《Strife Howl of the Deities》 The Deities Ch. 1a: Ylrai and Ch. 1b: Romeon Chapter 1a: Ylrai, Rain Princess Holy water. The bath of the princesses of the Heavens, located near the royal chambers, is filled with crystal clear, soothing, holy water. Therein lies a girl, skin as white as snow and blonde hair reaching up to near her waist (however it couldn''t be discerned as such while in the bath as the hair floated in the crystal water). Her teal eyes was reflected on the water, and after a long while of thinking she got out of the bath. "Greetings, princess Ylrai. What caused my fair mistress to have such deep thoughts?" Chione, the princess'' most loyal attendant, asked. "Hmm. Just thinking about things that I likely won''t have any say in..." said Ylrai, with a resigned look on her face. The princess was thinking about her upcoming meeting with the demon king. As the first princess of the Heavens, and the only one of her sisters who is of age to marry, she was forced by her father the King of Heavens to marry the son of the King of Draerth, the only inhabited planet in the universe. Thus, she was thrust into deep thought in the bath. Actually, not only was it in the bath. She thought of it while in her room, she thought of it while she was in the throne room sitting on the throne on the King''s left hand side, she thought about it everywhere. Why? Because even if she was the "Rain Princess" (the name was given to her due to the fact that she controls rain and is the reason why rain appeared on Draerth just 20 years ago), she actually had a warm heart and even warmer emotions. Ever since she was in the age to fall in love, she dreamt of a time when she will have a family of her own, along with the man that she loves so much. As time went by she grew older, and she knew more about her surroundings, but that dream of hers was still in her heart. She cherished it, and when she was informed of the arranged marraige, her feelings shattered like a fragile crystal ice wall that a hurled boulder crashed into. The time for the arranged wedding was getting closer and closer. What''s even weighing more in her mind was that she wasn''t even able to meet up with her arranged partner. The previously scheduled meeting was cancelled due to an emergency on Draerth. The son of Draerth''s King was supposed to meet them today as well. That takes us to the present situation. She went out of the bath and put on her royal garments, and waited with her father on the royal throne room to meet the prince of Draerth. A few moments passed. Then those moments turned into hours. "He sure is late. I don''t remember Draerth having a lax sense of punctuality," bemoaned Omnus, the King of the Heavens the father of the "Weathers," his daughters. As if the words uttered from his mouth were a signal, a guardian angel opened the doors and appeared before the throne room, rushing. "Prince Romeon is here, my King, my Queen, princess," reported the angel. "If so, then why is he not here?" asked Queen Marianne, the Queen of the Heavens. "We found him wounded just outside Heaven''s Pearl Gates. The wounds itself are not something to be feared. We bought him to the Healing Touch to make him recover. However..." "However?" The figures in the throne room were shocked by the guardian angel''s revelation. They waited with bated breath after the Queen asked the question. "I come with grim tidings. Healing Touch members have identified the source of the wounds. At a glance they''re claw marks, not that unusual for Draerth inhabitants. But on closer look, they''re actually ''shadow'' cuts." "Then that means..." "Yes, the assailants were agents from Hell. We''re positive." Mixed feelings grew from every Heavenly beings'' hearts. Gasps were heard all across the throne room. Even the King of Heavens cannot hide his surprise. The previous Demon King, Bael, along with his strongest generals, were defeated on Draerth when the gates of Hell opened. King Bahamut, the King of Draerth exhausted and sacrificed himself to ensure that no more threats from Hell came to Draerth or the Heavens. Bael was supposedly destroyed. Is he back? Or is this another Demon King? King Omnus came to his senses though, and immediately after regaining it he commanded the angel, "Take us to where Romeon is." The angel, following a quick salute, led the way to the Healing Touch''s bay area. King Omnus and some Seraphim and Archangels followed suit, with princess Ylrai inside the protective wings of said angels.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They arrived at the bay area shortly. Amidst the layer of wings, Ylrai peeked through. What met her eyes though was a scene that made her world slow down for a moment. Clad with healing light that came from the Healing Touch, was a man who looked like in his mid-twenties. Firm and a bit muscular, but just enough bulge to not look disgusting. Brown hair, emerald eyes and a gaze that was unfaltering and courageous. At first the eyes of the man were looking far away. Then, as if sensing that someone was looking at him from a distance, he looked at her direction. Their eyes eventually met, but not for long. Ylrai jumped back. She yelped. She had never felt it before. It was like something electric had come over her. She couldn''t tell what it was. That''s when she whispered to herself, "He''s beautiful." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1b: Romeon, Surface Dragon Prince Draerth. The only inhabited planet in the entire universe. The other realms cannot be considered as "planets," they are distinct from it. The Creator has created the 3 realms: The Heavens, the universe, and Hell. Two astral gates have once locked Heaven from the universe (Heaven''s Pearl Gate), the latter from Hell (Hell''s Fiery Gate), and vice versa for both. One cannot cross from the Heavens to Hell without going through the universe first, unless you''re the Creator Himself. The universe was once ruled by the Creator''s favorite son, the great Dragon King Bahamut. The universe was the Creator''s masterpiece. It was neither too pure nor too corrupt. It was neither half-baked nor overcooked. It was just right. Spiritual beings as well as unholy beings can survive here. All of His creations can mingle with each other. Thus it is no wonder why the Creator entrusted His favorite place to His favorite child. With power rivaling that of his father''s, the destroyer and preserver in one, that is King Bahamut. Now though, the great Dragon King is gone. So has the Creator, who, after losing two of his beloved sons (the Kings Bahamut and Bael) and almost losing his last (The Heavens'' Omnus), has closed His heart, ceased to care, and went into eternal slumber. The Great War between the realms claimed too much, including the lives of the Dragon King Bahamut and the Demon King Bael. In the Dragon King''s place ruled the Mother Dragon, Tiamat. So have the King''s two sons. Leviatein, the Dragon Prince of the Deeps, and Romeon, the Surface Dragon Prince, ruled alongside their mother. The first two ruling Draerth''s 2 "realms," and their mother on matters outside Draerth.It started 20years ago, after the defeat of Hell''s Legion. At the same time, the first rain poured. It was as if the Heavens cried and showered its tears onto Draerth. And Romeon, the prince who never showed any sadness after the loss of his beloved father, who tried to stay strong in an attempt to replicate his father''s strength, saw such act of the Heavens, and broke down with emotions for the first time. Twenty years have passed. Romeon had been waiting for this very day. He coaxed his mother to appeal to the King of the Heavens to enable him to marry the cause of the soothing rain coming from above. Her appearance didn''t matter. Her demeanor didn''t matter. He just wanted to be with his savior. He was saved from the dark abyss of sadness. He was determined. He was ready. Or so he thought. When the day to meet his savior came, a sudden dark and malicious aura was sensed in one of the surface kingdoms of Draerth. They were faint, they were little, but they were the same aura that came from Hell''s Legion more than 20 years ago. "How? I thought father put an end to all of this...how is this possible?" asked Romeon to himself. It was an easy task to put an end to those lesser ghouls by himself, but it wasn''t the lesser ghouls themselves that were the threat. It was the fact that there were lesser ghouls in the first place, and that they commenced an attack on one of Draerth''s kingdoms. Romeon rushed to the place where the lesser ghouls were found. The various beasts of Besa Forest Kingdom, headed by the Lion King were fighting valiantly against the lesser ghouls. They even seem to have an advantage due to their familiarity of the terrain. Their great use of flying vision provided by the birds and the cover of the trees and bushes to set up traps and ambushes gave them that much. But it was not long after that Hell''s lesser ghouls proved their superior strength. One lesser ghoul had the strength, speed and power to hold its ground against 10 royal beastcat guards simultaneously. Even when outnumbered, they simply overpower their opponents. Fangs and claws clashed with each other. Beasts against lesser ghouls. Even the birds who provided intelligence from above joined into the fray. Beaks and talons crashed down. One lesser ghoul fell to the beasts'' ambush. Crunched down by a pack of wolves, the lesser ghoul''s body was smashed to pulp. The wolves spit out the putrid flesh of the ghoul. They commenced their attack on another ghoul who was now standing on top of a pile of beast corpses, faces mutilated, blood and viscera flowing out of the holes punched by the ghoul through their soft bellies. Romeon flew straight to the place where the battle was held. He went there as fast as possible, but of course, his speed is not infinite. When he arrived, a hellish scene was reflected on his emerald eyes. Dead, mutilated bodies of beasts and ghouls lay scattered in the battlefield. Quite a number of ghouls still remain, squaring off against the remnants of the Lion King''s subordinates trying to protect their injured king who fought for them. Without a word more, Romeon stormed through the remaining ghouls. Though they were strong enough to lay waste to an entire kingdom''s army, they were nothing compared to Romeon''s strength. Speed and strength like a mighty rushing wind, a tempest of the deities blew behind him as he dashed towards the ghouls. He destroyed all of them, ripped them apart and blew them up. Bits of putrid flesh fell to the ground, and the combined stench of the remains of battle wafted up Romeon''s nose like an inhalable curse. "This time, I now have two reasons to go to the Heavens," muttered Romeon to himself as he looked at the wake of battle. The Deities Ch. 2: Tiamat Chapter 2: Tiamat, Great Mother Dragon The Great Mother Dragon. The Dragon King Bahamut once ruled the universe alone, destroying what was detrimental or unessential to the universe, and preserving what was necessary for its survival. Travelling from planet to planet, star to star, the Dragon King pursued what was necessary to keep his father happy. What was his father''s happiness, was his happiness. He was truly happy, however the Creator noticed that something was amiss. What was it? He pondered upon it, and noticed that behind the regal smile of the great destroyer and preserver was a tinge of loneliness hidden, suppressed deep within his heart. The Creator saw, and he understood. If he could kick himself literally, he would have already done it, for not noticing his beloved child''s heartache. How could he have missed it? Something so glaringly obvious should have been detected by him from the start. And thus he sprung into action. He called his son Bahamut to his side, and made him sleep. Unlike the creation of his son, where he used an existing creation (an ultra dense star, to be accurate) as the base, he used a part of his son to create this new creation capable of supporting him. A new dragon was formed out of one of the parts of the scaly breastplate of Bahamut covering his heart. When the latter woke up, he found the exceedingly beautiful being beside him. He was astounded, he was awestruck, his thoughts flew everywhere. But one thing was for sure. He was exceedingly grateful to the Creator. When before he was only a destroyer and a preserver, he now had the ability to create (or procreate) alongside his newfound partner. He promised to himself to protect her with everything that he had. Tiamat had been with Bahamut through everything afterwards. They destroyed, the preserved, they created. They had 2 sons. They protected the universe together. Everything the latter experienced, the former was there with him. What she did not experience though, was one''s end. After Hell''s gate opened and Hell''s Legion invaded the universe, the Heavens'' forces led by Omnus were defeated, and the Heavens'' King himself was mortally wounded. It was Bahamut and Tiamat that held them at bay while the Heavens'' forces retreated, and even put an end to the Legion. The former used up everything he has, including his own self, to defeat Bael, the Demon King, and his Legion and to save his love. Tiamat was left alone to take care of his legacy, the two beings who are as precious to him as his beloved wife, his two sons. Twenty years have passed. Tiamat worked hard to ensure her family''s survival and growth. She worked hard to carry on with Bahamut''s work. She protected and preserved what he had saved. Over time her 2 sons have grown splendidly into rulers of Draerth. She was with them during their hardest times, as well as their best. She knew everything about them. After all, mothers know everything. That''s why it was no surprise to her when her son, Romeon, came to her and talked about wanting to marry the Rain Princess. She knew. She was there when her son was unable to cry. She was there when the first rain fell. She was there when her son broke down. She was there. So with skillfull tact she visited King Omnus secretly and discussed the arranged marriage. She presented the benefits and possibilities, among other things, just to entice King Omnus to the idea of his daughter being wed to her son. Just like the Creator, she skillfully wove words, and those words actually became reality. The arranged marriage was passed through. And so she informed her son about it, and he was obviously overjoyed.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. After the incident on Draerth, she made sure to go with her son to the Heavens, for two reasons: first to be with him when facing the Heavenly host, and second, to protect her son. With a mother''s instinct, she had the feeling that her son will face trouble. And she was right. As they were travelling towards the Pearl Gate, they encountered what appears to be remnants of Hell''s Legion. What''s interesting to note though, is that these legionnaires are not the same kind that appeared on Draerth. Even at a glance, they look stronger, and they look like they have nothing more to lose. "Romeon. Get ready for combat. Unleash your full strength. We''ll need it." Tiamat said to Romeon, who was in his dragonoid (half dragon, half human) form, as it was faster to travel in it due to its light nature. Both dragonoids began to unleash their true forms. Their human forms began to distort, to grow, and to show features that only dragons possess. Greater demons started flying to their direction. They have sensed the two dragons'' presence before, but weren''t too sure as they were in dragonoid forms. Now, they realize their presence, especially that of Tiamat. The one who was with their greatest foe before, was flying right in front of them. With furious rage they charged towards the two dragons. Romeon put up the role as the vanguard, guarding his mother from the vicious attacks of the greater demons. One demon flew ahead of the others, and lunged at Romeon. Expecting an attack that he could easily block, the dragon blocked the attack with his scaly arm. Just before the attack connected, the demon''s hand changed shape, into that of a claw weapon made of darkness energy. The hand slashed deep into the dragon''s arm. Romeon was caught unaware, he winced at the deep wound made. Still, he maintained his composure, and using his great tail, slammed the demon hard. The demon was crushed, its remains splattered to the ground. Soon, however, more demons charged at Romeon. "Go, my dragon brood lords! Aid my son in combat!" Tiamat yelled, showing her abilities, that is, summoning broods to aid her in whatever she wants and needs to do. She may not be the strongest dragon physically or magically, but her ability makes her a terrifying opponent. She''s like a one-woman army. Dragon brood lords spawned from her ventral sacs. One brood lord, two brood lords, until a substantial number of brood lords spawned. The demons were stopped in their tracks when the brood lords spewed out draglings, curled up like balls armed with scaly spikes on their heads and backs, and razor sharp claws. Singularly they aren''t that much of a threat, in fact even with the force with which they were spewed out like projectiles they were blocked by the wary greater demons, but with their numbers they are a force to be reckoned with. The draglings tried to slash through the blockade of demons, with brood lords following suit. Romeon joined the fray. After a while that seemed like forever for those in combat, Romeon and the dragon brood through fierce fighting were able to create an opening. However the demons were just really powerful and further armed with the savagery of those whose life''s purpose is simply to take vengeance by any means necesary and nothing more, they managed to really thin out the brood. "Go to the Heavens and meet up with King Omnus. I''ll hold them off," Tiamat told Romeon as they went through the hole of the demon lines they punched through. Tiamat intends to stop them here, but doesn''t want her son to stay in danger any longer. Romeon induced major damage through fighting the demons, the darkness energy proving to be really dangerous and the speed and strength of these demons are just levels ahead from those lesser ghouls he faced on Draerth. Romeon wanted to stay, but realized that with the damage he incurred, he''s going to be a liability. So, with thoughts of bringing the Heaven''s forces as reinforcements, he returned to his dragonoid form and, after casting his mother a meaningful glance, flew his fastest towards the Pearl Gate. Tiamat stared at her son''s back as he flew towards the Heavens. After no longer being able to see him, she refocused on the battlefield. "My last may not be my best, but let me join you, my love." The Deities Ch. 3: Omnus Chapter 3: Omnus, the King of the Heavens The King of the Heavens. The earliest of the 3 original creations (that is, other than the realms). First, from the Heavens, the Creator weaved light. Energy from light swirled around the body of the Creator as his knowing mind thought of a being. A being very much like his own self. And so with light so compressed the Creator drew threads of lesser light, and started forming that being. A less compressed but more definite form took shape from the threads. The Creator weaved, and weaved, until the form was finished. He then breathed a spirit unto the form, and light energies were suppressed inside the form. The form was still glowing, but features similar to the Creator became more apparent. The Creator was exceeding glad, and he named his first Creation Omnus. King Omnus stared at the healing wounded body of Romeon. He watched his brother''s son as he was being healed from the "shadow" cuts he incurred. Sympathy filled his heart for his nephew. He noticed his far-sighted gaze towards an empty space from the Heavens. "Romeon. Do not worry, for in here, you are safe from Hell''s Legion." Romeon suddenly shifted his attention to the feathery wall a little bit behind the King of the Heavens, noticing the little gap where he saw a pair of beautiful teal eyes which promptly disappeared. He was taken a bit aback by the strange situation, but immediately regained his composure and addressed the King. "King Omnus. Thank you for your hospitality, even taking care of my wounds. However there''s something I am more concerned about." "What is it?" "My mother. She blocked the path between me and Hell''s Legion." King Omnus was alarmed. As he was about to motion one of his high-ranking Seraph to give him commands, Romeon interfered. "Please do not worry too much, my mother is no longer in danger. I can feel her presence. It''s faint, but it''s calm; it is not one that is in combat. I''m only concerned that she''s floating around empty space without direction, but other than that, it''s alright," comforted Romeon, who was also visibly relieved. "In that case, we should recover her. Azael, take everyone you need for this recovery mission. Search out the universe for Tiamat," ordered Omnus to the Seraph he was supposed to command earlier, after addressing Romeon. "As my King commands," affirmed the Seraph.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The angel motioned some of the other angels who formed the winged wall surrounding the princess. As the wings dispersed, the figure of the princess became more visible, and soon enough Prince Romeon saw just what she is like. He saw a girl clad in pure white clothing, with skin glowing white as snow, making the clothing look like part of her body. Teal eyes met his emerald ones, and he was actually so mesmerized he forgot for a second his reason for coming. She looked surprised when the wings started to dissipate, and let out a shy smile while looking downwards. "That is my daughter, Princess Ylrai. The citizens here call here the Rain Princess, as she made the rain. She''s the one you''re about to marry, Prince Romeon." Omnus addressed Romeon as the latter stared at the girl. He averted his gaze, and felt relieved as a while ago he thought it was another girl from the Heavens. The figure just captivated him, and he was glad that it was actually the one who he loved all along. He felt a bit guilty afterwards for being an infidel in thoughts. "Well, I leave you two on your own for a while. You should take this opportunity to know each other better," said King Omnus, while he motioned the other occupants of the room to get out with him. He went out with a smile. He couldn''t ask for a better situation. At least, for this matter. King Omnus later went to where the Queen of the Heavens waited. They met up back in the throne room, and talked about some matters at hand. However, the talk seemed more of an argument the more you hear about it. "How fares our daughter? She isn''t about to be consumed by that beast, is she?" asked Queen Marianne, wryly. "Marianne. We do not speak that way about the son of our savior." "Hmmph. I''m still against this marriage. You aren''t considering the interests of your daughter and foolishly let her be wed to that beast. Aren''t you just being led astray by that woman?" Omnus and Marianne exchange words, and the former can sense the obvious aggresiveness of the latter towards the inhabitants of the universe. It saddened him that his wife is acting that way towards his brother''s family, as if she doesn''t know what happened. "I''ve considered things thoroughly. I''m not being led astray, it is you who are being jealous." "Why would I be jealous over some overgrown lizard?" Words continue to fly, until the argument was disrupted by the opening of the doors of the throne room. Azael, the Seraph, entered, but quickly noticed the way that the King and Queen posed. "Pardon me, my King, my Queen...did I interrupt an important discussion?" asked Azael respectfully. "N-not at all. Is there anything you need to report?" bashfully retorted King Omnus. The Seraph clears his throat. "We have found the Great Queen Tiamat. She is with some draconians from Draerth, and are on their way here. However, the draconian guards will not be staying long, and the Queen says that as soon as she recovers, she will also depart." The King was about to say something, when another angel appeared before the throne room, apparently rushing. "A demon general is currently outside the Pearl Gate! Along with him is an entire armada of demon flyers and titan siegers!" "Prepare my battle armor! Azael! Call the Elite Seraphim! We''re going out to meet them! Every other able-bodied angel, put them on standby, ready to defend the Heavens!" King Omnus yelled those commands as he prepares to face the demon general. "I failed to protect him. He ended up protecting me. Now, I''ll protect his realm, and most especially his family."