Chapter -104: May My Heart Lead the Way

The next day, atop the twin peaks of fire and ice, it's two deity Titans were lounging in their hot spring with glass bottles emptied of their sake at their sides.

Magmankey was blushing and hiccuping chin-deep into the water while Chillo Dillo's eyes were pressed together in utmost bliss, with snowy hearts shedding off his body just to quickly be melted away.

"O-Ok," Magmankey chuckled, "Here's a hot new idea! Next time they fight...hic! We puncture the battlefield like swiss cheese! Really trip 'em up!"

Chillo sighed and was looking unresponsive until Magmankey stretched his finger out and flicked him on the forehead, "Hey boozer snoozer, I'm talkin' here!"

"Guh!" Chillo leaped right out of the water and cannonballed down into the center, causing all the water to go flying out of their little retreat.

Magmankey growled and pulled himself back up off the edge and was sober in a second, "Ah great...I was just getting in the mood too!"

Chillo wobbled on his back and muttered, "My bad."

"Well, nothing else to do but rebuild it!" Magmankey hopped into the empty basin and planted his foot into his brother's stomach. Then with a gentle shove he sent him rolling around to layer the basin with ice, which got thicker and thicker with every pass.

Magmankey sat up on the edge and waited, popping out another bottle of sake from out of nowhere.

But the winds began to move, bringing a mood ruining presence to his sight.

"Haaa..." Magmankey popped the cork off his bottle and craned his head back to take a drink, "Whaddya want now, kid?"

It was Sarajin, standing on the edge next to him. His eyes fixated on Chillo rolling around on his back and letting out a happy "Wheeeee!"

"A-Am I bothering you...?" He wondered.

"Always," Magmankey grumbled before stretching his hand up to Sarajin's shoulder and forcing him to sit down, "Whatever, say the usual bullcrap."

Sarajin looked at the Titan firmly and told him, "Actually, I have a different proposition this time."

Magmankey looked out of the corner of his eye and found Sarajin was trying to present himself with respect towards his authority for once. Naturally, he lapped it all with joy.

"Heh heh! Ok, fire away!" He said, putting the bottle down.

"I want to try and discover a new way to get rid of the Rot." Sarajin stated.

"Trust me, we've exhausted all our options here." Magmankey retorted.

"That's right. Here," Sarajin turned to him and stated confidently, "But not out in space."

Magmankey's eyes popped open and Chillo stopped halfway through his work. The two slowly turned their heads towards Sarajin like they couldn't believe a word they were hearing.

"You're kiddin' right? Space?!" Magmankey slapped his knee and reared his head back, laughing so hard it'd shake the snow right off the mountain, "That's the funniest shit I've ever heard!"

"You don't think it's worth it?" Sarajin said, confused by the intent behind the Titan's mockery.

Magmankey had to settle down for quite a while before he'd give a sincere if not blunt answer, "Who can say? Maybe you're right, maybe you're not. Nobody's ever dared to go off-planet before."

"And for good reason." Chillo interjected.

Magmankey wrapped his arm around to Sarajin's other shoulder and pulled him in close, whispering in his ear as he pointed up towards the sky, "You see our sun, kid?"

Sarajin nodded.

Magmankey put on the tone of an adult dramatically telling a fairy tale to a kid, "Imagine if you took our planet and unfurled every square inch of it into a straight line from here to there..."

Sarajin nodded some more, then flinched when Magmankey flicked him in the forehead and let go, swerving immediately into a blunt and mocking tone, "You still wouldn't be anywhere close to it, let alone any other hospitable planets in our solar system!"

"Not to mention all the cosmic radiation..." Chillo remarked.

"Or all the monstrous terrors creeping behind the star light." Magmankey said with a deep and grim tone. He crossed his legs and leaned his knuckles against his chin, grinning as he noticed Sarajin's expression wavering slightly.

"It's a cute dream kid, but someone like you ain't cut out to make it a reality."

Sarajin briefly pushed a glare the Titan's way and then eased up, telling him in no uncertain terms, "I'm not going to let you dissuade me."

"Oh no by all means, I'd prefer it if you got lost out there and were outta my fur forever," Magmankey's grin widened into a sneer as he then proceeded to mumble, "But you didn't come all this way to ask for a permission slip to a field trip out to space, did you?"

Sarajin was briefly puzzled by his choice of words and then told him, "No. I want to make a bargain with you."

"A bargain eh?" The Titan was intrigued, "What kinda bargain we talkin'?"

"I'm worried about the war going on in my absence. So I was hoping...the Titans would agree to a ceasefire until I come back from space."

Sarajin looked him dead in the eyes as he said every word, and Magmankey deigned to flash a smirk of begrudging respect back at him.

"I waited twenty goddamn years for things to fire back up to full throttle again and now you're expecting me to hit the brakes barely a few months in, are you nuts?!"

"This could be our chance to undo a great cataclysm and bring our world back to normal," Sarajin squeezed his fists against his chest where his heart laid and stated with utmost confidence, "I know I'm risking a lot on vague hope, but I only do it because I know how much we could lose if we let the Rot get the better of us!"

Magmankey squeezed his eyes shut and growled very audibly. Chillo wobbled up and uttered, "He ain't askin' for much, bro."

Magmankey reached out and casually flicked him onto his back, "Shaddap for a moment while ya..."

After minutes of silence and brow furrowing, Magmankey pulled his eyelids open and began to grin. Sarajin swallowed hard as the tension reached its peak, and the Titan delivered his answer.

"One year," He raised his pointer finger for emphasis, "I'll give you one year to head out to space."

Sarajin's smile widened only to sag when the Titan shouted "BUT!"

He lifted two more fingers and remarked, "There's going to be a few conditions. One, you're going to let me keep pitting Canofloe and Cryofloe against one another one."

Sarajin groaned and the Titan threw his hands up and shouted, "Oh c'mon you can't expect me to do nothing for a whole year, you might as well kill me at that point!"

"...Ok, fine." Sarajin relented with some hesitation.

Magmankey grinned and remarked, "Two, I wanna know how you plan to get back here."

Sarajin widened and fluttered his eyelids in surprise, causing the Titan to wield an accusing tone against him, "You're either super omega confident or the supreme king dumbass. Space is HUGE, I can't emphasize that enough. You'll eventually lose sight of your home no matter which way you go."

The gravity of such a journey had weighed on his heart while he thought it over last night. But when Sarajin was on the verge of giving up on this idea, for some reason, he felt the urge to pull out the Gaia Temporis and stare at it. And when he did...it was like all the gravity in the universe couldn't hold him down.

He smiled at Magmankey and patted his right pocket where the stone was held, stating with a quiet but certain confidence, "I'll make it back. You can be sure of that."

The Titan tapped his fingers against his cheek and smirked, "Fine. Then the last thing I want you to do is go speak to ol' Twinbeak."

"Twinbeak?" Sarajin wondered.

"If he judges you capable of leaving the planet, then I ain't going to raise any further fuss about your bargain."

Sarajin blinked twice while Magmankey wagged the back of his fingers at him, "Now go on, shoo! Can't you see we're busy?"

Chillo rolled on by him shouting "Wheeee!" and then rolled down to the other side.

Sarajin took off following a respectful bow, making his way back home and thinking about what comes next, "Twinbeak's judged my heart before...Does they have another way of judging people? I never would've taken them to be a fighter, but what if...?"

All he could do was steel himself and fly straight for the tower at the center of his floating home. There, he climbed his way to the top like he had many times already, each step still feeling daunting on his legs.

Perhaps there was just added pressure for him to do well this time, now faced with a vague but crucial trial.

"No matter what they throw my way, I have to overcome it! Otherwise...I won't have any ease of mind going out to space."

At the tower's peak, he stood alone in the Titan's nest with the sun gazing down on top of him. The wind was quiet and the atmosphere carried it's usual homeliness.

...It could be a long time before he experiences this feeling again.

He shook, gulping down hesitation hard and thick through his throat, then stood still and waited.

The nest was whipped up into a mild frenzy as the wise and powerful Twinbeak descended upon its perch directly in front of him.

It peered through him with its eyes and immediately, it understood why it had to be summoned.

"You have come to us with a crucial decision, Sarajin Stratos...One that could very well reverse the cursed fate of our world."

It's other head spun around and cooed with warmth, "Your heart has chosen this path carefully, but now it requires affirmation from another."

"We who govern Sincerity and the boundless skies, stand in your path."

"We feel as though you already know what must be done to prove yourself."

Sarajin lowered his head and his hand unconsciously motioned towards the hilt of his sword, "You want to make sure I'm ready to go out on my own, right?"

"There are evils abound beyond the veil of starlight in the night sky...Our brother Xiark can attest to that most profoundly. Horrors beyond the human imagination lie in blackest skies, some potentially sicker and more depraved than the black monster that descended upon our world."

"But the person who stopped 'D.' proved that there's good people out there too!" Sarajin declared, "And maybe those kinds of people will have solutions to our problem! So I have to try and reach out, even if my odds are slim to none!"

"This matter cannot be debated."

"Only proven."

"So draw your blade, Sarajin Stratos."

"And show to us..."

Twinbeak spread its wings with one quick and forceful gesture, causing a hurricane-like gale to erupt within the nest as it took off from its perch.

"The proof of your strength and unclouded resolve!"

Sarajin felt himself being carried off his feet towards the sky. Higher, higher, and higher still, until he was higher than he had ever flown before.

Twinbeak brandished its wings like sharpened steel and levitated in place, gauging his first move with it's peerless eyes.

Sarajin drew his blade from the sheath without pause and knew that he was not going to be allowed to hold back.

He tested the Titan's might with the first swing, sending a pressurized wave of energy at their feathered chest.

Time felt like it had paused with the speed that the wise bird rolled out of the way of the attack. It then pulled away and began flapping its wings gently, summoning a ring of whirlwind gales that tightened down upon Sarajin's location.

Sarajin flipped over the ring and propelled himself away from the explosive gust and tried to keep pace with Twinbeak.

The Titan started gliding clockwise with it's right wing raised, dislodging it's feathers to act as projectiles.

Sarajin floated behind and slashed at the incoming bombardment, each impact feeling like he was clashing with a sword of equal peer to his own.

A couple feathers made it through and sliced him clean down the thigh, drawing blood. The Titan was playing for keeps, not out of a lack of mercy, but out of a respect of Sarajin's path thus far. That's what he felt with every clash.

Sarajin knew it'd be a waste of time trying to match the bird's speed. He needed to figure out a way to hold them in place and strike.

The Gaia Temporis was the obvious answer but not one he wanted to use right away out of fear of exposing his trump card prematurely.

He took caution and sheathed his sword, pulling away and concentrating on the power of ice. As there was plenty of chill in the air, he was able to quickly create icicle spears to match Twinbeak's feathers blow for blow.

The Titan stopped moving thusly and flapped its wings twice, summoning another whirlwind ring to collapse upon Sarajin's location.

Sarajin flipped forward again but was met with a second ring, forcing him to flip again. But he got cocky with his agility, and the air pressure punctured him full force, signaling a deadly attack incoming.

Twinbeak rallied the storms to wreath it's body and then charged him like a gigantic arrow. Sarajin had barely enough time to draw his sword and guard against the Titan's beak.

But though he staved off a massive hit he was sent hurtling back through the air without any sense of control. Twinbeak then used a series of compressed wind blasts to juggle him around, eventually forcing him over to their location. It then whacked Sarajin down into it's nest with it's right wing.

Sarajin dragged himself up and felt sore all over his body. There was no time to rest, the Titan was sending more feathers his way.

Sarajin cut them down as quick as he could while he gathered the concentration to have icicles deal with them instead. Then he kicked up running until he could launch off the nest towards the Titan.

These feathers were something he always loved about birds. How soft it made their coats when he pet them, and how they could be warm like a blanket...

But in the hands of Twinbeak these means of comfort were deadly weapons. It was a reminder to Sarajin that he can't let his guard down. Even the most unassuming tool of the trade could be deadly if he got cocky...

When it looked like he was gaining ground against Twinbeak's bombardment he tried to aim a couple icicles at them directly, only for them to expertly roll out of the way.

Sarajin then bolted straight for them, taking the form of a lightning bolt to increase his speed. However, the moment he was about to make contact Twinbeak rapidly flapped its wings and managed to hold him at bay.

And when he could no longer hold his concentration, Sarajin was sent hurtling away.

Sarajin regained his stance and slowly caught his breath with the shadow of the Titan looming over him. It was about to try it's ring trick again on him, but this time, he was ready for it.

Instead of exposing himself dodging, he pressed forward and cut through the wind with his blade to open the path. He kept cutting through the extra rings while rising higher to face the Titan.

But he pulled himself away and countered it's feathers with his icicles, all the while gauging how he was going to close the gap safely.

In the head of battle his mind was coming up with ideas so much it began to clutter his concentration up. Still, he tried to focus and filter through them for something that sounded viable.

And within this hurricane of possibilities he thought of something tricky, but it just might work...

He grit his teeth and sheathed his sword, continuing to match feathers with icicles. But now he was going to attempt to divide his concentration towards the element of water, and throw pressurized blasts of it at Twinbeak's face.

Each attack missed their mark by a long shot and the Titan hadn't the need to be fancy about dodging. It let out a hum of intrigue and decided to pause it's assault.

Sarajin then realized he forgot that the Titan had eyes in the back of it's head, and thus took notice of the gray cloud he was forming from the moisture.

Sarajin was trembling all over from how much he was pushing his body so far but he couldn't back down now. In a haste he squeezed his fist and caused the cloud to pop, releasing all the moisture in the form of a quick rainfall.

Twinbeak raised its wing as a shield but quickly peered over it to find that it was just rain. Nothing special about it...

It had to focus back on Sarajin, as he was now surging with electricity and concentrating it towards his hands. His eyes projected a determined look but their subtle trembling made it hard to imagine that he was confident in this plan...

But he let the lightning bolts go flying and as expected, Twinbeak flew higher to avoid them.

"We suspected there was trickery at play. But water alone won't trick our eyes."

"I know…" Sarajin breathed a sigh of relief, as the lightning bolts curved their path upward the moment Twinbeak tried to dodge, "That's why I put iron flakes in the water."

The electricity was magnetically attracted to the water and zapped the Titan until their whole body was illuminated. They spread their wings and didn't make any noise as they flapped them down, dispersing the electricity and water in one go.

Sarajin widened his eyes as, spare a few rising trails of smoke, the Titan was fine. More than fine, as it chuckled more lively than he'd ever seen it.

"A valiant effort, if we do say so ourselves."

"We could praise him a little more than that."

"Indeed. That DID sting a little…"

Sarajin meanwhile was gritting his teeth and trying hard not to break down laughing, "You Titans really are the rulers of the planet, aren't you?"

"Do you wish to continue? Or shall you lay down your blade in surrender?"

It felt a question poised with difficult options. As he stood now, Sarajin knew he had zero chance of landing a clean hit on the Titan let alone winning. But if he surrendered, would that mean failing the trial, and thus his chance to go to space?

"Twinbeak doesn't think like the other Titans do. They want something more out of me, I know it. I just haven't figured it out…" Sarajin's hand was on his hilt, ready to draw it for another go.

But then his hand began shaking out of hesitation, causing his teeth to grit down harder. He looked up at the Titan, whose full glory and beautiful transcended the world as it bathed in the sun's light, and saw expectation beaming from its eyes.

He was being judged at the moment. One wrong move would decide everything...

Every muscle of his being was telling him to draw the sword and keep fighting with the fire of his soul. But his mind was telling him…"No," this wasn't the right way.

Grappling with his primal urges for a solid minute, Sarajin squeezed his hand tightly around the hilt of his katana...and then slowly let go, pulling his hand away and bending a knee in mid-air.

"I yield, Twinbeak. I'm not strong enough for this."

"Incorrect, Sarajin Stratos," Twinbeak began to descend until it was flapping a few feet out in front of him, looking straight into his eyes, "The ability to recognize when one is outmatched, and choosing to live to fight another day is not a weakness, but a strength. And one that will serve you well as you travel out amongst the stars."

"Y-You mean it...?" Sarajin said, stuttering with youthful surprise.

"We do. Your heart guided you towards the final lesson you needed to be taught."

"Our warning's hold true. There are creatures lurking among the cosmos that even we mighty Titans dread...These monsters will come in many shapes, some even wearing the skin of man."

"But it's important that you stay true to yourself and decide what is the right course of action. As you are now, we feel your heart will not lead you astray."

"Thus, all we wish…" The Titan raised its wing of warmth to Sarajin's chin and helped lift his head, "Is that you return to us safe and sound, our child."

Sarajin's smile wobbled as he stood up proudly before the Titan and his voice cracked attempting to show his appreciation, "T-Thank you, Twinbeak."

The two then slowly descended upon its perch, where Twinbeak positioned itself sideways and looked down upon Sarajin with it's primary face.

"One last bit of advice though, from us to you. Before you leave the atmosphere, you will want to surround yourself with wind. There is no air to breathe out in space, after all. But as long as you balance your other elements properly, you'll be able to remain fed and well on your travels."

"So I have everything I need then...?" Sarajin held his hand up near his face and then smiled as he closed his fist.

"There's still a few things I have to do before I head off though." He declared.

"Understandable. This shall be a long farewell, but not truly goodbye…"

The giant owl thus decided to rest in it's nest, while Sarajin began his long descent down the tower, where he then proceeded on back home.

He knew at this point there'd be no turning back once he went through the front door. Everything up to this point was easy. Telling his parents what'd come next...that was going to be heart wrenching for all involved.

He took one step inside his home and just like usual, his mom was tidying up while his dad was taking a moment to relax and groom Moses.

They turned their attention towards him and greeted him warmly, but were quick to feel uneasy when he hesitated to take another step forward.

Sarajin looked towards the ground with half a smile and a sagging in his shoulders, "Mom, dad...There's something we need to talk about."

He sat them all down at the table and for the next half-hour told them what led to his decision to go to space. His words were respected and though their expressions shifted throughout, they never said a word.

But the lack of resistance just made Sarajin more tense by the end, to the point he was covered in sweat and out of breath when he asked them, "Well? W-What do you think?"

He bit his teeth and winced his eyes halfway closed, watching as his mom and dad stared at one another. His mom looked paler than usual and her eyes were the first to turn bitter.

She sharply turned her head and shouted "No!" forcefully, causing Sarajin's heart to ache.

But then she whimpered and sighed, planting her hands atop her knees and looking at her son with watery eyes and a limp smile, "...Is what I wish I could say."

His dad looked at him and planted his hand square on the table, "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

"I am." Sarajin whispered with a nod.

His dad closed his fist and eyes and pulled back, saying in a firm tone of voice, "I don't want you to go. The thought of you dying...scares me."

"I-I know, but I'm putting my life at risk no matter where I go, dad."

"At least here I could bury you!" His dad blurted out, his fist trembling against the table, "Out there...who knows what'll happen to you."

"I don't know either...It's scary but also...exciting." Sarajin said, shaking as he put his fist against his chest.

"Just…" His dad squinted his eyes and turned away, whispering tiredly under his breath "Look me in the eyes and swear to me that you'll make it back alive."

Sarajin did so with his sincerest smile, "I will."

His father hesitated, wondering aloud, "...Maybe I should go with you, just to be safe."

"Then who'd take care of mom?" Sarajin pointed out, which was enough to make his father stand down, "And besides, dad. I need you here to do something for me."

"Me?" He uttered in pale surprise.

"The war may be on hold, but some trouble might arise in the Tribes. I'm going to go around to all my friends and allies and give them a copy of the whistle we use to call Moses. That way, if they're ever in trouble, they can signal you for help."

"I-I...you trust me to do so?"

"I do."

"...Very well, I will...do what I can." His dad said with half a smile.

Sarajin then turned to his mom and was surprised to find her no longer at the table. He had lowered his guard, and this allowed her to strike with a hug around his chest.

She held on tight with her frail arms and refused to let go, pressing her cold cheek against his face and her tears coming down upon cheek.

"I refuse to outlive you. Please, make it back safe and sound within a year."

Sarajin turned and silently hugged his mom for a minute, whispering once he pulled away with tears in his eyes, "I'll miss you, mom."

Now all that was left was to say his goodbyes to everyone else, and give them a parting gift. Starting with Carmine in Tanglefae and eventually making it over to Valic in Pulsa Minoria, the reactions varied. Some were accepting of what he had to do, others seemed withdrawn in expressing their true feelings.

Still, there was little trouble in departing once all words had been laid bare. In the end, the only person Sarajin could not get in contact with was Valflame, and there was no need to go to Cryofloe.

Even Solomon, reluctantly, accepted the gift. Though little did Sarajin know, hearing that aid would come in the form of Sarajin's father caused Solomon to crack it in his grip once he departed...

Then, only two remained. Justek...and Auris.

Making it back into the city and telling Justek the good news was the easy part, as he had already been made privy to his plans. Unfortunately, he could not be given a whistle due to his circumstances.

Instead, a vow was renewed between them to see each other again, no matter what comes next. Justek had immeasurable faith that he would survive.

Thus, Sarajin made his way over to the last destination on his world-wide journey. He approached the palace and Gabriel was guarding it. He pulled away from the door and barred his path, looking a little surprised in the process.

"How...did you manage to get in here alone?" He wondered.

Sarajin stuck to his guns and remarked, "Is Auris around?"

"Ah," Gabriel closed his eyes and crossed his arms, "So this is what she foretold of…"

"Huh?" Sarajin tilted his head and left Gabriel to explain himself.

She knew you'd manage to get back here somehow. Thus, she gave me explicit instructions to keep you from entering.

Gabriel gestured his hand up and remarked, "I'm sorry, I will not yield this time."

It was a disheartening bit of news for him, especially as they had departed on such uncertain terms. He stayed determined to see this through to the bitter end, however, even if he couldn't meet her face-to-face.

"Can you deliver a message to her for me?" He asked with an earnest look at Gabriel's face.

He stood there intently as Sarajin told him, "Tell her...I'll be going away for a year. Out into the unexplored regions of space."

Gabriel widened his eyes briefly but let him continue.

"Hopefully I'll be able to find something out there that can help stop the Rot. I know this is sudden, but I feel it's something I have to do...For all of us. And only I can do it."

"So...I'll get that answer from you when I come back, ok? And I will make it back! That's a promise! So...could you do me a favor and try not to stay pent up in your palace the whole time I'm gone? I'd hate to think I'd be keeping you from living your life."

He let out his breath in a quiet gasp and then smiled, raising his head and remarking, "That's it. See you later, Sir Gabriel."

Gabriel was left stricken with this look of surprise as Sarajin turned and walked out of his sight.

On the other side of the wall directly behind him, Auris stood there with her face red and her lips quivering. Tears steadily trickled down her cheeks, as her breaths were deep and pained...

"I had my chance to speak my mind, and like a fool I locked my heart with a key and swallowed it and the words attached etched on it…"

"I gave myself this pain, a pain without a cure. As he walked away, I had no doubt my sister was shaking her head at me in shame from afar."

"All I could do now is accept that our paths were to temporarily diverge. He would rise higher, higher and higher, while my feet remained firmly in the ground…"

"It would be exactly a year before we'd see him again, and the world would feel darker for it. For his was the smile that made the days brighter."

"Now, we all would have our challenges to bear in his absence…"

Sarajin returned home and ensured he got a good night's rest before he set off on his journey.

The last meals, kisses and hugs he'd have for a bit went by too quickly for his liking. But he strove to hold on to these precious memories as long as he could.

Then...it was time.

He gathered his courage and stared up into the sky. Clutching his fists and narrowing his gaze, he muttered under his breath, "Space...here I come!"

He surrounded himself with a veil of wind and rocketed away from his home. He rose higher and higher and higher still. The pressure was hard to adjust to, and his head felt like it wanted to split.

He had to exert more of his power to hold on and breach through the spheres of the planet. He looked down and before he knew it, his home was a speck in the distance.

He kept going. He could not afford to go back.

Blue gave way to a steady rise of a black expanse and the stars beyond while the day was still young...

Before he knew it, he had escaped his planet's atmosphere and gravitational pull. But being so used to flying, the sudden shift didn't catch him off-guard.

Instead he forced himself to stop on a dime and turn around, floating amidst the endless void of space with his planet now far, far below him.

He saw the wide-open wastelands and the vast ocean that made both halves of the world. The Tribes were colored dots.

But when he peered over the planet he saw the moon in all its glory. It was a pure, untainted white rock just floating there in harmony with the planet. Lacking in it's glistening sheen, but still a sight any would be lucky to behold...

And the sun was much brighter out here. So much so that Sarajin did not dare look it's way out of fear and respect for its intensity.

His heart was palpitating, but he was alive. He was sure of it.

And now that he's already accomplished such a great feat, he would continue onward, farther and farther away from his home, in the hopes of achieving the impossible...

"See you later...Genestasia." He whispered fondly as he set off on his long journey...

Next Time: The Year Without Sarajin Begins