The Firstlings

Aaron cursed at his disobedient soul, pacing him in the opposite direction. When he raised his left foot, his soul raised its right, as every action was mirrored wrong. When he waved, he swore he saw his soul flip him off instead.

‘Bastard’ He grumbled as he stalked his unruly soul like a predator. Deciding it wasn’t time to play games, he darted forward in a blur of motion as it tried to flee. Aaron punched at his soul as it kicked out, catching him in the gut.

They started trading punches as they spun around each other, his Soul Space shaking with each hit. He finally got a good one and tackled it, getting him in a choke hold. His soul fought back viciously, but Aaron had him pinned and chuckled wildly.

‘Give up already’ He roared. His soul trembled as it fought one last time before tapping out, and Aaron released it. It walked back to the center of the soul space and stood still, mimicking his stance. He stood before it, smiling victoriously, as he raised his hand and watched as his soul mirrored it perfectly.

Synchronicity with mind and soul.

Aaron’s smile couldn’t get any brighter at his breakthrough. That was the problem with the mind and the soul; neither wanted to listen to the other. He could see how the body and soul already had some base connections, as they were really one and the same, but the mind was a different beast.

The mind and soul didn’t communicate so easily, much like his brother and the human. By achieving what he had just accomplished, he could already feel his projection was more stable, as if his mind had become clearer as it harmonized with his soul.

Aaron calmed his nerves as he stood tall in his soul space, arms raised high, as his soul reflected the motion. Reaching out with his mind, he connected to his body and stood tall in the clearing, reflecting his actions from within his soul space. He connected them all into a trinity and danced through his martial exercise.

He danced with his soul.

Losing himself to the serenity of being connected with mind, body, and soul, he spun and twisted in the clearing. With a subliminal look on his face, he danced, but not the tune of the blade, not of death, but a dance of life. Aaron danced to the tune within himself, integrated into a whole, and brought order into form through his own understanding and insight.

Completing the exercise, his body still trembling, he looked to the Runes in his vision, already knowing he had made a tremendous breakthrough.

[An Insight has Advanced]

Integration (Middle)

“You have connected Mind, Body, and Soul.”

Aaron wasn’t done, though, and he dismissed the runes as he pulled his blade. He started his sword dance, but this time it wasn’t a dance; it was a march, a stomp to a different tune. He marched to the tune of death; his sword wailed full of intent as his soul and core brought truth to the world, and reality groaned.

A dome of gold lightning grew from his form as he wielded the blade, lost in its dreadful song. Nature’s lightning seemed to connect with his as the world reacted to the power he brought forth in his deadly dance. He went through the steps of swings, blocks, and stabs, and in his final hit, he activated [Deadly Strike].

The world seemed to stop.

Aaron’s breath caught in his throat as a golden pillar reached for the sky, then fell into the forest with a deafening clap. An explosion hit the forest, rocking the clearing. The force from the impact blew his hair, and he laughed manically. Golden lightning crackled, arching in a storm of excitement, along with his wildly beating heart.

As the storm cleared and the sky settled, Aaron turned away extremely happy with the results of his newfound clarity, then froze at the sight of the camp. Everyone was staring at him with murder in their eyes, clothes, and hair, blown about and disheveled. Aaron smiled sheepishly and waved apologetically as he turned and left the clearing with hurried steps.

Making it back to his tent, he crawled into his bed as fatigue rippled through his body. His mind was foggy from overexertion, and his soul quivered in his soul space. He still wore a sweet smile on his face as he drifted off within seconds, snoring softly.

Aaron woke up early the next day and wrote some notes into his training manual, attempting to complete it. He left his tent, excitement still carrying in his steps, as he went to the clearing for morning practice. He took it slow, being more careful than the day before, and fell into the rhythm as his blade brightened his morning.

Finishing his practice, he headed to the large tent Cornelius had set up so they could hold meetings. ‘The guy was useful when he used his head,’ He chuckled, entering the tent and walking to a large table set up in the middle of the room.

Aaron’s eyes scanned the room as they measured every one of his siblings that had joined their war council. His brother Cornelius stood sternly at the head of the table, Ciel smiling brightly beside him, with his sister Nara lurking shyly in the back.

Three main groups, with some smaller pairs in the back, stood around and seemed to be waiting for orders. Worried looks were spread throughout, but they also contained hints of anticipation and excitement. They were ready to prove their might to the world and had been training relentlessly, absorbing human knowledge and learning skillsets as fast as possible.

To be ready for any future that may come.

He looked at the head of the first group, his sister Jessie. She was a beast and stood tall and muscular, her spear held firmly in her hands, glaring with fierce purple eyes. She headed the hunter’s group and was skilled at hit-and-run tactics, using her gang that she called ‘Grunts’.

The second group was a weird one, as their head was a rather unique brother of his, named Roman. His eyes were two different colors, one red and one blue, which creeped Aaron out, giving him chills down his back. They were holding long swords called katanas, their sharp eyes scanning the room.

The head of the third and largest group was his brother Damien. He had fiery red hair with blue eyes and was a loud-mouthed, eccentric type who just wanted to beat everything up. His group were warriors and brandished spears and swords, some even just their first.

Aaron kind of understood them, so he pumped his fist at their hoots and shouts of battle lust. Looking over the top of the crowd, he noticed one of his brothers lurking in the back and locked onto his cold grey eyes with a nod. It was Garin, and he was a master of stealth, as his insight was in shadows.

He didn’t know how the hell that worked, but Garin had come to him with a proposal. He offered to be Aaron’s blade in the darkness. There to strike from the shadows at anyone who would bring harm to the Firstlings. Aaron could see the potential of information gathering and attacking those who would plot against them, so he agreed.

Everyone became alert as Cornelius addressed the room.

“Everyone knows why we are here.” He stated this firmly as he looked into the eyes of everyone gathered. “The war will begin any day and at any time. We have all gone over our parts and the roles we will play, but remember, do not become fodder for the humans. Our survival is paramount.”

“Brother does not speak of doing ill to the humans,” Ciel said, standing beside Cornelius. “We will fulfill our agreement and will not abandon them, but be warned. Not all can be controlled by one voice, and some of the humans may not wish us well.”

Murmurs of agreement spread through the crowd as Aaron frowned at the statement. Truer words had never been spoken, and they had to prepare for the chance that the humans would use them as bait, or even worse, as meat shields.

They all shrugged off the thought, and the conversation continued. They went over their plans again, working out any of the finer details, as everyone started to get bored and trickle out one by one. Aaron ended up being one of the last ones to leave, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he exited the tent, feeling the fresh afternoon air.

‘It was stuffy in there!' Aaron groaned, wiping sweat from his face as he went back to his tent. He was going to rest until the call came, as he had been training relentlessly the past few days and needed the break. He went back to his manual, perfecting small details, when a thought struck him.

He opened his Gift and looked closely at his Runes, noticing his upgrade on Integration. He was shocked, however, to see another skill he hadn’t seen before, assuming he must have gotten it during training and overlooked it.

He liked the sound of it, though.

[Dance of Death]

“You have Marched to Death's Tune.”