Chapter I- The Last Supper

A midsummer breeze fills the air around the academy and throughout the village. The kids are as animated as ever, and the village is peaceful and quiet. As the caretaker dismissed the class, the children gathered around and made a gift for their parents. It was a lovely holiday on which children honored their parents, by giving them such gifts they may find around the campus. But, among those children, one child stood out the most, since he is from a very privileged bloodline. The Asters are known for their ability to choose the magic and power they desire. And that child shall be called, Lionell Aster.

Then so the children have completed preparing their presents for their parents, and each one went home skipping happily. Lionell, who brought a gemstone and a letter, is heading home, ready to give his gift. The gemstone has a cut similar to the shape of a star, and its colors are as vibrant as the sun. The letter has simple expressions of appreciation and love towards his mother, his father, and his siblings. As he approaches his home, he is greeted with excitement. His brothers hugged him as he fell to the ground.

"Oww, that hurt Razzy. You too, Lance, stop tackling me whenever I come home from school," exclaimed little Lionell. His brothers replied while chuckling, "But we missed you so much, brother, it was sooooo boring here without you." And then, a soft laughter can be heard from inside the house, and as the person gets closer, she looks at the children and says, "Oh my! Your poor brother is on the ground again. You bunches look so cute, but please refrain from hurting each other." chuckled the mother. "Come on now, let us prepare the table and wait for your father for supper." And the family rests inside the house, waiting for their father to arrive.

On the other side, the father is coming home, but he stopped by a nearby flower shop. After all, it is their anniversary, so he should prepare gifts for his wife as well. As he entered the shop, golden flowers with a pleasant scent filled the space. Oh, it was a thing of beauty that symbolized forever love. Too bad his wife can never receive one, because the glyden blossom is very lethal for her.

"Greetings, fellow gentleman, what can I do for you?" asked the odd-looking shopkeeper as he emerged abruptly from the counter. The father asks for a flower that is suitable for gifting on anniversaries. "Oh, yes, it is everywhere in my shop, good sir." But he politely refused, saying, "I am sorry, but I simply cannot gift one of any of these flowers to my wife, since it is lethal to her." The shopkeeper frowned and said,

"Aw, too bad for her. But good news for you, I still have a variety of many good flowers." The shopkeeper asked the father to come near the counter and gave him a purple flower, which emits some kind of somber purple glow. The flower was nearly as beautiful as the golden flower, but what set it apart was the gloomy feeling it gave off, as if it wanted to take something from you. "Are you sure this flower is a gift given on anniversaries? And surely not for funerals? I would admit that the flower is majestic, but it doesn't sit with me right." replied the father. "Oh, it may seem very odd, but the scent of the flower will take you away." The shopkeeper grinned creepily.

The father was feeling anxious and suspicious, but he gave it a whiff anyway. When he gave the flower a smell, he was shocked to the point he almost choked to death, or so he did. The scent was too overwhelming; it was as if the fragrance was strangling him. He glanced once more at the flower; even though it had been trampled by the shopkeeper, it was still beautiful. Choking on his breath, he looked at the shopkeeper, but it seems it was not the one who was running the shop. The shopkeeper's figure began glitching, until he changed into a different person. It was not the shopkeeper at all.

As the father crawls to try and escape, a faint chuckle can be heard in the shop. "Aster, your end is nearing, as well as your family's." The unknown person whispered in a low, monotone voice and cackled in an evil tone. Surprised by what he said, the father tried to struggle and break free from the fragrance's grasp, but it was far too overwhelming.

To cause less trouble, he stood up and shrouded himself in dark and dusky flames. "A flame magician? A pretty basic wizard, but black flames? You will be the greatest addition to my collection." The man answered with much joy in his smile. The father couldn't hold back any longer and released an outburst of ebony flames that surrounded the shop. But it was ceased by another person's magic. Butterflies replaced the dark flames, clustered around to form another figure. It was another person, very much an acquaintance of the other. The father could not do anything else but black out, and so he fell to the ground, lying defenseless around those people.

Moving back, the family was patiently waiting on their house, unaware of the father's situation. One child asked when their father was coming home, and we are certain that he is not going to be home in a while. While waiting, a child asked their mother, "Mother, can you read us a story, please?" The mother gave a soft chuckle, but she couldn't resist her children, of course, so she read them a story.

"Long ago, on the deepest horizons of cosmos, emerged a stygian planet, once lived a great god who was elysian and sublime, with outstanding and powerful prowess. And he who was perfect took part in an event of war between authorities. He only had one planet; thus, he fought for Vanta. And as the god of Vanta, he gave everything he could just to protect his one and only possession.

Many gods lost their subjects, thus leaving them to perish and cease to exist with nothing to conquer and nothing to rule. Trying not to fall into despair, he who was courageous fought off every threat that could harm his planet. As the war progressed, he gave it all just to preserve his subject. And eventually, it came to an end.

He was a victor; he protected his only planet, but in exchange, he got so exhausted that it nearly drained his power. In order to avoid being powerless, he used his powers to create life in Vanta, where he can restore energy. He has also created-"

Her storytelling was cut off by that loud knock on the door. "Must that be your father? Why did he bang on the door? Let us continue the storytelling later; I must check the door." She closed the story book and then proceeded to approach the door. And as she approached the door, she opened it and saw her husband, saying, "Oh, what took you so long? The children were waiting for quite some time; come, let's have dinner now."

But something's not right with the father; he seems rather lifeless, emotionless, and a mere empty vessel. "Honey? Are you alright?" asked the mother. The father dropped the purple flowers he held in his hands, raised his arms and casted a somber flame. The mother was alerted, shielded herself from his attack, and took her children to safety. "Children, evacuate now immediately; he is not your father; he may be, but not anymore." Explained the fearful mother.

As she is warning her children, the father tears down the whole house, scattering and destroying the beautiful dinner they should've had. Tears ran down the family's face when their father was not who he was; it was supposed to be a happy dinner, though it became their last supper. The father then started levitating and raised his hand once more, preparing for another attack. The mother grew moonlit vines around her children, took them somewhere further and safer, and then protected herself once again. She then tried to warn the other villagers to evacuate to somewhere safer, but it was too late.

There were a lot of invaders throughout the village, wreaking havoc. So many lives were lost because of the chaos. The invaders were puppet-like, it is most likely that they are being controlled by somebody out there, maybe even controlling the father. The mother could not do anything but fend off the father since no reinforcements were arriving. But I suppose no backup will arrive.

The father launched a series of attacks, and the poor mother tried to defend herself from the flames of her own husband with her weak powers on par with fire. Nature magic is not the best counterattack to flame, but too bad she has to deal with it. "Aidan!" screamed the mother. "Snap out of it! I beg of you. The people of the village are frightened, as well as your very own children!" But no words stopped the father from attacking; he is nothing now but a puppet to control.

Alas, the final attack had come. A ball of flame so big was created, it could destroy the village if it continued to land; a flame so dim that it blocked almost every ray of light, making the scene look like night. The mother was blinded by that bright darkness; nothing could stop that attack, unless...

"Lionell, take care of your brothers for me, okay?" As she shed one last tear.

"Oh, image of the moonlight, aid me in my call, assist me, and safeguard those whom I care. Let me guide those I cherish and adore; seal those who harm my beloved. Immobilize thy foe, Sealing magic: Moonlit Emissary, fall and tremble on your knees before your queen!"

As she had done the incantation, she began to crumble. She absorbed the flame, which burned her and turned her into an ebony ember; crystals as blue as moonlight began to form around her; she wrapped vines around her waist even though the flames burned the vines; she lifted herself up and kissed her husband one last time. "I suppose this is my farewell, dear Aster." Then the crystals surrounded their whole bodies, sealing both of them.

After the sealing ritual, a piercing cry can be heard in the distance. The little Asters wept, since they had lost both their parents. Then, after a little while, Lionell felt a little shock; his senses warned him to escape and find a safer place, but he was frail and weak, so the enemies found him and his brothers. They ran and ran, trying to flee from the grasp of their enemies. But, oh poor Asters, surrounded by their foes, they have nothing to do but accept their fate. "Lio, I do not want to die yet." Lance, the youngest of the Asters, wept. Lionell, who's just as frightened as his brother, has nothing to do but try to shield them with his body.

As the puppet swung its blade, the token glowed so brightly and rang so loudly. The sword nearly touched Lionell, but the token stopped time. Everything froze, his brothers showed a face of horror, and the blade pointed at his neck. The little Lionell is baffled by what he saw, but after a few seconds, a figure came down upon him, dressed in white robes with a halo that symbolizes its crown. Its face is covered by the clothing it wears, but it spoke and said,

"Lionell Vinicius Aster, I, who am unknown, have been waiting for this very moment. Greetings, the descendant of the star."

Before little Lionell could reply, he was stopped by the figure. "My lord, you do not have much time. A sword is pointed at you, and you must decide right away. I bring you three choices. The first, which is magic that is equal to creation, lets you create what you desire at the cost of a life. The second is magic that yields light, a light that blinds the darkest dark itself. And lastly, a magic of destruction, which can disintegrate and destroy anything you wish, but it drains your entire magic capacity."

With these choices, the Aster is confused about what to pick. But what helped him is that every choice has a foreshadowing of his future. The first shows a path of vainglory; the second shows a path of struggle, pain, and yet of bliss; the last shows a path of oblivion. Even though he has little time, he has decided.

"I take the path of struggle, of pain, of suffering, but yet of bliss." "It may be very gruesome, but if I find peace on that path, then shall it be my pathway to eternal delight."

He takes the second sphere, and then his powers are granted to him. Time flew once again, and he blocked the attack with a spear made of light. He pushed the puppet away from his brothers. He looked back and smiled: "I am your brother, the eldest, the strongest. Therefore, stay back and watch me beat these enemies of ours." He turned his head back, locking onto the mob of puppets. "I won't let you get away with this, to whoever's pulling these strings." As he dashed right through the mob.

From a distance, a man can be seen pulling the strings; he grinned and whispered, "He has awoken."