He is on his knees.
Blood is dripping on the shattered stones of the coliseum. His bones are revealed, his fingers twisted and torn apart beyond recognition.
His eyes can't see anymore, not that they ever saw something beyond the monochrome world. His words are tired, blood is dripping down from his nose.
"So you see it now do you? The world is made of two groups, one which consists of the side characters that will never be able to reach the level of the other group no matter how much they try and suffer. The other group is of course the people like me, chosen people. We are prodigious and above those commoners. I call them commoners not because of their stayus but their nature. Can't you see it yourself? Look at all those years you spent just to try reaching my level only to fall down when your wings melted."
The boy is shattered, he is dead. There is no turning back from this yet he is smiling like he is happy that there is no tomorrow for him, he is smiling against the fate coming to cut his string. He is smiling at the face of a monster.
"It feels so nice...knowing that I can cut a whole color out of this world..."
He lifted his arms once more as a shattering sound was heard, the air...no the reality itself shattered as the boy let out a laughter right before his death, his intentions displayed like his innards.
That was the first time the Hero of Light felt fear. An instinctual feeling his body has forgotten long ago, fear of death whispering to his ear.
"We are dying together!"
And his arms moved down. Each disfigured finger ripping through the reality and slashing the world itself and being the end of anything before him. The monster got ripped into pieces as the arms of the boy ripped off from the force itself. In his last moments he was smiling yet again.
Such a monochrome world...I fell happy for killings something so colorful. Is this the feeling of being special? The edge of fulfillment? Pleasure of success? Vainglory of the dead?
Such a beautiful world.
The man at the door was wearing a double breasted coat, trousers of the same color and a shirt inside. His outfit seemed to miss anything that would be called an accessory even a handkerchief or a clock. His eyes were serious and his eyebrows were sharp making him look pretty serious and intimidating even compared to Lucio. His short black straight hair was slicked back with a few strands falling on his forehead. He was taller than Lucio who was already a head taller than Antares. His build was muscular like Lucio's and he had two swords on his waist one on each side. His facial features made him look serious which was probably accurate. He looked young like Lucio and Ae which didn't match the air he carried around.
"Hey captain! this new one is better than the one you got like a month ago, where did you even get that annoying rat?"
The man lifted his fist and slammed it to left side of his chest before speaking in a thick, assertive voice.
"You know the punishment for your word, get out."
"Yes sir!"
Lucio quickly got up, saluted the captain before leaving in a hurry.
He just called the guy a rat. What would have happened if he said something else? Where did he even go?
"Where did he go?"
"The punishment for talking behind a comrade is to run from here all the way to the docks and run back. We are comrades and we must act that way."
Oh wait I should have introduced myself.
"Hello sir my name is Antares I am here to get a job as...a comrade. Father gave me a letter to give you but the long hair guy took it away..."
"He gave me the letter. Your father...Graham and I were brothers in arms. He left without saying much but at least the letter is a late apology for what he did."
"What did he do?"
I should have thought more first get the job then talk about personal shit.
The man stayed silent for a few seconds, the hesitation was obvious yet when he spoke his voice kept the same authoritarian voice as if he was against am army just by himself yet had no fear.
"Killed someone proven innocent. If captain didn't use his position he would have long been dead."
His face lacked any motion as if used to these type of conversations. He didn't let Antares speak after his sentence as if he wanted this topic to end as quickly as possible.
"He was still a good person but like Ae must have said the days of apprenticeship is over and everyone gets the same chance. Anyone with the power and belief can be our brothers and sisters."
They seem to call each other brothers and sisters in arms. Well this place is connected to the church did I expect them to call each other work friends?
"Before anything there is something to be done."
He took out a cross from his pocket. It had the Saint Selena on it and seemed to be made of silver, an expensive item only the rich would have. On a closer look the weirdness of the cross became visible to Antares. It had a pointy end covered in something brown, clotted blood. The Saint Selena on the cross was covered with tentacles, hiding her private parts.
"Do you know what us, the Order of Maiden do? Do you have any knowledge of us?"
Before he could even answer the man stabbed the cross into Antares's leg, the point end digging a few centimeters into his leg. Blood dripped out the wound as he lost the ability to speak yet his mouth still opened, he was a prisoner in his own body. A familiar voice came out of his mouth not in his order but as an automatic response without thinking. Illusory tentacles appeared all around his body and grabbed him tight as the sentence came out.
"Yes I do..."
Before it could even end he was grabbed by his throat before getting thrown with ease to the hall and slamming into the wall like a rag doll. The man took one of the rapier from his waist with a swift movement before charging forward and stepping on the boy before placing the blades tip at his neck.
"Where?, when?, who?, who are you working for?, did Graham betray us as well!"
The man shouted in rage different from before. There seemed to be something burning behind those eyes yet the boy couldn't even see him.
"Here,few minutes ago,Lucio..."
The man pulled the cross from his legs causing him to let out a groan of pain after gaining the ability to do so. He quickly got up screaming at the man.
"What was that for! I was fine with the beating you folk call an exam yet trying to kill me? Why couldn't I even move or talk? Tell me what happened!"
Antares grabbed the man by the collar as he shouted at his face. His legs were trembling from both the shock and the pain yet the main showed no emotions.
"I will make sure to punish him for this as well. Sorry for my son he sometimes does these. I thought you were a spy and used ehat were call an artifact on you. Ae! Come bandage your new coworker. If you see Lucio tell him to come to the office. He will be setting up the altar for the ritual as a punishment."
From the room he entered the hall the first time came out Ae with a weird look on his face and met out a sigh.
"Captain this is the second time this happened why are you always falling for it? Do you really think anyone is stupid enough to send one of their man here just so they can die the moment they go downstairs?"
"Risks aren't there to be taken. I thought you would a realized it by now. Now tell me do you want to be his partner?"
Ae looked at him before letting out a sigh again and going into the same place Antares sparred. He came out with a bandage, not just a rag but the type of bandage only seen in places like hospitals and a small round box.
"No even though she is a drunkard I can't just leave her behind."
"Your choice. I was hoping she could teach him instead of Emil."
The captain left leaving the half naked Antared and the Ae behind. Antares went into the room again before sitting on the couch.
"What have I gotten myself into...one more event and I will die...I will surely die today. How will I explain this to father!"
"Oh come on things are far better than this normally. I had my fair share of bad days."
He bandaged the leg before putting the ointment on the boys bruises. The feeling itself was cold but Antares couldn't smell anything from it. His wound had stopped bleeding long ago yet the pain would stay for a few days at least.
"Sorry for saying no to the whole partnership thing. Everyone has a partner here since we have a lot to take care of and can't move in bigger groups because of it. I got the short stick and well she is hard to handle to say the least. I saved you from a few months of torture you should thank me for that. Well Emil isn't a saint at heart or anything but they must be better...we just never talked for long before so I have no idea."
"What is the whole ceremony thing? I hope it doesn't involve me getting my head cut off or something. I would expect that from all of you."
"No no no not at all at least not all the time...kidding kidding and I apologize for all that happened today. You will take you wov and...no actually we need your blood too for the traditional blood bond after the ritual. A small cut is fine nothing more nothing less."
"What is that all about? Is it like a literal blood bond? Like the one where nothing people cut their arms and put the wounds on top of each other?"
"Yes it is the same old thing. No idea who started it captain doesn't know either. For the ritual part you just have wov a few times when captain recites certain parts and that is it. You will be one of us and...after a few months of training you will get the weirdest job you can find...weird yet I find it inspirational."
What a weirdo. Maybe his poems are actual good so I should ask for one some time. If it wasn't for the fact that this job is my last proper chance in a life that doesn't have starving as the main event I would have left already.
"Inspirational? A few more punches and I will be the best poet out there let me tell you."
Ae let out a chuckle before getting up and stretching before pulling a pocket watch.
"Well we still have a few hours. Just lay on the couch and take a nap. It would have been nice if Emil was here but today they are not here and I have to go get him for the ritual. Stay here and don't leave the room."
Do they think I am a thief or something? Or is this another we can't tell you before you sign the contract situation all over. I thought those only happened in novels.
The boy looked around yet there wasn't even a magazine to read let alone today's newspaper. After getting annoyed by the fact that he can't lay down face first he wiped the ointment with his arm and laying on his chest. He tried to sleep yet couldn't from the pain all over his body and his leg.
"Hey get up."
"Wha..."
He quickly shot up shocked from the fact that he couldn't hear anyone entering the room. Before him was a thin figure wearing a single breasted coat with a belt, black leather gloves, scarf around his neck and the classical choice of trousers. He was wearing leather boots and had middle length curly hair that covered most of his face and fell on his shoulders. Under the strands of hair it could be seen that he was wearing round glasses. His face was hard to see but seemed skinny like the rest of his body, his voice was weak and sounded pretty exhausted. He was shorter than Antares unlike all the others.
"What do you mean what? It is already eight, the stars are visible and the ritual is ready."
"What! Eight? I just closed my eyes...so who are you?"
"...Emil."
He refused to continue speaking with his eyes locked onto something.
"Yeah sorry things got weird some muscular guy called Lucio wanted to spar and we got half naked and...not a sight worth looking right?"
He got up and wore his clothes back in a hurry. He put his cap on before reaching out for Emil's hand, shaking it in a rather excited manner.
"So you will be my teacher or something along those lines huh? We started off good at least no new bruises in the first minutes. I am Antares nice to meet you Emil."
He didn't say anything for a few seconds before pulling his hand back.
"Nice to meet you...we should go down now."
Boy followed Emil as they entered the second door to the left and behind the door was a small room where coats were hanged and a few random items were in a table. At the end of the room was a small door leading to a cellar. Emil lifted the door on the ground before climbing down and the boy followed him.
"So why is there a passage like this that leads to these...catacombs?"
"To keep things hidden from people. The city doesn't have a metro line as you know so connecting the catacombs from the cathedral of saints Selena to other locations makes traveling easier."
Seems like an awkward person but talks a lot when it is the most boring topics out there
"So what happened to the people burried?"
"The bones got piled into rooms."
The stone walls got replaced with brick walls as they got close to another space. A wide corridor with multiple doors on each side side with each covered in high quality engravings and signs.
"I will show you around. I used to get lost in here too."
Why does he sound so emotionless? Did someone dig you out from the ground just today? Oh wait it was his free day wasn't it? Yes I would have been annoyed too to be honest.
A few seconds later he opened a door on his right before walking inside and revealing a few figures Antares knew and a few new ones. One of them included a boy wearing a shirt with rolled up sleeves and a smug look on his face. He had ginger hair and seemed to be similar in age. The other was an old man with long white beard, he was shorter than everyone else. And was wearing the clothes of a distinguished gentleman, clean and high in quality. Another one was a woman that was the tallest in this group of weird people. Her frame was both taller and wide, she had long brown hair which must have made the bald old man jealous all the time. Unlike the old man who had a fatherly look in those eyes her eyes seemed to hold nothing more than boredom in this moment.
"Is this the new boy? Was I not enough for you? Never expected you all to bring another man to this home so early..."
The ginger boy let out a chuckle which came to a quick end as the captain stared at him.
"Please get inside the ritual circle and on your knees."
Listening to Emil he went inside the circle and got on his knees. The circle had 7 burning candles and a one without a flame. The circle was drawn with something dark and thick yet it was impossible to make out because of the dim light in the room. The design of the circle was also a mystery because of the same reason. Before him was the figure of a man covered in tentacles. It was a statue of the lord that loved them all.
"Before the lord will you take the vow of brotherhood and promise to live your life to protect the holy kingdom of our Lord?"
He could feel a deep presence coming from all around, nothing the eyes of those people but something deeper, something ancient carving it's marks into his soul. It was the gaze of the lord that threatened his whole existence.
"Yes I vow."
"Do you vow to protect the life of all believers of our Lord even if it means risking your own?"
"Yes I vow...in the name of all saints."
Something is breaking, under the gaze the boy is shattering.
"Do you vow to become a brother of the Maiden?"
"Yes...I vow to be a brother..."
Illusory tentacles are moving under his skin, they are wriggling like maggots as if searching for something.
That day was the day it all ended. Fate has been sealed and the dark days awaited them.
The last candle burst into flames as the sensation of billion eyes and the wriggling tentacles became the past.
"I always expect something dramatic to happen every time yet nothing happens."
The poet moved forward to lift the boy up who was covered is sweat and shaking.
"Worry not brother the thing you felt was out fathers embrace."
Father's embrace my ass I felt like I was about to die there. One more second and I would have died from the shock! What the hell was that? Do you expect me to believe that gods started answering prayers all of a sudden? What kind of tomfoolery is this?
Lucio shot him a surprised look before smiling as if trying to hide a smile under that mustache. He walked deeper into the dark room and came out with a steel dagger before giving it to Emil.
"You choose. Anything but legs cause everyone knows how weird that looks."
He shot another look at the ginger boy before pulling back. And letting Emil choose. After a few seconds he took his left glove off before shoving no hesitation as he sliced it. He handed the dagger to the boy who grabbed it with his shaking hands before trying to slice his palm only to manage a few small cuts because of his shaking hands.
"Let me help you."
Emil put his hand over his before cutting his palm with a swift movement. Emil took the dagger and pressed his palm into the boy's. The sensation was weird, the texture of his hands felt very weird yet because of the lighting of the room it was impossible to see. The boy let his fingers intertwine with his before looking down.
"Sorry I am still shaking...you don't get to feel that...embrace every day."
Emil seemed pretty emotionless as usual, like a doll that never had a heart in the first place. He thought for a few seconds in what to say before trying to encourage him the best he could.
"Don't worry you will get used to it. We fear the unknown not the things we know."
"Enough standing around you two still have paperwork to fill out especially you new brother."