Worlds Apart

Once Upon a Time - Part II

The slice-through silence of the strategy room heightened as the group leaned forward. Arvin sliced his fingers through the air, "Once upon a time the four nations; sun, moon, fire and ice lived in harmony in the land you all currently reside."

"And for some unknowable reason, the people of the moon left the land," Zac said, recalling Shu's words.

Arvin shook his head, "No. As the legend goes, the land our people were living in was not prosperous. Hill and mountains governed the area, the uneven ground didn't yield any crops. So, the people of the moon started trading."

Shu frowned, "But there was no sea," He reasoned, recalling the maps he pored over back in Moeru. "And there was no ongoing industry to provide anyone with trading. Nothing worked."

"Exactly," Arvin smiled, "Nothing worked. Hence, our ancestors turned into Black Magic. Portions, hypnotism, elixir, all of these things because those inhabitable areas were prowling with herbs needed for those things and in doing that, unknowingly they started sucking up all the living mechanisms from the ground, and the void was filled by the supernatural, or you can say, evil."

"Inhuman sightings," Silas said, turning to Shu. "You said those lands the people of the moon left behind were not tolerable for any being."

Shu nodded, "Yes. That's what the archives said."

Keru took upon the story, "One day, a group of the strongest portion makers gathered to replenish the power of the land they were destroying, they called upon all their gods and the god did answer. Do you guys know what angels are?"

Lui nodded, looking around the table. It was pretty common knowledge. Besu started speaking then, "They sent upon an angel in the disguise of a young boy. The moon people took him in, fed him, took care of him for months but nothing was happening. If this was a test of god, it's taking so long. So they asked the boy directly for something, some way to heal their dying soil. But the boy said he's still learning and it will take time, because-"

"They've ruined the land far beyond imagination," Arvin said, "Patience, he said. Have patience and we'll get there. And all this while there was a rumour going around about a lavish continent across the seas and to cross the land, they needed the heart of an angel," He set his lips in a line, leaning forward on his elbows, "Well that rumour is spread through a group of blasphemers who wanted to find a way out of this ruined land and it's said-"

"Angel's golden blood can heal anything, their heart can bring life to any land, cross any danger" Honcho completed, "That's the myth about angels, isn't it?"

Arvin nodded, "Yes. This is not only because of the ruination. It's also because their shady business was being exposed in several parts of the mainland. A war was inevitable, and they didn't have the needed resources for a war. So, they decided to find this new land across the sea and sought safety in the beating heart of a dead angel."

"They killed him," Gou concluded, "But how?"

"He was a boy," Ben leaned back, "And naive, innocent despite his angelic background. They lured him in with love and gave him hate." He shrugged, "And the story goes to say; the breath of the fallen angel echoed,"

Shu's breath hitched at the words as memories came rushing back. Ben kept reciting the lines, "His pained screams deafened the gods, and the story goes to tell, his pain was such a tangible thing. The mother of earth weeped for his soul, the birds in the sky fell seamlessly, as if they had forgotten to fly- do I have to keep-"

Shu cut him off, " His skin wafted the scent of mildew roses, porcelain skin marred in red, sunset crimson eyes, a call for the autumn."

"How the hell-" Arvin frowned, "You guys said you don't know the legend."