It's been 84 years...
It's almost spooky month and I've finally found a way to get out of the longest writer's block I've had. And I'm glad to be back, at long last. I hope to get the next chapter out next month, but with college keeping me busy, it might take a bit longer again. Hope you enjoy this chapter, your reviews, follows and favs never fail to make my day.
See you soon
~Kalafinn
Ara huffed on her hands to try to warm up her reddened fingers. She rubbed her hands together, briefly feeling the numbness fade away. She had tried to get something to wrap around her hands, but it was much more honourable to leave the woolen mittens sir Toto had given her to the young mother and child she had met just a moment ago.
It was exactly what any Haan would do.
No Haan has willingly lost their fingers to frostbite, Ara.
"I'm not losing my fingers, Eun. It's just a little cold," the black-haired girl mused, continuing her daily, but mostly fruitless, search for something to eat. She had thought about investigating Lu, but hunger took the better of her. Neither she nor Ain had moved since the night she met them. Considering the wounds Ain had, Ara figured none of their adventurer group would move for a while. It was far from ideal, but it had helped her focus on helping others who were in much more dire situations.
Ara, child. You have a heart of gold, but even I would struggle to keep your selfless life. You have to take care of yourself. You can't keep helping everyone.
"I know, Eun," Ara mumbled. She glanced at the passersby around her, some raised an eyebrow at her. Her gaze sank to her feet and raised her old scarf to cover half of her face. It was not a perfect subterfuge, but it helped to avoid most of the weird stares of Elderian citizens, "We'll go to meet sir Toto after we pray for those poor people at the Temple. Maybe this time I will convince him that I'm strong enough to join the Band."
I hope so too, Ara. You'll be freed from this town and that...pagan temple.
Eun still sounded apprehensive at the mere mention of their new midday stop. Ara intuitively knew the Millenium Fox could not quite pinpoint what made her so uneasy about the place, but it was not dangerous enough to deter Ara from going.
The young raven-haired girl knew the alleyways around the Eastern Heart almost like the back of her hand. The only spot she had avoided was the Market, the number of guards that surrounded the place with swords and maces was only second to the guards she had seen guarding Leader Wally's fortress.
She walked solemnly from the alley she had hidden in before. She put her hands together as one does to clap. Ara barely felt anything more than a tingling cold as she wrapped her reddened, almost purple, fingers together. She would have closed her eyes by now, but they only grew wide when she saw a hooded figure standing in the expanded path only a few steps away from the end of the alley.
The figure sighed, their breath condensing into a momentary cloud, "I guess Ciel was right. This only brings more questions about Ain."
The figure was undeniably a woman. But it was not Lu. Ara tried to remember the names, but the painful cold that numbed her fingers was taking over. Risha? Aira? It had to be one of the two.
That's not important, Ara. The Celestial knows about this. Or he may be involved. We need to know more.
The girl furrowed her eyebrows, "Why, Eun?"
The woman turned towards her. She had beautifully exotic green eyes and long hair that was the shade of tea. Her ears were longer, far more than Lu's.
"Hello," the woman said with a smile.
The disarmingly kind tone from a stranger was something that Ara had grown to forget the more she had been forced to travel from a foreign town to the next. She clasped her hands together and nodded politely at the long-eared woman.
Don't call her "long-eared", Ara. That woman is an elf. A forest Elf.
"S-salutations," the girl said, fidgeting in place, "forest elf madam. It's a, uh, nice winter day, huh? Cold enough for frostbite."
Ara, child, that went downhill too fast.
The elven woman raised an eyebrow at her, but quickly her green gaze filled with worry at the sight of her fingers, "Oh, you poor girl. You don't have gloves?"
Ara laughed nervously, "Oh, it's all good enough. I gave them to people who needed them more."
The hooded elven woman approached her, taking a pair of woolen gloves out of a pocket of her cloak. She offered them to her, "Here. I have a spare."
Ask her about the Celestial. Now.
The raven-haired girl put on her gloves, ignoring Eun's order. It would be far too rude to ask something like that.
"Thank you, forest elf madam."
Ara.
The elven woman made a sheepish smile, "Please call me Rena. What's your name?"
Ara! Pleasantries aren't as important as knowing what happened here. I have a theory, but I need to know what that elf...
Ara flinched, as she usually did when Eun's voice was growing too loud in her head. If Eun did not want to stop being rude, Ara simply had to talk over her, "My name is Ara Haan. Second daughter of Anrya Haan, the twenty-fifth head of the Haan clan. We are an ancient clan of peerless warriors in Xin province. My speciality is the spear, an affinity I shared with my late grandfather, the twenty-fourth head of my clan."
Rena nodded slowly, her eyes furrowed a little at the lengthy introduction. She, like the rest of the foreigners Ara had met when Eun started to be rude, had no idea why Ara had explained herself to that extent, "Oh, so you're the girl Ain and Lu met on their way back."
ARA!
"Yes!", the girl barked, clenching her gloved hands and glaring at the wrong person, "Yes! I did! I met them!"
Rena took a small step back, raising an eyebrow at Ara's odd behaviour, "Did...they do something to you?"
Ara shook her head, her thoughts already growing wild with a hundred apologies she did not know how to express in the dialect most foreigners understood, "No. Never. They were very pleasant travel companions. My deepest apology for my outburst, I...just…"
It would do her no good to explain the truth about her sudden outburst of rage. After all, Rena had to be one of Lu's companions. The other elf in the group was undeniably a Steel Cross.
"I, uhh, just get emotional around this Temple," she muttered, "anger, sometimes sadness. But that's why I pray for the lives lost two weeks ago."
The Haan warrior stepped into the hall that would have led to the Temple before and crouched in the middle of it, as she would usually do. She muttered the traditional prayer for funerals, then the next for peace of mind and ended with a short mantra for illumination. She was surprised to see that Rena had simply watched her in silence.
"Madam Rena, sorry for the interrogation, but," Ara began as she got up, "you won't tell of my prayers to the Steel Cross, will you?"
The elf tilted her head, "Why would I? It doesn't matter how people honour their dead."
Hmph. A ranger fresh out of her forests. Let's go, Ara. This elf is practically useless. The Band might know more.
Ara pressed her lips, and slowly nodded, "Yes. Of course."
'Don't be so rude, Eun! I'm going to ask what you said before.'
It's pointless. This elf is too ignorant to even comprehend what it can mean.
'Stop it, Eun. I'm going to ask her and then we can decide what to do.'
The Millenium Fox did not reply and Ara dusted off her cloak, "I heard you before. Was Celestial Priest Ain here?"
"Celestial Priest?"
"Well, mada- I mean, Lu, called him Celestial two weeks ago. I can only imagine it's a special title of, uhh, priests around here."
The elven woman squinted at her for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, you could say it's a special kind of...priest. That said, why do you come here to pray, Ara?"
The girl shook her head, "I could not save the lives of the people here, but the least a Haan must do is honour their souls."
The elf's ears drooped as her emerald gaze plunged into the path of frozen corpses and rubble only two steps beyond them.
"You're not to blame for this. Even some guards were killed."
Ara's eyes widened, "Really? Someone had already avenged the fallen?"
It must have been The Band.
It was Rena's turn to be shocked by what she had learnt, "Wait, what do you mean by that?"
The golden-eyed girl looked uneasily at the streets around them. Eun was most likely right in her assessment, and it would not be safe to discuss any of it where they were so far away from the slums where the Band had a firm hold in the people's hearts. Of course, the countless zigzags between the snow-covered boulevards and alleys did not paint a better picture of the city. Yet, at each turn into narrower alleys, and much less guarded districts of Elder, Ara nodded at an increasing number of familiar faces.
The district the Band had taken hold of was formerly called the District of Flowers. Home to dozens of tea houses, flower shops, and apothecaries, the district was known as the birthplace of several famous businesses. But no merchant could remain afloat when a tyrant took control of the town. His fanatical obsession with rumours of demons and Nasods blinded him from Elder's success as a centre of trade.
Waned flowers, looted shops, an old public board filled with vandalized 'property for sale' signs, and dirty facades were all that remained of one of the many faces of Elder's past. The people who lived here were either always too poor to leave, or were one of the many refugees the Kingdom of Velder had forced the town to accommodate.
Rena could not help but be extremely cautious to the many hooded figures who passed by them, some holding rusty scissors or dented daggers. Their eyes were briefly focused on her; an apathetic, but calculating gaze. Their silent steps and foreign whispers were not very reassuring, but Rena was not particularly afraid of one or two thugs. Even if she could never fully recover from her shoulder injuries, elven martial arts were already deadly with kicks alone.
"Ara," Rena said as calmly as she could, yet not shifting most of her focus for any potential and immediate threats around them, "Where exactly is this safe place?"
"Oh, we're almost there. The Band has us covered."
'The Band?' Rena mentally repeated, her eyebrows furrowed. She had never heard of such a group, but there was little she could do to find out besides following Ara to them. It was risky, but she had superhuman hearing. Even if there were little to no spirits lingering around Elder's streets she could use to enhance her magic, it would be impossible for humans to lead her to an ambush.
The people of this part of the slums were simply going about their daily life. Some were observing them, often slinking away from her sight, but they were too scrawny to ever pose a real threat to her. As for Ara herself, Rena was not quite sure what to expect. Had any spirit been around, they could have told her if the girl's erratic behaviour hid something darker. It was best to walk five steps behind her.
The raven-haired girl turned once again to an alley to the right and there she found Bruce with elder Yiu Hie. The smell of dried meat jerkys tickled her nose and made her mouth water. She called their names, waving at them with a smile on her face. Rena blinked a couple of times at the two men who Ara was greeting as if they were family. The old man had finer silks hidden under the rough, dirty woolen cloak he wore. His salt-and-pepper beard, cleanly trimmed around his long face, gave a much more austere look to his golden eyes. It was not hard for anyone to figure out he was at least someone who hailed from the same region as Ara's.
The hawk-masked man next to the elder was bizarrely built. He was broad like a bull, his face hidden behind a mask of steel that was so tightly tied by thick leather strips that it gave Rena the impression the man's head was deformed because of it. The man had a hunchback, and arms with hands disproportionately large for the rest of his body. While his appearance was bizarre enough, what struck Rena the most was that the masked man wore brown clothing that hugged his figure too tightly to be appropriate for winter. He was neither shivering nor had any signs of frostbite. It was as if his orange gaze held enough heat to warm him.
"You brought a friend, Ara?" the masked man spoke first, giving the girl a piece of his beef jerky.
Rena figured it was better to stay at least five steps away from the two men Ara had greeted, especially because of the strange masked man. Whoever it was, Rena thought that those deformities were not natural, and neither was that mask. The two orange marks underneath its eye holes shone as if it had been embedded with mana of some sort.
"Yes!" Ara enthusiastically answered before devouring the meat jerky the old man offered her, "She's with the two others I told you about. Her name is Rena."
"Hmm," the masked man grumbled, "Strange ones, are they?"
Rena furrowed her eyebrows, wondering just how these two men were related to the Band. Ara continued to report to them. From what the elven scout could tell, whatever the Band was, they had been observing them, perhaps from the very day they got in town.
The old man sighed, "Celestials, Demons, and now forest elves…" his golden eyes peered straight into hers, and from his gaze alone, Rena felt a wave of mana sweep her. The man had tried to use a hypnotic spell on her. Sadly for him, she had already put every precaution she knew on herself against magical attacks. Even one Lua had inadvertently inflicted on her; she now knew that Hie was a masterful human mage.
The old man raised an eyebrow at her, "Elf Rena, why would you travel with a demon? What is your purpose here?"
Rena raised an eyebrow, her fists clenched, "I could ask the same about you. You look to be part of the elite. Not part of the beggars and," she glanced at the masked man, "other cutthroats."
The mage nodded slowly and glanced at Ara, "Dear child, did you forget to tell your guest about us?"
The black-haired girl stopped eating, her eyes wide before her gaze sank shamefully to her feet. The old man sighed while the masked one simply shook his head.
"I'm sorry," Ara mumbled after swallowing her last bite of jerky, "But, well, I was also fearing we might be overheard by the guards. After all, The Band took revenge for the lives lost in the Chapel. Right, Elder Hie?"
Yiu Hie's eyes widened, the flames underneath the mask of the deformed man next to him also grew brighter. He even took a step back before shaking his head, "No, girl. Doing such a thing, while righteous, would be too very risky."
Strange…
'Eun...were you the one?'
I let them live another day. Someone else must have gotten to them.
Ara grimaced, 'Eun, are you sure?'
I didn't need to kill them to ensure your safety. I never do unnecessary things.
The mage noticed the girl's focus was now with the spirit she had tamed within her, and, with a strong clap of his hands, made her focus snap back to the material world. Ara raised her head and looked, a bit startled, at the elder.
"Ara, was that an expeculation from the Gumiho?"
The girl nodded, "But, well, she can be wrong, sometimes. Today was one of those times."
So far, Rena had listened quietly to the conversation. At first glance, one might think she could have left at any point, but Rena heard the steps of members of The Band -whatever guild of criminals they might be- gathering near the windows with crossbows pointed at the sole intruder. She briefly looked up and caught a glimpse of an old, battered-down weapon before its owner swiftly hid it. The alley they were in was a corridor of seemingly abandoned buildings. Despite their decrepit state, most of the buildings had at least four windows. It was safe to assume, however, that some other archers were taking aim from the hastily covered holes on some walls. Even as an elf, trying to sneak her way out without getting a hail of bolts, was near-impossible. The crossbows were all worn out, true, but that would only make the projectiles even more unpredictable. Perhaps some would be too slow to even reach her, but she was dealing with an experienced and powerful mage. The arrows might just be the diversion he needed to cast a deadly spell at her.
This was the territory of The Band, and only that old man, their leader, would decide when, or if, she was allowed to leave without a scratch. But that would be it, a scratch. Rena was already thinking five steps ahead on how to deal with the mage. Elves usually avoided magic that could stun or damage the spirit of their opponents, but they still taught such magic. Because war, especially against humans, sometimes called for harm to be done against some spirits.
Hiu Yie pondered in silence for a couple of seconds, briefly glancing at Rena before looking straight at Ara, "You've done good so far, Ara. I want to speak with you later, Toto has something for you."
The golden eyes in the girl's eyes lit up with excitement, "Really?" she looked at the hawk-masked man, "Toto, may I have it now?"
The giant man nodded weakly and, with one of his fingers, ruffled Ara's hair, "Yes. Follow."
The two visible members went away, leaving Rena alone with the head of The Band. The elven woman returned his hawk-like gaze, showing him no fear.
The old man took a deep breath as he walked along the width of the alley, two steps right, then two left, "You've come to this town at a very complicated time. And who you've been sent to is not the one who's going to save anything."
"As opposed to you?"
Rena's voice was colder, now; more distant. She surprised herself to just how much disdain she held for a man she had just seen. It was a gut feeling, a sudden thought that set her mind to despise him. Perhaps no spirits could reach Elder, but Rena was sure their thoughts reached her, even now. This man had surely been part of those who had harmed their forests.
The old man smirked, "Oh, no. Far from it. I'm merely a helping hand to the man who holds Conwell. You might know, or at least heard of, its original owner: The Knight of Dawn."
Rena frowned, "As if that weapon is in anyone's reach. Whoever you're helping, it's just another thug."
Yiu Hie looked down and shrugged. He stopped his pacing and began to walk towards her. Once he was next to her, he stopped, "I suppose. The wielder of Conwell and I have caused enough harm to the spirits you elves protect. In your eyes, we'd always be thugs. If one of you came to us again, I'd give you exactly the location of who you're looking for."
Rena's eyes widened and she turned at him, but before she could grab onto him to stop him, the man vanished in a flash of a teleportation spell. The elven scout took a deep breath, looking at the buildings all around her. Mana lingered from every place she had sensed people aim at her. She took a step back, using her own powers to check again.
The elven woman looked down, rubbing her cold hands together for some warmth, 'I thought he was good, but not that good. By the El...who knew a human like him existed?'
Her way back to the Guild was quieter. The alleys and abandoned shops she had walked through were even emptier than before. Everything of that district Ara had taken her to was completely abandoned. Not a sound of human life reached her ears besides her own steps over the snow.
'Just how many illusions did he create? I couldn't even tell the difference. Is he even human?'
Ciel quietly sat in the tavern, sharpening his hunting knives and throwing knives carefully with Dragonstone. The mineral, rough to the touch but deceptively smooth to the eyes, was a dull grey with purple veins running through it.
The day had been tense and quiet, with the exception of the daily training Lu had structured for the kids in the group. Ain had not left his room for two days now, and Rena seemed a bit more on edge. It was unlike her to insist so much on looking for the Chapel on her own, but then again, did he really know her? That part of her could be the real face behind the caring parental figure she tried to be. After all, she had already left on her own in the Forest Ruins.
'Still, this feels different...Eh, what do I know about elves anyway.' The Steel Cross sighed, looking at the blade in his hands. The edge was almost perfectly restored. With a sigh, he continued his task, thinking on just how he should take Lu out now that, somehow, she had decided to grow closer to the group. Her interest in what was happening to Ain was particularly worrying.
'You are still hung up on that, Ciel?' Lu's thoughts echoed in his head.
The blue-haired man frowned, 'Why should I not be? You still owe me an explanation as to why you're risking both of our lives.'
'I am not sure how to explain it myself,' the demoness replied, 'Did you see that...dream?'
Ciel stopped polishing the blade and laid it on the table. He made it spin, staring at the cold glow of Lanoxian steel, 'I've tried not to pry into your head since I saw how you were betrayed. I saw a glimpse, though. You were talking with someone.'
'Exactly. I was talking with someone on a balcony. I could see the entire city of Rigomor from there. Did I ever talk with you about the Cizin who...'
Lu's flow of thoughts suddenly closed and changed suddenly into a completely different direction, 'Ah, nevermind, I did not. Nevertheless, I think the curse I was under is wearing off. Maybe if I recover all my memories, it will be easier to return to my former self. It is rather bothersome to be forced into the body of a little girl.'
Ciel stopped the blade with his finger, swiftly grabbing it and hanging it back on the belt he hung most of his knives in. He passed his hands over his face, his eyebrows still furrowed, 'So, that's it? You think Ain is somehow the key to recover your memories and that justifies the risk of staying here? How does that even make sense, Lu?'
There was no answer.
Ciel held his head in his hands, looking down to the table in front of him, 'Ok, so you don't know. But at least, Lu, explain to me why you want to return so badly to your old body. We had a deal, didn't we?'
'We still have a deal, Ciel. But, tell me, do you see us survive against all a bunch of bandits and a former Lord Knight who is hiding Sult knows what cursed forest? Do you see us survive that much with my limited powers? Rena's arms are busted, these two kids are barely grasping the basics and, since the Chapel was torn apart, we do not have the money nor the Church's good will to refill your arsenal. Ainchase is completely useless at this point, Celestial or not. How else do you expect us to get the shard before spring?'
'Whether the priest is-'Ciel blinked, realizing the strange reversal of thoughts between him and Lu, 'Wait...did you just call him by his name?'
'...Well, he is no priest and I am not sure if he is a Celestial anymore. In any case, I want to get this El Shard before Ruben becomes a desolate land. It is certain we must leave this chaotic bunch behind if we want to accomplish our goal in time. But when we do, I would feel safer if I had all my strength back. Do you understand?'
The blue-haired man shook his head, 'No, I don't. Lu, you're not making sense. You're trying to fill Rena's place at this point. Why are you trying to fix a broken team we're gonna end up leaving? It's pointless.'
Lu's voice came to his mind like a punch, 'Perhaps to you, it is. But the last time I left a broken army to die, their leader repaid me with knives in the back. And I do not, by principle, take the same chances to be betrayed twice.'
Ciel looked to the side, clicking his tongue, 'I...Ok, I get it.' He paused again, taking a deep breath to try to ignore the foreign bitterness that transpired from Lu's thoughts, 'But, you know, regaining your former powers is still our absolute last resort. We're not that desperate yet. Lu, I know you can see what I mean. We're not trapped into a corner. Not yet and not while I'm still here. Try to rely on me a little more, ok?'
The bitter thoughts that viciously coiled around his mind fell back, silently vanishing under a gust of sympathy. He merely had to remember the ideas he had to help them get the shard on his own to let Lu know. This was the kind of bond he appreciated: honest faith without the shroud of deceit.
'If the locals here know the forests half as well as the people from Hagen did, we can avoid the most dangerous spirits. You're right, Ciel. I...'
Ciel closed his eyes, silently picturing himself sitting next to where Lu was. In an instant, he could almost see the training ground she was looking at, the vague silhouettes of Elsword and Aisha dueling with wooden weapons. Lu was standing next to him in her true form, as she had usually been since their encounter with Lua. Her hair waved slowly behind her, almost like a veil, and her horns and tail were made of black smoke. She walked around with her hands behind her back, standing straight, yet her gaze sank at her feet.
A cold nostalgia chilled the space around them. It would have completely darkened the room if it was not for some vague memories sparked in corners of the room like shards of a broken mirror. They glimmered in a soft light, and although none of it was real, it seemed to Ciel that he wished to see those shards more clearly.
'Get a hold of yourself, Ciel,' Lu said, putting a hand over his shoulder. The shards became more opaque, then vanished completely, 'You have never consciously made it inside my mind before, so be careful. Do not confuse my desires and memories for your own, or you will wish I broke our deal.'
The vague silhouettes of the training room, Aisha and Elsword came back into his view.
'Why's that?'
The demoness sighed, 'Because, if it happens, your soul will simply become yet another fragment of my memories.'
Ciel almost had the urge to then question why she had not lured him into her mind before, but her answer came into his mind almost as if he had always known it: Lu was simply not that kind of person. Not since…
'Ciel, I told you to stop trying to dive into my head. It won't end well for you,' Luciela frowned at him, 'Why did you come here?'
'Honestly, I just wanted to understand what's going on with you.'
The Silver Cross got up and watched with her the two children train. They were indeed quite amateurish, but it was to be expected, given their injuries and young age. They could heal, but it had gotten them used to fight with fear of another serious injury instead of thinking of the techniques they learnt. It was only natural, given their age.
'I think I've gotten an answer, Lu,' He looked back at her, her anger was gone from her eyes, replaced by a quiet surprise, perhaps tainted with guilt, 'Be careful too, Lu. Living for memories can become a nightmare you'd beg to get out of.'
He turned away from her, seeing from the corner of his eye that she tried to say something, but the words simply stuck to her throat. The vision vanished, turned everything to black, and Ciel opened his eyes, feeling as if he had taken a nap. He still had a knife in hand, which, thankfully, did not slip out of his grasp and stabbed his foot.
He put back his weapons in their place and left the main room of the guild, pushing the door to climb up the stairs to the second floor. A chilly gust swept his sleepiness away, and he turned around to see Rena come in through the side door, her fingers reddened and her coat and hair covered in snow. The elf sighed heavily and took down her hood. There was an unfamiliar coldness to her frown, her amber-green gaze looked slightly darker, but perhaps that was only because the candlelight had wavered under the cold.
Ciel raised an eyebrow and continued his way through, opening the door to his shared room with Lu to pack and recount the weapons in his arsenal.
Ainchase had confined himself as much as he could to his room, eating only what was necessary for his human shell to maintain its core functions. A piece of bread a day and some tea sufficed, or so he wished to believe. He had taken upon himself to bandage the parts of his hand where his skin had permanently turned blue. For now, it was only his thumb. There was no reason to panic, he often thought to himself, it would remain that way for a year or two, as long as he kept himself from using what little pure energy he had stored away.
Henir had not manifested in his mind, nor anywhere around him, which was an odd, but very welcomed silence. His choice to avoid touching or even talking to anyone had at least worked in the short term. If he let such a foul god take hold of anyone, or anything else, who knew what could happen to the El Shard.
The dying Celestial laid down on the bed, turned to the side and closed his eyes. He should simply rest, and hope he would not doze off in case Rena decided to check on him. Ainchase sometimes wished she could come more often, something about her was pleasantly strange. He would not have called it familiarity, or a memory. He knew well that everything he remembered was knowledge given to him by the goddess, just like everything else about him, regardless of what Henir might insinuate to corrupt him further.
He took a deep breath, and felt his conscience drift somewhere near a dream, but he still was aware of his surroundings. A trail of ashes appeared in front of him like Northern Lights. He smiled, chuckled and dashed through it, knowing exactly what this vision was for. The goddess was with him. Ishmael was finally contacting him, even after he was dying. She had not given up on him.
"My goddess!" he cried, as he ran and ran down the path, hoping to see the ashes become a trail of pure, blue light "Goddess Ishmael!"
He lost his voice, then his breath, following the same ashy path until its end. Instead of the sacred temple Ishmael lived in, Ainchase was staring at the ruins of the Elder Chapel. The silver-haired man fell to his knees, his eyes widened at the strange destination his path had taken him. He grabbed a handful of the ashes that led him here and looked down as he slowly opened his fist. It was still all grey.
'Eh? Something's...what is this? Did I...forget the path? Goddess Ishmael?'
His thoughts echoed, each fractured word becoming louder and louder. He heard steps behind him, at a pace identical to his.
'Who's there?' he frowned, realizing what kind of energy it was, 'How dare Henir send the vision of a mortal here? Out of my sight!'
The steps came to a halt right behind him. He had been so sure it was a mortal, but he could not tell himself apart from that clearly foreign presence. But that just could not be.
The Celestial turned around, but before he could see who it was, his eyes opened. Rena carried two cups of tea on a tray. Her ears perked up at the bed creaking when he sat down. He sighed, passing his hands over his face.
"Hi, Ain. How are you feeling?" the elf asked, offering him one of the cups. He slowly took it, looking down at his tenuous reflection over the tea. It was just perfectly warm.
"Don't worry about me, Miss Rena," he said, forcing a smile on his face, but his lips barely curled. He clasped his cup a little too tightly, and while he barely kept his eyes half-open, anyone could have seen he was more than alert.
The elf pulled a chair from the corner and sat down in front of him, "I would worry less if you ate properly, for starters."
"Ah, you know, I want to-" he frowned, clicked his tongue and shook his head, looking away from the elf, "Nevermind."
"Ain," Rena quietly called him, combing her hair behind her back, "I think I know why you want to be alone for now, but…"
The fallen Celestial found the strength to look back at her, and he lost the grip of his wooden cup, barely feeling the burning tea over his knees, he did not even hear the cup fall. His eyes were fixated on the unthinkable, the unimaginable.
The elf rushed by his side, searching for spare blankets to help him dry himself. Ainchase could not hear anything but a high-pitched ring. He saw Rena mouth words rapidly, her green eyes were duller under the frown of worry. She glanced up at him sometimes, but their thoughts could not meet. Ainchase put a hand over hers, stopping her from helping him any further.
"Miss Rena, stop."
Rena froze, looking at his bandaged hand, "Ain, when did you get hurt? I can't leave you be if you're-"
Ainchase got a hold of her hands and softly pushed them away from him, he looked at her, combing his long bangs away from his face. Just like he had always done before, he plastered a smile over his face, thinking it would still hide his true thoughts. But his eyes could not lie when they were open. Rena's worry went out like a candlelight, replaced by simple resignation.
"Instead, Miss Rena," he said, getting up to summon his pendulum, "I must help you."
The elven woman pressed her lips and shook her head, "I'm fine. Ain, you need what's in your weapon. I can manage."
"You know what I am, don't you?" he looked down with a short sigh, "Well, what I was. Even so, my eyes don't fool me. I won't be worse off, I've noticed it when it's still very small. So, think of this as a 'thank you' gift for taking care of me for the past couple of months."
Rena looked down, sweeping away the sting in her eyes before it became tears.
'Even Celestials, every spirit becomes warmer when their final hour comes…'
She remembered the wisdom Elder Branwen had left her when she was only a child, barely understanding that the most beautiful spirits were the ones closest to their end. Even the most bloodthirsty beasts would become tamer when they knew death was coming.
"Thank you, Ain."
The priest nodded, slowly unravelling the countless mana shards the crystal was made of, each one was as small as a grain of sand. He caught a couple hundred shards, making them levitate in a sphere over his uncorrupted hand.
Ainchase walked behind Rena, "I'll need you to push your hair away so I can see it well."
The elven woman complied, holding her hair up despite the tremors that such movement caused. Her scars were completely exposed, burns, scratches and alchemy-made sutures; her back had become a testament of what her victory against her past failures had cost.
Ainchase furrowed his eyebrows, slowly controlling the flow of the purifying energy he had gathered. The sphere became a current that curled around the most vicious injury Rena had gotten. It was there the lightning magic had pierced her, sending her flying to the wall.
'This is also part of my true mission,' he thought as he erased all traces of what should not have been leeching off an elf's body.
Rena's arms trembled a little less. In fact, she felt a bit stronger. She moved her arms around, not feeling as much numbness as before. She looked up at Ain and offered him an honest smile, "I definitely feel better now, Ain."
The silver-haired man nodded, returning her smile, even if it always looked strained, "I need you to promise me something, Rena."
The elven woman's smile died out, "You don't want me to come near you again, right?"
"Yes. It's my fault that thing was on you."
"You can't be sure. It began after I was injured."
'And so it began for me too…' Ain pressed his lips, then shrugged, "Even so, you got injured because of how I used my authority. As much as I enjoy your company, I'd rather spare you from being exposed to my decay. Every Celestial isolates once they're past a certain point. In my case, I won't isolate for long."
Rena furrowed her eyebrows, "What about the El Shard, Ain?"
The turquoise eyes of the celestial returned to their peaceful green. They were different than before, Rena could tell. Even if death loomed near, there was a glimmer that made her think the rumours about Celestials were true.
Ainchase opened his mouth and closed it immediately, before turning away from her. He walked to the window and leaned his arm over the locked windowpane, "When you find Banthus's whereabouts, slide a note under the door. I'll join your fight to take it away from him. And that's probably the last thing I'll do."
"...Why?"
"I'd have to use all my power. Given my current condition, that power is my lifeline. Once drained, I will follow suit."
Rena straightened her head and looked down, clasping her hands together, "I see...And, in the meantime, you'll stay here, all alone?"
"Yes," he gravely answered. He let a moment of silence settle in, which he then broke with a joyless chuckle, "I'll regret never really learning how you make tea taste much better than anyone else's. Guess there's one thing even Celestials can't best mortals at."
The elf's ears drooped, she bit her lip bitterly. It was his choice, she knew that well, but it was still a very harsh one. Just when he finally opened up more…
'That should have been the first warning', she thought before clearing her throat and managing to smile faintly, "Well, Ain, I could slide more notes down your door in the meantime. Namely a thing or two about tea."
Ainchase remained where he was even after Rena closed the door behind her. He sighed, feeling some kind of invisible knot on his throat sinking down his chest. His eyes burnt under some kind of strain. It was strange, he did not remember ever straining his eyesight.
'Miss. Rena, if you did that, I'd-'He shook his head, frowning, '...What in the goddess name have I come to? Being this rattled up by a mere vision. Talking like a mortal as if they could ever hope to see eye-to-eye with the Heavens… It's distractions like that that surely kept me from contacting the goddess before.' he thought bitterly.
The door creaked open and closed softly.
"...Who's the insolent mortal who entered?!" he barked, turning sharply around with fire burning in his green gaze.
The white-haired demoness, the shape Henir had chosen to torment him, stood in front of the door, arms crossed. She had no horns, and her hair was combed slightly differently. It reminded him of someone. The manifestation of Henir smiled, then grinned. This time, she did not even speak.
'You again? Well, tell me how much time I have left,' he coldly ordered.
'Hmm...I did not come here for that. I'm merely amused that you're returning to how you were. I am not amused at your expense, mind you. the figure calmly said.
Ainchase frowned, clenching his fists until they trembled. He hit the wooden wall, 'Stay out of my head if you're not going to answer. Even gods like you should know and respect the Boundaries Of The Goddess.'
The manifestation of Henir chuckled, 'I'm impressed. That brat did a finer job this time around. If only she didn't throw a tantrum and discard you...What a shame.'
'What does that even-?'
'It means exactly what I said. She…' the god clicked his tongue, 'Well, let's just say when she found out our deal, she threw you out. Typical for a spoiled brat.'
The Fallen Celestial scowled at the god, 'How dare you?! Not only are you disrespecting the goddess, but you're also questioning a Celestial's unbreakable oath! No Celestial, including myself, would ever betray the wise and almighty goddess who gave us our lives, our memories and our power! There is a limit to the chaos you can bring to a dying mind, Henir, even if you're the god of Chaos.'
'She still calls me that, huh? What a disrespectful child...' The god sighed, sitting down on thin air, just the way the real demoness sat. Her back was straight and she crossed her arms and legs, 'She did give you power, yes. She gave you tons of it, in fact. Much more than to any other Celestial of hers. She gave you a life, a set of memories and whatnot, but not your life, not your memories. She tried to purge those, but our deal stopped that from happening. She saw traces of said deal and here we are. She really is a child, and less wise than the children you travel with.'
Ainchase scoffed, 'You lie. You're only here to make me doubt my faith in the goddess to serve your side.'
'That's far from the truth, Ain. Here, let me ask you something: have you ever thought there could be a reason why, even before you were attacked by that undead elf, you still could not get in touch with her no matter how hard you tried? Have you ever wondered why she told you not to involve yourself with humans? Could it be because she knew you were corrupted from the moment you got out and she wished to spare mortals the disgrace of being corrupted by your very presence?'
Ain's eyes widened like coins and his head became so light he had to hold onto the window frame to keep himself from falling, 'How do you know- No, you shouldn't know that. You're pretending to know because you're in my head now. She gave me a mission! I must restore the El!'
'You imbecile! 'The god frowned, his sclera turned pitch black and he got up in a flash, 'The moment you set a foot in Elrianode, I won't have any choice but to-!' he stopped himself and sat back down, passing a hand over his face. His eyes returned to normal.
The Celestial was stunned by such a rapid and almost 180 degree change in the god's demeanour. The very image of the demoness, which he already despised, had become terrifying in the blink of an eye.
'Apologies, that is not the part of me you summoned today,' The god leaned closer to Ainchase, his hands clasped together, 'And, besides, you are not ready to hear what I had to say about that, uh, mission. So, you see, Ain, I don't harbour any real ill will against you. In fact, I pity you.'
The Celestial's gaze recovered from its shock and glared back at the god, 'Oh, is that why your energy is corrupting me from the inside out?! I would be doing far better without your pity. I know how to handle your words. They're just lies, and I consider them as such.'
The god shrugged, 'Maybe. Maybe not. In any case, you did say you wanted me to tell you when you'll die, right?'
'Yes,' Ainchase straightened up, looking down at the vision of his enemy Henir chose to take to manifest himself in his mind. The god seemed unbothered by his attitude, speaking as casually as he had been before.
'And, according to those Boundaries you speak so much about, should I really be telling you when your inevitable end will come?'
The dying Celestial froze, taking his fist away from the wall. He remembered the pact between his goddess and the god of Chaos himself. It did not allow for Henir or any of his agents to even speculate on the end of a Celestial's life.
'Ain, if you know that, what's the real question you wanted to ask me? What's your real reason to call for the mercifulness of Time instead of the chaos of Space?'
'Huh?'
'I am the god of Time and Space, Ain. A god too powerful to be summoned completely inside your mind, even if you are the most powerful Celestial. So, I can only manifest as one of the two faces that make the whole. And you summoned this face for a reason.'
'I...did not. I was going to talk with the goddess. I saw the path, I saw it, I followed it and then-'
Ainchase's ears rang louder and louder. The high-pitched sound was a hammer pounding against his temples. With a soft groan, Ain took his head in his hands. He felt as if he was burning from the inside out. Shards of steel suddenly appeared like swords within his flesh, piercing his organs, burning through his skin as they made their way out. They were no steel, nor swords, just drops of darkness leaving his body. He bent down in agony, out of breath, but refusing to scream.
Screaming was for mortals. Silence was weakness. He was a Celestial, he could endure in silence.
'Hmm…' the god of Time and Space stepped back onto the ground and approached Ainchase, 'So this is why you called this side of me, Ain.'
"Get...Out…" he wheezed, trying to look at the god's face, but he could not look beyond his ankles from where he was. He was kneeling towards a fake god and that thought burnt almost as much as his pain.
Henir was paying Ainchase no mind. His gaze was focused on where the Space Energy was gathering once it got out of Ain's body. He crouched and closed his eyes with a heavy sigh.
'It's all gathering in the worst possible place, Ain,' he concluded, 'You brought this onto yourself. You should have never let her take your wings, of all things, away.'
Right where his wings had once been, a dark sphere was manifesting itself, rippling as if rain was falling from every direction onto it. Once it grew to be almost as big as an apple, Henir drew a line over it with his fingers, leaving a teal eye over it.
'I can't extend your life any longer than this, Ain. I can only hope that you won't suffer this much until you're ready to break the seal.'
And with those ominous words, Henir's presence vanished. Ainchase could almost see the air around him fill with deadly amounts of mana as the room flooded in liquid darkness. A flash of blue lightning blinded him, and he heard a 'thud' before his every sense shut down.
His room looked as if a gust of wind had swept through every corner, almost knocking back the furniture onto the ground. Ainchase was the only one to have been knocked out. Henir's energy began to corrode his face, just like it had done with his hand.
Yiu Hie and Ara watched, awe-strucked, the liquid darkness that loomed over the last window of Hoffman's guild, right on the second floor. It was shaped like an eye, darker than a moonless night, dripping off seemingly darker shades of black as if it was being washed off under a cascade.
'Eun, what is that?'
The shape flickered, as if it were a mere illusion. Turquoise lines struck the darkness from top to bottom, forming what would have been eyelids on a normal eye.
Ara, look away, now!
"Look away, child!"
Yiu Hie's and Eun's voices intertwined, the elder even grabbed her to make her turn away from the ominous eye.
The darkness looked at the town underneath, releasing a humid gust of wind that, to Ara's nose, carried an indescribable smell. It was as if the scent of smoke, the chopped wood used to fuel a fire and the trees the wood had come from was mixed together. It was...timeless, and all the more unnatural. Ara peeked around her, only to find that everything but her was frozen in place, for a moment, she could not even hear her own heartbeat, nor her breaths. The gust was all but gone, even the snow it had lifted on its wake stood still mid-air.
An electrifying desire to look at the source of such phenomenon was ravenously devouring her will.
'Look, Ara. Reach your potential.'
A voice eerily similar to Eun's rang in her mind, yet, there was something off about it. Scared, the girl closed her eyes again. The same voice repeated those words over and over, but Ara only shut her eyes even tighter.
After what felt like months, the gust settled down and, hesitantly, the two observers turned back to the window. Everything was back in its place, as if nothing had ever happened. Ara fell to her knees, dizzy and exhausted from her experience.
Yiu Hie looked at her, noticing the sleeves of her cloak were shorter, "Child, what happened to your clothes?"
"Hm?" Ara took off her cloak, only to notice her head felt heavier. She felt her hair fall further down, almost to her knees.
Ara...you've grown.
"I've...what?" she blinked at the sound of her voice. Was it hers? It was...different, "Elder Yiu Hie, I...Eun says I've grown, but that can't be, right?"
"I can't say for sure, child. I don't know exactly what kind of spell that was, but whoever cast it is either dead already or one of the Dark God's pawns."
"The Dark…" Ara stopped herself, shaking her head, "but Ain can't be that. Celestial priests around here serve the El goddess? You told me she's the one who opposes the Dark God, right? So, he couldn't have cast that, even if it came from his room..."
Yiu Hie, who always seemed so calm and wise in Ara's eyes, froze. He raised an eyebrow at her, his lips moved for a second, but he soon looked away, eyebrows furrowed. He walked restlessly from one side of the alley to the other, muttering something in the Capital's dialogue, too fast for Ara to understand.
Finally, with a heavy sigh, he came to a halt, not even looking at her, "Ara, does the Gumiho know something that might help us?"
Ara, let me take over.
'E-Eh?'The girl blinked, straightening up as if a lightning bolt had gone through her, 'Eun, I can tell him on my-'
Child, he is asking for my presence. It won't be long, I promise.
'O-Ok,' The black-haired girl closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, erasing every thought from her mind until she drifted into sleep.
Her long hair turned white and her eyes opened under a crimson shade as tattoos of claws made of the same colour marked her cheeks.
"Elder, the incident at the church...it was caused by a peculiar circumstance."
Yiu Hie turned back, trying to return his composure, but the unnatural eyes of the Gumiho filled men who looked upon her with apprehension or desire. He felt the former.
The fox spirit smirked, "Oh, do not give me reasons to devour your soul. That fear is looking far too appetizing and this body is starving…"
Yiu Hie looked away from her, "Why did the girl let you through?"
"I asked for it. I want you to hear it from me. The massacre started once someone killed a guard. At first I thought it was a pebble, but once I took a better look at the corpse, it wasn't a pebble at all. It was a dagger, thrown with almost inhuman aim."
Yiu Hie frowned, "Wait...you don't mean to say that-"
"Nobody in that crowd could have thrown it. No, in fact, I'm certain of it. Because that dagger was shrouded in the same darkness as what we just witnessed. We might be dealing with a Fallen One."
"A Fallen One?"
Eun rolled her eyes with a long sigh, "You humans lose sight of your history so fast… That priest is a spirit directly created and sent into this world by Ishmael. And he's become a Fallen. I'll let you guess what kind of cataclysm that can bring to the El and the lives of every citizen."