Prologue

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. It was one minute to 6 in the evening. The sky emanates a red-orange hue. Lights were already on. The city square was busy.

A little girl with wings on the back of her head was running and jumping, pushing and shoving through the crowd. She was clearly on her way, not noticing even when stepped on a puddle. A while later, she turned to her back, waiving to her friends: "Come on! Hurry up! The Queen's anniversary is going to start without us, guys!"

A grey-skin boy was tailing behind closely, acknowledged immediately, "Yeah, move your feet! Hop hop! Run like you mean it!" and continue running behind the girl.

Two other boys, one thin, another chubby, was panting trying to catch up with the two. "Slow down, guys!" The fat boy, green haired, his hair so long his right eye was covered, had to push himself others on the side for someone his size to tune his direction while passing between the crowds. Nonetheless, we could see his eyes lighting up, asking, "Is it true, though, there's gonna be fireworks!"

The third boy, long hair tied to a pony tail, stopped and turned for a moment to look at him before continue running, while replying, "yeah, saw them setting up yesterday. There were loads of them. It'll be worth it. Promise!"

As soon as he finished his sentence, everyone looked up into the night sky. The sound of fireworks shooting up in the distant. To his right, fireworks had already launched while they were still running. It was too late. He stopped and looked at it. The fat boy slowly catching up to him.

"Ahahah" The distant sounds of children splashing at each other while laughing in the square's fountain. The winged girl arrived at the square first, the grey-skin boy followed. She turned to her back and wave to the other 2 guys, as if saying, "over here!"

The fat boy dashed past the pony-tail boy without turning his head to look at him while waving his hand back. Awestruck, the pony-tail boy was slow to react, and followed a second later. The girl and the grey-skin boy, assured that they didn't fall behind, continue to lead their way.

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Time didn't wait for them. The cranking sound of the mechanical clock continues. The long hand struck zero, and it's officially 6 p.m when pigeons were flying around, the pony-tail boy was still running, and time suddenly stop.

He slowed down to a walk. He looked around, surprised everything around him came to a stop. Pigeons stretching their wings defy Newton's 2nd law, stopping in mid air. People froze in their position. Water droplets float. The pony-tail boy was the only person who could move at that moment. Something abnormal is happening, he thought. The sound of the mechanical clock continued ticking. Yet even his 3 friends, smiling and waving back at him, were frozen. 'Not good. This isn't real.' He closed his eyes, hoping that everything will return to normal. He opened his eyes. No, nothing changed.

Suddenly, a large, dark patch of shadow falls within the glimpse of his vision. He turned back and looked up in the sky. A really large object, a planet, cast upon the red-orange hue, filling up more and more of the remaining sky as it moves toward him. Its shadow blocks the remaining light shining upon the town. With his eyes and jaws wide, blackout.

Seen from space, two planets, one emanating yellow globules of energy, another blue, attracted towards one another, forming strides that closely resembles magnetic field lines when two magnets, North and South Pole, point towards each other. As the planets moved closer to each other, collision was inevitable. A large burst of greenish energy was released upon contact, light released so bright that the nearby space whiteout.

On the surface of a planet (perhaps the remnants of the collision? We don't know), overlooking a mountain the shape of an animal's head. A snow-capped mountain the shape of an animal's head stood out against the clear blue sky. Amid peace, a globule of energy emerged from inexistent slightly right of the mountain's center line, expanded quickly, and swallowed a hole in it. The mountain was split in half. As the energy vanished, stones were sent circulating around the point of impact, while a shockwave gust through our point of vision. Turning our attention to the flat plains, more energy globules appear and disappear, carving crevasses like children making drawings out of snow.

Moving past these events, the green flat plains were replaced with black soil. Dust particles filled the air, blocking the lights. We can hear distant roar and shouts. As we get closer, we see large humanoid machines with wheels moving forward. Beam weapons, guns and cannons were firing at each other. The largest of the machines roll behind, and is the only machine not equip with any weapon as far as one can tell. Instead, a clocklike structure that looks like a gauge containing blue flames roaring within seems to play an important role. Let's call it the flame clock. Currently, it's one-third full.

What does the narratives tell us:

Two colossal marshal nations locked in war. Keves and Agnus.

There are 2 nations, differentiated by colors. So far, we spoke about the blue nation, they're Keves. Agnus shone with a yellow-green hue. The standard melee weapon for Keves is a single broadsword, while Agnus are seen holding 2 thin katana-shaped sword. Even the humanoid machines were different. We described Keves with their wheels; while Agnus floats its torso above a ball bearing, signifying higher technology than Keves.

An Agnus soldier fall onto the ground, his helmet roll to the side. He look up, gasping, as if he hadn't had enough of life. His hand raised mid air, but to no avail. With his eyes opened, he died. A few seconds later, his corpse dried up really quickly, as if he'd turn into a stone, as if, he seen Medusa. More red particles float out of his corpse into the sky. As many of his kind, Keves or Agnus, died, more and more red particles filled the air, and the direction of their travel? The flame clock. The red particles replenished the gauge, now already at half full.

What do we need to survive? Water? ... But what we need most, is life itself.

Looking into the right eyes retina of the soldiers, we saw a reflection of the flame clock. It seems that they're no longer in control of their own body. They got braver, marching towards the enemy disregarding their lives. They got stronger, slicing through enemies like harvesting wheat.

Taken the flames, becoming your own, in turn.

Agnus, seeing the bravery of Keves soldiers, decide for a tactical retreat. The war machines fill the places of soldiers, aiming their cannon at Keves' soldiers, ready to fire. The Keves' soldier knows what would happen next, turned their back and ran for their lives. Alas, it's too late. Many beams of yellow-green hue slice through the ground where they were, wiping left to right, taking lives wherever the beam swiped. It proved tactical, as Agnus soldiers rushed to fill the empty space, while thrusting their sword and firing their guns at the Keves who had their back facing them.

While the others, the one whose essence is stolen, leaves only a husk.

There was a red-suit humanoid figure standing atop the shoulder of the flame clock machine, though we don't have a closer look yet to who they are. Perhaps the manager?

Keves wasn't giving up. A commander standing around the bottom of the flame clock machine, surrounded by soldiers facing their gun towards the field, shouted into his bluetooth:

"Bombardier. What are you playing at? How can we claim their life if you blow up the whole sparking thing?! Cripple them! Aim lower!"

"Y-yessir! Lowering aim, sir!" We cannot be sure what machine a bombardier is controlling, yet we know it's equipped with a weapon, aiming at the belly of Agnus' flame clock machine. Few seconds after a shot is fired, it ripped through the belly, shaking its support. The hands of the machine, attached perhaps by visible electromagnetic beam, went off, and one of its arms came smashing down to the ground. The loss proved vital, as Keves' flame clock now draws more red particles than Agnus'. Defeat isn't near, but not far either.

Fighting in order to live, and living to fight. That's the way of our world, Aionios.

Enough with the faceless. A group of young adult marching towards their enemies, one with a pony tail, thin, moderately tall; another grey-skin, very tall, very buff and muscular; a woman with two short wings behind her head, slim; and a short egglike creature, their face features on their green torso, very short legs, hands that resembles wings, we'll call them "Nopon". Countless of faceless soldiers followed their lead.

Because slowly but surely, our world is now dying. Even though, we have yet to realize that fate.

On the right eye of the pony-tail guy, we could see his flame clock iris turning yellow. From his vision, an interface appeared, with some information at both sides, the flame clock gauge on the lower left. When he focuses his attention, a sword-like blade floats into his center of focus, and a moment later, the same blade materialize in his hand. Others also summoned their weapons.

He swooshed and slashed, cutting grass... ahem... cutting through a few Agnus soldiers, before finally raising his weapon in front of his head to block an attack from an enemy. He caught a glimpse of the grey-skin guy suffering a blow from an Agnus soldier.

"Lanz," he called out.

Lanz, finishing off his enemy, turned back and looked at him, "Worry about yourself, Noah. There's still more of them."

(As if he needs to explain) "Even so, urg..." The strength of Noah's enemy became unbearable, breaking his defence. He thrust his hand forward, pushing the enemy off balance. Before he could finish him off, someone behind the Agnus soldier fired at him/her, finishing him/her off. He didn't stop, turning his attention and his aim at another soldier, while shouting back at Noah and Lanz, "Shut it! Stop flapping your gums and move."

The winged girl's blade was a long stick, with one end a cannon opening, another end looks like the blade of ceiling fan that rotates. She called out, "Yeah, we got more incoming."

Seems like Noah agreed it's not the right time for explanations. He turned his back while others joined him in a triangular position. Together, they face the hoards of Agnus soldiers running towards them, while they got into fighting stance.

(Several minutes later, after laying their enemies down)

Noah and his team looked at the front line. Agnus' war machines were rolling in from the flanks, firing their cannons at Keves' war machines. They managed to lay a few down before the Keves' reacted. Noah shouting to Lanz: "They outflanked us?! Lanz, The front line!"

Lanz aligned his gaze with Noah's. "That Trish's team?" Then, turned to his back to face the winged girl, "Eunie, How're things with Kite? What about our backup?"

Eunie, standing beside the green Nopon, both turned and face another direction. Soldiers and war machines, both Agnus and Keves, were exchanging shots. She replied, "Looks like they were busy guarding the artillery. They're not goin' anywhere." After concluding, she turned around to face the team, and make a suggestion "Anyone's moving right now, it's us!"

Noah lower his head and look to the ground, sorting his mind for a decision. Yet, he was cut short when the ground shook, it's source from his left, where the frontline is. Another Keves' war machine down. Agnus war machines were pushing forward. Realizing that there's no time to lose, he turned to his team and nudged, "Let's go! If the front line breaks, we're all dead!" Never forgetting his explanation, huh...

"But, the position..." Lanz refuted. His speech was cut short with a small shockwave coming from the backup team. An Agnus war machine fell to the ground, bursting in flames. A faceless Keves soldier faced them and affirmed, "We can handle these ourselves. Go on! Move it!"

Noah looked at him for a while, looked down for a second, before returning his glaze and gently nodded. The soldier nodded back in agreement before turning to face the Agnus soldiers. The team then moved their feet, dashing past exchanging beams that whipped down their sides. Red particles continued rising from the ground, floating into the air.

Suddenly, they was a dark shadow grew in front of them, forcing them to an abrupt stop and turned their glaze up. Thud, crank, crank. Something just smashed into the ground before them. They could hear the moving arms of machines. An Agnus war machine just landed before them, opening its arms as if to welcome their death. Lanz gasped, "A Levnis!"

"That's what hitting us? Well now we know." Noah replied.

"It's do or die, Noah!" Eunie shouted, perhaps she knew it's not time to let Noah decide if he needs to think. She summoned her blade, Lanz and Noah followed. "Got it!"

(Some time later)

Several explosions in the Levnis's chest and joints, sent it toppling down. The group looked from a ledge the situation of the battle. Too many levnises destroyed. Too many corpses laid on the ground, unattended amidst the busyness of massacre. The remains continued to fight till the last. Clearly, the Keves outnumbered the Agnus. The last few were slained without mercy. The Agnus that fell to the ground never had a chance to stand up; a sword already thrusted into his chest while he tried.

With the last soldier down, the Agnus' flame clock levnis lost its electromagnetic beam that hold its joints together. Pieces crashed down the floor, sending shockwaves to its vicinity. The Keves that were still alive were so tired they had to hold onto their blades, using it as a stick to remain standing. Upon seeing their final subject, the flame clock levnis, down; regained their strength, removed their dependency on their blade, and managed to ran forward, throwing both arms into the air and shouted, "Victory!" The announcement reached the rest of the team immediately, and they all danced in joy, some raising their blades above their heads. "Haaaaa!!!!" "Victory is ours!" "We won!"

Lanz and Eunie were no different from the others. They sheathed their blades and joined in the party. Noah, however, wasn't amused. He was bemused, perhaps he questioned the need to take other people's lives, their purpose, its meaning. Meanwhile, with no one noticing his weirdness amongst a crowd, shouts continued, "We won!" "Your lives are ours!"

Perhaps they were too tired. A few moments later, they stopped, and the air silenced. Lanz was sitting on the ground, Eunie and Noah standing, yet they didn't break the silence. Noah was still reflecting, all that we know of.