Heaven on Earth. A phrase that most would deem to be impossible to apply in reality, but not for Lux Festus at this very moment. The kid laid motionless on solid ground, like all his energy was zapped from him and he couldn’t complain, as what he had done made his impending doom predictable.
Only his fading eyes resembled any form of life so he chose to make do with what he had and stared into the boundless night sky shining light below the canopy of newly-sprouting trees, birthed from his final stand.
The moon gave thanks to the dawn of a new age by illuminating the foliage around the forest, revealing swarms of fireflies floating away from their hiding spots and dancing along the skyline for Lux to spectate.
This is for the best, Lux thought, his mouth barely able to make a sound, all of this pointless bloodshed can finally come to a close…
His past alchemy instructors had always pestered him about life flashing before his eyes on the brink of death.The optimistic Lux of the past would laugh at the lecture at every turn, yet he could finally understand the poetic beauty behind it.
It all flowed into the poor kid in a matter of seconds: His desired enlistment into Aide Academy, the gruelling training to upstage his fellow up-coming alchemist prodigies and the fool-hardy joy he experienced when he reached the top and gained the Philosophers Stone as his duty commanded.
His skin went paler by the second and his eyelids grew heavier with every blink, not just the fatigue of death gripping his form but from the treasured gem of the world he swore to use for his nation, lodged in his chest, had its fiery sparks of life drained from the spherical jewel.
Unusable. Just as he expected.
All that was left was for oblivion to embrace the soul that laid trapped in his moral shell.
Heh… dying is much colder than I imagined
From black to white, the surroundings shifted into the unexpected as, to the kid’s surprise, his originally unmoving body had regained mobility. The more unnerving circumstance however, was that he was unclothed and his skin bore a translucent blue.
“So there IS such a thing as the afterlife,” Lux stated aloud to the bright void, “and here I thought I’d be eviscerated into the universe. Though,”-
He took another glance at the presumed afterlife and facepalmed-
“I’d rather be erased than spend all eternity wandering a plain of absolute nothingness.”
Another double-take and Lux strolled through the expansive wasteland to find at least something to do. And in a few minutes of boredom and a gradually expanding sense of panic, he reached his answer as a voice spoke out.
“Welcome my dear child,” it echoed. In response to the emergence of an unknown presence, the boy stood still and showed his classic ‘I am not affected by this whatsoever’ look, in case the thing decided to pop in front of him for the sake of giggles.
“May I ask who I’m speaking to?” Lux questioned. “Cause me going under a loopy episode before my inevitable demise is slowly becoming more plausible by the second.”
The voice chuckled at the peculiar comment. “I suppose it would be easier if I unveil myself before you. Don’t be afraid, child, as I mean no harm to you.”
Once Lux had noticed the voice could be heard from behind, he turned around to discover the mastermind behind his current predicament.
It was a human to Lux’s relief, resembling an old man built like a viking who wore: a silky white toga latched onto its left shoulder with gold strings laced along the edges, wooden sandals that shone like they were fresh from the chopping block, carved to perfection and a blood ink tattoo on both of its palms that bore the same sign as the Philosopher’s Stone.
Although he had never seen the figure in any textbooks in the academy, its ethereal warmth and resolute smile, only a father could replicate, was all too familiar to Lux, “Are you… God?” he exclaimed in a shocked tone, tapping his fingers on his hands in suspense, while his emerald eyes remained unblinking towards the otherworldly figure.
“I believe you already understand son,” it said, stroking its curly beard, “and I must say, the form you imagined for me is quite flattering!” To emphasise God's appreciation, it flexed their muscles like a typical bodybuilder. Flux took no time at all to twist his neck the other way.
“P-please stop that!” Lux ordered gently, his cheeks heating up that rivalled his fire alchemy. “If you truly are God, could we be somewhere else than here? I feel like I'm going blind.”
The God returned its gaze towards Lux who was squinting at the figure with every blink. “Oh! I’m sorry about that my boy, this space hasn’t been used since I made it during the Earth's creation so I felt no need to decorate.”
Instead of a snap of a finger or a chant like Lux expected, the dull space took no incentive from the God as it warped into an assortment of colours and solidified. The area became a rose garden that Lux would find no difference between the backyards of snobby high-class residents from his town, adorned with a marble gazebo and a classical table set made of oak.
“Now if you please son,” the God said as he sat on a chair, sipping a cup of coffee that popped out of nowhere on the table with a range of pastries and drinks, “would you take a seat? And have a treat. It should ease the mood”
Lux nodded warmly at the much cosier environment and sat in the chair opposite to the God. He would ask how he could taste anything without his physical body but since his last bountiful meal happened weeks ago, he chose to forgo his curiosity and embrace the feast. He grabbed a piece of toast and shredded it out of existence. The taste was something that Flux couldn’t put his tongue on but it was the best thing he ever ate since chocolate cake so he wasn’t complaining.
And so he continued while the God paused at the chomping display and smiled lovingly. “I’m glad your appetite hasn’t changed, the pounds of food I could see you eat in a minute was beyond astounding even for me!”
Lux froze mid bite and slowly returned a glazed donut back on its plate. “Uhm, sorry…” Lux whispered, so quietly that no one could pick it up.
“Oh no worries, I’m just teasing you,” God replied, undeterred by a low-pitched apology, “but I think I’ve done enough of that. At this point, I can sense you understand that I don’t do this idle chatting for every soul that passes the veil.”
“Is it serious? L-look I’m sorry about all those missions from the Belicus government-” Lux wallowed. He had a feeling it was leading up to some horrid punishment for what he blindly chose to do but God put that thought at ease with a knowing wave.
“No, but you’re on the right track my boy,” God said with much less enthusiasm than before, “you see, I may only watch from the confines of my realm, but I can’t help but…humbly apologise for what your birth had done to you. The path of alchemy is supposed to be a road to new life, wondrous experiences and yet you suffered a fate no seasoned adult should swallow.”
God placed its elbows on the table and held its head in its hands; eyes shut as if pondering the next words carefully while Lux stiffened in his seat, awaiting a response.
“With every new conduit born from the Philosopher's Stone I saw their hunger for power grow more and more prominent,” the God gripped its hands together with its eyes closed in shame, “when I created it for the first 20 humans, it was a branch of trust. I had fulfilled my desires to create the universe and so it was humanity's turn to shepard life beyond my interference.”
Lux could see the figure’s face shrivel up as it covered its face with its hands, still held tight, avoiding his unrelenting gaze “Yet a few million years later, they use it for war and personal gain, gate-keeping its power to a select few on the excuse of regulating its conduit. The hoarding of such might resulted in assassinations and invasions that I know you’re all too familiar with.”
Lux solemnly nodded. Calling back to the hundreds of attempts on his life from desperate organisations, unprovoked. He knew the responsibilities of holding that Stone and yet the brimmed excitement he once held for the position died out in a matter of months.
“Yeah,” he replied, watching the starry night sky that mirrored the scenery he saw on his deathbed. “I always thought of the Conduits as heroes. People that do nothing but help their friends and country, to protect them from harm. I know I wasn’t the only one who wanted to be like that but it didn’t make it any less special.”
The Philosopher's Stone held the ability to grant alchemists the control over life. Not the concept itself but through the 20 signs of alchemy, which the average person could only use one depending on their dominant genetics passed from the first human alchemists; two if they trained hard enough. As simple as it sounded, the process took years to master just one sign although Lux didn’t understand why.
The recall of basic knowledge brought another memory to light as he thought back to the first spells he made with it and how he hopped around the training grounds after every success to the chagrin of his friends and classmates.
Man I’m gonna miss the feeling of electricity in my hands.
Unfortunately, his time to recall old times came to a close when God stood up from his chair. “You however, reverted the world into the paradise I once called perfect. Now the lives I cherished can start anew and hopefully come to understand the importance of love and friendship through such a sudden reset,”
Lux got out of his own chair to stand in front of God as it motioned a hand for him to do so.
Once he was close enough, the originally towering God that stood half a foot taller than the kid, knelt down to meet the boy at eye level, “and for that I must thank you, my child. If it weren’t for your sacrifice, billions more souls would’ve damned themselves for a false ideal.” God said sincerely, to which Lux had no response. The Bringer of Life was thanking him? It was surely something to take to his grave -or to his new life if it was gonna come to that.
Eventually, Lux bowed in courtesy. “Please raise your head sir, that doesn’t change the fact that I was apart of that cycle to begin with… the blood I’ve spilt was still my choice,” Lux choked on those last words, the atrocities still weighing on his mind, “but as lovely and wholesome this chat was, I think it’s time you send me to heaven or hell.”
The God blinked a few times, dumbfounded at the kid.
He thinks he could go to Hell… how could I let things end this way? No matter, it only proves his worth even more than before.
“Oh heavens no!” God answered, waving its hands in front of its face. “I need to make amends, child. And I know just the thing.”
Lux tilted his head with a blank face. “So what do you have in mind?”
“I haven’t done this for any human but I believe you have the right to do more with your mortal life. Which is why I shall reincarnate you into a new body!” It boomed enthusiastically. “You’re a child wise beyond your years Lux, and though as much as your kind praise you for it, that isn’t how a child should be. You should have fun, play around, make friends like all 13 year olds do…”
The boy raised his eyebrows in shock. He had been aiming towards mastering alchemy and his duty as a Conduit to even think of doing other things, so with the prospect dangled in front of him, the kid gave God a thumbs up. “I see nothing wrong with it. Another shot at life WOULD be fun,” Lux replied in a playful tone while nodding to himself, “maybe now I can figure out the fuss about adulthood!”
Sweat glistened on God’s face. “I assure you my boy, I know you more than you think. The new life you will discover shall be a chance for you to fulfil your greatest wishes,” it stated, continuing onwards as the God walked about the marble pavement, “I have found the perfect body for you to inhabit, a kid your age. Poor thing had an accident and his soul is passing on as we speak…”
At the end of the patio, a red door appeared into view but it had no wall to portray a room beyond it. And yet, when it opened itself like a spirit drew the handle, a glistening light shone past it and twisted into a portal-like substance that Lux couldn’t decipher.
Best not to think about it
God smiled at Lux as he walked to the door. If Lux were any other kid, they’d probably embrace God in a plethora of cuddles and smiles before leaving. But to him, that was no way to show love to such a figure, his own father was an easy example of where that would get him. “Thanks for everything sir,” he called, turning back to God one more time, “hope to see you again someday… oh and please tell the passing soul I said hello.”
God smiled affectionately and that was all the encouragement Lux needed to hear as he took a deep breath and jumped into the glistening embrace of the abyss.
God watched as Lux dived into the portal and willed the doorway to crumble into dust, erasing the portal from reality.
It smiled- actually no, he was grinning ear to ear. God may have not been a man in body, but he was man at heart and it made him chuckle to foresee the gigantic scale of confusion Lux will encounter on his first day. Still, the being could welcome the fact that Lux would find peace eventually, as the body that it honestly was growing to love, vanished and left behind a boundless mass that surveyed the universe from a seat beyond mortal understanding.
Lux sure is a modest kid…he’s definitely Lady Aer’s descendant that's for sure. Perhaps I should visit her and tell her the good news. Her bloodline will bring the world into order just as I
had promised.
Yet the being prayed that Lux would find it in his heart to forgive it, because although God loved him… it could not tamper with the fate the kid chose to take.