#omega machine

Thousands of years ago a great war was waged using amazingly powerful humanoid fighting machines called Armored Skeletons, or Askel's.  The result of this war?  90% of human life on earth ended, and humanity was reverted to the bronze age.

Now that I got the coolest part out of the way, several thousand years later (10,000 I think) a kid finds one of these old Askel's in the local mountains.  This is on the same day he has gotten news that his father has died in the great war, the front within a few miles of his house, and the rest of his family died the same day.  Finding out his family was dead, against the interests of the local sage, wiseman, and guardian of the village childrens playgrounds (aka, watches the kids while they are in the woods, so they don't fall, and die a horrible death).  This sage suggested they leave it, but he finds it and upon entering it powers up, and suddenly his mind was filled with information on how to power it.

Taking the machine to flight he fights off some bi-planes.  Then flies to the battlefield, where upon seeing the war he snaps and invokes the ancient Askel's power, vaporizing a large section of the front in one shot.  Realizing the damage he did, and finding his father behind enemy lines he goes to his father, takes him away, and has a moment of 'hero's pondering'.

On the way around he picks up a pilot and general from the 'enemy side'.  The generals bodyguard, an oversealous soldier from his side, his childhood female friend/love interest and the old sage.  They come across advanced civilizations from beyond earth, and nearly start a war between the earth and the moon in the process of learning about the Askel's power.