[Though I couldn't speak, as my vocal cords had been damaged long ago. That thing told me it was okay because it could read my thoughts.]
So… the world is dying?
"Yeah soon enough that star will vanquish, and then so will that galaxy, and well, so on and so forth. I estimate this universe has at most 3 more years left."
That's not fair.
"Entropy or something like that, don't blame me, I didn't make this world"
I finally escaped, and now everything is over?
"Yeah"
…
[I sat in the field, watching as a star in front of me imploded billions of light years away. The thing besides me creating a wormhole that allowed me to witness its destruction"
That's really not fair
[The being standing before me nodded and took a seat next to me on the grassy field, before laying his head back and looking at the sky]
"Do you ever wish you could just start everything all over again?"
What?
"You know what I mean, start life from the beginning. No more bosses or debts, just living with the knowledge that this time you had a full life."
That wouldn't be enough.
"Why is that?"
Because. The world itself. It hates me. I can't just go back because no matter what happens, I'll always be forsaken by this world.
"Oh… I see"
Honestly it's better if someone like m-
"If you are truly cursed, I guess going back in time won't be enough. Perhaps the world itself will have to be reset"
Wha-
With a flick of that thing's fingers, the universe that held the planet I laid on, was destroyed.
Even though I couldn't speak. I felt myself scream as everything went black.
-
First I saw void. Then I saw the Sun? A Solar System? With Moons? Then Void Again.
-
They say the universe was made billions of years ago. That a big bang came from nothing and from that big bang spawned countless galaxies, composed of stars and planets that began to form over that vast amount of years.
I wasn't sure how long that would feel to a human, but I'm almost positive that it would be longer than the few seconds that I just witnessed.
The only way I could describe it is like watching one of those bullet hell games my boss was obsessed with. Mass expanding, time existing, everything spawning in, stars clashing, planets forming, and then gravity manifesting, all culminating in me resting in a bed staring at a ceiling of marble.
I tried to pull myself up. To look and interact with this new environment. One vastly different from the underground that me and everyone else had been used to. But no such luck. It was as if my body was too weak to move. Like I was suffering from sleep paralysis, caused by shock.
So I laid there, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes. I tried my best to understand what was going on but nothing really stuck in my mind. Not until someone stood over me, frantically speaking in anger
A woman with moon white hair, and eyes black as night.
She spoke words so fast that I couldn't understand. I figured that if I stared at her long enough she would assume that I didn't have a clue what she was saying, but nevertheless she continued to speak all the same before putting her hand in front of my face, and whisped me away. Before I knew it, I was sitting in a chair, full of energy, with a suit on and a curtain in front of my face.
Then that curtain opened, and with it, a thousand eyes were on me.
---
"With the last members of the royal family here. We can conduct today's celebration" A voice that seemed to be spread all throughout the room spoke in a commanding tone. One that left no room for questions but told all the people before me, to begin.
I looked at the crowd as they began to sort themselves into 8 separate groups. Behind those 8 separate groups formed even smaller groups, of an uncountable amount. The view that I had of them made me realize that I was incredibly high up. Yet somehow I was still able to make out the faces of people I would normally need binoculars to see.
As I looked around, I noticed a man and a girl, sitting besides me. Well the girl was, the man, however, was sitting above and behind both of us. Context clues pointed to him being some kind of king-like figure. At least this was inferred from the crown on his head, and the royal like aura exuding from him.
I wanted to open my mouth. To ask these people what the hell was going on, but instead I kept quiet. I figured the best I could do around these teleporters[?] was behave.
The ceremony that took place before me was pretty standard from the view of royal movies I had seen in my childhood. Everyone seemed to hold some form of presents in their hand, and one by one they all in turn placed a present on a stage directly below where I was sitting, before bowing and heading back to their individual groups.
Once all the presents were dispensed, a man with white hair and a pretty handsome face spoke. He, alongside 11 others, stood on a floating platform of Marble. The same marble that this temple's pillars were made of. The whole scene before me seemed to be something out of those roman and greek books my boss used to give me.
Wha-
With a nudge at my side from the girl sitting beside me, I snapped out of my thoughts and I began to listen to the man in front of me.
"As the princess and prince turn 15. It is only natural that the defenses for them, despite their own grand abilities, begin to increase. As the leader of the king's guard, the Olympians, I have been the one who will be overseeing their protections, and I have decided that the limited scope of the Olympians just isn't enough for them anymore."
The crowd began to erupt with questions. Questions of the power of the Olympians, what this means for the future of the pack, what could he possibly mean by not enough.
These questions immediately stopped, however, when the man behind me raised his hand.
Soon everyone went silent, and with the silence, the handsome man continued.
"With the coronation, and the expedition coming in near years. I have decided to create two more knighthoods in response to looking over them as the Olympians typically do the entire royal family. The Western and Eastern Zodiac.
The crowd seemed to want to go into an outburst again, but with the king's gaze looking down upon them. Daring them to do it again. They didn't dare. All except for one.
"Always one," the girl beside me sighed.
A man, who seemed to be in the first of the 8 major groups, closest to the zodiac, closest to the king. Over his head was a flag that seemed to state what group exactly it was that he belonged to.
Δίας
Jupiter.
Ho- How did I know that?
"Head of House Jupiter, the leaders of Pack Jupiter, you may speak."
A pack? Like a wolf pack? But these people are human. Also there are packs and houses?
The man, who seemed to be the oldest person in the room, nodded, and began to talk.
"If the zodiac are being created, it is only right that someone from the house of Jupiter stand over it, as they do the Olympians."
If memory served me correctly. In my world at least, the Greek equivalent to Jupiter was Zeus. The king and leader of the Olympians. If this world's history is anything like that, then I guess that means that the leader of the Olympians belonging to the "House" of Jupiter, makes sense right? But why would that mean they get to lead the Zodiac? If I remember correctly the leader of the zodiac was Aries, right?
"There it goes" The girl next to me sighed again, as if this was a tired ploy.
"If that's the case then someone from the Venus pack should definitely serve as Taurus. It only makes sense. Preferably someone from our house as the blood of the bull runs through our veins." Spoke who I presumed to be the head of house Venus.
"Following that logic, the leader of the house of Minerva should be the advisor of Zeus. You see how dumb that sounds" The person who seemed to be the head of the…. house Uranus rebutted.
"You're only saying that because your house has no connection to the Olympians." a Mercury house member responded
"No, I'm saying this because it makes no sense for the people who are guarding the heir to the pack or the spare [he said that with a weird tone] to be placed there because of power structures or symbolism from thousands of years ago. Something like that should only be decided by the individual strength of the person who tries for the group. It's only a coincidence that one of the strongest members of our society qualified to be Zeus in the first place."
'Well I for one think a member of the Minerva pack serving as a member of the olympians would be great. That way the lesser packs can finally get some representation like the rest of us." someone from the Venus house spoke.
"Representation? They are a lesser pack, what representation would they need" A member of the neptune house let out.
That just made the argument grow even worse. But soon it subsided, well immediately the moment the king stood up.
I guess I had vastly underestimated the king. I thought that everyone stopped speaking out of respect but it seemed like when he stood up, that respect was more like reverence.
Instead of allowing the man, who I guess was Zeus or at least had the role of Zeus, continue. He began to speak, and with each word I felt my and all the people in front of me, hearts begin to beat.
"I am Chronos, I am Kronos, I am the heavens, and I am the land. I am your alpha, I am your king. I am who stands above all, and my word is law."
Everyone bowed, I almost went to do the same but the girl next to me shot me a look that said don't.
"Amara and Casius' birth were an anomaly for our kingdom. That is true. I understand that that same anomaly calls many of the traditions that we have in question, and I understand that after thousands of years of tradition, that is hard to accept. However, with that in mind, I implore everyone before me, not to call such things in question. But to adapt to the situation before us.
As soon as that imposing aura appeared. It vanished, and with it came the weirdest feeling of warmth. I felt odd. As if I was being accepted for the first time in my life, as if I was bathing in a glow of kindness and understanding. Understanding that told me, it's okay to be afraid, but don't allow that fear to cloud my judgement.
It was from him.
The king looked at everyone standing below him with a smile on his face, and began to speak once more.
"The positions of the Olympians were not chosen out of favor towards houses, nor symbolism. They were chosen based on who I believed were best fit for the titles and powers that went alongside them. Just as they have been chosen based on the person's merit. I delegate that the Olympians Apollo and Artemis do the same for my children.
With those words, two people, a man and a woman, the same woman who had teleported me moments ago began to speak.
"It is with great honor that we accept the task of forming the zodiac. We promise that we will do the utmost to decide who will be the best fit to protect the princess and prince. We ask for no more questions about the subject at this time."
"Well everyone, Apollo and Artemis have spoken. With that in mind, open dialogue ends now. We will henceforth proceed with the ball in honor of the twin's birthday.
-
Watching everyone just go from being so tense to happy and engaging with one another was startling to say the least.
"They are so emotional"
The girl next to me whispered.
"I mean, did you see how the Jupiter pack leader basically tried to force someone from his house onto the zodiac? As if having the highest ranking member of the zodiac wasn't enough."
I just nodded, still taking in the situation before me. If the king was sitting behind me, and a girl, who appeared to be the same age as me, was sitting beside me, does that mean-
"Earth to Casius, you there?" The girl, who my brain randomly recognized as Amara, waved her hand in front of me.
Oh
Oh
…
I'm the prince.
What?
CHAPTER FIN