"I know I never officially asked… But may I join your party?" Jin asks with his head down and his teeth clenched. Lileen and Marim look towards each other then down at him with a smile. The hold their hands out.
"Of course you can." They say to him at the same time. Then they hug him tightly, showering him with warmth and affection. And then Jin wakes up, his mind fuzzy and scrambled as a result of Lileen's Reminiscence spell.
He heads out, starting his morning training. After their conversation, Tokimichi offered to give Jin some tips, and after a long discussion, Jin gathered a good training routine for a future swordsman. He would do a quick jog around town then practice his swordsmanship on one of the dummies in the Adventurer's Guildhall. And after that, Lileen and Marim usually came to find him for their small daily quest.
Jin wasn't the smartest child, but even he could tell the atmosphere around the town was growing more tense. One day, he decided to investigate and spent his entire morning training time deciphering the symbols. After neglecting his reading for a few weeks, he had rusted, but he did get the general understanding.
War was brewing. The empire and this nation, Moilua, have had friction since the empire had entered the South Midlands, but now it was reaching a tipping point. Multiple sources have reported seeing the empire's military presence in the region growing as well as Moilua's military gathering along their border.
Lileen was always gathering information around the town. Marim spends her time getting their supplies ready and preparing their route. And then one day, Marim's birthday came. Lileen and Marim both woke up sooner than Jin, paranoia settling over them. When Jin woke up, the two of them had already packed their belongings and handed him a bag.
"Wh-What's going on?" Jin asks nervously, thinking that war he had read about was happening. The two of them looked around nervously before Lileen pointed at Marim.
"It's her birthday. The unluckiest day of the Cylein year by far." Lileen says with a paranoid tone. Marim nods quickly, already wanting to leave.
"I.. Wh-What?" Jin says. "I didn't think you believed in stories like that. My father used to say stuff like that about frogs hopping in front of you being a sign of a bad harvest." Jin laughs, but Lileen grabs him by the jaw, wrapping her hand around his mouth so his cheeks squish in.
"Trust me. It's real. I've been with her for three or so years now and every year on her birthday without fail, something terrible happens." Marim sighs.
"Jin, I was born under the False Star. Cursed with terrible luck. So unless you want to suffer the consequences, I think you should take the bag." Marim says. Jin nods and grabs his bag, then he slots on his scabbard of his large sword.
After that, they head out of the inn right as a loud explosion sounds off, throwing them off balance. Jin, being the most top-heavy falls back with flailing arms. The other two catch themselves with clenched teeth.
"Come on! I have barely left the inn!" Marim complains up at the sky, facing a small twinkling shooting star. The star was bright enough to shine even in the glow of the day. It drifted across the sky slow enough to remain in view all day.
"So is that the Fake Star?" Jin asks, curiously. Lileen curses in a language Jin didn't understand before replying.
"It is called the False Star. And yes, that is indeed the sign of calamity that Marim suffers from." Lileen says with a shake of her head. The three continue on, heading towards the western gate of the city.
Once they reach the gate, it's eerily quiet and empty for the middle of the day. Usually, people are traveling through the city from dawn to dusk, but there seemed to be nobody, not even a guard.
"Where is everybody?" Jin asks before Marim covers his mouth and pulls him into the shadow of a building. A battalion of soldiers wearing different uniforms from the city guard rush in. Lileen bites her lip.
"This is not a good day." Marim says with a sigh.
"It seems you have started a war this time, Mar. Congratulations." Lileen says exhaustedly. Jin looks at the soldiers for a moment before their battalion charges deeper into the city.
"B-But shouldn't we go help them?" Jin asks. The two look at Jin with sad gazes.
"I'm sorry, Jin. But there is nothing we can do. Knowing the empire, it will be an efficient capture, we can stand no chance." Lileen says. Marim silently agrees. Jin stands up, about to protest when a hand in the dark hits him in the neck, knocking him out cold.
The two girls flinch, Lileen catching Jin and Marim cocking her rifle with lightning speed and precision. The figure steps out of the shadows, revealing himself to be Tokimichi.
"Do not be alarmed. I am here to help you escape." He says with his hands raised. In spite of that, his aura still told the two that he could have ended all of them if he wanted to. His strength was far superior.
"Then why-" Marim asked but Lileen stopped her, already understanding. She nodded and Marim looked at the two confused.
"So you were an islander, huh?" Lileen says almost with disgust.
"I am not helping you as much as I am helping him, Elf." Tokimichi says professionally with no hint at his true feelings. Marim rolls her eyes, the feud between the two flying over her head.
"Take the boy and leave through that gate. It will be empty for a short while." Tokichi says while walking out of the shadowy alley.
"How do you know that?" Lileen questions with suspicion. "And why are you helping us?"
Tokimichi smiles. "I will be clearing it out for you. And as for helping you, already said. I'm helping him, not you two. I may be wrong, but I believe he has some relation to an ancient prophecy of my people. It is none of your concern." He then draws his sword. A long silvery shine runs along the razor sharp curved blade. He steps out of the alley with a calm, yet powerful stride.
Soldiers in the area spot him and charge with yells and raised swords. With moves as swift as the wind, he cuts through them with elaborate swings and turns. Despite the heavily armored foes, he bests them all with ease, cutting through their armor and flesh alike.
Taking advantage of the commotion, Lileen and Marim sneak out of the gate, making way down the dirt trail towards their next destination. Marim cackles out loudly once they clear a large hill and turn to look back at the burning city. A pillar of smoke coming from the south gate. Lileen looks out with a melancholic expression as her hair blows in the wind.
"What a damn good birthday, huh? Started a war between two of the largest countries in the Southwest Midlands! Talk about a False Star Day!" Marim could do nothing but grin and laugh an almost crazy manic laughter as her hands rest firmly on her hips.
###
The woman ran through the woods, her hands and legs dirtied and bloodied. Large metal chains and cuffs were dug into her wrists and ankles, but she moved without any struggle. Her face was crazied with a wild grin, showing off her sharp, almost fang-like teeth.
"Halt, demon of the Third Zodiac! The Order of The Gods commands thou!" A golden blonde haired man stated firmly, his voice echoing in reverse. He was hovering over the forest with beautiful white wings attached to his back, yet they didn't flap. After no response, the man swooped in. He was clad head to toe in golden glowing armor with a white-tipped spear.
Behind him was another woman, this woman also with golden hair that cascaded down her back in beautiful harmony. She was wearing similar golden armor with white pearlescent wings on her back that did not flap but occasionally. She had smooth pale skin that had no blemishes. She held a spear as well. Golden but for the white tip.
"Thou hast no will over mineself. Preach thy fallacies elsewhere, you puppets!" The dirtied woman on the ground shouts out to them. They swoop after her with ease. The winged woman flies down with unblinking precision, pinning the other woman to the ground with her spear against her neck. The man lands gracefully, his arms behind his back.
"Why must thee run? No footwork could outpace the swiftness of the wing." The man says, showing off one wing as he walks up. The woman grunts and shifts and twists, trying to make distance between herself and the spear at her throat. The winged woman stamps her foot down beside her head and shakes her head, warning her to stop resisting.
"I refuse mine fate.The path thou hast laden for me is one mineself shall not take. Release thy hold upon me and let me be free." The woman growls out. The spear gets dangerously close, the radiant heat searing the woman's neck.
"The path thou treads cannot be undone by thine own hand. Thou hath cut thyself from fate's string long ago when thou chose thine own faith. Today, we finish fate's work." The man raises his hand, giving the woman the go ahead. She raises her spear, ready to sink it into the grounded woman's back. With a burning screech, the spear pierces the woman's back.
She writhes and twists as the pain floods her body. Her veins bulge out of her skin and her face pales. And finally, her body collapses. After a moment of silence, her corpse withers away to bones in seconds. And soon even those fade to nothing but dust. Her blood had pooled on the ground, a dark vile red.
"Let us return, Lazria." The man swiftly says while turning around and taking off. The woman nods and takes off after him, glancing back at the pile of blood.
After they leave, the blood warbles and shifts and forms until it starts to defy gravity and rise up. It takes the form of the woman that it had came from. And after a moment of solidifying, it changes colors to match her normal appearance.
She collapses to her knees panting heavily. She grabs at her chest, her heart beating wildly. Pulling a pendant of a heart off her neck, she watches as it cracks and withers away.
"Mine last life, wasted on those winged creatures." She despairs. Suddenly, the ground at her feet grumbles and overturns. Chains shoot out and grab at her wrists, pulling taut and pinning her to her knees. The earth around her comes up to form walls and caverns.
"With no mortal bind, mine soul shall starve of the light and perish a deafeningly slow descent into madness until it fades." She cries as the final echoes of sunlight disappear behind the earthen walls.
The dark sits in silence for a moment, not even a rumble. With all her senses deprived, she slams her eyes shut and prays quietly over and over.
"I pray to thee, free my soul. I pray to thee, free my soul." She repeats desperately in the newly formed earthen prison.
Over the years, her bountiful soul seeps into the soil and forms a dungeon that the humans have called The Soul Dungeon after seeing and hearing ghostly cries. Blue flames and a dense fog populate the dungeon as well as many treasures from fallen adventurers and monsters alike.
When a certain boy was born and the star of fate shined down, her withered, faded form could only raise her head slightly, feeling the spark of fate even at this distance. Paying it no mind, she continued to mutter her prayers with all she had left.