A man with golden curls lounged regally on a rather lavish throne, his laughter echoing through the infinite space around him. Before him lay a chessboard that told a tale of dominance, with the white pieces standing tall and proud, while the black side was reduced to a single king in check and a poorly positioned pawn. His cheeks flushed a vibrant scarlet from the thrill of the game, he gleefully knocked over the defeated king. “Oh, Michael. If only you were here to see how fruitless your efforts were.”
*Snap
With a sudden zip, a figure appeared, kneeling before the throne. “You called for me, Sire?” he inquired, his voice steady and eager.
“I see you’re as fast as ever.” the ruler replied, a smirk playing on his lips.
He was clad in a deep burgundy bodysuit that hugged his form, looking like the standard cliché superhero, complete with an eagle-shaped helmet adorned with a prominent golden bolt that hissed and steamed like a vintage generator on the verge of a breakdown.
The curly-haired king rested his chin on his hand, his expression turning serious as he commanded, “Notify the lesser Gods of a meeting in Asgard. We must strategize our next move.”
“Consider it done, Sire.” the man replied, vanishing in a zip.
“I will show you, Michael… that our father was unworthy of the title of God.”
<h2>***</h2>
“Hey. You sure your power isn’t crap?”
“Her arm came back, didn’t it? So, it worked.”
“Wait. I think she’s waking up.”
“Really? Oh, you’re right.”
Sanzang’s eyes still bleary, could only make out a blob of blue goo to her left, and a talking chocolate bar to her right. It took about three blinks until her vision became clear enough to realize these figures were people, and another two blinks to see them clearly.
(A girl with blue hair? That’s rare…) She thought, examining the two. (…And a boy with… HUH!?)
Seeing as she had just woken up, she was hardly in any condition to be moving round, especially in terms of combat. Even still, her body had gone on defense, backflipping and bouncing from the floor to create distance.
As she did, she noticed a glowing blue crystal dangling from the roof, for a moment questioning what it could’ve been. But as she landed, her attention was once again glued to the two strange people. Or rather, one.
The one wearing blue hair was of no importance to her, but the other? He was dangerous. Or at least that was the feeling she got from his appearance.
Rin palmed her face, sobbing, “Oh no. It’s happening again… Why is everyone so hostile towards us?”
“I got this…” Tenshi reassured, getting Sanzang’s attention. “Umm. W-We come in peace. We promise not to hurt you.” He assured, giving an awkward wink.
“What are you, an alien?! That was probably the worst way you could’ve said that!”
“I mean… We kinda are aliens.”
(Those golden strands of hair…) Sanzang thought, a beam of sweat trailing down her face. (Could he be an Asura? …But then why can’t I feel any pressure coming from him.)
“…You, there.” She called out, prompting him to point at himself as if asking, “Me?” “Yes, you… Who exactly are you?”
“Uhm. I’m not sure how to answer that. Do you want my name or what planet I came from-”
“Why is your hair golden?” She clarified, glaring at him.
“Ohhh… that. Ehm. From what I can remember, I was born like this.”
“*Sigh. So, you’re the reason everyone ran from us...” Rin interjected, noting Sanzang’s worried reaction to Tenshi’s look. “…I should’ve known it was your fault.”
“What?! False accusations! Name one time that happened!”
“Literally when we just got here, the guards took one look at you and chased us all the way out of town. And do I even need to bring up that time when you tried to stop some bandits from robbing a wagon, but after one look at you, the bandits left all their valuables and hitched a ride on the wagon! And the one riding it didn’t even ask any questions, he just carried them away!"
“T-That wasn’t my fault. They just aren’t used to people wearing tank tops is all. Everyone around here is either wearing a robe or some kind of kimono.”
“I’m the one who bought you that tank top! And why did I need to do that again?! Oh right, because every store was magically closed while you were with me!”
(Who are these two... They argue like an old married couple.)
“…I’ll ask one more time…” She said after clearing her throat to get their attention. “Who. Are you?”
“Relax, man. If you want my name, its Tenshi Tiryns. And I come from Earth.”
“?!”Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
(Tenshi… Tiryns… No, he couldn’t be the child of prophecy. I’m certain it’s Akuma. So, he must be his brother… No, he might be lying. Perhaps a spy from Troy.)
“Wait now that I think about it. How can you speak English? No one else could understand us until now.” Rin questioned, being the first of the two to finally notice.
(I’ll have to test him.) She thought, completely ignoring Rin.
“…Akuma.”
“……….”
(Okay, I’ll try again.)
“…Akuma.”
“You alright?”
(No. Even if they were a spy, no Trojan would dare identify as a “Tiryns”. I see no reason why an Asura would either… Maybe he really is his brother.)
“No idiot. I think she’s talking about your brother, Akuma. Though I’m surprised she knows him.”
“You remember Akuma?!” Sanzang asked instantly, surprised. “But how?!”
“Why wouldn’t I? He is our companion. I’m more curious about how you know him. In the week we’ve been here, we haven’t so much as heard his name until now.”
“A week…? That’s not right, Akuma only showed up a couple days ago-! Wait, how long was I asleep?!”
“We found you passed out like an hour ago. And with the injuries you had, I doubt you were unconscious long before that… Or else you would’ve been dead by the time we found you.”
(Then how could it have been a week… Something isn’t right here.)
“Correct me if I’m wrong but you’re one of the strange people who suddenly appeared around the world a week ago, right? Are you telling me that Akuma came with you?”
“Yep. Grandpa transported all of us at once, so there shouldn’t have been any delay between people.”
(Then how… According to Akuma, he only woke up right before I found him… What part of the puzzle am I missing...? Run through it all slowly, Sanzang… Polyxena. She was with Akuma when I first found him. I’ve been trying to figure out when and why she arrived in my Kingdom. She almost never leaves the king’s side too. Up till now, I thought it was a coincidence that she stumbled upon Akuma the same day he arrived here… But what if… she didn’t stumble upon him… What if they were together the entire time. And if he really arrived here a week ago, then that would mean…!)
“Sorry guys. I’ve been trying my best to stand by while you two talk, but I just can’t anymore… Can someone please tell me who this Akuma is?”
“……………”
“…Huh?”
***
In the continent North-West of Tang, was a boy journeying through the Kingdom of Troy.
Within this massive Kingdom stood a beacon of wealth, prosperity and justice. It housed not only the infamous Trojan Family, but also a device that shouldn’t be allowed to exist…
The Seventh Trumpet.
“?Gree. Zob it florp meez or zork mlooping vurt zu cheefer?”
{Hey. Is it just me or is something coming over here?}
“Zlmp…? Grak yrrg flopka...”
{Hmm…? I think you’re right…}
Two Trojan guards, both weary of the strange figure getting ever so closely.
“Zyblor qunix draj?”
{What do you think it is?}
Unlike Earth, some places in Gaia can experience up to a staggering 12 seasons. Currently, Troy is in Endo season. A brief time where clouds shed their dead starlites.
“Z-Zorplak vree zorgon.”
{I-I think that’s a person.}
“Zlmp… Grak yrrg flopka.”
{Hmm… I think you’re right.}
“ZAAK OOR. BLAKTH YARIM & ZUZU RESH KRAKTH!!!”
{HEY YOU. STATE YOUR NAME AND CONNECTION TO THE ROYAL FAMILY!!!}
“…………”
“Zark thon glibb farnok zis?”
{Do you think he heard me?}
“Zlmp… Dronk kx''laga hjuun. Z-Zax''k ears floopjet.”
{Hmm… There’s no way he didn’t. M-My ears are bleeding.}
“Zyblor wib zenkorb? Is klorbat a vreshnik for gloonbarg?”
{What should we do then? Is he a guest for the celebration?}
“Zar tenk. Klaxivs ne''ra meuja na krentz. Globian fleerox ja farngot greez. Urr''ka Wiska Primix pla''kru knot.”
{He must be. Civilians aren’t stupid enough to come out during this time. Though the celebration started hours ago. I doubt King Priam will be pleased.}
“!”
Just then, one guard noticed a clump of starlites falling from the clouds just above the mysterious figure.
“Z-Zark thon gree’ll bloff alright?”
{D-Do you think he’ll be alright?}
“Zlmp? Florp glib. Yarp noh? The Zorgok''s kibblorz gloob frobbed their nogs so they zatz here in zingle splosh.”
{Hmm? Oh that. Of course he will. Don’t you remember? The King’s guests all received their own barrier so they could make it here in one piece.}
“Zog, vrak. Wib nork flibud busk zinta? Blor’taz vrik blurn texal?”
{Yeah, but. What if it isn’t able to protect him? Won’t we be held accountable?}
“Glumphar! The skwoosh''s blorpt glitter fizzles when it bumps into humon fizglox. So as long as he has the zibbly wall then it should just slorp off and fizz away into the glurph-”
{Impossible. The cloud’s shed starlites only explode when they come in contact with human skin. So as long as he has that barrier then it should just slide right off and dissolve into the earth-}
*BOOOM!!!
“!”
“!”
“ZLOR?! GRASH VEED?!”
{WHAT?! BUT HOW?!}
The two guards clenched their spears and rushed over to inspect the mysterious body.
As they expected, nothing but a pair of legs connected by smoke.
They questioned who the mysterious person could’ve been and their purpose for coming to the royal palace. Had he been a soldier from a neighboring Kingdom? If so, then surely this was a declaration of war. Or maybe he was a spy from Bushin? With how abnormal his skin looked; he could''ve been. And everyone knows the king of Bushin harbors a deep grudge against Troy.
“!”
“!”
And in their ponder, they finally realized it.
Truth be told, it was a thought that rested in the back of their minds, but never anything more than that. You could argue they were just too terrified to accept it as reality, so they subconsciously kept themselves from asking.
Maybe you’d be right, or maybe you’d be wrong. Who’s to say really.
But one thing was for sure. That lingering thought was now staring directly into their souls. They had no choice but to accept it.
Everything from the thighs up had been incinerated, yes… But something else was missing.
The blood. Not even a single drop of it.
Unfortunately, by the time the two realized this, their fates had already been sealed.
Those two legs -only connected by a stream of smoke- regrew piece by piece. Until eventually, the walking dead was restored.
Honestly, “restored” is a rather cruel way to put it.
If you could hear the way that thing grunted in pain, you’d probably shed a tear from a sense of pity.
Being warriors, they instinctually leaped back but were stopped abruptly by a strong grip around their jaws.
*CRK *CRKK
A grip so mighty, their eyes slowly popped out of their skulls as they desperately struggled.
In a desperate act, they both took their long spears and drilled it straight through him and for a moment, they thought they''d succeeded in stopping him.
*CRKK *CRKK
But that was just wishful thinking.
Their faces clenched more and more and more, until…
*BURST! *SKEWW!
Beneath these shedding clouds, leaving nothing but carnage in his wake, was despair itself. And again, despair marched on with one goal in mind:
“Where is God”