Fun Fact: Deities are highly respected, since their magic powers fundamental parts of society, despite the barriers separating their realms. They cannot be summoned directly from their alternate planes of existence, but a shade of their true form can still be called upon by Shamans, Warlocks, and Clerics.
As such, temples do not exist in this world.
~ ~ ~
Once upon a time, there was life. And then came the fear of what it had to offer.
Contrary to mortal belief, death is the end. The end of mortal suffering, but also the beginning of a new life. Often fearful are the souls who must walk this path alone, for carrying the weight of one's sins across the boundaries of the mortal realm was no easy feat. It was for this reason that she was created to guide and comfort them.
She sat in her garden, as she always has since the beginning of time, methodically plucking and sowing her seeds. Each of them represented a new life. Some were tougher than most, while others were so light that she had to pay special attention not to let them float away prematurely. She has always tried her best to treat all of them fairly, although she still had her favourites. A warm glow radiated from her as she picked up another particularly resilient soul to admire it.
A foreign presence invaded her domain, disrupting her concentration. Or at least, a presence foreign from angels like her. She only knew this being all too well.
"Lucifer," she called out curtly. "I don't believe you have any more business with us."
"My, my. Such hostility!" The velvety voice simpered as the demon advanced further towards her. The angel turned her attention to Lucifer wordlessly.
"I do love me a good flirt," Lucifer continued in a sultry voice as he moved uncomfortably close to her. "But I am not here for pleasure today, Azrael."
"Word has it that you've been interfering in the mortal realm. And behind God's back too!" The Devil spoke. "Naughty, naughty little angel. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"It is not within your power to pass judgement, Son of Morn," Azrael said. "There is nothing we can do that can escape God's knowledge. My purpose remains unchanged; my creed is sacrosanct."
"Good." Lucifer's voice dropped to a whisper. "Then I hope you are prepared for your punishment. You should know that blessing those favoured mortals of yours with additional power is a violation of Heavenly law."
He shifted his attention to the soul Azrael was still holding.
"That beloved child of yours has even used his power to break into Purgatory and attempted to steal a soul. The consequences of his behaviour have already betrayed your actions."
A tiny spark of fear ran through the angel, but she stood her ground.
"I gave them a fraction of my power so that they can resist demonic beings like you," Azrael retorted, releasing the soul back into the air. "You were the most beautiful angel, but never the wisest. Small wonder you cannot even see such a simple truth."
Lucifer's body flared momentarily with power, as though he was preparing to fight. Azrael continued staring back at him coldly.
"Azrael, Archangel of life and death." The demon calmed back down. "With all your power, you are still unable to give and take life as you wish. I almost feel sorry for you. Look at your realm. I have drowned countless worlds in death and despair. I can do whatever I want, and you will always be picking up after me."
The angel kept her silence.
"These sinful mortals are undeserving of grace and love." Lucifer scoffed at her inaction, taking his chance to continue. "Actions will be taken to strip away their unmerited privileges, and we will take the pleasure to devour their rotten souls."
A brilliant gleam of light engulfed their surroundings as the garden of life materialised around them again, as if reminding Lucifer of his place in her domain. Azrael bent down to an empty patch of land and began tossing seeds across it once more. Lucifer continued looking down at her with contempt.
"No mortal, however powerful, is impervious to the whispers of despair and death," Azrael replied, keeping her gaze towards the unborn souls within her body. "But I have faith that even should they falter, the best of them will always find a way back to life. They must need naught but to simply look within for their guiding light."
"Then may your will be done, Angel Of Death. You have forgotten whose domain light belongs to." Lucifer chuckled ominously. "The traces of your power in their world have only given me a backdoor to tamper with the mortals. Your pride in your children will cost them their world, and you shall live with that penance forever."
The demon vanished as quietly as he came, leaving the angel to continue tending to her garden for eternity.
~ ~ ~
Explosions singed the air with the musky smell of sulphur. The ground shook, accompanied by roars of defeat as the magic golems collapsed, drained of magic. Yet the magis did not let up as they continued chucking thunderbolts and fireballs at their enemies.
"Two minutes left! Come on guys, we can do this!" Meta Felix Pagonis called out to his teammates. His glowing eyes swept across the forest surrounding him, keeping his telekinetic focus on his foes.
Any moment now...
"Behold!" An enthusiastic voice caught his attention. "The divine Star Shatterer!"
Felix took the cue and stretched out a hand. Pink energy wrapped around the roaring golems as he dragged them right under the mage's spell. A burst of orange reflected off his irises as he watched the Sorcerer bring down a huge meteor of fire onto the unfortunate arcane entities.
The psychic hissed, emitting a psionic shield around his team.
Surrounding trees vapourised as the shockwave that followed the devastating explosive spell threatened to overwhelm the pink dome. But it did not nearly have enough power to scratch the boy now back at his full power.
"Nice, one minute left!" Felix burst from the ground. Fresh air hit his face, and he took the chance to gulp it into his lungs greedily. He closed his eyes, focusing his telekinetic senses as he scanned the area for the anomaly.
There!
Wind rippled through his clothes as he darted forward at a blistering speed, closing in on his target in less than a second.
"I have you!" he roared; hand outstretched.
Bodies of still struggling magis punched out of the nearby warehouse, cushioned by a pink shield. Thin strips of metal ripped itself out from the nearby gates and bound them to the ground. The psychic entered the house without any further resistance.
A loud klaxon blared in the air.
"HOSTAGE SECURED. NEW RECORD TIME SET. WELL DONE, GUARDIANS."
Footsteps scuttled towards the warehouse as Felix descended slowly, carrying the mannequin in his arms. His eyes glinted, and the metal around his fellow Guardian's bodies burst open. They stood up groggily, although they were unharmed. The nineteen-year-old meta grinned widely at his colleagues congratulating him.
"You really are our ace in the hole! Way to go, Felix!" a Soothsayer piped, patting him on the back.
"I believe we can conclude today's drill," Guardian Leader Cybele Vulcan announced, sauntering towards them. "Well done to Staff Sergeant Pagonis' team for the swift rescue. Be sure to remember your training when you need it. Dismissed."
A few more celebratory remarks drifted among the Guardians as they began packing up their equipment, eager to leave this private, untrimmed piece of land. Felix was no different. The last of his equipment soared into his robes as he prepared to leave-
"Hey Felix! We're gonna have dinner at Farby's. Wanna come with?"
"Not today." Felix chuckled politely. "I still have somewhere else to be tonight."
He gave a final smile at his slightly pouting colleague and burst off the ground.
~ ~ ~
Felix looked over the balcony, watching the junior cadets miss yet another shot at their targets. Or at least, most of them did. A single target board hung flimsily on the furthest corner of the shooting range, nearly obliterated by the powerful arcani blasts that evidently struck the same spot more than once.
He beamed proudly at the shooter preparing to fire another round. Her feet plastered her body firmly onto the ground while she rested her cheek against the rifle stock. Her firing posture was nearly perfect.
But only nearly.
Felix could tell that her body was still a little too tense, and it would take a lot more effort to keep that weapon steady. It was obvious that she was new to this, but she was already doing exceedingly well for someone so inexperienced.
The light above the target flashed, and a pulse of energy put the human shaped board out of its misery less than a second later.
"Shooters, fall out."
Felix leaned against his chair as the cadets walked out of the firing range in a miserable single file. A twang of nostalgia hit him; he remembered taking about three months to get used to that rifle's insane recoil as well. He wondered how he would fare with it now, considering he had not used that weapon in more than a year.
"Felix? What're you doing here?" an incredulous voice exclaimed. Felix grinned at the star shooter.
"Why, I came specifically to see your progress, Kleo." He smirked at her.
"Gods, you're such a stalker." Kleopatra Vulcan rolled her eyes before breaking into a mischievous grin. "No really, what business do you have here?"
"To be honest, I have no idea as well. Your sister just told me to wait here for a certain important person to show up. She didn't elaborate."
"Do you think my father's coming in today?" A hint of excitement coated Kleopatra's words.
"I doubt so," Felix mused. "I'm sure his Presidential duties are going to keep him really busy, especially during times like this. After all, he had to delegate the role of Guardian Council Leader to your sister."
"You have a point." Kleopatra's shoulders dropped. "Even Cybele was forced to take up that position because everyone's just too afraid of being part of the government leadership."
She sighed audibly.
"I do hope she isn't taking on more than she can handle." The girl shook her head. "Oh, and by the by-"
She looked downwards as she kicked her feet idly.
"Have you... have you seen Gaius lately?" she asked, still trying to hide her slightly blushing face. "I haven't been seeing him around in the council lately, and I-uhm... I kinda mi-"
"Oh, there you are- Kleo, you're here too?" Her sister's voice cut in, saving her from the embarrassment of whatever she was about to say. "Felix, I'd like you to meet Atlas Cicero, the Secretary Of State."
Felix flashed a professional smile at the middle-aged man, who was now shaking his hand a little too enthusiastically.
"Well met, well met." Cicero had an unusually booming voice for one who looked as frail as he did. "What. An. Honour it is, to meet the Guardian Council's first Meta. I hear you can quite literally move mountains, Sergeant Pagonis."
"Only if the situation calls for it," Felix stuttered, slightly taken aback by the Secretary's reverence.
"These are strange times, Sergeant. For all we know, that situation could be just around the corner," Cicero replied grimly, before breaking into a wide smile yet again. His eyes shifted to the junior cadet as he waited patiently.
"I'll... leave you guys to it," Kleopatra mumbled, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment this time. She turned around, her battle robes billowing behind her as she left the place swiftly.
The Secretary clasped his hands hopefully. "But enough of such talk, I'm here to announce some changes to the government policies as implemented by President Alcaeus Vulcan."
"Shouldn't you be announcing that on television for the public instead?" Cybele queried.
"I will, but I thought it best to inform you of a certain policy personally. I'm a fan of authenticity, you see." Cicero grinned at them. "Warlock Vulcan has announced that a few changes in government policies have been made to accommodate more metas in their society. One of which involves opening up a new department in the Guardian Council."
The Guardians stared at him blankly.
"As of today, the Guardian Council will be opening a small division of trainees composed of potential talented meta children. And you, Sergeant Felix Pagonis-"
The Secretary of State turned to the gaping Meta. "Have been granted the honour of being in charge of that very division. Congratulations, Staff Sergeant."
Silence echoed around the chamber as the Meta's eyes grew larger and larger. And then a cry rang out.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9bVWlgQ5L
