The story of Lenonous, Courage of the Heavens.
The world was fresh, it seemed almost too perfect, but Seith had told him, along with everyone else that it was made this way for them, the Girigori. A fine name as far as Lenonous was concerned, he didn't particularly care one way or the other. Seith had quietly given them directed purposes at the start, though some of them were less certain than others. Lenonous had been pre-destined to join the ranks of the mighty War Council. A collection of many different opinioned minds with none of the same goals, made to direct the all-powerful armies of Coelous. To say there were issues with the Council was to say that Seith had a tiny bit of power behind him. They constantly argued, never achieved anything and always failed to stop evil. This confused Lenonous, he thought they had been made to stop evil, to spread Seith's message, to bring peace even if by force.
Lenonous stood at a height larger than most of his fellow Council members and seemed to be much better suited for the life of a soldier. He had broad shoulders, a stern frame, blonde hair though that wasn't uncommon in his race. His wings stretched out to the normal length, but shined a deep red unlike most of his race's calming blue. He was one of the actives as they were originally called, one of three major parties in the political sphere that worked towards intervening in inter-racial activities. The other two parties tended to go towards total non-interventionalist and a mix of the two. Often, because none of the parties would ever compromise, nothing would ever be done as far as foreign policy went. Domestic policy on the other hand was passed quickly as the three parties very easily agreed. Lenonous found his job boring, as foreign policy had been all but abandoned as a topic within several weeks. His job mostly consisted of signing bills and forwarding them to others who then signed the bills again to go give them to others.
"Why haven't you sent Yarmil his portion yet? Don't you know that bill X8572000 means a lot to his family? I know the creator made you one of us, so please act like it Lenonous! You are the only one here who doesn't do anything worthwhile and-". It was at that time, that Lenonous had phased his boss out. Nothing worthwhile ever came out of his mouth and no threats of being unable to ascend in ranks could mean anything to the brash angel. He simply took the verbal lashing and continued about his day. The lack of working meant little overall as the Council truly consisted of several thousand angels. One broken cog meant little in the grand scheme of things. Lenonous finished his work and packed his things to head home.
At home, work wasn't really finished. The furnished bedding always needed straightening and then he had to help others who managed to lose their homes for whatever reason. His party normally was involved with public service and even being a rank 1 level, Lenonous had to help. The interventionalists ranked themselves from one to infinity. The lower the rank, the less influential you were, rumors spread that those who managed to make it to some undefined rank would be brought up by Seith and made into a god alongside him. The teachings at the schools argued differently, but Seith hadn't shown himself since creation and seemed to be siding either with the neutrals or the non-interventionalists. That or he simply didn't care about politics, which was what Lenonous was pretty sure of. Lenonous flew up to his room, 15 92 100, and opened the diamond laden door to enter.
Everything on Coellus was diamond. Diamond roofs, diamond halls, diamond beds, diamond sheets, diamond was used with so many purposes that he was surprised the Girigori weren't diamond. The color got old fast as far as Lenonous was concerned, though many did not share his opinion and resented the mere thought of going to Evalon, land of dirt. Lenonous wanted to see the other races in something outside of a book, possibly show the superiority of the Girigori over them, maybe help. He didn't know, just the ruby colored creature knew his race could help them. Lenonous dismissed the thought as he often did and fell to sleep.
The next day was odd. The entire planet seemed to be in an uproar, a human had come to Coellus alone. Not only that, but he was old and asking for help. The Girigori were a mix of curious and terrified. They knew that people could get here, the space whales allowed that, but nobody had tried until now. A change was in-bound. Lenonous entered the gleaming halls of order and chaos, shaped like a scale. There were scribes everywhere, frantically writing and copying like normal, but with a new seeming energy that Lenonous had never seen before. He rushed to the chamber of legislation and took his first gaze upon a human. The others were correct, it was old, frail and weak. It looked very distressed and seemed scared of everyone around it. It bleated for help, stating that evil-doers had killed destroyed his home and family.
All seemed terrified and were frantically conversing amongst each other, Lenonous could tell what this meant, despite not being able to make out individual voices. They were going to debate this longer than the life of the human. He shook his head and looked up out of the ceiling, Sephariel was watching, he knew she was. Lenonous was going to make her proud at least, the goddess of Hope had to appreciate this.
The crimson angel stepped and pushed everyone else aside and reached his hand out. He touched the head of the human and said "You are broken now, but faith can heal you, just do everything I tell you to do". A quote everyone soon recognized and Lenonous contained his laughter despite wanting to burst out. This was heresy and he loved it. Quoting Seith like that was something never allowed, especially in his manner. Lenonous reached his left hand out and vaporized a hole in the diamond large enough to fly out of and lifted off, taking the human with him.
The duo were now soaring through the air, hitting a velocity that Lenonous could feel was faster than safe. He hardly cared though, his eyes and gem turned a bright shade of red like his wings as he flew. The creature in his arms looked terrified and Lenonous responded softly "I will help you, those others wouldn't ever do anything, you would end up just sitting there and since we don't have food you would probably just wither. I am Lenonous by the way, who are you?"
The old man turned his gaze back up and smiled, seemingly unphased now. "The name's Narious boy. I am so pleased you came to help! It might be too late for my home...and family, but the others can still be saved!" The determination on the man's face spoke less of tragedy, which slightly confused the winged angel, but he put it away like every other useless feeling he had and flew straight ahead. In the distance lights were being shone, the Girigori were looking for him, possibly surprised that neither Seith or Sephariel were helping to locate him. Most criminals on Coelus were located almost immediately as long as their crime was rank enough. "Where is the whale you took here?" The old man thought for a moment and pointed "Over there, hurry, it looks like they are starting to get a clue!" The old man pulled a fruit out of his pocket and tossed it in the air, the space whale came rushing to them, eating the fruit and storing the couple inside, flying away from Coelus.
"Inside the belly of a beast. Seith has to be fuming right now! The established order says we are to never leave Coelus without express permission. Guess coming back is out the window now...heh." The inside of the whale was very dark despite the viewing ports on both sides. The intermediate space between Coelus had a very feint green glow but it hardly helped. Lenonous cast a spell to light the inside of the whale. "Seiaru."
The inside illuminated, the whale's interior was surprisingly clean despite being an animal. Lenonous had read books on the creation of them and he supposed Roe put more effort into them than the tellers gave credit. He laid back and looked over to the man who said nothing. "Tell me, why come to Coellus of all places for help? I know our planet looks appealing but to gamble everything on it...why?" Narious smiled a toothy grin and said "Well, I was actually looking for someone like you." He laughed and Lenonous just seemed confused by it all. "Humans are such...an enigma." Lenonous joined the laughter and in no time they seemed to reach Evalon.
The Space whale's tongue flopped out of its mouth and like a red carpet, Lenonous stepped into his new home. Evalon was vastly different from Coellus, the ground wasn't see through and gave way to his steps. The biggest difference however, was that life wasn't so see-through there. The angel would have to explore a bit, there was much for him to learn, it was so fresh and exciting! All the sudden, any apprehension he had for leaving Coellus was gone and he accepted his new home. "Where is your village? I will take you."
Narious guided Lenonous to his home, which laid in shambles and was burned to a crisp. There was a blanket thrown across the front and embers still sparked among the destruction. "I can take you from here, this was the easiest way for me to show you." Narious pointed west and said "This way." Lenonous had very little idea how to react, but setting his companion down, he finally noticed that all the human wore was a brown tunic with a single pocket. The life here was so much less luxurious yet he hardly seemed to mind. The compassion from the old man radiated like the sun and Lenonous didn't want to let him down. "I understand. The ones responsible shall pay."
Evil was an interesting concept on Coellus. It was loosely determined and since lying was non-existent, difficult to perpetuate. Selfishness certainly existed but the Girigori hardly believed in evil as a dominating force. That said, Seith did warn that in other places, evil ran rampant as a force and looking at the moon, Lenonous understood what his god meant. It had to be stopped and who better to save the humans than the Girigori? He now felt sanguine in his purpose, perhaps this is why Seith put him there, he could react first. A village soon appeared upon the horizon and Lenonous set his friend down. The old man spoke softly, "They do not know me, nor will they know you, act calm and be friendly." Lenonous looked surprised and almost yelled "You came to all this trouble for people who would not know your face? You are a strange one!" The old man laughed and they went forward.
This was the first time a Girigori had stepped into Evalon, the humans were only half sure they even existed, but now it was certain. The children were the first to approach him and asked if he was an angel. "Is that what they call us now? I suppose you could say I am. My name is Lenonous however, I have been told that you have invaders and I wish to help." The villagers began cautiously approaching, though without weapons. One of them spoke, a male almost five foot eight. "It's the Xin tribe he speaks of. They have been invading everything! We are a border town and...well if you saw what they have done so far, you would know why we are in trouble. They kill, destroy, pillage all for material goods! They will be here tomorrow, if you want to help, I guess that's the best way to." Lenonous's eyes turned a comforting blue and he stated "Seith will protect us, he always does, I know you worship Olek, but Seith helps everyone, not just the Girigori. He will give us strength." Narious began laughing in the back. "The gods care not for our mortal struggles friend, they sit in their thrones and do nothing. We must rely on each other for support, not in Olek, not in Seith, not in anyone."
Lenonous stepped back, Seith was always there, always watching, he probably was watching right now. This was heresy and...wasn't he supposed to kill a heretic? The rules were never clear on that and...no. Narious had done more for him than any lazy god ever could. Seith would be cast out of his mind, this was an affair for the Girigori, not the gods. "You are right, I will protect us." Lenonous flew into the air and looked east, Niv was beginning to fall and he could see caravans moving. "They will probably be here in hours. Everyone get inside, whatever forces you have shall come with me. We will stop them here."
As the village gathered, Lenonous waved goodbye to Narious, he hoped to see his friend again, it would be a nice visit. He flew over to the encampment of the Xin and landed. The group raised their weapons and started shouting. Arrows were flung but Lenonous cast a shield of light and they bounced harmlessly to the ground. A mighty hand signaled a cease fire and walked over to the angel. It was a man, large and with a belly to match. He had a long beard and his clothes were adorned with skulls. "You come for them?" He pointed over to the west. "Tell, why do you care for them? You angel right? Me and men hear of your kind, curious to pick now to come. Still, you want fight or talk? Me can fight you alone, men not needed." The man was confident, proud, perhaps he could fight, but that wasn't the reason Lenonous had come. Peace always came first, that was how he was taught. "Go home, you do not belong here. I am the guardian of this village and any attacks on it is an attack on myself, the Girigori and the gods."
The entire camp roared into laughter at that statement and the leader responded "You want stop all of us? Get out of here, you have until we reach the village." Lenonous stepped forward and yelled in a voice he did not know he had. It sounded like five in unison, alien, unknown to any race. "You are a fool! Fight now if you wish to perish!" The man yelled and brought out a wicked looking ax, carved with engravings and swung it at Lenonous. He cast a screen up to block the attacks, but soon became overwhelmed and flew back. The angel began gathering the power to fire an attack spell, but arrows began flying and he had to block them. This was a bad place. Towards the west, he could see his army beginning to move. Peace was impossible, they would need to be dealt with. Lenonous took flight and left the camp, blocking the flurry of arrows sent to end him.
Humiliation. an emotion rare for a Girigori to feel. Still, it stung and Lenonous tried to seal it. It seemed to be the only one he couldn't shake. A human had bested him in combat and the rest had worked to end his life. They were more powerful than he had anticipated and this meant he needed help. The villagers numbered one hundred in total, while the opposition numbered in the Hundreds. Lenonous was getting worried. They seemed to lack any leadership and simply squirmed around. "I know these men are tough, I met them myself, but we can beat them. They think they have the upper hand, but the case is the opposite. I won't let them hurt you guys or destroy the village!" The men began cheering and Lenonous began talking strategy with them. He would raise light barriers to protect them and the village would begin lobbing arrows, this could turn the tide as it would severely lessen the enemy number.
Within an hour, a horn was called and the Xin appeared over the hill. They began charging and arrows rained. Lenonous cast a barrier with slots for his men, their arrows dealing the real damage. Within minutes, the Xin forces and the village were of equal number. The lot drew swords and charged into battle, Lenonous at the front. His sword wasn't made of metal like the other's rather it was of light, burning with his fiery passion. The blade cast itself right into the belly of the first man he saw. Not a day and the Girigori had already killed a man in their first visit. It was then that the Xin's leader came busting through the masses again. The other warriors made a circle around Lenonous and a warrior whispered. "You two are to fight to the death, it is tradition." The angel understood, he placed himself in the circle and began pacing. It was then he realized, he had not even asked the name of the place he was defending. Lenonous laughed and said "You know, I wanted peace at first, but now, I just want to bash your skull in, come on!"
The brute rushed forward with his war ax, narrowly missing Lenonous and landing straight into the dirt. The angel summoned a bow and fired a quick arrow into the knee of the warrior. To the angel's surprise, the hulk ripped the arrow out and threw it on the ground, making another charge forward. Lenonous dipped to the side, avoiding another swing and cast another arrow out into the side of the ax wielding psychopath. "You think puny arrows can stop me? I have been sliced open before! This is nothing!" The leader spat on the ground and threw his ax down, tackling Lenonous who was too surprised to move. Punch after punch landed on his face, Lenonous's gem cracked at the last hit, causing intense pain which he converted into power. Lenonous head butted the warrior and using his newfound power, fired a ray of light directly at the body of his opponent. The warrior was sent back into his men, scorched and clearly dead. Lenonous got up, victorious but only for a moment a an arrow struck him in the chest. Soon another and five more buried deep.
This...was Evalon? Lenonous for the first time saw his own blood, it was warm and crimson like his wings. His eyes began to lose their light and fade. It did not take long for darkness to consume what little life he had left. The village warriors seeing this cried out in rage and charged at the Xin, brutally slaughtering what remained of the now leaderless invaders. They cast Lenonous's body up and began building a pyre for their hero. Right before the fire began burning, Narious appeared, stopping them from lighting his friend. He was melancholy about the whole deal, he intended for Lenonous to survive this, to become a guardian, but perhaps a better purpose was at hand. Narious raised his hand and showed his true form off. It was Seith, the villagers were astounded at the sight of a god, a true god, not a book or a story, but a god! Seith surrounded the corpse of Lenonous in light and raised it to the observatory. He would bring life back to his friend. "I watched you carefully Lenonous, I want the races to be autonomous, to make their own decisions, you helped make that true. Your reward shall be a true everlasting life.
Back in the observatory, Sephariel sat and watched carefully as Seith healed his child's wounds. Sealing them up and casting new life into the broken body of his friend. Then, Seith borrowed a bit of the ambient fire left from Tsuranote's presence and put it inside Lenonous. He would be the god of bravery, burning with the passion he withheld. Seith let go and cast his child back to Evalon, to explore.
