to analyze his condition a little more clearly. 

Finding the circumstance rather absurd, he secretly left the cabin without warning, entering deeper into the forest despite the night beginning to unwind.

At the very least should something bad occur, he wouldn't be able to drag the others with him.

Though unbeknownst to him, the Gale Wolf resting in a shed across the cabin had noticed his departure.

◊◊◊

Luna was running around the castle so early in the morning, which drove some confusion around the servants. 

Thankfully for her, the eccentric things she constantly did practically dulled everyone senses. Thus no one was too concerned with her current actions.

As of right now though, she was very much in a panic looking for a secluded place around the castle. Fortunately, she knew a special place in which no one was allowed to enter without permission.

'Sorry mom.'

She silently apologized as she entered her mother's personal garden. It was quite the expansive place filled with all sorts of healthy looking plants, despite her mother being the only one to take care it.

There should still be some time before her mother wakes up, as such no one should be able to bother her for the time being.

Suddenly, she could feel her heart start to race faster and faster. As though she had reached a boiling point and is soon to explode, she couldn't help but utter all sorts of curses in her mind.

"...Please let this end soon."

She whispered in prayer.

◊◊◊

Niel was rapidly sprinting through the woods using everything he had, going as far as to use Physical Arts, leaving afterimages behind his trail.

He managed to traverse the forest efficiently despite the darkness surrounding it. The animals and monsters he came across directly avoided him, as though they could feel the dangerous aura oozing out of his body.

At some point, after running a substantial distance, Niel stopped.

Kneeling down on a random patch of dirt he just so happened to stop upon, he started to grip his chest tightly and began to pant heavily.

He couldn't help but be alarmed at his present state, as he shouldn't be exhausted as of yet. There should still be a considerable amount of his stamina remaining, not to mention he only expended a fifth of his Mana.

Even so, he still felt short out of breath as though his lungs couldn't grasp enough air. As if to make matters worse, his heart started to palpitate faster and faster, while pain quickly spread around his body.

He knew at this point, whatever fate has in store for him, he is powerless to stop.

◊[Duality]◊

As both currently faced their dilemma, a peculiar development started to unfold.

Despite the vast distance between the pair, their heartbeats began to synchronize with one another in a strange harmony.

Their hearts resonated with one another intensely, and this resonance slowly grew stronger and stronger, until finally,

*BOOM*

A new occurrence erupted.

With Luna as the center, a flash of light broke out followed by a shock wave spreading all around her. Similarly, on Niel's side, an outburst of darkness unfurled as an explosion demolished his surroundings, creating a crater with him as the epicenter.

Briefly, for only an instant, they could feel each other's presence, though this connection was almost immediately severed.

A sphere of light wrapped around Luna like a cocoon, shimmering every few seconds before rapidly receding. But as the light faded, the form that Luna revealed was drastically different from was she normally appeared to be.

Her eyes glowed brightly, accentuating their already contrasting colors, while her originally grey hair changed into a luminescent color of snow. Attached to her back was a pair of wings made of pure white light.

At the back of her right hand was a blue Sigil reminiscent of a crescent moon, while on back of her left hand was a gold Sigil symbolizing the blazing sun.

Her entire being seemed to radiate divine power, illuminating her surroundings with a sacred and incorruptible energy.

On the other side, the darkness encasing Niel also began to scatter, revealing his altered state.

His pupils became vertical slits as his blood red eyes shone grimly, with the formerly white sclera becoming jet black. The horns on the sides of his head grew menacingly larger, curving backwards.

From his back, ink like markings spread all throughout the skin across his body and limbs, forming a rather ominous pattern. While at his lower back, darkness coalesced together to form a draconic tail, which forked at the end like a bident.

All sorts of chaotic thoughts were injected into his mind, heavily searing into his soul.

A malevolent aura encompassed him, encircled by a dark mist like miasma that violently distorted everything around him.

Following the strange sequence of events, just as the commotion started dying down and the bewildered pair finally began collect themselves, an sudden pain assailed their heads.

 A sharp influx of information was abruptly inserted into their consciousness, forcefully declaring an indisputable fact.  

As if their day/night was not absurd enough, they were promptly and unreasonably told...

 

...She/He is the Hero/Devil.

 

---

 

All across the world, a small, nearly undetectable change had occurred without notice.

Every living being's mind and body was ever so slightly lighter than usual, and the mana surrounding the atmosphere of the globe was faintly purer in quality.

It was such a vague difference that hardly anyone could possibly notice and those that could would likely excuse it as a natural occurrence, or not think much of it.

But there were some, greatly sensitive to the most minor of adjustments, that could properly distinguish it. Beings of might, who's perception had reached incomprehensible levels.

Supreme Sorcerers who reign over the very essence of magic.

Grand Dukes ruling over the Demon-kind and Arch-demons who had hidden themselves.

Lords of the Mythical Races, the very sovereigns of mana and power, who secluded their kind in their own respective dimensions.

They had all noticed it.

The beginning of a new Cycle.

 

---

 

The Great Naldina Forest, the largest forest of the Halyxeon continent. It was one of the largest territory of the children of nature, the elven kind.

Close to it's center was a mountain, nearly as tall as the world tree itself. It rose high enough that it's peak was hidden by the clouds surrounding it. Beyond that, at the very summit, laid an enormous green dragon.

It remained unbothered despite the strong wind blowing around it, as it looked towards the horizon, seemingly in deep thought.

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The dragon stayed motionless, enough that one could almost mistake it for a statue. And perhaps it would have carried on as such if it were not for the sudden disturbance.

A large spatial tear was abruptly opened not far from the dragon, who itself seemed composed in spite of the otherwise surprising incident.

From the spatial tear came a beautiful golden haired elf wearing a white dress with green outline while carrying a grey, dulled, and seemingly ancient, sword. The sword flashed a purplish light which disappeared along with the dimensional tear.

The elf looked up towards the green dragon, happily waved her hands and moving towards it after seeing she had caught it's attention.

"Using one of the elven-kind's most important artifact as a convenient travel tool, why am I not surprised."

The dragon spoke towards the elf in a rather amused tone.

"Why not? As you said, it's convenient, easy, and fun, not to mention it saves me a lot of time too."

The elf on the other hand responded casually with a grin.

"I'm sure the Elf Queen would be angry if she heard you say that."

"She's the one who gave it to me in the first place, she can't really reprimand me on how I use it can she?"

The two seemed to bicker nonchalantly, before turning serious.

"Why did you call me all of the sudden?" The elf asked, gazing intently into the dragon's eyes.

"I'm sure you have noticed it as well, a new Cycle had begun."

"That's true..."

A frown appeared on the elf's charming face. The Cycle might not mean much in the beginning, but like a growing storm, it starts to encompass the world in its turmoil.

Even disregarding the Devils, who are almost always solitary, the Heroes are prone to attracting the attention of their surroundings, often resulting in them dragging everything into disorder, whether intentionally or unintentionally. She herself couldn't be more clear to this.

"But even still, what does that have to do with you calling me in such a rushed manner? The Cycle has just barely been established, there shouldn't be much problems arising as of yet."

"...This is different, it concerns my foresight."

Hearing the term foresight, the elf finally showed solemness. Green Dragons being the among the creatures closest to nature, they are able to partially tap into the lines of fate, enabling them to predict the general direction of the world.

"Is it very serious?"

"I'm not quite sure as of yet."

"How so?"

"I only know that a considerable portion of the flow seem to deeply concern the Devil of this era."

The elf stiffened, thoughts of the worst possibility flashed in her mind.

"You can't possibly saying what I think you're saying?"

"...Indeed I am, I fear another Nox might have been born."

Upon hearing that name, the elf fell into contemplation. While the era of Nox had transpired far into the past, his existence was still of great significance to this day.

"Are you absolutely certain of that?"

"I am not, that's why I've called you here. If I was so sure of it, I would have rallied my kin and informed all the other Monarchs of this."

It is truly no surprise that they take this topic of great concern.

Devils are all lunatics, regardless of what records or documentations about them exists, this fact is always present. But the Devil Nox was a special kind of lunatic.

While most other Devils were broken madmen who sought death over anything else, Nox was unique in that he had a deep desire to live, something that was practically unheard of amongst his kind.

Yet despite this extreme yearning for survival, he was not immune to the madness that overtakes and consumes the other Devils. And so, he would aim this destructive impulse at everyone and everything else.

If it were just this, it wouldn't never have become a problem. Since Heroes and Devils are always equal in power, the rampaging Nox would eventually have been silenced by his era's Hero. But as if to defy all expectations, Nox had repelled his Heroic counterpart time and time again, sometimes sealing the Hero, albeit temporarily.

Nox was a true monstrosity who had far exceeded the very concept of genius. With ease, he was able to learn all manners of knowledge and even effortlessly improve upon them. It was especially so in Magic and Mana applications, which he was unparalleled amongst his peers.

Even between two beings with similar Mana capacity, the one with greater proficiency in their abilities are usually the triumphant one. As a person becomes stronger and reaches a higher point, their proficiency and control of their strength becomes all the more important.

It's precisely because of this that Nox remained insurmountable against his Hero, as his skills and mastery over his powers was worlds beyond his opponent, and it remained so even till his death.

Fortunately, if it were not for the consequences that the Devil would face in killing his nemesis, the Hero would have never survived against him.

Eventually, his destructive streak had been put to an end, with the combined might of all the races, along with the aid of the most power beings the world had at the time, the Hero of that era had finally slain the Devil.

The sacrifice and damage that the world had paid were immeasurable, countless deaths, with some races facing extinction. A few dimensions connected to the world were utterly destroyed and even in the planet, continents had been sunken and broken apart.

He was truly the most powerful and most dangerous Devil to have ever existed. Yet most records and information about him had been heavily buried and erased, with only the long lived beings having proper documentations of him.

In truth, many of his traces still remain, along with some of the abominations he had forged still persisting, hidden in parts of the world that were still unchecked.

If another Devil like Nox were to be born, it would certainly be of no laughing matter.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"For starters, I want you to find the Hero of this current Cycle."

The elf looked genuinely troubled by the dragon's request.

"Aren't you asking for too much? How would I even find the Hero in the first place?"

"As of right now, there is no one more familiar with the Hero's power other than you."

"Even still, it's not like I have a general direction to go searching to, the Hero could literally be anywhere right now."

A Hero could be born anywhere, while usually they are among the Human races, it's not impossible for one to be born amongst the Demon kind. As was the situation around five thousand years ago, when the Hero was a succubus.

"Come now Merdes, I'm sure you can find them if you look hard enough. Why don't you start by looking to see if the Hero is born amidst the elves again."

"Obviously you'd say that, you just lay your lazy fat rear here for decades on end and have everyone else do work for you."

"Perhaps that may be true, but I doubt you who had secluded yourself in your house like a hermit, reading romance novels for five years have any right to chastise me. At the very least, unlike you, I have been supervising actual productive things."

"Ugh..." The elf, Merdes, appeared greatly in shock, feeling a verbal arrow piercing straight to her heart. Before noticing a few key details in the dragon's words.

"Wait, are you spying on me?"

"Of course not, I was told by your youngest niece. You are truly fortunate that she is actually willing to put up a burden such as yourself."

"Okay okay stop, I'll do your stupid job. But you definitely have to compensate me for this."

"Naturally."

Space suddenly warped and in front of the elf a deep green crystal suddenly appeared, floating before her.

"This is... A dragon crystal?"

Dragon crystals are a type of Mana crystal, which are naturally created from the Mana of a dragon. Normally, they require a dragon to reside within a place for at least a century before they begin to form.

But judging by the extreme purity and quality of the Mana within the crystal she is holding, it's in no way an ordinary Dragon crystal.

"Satisfied?"

"Oh? Yeah, absolutely!"

"Then I suppose you'll keep you word?"

"Yeap, no worries here Terra, I am a woman of my word. In fact, ama go do that right now!"

Merdes immediately sprung into action, using the dull sword in her hand to cut another spatial tear, before she herself hopped into the tear.

The dragon, Terra, watched her antics in a rather amused manner. Finally laying back down after seeing her silhouette completely disappear into the rend of space.

◊◊◊

The distortion of space made by the sword led Merdes back into her dwelling, before dissipating. It was a rather childish usage of the blade, which was originally meant to be a weapon.

She relaxed, placing the sword on a table before walking towards the window. From there, she looked upon the skies in a melancholic mood while still holding the green crystal.

A small spell she had placed on her eyes, one she habitually placed every time she left outside, had worn off. The green color of her eyes slowly dissipated revealing a bright contrasting pair of colors, blue and gold respectively.

"...A new era, huh?" 

She closed her eyes and sighed, before opening them back again with a renewed determination.

"Now where should I start?"

 

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