Act 3 - Chapter 9, Part 1

Chapter 34: Oaraun; Shauran 43rd, 344SR; 04:25

As the berry rolled down Alexander's throat, his mind was immediately flooded by a torrent of experiences, wisdom, and pain. The exhilaration of countless epic battles, people's faces and figures he recognized, and the image of a flaming white spear falling through the sky burning into his soul. 'What, what is happening!' The roots released Alexander, and the woman in silver armor stepped back as he tried to cough the bitter thing out. Alexander tried to lunge at her, but her white mask became blurry for a moment. His knees lost their strength, and Alexander fell onto all fours gagging.

"What- did you do- fiend!" Alexander spat while choking.

Her figure was unclear, but the bright white faceless mask was easy to see despite his failing vision. Alexander tried to reach forward, but he lost his balance, falling on his side and curling up amongst the shriveled roots. A black substance seeped from within his ear, stretching upward, as it leaked out. The liquid spread out back and forth violently, it was alive.

"The complexity of this gift is remarkable... Whether or not it belonged to a harbinger is unclear, but to create life forms of this capability..." Xenia clutched it with a firm grasp and pulled it out of Alexander's ear.

"Ahh! Aaaaaaaaaaaah! Stop! Stop! Get away!" Alexander cried, writhed, struggled, and screamed despite not wanting or choosing to.

"It's bonded to you... Your body has mistaken it for part of yourself..."

Alexander's desperation echoed throughout the caverns. Xenia ripped the black substance from his ear, a minuscule scream escaped from it as she pulled all of it out. His mind calmed. His slipping conscience fell further into a dark well within his mind.

"The fruit of Apollo can break any curse, dispel gifts, heal any wound or sickness, and destroy any parasite or virus. Those cowards will no longer control you," said Xenia.

Those were the last words Alexander Rael heard before he was engulfed in his own history. 'That's right... My name was... Oaraun...'

***

Oaraun listened to the sounds of clashing steel and painful wails. 'A lullaby?' Men screaming for their lives as the ground rumbled. Chortled laughter echoed through the air, full of pride. The harmony of pain, the rhythm of violence, and the melody of sin composed a symphony that spoke to Oaraun's very soul. His first breaths were filled with asphalt and dust, and the robust stench of blood stung his nose. The grey sky was tainted by the black clouds of smoke from the battlefield. There was a single perfect circle cut through the murky clouds, the light from the sun pierced through and shone down on him.

'This... Is the beginning...'

Oaraun turned his head slowly, and his eyes were immediately met with the unfading gaze of a dead man. His black facial hair was stuck to their curving curls slicked in dirt and sweat. A single hazel eye, the other unrecognizable under the blood. Their face was rigid, but their original shape was hard to tell from the bludgeoned jaw buried into the pile of crushed bodies underneath. A stream of tears had come to a standstill, only to continue once more as a droplet of rain crashed into it, trickling the tear down the ridges of their mangled skin once more.

Oaraun rose upwards, hunching over and observing the battlefield as he sat on the pile of corpses. Giants at least fifteen feet tall were clad head to toe in shining gold armor, wielding hammers and clubs possessing similar luster. Their strikes ruptured the ground and rumbled the endless plain of destruction. Blue rags and cloth dressed the corpses around him, and the occasional pattern of gold triangles could be seen in the rags. A massive crash rumbled the ground as Oaraun turned.

A kingdom in the sky floated in the distance to the east, they sat above the valley between two mountains far off to the north and south. The battlefield surrounded the Celestial which sat at the center of the valley, they orbited around the large tower which stretched past the grey clouds. Several floating boulders connected by giant vines acted as a means to reach the islands from the surface. The giants all rushed to the east, and a massive hand that dwarfed even their size knocked them all away. Their massive bodies were flung through the air no different than the corpses of the people around Oaraun.

An ever taller giant rose, too big to even be called a giant. 'One of the three harbingers... The titan Xenia...' Its body was just large enough to reach the island three hundred feet in the air. Its limbs were slim, its skin resembled stone. Its head was overly large, it wielded a shattered broken gold scepter, the end of it possessing a triangle. The majestic creature struggled to stand with one broken leg. It cried out in agony, but with all its strength, it looked to Oaraun, who simply glanced around at the people who still lived around him.

'The... harbinger... That's the original Xenia, the giant sent by the Celestial... How could I have forgotten this day... How could I have-'

"Run!" Xenia commanded her puny followers being slaughtered by giants.

They didn't listen to her, the people ran forward despite knowing they didn't have the power to change anything. A woman near the front of the charge raised a wooden staff. They all carried similar staffs, clad in blue robes. Light glowed at the tips of their staff 'Spirit Arts?' They roared with all their might.

"Fire!" They shouted all at once.

Hundreds of tiny orange fireballs shot forth, striking the giants repeatedly. Wisps of smoke rose into the air as some of the giants turned.

"Huh?" the tickled giants reared their heads.

The people who charged all froze as the giants turned. Many of them tried to run, however, the woman near the front of the charge stood tall.

"Don't you dare hurt Xenia anymore! Fell creature!" she screamed viciously.

The giant simply raised its hammer over his shoulder and then began spinning. The already dwindling number of people with the will to protect the harbinger continued to fall. All until two remained. The woman and one more who tried to get her to follow. Oaraun watched from a distance.

"Run! Weak mages! Hahaha," The giant that spun his weapon shouted with a chuckle in his tone as he flung the hammer.

It spun towards them quickly, it struck the ground in front of the woman and launched dirt and debris in all directions. She was knocked backward, and several pieces of debris struck the side of her face as she turned.

'The battle between the Ammonians and the giants... Started because Xenia needed to plant the sacred trees by the Celestial in order for the Celestial to produce a gift. On top of that she needed to aid her people's survival with those gifts...'

"Now that's an attack! Your puny magic means nothing to our might!" The giant mocked as he approached. "The kingdom of Ethos shall not be desecrated by weaklings!"

The woman in blue turned and ran towards Oaraun with her head held low. She covered her face with one hand, and blood dripped from underneath her palm. She tripped on a corpse, falling onto a single patch of dying grass. However, the remaining green strands stood out. The woman coughed as the giant approached. She looked upwards and was the first to notice Oaraun.

The woman froze, she sat completely still as she looked up in terror at the figure standing in front of her. Half of her face was covered in blood, it oozed down her head as she looked up at Oaraun. Oaraun walked down the corpses, his silver armor forged from tin covered his body and made his form seem even larger. The woman shielded her head as she readied herself for death, however, Oaraun walked right past her. The giant started to charge forward as it laughed, it stomped heavily as it approached.

"Insects! All of you! Haha- ah?" the giant noticed Oaraun in his path.

Oaraun focused his spirit into his hand and crouched down. The foot soared towards him without any sign of stopping. He breathed in, clenched his fist, and waited. Before the foot landed he thrust his fist upwards with all his strength.

"Spirit Ignition..." Oaraun chanted.

The giant's leg was crushed and twisted. Oaraun stepped forward and threw his fist forward, launching the giant into the air.

"Ah!" The giant's cry faded as he flew high up into the sky.

The assault on the harbinger stopped, and all of the giants turned around as they heard a cry of their own. However, they only saw Oaraun standing with his silver armored fist raised into the air. They turned their heads to one another as they looked at the man with a skull helmet, but were suddenly caught off guard as a giant fell from the sky, crashing into the ground. As the dust cleared, they all looked down at the broken leg.

"What... What happened?" one of the giants asked.

Oaraun opened his palm and a green greatsword with a silver handle formed in his hand, he swung it around, checking how easy the weight was to handle. The giants looked at each other again. Oaraun took a stance and charged forward. The descendants of Xenia watched with silent longing as Oaraun held the greatsword with one hand.

"What! What is that thing-"

"Jealous..." Oaraun shouted as his blade was lit up with a dazzling green fire. "Flame!" Oaraun swung the sword.

A wave of green flames shot above the Ammonian forces, directly targeting the taller giants. They immediately started screaming as they were burned by the intense fire.

"He's just another mage! Crush him into the dirt!" the scrambling giants shouted.

A giant raised its club in the air. Oaraun stopped and twirled his greatsword in hand. He breathed in as he focused his spirit. The giant in gold armor swung the club down, and Oaraun swung his sword up. Cleanly slicing through the wooden club. The giant gasped as Oaraun jumped forward and cleaved its arms right off. He stepped off his stomach and jumped at another giant. It tried to block, but Oaraun's great sword slashed through any defense.

"Gah!", "What is he?!", Alert the King!", "Where did he come from!?", "Aah!" the giants panicked as Oaraun cleaved through their ranks one by one.

Oaraun landed in front of the behemoth named Xenia, then turned and swung the blood off of his sword. The giants stepped back with wide eyes as Oaraun walked towards the giant on the ground.

"Stop!" a puny voice echoed out of the silence from behind.

Oaraun turned to see the woman from earlier who refused to run. She ran forward with one eye open and slammed a rock into his armor.

"If you hurt Xenia! I'll kill you!" she shouted with half her face covered in blood, the other half visibly shivering in fear.

She noticed how little she did to Oaraun, but still raised the rock with a pathetically weak expression. Oaraun looked at her for a moment before he turned back to the giants.

"I am Oaraun! The divine being of this world, the divine being of Grelt!" he declared with his sword raised high. "I will lead this world down the righteous path! This harbinger and her people, are now under my protection!"

The woman's expression changed immediately, and her right eye became glossy.

"Our- Lord will never be threatened by some peon of the tiny weaklings! All- All forces! Get-"

The giant immediately stopped talking the moment Oaraun raised his blade in the air. He focused his spirit throughout his spine. The wind started to circulate around him, pressure rumbled the battlefield, and the ground cracked around where Oaraun stood.

"So you still believe you have a chance... Spirit Bloom!" Oaraun chanted.

***

Oaraun watched each memory as they flew back to his mind, every significant moment of his life.

'That day, that battle... Vagril, 30SR... That was how I was born... In the fresh corpses of the Ammonians that descended from Xenia. The harbinger Xenia herself, compared to the other titans, was born weak. They had constantly been at odds with the other harbingers and the giants of Grelt. Had I not arrived they would have died...'

Oaraun sat on the steps outside of the keep, he was gazing into space. Logos was a large castle, acting as a fort where the druid people and even the harbinger Xenia could live safely under Oaraun's protection. Children played on the grass outside the keep, laughing as they ran after each other or away. The occasional silly dance would be performed as a means of mocking the one who chased the others.

"Oaraun..."

'The battle resulted in the giants fleeing their kingdom in the sky out of fear... The descendants of Xenia had lived their lives struggling... They have potential with Spirit Arts but lack the master. Even worse, their physical ability is pathetic, however, their power seems more based on nature's remedies and curses-'

"Oaraun!"

The castle was established upon the battlefield Oaraun arrived on three years prior. The green stone town just south of the Celestial was situated in the center of a large clearing in a valley between two mountain ranges to the north and south.

'To the east are those strange serpents capable of flying, they were the early ancestors of the Celestial beast Ziola... And to the west are those storm-calling apes which Goku descended from... The harbinger Zadia seems to have the most physically adept descendants, while the descendants of Yuria advance their technology rapidly with their gifts...'

Oaraun's train of thought was broken as he felt someone smack his head. 'Her... She was the one who charged head-first into the giants... That's right... '

"What is it now, Octavia..." Oaraun dismissively addressed her.

The woman had icy blonde hair slicked back and tied into a ponytail. She wore an eyepatch over her left eye, her other eye was a light brown which glowed in the light. She was dressed in a brown shirt and black pants but wore her blue robe over top. Octavia wasn't very strong, but she was beautiful despite not caring for her looks, she had a fierce will and a short temper.

"That tone is a little annoying..." Octavia glared at him. "You daze off too much... Xenia wants to begin planting the Rowan seeds,"

"I see... Don't be afraid to give me an order, you will be the first to inherit Xenia's gift... Better get used to it now or I'll just ignore you while I daze off forever."

"That's what I tried to do!?" Octavia snapped. She sighed as she shook her head. "The giants haven't attacked for some time..." Octavia mentioned.

"They tried several times but haven't shown up for years. They occasionally try something new but I always ruin it. Their persistence is admirable after being met with nothing but defeat for the last few years. I suspect they'll resort to trying to take the coastal regions to the north now..." Oaraun pondered.

"To target the descendants of Yuria?" Octavia immediately jumped to the conclusion.

"No, I don't think their objective is more conflict... Their forces have been dwindling for some time, I think they may be sending spies into their kingdom for resources..."

"What should we do about it?" Octavia asked.

"Let them. Their people need-"

"Why would we let them?" Octavia cut him off with a concerned look on her face.

Oaraun stared at her for a moment with a raised eyebrow.

"You want vengeance?" Oaraun asked.

"Well... Before you showed up... I-" Octavia stuttered. "My mother and father were one of the first peoples who arrived with Xenia thirty-three years ago... They didn't make it... I was just a little girl when they sacrificed themselves to let Xenia and the others get away from the giants. They were some of the only descendants who possessed gifts... The moment Xenia was summoned by the Celestial and planted the first druid's tree, the giants have been hunting us."

"Since the first druid's tree..." Oaraun looked up.

Behind him, on the other side of the castle was a black spike of burnt bark sticking out of the ground.

"It was burned down..." Oaraun whispered.

"Those giants will never let us live... They are disgusting monsters who hunted us for sport! And the descendants of Zadia are ruthless animals-" Octavia raised her tone.

"Stop," Oaraun cut her off.

"What? You wouldn't understand-"

"I will face the hatred between the races and handle the consequences of it so you won't have to anymore. If I am to lead this world and the descendants of Xenia to a virtuous future, I can't have someone like you who's ready to wage war because you can't let something go."

"Wha- Of course, I can't let that go! My parents were-"

"And how many more of your own will die for your grudge," Oaraun raised his voice.

Octavia looked down. "Why don't we at least use their tools and houses? It's kind of just... there..."

"All people desire an easy life... But we really have enough, make the best of what you have. If we take their kingdom for ourselves, we will be at each other's necks forever," Oaraun promised.

'In that very same year...'

***

A small army of giants stood to the west. Their positions from that day three years ago had been reversed. They wore minimal gold armor, only helmets, and gauntlets. However one stood out, he wore a gold crown and black robes clad his body. 'The lord of the giants, Pontiff Rael Gerrenwalt...' The crowned giant raised his sword to the sky.

"Where is the berserker Oaraun!" the crowned giant shouted. "Where is your lord!"

Oaraun stood on the battlement, civilians held their staffs ready as they peaked through the gaps in the wall. 'I didn't ask them to be here... Or ask them to hide... Ugh...'

"They are low in numbers... I doubt there are even fifty of them over there... Do you think this is a distraction?" Octavia squinted as she leaned over the wall.

"All of you stay here..." Oaraun stepped onto the wall and jumped off.

Oaraun landed on his knee with great force, then stood up as if he felt nothing. Without drawing his blade or wearing his armor he walked toward the group of giants.

"Today is the day! We take back our kingdom!" the crowned giant declared. "I, Rael Gerrenwalt! Shall vanquish the divine berserker here and now!"

The army began to charge, and Oaraun simply stood. "Is that what this is about?"

"Hey! Oaraun what are you doing!" Octavia shouted.

"This is the great warrior you all speak of!" Rael shouted as he led the charge.

As the giant lord approached he jumped forward and swung his massive blade at him. Oaraun saw the blade approach and raised his hand. Catching the blade with the tips of his fingers. A strong gust of wind rustled the nearby trees.

"What?! Impossible!" Rael uttered in shock.

Rael's feet hit the floor and shook the ground, the rumbling march of the giants came to a stop as they saw what had happened.

"Your kingdom is empty and always has been, we have no interest in it," Oaraun stated.

"What..." The crowned giant looked at the island in the sky and then back at Oaraun.

"Why did you run?" Oaraun asked.

The giant stepped back.

"I- I don't believe this for a single second! First, that tower appeared! Then with it followed that- titan capable of destroying our kingdom!"

"So you did run out of fear," said Oaraun.

"Fear?! Me!" Rael became furious. "Those other Titans are just as fickle as you! Zadia and Yuria have power beyond anything we can fight! You're all the same!" He raised his sword.

"What a stupid reason to be fighting... You've lost enough," Oaraun jumped back and dodged. "I've watched the number of giants dwindle, your militia isn't even clad in full armor..." Oaraun scoffed.

The giants looked at one another.

"My lord-"

"Silence!" Rael shouted. "This was our world! We dictated the future of Eden! We did it! Crushed the mountains into dust until we forged the gold from within! That golden kingdom is the fruit of our work! I refuse to accept some simple lie!"

"Then go look..." Oaraun turned around and walked back to Logos.

"What!? Where are you going?!" Rael shouted.

"The kingdom is yours, it always was. We don't want it, or need it," Oaraun spoke with his back turned.

"Stop... Stop!" Rael demanded.

He took his crown off and threw it into the ground, embedding it sideways into the dirt. He took his helmet off revealing a square face with round features and multiple scars.

"What now?" Oaraun turned.

"Fight me!" Rael readied his sword.

"Huh?" Oaraun raised an eyebrow.

"My lord he's-"

"The rest of you stand down or take refuge in the kingdom! This is no longer a fight between our people!" Rael shouted with rage written all over his face. "This is a battle between lords!"

Oaraun squinted.

'I remember this duel... It was barely a fight... However, he continued to get up to try and win... I didn't use my weapons or armor...'

***

The rain poured down from above. Rael got up once more, breathing heavily. The giants had tried to stop him several times but he continued fighting. Oaraun stood in front of Logos. Octavia continued to watch in confusion as the lord of giants she feared so much continued to be defeated in combat over and over again.

"Why do you not draw your blade..." Rael huffed as he stood back up and wobbled from side to side.

Rael's steps rumbled to the ground as he struggled to stand upright. His armor was battered and broken, littered all over the place. The rain filled the divots made from where Rael had fallen,

"I don't need it..." Oaraun stated.

The giant huffed in and out, "Is that so..."

Rael pointed his sword toward himself.

"What are you doing," Oaraun took a step forward as he asked.

"I am no lord..." the giant's voice started to crack.

Rael held his head low. The rain poured off of the strands of his messy and long hair. His hand shook the blade as he held it towards his chest.

"My lord!" the giants panicked.

"Idiot!" Oaraun focused his spirit and lunged forward.

The blade pierced the giant's chest, but Oaraun grasped it with both hands to stop him from stabbing himself further. The blade cut into his palms, his blood dripped down the blade.

"Rah!" Oaraun roared as he pulled the blade from his chest.

Oaraun bent the blade with his bare hands and pried it from Rael's hands, tossing away the massive sword easily. It stabbed into the ground but fell over.

"What do you think you're doing!" Oaraun felt a sudden anger swell up inside him.

"Let me atone for my sins... Divine berserker..." Rael spoke.

"Dying won't atone for anything you fool! Your people look to you for leadership!"

"I made them attack out of fear... You were right... I didn't want to admit it... The Giants were the ruling race on Grelt... Until those things showed up..." Rael looked at the Celestial.

Oaraun turned to it, and the pillar stretching into the sky looked to have destroyed a part of the island in the sky.

"I loathed it... And everything that came from it... I couldn't even destroy it myself... And then you showed up. Out of fear I took my people and fled... Only to realize now... I was just a coward and fool..." Rael explained.

"You are quite foolish for that... But you won't fix anything if you're dead..." Oaraun replied.

"How can I face my people... They were slaughtered for the three years we ran... It was probably the same for the thirty that Titan and her people spent running... All because of me... What kind of lord am I..."

Oaraun jumped off the chest of the giant.

"The Celestial... It's the end of our age... Since its arrival, our power has slowly faded away... I suppose we were meant to as well..."

"Then starting right now, at this very instant. We change that," Oaraun recommended. "Join us, we will establish a kingdom between Ammonians and giants. One that can see the similarities between us despite our differences, and come to a conclusion that doesn't result in suffering," Oaraun offered his hand.

The pontiff Rael Gerrenwalt was speechless.

"A kingdom... Together? But our people have slaughtered yours..."

"Even so... It's the only way forward for us both..."

"For... Both..." Rael looked down.

The lord of giants rolled onto his front and pushed himself up. He walked over to his bent sword and picked it up. Then started walking towards the west. Rael stopped and raised the blade before he stabbed it into the ground. Only the handle was sticking out above the ground. He then bowed on one knee.

"This blade will remain here, as a symbol of your will! So long as I breathe, I will defend your people with my life!" Rael lowered his head. "My will is your command, divine lord!"

"It's... Oaraun..."

***

'The union of the giants and the Ammonians resulted in our kingdom becoming the strongest and largest on the planet. While it took time, our advancements in technology and knowledge of Spirit Arts gave us strength significantly greater than the other harbingers... Zadia and Yuria went to war within the final years of their life... The descendants of Zadia turned to us for support, resulting in the establishment of the Kingdom of Pathos in the West. We had become the strongest nation on the continent known as Eden. Twenty-seven years after the establishment of the druid alliance, the harbinger's health began to decline without any reason as to why.'

Oaraun stood on the upper level of the citadel's throne room. Down below was the throne with a green carpet leading to the stairs. Across from the throne was a giant throne built into the citadel itself, Xenia sat in that seat above the entrance. The titan Xenia looked no different, its skinny limbs sprouted roots in various spots along its arms. A damaged leg surrounded with a gold ring. The titan had a smile on its face.

'The trees Xenia planted around the area all received gifts from the Celestial..'

Rael Gerrenwalt, the pontiff of Ethos sat on a large seat, he sat between two standing giants. One of them was named Gungnir Von Aegis, and Evangeline Von Friede, the two viceroys of Lord Gerrenwalt. The three giants, just like all others possessed green eyes.

'Gungnir and Evangeline... They look... Different compared to what they look like now...'

Gungnir was a giant with a full head of black hair, a large nose, and a rigid face. He wore a full suit of armor with his helmet taken off as he listened closely to the meeting. The breastplate of the armor was large and round, he took up a lot of space. Evangeline had black hair slicked back, and a skinny face with small lips, and hollow cheeks. She wore a white dress with a large skirt, but golden jewelry was fashioned across her body.

"Thank you Oaraun, if you hadn't arrived that day... None of what we have would have been possible... Rael, Gungnir, Evangeline, you've done enough to atone, I thank you for being a part of my life. But if you'd allow me to be selfish just this once," said Xenia. "I will give my gift, the strength of Apollo to Octavia... You will take on my name... I ask that you lend her your unwavering aid, just like you all did for me."

Rael bowed. "We will! The druids will lead this world to the future you envisioned!"

Octavia stood in front of Oaraun, her shoulders looked tense. Mucus fell from her nose as she tried as hard as she could to hold her tears in.

"Octavia, your parents would be proud of who you've become," Xenia spoke. "My name and spirit will live on... With... You..."

Xenia closed her eyes, and Oaraun watched a light rise from the corpse of the harbinger. It floated towards Octavia and took the form of a white mask with no visible features on it. 'A faceless mask... The gift of a harbinger...' Octavia put the mask on, and it immediately wrapped around her head completely. She stepped back, her body pulsated for a moment.

"Ah-" Octavia dropped to her knees as she breathed in and out heavily.

"With the gift of a harbinger, you will no longer age," Oaraun reminded her.

"That's still going to take some getting used to... And so is this..." Octavia looked at her hand and noticed the same thing which happened to the titan.

She focused on her palm and caused roots to sprout from her skin.

"Is it painful, my queen?" Evangeline gently caressed her back as she stared at the branch sprouting from her palm.

"Queen? N-no..." She focused harder, and a berry sprouted at the end of the branch.

"Then, what'll be your order, Queen Xenia," Gungnir asked.

"Uh..." Octavia glanced at Oaraun for a moment before looking back at the giants.

"What are you looking at me for..." Oaraun shook his head.

***

'I had begun to lose my purpose... I enjoyed the battle and the thrill of combat. But with no one willing to fight I had grown bored. Our alliance had expanded into something incredible, I could barely fathom it. However, with the progression of the druids and the giants, my usefulness dwindled. The druids had mastered Spirit Arts, and even the children could easily use it now. Their mastery of magic has increased exponentially... The harbinger's golden scepter was smelted down, and reforged by the giants into thirteen scepters. The giants while unable to use Celestial gifts, discovered an ore left behind on several notable battlefields. The gemstone spawned from my own blood and quickly received the name logorite. With it, and Spirit Arts, the giants themselves became even more powerful. They no longer needed me...'

Oaraun had arrived at Ethos around the time the sun was going down. He sat on the edge of the floating island and looked down at the land around the Celestial from up above. He raised a glass full of ale to his mouth and drank. The frothy bubbles on the surface danced on his tongue as a piney flavor coated his mouth.

"Haha..." Rael chuckled as he placed a large barrel down. "That is true... We really have come a long way... Maybe we don't need you around after all..." Rael raised the barrel and continued to chug the ale.

"That's a blunt way to put it," Oaraun raised the glass once more.

"I'm sure I can speak for others when I say this, but you are always welcome to any part of this land. Without you, we wouldn't be here, in fact, there are talks of having a festival to commemorate what you've done. A festival of life."

"Never mind, I should get out of here as fast as I can... A festival for me..." Oaraun immediately cringed at the thought.

"Haha! Ahaha," Rael chuckled, his voice was much slower and he dragged his words.

"Father?"

Oaraun and Rael turned. A woman with long blonde hair approached, she wore green robes. She had green eyes and blonde hair, she stood slightly behind Rael as she glanced at Oaraun. She wore a green cloak and carried a lamp with her lit with a green flame.

'Lavera Gerrenwalt... Rael's daughter... She was a giant born with a strange defect none of us could explain. Sometime after Xenia's death, the giants lost their size. The newer generation resembled a person just like the descendants of the three titans, standing at five to seven feet... A minuscule size for someone labeled as a giant... Even stranger was the ability of these newborn giants to receive gifts...'

Oaraun looked at the Celestial. It loomed over them, ever-present and mysterious in nature.

"My adorable little Lavi," Rael set his drink down and gently stroked her hair. "Did the children cause you trouble today..."

"Lavi? You've drank too much... I'm not a little anymore, I'm twenty-five..." Lavera pouted before she glanced at Oaraun. "H-Hello..." she timidly greeted Oaraun while glancing between him and the ground.

Oaraun looked back to his glass and took another sip of the fine ale.

'At that time, I never thought she would be so important to me...'

"Allen is sick again... I think it was the fruit from the mountains of Welis, it really doesn't agree with his stomach..." said Lavera.

"Hm... I did mention to the maid to try something different... Allen should be fine, he has the blood of giants running through him after all!" Rael took another gulp.

"You should consider meeting with Xenia, her gift should be able to aid him," Oaraun recommended.

"Huh? The Queen... I can't use her gift for-"

"It's no problem, I can take you there tomorrow..." Oaraun offered.

"Really?! I want to help him as soon as possible!"

Rael looked at Logos for a moment. He pushed himself up and lifted the barrel as he did.

"Yeah, you should go Lavera, it'll be a good experience for you... I will be heading to bed, you've outdrank me again Oaraun! I don't know how you do it, hahaha-" Rael's laugh was cut off by him chugging down more alcohol, he sighed a breath of relief as he continued to laugh.

Lavera watched her father walk away but glanced over her shoulder at Oaraun.

"Go get some rest princess, I'll be here tomorrow morning,"

Oaraun gulped down the rest of his drink and set the cup to the side. Lavera shivered slightly as she hurried after her father.

"Uh, Mr. Oaraun- sir... Thank you- for this," Lavera bowed her head.

"No need to be so formal, just Oaraun is fine..."

Lavera smiled brightly, waving goodbye and smiling before running off.

***

Xenia opened her palm, and from underneath the silver bracelet on her arm, a branch stretched out. A black-colored berry sprouted from the end of it. The brown-haired boy was too focused on Xenia's mask and barely knew why he was there. The boy's fingers and limbs were large for his size, however, his head was quite big.

"Say aah," Xenia held the berry in front of the boy.

The boy with big eyes and a large head looked at Xenia with a puzzled look.

"Where is your face?" Allen asked.

"Er..." Xenia stuttered at a loss for words.

"Say ah," Lavera squatted down to his level and did the same.

"Aaaa..." Allen opened his mouth as wide as he could.

Xenia placed the fruit in his mouth and he started to chew.

"Hm... That tastes strange... Can I have another?" Allen held his palm out.

"Allen, only one. Don't be rude," Lavera scolded the boy.

"But I need more to figure out if I like it..."

"One means one!"

"But, why-" Allen argued but suddenly stopped as he coughed up a black gunk all of a sudden, it was the same berry.

Xenia leaned forward and wiped the black fluid from his chin, staining her white glove. Xenia stood up and took the glove off. She glanced at Oaraun for a moment before walking out of the room. Lavera had a concerned look, Oaraun followed the queen. They stood in the hallway outside the small room Allen waited within.

"This isn't a common sickness... Our bodies naturally knew how to perform certain processes, like digesting food, or something as simple as breathing..." said Xenia. "However his body is completely unaware of what to do... "

"Then? What could it be?" Oaraun asked.

"I need to see the other children, soon..." Xenia said with a serious tone.

Lavera bit her nails anxiously. "Is there anything that we can do?" she sounded like she was on the verge of crying.

"I'm afraid... Even with my gift, I am powerless... I am unsure of who could possibly fix this..."

Lavera fell to her knees with a look of despair on her face. Oaraun saw her expression and felt anger at his powerlessness.

'Whether this was fate, or the Celestial always wanted the giants to die... The news for the rest of the children was no better... They weren't going to live long. It broke Lavera to her core...'

***

'It had been a week since then... I don't know what came over me...'

Oaraun dashed across the field of bright green grass in front of the orphanage. Running past a giant child and tapping him on the back before he turned and dashed for the next. The child laughed as the next one being pursued screamed in terror while Oaraun chased him.

"Aah!" A child cheered as he tried to zig-zag to get away from Oaraun.

The field of grass at the edge of Ethos sat between the castle and an orphanage near the cliff side. A path from the orphanage led to the castle. The baby blue sky and the slight breeze felt amazing together with the warmth of the sun. Allen ran as fast as he could, however, it was meaningless in a game of tag against Oaraun. He caught up to the next child who could barely match his speed or power, then lifted him onto his shoulders.

"Aha!" Allen laughed excitedly as his heart jumped out of his chest.

Oaraun turned with a grin on his face as he looked for the next one to chase. But he was met eye to eye with Lavera. She wore a white dress and had a basket in her hand. Her eyes were wide and blinking rapidly as if she had just walked in on something she wasn't supposed to.

"Mhm!" Oaraun cleared his throat as he set Allen down. "Greetings... I..." Oaraun looked left and right, unsure of how to explain himself.

The laughter of the children only grew as they saw his embarrassed face.

"Pfft- Hahah! Aahahah!" Lavera burst into laughter, her cheeks glowed a bright red as a tear fell from her eye.

"Stop, stop laughing!" Oaraun shouted.

***

The same grass now reflected a dark orange from the setting sun. The children had gone inside, and Lavera and Oaraun sat at the front of the orphanage.

"Thank you, I haven't been able to look any of them in the eye for the last few days..." Lavera admitted.

"Don't ever talk about what you saw here today..." Oaraun requested with a serious tone.

"But you made them so happy-"

"Don't, please."

"Okay, okay..."

The two sat silently. They watched the deep orange gradient of the sky fade to a dark blue.

"Oarrrrrrrrrr!" Lavera suddenly made a strange noise.

Oaraun squinted.

"Raun!" Lavera chanted with an odd seriousness, smiling after she did.

"What are you doing?" Oaraun asked with a bewildered tone.

"Oarrrrrrrrraun!" Lavera said his name with a similar tone.

"I don't get the point of this..."

"I think the name Oaraun is nice, it feels... Strong, you know? Like Oarrrrraun! It's got a lot of... Weight? I think that's the word..."

"You're strange..."

"That's mean..."

"I've been wondering for a while... Why is the princess of the giants looking after orphans?" Oaraun asked.

"Well... I'm not very much of a giant myself... I was the second generation of children to start decreasing in size, there were only a select few giants at that time though. This generation is much more abundant... " Lavera explained. "This orphanage was constructed to separate the larger giant children from the smaller ones, it's dangerous to have them play recklessly. I just want to be there for them... They are just like me, I can't abandon them, it'd be like abandoning myself..."

"Hmm..."

"Well, it's nothing compared to you," Lavera shifted focus.

"Huh?"

"Father told me all about your generosity, you've given your life to protect the druids."

"I only did what I believed was right," said Oaraun.

"Well, Father tells me that all of this is the result of that..."

"I am merely a warrior... The druids are strong now, I am no longer needed."

Lavera tilted her head.

"Well we may not need you, but we do want you around you know?" Lavera mentioned.

"What?" Oaraun replied with a puzzled tone.

"It's true... Most of the town folk only ever say positive things, and the kids inside adore you, they look up to you. It means a lot that you came by just to make them happy, knowing that they don't have much time left... Just... Breaks my heart..." Lavera's voice started to crack.

She exhaled sharply as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Why..." Lavera croaked. "Why do they have to be cursed with such misfortune..."

Oaraun placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, she leaned into his arm and started to sob.