"Is this your hero? The one you call Atlas? I have to give it to you, at first, he did seem like a threat, but after some time, I saw he was no different than the rest! He bleeds like the rest, and he falls just like the rest! Did you think you could stop me with only one Atlas? You would need at least a thousand of them to stop me!" I continued to make a show, lying left and right, because I knew if Atlas wanted to get rid of me, he could.
The most important thing now was to rile them up, to make their actions ruled by fear. While most of the soldiers, and even some commanders, were visibly affected by the fall of Atlas, one figure seemed greatly amused by it all."Is it possible that the great Atlas has fallen? My, my, how intriguing. I always knew you would be special, dear Valerian, just not this soon. But of course, you were born from the same cloth as him," Lucius spoke.I couldn't quite grasp what he was saying; it sounded like the ramblings of a madman."Hmm, the smoke around you is the same smoke he used to have, or so the history books say," he continued, materializing next to me and grabbing my shoulder."Even your wounds have healed as if nothing ever happened. And you even defeated Atlas, supposedly," Lucius mumbled, seemingly lost in thought.
"What do you want?" I asked, feeling a growing unease."I am a man of science; I want everything. Now, what do you say to a deal?"The uneasiness intensified, and while my gut urged me to kill him right now, I couldn't bring myself to act without hearing him out."What kind of deal?" I inquired."It's simple. I will grant you banishment, so you can be reunited with your mommy," he answered, his sharp green eyes full of deceit piercing through me."And what do you get out of this?""Let's just say, you leading a happy life is enough for me," he grinned, though his eyes betrayed only contempt.Deep down, I knew that accepting his deal would only lead to more suffering. But how could I pass up such an opportunity when it lay right before me? It seemed he already knew I hadn't defeated Atlas and what my wish was. It was as if he could see right through me, predicting my moves before I even thought of them. The best I could do was accept his deal and consider the consequences later, as a chance like this might never come again."Fine, I will take your deal," I declared.„Marvelous! Now, follow my lead and strike my face. But not too hard okay? I wouldn't want you to damage this pretty face of mine." just as he said that all my pent-up anger and frustration flowed into my punch, and with an incredible force his body flew to the frontlines, one of the commanders catching him mid-air.„Someone, bring forward the High priest! This avian needs to be banished! If we prolong this any longer, our entire civilization will be in danger! Look at the dark smoke surrounding him, it's only proof that he is a reincarnation of the First Sin!" Lucius screamed, pointing a finger at me.A First Sin? What is he talking about?Soon after, a high priest came forward, heavily guarded by the order of holy knights. He wore a white robe with golden ornaments, and in his hands lay a single silver chalice.„If what you speak is true, time is of an essence," he spoke, and then raised the chalice high above his head, and started an incantation.„Forefathers of old, I call upon the celestial blood of Valerian the Golden! From this sacred realm, from this hallowed ground,
I command thee, by ancient decree:
Begone!
May the gates of oblivion open wide."
Just as he finished his incantation, the chalice glowed with a blinding light, and a surge of blood flowed from my wrists, straight into the chalice. A pain so immense came over me, that my body started trashing around mid-air, and then I took a fetal position. The golden feathers atop my wings started to wither away, leaving only bear bones. The small white particles started leaving my body, making me feel like my skin was tearing itself off.Oh, so this is what mother felt? The pain was intolerable, but the thought of a new life made it just a little more bearable.As the particles left my body, most of my being became transparent. It became clear that the celestial essence was leaving me, and soon I would cease to exist.