Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 547: Red sealed people (2)

Arial of course knows that some of the Saranites tribespeople follow his war expedition. He looks on and his ears try to capture the meaning of the song. The more he heard the more he was shocked

The flute sounded, the horsehead fiddle gives the song a feeling of sorrow but it slowly rose to heroic tone of song. Arial understood the lyrics of their song

'Blessed from the Heavens, by Queen Mother Amara,

Brought unity to the red sealed people,

The bearer of the sky,

The lord of the world

The Conqueror of the Dark

Summoned by Death, 

Bestowed to save the world

The Bearer of Light

The lord of the red sealed people

The Conqueror of Darkness, Asrana Mahava

King of Kings

The scourge of Maharai Vasir

Bring upon a New World,

Knees be knelt and heads be bowed

The Bearer of Light

The lord of the red sealed people

The Conqueror of Darkness, Asrana Mahava. 

It goes on and on. 

Arial frowned. 

He understood the meaning of the red sealed people. It is something that he found out without meaning to. 

He saw one of his warriors who was bathing on a stream one day. He recognizes something weird about him and it was that there is a red spot on his back that look like a fiery flame, making the entire back red

When asked, he said this is the Red Seal. Every child born in Novus Gaia is born with a red birthmark on their back.

The thirteen tribe worship many Gods, but they fear the red sky and revere the blue sky. 

This is among the earliest belief of the Thirteen Tribe. The blue sky support life but the red sky will come. 

And when they come, the red sealed people would be judged.

Those who fight on the right side would be rewarded. And those who fight on the wrong side would be punished for eternity in their afterlife.

In the New World, there is as many stories as there is stars.

So, to many people of the Thirteen Tribes, they considered their red spot as a heavenly seal for the people of Novus Gaia only. 

Arial also notices this that every soldiers of his that was born here in Novus Gaia all have this red spot on their back. 

They have many shapes. 

Some of these spot is shaped like a tiger, some shape like a dragon, others have some indistinct shapes and so on and so forth.

This spot normally disappears three to five years after the birth and clears by puberty., But when these warriors fight and in an intense situation, these spot would appear and could be viewed clearly.

Of course, there are also exception of where some warriors have this seal grows brighter as they become older.

It is hard to explain it. If Mikael was here, he would surely investigate for the reason for such a weird phenomenon.

Arial enjoyed the song and for a few minutes he was there looking at the rituals of these tribe people

He did not join with them in dancing. The fire grows larger and the dances become aster and the rhythm and the song follows the movement as it also become faster and stronger

Half an hour later, they finished their dances and song and everyone went back to their tent. No one notice Arial was among them as Arial had went back to his castle fifteen minutes earlier.

He went to his room and he lean on the walls as he looks at the moon outside his window. He did not really need to sleep. 

After possessing the power of water inside his body, he had not only felt more calm, he also seems to be full of energy all the time.

Any fatigue he had would easily be extinguished she circulate the energies inside his body. 

It is hard to say whether it is the inner energy he had that replenish his stamina or the magic in his body.

Magic is hard to explain and hard to talk of it in terms of the laws it follows.

He did not say anything and his heart felt colder. The moment he returns, his thoughts once again felt chaotic.

He is now moving following his heart. There is this feeling inside his heart that he just wanted to let it all go,

There is another reason on why Arial did not immediately go to sleep.

It is not simply because he is full of energy that he did not want to go to sleep. The other reason is simply is because he fears that he would have more nightmares. 

And his nightmares are always about the matter of the past.

He looks at the moon, not knowing what he should do in such a night.

He only sigh and close his eyes as he is standing there, leaning on the wall of his room and look out at the world outside his window

Then he shakes his head. 

'I could not sleep. And I could not think like this' He then thought of that woman and shaking his head he once again come out from his room and this time he did not hesitate as he enters that room and then he saw her, there, lying on the bed, unconscious.

Then he took one of the chairs inside the room and he sat beside the bed and look at Ana face and he sighed

'In the end, I came here.' He did not know why he came here. He did not know whether he wanted to blame her for the deeds of her sister or whether he came here to solve something that is in his heart

Arial had felt it. The moment he took the water essence, he had become not only calmer, but the hatred in his heart is slowly unravelling. He still has his bad temper, of course. But it is constrained by that feeling of calmness that keeps enveloping him,

He himself did not quite know how to explain it. What he does know was that, he did not feel as much as desire to kill this woman. He knew Ana was not the one that kill his wife

It is her sister. But just because he had able to feel calm, did not mean he could easily forgive what Ana sister had done. That feeling of hatred is transferred to Ana.

But when he saw how she was grieving for the death of her sister, Arial could not help but feel that he wants to protect this woman.

And that is why he is here, in the middle of the night. because he did not know what he is feeling for this woman.

The more he wanted to give his affection to this woman, the more he felt complicated in his heart.

His hand moves and his hand is near her face.  He then slowly caresses her cheek and said

'What should I do with you? How should I treat you? Should I tell the truth to you? Should I tell you that your sister had killed my beloved? Should I tell you that I wanted to be the one to kill your sister? You had nothing to do with this. But, your sister is dead. And you are alive. I thought I could easily hate you after knowing the truth' Then he scoffed and said

'It doesn't seem to be that easy. What should I do with you, Ana?'

Arial ask this. he asks his heart. And he still could not find the answer

The moon is now covered by the clouds and the night is dark. 

Arial remove his hand from her check and he looks at her. His mind is thinking about the past memories. He makes arguments against her and argument for her.

Aral felt himself trapped in this complicated feeling he have for Ana. This is the second woman after Rhyssa that make his heart felt confused.

Outside, the clouds grew darker and rain falls down.

And Arial is still in that room as he accompanies Ana as she sometimes would wake up and startled by the sound of the thunder and lightning that follows the rain.

Arial did not force himself to go away. instead, he was there to calm her down.

And that is how Arial spend his night that day. He still has many problems to solve. But, he at least did not feel as lonely as before.

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