The Cycle of Hatred

The troops and commanders stationed at the Kogan border awaited the morning message, and their eagerness was rewarded. The messengers arrived, bringing official order of invasion with them, authorized by The Queen herself. The wall of man and iron set out, 1 million strong, invading Syvian+Kogan footholds in the country. Most of the fighting was done out in the open fields of the lush Kogan terrain. Towns were also bombarded, and no mercy was shown to Kogan civilians. In the course of the 1st day of invasion, nearly 300,000 people died. A reinforcing army of 2 million was ordered to move in before the end of the day in Vevoskovia. Upon being dismissed from the 4th floor meeting room, Axel closed the door, with Leigh still inside. As he was walking away, he thought he could hear Leigh crying behind the door. He remembered the portrait of Ishta and the others hanging on the wall in the 1st floor hallway.

The following morning, Roy and Nadena were awoken from their sleep early by Yahto. Yahto's long blonde hair was always messy and frizzy in the morning, making him look quite ridiculous. A perfect match for his personality.

Roy: Glad I'm not the only one who's given up on haircuts.

Yahto: Yeah and at least I'm not a soulless redhead. Anyway, Luxaura wants you both. Go ahead and meet him in the throne room.

Roy and Yahto walked out to the throne room, the morning sun shining brightly through the large, circular skylight carved out of the mountain's hollow wall.

Luxaura: Good morning, you two.

Nadena: Morning...

Luxaura: Hmmm....still sleepy, Nadena?

Nadena: Crap, am I that obvious?

Luxaura: Haha! No worries.

Roy: You said you were going to bestow upon us, some sort of power? How exactly are we going to do that.

Luxaura: Yeah, I did. Unlike immortality, you cannot be given this kind of power with just a mere sacrifice. It has to be learned, your minds and bodies dedicated to it. Agzabah herself called this the Marluxian Arts.

Roy remembered the meeting with Ishta, in which the Marluxian Arts was militarized. He chose to stay silent on the matter for now, as there was still no proof it could really be put to use for warfare.

Luxaura: I'm going to teach you both how to use that power. But first, take this

Nadena: A book? Will we be studying this

Luxaura: Yep! It's got nearly everything you will need to know. Spend the day reading this and taking notes. Tomorrow, I'll join you in meditation.

Nadena: Alright, we can handle that! Right Roy?

Roy: Right!

Roy and Nadena began reading the manuals written by Luxaura himself. The two were eager to be able to develop these divine powers. For the next week, they meditated and began putting their skills to the test. Roy and Nadena met with Luxaura and Fate right outside of the mountain hideout.

Luxaura: Alright, enough time has passed. We should start getting your powers in order. Today, we will be working with Natural Arts. Pulling energy from the Earth itself, since it's the easiest to do. Under normal circumstances, using Natural Arts would strain one's lungs, and breathing exercises would be paramount to being able to use it in combat. But, you're both immortal now, the Seal of Nibiru ensures that any Marluxian Art you use will not effect any of your organs. And for now, we'll just focus on this one thing.

Luxaura sat down, clasped his hands, and encased himself in a dome of rock and soil, to the amazement of Roy and Nadena. The dome was reverted back into the Earth, and Luxaura then raised a wall of rock behind him, about 20 feet tall.

Luxaura: See that? Simple use of the Earth element, properly called the Natural Arts. Today you will first be attempting to replicate this wall. Then, we'll move on to domes, as that has more to do with be able to mold objects into complex shapes. Fate here will also be guiding you.

Nadena: ALRIGHT! Let's do this Roy!

For the rest of the day, Roy and Nadena sat outside, attempting to master the Natural Arts. By sunset, Roy was able to erect a 50 foot wall of rock, and Nadena nearly 32 feet. They both exceeded Luxaura's expectations greatly, especially Roy.

Fate: They've both already done it. And the red haired one was able to make something that big.

Luxaura: Looks like they've studied and meditated hard. Let's up their training for the next few days.

Fate: As you wish, Luxaura.

Roy and Nadena went to bed that night, extremely proud and ecstatic of their accomplishments of the day

Nadena: Did you see that wall I built?!?! I was like, Ooooooommmmmmmm! And it was like KAPPOOOSSSSHHHH!

Roy: Okay, Nadena, that's enough. Let's go to bed now alright?

Nadena: No, you're going to listen to my masturbatory gloating until you cry tears of joy!

Roy: Language, Nadena!

Nadena: Ah come on, it's relevant!

Roy: Ugh. Either way, I am proud of you. Let's see what tomorrow has in store for us!

Nadena: Alright, Roy. Nighty night cutie!

Roy: Cutie? Haha! Goodnight Nadena.

Nadena: .......Roy.

Roy: Yep?

Nadena: You smell like rotten ass.

Roy sighed and got up to wash himself outside. This was actually an opportunity for him to master the water-based powers of Neptune. When the Neptune symbol finally appeared on his hands, he had to work on giving it form. The task proved difficult, until Inadora stumbled upon him outside

Inadora: What are you doing out so late?

Roy: Nadena said I smelled like rotten ass, so I'm trying to wash myself.

Inadora: Well, you're already doing it wrong.

Roy: Damn it. How do I do this then?

Inadora: You're shaping the flow of water too late after it leaves your palm. You have to shape it as it comes out. Loosening and tightening the grip of your palm should do that. If you want an open flow of water, leave your palm wide open. If you want a tight, whip-like flow of water, tighten your palm.

Roy: Like this?

Roy immediately grasped Inadora's advice, and was able to make a flow of water that placated his needs.

Inadora: Wow! You're a pretty fast learner!

Roy: Ha, well, that's always been a trait for me.

Inadora: I'm really glad to have you and Nadena here. You've both been wonderful so far. But being a Phoenix Demon, and wearing that cloak, it can all be a dark job sometimes.

Roy: I know. But I've made up my mind about this. My people and nation were already wiped out. Then, I had to fight in a war myself. Then I lost one of my closest friends. Then Luxaura came to me, and I learned the 5th cataclysm is already on its way. The 6th will be the one that exterminates humanity altogether.

Inadora: I'm so sorry. Which nation did you come from?

Roy: Omni, comprised of the Omni Clans of the desert. I'm from the Diadara clan actually

Inadora: Oh my god....

Roy: What?

Luxaura stepped outside to greet the two

Luxaura: The Omni clans, huh? Man, if I had known that, I would've told you sooner.

Roy: Told me what?

Luxaura: The Order of the Phoenix Demons and the Omni Clans share a bit of history. The 3rd Rosidana, that beautiful woman Phaedra....

Roy: Wait, you knew Phaedra?

Luxaura: She was a Phoenix Demon at one point. She disappeared with us for roughly 5 years.

Roy remembered when 2nd Rosidana Omoi was ravaged with illness, his daughter, Phaedra was to take the title of 3rd Rosidana. But after her Omoi died, and before she stepped up to the title, she disappeared for 5 years, leaving the Omni Clans without a Rosidana to lead them. The representatives of each clan clamored over who would lead the nation in her stead.

Roy: She was with you? How did...is she still with you?!

Luxaura: No. She left the Phoenix Demons. She wanted to go back to her country, and lead her nation righteously. She wanted so badly to build a nation that didn't destroy itself with civil war. One that could interact with other nations in ways besides warfare. She really believed she could build a peaceful Utopia. And you know what? She actually did. But later down the line, Syvia invaded.

Roy: How did Syvia manage to break through Omni defenses and get to the capital so fast?

Luxaura: During Phaedra's service as 3rd Rosidana, one of the predicaments she had to solve was the spreading illnesses from contaminated water in their new settlements. It's the same water Nexi Diadara used to end the Diadara Civil War that nearly broke the Omni Nation apart. She didn't actually have a cure for it. So, she abused the secrets of the Marluxian Arts to help her people.

Roy: What?! What did she do?

Luxaura showed Roy the Seal of Nibiru on his chest

Luxaura: She granted ever member of the OSG and the families of sick civilians with this seal. She also used the Art of Neptune to provide the Omni nations with fresh water. People hailed her as a goddess in the flesh. Then, the Loazi States were forcibly merged, and Syvia was founded. Syvia sought expansion, and the Omni nations were a perfect target. The Diadara clan was the Omni nations main military asset, and they provided excellent defense for the country. I don't know how, but the Syvian army that invaded was mass-teleported outside of the capital.

Roy began to feel an old wound rip open, as the truth of the demise of his people became clear to him.

Luxaura: That's when the capital went on full lockdown. The OSG kept people locked in the capital. Clan Representatives who thought about surrendering, and sharing the secrets of the Seal of Nibiru were killed, ordered by Phaedra herself. All documents of related to the Marluxian Arts were destroyed. But time was running out. Even if the documents were destroyed, the proof of its existence would be found with the seals on the bodies of everyone who wore it. Only a few people were allowed to escape that capital, in hopes of carrying out their clan's future elsewhere. I'm guessing you were one of those people. Shortly after, the capital was assaulted, and Phaedra and the rest of the Clan Representatives were captured. Many of the people were slaughtered, but some were being ready to be put into slave labor, many of the young women were sold into sex trafficking. Upon learning this, The Order of the Phoenix Demons decided to take action.

Roy: Good god, what did you guys do?

Luxaura: I eliminated them.

Luxaura was encased in the silver energy of Astaroth, which unsheathed a sword made of lead, with the symbol of Saturn embedded on the blade.

Luxaura: I told you before that Astaroth was one of the Heralds of the End, one of the demons responsible for one of the 6th Cataclysms. He was responsible for the 1st. It was this sword that did it. This sword is said to have the power to kill all forms of life on this entire planet. It was used to wipe out the Golden Empire thousands of years ago. It was sealed in the Underworld after that. When Fate joined the Order of the Phoenix Demons, his interdimensional abilities allowed us to travel to the Underworld. That's how I ended up capturing Astaroth, and embedding its soul with mine. I wielded its soul for many years before the Syvian invasion of Omni. So, when the time came, and Phaedra was reportedly captured, and presumably killed, I couldn't allow the secrets of the Marluxian Arts to fall into Syvian hands. Not with that kind of blood-soaked ambition I couldn't. I used Astaroth, and the Sword of Saturn, to kill all of the enslaved Omni clan survivors, and all of the occupying Syvian troops.

Roy: You wiped out my people....

Inadora: Roy, the Omni clans were already massacred by Syvia. He killed off everyone in the nation after it had been occupied by Syvian troops! He didn't want your people to live in slavery! And imagine if Syvia had gotten their hands on immortality! They would've been able to repeat tragedies like that!

Luxaura: If you hate me, I completely understand.

Roy's face was flushed with tears. His initial reaction was anger towards Luxaura. But he understood why he made that decision. The Marluxian Arts wasn't even something he wanted Vevoskovia to have. He couldn't imagine the amount of destruction that could be caused with Syvia having it, at the height of their expansionism.

Roy: It hurts so much. But I understand. You didn't know I hailed from the Diadara clan, so I hold no ill-feelings for you not telling me first. Knowing the clans, they wouldn't have wanted to be sold into slavery either. They were much too brave for that. Thank you for telling me the truth, Luxaura.

Luxaura: I suspect someone worked with the Syvians. But I wonder who it could've been, to be able to mass-teleport an entire army like that. Maybe it was someone from withing. But we'll never know now.

Astaroth was reverted back, and his energy disappeared.

Roy: Can you use that sword again?

Luxaura: It took years to be able to activate it. I've only been able to use it just that once. It takes a massive amount of energy to use, and Saturn itself needs to be visible in the sky from Earth in order to achieve its maximum effects. So no, I probably won't be able to use this for a while. You should get to bed Roy. It's late. You too Inadora.

During this night, Syvia reinforced their armies with a garrison of 1.5 million soldiers. The battle for the 4 main cities of Koga waged fiercely. All 4 cities were illuminated with massive fires. From the distance, it almost looked like the sun was rising from the direction of the cities. In the past week, the total death toll of the war skyrocketed to 2 million, proving already to be the most destructive conflict in history. Agzabah sat on top of a hill, monitoring the destruction.

Agzabah: How heartbreaking when you think it never had to be this way. The advent of ever-advancing weaponry really deludes people into thinking they can take the world for themselves.

Agzabah stood up, clasped her hands, and the Great Destroyer emerged from her body. It's roar was so loud and powerful, the buildings of the burning cities were shaken. Jumping on top of the massive demon, Agzabah sought to end this bloody conflict before it got much, much worse.

Agzabah: Go now. Destroy them.

The Great Destroyer dug its arms into the ground, and the earth began to shake. A massive crack in the earth was opened, and the burning cities fell in. The amount of destruction was unlike anything seen before. With much of the remaining armies out side of the city, the Great Destroyer raised its arms into the sky, and the moon was blocked by thick black clouds. The sky was then illuminated with brilliant light, as tornadoes of crimson flames descended from the clouds, engulfing the people and environment they came in contact with. The clouds dispersed, and moonlight broke through the darkness. There was nothing but ruin left.

The Great Destroyer let out a great roar, and Agzabah began to cry. She brought the Great Destroyer back to the massive lake, and once again raised the statue out of its depths. When its eyes glowed red, the Great Destroyer was reluctantly sucked up. The statue closed its mouth shut, its eyes returned to normal, and a massive seal of complex symbols appeared on the chest of the Statue. It sunk back into the lake, never to be seen or opened again. The deed was finally done.

Leigh came home late that night, and went to bed with her sleeping son. Roy lied awake as Nadena slept, knowing she would most likely also know the truth behind the Omni Nation genocide tomorrow. The moonlight was like a spotlight on the immense destruction that engulfed Koga. In an instant, everyone involved in the conflict was killed off, and that cursed statue hidden away into the cold depths of Koga's great lake. The next day, Roy and Nadena would come to see, just how dangerous the cycle of hatred can really be.