| Geness | Ecthel |
|---|---|
| Anniversary | March 15th, 2021 |
Ecthel
We moved the stars in foreign code
-oh, we’ve done so much, walking this road
Frozen passion; hatred rationed-
-in this creeping ice, I’ve already died twice.
Snow falls; erasing three
I’m all alone, just my thoughts and me
The silence speaks volumes; now I’m wondering why-
-why, again, did we desire to fly?
The gears of fate tell intricate lies
Where does it stop? -it seems it does not.
We can’t know when it begins again,
so we try and we fail-
everything; always
to no avail.
In wanting more, we tried to soar
but heaven was hell, so once more
we fell.
hmm
brash sword boy and friends set out from their remote mountain village to seek fortune in the big capital city.
there, they find themselves swept into the beginnings of a civil conflict… and soon enough things come to a head- the embers of dissent are fanned into a spark that sets off the war, and they must cast their lot with one side or other.
they ride the storm as best they can. ecthel’s friends don’t make it through but ecthel himself is forced to realize: he has an affinity for violence. he’s good at it- competitive, even. here, he is needed. here, he thrives. war should be terrifying, but for ecthel, the heat of battle affords him- for the first time- inner peace, discordant as it is.
he makes it out alive- the hero of the conflict- and wins glory; wins whatever he wants. he could have anything, but the only thing he truly desires is to see those two lost friends again. and fhe bureaucracy and idleness necessitated by times of peace is stifling: ecthel wasn’t made for sunlight filtering through the window at noon; he wasn’t made for soft touches and sleeping in. and now that he’s aware of his true nature, he can’t go back.
of course, someone who lives by the sword can only die by the sword. ecthel sets out to exterminate the remaining divine beasts who had appeared during the war, and meets his fate in a snowy glade.
sentinel is the name of the beast, and two human- or are they?- children accompany him, jumping out betweem them as if to protect the wounded beast.
ecthel hesitates for them, stops his attack- because of course he will; he always will, even as the kind of man he’s become. sentinel seizes the moment and defends his charges; there is no reason nor chance for the divine beast to show mercy.
but as ecthel’s life spills into the snow, sentinel acknowledges him. the beast bows its head for him and the two children cradle his dying form and sing.
ecthel can’t hear them; can’t feel the cold: sentinel’s wings fly him to [ ], and on this road he is finally no longer alone.
many have gone before, and the divine beasts will send many after. still, sentinel is particularly glad for this war-forged soul.
when the time comes…
- arms master: handgun, sword, and limited magic are his preferred weapons, but he’s proficient with quite a few others… conventional and otherwise. ecthel spends his days training others chosen by the divine beasts, in preparation for the last domain: End of All. and just generally having fun tbh
- forgot many of the details of his old life after ascending and is significantly (?) amnesiac. he’ll probably remember them someday, but he doesn’t really need them, he feels.
- even so, some days he wakes up feeling like lived someone else’s life in a dream last night…
- valkyrie profile vibes oops