Darius watched his image in the mirror. His purple hair was darker now like a deep violet color. His face and body were riddled with gashes that had healed and left scars behind. His body seemed sturdier. In his reflection he saw a shadowy figure watching him. He wondered if it was the Leviathan and ignored it.

Sirius stood outside the hideout. They were at the top of the mountain in one of the most inhospitable regions of the planet.

The mountain was intricately carved and mostly covered in vines, moss and thick shrubs to which Darius was certain that if they were removed he would find the ruins of an ancient city.

Sirius sat at the edge, the wind blowing back his hair. When he turned to look at Darius, Darius noticed his red, golden eyes that were the color of the sun. The trademark of people from his family. The Solere get their energy and vitality from the sun, an endless source of power that flows into and fuels their celestial symphony.

And at the top of their family structure stood people like Sirius.

Sirius Solere was born at the tail end of genesis, when the war with the old empire was dying down and the new one was being born. That would make him tens of thousands years old. He may not have been born at the height of the conflict but he lived long enough to witness some of its battles. Whatever martial arts they use, he invented it and the ones he didn’t invent he perfected.

Therefore what was essentially a piece of history sat before Darius. Legions of people, friends and enemies alike would have given up anything to have the opportunity to be in his presence.

“Beautiful isn’t it” he said as he watched the sun. His voice was deep and slow with each word having its own emphasis.

“I imagine the old beasts would gather here and watch the Wyverns take the sky. They probably seemed like their empire would last forever. I wouldn’t blame them; with feats of architecture this grand and the kind of power they wielded I too would have thought the same”.

“You met the Serv. What did you think of him” he asked Darius.

“I don’t think he likes me very much,” answered Darius.

“Same here.” Sirius said.

“Why?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Because I’m one of the few people old enough to remember what his people were like at their peak. Your history teaches you that once the empire of the primordial beasts fell the humans took over but what they don’t teach you was that there was a gap where neither humans nor the primordial beast were in control”

“Who were” I asked.

“The Servekkers, The Caelorians, The Pyrokes, The Terragons and many more. I mean you ever ask yourself how the humans got the upper hand, I’m sure each family has its own tale but the truth was that the Primordial beasts had been greatly weakened by the intelligent subjects they ruled. When I was young, I would see vast remnants of empires that existed for thousands of years. These empires were not human or beast like. I even met the races or what was left of them. Funny truth is they really were what the stories claim they were. Warlords, Savage killers and Slavers. The Servekkers were the most infamous of them all, it was at this period that they perfected the art of taming which they’re well known for”

“So whenever the Serv moans about the treatment of his race I like to remind him of the kind of butchers his ancestors were. I spent the early years of my life hunting them.” He said with a wicked smile and a small chuckle, but I could tell from his face, which looked like it was cast from hard stone, that there was no joke.

“Why're you telling me all this?” I asked him.

“Many reasons. First and most important, all empires die. They all try to prevent it from happening but it happens. Second, most empires die because of their sins. The primordial beasts were proud and brutal and held a tight leash on any species that they held dominion over. Soon enough those species rose up against them in a cruel fashion. In the ensuing chaos humans took control but we have not been better. We too rule with cruelty over the weak and our empire is already crumbling. What comes next? Who will lead us to the new era? I’ve spent my life searching, I’ve prepared, I have armies and weapons, whole planets hidden, all waiting for that one person who will lead them to the new era. Will this person do things differently?

“I want you to show me your resolve, Son of Sagittarius, both on the inside and the outside. Before I teach you I need to see if you are worthy”

Darius was to be tested if Sirius was going to teach him how to use his new powers. Sybil was set up as his opponent. The girl gave him a cheerful wave and he waved back. Darius could tell that she couldn’t wait to fight. Neither could he. Ever since he woke up he’s felt his powers which had been suppressed for many years now build up in front of him and he couldn’t wait to unleash it

They both stood on a tall piece of rock, Sirius between them. Darius remembered the lessons he was given when he was still a Lancer at the Cradle. Build up the celestial energy in your stomach first. He gathered a little piece of his energy inside his stomach. He could feel the power inside. He hadn’t felt like this in such a long time. He looked at Sybil, the memories of his past rushing to his head, he pulled the energy from his stomach down to his legs where he left them seep out, a bolt of lighting escaped from his feet, Lightning step, and in a mere second he was behind her, Darius missed how fast he was, his heart was racing, he recollected the days he sparred with his siblings on coliseums high in the sky, the parades where servants carried him in ornately decorated palanquins, the promise of godhood his powers afforded him, pride. He released a lightning charge from his hand about to strike the girl and end the fight.

Just as he was about to hit her a voice called out inside of him,

“YOU INSOLENT BRAT! ARE YOU SO PRIDEFUL YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE DEATH IN FRONT OF YOU!!”, then it was as if his eyes had uncovered a veil of reality, he saw himself engulfed in red shadows, he wondered if it was Sirius but his instincts told him it was Sybil, he looked at the girl and she looked back at him. He knew that if he made any move on her he would die. He felt the certainty. Using another lighting step he hopped back to the edge of the rock which was much farther than where he stood originally. HIs hands were covered in sweat and his breathing was rapid. He wondered what that was.

He remembered, A celestial curse. An aspect of the celestial symphony that uses negative energy to create a unique technique. People who could use celestial curses were rare. If Sybil was a user it made sense as to why she seemed so frightening.

An intense feeling of shame washed over him. He had just got his powers back and he was already acting like a piece of shit. Sybil stared daggers. Her emotions were as fickle as a light switch. One moment cheerful then another moment pure terror.

Sirius cleared his throat. “Don’t be so eager to disappoint me, the competition has not started yet Darius.” He pointed to the open forest, “We're going to play a game of capture the flag. On the eastern and western corners of the map, there are three ruins for each. These ruins are to serve as a home base for your survival. The first purpose of the game is to survive the forest, the second purpose of the game is to capture these ruins. You only need three. Anything more than that is unnecessary. And the third purpose is to capture the flag at the top of that hill.

“The ruins are important because I’ve set up a shield around them that protects you from the gravity and harsh atmosphere of this region. Also when you conquer a ruin you, a refuge clause is activated so the other party can not attack you while you’re inside. Inside the ruin you’ll find food, clothes, weapons and first aid supplies. The other party can prevent you from advancing towards another ruin in your designated region but they too leave themselves exposed so the risk is equal for both parties. Remember before you can lay claim to the flag you need to have all three ruins on your side. Failure to do so will lend claim to whatever party that ultimately captures the flag, null. This game is about testing your wits, power and resolve.

“I wish you both, Darius most of all, good luck. Since you’re our savior and whatnot. Try not to die”.

And with that he was gone. Sirius left a datapad with them. It contained the rules and necessary information of each ruin. Of course they had to reach the ruin to unlock its information. Darius knew there were technicalities in the rules, but the first thing that was on his mind was Sybil. He had to get away from her no matter what. Anything to avoid that strange technique she almost used. He was no longer cocky about his powers but he needed his speed. It's one of the few things his family is best known for.

Facing the thick jungle he used his lighting step to propel him forward as he headed towards the first ruin.