The Year Cycle

Aaron and Alec walked alongside each other as Monument led the way to the Lesser Earth Guardian. Aaron knew that Monument had a name, but he wasn't sure if the lesser guardians had them. "Hey, Monument. What do you call the other guardians?" Aaron asked. Monument turned around, walking backwards. "Well, if I'm insulting them, I call them barbarians, war-mongers, the like, but if you're talking about their actual names, I forgot them. I've never interacted with them in the past one hundred and fifty years." Monument admitted, being honest about his lack of memory. At least he didn't lie.

"Oh. Well, if you honestly don't know, that's fine. As long as you can still guide us to where the guardians reside, it doesn't matter what the seven other guardians are called. We're going to beat them to dust anyway, so unless they offer me advantages, they won't live after the fight." Aaron ominously stated while creepily laughing, almost reminiscent of his time as a corrupted being. Monument and Alec looked at him in a mixture of fear and shock. Aaron noticed what he was doing and calmed himself down, ensuring that it didn't go on any longer. "Sorry. It's just a habit. Monument would know what I'm talking about." Aaron apologised, causing Monument to shake his head in agreement. "Some things, once learned, can't be changed or forgotten, it seems." Monument commented. Alec was so out of the loop that he just decided to ignore it. He wasn't sure what they meant by a 'habit', but he wasn't going to pressure them into telling him things that Aaron obviously didn't want to talk about.

"Alec, don't worry about it. It's just a habit from when I was...not a nice person. It has nothing to do with you, so you just relax, knowing that I'm not about to...explode." Aaron assured Alec, making reference to the planet explosion. Alec was just as confused as before, but he just decided to roll with it, as he wouldn't do anything productive by pondering an answer to a topic with no proper meaning.

"So, what do you plan to do now, Aaron? I know that you're going to fight the Lesser Earth Monument, but what about after that? Won't you have to deal with the Superior Earth Monument, Monument?" Alec asked Aaron, wondering what the game plan was. "Well, first we're going to go around, beating the Lesser Monuments, and then, once we're done, we'll fight the Superior Monuments, as I've heard that nobody has actually done yet?" Aaron explained, posing another question to Alec.

"No, nobody has beaten all four Superior Monuments yet, as the Monuments fight alongside their monsters as a final opponent. Nobody has ever defeated one, let alone four. For you to beat a single one would make you the God amongst Men, which is preached by the church." Alec responded, causing Aaron's curiosity to rise. "Oh? I didn't know there was a church! I also didn't know that such a title existed. Maybe I'm the one they speak of!" Aaron sarcastically replied. Alec picked it up as him being serious about it and began to laugh.

"You can't be it, Aaron! The church proclaimed that the person who would inherit enough power would be born on the second of Janova in the year of the three-thousandth Sun. That's today! You weren't created today!" Alec exclaimed, laughing his eyes out. Aaron was surprised to learn that they had different years and months, but it was a new planet, so what could he expect?

[Aaron, I've found out something interesting about this world. It has twelve official months, and it has six-year cycles. The months are Janova, Febova, Marova, etcetera. It's basically the same as the months you're familiar with, just that they have 'ova' at the end of them.]

'Oh? That's pretty cool, Memica. At least now I know the month and the date. Although could you explain the year cycles? Six years isn't too long in the grand scheme of things.' Aaron asked Memica while he continued walking, who gladly responded.

[Sure. So, the first year is the 'Year of the Sun', which is the most prosperous time of year. Every time a new year of the Sun comes out, they add another number to the rising total of years. This is the same with the other years. Then there is the year of the Animality, in which animals go into a bloodlust. All humanoid animal hybrids appear to be unaffected, as long as they have a working mind. Basically, as long as they are allowed in cities, they are fine. Things like ogres, for example, become subject to this, as most ogres are stupid. Except for the one from the animated movie 'Shrek'. He wouldn't be subject to the bloodlust.]

'Well, at least I now have a point of reference. If I stay here for long enough, I get to see animals go savage. Nice! Anyways, would you mind explaining the other years?' Aaron asked, learning that Shrek would be fine.

[Sure. The third year is the year of the Gods, where people believe that the gods inhabit human bodies and walk amongst them. Then, since there is the year of the Sun, there is the year of the Moon, when werewolves awaken. They are the highest cause of death or manslaughter on this planet, so they're a force to be reckoned with, even for a serious fighter. Then there is the year of the Blood Sun, in which the Sun strangely turns red. Nothing interesting happens during it. It is just something cool that happens. Then, the final year is the year of Spiritwalkers, where the dead come out from their graves, tormented by their sins. They appear at night, and if you go near the 'ghosts', they are freezing cold, but the second they touch you, they're burning hot. They moan about how they want to live and try to offer deals that sound enticing, but in actuality, they only want to take over your body. The scariest thing is that they replicate your life perfectly, and you are reduced to being a 'ghost' yourself, your only goal being possession.]

'Holy shit. The year of the Spiritwalked doesn't sound like a pleasant time.' Aaron admitted. He looked at Alec, who had just seen him stop in his tracks for about five seconds. "Alec, I need you to remind me to never be around a Spiritwalker."