Scene: "The Council of Order" — Kainen, Tenor, Gogia, and Maraxis
Inside the Chamber of Purity, deep in the floating mountain of Aetherium Core, the Council of Order convened. Ten massive glyphs glowed around the circular obsidian floor, one for each founding virtue of Airious. Here, logic was sharpened like a blade, and mercy was measured by the ounce.
Kainen stepped into the hallowed hall, his cloak of midnight blue trailing behind him, still bearing the light dust of the training fields. His eyes scanned the room—not with fear, but with awareness. He wasn't here as a friend today. He was here as a guardian... and a witness.
Seated in solemn silence were the three today: Tenor, the oldest, his voice capable of silencing a hurricane; Gogia, the most precise Avian strategist to ever live; and finally—Maraxis...the storm in formal wear. Father of Traxis... and of Elexis.
Maraxis sat with arms crossed, his expression as firm as tempered stone. He looked not like a father, but a judge. His cloak bore no insignia. He needed none. His reputation was his badge.
> Tenor (leaning forward):
"Kainen. Thank you for arriving so promptly."
> Kainen (bowing slightly):
"The realm calls, and I answer."
> Gogia (matter-of-fact):
"It's about Traxis."
Kainen stood straighter, expression unreadable.
> Kainen:
"He's returned. Trained. Grown. Controlled the Crawl Pryers with sheer psychological discipline and perfected Fear Echo. His intentions remain intact. His loyalty to Airious, unbroken."
> Tenor:
"We don't doubt that… yet. But there's a saying in the Elder Rings. 'Those who bend reality too easily may one day fold it to their own ruin.'"
> Gogia:
"Traxis is...different. Gifted, yes. Creative, certainly. But creation without discipline can become corrosion."
> Kainen (gently):
"He's not corrupted. He walked close to the Abyss and turned back."
> Maraxis (finally speaking):
"That's what makes it worse."
All eyes turned to him. The room hushed like the stars leaned in to listen.
> Maraxis (coldly, evenly):
"It's not those who fall I worry about. It's the ones who stare into the chasm, understand it... and then smile. My son—my sons—they inherited the curse of vision. One lost to rebellion. The other to obsession. I love them. Deeply. But love isn't permission. It's responsibility."
> Kainen (stepping forward):
"So you'd rather not guide him—only monitor him?"
> Maraxis:
"Don't get it twisted, Kainen. I'd bleed galaxies for Traxis. But as his father, and as a Councilor, I have to keep him from destroying himself...and everything else he cares about. That includes you."
A pause.
> Kainen (with a solemn nod):
"Then trust me. Not as his trainer—but as someone who sees the flicker of something greater. I've raised him like my own. I won't let him fall."
> Tenor (reluctantly):
"Then you will continue to oversee him. Report if anything changes. His new techniques—especially Fear Echo and Swap Transposition—must be observed closely. Study their implications. Understood?"
> Kainen (bowing):
"Understood."
> Gogia:
"And Kainen?"
> Kainen (glancing back):
"Yes?"
> Gogia (with a smirk):
"Try not to let him outsmart you too often."
Kainen smirked back, then turned and exited the chamber, his thoughts swirling like storm clouds:
> "They see a danger. I see a turning point. One day... they'll see the difference."
The Hanging Mountains of Alt'Zerun floated high above the glowing skyways of Airious, suspended in the air like defiant gods frozen mid-flight. Lightning arced between their stone bellies. Winds whispered the tales of every warrior who had ever stepped foot here.
And today... two sons of Maraxis stood face to face.
Elexis, scarred by rebellion, lean with experience and unfiltered Avian aggression. His stance: guarded, clinical, forged in a battlefield of broken ideals.
Traxis, the mind-weaver, dressed in simplicity, but with eyes that shimmered like mirrored galaxies. Calm. Eerily calm.
> Elexis (grinning)
"You sure about this, brother?"
> Traxis (tilting his head)
"Only if you're sure you're still awake."
They launched.
The air cracked as Elexis dashed forward, blades of compressed Avian force trailing his fists. Traxis weaved through the strikes, reading each movement like he was flipping through an old family scrapbook.
> Traxis (casually):
"Your left shoulder always dips before you feint. You've done that since we were ten."
> Elexis:
"And you still talk too much—"
HOLLOW STEP.
Elexis vanished. Reappeared behind Traxis in less than a breath. WHAM!
A direct punch to the back.
Traxis flew, skipped off a floating boulder, spun in the air—and smirked.
> Traxis:
"Nice. Now let's make things… interesting."
He activated Fear Echo.
A ripple—no, a wave—shimmered through the air. The sky dimmed. Wind held its breath. Elexis's eyes widened. The space around him cracked like glass. His knees buckled.
> Elexis (panting):
"What... is this?"
Voices whispered in reverse. His mind felt as though it was being reprogrammed—telling him he had already lost.
> Elexis (struggling):
"I... I'm not afraid of you—"
> Traxis (voice deepening, echoing):
"You should be afraid of yourself."
But Elexis roared. His Avia surged. He shattered the illusion, fists blazing with raw intensity.
> Elexis:
"NO!"
He launched a massive Avian Punch, channeling all his will—BOOOOOOM!
A moon-sized mountain evaporated in light and sound.
Dust.
Silence.
Elexis hovered mid-air, chest heaving, heart racing.
But then...
A shimmer.
Traxis Hollow-Stepped. Right in front of him.
He touched Elexis's forehead gently—swooom.
> Traxis (softly):
"Mental Inversion."
Suddenly, Elexis was moving backward. His thoughts rewound. His instincts reversed. His body fought his brain. His words came out scrambled:
> Elexis (gasping):
"Kcuf...siht...s'tahw…"
He was caught. Every tactic, every instinct... undone.
Checkmate.
> Traxis (stepping back):
"You beat me with power. I beat you with you."
Elexis dropped to one knee, sweat pouring, staring up with wide eyes—not of defeat, but of realization.
> Elexis (grinning through pain):
"You mind-bending freak... You've gotten scary."
> Traxis (extending a hand):
"And you've gotten predictable."
They both laughed, one exhausted, the other serene.
The twin warriors walked side by side—battered, bruised, but laughing like brothers again—as the shimmering towers of the Airien Academy came into view. Their steps slowed as they reached the crystal bridge arching into the courtyard, when suddenly—
A presence.
A stillness in the air.
A warmth... aged like starlight.
Maraxis.
Standing tall beneath the ivory arch, arms open like a sunrise, eyes glistening with the weight of memory. His golden armor gleamed, but it was his expression—an old, almost-forgotten softness—that stopped them cold.
> Maraxis:
"My sons..."
Before either of them could think, Traxis dropped his guard first. His breath hitched. Elexis swallowed his pride. The brothers sprinted forward like boys again, crashing into their father's embrace.
They didn't say a word.
Didn't need to.
Because sometimes the soul recognizes what words cannot carry.
> Maraxis (laughing gently, voice thick):
"Still reckless. Still raw. But... you've become men. I saw your battle. I felt it through the cosmos. It shook more than mountains."
Behind him, Kainen stepped out from the shadows with arms folded and a smug little smirk.
> Elexis (smirking):
"You snitched?"
> Kainen (shrugging):
"What can I say? Even a Great Councilor deserves to watch his sons grow."
> Traxis:
"Wait... you got him to come?"
> Kainen:
"He resisted. I gave him the look."
> Maraxis (grumbling):
"He gave me the 'what would Corzan do' look. Blasted sentimental technique."
They all chuckled. And then—
> Maraxis (suddenly serious):
"I am proud of you both. But don't forget—I am still a Great Councilor. I must remain impartial. And Traxis... if you go on another unannounced vacation to a beast-infested world—"
> Traxis (hands up):
"Noted. I'll text next time."
Just then, Elegia and little Klexis came trotting in, the boy riding a hoverboard made of Avian threads.
> Elegia (teasingly):
"If this isn't the galaxy's most emotionally repressed family..."
> Klexis (yelling):
"Grandpa!!!"
Maraxis bent low as the child crashed into his arms.
> Maraxis (smiling wide):
"Ah... the next generation of chaos."
The wind swirled around them. The sky was warm, the stones beneath their feet pulsing with gentle Avian harmony. For one moment—no wars, no councils, no battles of mind or muscle.
Just a family.
Together.
And though none of them would say it out loud, they all needed this. Because in a realm ruled by power, strategy, and sacrifice... this reunion was their true center.
Their Airious within Airious.
The sun began to set over the spires of the Airien Academy, casting long, golden shadows across the floating islands. The laughter had faded. The warmth of reunion slowly cooled into the solemn wind that always followed Maraxis' departure.
> Maraxis (walking to his skiff, turning briefly):
"I'll return. As always.
And Traxis…"
"…I'm watching you."
Traxis gave a playful salute, smirking. But deep beneath that grin… something flickered. A twitch in the brow. A swallow too slow.
Then the hum of the skiff faded into the horizon.
Kainen stood silent beside Traxis for a moment. His arms were behind his back, his cape flickering slightly in the breeze like a war banner at peace.
> Kainen:
"Walk with me."
They stepped down the memory-carved stairs of the eastern garden path, the trees glowing faintly with residual Avian energy. Birds made of light chirped and zipped between blossoms.
And then Kainen stopped.
No audience. No distractions.
Only honesty.
> Kainen (quiet but firm):
"Traxis… what you've created… the Fear Echo, the Mental Inversion, even your evolved use of Swap Transposition—they're brilliant. Terrifying. Useful."
> Traxis (smiling faintly):
"You forgot 'cool'."
> Kainen (not amused):
"And dangerous."
That wiped the smirk.
> Kainen:
"Avia is not just energy. It is essence. A mirror of soul. The more you twist perception, the more it will twist you back. Authenticity, Traxis, demands discipline. Promise me… you won't go too far."
Traxis looked away for a second—just a second—but it was enough. A tightening in his jaw. A breath held just a moment too long.
Then—
> Traxis (softly):
"I promise."
Kainen stared.
Not at the words.
But at the flinch.
Subtle. Ghostlike. Almost not there.
But it was there.
> Kainen (narrowing his eyes, voice low):
"Traxis… if you ever feel that line blurring—between control and corruption—you come to me. Understood?"
> Traxis (nodding):
"Yes, Master."
They resumed walking, side by side. But while Kainen moved with the grace of resolve, Traxis's steps carried weight.
Because who truly knows what ideas are dancing inside Traxis's head?
He had touched the minds of monsters.
He had bent fear like a string.
And some part of him… liked it.
—
Sweat still hung in the air like steam off a cosmic forge. The training dome of the Cosmic Gym pulsed dimly after an intense Hollow Step session. Some of the crew lay flat on the mats, others stretched, and a few nursed bruises and pride alike.
Jack, breathing heavily, sat beside Henry, Yyvone, Kennedy, Charles, Ian, Osei Jerry, and Sonia—all bonded through sweat, scars, and the shared insanity of training under the Airien Knight, Kainen the Relentless.
It was Yyvone who broke the silence.
> Yyvone (casual, wiping her brow):
"Kainen… how many students have you trained anyway?"
> Henry (grinning):
"Yeah, bet you've raised like—what—armies?"
> Ian (teasing):
"And how many did you get too attached to, old man?"
> Kennedy (elbowing Ian):
"Yo, chill."
Kainen, who had been staring into the training blades mounted on the wall, didn't answer.
He didn't even blink.
A thick silence grew.
Until Hela strolled in from the upper balcony, arms crossed, sipping something suspiciously glowing.
> Hela (smirking):
"Oh come on, don't be dramatic. They're asking 'cause they care. Not every day a god-tier mentor trains a bunch of Earth kids."
Kainen sighed.
Heavy.
Ancient.
His voice came low, slower than usual, like he was pulling it from somewhere far... and haunted.
> Kainen (finally):
"I once had a group… prodigies.
Two of them… Traxis and Elexis."
That name froze Jack mid-drink. He'd heard that name before. Felt it in the air. Like static when people whispered legends.
> Kainen:
"They were unstable.
Brilliant… but flawed. Like stars too close to their own gravity."
"…I loved them anyway."
The students quieted, glancing at each other.
> Kainen (quiet):
"Didn't even consider the consequences.
Until… something happened."
> Sonia (gently):
"What happened?"
Kainen looked up. His eyes—usually like burning Avian light—dimmed. Flickered.
> Kainen:
"One died.
The other… betrayed me."
Silence.
Real silence.
Not the kind you get after a training session.
The kind you only feel after someone shows you their scars.
> Charles (softly):
"Damn."
> Kainen (nodding):
"Then came Valitor…"
He looked at Jack, and it was different. Like he wasn't just looking at Jack—but through him.
> Kainen (voice breaking slightly):
"Valitor died too."
> Osei Jerry (whistling):
"Eeesh. That's gotta be painful…"
> Kainen (soft smile):
"It is. Every day."
Then he stood.
> Kainen:
"But pain sharpens.
And maybe... maybe it's time for someone to finally live."
He walked off slowly, cloak trailing behind him like a dying comet.
Jack just sat there, heart pounding—not from training… but from the weight of legacy.
Because now he understood—
This wasn't just training.
This was inheritance.
And there was a storm coming.