Garden Of The Abyss

The moment he was brought into the world, it was forever changed; Aelius Van Eliades…the man who embodied the "Age of Gods", the one who carries their will into the age of man.

He, alone, dictates the course of history."

–It was so fast, so swift, yet so seamless, that he hardly recognized the trail of light that shone beside him, bringing with it his saving grace.

"Sir Damien, you did well." from beside him, the soft, yet firm, familiar voice spoke, "rest easy."

He forced himself to look up, only able to get a glimpse of the one clad in a seraphic, all-white uniform, with pearlescent locks to match.

"Sir…Aelius…?"

"That\'s right. I am here now," Aelius assured him, looking down at him with a smile, "I\'m sorry it took so long, but I came the moment Gaol informed me–it was only because of your efforts."

Shifting his attention to the two assailants, who were frozen in surprise, his coral eyes laid on them sternly as his hand laid by the handle of his blade.

"Step away from the princess," Aelius commanded, "or face the consequences by hand of one of the Victorious Seven, Aelius Van Eliades."

Getrude was at a loss for words, "Sir Aelius…?"

Though what she truly felt, besides surface-level confusion, was hope–a hope that the man who stood in the face of death for her, would not have to be swallowed by that fate.

"Aelius Van Eliades?" Ark repeated.

Renata tugged on the silver-skinned man\'s humungous arm, impatiently and with desperation, "It\'s time to go, Ark!"

"Huh? Why? Our target is right in front of us still," Ark asked, looking down at the short, androdgynous figure.

"Yeah, well, we\'ll have no mission to complete if we\'re dead!" Renata urged him, "that\'s Aelius! The Aelius! Pride said he was off-limits! Run on site! Abandon mission! Understand?!"

Ark seemed to only hear half of what was said as he smiled, "Then that means he must be quite strong, yes? Intriguing."

Noticing the battle-thirsty look present in the pupiless, white eyes of the colossus, Renata stood in front of him as the others watched with their guards raised, "No! Not intriguing! We\'re getting the hell out of here!"

"Out of the way," Ark brushed Renata away with a casual brush of his hand.

Though the result was the crimson-haired, black-leotard wearing man having his shoulder dislocated before being buried into the soil.

"Aelius? If you\'re as strong as they said, then maybe you will prove as worthy sustenance for my growth," Ark grinned, cracking his knuckles and neck simultaneously.

"Approach further and I will be forced to respond accordingly," Aelius spoke sternly, yet with utter calmness to his tone.

As Ark slowly approached the white-uniformed knight, the air fell still with razor-sharp tension as Getrude could only spectate the encroaching battle of titans.

"...That\'s it! Want to play like that?!"

–Rising from the ground, Renata bore an annoyed tone as his form began to shift, melding into a different being entirely.

Standing in place of the adrodgynous, youthful entity was a tall, fair-faced man dressed in illustrious, silver robes with a lavish magical staff in hand. As the multi-colored, black-and-purple cape fluttered behind the shapeshifter\'s back, the knight captain recognized the symbol of cosmos embroidered on the back.

Is that the sigil of the "Veils of The Cosmos"...? Why would he take a form like that? Getrude thought.

"O\'Gai: Transport!" Renata, in his new, taller, masculine, and frosted-haired form announced.

"--What?" Ark looked back.

–In a flash of light, both Ark and Renata vanished without a trace from the instantaneous magecraft.

After a moment of processing what just transpired, a sigh of relief left Aelius\' lips, "...That\'s a relief. I\'m glad we were able to settle things without resorting to violence."

"Damien…!"

Getrude rushed to the side of her vice captain without any hesitation, dropping to her knees to comfort the hardly-conscious, blood-soaked knight.

In that moment, Aelius almost seemed to forget about the state Damien was in, assuming an urgent expression himself.

Even as the illustrious-haired princess placed her hands on him, shaking him, Damien didn\'t seem to even register the sensation of her touch as he laid there with eyes that stared off.

"Damien!...Damien, stay with me!" Getrude cried out desperately.

Aelius knelt by her side, though he bore a calmness to his demeanor–a calmness that took the woman of royal blood aback as she watched him.

"Allow me," Aelius gave a small smile before placing his hand upon the blood-soaked back of Damien\'s armor.

Just then, a tranquil aura emanated from Aelius\' position as his revered cape flowed gently in the iridescent wind.

"Authority: Apollo," Aelius spoke out, quietly, yet assuredly.

The mystifying words invoked a power unknown to Getrude as she witnessed a wave of condensed, pure healing energy engulf the laid-out knight, flooding into the many wounds of his body with golden wind.

Though it was mystical in nature, it didn\'t resemble magecraft, but something of the divine; a seraphic force separate from magic.

"This is…?" Getrude spoke slowly in awe as the light shined warmly around the three.

"The authority of Apollo, the god of healing," Aelius told her with a reassuring smile, "he\'ll be alright, Lady Getrude."

As the words of reassurance came from the coral-eyed, youthful knight\'s lips, she finally relaxed as she sucked up her tears, though it seemed she wanted to cry even harder now.

It didn\'t take more for a minute for the wounds of Damien\'s to be completely closed, but he remained unmoving.

"Is he…?"

"He\'s unconscious. After suffering wounds like that, and fighting like he did, his body needs rest," Aelius said, hoisting the unconscious knight onto his back.

"Thank you, Sir Aelius…if it weren\'t for you–"

"It\'s nothing," Aelius smiled bashfully, "Sir Damien is who you should thank…still, who were those unsavory fellows that attacked? To assault one of the princesses, and a knight…they must be rather confident."

Getrude remained silent for a moment, finally taking in the destruction that had laid waste to the road as she looked back at the mangled bodies of her escorts.

"...I do not know, truthfully. One called himself by two names–"Renata" and "Leviathan", he came to me bearing the face of my brother, Barnabas."

"Barnabas? That\'s odd," Aelius responded.

Getrude nodded, "He used Barnabas\' face to deceive me…but Damien saw through it, and…he took a blade for me," her expression saddened for a moment, "...the other called himself "Ark", but he also said he was the "Marquis of Brutality"...I do not know what a brutish title like that implies but–"

Just then, Aelius\' expression stiffened with shock, "Marquis? This is bad…they\'re making their move."

"Who?" Getrude asked, "Who, Sir Aelius?"

"...I must report this to the council," Aelius told her, extending his hand, "let us return to the capital. I\'ll send soldiers down here to recover the fallen."

She was perplexed what he meant by extending his hand to her, and how it correlated to them returning, but she accepted his hand.

"Excuse me, but I\'m confused on how–"

–Before her question could leave her lips, it was answered as through a sparsely-heard incantation, Aelius warped the three of them from the desecrated spot.