"Who are you?"
Chase asked.
The man before him donned a golden set of perfected armor, his hair was also golden, and his shined like the sun itself.
In a way he reminded Chase of the Pyrothar above Phoenix academy.
The man had a lance made of gold resting on his back as he smiled softly.
"Where are we?"
He then asked after receiving no answer.
The air around them was uncomfortably cold, and the lands were vast and ancient.
It was unexplainable, as the ground they stood on was a color that could not be explained, and the gold that lined the ground looked like it had been mined from the heavens itself.
The trees that paved a path forward shined with ethereal colors, luminescent in a heavenly way.
The man only smiled, but when he spoke his voice held a power beyond that of Leander, Rider, and even Luna.
"Far away from home..."
"Who-"
The man turned his gaze towards Chase's eyes.
"I was right about humanity, I knew that one day someone with potential beyond even me would bare the mark of destiny..."
Chase shook his head, backing away from the terrifyingly powerful man.
"I do not want it..."
The man boomed with laughter, as his golden eyes shined even brighter.
"Do you not recognize me from the countless statues, from the depictions put into painting, from the constellation that fills the center of the vibrant night sky, or did you expect me to look like the very sun that wards off evil in the lands of the mighty sun..."
Chase collapsed onto his knees.
"O-Orion..."
He muttered the name like it was taboo, like he should be calling the man "Lord".
Orion only smiled softly though, letting his body lower itself as he sat down across from Chase.
"Listen... What is it that you see?"
Orion asked out of the blue.
Chase raised an eyebrow, hesitantly looking around, unable to make sense of the world around him.
"Heaven?"
Orion frowned.
"In a way..."
Chase shook his head.
"Am I dead?"
Orion shrugged.
"Partly."
Chase's shoulders slumped.
"What- What is happening to me. Every time I realize what is going on, I die, then I die again just for good measure, and then I forget. Then it becomes an unending cycle..."
Orion's eyes became distant, but as the ground shook, something new happened.
Orion held a hand out, and just like that, time froze before his mighty power, ensnaring both him and Chase in a small golden bubble.
"Relax child... Death cannot harm you so long as you do not will it... Remember what heritage runs through your very blood. No god of death could ever come near you... No ancient law related to the afterlife can ever affect you, even your blood runs cold with the immortal protection against time and reality..."
Chase titled his head, trembling as he pulled his knees to his chest.
"I- I want it to end."
He cried.
Orion looked up at the strange colored sky, his smile slowly returning.
"Then let it..."
Chase tilted his head in fear, his eyes widening as he finally understood something.
The bliss of death was only one cycle away after all.
The pain had grown numb, his emotions had spiraled into nothingness, his regrets faded, and all that he had to do... Was kill himself...
Chase unsheathed the small dagger, quickly bringing it up to his throat.
"Wait!"
Orion said, stopping Chase with the sheer scale of his presence.
His eyes dimmed, and his face darkened.
"That is the easiest way out... You only seek peace, and you know now that you are not cut out for the unfair purpose put upon you since before your very birth, you bare the ruins of destiny, you can foresee the future, stop death itself, and rule both the mortal and immortal plains. And yet, you realize that you have been disposable since the very beginning. That it didn't matter if you failed or not..."
Tears began to build up in Chase's eyes, but he couldn't even blink from the raw influence of Orion's power.
He tried to speak, but he couldn't.
"You must promise me something... As you continue this cycle, you will be forced to remember things you need, and things you do not want. You will remember things you shouldn't, and things no man should ever have to imagine... You will die millions of times, but you will also succeed. You are too young for this, and yet you entered this world with no hesitation, with nothing but determination... So promise me something boy..."
Then Chase's mouth freed itself as he gasped for air, yet his entire body refused to move.
Slowly, the bubble around them began to vanish.
"What!?"
Chase quickly called out, dropping the blade as he looked into Orion's eyes with a newfound determination.
"Free my from The Pyrothar, in thousands of years, a man will return to his home, he will take the overgrown thrown of a kingdom no more, and he will prepare for one last war, for that war... You must free me from my shackles. Remember that when the bells of war chime before they finally crack and shatter..."
Chase nodded quickly as he died once again.