Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 378: The whispering star

IN ANOTHER CONTINENT

ASTEROS

Asteros is a continent divided. And this continent is divided into hundreds of city states. 

The sizes of this states varies considerably but most of these states comprised an urban center where much of the population lived, and where the principal public buildings are located, plus a surrounding rural territory.

Although there are many city states and rarely kingdoms, and differences in the way each states are organized and governed, broadly speaking they have two types of rule, democracy, where decision making is in the majority of the citizens, which only include free citizens, and oligarchy in which effective control of decision making is limited to a minority of the citizens. 

Armed conflict between the city states is common. Warfare pervaded all spheres of political, cultural and intellectual endeavor in Asteros.josei

There is also the League. 

The league is many but only a few of them is recognized as strong league. League is formed when city states has taken their oath to defend and protect each other.

If it is in Davarus it will be called a federation but the reason why it is called a league is because of its temporary states. 

Warfare is numerous and even league members war again each other. Only when a great threat emerges then will they unite. 

The Asterosian is the original inhabitants of the Asteros continent.

However almost ten years ago, a foreign power has come and seeped itself into the Asteros land, carving an empire for this foreign power. 

The Farsian which carved an empire under the disunity of the people of Asteros

The Farsian and the Empire of Farsi is now headed by the great Emperor Kyrus.

Soon after ascending the throne of the Eastern Asteros, Kyrus began his conquest and continue to expand his empire.

A state of war existed between the mighty Farsi Empire and the city states of Asteros. 

And it all began with rise of power of Kyrus an ambitious and powerful ruler of Farsian descent who came far from Ariundus land.

Soon after his father death Kyrus began expanding his newly acquired city to form an empire. From Idabi he conquered the other city states.

He conquered Barlon, Varen, Kyonos, Lyokonos, Theros, Lebia, Achaeme, Iodia, Lyodia, Arwan, Croesus and Idira. 

In five short years either by might or strategy brilliance, the capable of all Kings, Kyrus managed to make this many states to fall under the Farsian empire.

Then he continued to expand his empire by conquering Sandris, Persis, Thonos, Sandinos, Lortol and Sanos.

Some were made to pay tribute; some were razed to the ground and some were put to the steel. 

In seven years of unrivalled might Kyrus conquered all of this states and created an Empire forged by his brilliance.

Kyrus is a nobility of Ariundus whose grandfather was accused of a terrible crime, treason, and was exiled by the Maha Shah of Ariundus and so with all of his vassal Kyrus grandfather sail the turbulent seas to reach Asteros where with all his wealth buy the land of Idabi.

He came from the continent of Ariundus, the land of Shahs.

Since then Kyrus grandfather has planned to prosper in the land of the Asterosi. 

By promising liberation to the slave of the Hitian, Gaekur, Cerienth, Samasi, and the other races other than the Asterosian, Kyrus grandfather managed to create an army of people loyal to the ideal of the Farsian empire. 

By serving for five years in the army of the Farsian, they will be granted free status unconditionally. 

They then can choose to stay in the army or retire themselves. But there is only a handful of case where the free slaves retire from army lives. 

That is all they know and living the army life can also give them riches. 

It is because of Kyrus grandfather policy that the Farsian army has managed to remain undefeated in the battlefield. 

And it is because of the contribution of Kyrus grandfather, that Kyrus manage to declare himself as Emperor.

And now after seven years of conquering, annexing and attacking, Kyrus stop his war march and began his administrating the empire that he had made.

The Farsian installed or sponsored local aristocrat as rulers of the Asterosian cities and exacted tributes from some states that swore fealty such as Edinos, Kumanos, Corolianus, Vijaya and Jonos.

There are even some rebellions from some states but Kyrus manage to quell such rebellion in a short time thus maintaining the stability of the Empire.

And so drop the curtains of the beginning of a ruler that will shake the continent of Asterosi, a story of a hero born of an Elven and human, a birth of such child predicted by the stars.

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ATHENIS. ELVEN SLUM

32 SEEDMONTH 1023

The woman is screaming pain as she is surrounded by many elven women who is waiting for the birth of the child.

There are dark elven and white elven all hoping and praying for the woman safe delivery of the baby.

'Push, push, my lady' And the woman pushed and then after a grueling one hour the baby head finally shows itself as the other elves struggle to deliver the baby.

Then the other cheers.

'Give me the baby' Velamina said impatiently.

'My Lady please be patient.' Then the lady elven cut the umbilical cord and embrace the baby of their Lady.

'He is my son' Velamina said as the other elven presented her child to her and she takes her son to her embrace. 

'A son' Velamina repeated again, as her heart warmed and is full with unexplainable feelings and tears fall from her eyes.

She looks at her son with sacred love. 

'You have all your fingers and toes. Healthy baby' and tears streamed down her face. 

'You are the cutest thing I have ever gaze upon this whole wide world' Velamina said to the baby as she could not endure this feeling of gratitude and longing.

Why? Because the baby reminded her of Arial.

'My lady is this, an abnormality?' The Elven crowd asked Velamina.

'Where?' Velamina said startled by such statement. 

'The boy eyes are different from yours and even his tiny strands of hair are peculiar.' Said one of the elven as she noticed this peculiarity of Velamina baby. And not only that, but the baby looks almost human.

'Yes' the other elven echoed the same concerns. 

'Blue eyes and white hair.' The other exclaimed. Velamina just smile. 

'That is his father gift for him. There is nothing for you to worry about.' They just nodded with puzzled expression.

'What is his name my lady?' the elves asked before they take the baby to clean him. They all waited for Velamina to speak.

In this slum, the arrival of such High Elven is uncommon and as such revered, for the existence of High Elven is like the existence of the Ancients that once roamed the earth.

In the Elven community the Elder give titles when the child reaches their ten and six nameday. 

But in such slums, there is no elder and the elven are cut off from their culture, for they are not in the Fabled forest with the Eternal Spring that grants them magical powers beyond that any of the other Elves.

Since there is no Elder that performed the rituals or have the Eye, nor did they have any Eternal Spring or the Elder rituals, Velamina as the only High Elven in the slums is regarded as their matriarch elder and have the full authority to name her own children and to give the child a title by consulting the stars and the natures.

Of course even in her old community in Arakath, Velamina is regarded with respect even though she is a half High Elven. The ancestry of the ancients is still hers to claim.

'Aerion.' She said after thinking for a while.

'Son of the star' the other quickly understand Velamina meanings. 

'I will Title him when he reaches maturity' she said smiling wistfully and mysteriously.

Aerion can be translated as son of the star but it can also be translated as the son of the sky. Son of the sky can then be translated to the son of the dragon for the dragon is the Son of the Sky

In a way, Velamina put a hint in her son name of the identity of his father. There is only one man that is called a dragon, whose name reaches wide and far.

Arial Vermont.

Velamina then handed her child carefully to the other elves as they bathed the child in Pure Water Spring. 

Velamina recounts her experience these past few years as the other elves busied themselves cleaning the baby and Velamina.

Some elves giving water to Velamina so she would regain back her strength. 

She has been here in Asteros continent since about two years ago. Here she takes the position of a healer in the slums disguising the fact that she is a High Elven. 

She has healed many elves in the slums with her magic gaining the respect and adoration of the elves in the slums.

But still there is threat in the Asteros continent which is famed for having slaves trade. In Davarus such problems do not exist.

Slave catcher will desire her expertise and proficiency in magic, though her beauty is also famed which could fetch her a high price in the slave market. 

But usually there is not that many slave catchers would risk themselves attacking or even kidnapping a High Elven for such act is viewed sacrilegious to the elves community. 

The Elves might even attack with their full might to free such stature from captivity or slavery.

And Velamina have no intention of being caught by them so she has been maintaining a very low profile in the city sate of Athenis. 

In the slums she is regarded as royalty itself and it is because of that reason she did not have to worry about her daily life expense. 

She is also spending according to her means. And considering the gold she made with her last expedition which is the Dragon expedition, there is still a lot of gold she has.

With that gold she could have buy land but she waited. She waited for the child of her prophecy to be born.

Unlike normal birth which takes about nine months, this child of hers takes about two years to be born into the world. 

By that alone, Velamina has predicted this child of her will one day grew to be an extraordinary person.

Two years! Who have heard a baby that stay two years in the womb? At least Velamina have never encountered such woman.

Suddenly there is some exclamation from the outside. 

Velamina is finished cleaning herself and just once again lay down on the bed again which the other elves have change the bed sheet.

'What is happening outside, Leila?' she asked startled and curious and quickly she seat herself on the bed. Clearly there is some ruckus outside. 

Velamina gesture one of the elves, Leila, who have been almost like her own handmaiden to come near her. 

'What happen outside? Why all the commotion?'

'Stars' the elven said.

'What stars?' 

'Stars are falling from the sky, my lady.'

Then from the open window Velamina could see a comet appeared in the dark night sky, brightly shining the dark skies, which Velamina could see, has a double tail. 

And Velamina just smile. She looks at the star and she seen it. The wind has begun to shift directions. The Star of the Conqueror shines brightly tonight.

'A new era is dawning and the Old Ages are setting. A new wind is coming. Change has come' 

She said in that mystifying tone and she let the elven go as she looks at the wonders of the sky and remembering once again her beloved in the Human Continent. 

The stars speak to her, the moon whispered, and the moonlight hears. And she remembered him again, this time more vividly than ever, as she remembered what she has endure.

Velamina wanted to hugs him tight, so she won't be in pain and sometimes she just wants to hear his voice and sometimes she prayed to the stars to guide her way but she knows….it is not time. 

Not now. Not here.

Who would have thought that Velamina would fall madly in love with a human? When their lifespan is so…short?

And she remembers.

Those piercing clear blue eyes that could see her the way she is, the way he kisses her fill with unbounded fire of passion, but what she misses the most was the way he smiles. She misses the way there were together.

Being together, is like being warm by a hot fire during the winter; being apart, they become cold and hard. 

She misses everything about him.

One day, she will return with all the glory that the world could give her. But for now, Aerion must be guided to the right path.

Aerion, her son who was prophesied to be a great nobility. And securing her life which she has secured by delivering Aerion.

'You will meet this human, stronger than anyone, peerless under heaven. But for you to meet him, you need to set out in a journey of great dangers. Only when you are ready to sacrifice your life can you meet him. Such union between the two of you will spring an offspring of great nobility. If you do not find him in five years, and bear his child you will meet a terrible fate. This is our prophecy. And so ends our words.' 

That prophecy once again remembered by Velamina. Offspring of great nobility. What will the boy achieve? 

The boy cried as he is being bathed. What could that boy achieve? A half high Elven with human blood.

'I don't know' she said but Velamina see the road of the stars and followed it here in Asteros.

Something will happen. The boy path is here. There is no doubt about that.

What will he achieve here? Why not Davarus? At least Velamina could let the child sees his father. 

But the stars are never wrong, her logic intervenes. This is the first time Velamina hope that the stars are wrong but even then she did not dare defy the stars.

Greatness she hoped. Greatness for her son.

Then after the baby is clean, the other elves bring the baby to Velamina once again and she embraces the proof of love between her and Arial Vermont.

She notices that the boy lacks the distinctive feature of an elves, which is the pointy ears but rather follow much in respect of his human father.

But Velamina do not hate that. 

'Aerion Vermont' she whispers under her breath. The Elves may have their own naming sense but this is the name of the son of a human, a human that Velamina love.

'Aerion Vermont' she repeated until she fell asleep. And one could hear her whispers as she went to sleep.

"I'll remember"

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ATHENIS

THE SLUM

There is the sound of singing from one of the houses in the slums. If anyone could hear the song surely their heart would stir with great sadness and sorrows.

'You and I met on under the stars of midnight,

We meet, and we fell in love,

The stars told me that tonight will be a long separation,

Heartbroken, I stare at you,

There isn't one tear in my eyes,

I thought I could change our love to story of love,

In a moment our love has lost,

The raindrops from the stormy sky is my tears,

Who could believe that I would trade my whole heart for a long separation?

Now I know why the heart grows fonder by each passing years.

When will I ever see you again, my star?'

'I always think of you my star' as she ended her song.

Aerion is on her embrace as she is looking at the stars from her open windows. It has been a few days since she delivers Aerion. 

Unlike humans she did not have to rest for a long period of time. She is looking at the stars after singing the lullaby to Aerion.

Aerion is showing sign that he wanted to sleep.

Never once she forgot to look at the stars. Not once. 

One day. 

One day she promises. She is confident one day; her star will come for her. There is passion and love and arrogance in her statement.

'One day he will come. One day he will come' she said. 

'Ueek, ueelk' her son cried. 

'Now, now Aerion. Do not cry. Mother is here' she whispers as Velamina caresses her son head.

White hair and blue eyes. Just like his father as she kisses her son forehead. 

'The stars have shown it to be so, Arial. One day you will return to me.' She whispers to the wind, a prayer for tomorrow. 

'I will be here waiting, my star. I will be praying…hoping. The stars will guide you here one day.'

She picked up the baby and with a long last look at the stars, she said

'I promise you that this separation would end'

And with that promise, she enters back to her bedroom without ever knowing that the baby she is bringing is the future ruler of all of Asteros.

And the stars twinkle up there in the heavens, like it is telling a long tall tale.

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