Fight for

PRESENT time in Aeonria...

"HAH! HAH!" Haji could feel the hot breathing of the sand and the dusty wind fanning his neck. His sweat dripping on his ragged clothes as he continued doing pull ups, sit ups and practicing fighting techniques. From these past few months, Haji has changed a lot. Haji knew that Jhavu was right, Zakir knows how to train someone to become stronger.

"Janix! Listen to me!" Zakir said as Haji continued doing push ups on the ground. Haji's sweat never stopped dripping that some of it entered his eyes which caused an itchy sensation in his pupils.

"Before you start a war..." Zakir continued as he tilted his body away from Haji. Haji could tell that in his peripheral view, Zakir was studying every inch of improvements in him. "...you must know what you are fighting for" Zakir said.

"What do you fight for, Janix?" Zakir asked Haji.

"I fight for Aeonria" Haji answered. Haji knew he may not be a full-fledged warrior and he may need the help of other warriors but he meant it from the bottom of his heart. He would fight for Aeonria.

"I fight for Freedom!" Haji said. He would fight for the Aeonis. He would fight for Jhay. Haji stopped doing multiple push ups and he aggresively attacked Zakir. Zakir's reflexes were on different level that he absolutely dodged Haji's attack and gave Haji a jaw dropping punch on the face.

"Not bad, Janix!" Zakir said, Zakir rarely compliments Haji and it made the Janix flutter.

"Did you just slapped me?" Haji asked sarcastically as he tried not to look affected by Zakir's godly punch. Zakir frowned and gave Haji a one hell of a beating. Haji ended up lying on the ground fully beaten up and chuckled. He have became stronger. He developed some muscles and his body structures improved. His senses worked better than before and his skills were polished bone to bone, Haji thanked Zakir for that. He stared at the universe above him and reached out his hand.

"Why do I feel like time runs here slowly?" Haji asked himself loudly.

"That's because you are waiting for someone or something" Zakir's voice answered Haji's confusing quest. Zakir sat beside Haji as he rubbed two stones against each other. The stones created a spark and later on it created a small fire. Zakir looked at the small beams of light in his long slender hands and said, "Time really goes slowly when you are waiting for something significant to happen."

Haji sat up as Zakir placed the two candlelike stones in front of them and let it kissed the ground. Antos to Aeonria was a very dark place and with those two little lights, they looked like two little stars twinkling in the night sky. Haji thought of Zakir living like that alone for nine years, he realized it was too lonely. Living in the dark and not being able to do anything to escape for the sake of other beings, Zakir's beloved chimeras.

"Don't you have a family or someone important to your heart?" Haji asked Zakir. Zakir remained silent for a long time. Haji could almost feel the awkwardness so he decided to think another subject but then Zakir answered, "They're dead".

"Oh! Im-" Haji didn't get to finish what he was about to say since Zakir cut off his words.

"The tyrant king Kradus slaughtered all of them" Zakir continued.

Haji thought, "Just how cruel king Kradus could be?!"

Haji dared not to say anything anymore.

"Follow me, Janix" Zakir said and offered his hand for Haji to stand up which seemed like a rope than a hand. As they walked towards another unfamiliar place, Haji looked up above.

He wish he could bring Jhay there. He thought as he smiled at the sky, "The Aurora Borealis in the North Pole on earth is nothing compared to this beautiful galaxy above me."

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"Where are we going?" Haji asked Zakir when he realized they were going to enter a very large cave. Outside the cave, Haji could hear a very frightful roar of a legendary phoenix or a dragon. He could hardly tell whether it was a roar of a lion or a tiger.

Haji came up with a thought, "Are there hungry wolves inside?!"

Multiple sounds echoed the dark entrance and Haji could almost feel himself being burried alive into the ground.

"You will receive your armor tonight" Zakir said as he started walking forward towards the dark entrance.

"And you're telling me that my awesome armor is inside?" Haji asked Zakir sarcastically as he chuckled.

Haji thought, "Jeez! I better not be right about my guess!"

"Exactly" Zakir answered normally.

"You gotta be kidding me, right?!" Haji scoffed as he tried to wipe any sweat on his forehead. Haji immediately followed Zakir inside and the dark alley welcomed them.

It was too dark.

"Hey" Haji said while patting Zakir, making sure the tough aeoni was still right there with him. The wierd noises and sounds before suddenly stopped. The complete silence gave chills on Haji's spine. A very large form of fire suddenly scattered in front of them like a dragon's breath. It took ten seconds or more before the perfect combination of red and orange flame disappered. Another flame was released and its color was bluish white. They heard a flocking of wide wings in the dark and a growl. As Haji stared at the abyss, seven pairs of large and deadful eyes stared back at him. Haji was frightened when he saw their lively and powerful red eyes looking at his soul. The seventh pair of eyes were a little bit different, they were white.

"It is I, Zakir!" Zakir said and the giant creature appeared right in front of them from the dark. Haji's eyes widened when the monstrous creature looked at him.

Haji thought, "Is this even a chimera??!!"

The creature has seven different heads. A terrifying beast that looked like a lion's head. Two serpent's head, one looked calm and the other was aggresive. One that looked like a head of an eagle with its sharp beak and has the white eyes. The other four heads looked similar, four phanters' head. They all roared and a pair of wide and strong wings spread from the back, it was almost covering Haji's entire sight. Its wings had two different colors, one was black and the other was white. Haji gulped as the big pair of feet that looked like a legendary dragon's feet he usually sees on online games stomped full force. It almost created an earthquake.

"Are you telling me this one is my armor?" Haji asked Zakir. Haji could see the creature's chain-like tail wagging like a dog's the moment Zakir touched its leg.

"No" he answered.

"Then what are we doing here?!" Haji asked in disbelief.

Just by looking at the terrifying creature, Haji could die peeing in his pants.

"This is Agya, My first ever tamed Egori" Zakir said.

(Note: 'Egori' is the term Aeonis used for 'Chimeras'. Egoris are like the ultimate upgraded versions of chimeras and has more than three heads, just like Agya)

Haji coughed awkwardly. He thought, "And he had tamed thousands of them?!"

"Then, what are we here for?" Haji asked Zakir. Zakir became busy scratching Agya's rough skin that he almost forgot Haji was with him. Agya liked Zakir scratching him though.

"He just finished your armour today" Zakir said referring to Agya as the egori moved aside, keeping his wings closed. Behind him, there was a warrior's golden armor. Haji gasped as his feet suddenly dragged him towards the armor and he touched the sacred thing.

"Try putting it on" Zakir said. Haji gave him a genuine smile as his heart began to celebrate the joy and excitement he had been holding for a while. After Haji put his armor on, he moved his body, his feet and his arms. The armor felt so light that Haji could move naturally and easily. He never expected that thing to be that light since it looked so heavy the first time Haji saw it.

"Awesome" Haji said underneath his breath. Haji saw Zakir smiled as he moved backwards, more likely far away from Haji.

Haji thought, "Okay, what is he planning to to do?"

"Agya. Now" Zakir said and Agya spread his entire wings, opened their mouths towards Haji's direction.

"Hey! Hey! What are you doing?!" Haji panicked as he saw small fireballs coming out from their mouths and they became bigger every second.

"Relax! Janix!" Zakir said.

"What?! Who are you telling to relax?! I'm going to be killed here and-!!!"

"FIRE!" Zakir stated. Haji could see the lights and fires darting towards him and he could tell that might be the end for him.

"Oh Shit" Haji cursed before he closed his eyes, he covered his face with his arms and waited for the raging heat to envelop him . After a few seconds, the fire disappeared!

"It worked!" Zakir hailed and walked towards Haji.

"What the hell man!" Haji cursed. Zakir laughed a little bit and looked at Haji with no signs of worriness and guilt. He never felt sorry for the Janix even a little bit. He trusted his skills that much.

"This armor will protect you from Egori's attacks from a far. It suits you by the way" Zakir said. Haji still couldn't believed he just survived from that powerful attack.

"I thought I was gonna die!" Haji said out of excitement. Agya looked at Haji without even giving his slightest apologetic look. Haji thought that was rude but he couldn't do anything about it, egoris were born rude and fierce after all.

"That legendary armor you were wearing was mine before. It is yours now. I no longer fight and you deserve to become a warrior." Zakir said. Haji felt honored by Zakir's words.

"By the way... Do all Egoris look like Agya?" Haji asked, curious as he always was. Haji wondered how Stalwa looked like. He thought, "And if ever they do, does Lurkia looked even cooler and scarier?"

"No, they differ in sizes. Other Egoris are small, some are thin and some are average. But that doesn't mean they are weak. Their sizes don't matter. But their ages do. The older the Egori the stronger it can be." Zakir said and went to the corner of the cave where a rusty treasure chest was located. He opened the chest and looked for something inside it. The debris and dirt falling from the cover represented that the chest has been closed and untouched for ages. Haji waited for Zakir to find what he was looking for as he felt a sticky liquid dripping from above him. Haji looked up and realized that the lion's saliva of Agya was dripping down on him.

"What the?" Haji almost cursed and took a few steps away from Agya.

"Bad Agya! You should know how to watch your saliva!" Haji said while frowning. Agya seemed to be displeased by Haji's attitude towards him so he growled and spreaded his contrasted wings.

"Woah! woah! I'm just kidding! No need to be serious hehe!" Haji bluffed and chuckled.

"I found it" Zakir said calmly. He was holding a sword, a cool one. It looked rusty and old but it was wide and the bloodstains were still visible. Zakir placed the sword on a stone and said something to Agya as the Egori came to him. Just like what happened earlier, Agya strucked the sword with his powerful flame and in a few seconds, the sword looked different and new. Its sharp blade was shining like a star. The double edged sword looked even more deadly and legendary. It was too cool.

"Is this yours too?" Haji asked Zakir. A sudden pained expression flashed towards Zakir's face.

"It's king Kradus' sword. He gave that sword to me long time ago. He told me to use that sword and kill him with my own hands." Zakir said. They became enemies but they still remained as friends all those times. The main reason why Zakir can't leave 'Antos to Aeonria' was not because of the possible deaths of Egoris, but the possible death of his former friend.

"He has become more tyrant. I wanted to end his cruelty and sufferings." Zakir said. Haji never dared to say anything to comfort Zakir. He didn't know the whole story so he better just listen.

"But I cannot bear to see my friend die in my own hands" Zakir said. Haji nodded.

"Is he that cruel?" Haji asked Zakir. Haji was eager to know what made the king so cruel?

"Sex slave women of the guards, newborn baby Aeonis being fed by the royal pets, young and innocent Aeonis being their children's plaything, killing merciful old Aeonis because they are no longer useful in the kingdom. Poverty and Slavery. The present cruel king tolerated everything." Zakir said. Kradus never listened to Zakir that was why they ended up being apart. And that Kradus let Zakir lived in that forbidden land after the late king Verma sent him there. Kradus could have just killed Zakir but he never did. And the king was just waiting for Zakir to kill him one day.

"I permit you to use the King's sword and pierce it into his heart" Zakir said and placed his forehead on Haji's shoulder. Haji chuckled once again to release his mixed up emotions.

For Aeonria, the happiest slave city Haji knew that ever existed. He would bring back their freedom and unity.

Haji thought, "I am calling the universe and all other gods that ever exist to please lend me strength. I wished to have a great acquaintance with Lurkia on these days forward."

Haji wished Lurkia would accept him. Help him bring back the lost freedom of that slave city.