Year 2000 AGS Underhaven Calendar
*Aftermath of the battle of Underhaven. Hours after the end of the battle
CRACK! BOOM!
"Abaddel! You told me everything would be fine! That I am not to come here under any circumstances! I believed in you, brother. Why? Tell me why this happened?!" Elder Michael shouted angrily at Elder Abaddel, taking hold of his armor and hoisting him near him.
"Michael, give me 1 week. Delay the Assembly of the Templar Council. And everything will be clear. Trust me." Elder Abaddel looked at Elder Michael, but instead of explaining, he asked for another favor.
"By the Makers Abaddel, don't you see everything here. Don't you see that a legion commander died, as well as the seer!" Elder Michael shouted with his eyes burning with blue lightning and his body emitting intense white flames.
"Do you think seeing all of them here suffer does not affect me? I am the one in here all this time!" Elder Abaddel also shouted. His red ocular stigmata became intensely bright, and his body emitted golden-black flames.
Two elders clashed their energies. One half is made of white flames, and the other is made of black flames. All the Templars in the area began to feel the pressure and got nervous.
As Elder Michael investigated Elder Abaddel's eyes, he saw pain and sincerity. "You'd better be on to something, because we will be in big trouble if you don't." He let go of Elder Abaddel. "You told me not to come here, and look what happened. What is it that you are planning, really?" Elder Michael began to relax his voice as he spoke.
"Trust me, brother. Everything right now is a system that should not be disturbed, or else it will malfunction." Elder Abaddel replied.
Elder Michael then saw Equirel and Tamael being treated by the Clan of Sacred Light at a short distance. He was about to come to them when Elder Abaddel held his shoulder. "Let me talk to him first, brother. You are about to take him under your wing, are you not?" Elder Abaddel spoke. "Yes, but the situation is dire. It might seem he will have no choice." Elder Michael replied. "Then let me talk to him first." Elder Abaddel added.
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"I never got to know your names." Elder Abaddel said as he approached the two children. "My name's Tamael, and he is Equirel," Tamael replied.
"You did a good job taking him out there earlier, Tamael." Elder Abaddel praised Tamael. "If you were a minute slower. Everything would have been rougher." Elder Abaddel added.
"It was tough for Equirel. Both of his parents…" Tamael spoke and glanced at Equirel, then he looked to the ground, not knowing what to say. "Then can you let me talk to him alone?" Elder Abaddel placed his hand on Tamael's shoulder, looked at the kid, and then nodded, like saying, 'let me handle this.' "He has not spoken a word since that incident," Tamael added, then he glanced back at Equirel, then to Elder Abaddel, then nodded to the latter.
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"Kid, how are you doing?" Elder Abaddel came close to Equirel. Found a chair nearby, took it, and placed it near Equirel. "Mind if I sit with you?" Elder Abaddel then asked.
"…" Equirel looked at him blankly, then nodded.
"I heard that you will be placed under Elder Michael." He sat with Equirel, looked straight ahead, and started a brief conversation. "I heard that you idolize him." Elder Abaddel added.
"…" Equirel did not reply. "…" Elder Abaddel did not either. Both of them looked straight at the systematic movements of the soldiers and medical teams in the area.
"Can I be placed under you, instead?" Equirel replied while staring down at the ground. "You know, Michael. He may be the best Templar among all of us, but he has never raised anyone. I have lived long enough to watch my children die tragic deaths or die through age. One thing's for certain. After generations of experience building my house and watching others do the same. Believe me, it is better for the children to live." Elder Abaddel did not answer Equirel's question. Then glanced at Equirel and then placed his big hand on his head. Then looked straight at the busy crowd in front of them again. "Your parents' legacy now lives in you. Show everybody that your parents' sacrifice ought to be remembered because of you. Then maybe one day, when your job here is done. You can meet them in the afterlife. And they will be proud of you."
Equirel's eyes softened, and then he cried so hard. Elder Abaddel waited for him until he stopped.
"Can I really do it?" He asked the Elder, eyes still red with tears. "Elder Michael is the right man for the job. You can, if you follow him fervently." The Elder replied. "Then why not you?" Equirel then added, looking at Elder Abaddel, a look that surprised him. "Who says I can't? Train under Michael, and I will support you as well. Good deal, isn't it?" Elder Abaddel looked at Equirel as well, then reached out his hand for a handshake. It is as if the two were negotiating from the start. "Okay, thank you, Elder," Equirel replied, his voice now soft and maintaining unwavering eye contact while speaking.
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"Commander, we have assembled all the 1st battalion troops of the 8th legion. 12,500 strong. They are all ready for deployment." An 8th legion soldier under the clan of golden black flames stood as they were lined up.
"Good, we will now begin operation Iron Fist. Capture the new element at all costs. No mercy, destroy everything else and capture every one of their scientists at the location. If there are those that are about to successfully escape, kill all of them." Roel shouted to all of them. "The fate of all Underhaven is in our hands. Capture the new element at all costs. Under no circumstances will anyone be left to escape. Again, if they are about to escape, kill them!" The soldiers just stood there, serious and stern.
"For Underhaven! Kruhay!!" Roel's orders echoed all throughout the ranks. "Kruhay! Kruhay! Kruhay!" All the voices sounded deep and were perfectly in cadence.
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"Thus did the struggle for dominion endure through countless ages, as light and darkness vied ceaselessly to claim the realms of one another. The Chroniclers record not the span of years, for such conflict transcended mortal reckoning. In time, both grew weary of the eternal contest, and it was then that a profou…" Professor Mistra was having a lecture in her class, and when she glanced back, she saw a pink-haired girl with pale grey skin sleeping on her desk.
"Selena Arthurya Astrand-Cobal. Wake up right now." Professor Mistra threw a chalkboard eraser on Selena while she was sleeping. BOOM!
"Templars!" Selena, after being hit, suddenly woke up and shouted. Her hair was white with chalk. "Hahaha!" Everybody in the class of 50 is a vampire son or daughter, elite of the Republic of Saint Cobal. They all laughed at Selena
Selena, with her deep blue eyes, with a blooming blue lotus pattern and an overlapping red diamond eyes marks, looked shyly downward after realizing what had happened.
"I know that you are fascinated with the Templars, Selena. But staying up late all the time, out of reading about them, affects your performance at school. 8-year-olds need enough sleep to grow. Now. Answer me this question." Professor Mistra, a chubby, middle-aged, vampire teacher with glasses, lectured Selena. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry, again." Selena replied while still looking down at the floor. "It is fine. As long as you understand. You are the daughter of Mr. Prime Minister Arthur Cobal. You should always keep that in mind. Now answer my question. Why did the Makers stop fighting during the age of creation?"
"Yes, ma'am. They stopped fighting because they feared another entity would appear." Selena answered. "Yes, that is correct. Then why did they create the world of Bastion?" Professor Mistra asked her again. "That is to make use of the spherical world that was created due to their battles for supremacy," Selena answered. "Correct. And to add on to what Selena has answered. When the Makers stopped fighting, they already had free time. They then made the world of Bastion. This time, they decided to collaborate and created the 4 powers, major races, lesser races, and the templars."
"Then why did they give the Templars so much privilege. Why do they love them more than us, the Domcreans?" Lopez, another student in the class, asked out of curiosity. "Ah, no one really knows why. But for me, that is because they gave the Templars all the major responsibilities of this world. They are the only race that is not affected by the 7 deadly emotions and have the 7 heavenly virtues. They are our protectors and friends, and not enemies. In a later time, I will talk about these."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Loud footsteps were heard. Someone was running in the hallway where everyone could hear. BAM! The door flies open, striking the adjacent wall.
"Professor Mistra! Classes are to be dismissed! The Templars are attacking! Someone attacked Underhaven just now! I heard many were killed! Evacuate the children!" a fellow professor shouted an announcement at Professor Mistra. "Who in the right mind would attack Underhaven! And why are they attacking us?" Professor Mistra exclaimed. "I don't know. Just evacuate the children. I heard they are not attacking the civilians!" the professor replied.
RRRIIINGGG! RRRIIINGGG! RRRIIINGGG! The school alarm sounded. "Everyone, please start to calmly evacuate the lecture halls and rooms. There is an emergency. Go to the university's safe zones calmly and in short order." A short announcement sounded from the speakers.
"Ahhhh," every child in the room shouted. "Calm down! Everyone, calm down! Templars don't attack civilians! Let us calmly rise from our chairs and fall in line. We will go to the safe zones!"
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RRRIIINGGG! RRRIIINGGG! RRRIIINGGG!
I know this is not the right time to introduce myself. But I am Selena, daughter of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Saint Cobal, from House Cobal. We are what you consider the vampire royalty in Unlighted.
"Wait, someone attacked the Templars?! Are they crazy?" I spoke in my mind. "Selena, I know you are very interested in the Templars, but please make haste. We are in an emergency." Professor Mistra told me hastily.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Why are they attacking us. From what I know, the Republic and our House have good relations with them." I spoke to myself.
"Snap out of it, Selena. We are under attack. I hate to be in trouble later because of you." Lopez snapped in a gentle, delicate, but intimidating manner.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! All of us students looked at the window since the sound was so close to us. We can see flames erupting in the city. The dark, endless nights of the Unlighted are usually illuminated by colorful lights, but right now, most of them are illuminated by flames of explosion.
"I believe the Templars are really angry this time. Who in their right mind would not? After all the Domcreans are putting them through all these the years. Those who provoked them this time are stupid." Lopez spoke to Selena.
I just listened to Lopez and then stared at the scene of confused, panicking students in the room. For an 8-year-old, Lopez is very calm. It surprises me all the time. He has a delicate green vine pattern tracing the lash line of his eyes as eye marks.
Lopez is the son of one of the major houses in the republic. House Lopez-Mistra.
All of us vampires have eye marks. I have two of them in both eyes. Two identical eye marks in each eye are incredibly rare for vampires. They told me I am special.
"I hope they won't touch our noble houses," I told Lopez. "They won't. Someone who messed with them might be hiding here in the Republic. Maybe that's why they are here." Lopez replied to me. "Wait, are we really of the same age?" I asked in surprise. "Watching the corporate aristocracy debate all the time makes you surprisingly sharp, you know." "Then, I hope you are right." I replied sincerely.
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*End of Chapter.