The Thallerion Kingdom
In the eastern reaches of Thallerion, the sun rose like a mighty sovereign, gradually conquering the cold shadows of the night. A white, glass-like sphere shimmered high in the heavens—this was the Crown-shield. From a distance, it looked like a giant crown dropped by a god.
As the sun peeked through, the entire architecture of Thallerion glistened, resembling a sword raised in a towering salute. People gathered in the vast hall of Betelgeuse City—the very heart of the kingdom, surrounded by soaring structures. At the center of the stage stood a king, silently observing his citizens.
Meanwhile, in Mintaka Village, the heavy bell of the cathedral boomed, echoing against its yellowing walls. A young woman entered the cathedral, feeling the cold aura of the pillars adorned with angelic statues. At the front stood a massive black cross fixed high upon the wall—a symbol of the influence of the holy nation of Cypriox.
Within the vast chamber, fluorescent lamps with floral relics hung, casting a temperate glow. The girl watched as tiny specks of white dust shimmered in the golden light filtering through the stained glass. A shaft of sunlight pierced through, stabbing into the shadows of the chilly room.
Before the altar, she slowly sank to her knees. She raised her hands, fingers interlocking tightly. Closing her eyes, fresh tears fell like droplets of gathered dew, crawling down her cheeks and dripping onto her chest. She could feel the heat of her own desperate longing. Her soft lips trembled slightly as she whispered into the air.
"Please," she breathed.
The smoke of the incense swirled around her, fragrant as precious wood, leaving a light sensation upon a grieving soul. The great light of the candles served as silent witnesses to her unrestrained kneeling before the cross.
Whenever she had the chance, she made it a ritual to visit this cathedral after their grueling actual-healing training at the Celestial Gene Academy of Mintaka. She dreamed of becoming a certified 'Awakened-healer', a title that played a vital role for the Hunters of Thallerion.
As a student, she couldn't help but become emotional over the pitiful state of the patients in the healing camps. Whenever the memory of warriors bathed in their own blood returned to her—groaning, screaming, and pleading for mercy before drawing their last breath—it tore at her heart.
"O, merciful Crux, I beg of you, pour your glorious light upon the land of Thallerion. Awaken the hearts bound by the chains of war. Suppress the arrogant Sovereignties who desire only the downfall of our nation," she prayed.
With every word, her knees shook, and her aching palms were dampened by fresh tears. Her prayer seemed to turn into music within the silent sanctuary. "O holy Crux... hear my plea—for my people, my country, and my race. Thallerion is in need of our Guardian. Must we face the curse of this world forever without the presence of our great Guardian?"
Monarch Speech
Meanwhile, in the grand hall of Betelgeuse City, King Zerceux Herzthroven stood upon the stage for his annual speech. A live broadcast made of blue energy flickered across every building wall in Thallerion.
"Look up! Behold the shimmering barrier they have draped across our skies like a white shroud over a coffin. That is the Threat Security Shield sent by the Cepheus Sovereign under the Crown-System. But I call it this—the Parasitic Crown!"
The resentment of the citizens synchronized with the king's fury. "They are infesting our nation! This isn't safety! This is a curse!" The king could clearly hear the people's hatred.
"You are right. They speak of 'peace.' They speak of 'Ordinance.' But they do not care that we are suffocating under their greedy system."
The king's fist tightened on the podium, his blue eyes burning as he faced the masses.
"Just because Thallerion's celestial guardian vanished, they immediately thought we were weak. Ha! We are not sheep in need of a shepherd. We do not need to give thanks for that Crown-Shield. Have they forgotten? We know how to wield weapons."
A mass awakening occurred in the middle of the speech as the people manifested their support. Their eyes shone like radiant stars.
"Every fiber of that shield is fed by millions of our astral-currency every year. Because of it, our celestial stock market has plummeted. Everything we have worked for—even when we squeeze the marrow from our bones just to earn—they benefit from it without effort."
"Listen, awakened warriors, hunters, and healers. Today, five rifts have appeared outside the borders of Thallerion. They are spewing biopunks. Exterminate them and destroy the holes of those pests. Show the Cepheus Sovereign that we do not live to hide behind the Crown-Shield. Go!"
The Cathedral
Back at the cathedral, while the warriors were continuously clearing the astral barriers of Thallerion, the young woman struggled with bitterness and plea as she prayed. Instead of blood and sweat, it was tears and sobs that broke the silence of the cathedral. The fluttering of pigeons between the high windows was louder than the clash of sword and shield. The girl's supplication was more bitter than the dying warriors at the border.
However, in the midst of her fervent prayer, the candle flames suddenly bowed. The incense smoke swirled in the air like a storm brewing inside the cathedral. In an instant, a sphere of light floated up, accompanied by lightning crawling across the walls.
The girl felt a gentle, sacred heat in the surroundings, as if the hum of energy was calling her name. She opened her eyes to find a blinding, star-like glow, accompanied by a rhythmic drone like an angry hornet. In a flash, it crashed before her like a falling star, and the shadow of a being emerged. A shirtless man.
"Who are you?" The girl's eyes widened, her blood turning to ice. "Identify yourself, stranger." Her voice was hoarse and trembling, and her skin crawled as the noise outside suddenly ceased, as if time itself had stopped. The scent of incense vanished, replaced by a fragrance of lotus flowers as sweet as ancient wood. "That scent. It's like the traditional perfume of Thallerion. Is he a..."
The girl's angelic face was like a rose blooming in the sun. Pure sweat beaded on her skin. She watched a well-built man emerge from the light. She saw the perfect physique—defined abs—but suddenly, clothes grew over him, followed by armor that wrapped around him like sand turning into steel. He stood there like a king.
"I can't believe it... am I truly witnessing a god?" Her voice strained with a fear like that of a cornered rabbit.
With every step the man took, the room's presence seemed to shrink as five crystal orbs bowed before him, representing the elements: fire, water, electricity, earth, and light. They orbited him like loyal planets.
Then, the five orbs transformed into a belt of bolts around his waist. The stranger's aura instantly intensified, sending ripples of air through the room.
"This man is truly powerful!" she thought in terror. Her nose began to bleed as she was hit by the wave of his aura, which felt like breathing electricity.
Her eyes scanned his powerful form. She first noticed the silk that looked as if it were woven from the cosmos. On every corner of the golden armor, diamond relics glistened, while a cape hung from his back—not made of fabric, but of aquamarine galactic energy, adorned with gold and silver at the edges.
"Is he like a god of war?" Floating daggers of various blade shapes hovered around him. The diadem he wore shone like a newborn sun.
The pillars of the cathedral developed fine cracks, and the dust in the air froze as if the atmosphere had solidified. The girl had only one hunch: "Wait, is he a Constellar-king?"
From her amazement at the transformation of the celestial armor, she looked up, following the lines of his face, and there she beheld eyes as deep as the universe. However, her spiritual strength was overwhelmed. She quickly bowed her head in fear. Her cold hands shook bitterly, and for the first time, she prostrated herself on the floor. She wept before him like a slave begging for a final chance. "Forgive me, I did not mean to look upon your face."
"I am Marthew Ceréun," he introduced himself. "I have heard your tireless pleas, but the cries of Thallerion have become as thick as the fibers of ancient scrolls." His firm voice thundered like lightning, yet it held a melancholy like a sad melody. "You are blessed above all, Xurien Wrez. For from your womb shall come the peace that Thallerion craves."
"Me? —But why me?" Xurien's voice almost failed her. She was consumed by fear upon hearing his living voice, and she slowly kissed the polished floor of the altar. "Wait, is it really you? The great Orion?"
"Your sincere prayer was granted by the higher Crux, and you became the bridge that awakened my consciousness to the human world—I am the entity known for giving the shield to Thallerion," Marthew Ceréun replied, though the weight in his voice remained.
"You truly are Orion," Xurien said with a spark of awe.
Xurien slowly lifted her face, seeing his feet clad in shimmering crystal boots. "Stand up. Do not kneel before me—I am no god—and I am not worthy of being called great," Orion commanded, his hand reaching down toward her face.
From his boots, her eyes traveled to the smooth plates on his knees. Xurien's fingers trembled as she tried to touch his strong hand, but her breath hitched when she saw Orion vanish like a ghost, reappearing behind her with the speed of a lightning bolt. "I am merely an entity who failed in my promise."
"What do you mean?" Xurien asked. "Were you not the one who taught Thallerion how to forge weapons without fire? How to capture wild creatures without hiding? The nation of Thallerion became known because of your name."
"Enough—I do not deserve to be called a great guardian. I was negligent; I allowed the gateways of Thallerion to stay open for enemies wielding curses." A deep silence prevailed for a moment, and Orion sighed heavily. "But I am here to deliver the vital message that the great Crux wishes to impart—I am here to tell you... the prophecy for Thallerion."
"Prophecy?" Xurien's heart raced. "What do you mean?" Her mind reeled at Marthew Ceréun's implications while she remained seated on the floor, searching for an answer, but she found only an elusive gaze. "Answer me."
"Your destined child will pave the way so that heaven and earth—may become one," Orion declared. Xurien felt weak, as if the world had collapsed in front of her.
While Xurien's mind questioned in the silence, Orion turned his face toward the cathedral wall, the large cross seemingly listening to his words.
Orion raised his hand, energy slowly gathering in his palm. An ethereal blue rectangle formed—an astral blue screen glowing in the air.
Xurien's face appeared there, as if Orion held her celestial blueprint. He first pressed Xurien's affinity seal, followed by the emergence of white celestial fire in the Astral Geometry, though its smoke looked like silver.
In an instant, a white light appeared around Xurien's head, shaped like a circular crown, and in its center, a small cross of light appeared on her forehead—a blessing from the entity of the Crux. Xurien felt her heart lighten, as if tons of thorns had vanished.
"I feel the power of the Crux entity," Xurien whispered. "Is the Crux listening to our conversation right now?"
Orion smiled gently, and the blue magical screen vanished like cosmic smoke as he lowered his hand. "You are a Cyprioxian, yet you also carry Thallerion blood." Xurien nodded. "But listen, your future child's hand will connect the stars in the sky like a constellation."
"But—" Xurien stopped, her pupils turning chalk-white upon hearing Orion's words. She stood up, hand over her chest. The halo on her head grew brighter. "I have no intention of marrying; this nation of Thallerion is the only family I consider mine."
Orion slowly approached, his weapons clinking at his waist like a king's. "Listen, Xurien, the destiny of a mortal in the eyes of a god is a story already written." Hearing this, Xurien's entire body trembled—a fear she couldn't even begin to map out in her mind.
From where she stood, her eyes wept again, and the cross of light on her forehead began to dim. "Why must the responsibility be placed on the shoulders of a mortal?" She stared into Orion's soulful eyes, judging every spark in his face. "Is it not the guardian who faces the fangs of Cerberus? Who cuts the tentacles of the giant Cetus, and who makes the seven-headed Hydra dance?" Xurien moved closer but fell to her knees at Orion's feet, her hands reaching out. She watched the curve of the soft beard on his strong jaw. "What can a mortal do against such fierce monsters? Even heaven and earth fear them."
"Tell me, where did we go wrong? Are you angry at the arrogance of our ancestors?" Orion bowed his head in silence. He stepped toward the flickering candles, the sound of clanking metal echoing. He plucked the flame from a candle and let it circle his finger like a firefly.
Orion listened to Xurien's questions, which came from a place of deep pain. "You know our suffering, you hear our prayers, but how much longer must we wait?" Xurien's tears poured like rain collected over a long duration. "I beg of you. Do not ignore the fear drowning Thallerion. Help us... Bless our spirits with your greatness."
Orion vanished from his spot and suddenly appeared in the air near Xurien. A sigh of regret escaped his chest. His cape billowed incessantly as the shimmering daggers spun in the air.
"I regret to tell you..." His heart was as heavy as clouds absorbing the mist from damp earth. "Even the greatest guardian of this world faces heavy trials." He raised his hand, and with a flick of his fingers, the crystal orbs from his waist reappeared in his hand, merging together. They formed a magnificent dagger with a precious gem on the hilt, sharp and glowing like a living star.
"This would be worth a billion Astral-coins in the inventory of the Crown-System's Celestial Store," Xurien whispered. "Even the Will-forgers of Thallerion's celestial energy cannot create a weapon like this."
"In the appointed time, my weapon shall descend from the heavens like a giant sword and recognize the chosen one." After he spoke, the dagger turned into smoke, like a breath escaping Orion's powerful chest. The astral smoke spread, carrying the scent of ancient wood.
"However, the essence of my soul is currently imprisoned in the Void of Dead Planets. A world of decay." He spoke this truth clearly, etching it into Xurien's heart. Her tears fell as she realized why Orion had never returned for the Thallerion race. "What you see now... is merely a message from my mind." The light of his presence dimmed as if a cloud had covered the star of Orion.
"How can we be free in this dark age? You are our expected star in the night that will lift us from our suffering. How can we stand in the future without you?" Xurien's voice broke; her hope was like a compass without a needle. "If my future child is the key that will free Thallerion, I beg you, do not abandon them."
"Do not worry... I have never forgotten the race of Thallerion. When the first part of the prophecy occurs, I, Orion, will send a signal through the stars—sigh!" Orion paused. "I have no more time, Xurien. Always remember, just look to the stars." Orion began to fade, but before he vanished completely, he left these final words. "Do not lose hope. I will come at the right time. Farewell."
Orion's body turned into golden dust and was swept away by the wind through the cracks of the sanctuary.
"I will hold you to your word," Xurien whispered to the air. That moment was vital for her, like a seed planted in her very core. Suddenly, the ambient noise returned, and the scent of incense filled her nose once more as the light of the cross on her forehead faded away.