CHAPTER 80 - A CANDLE
I continued to think about how everything that I've done with this power has brought me the most satisfactory results when it came to battles now brought me the inevitable conclusion of being unable to remember my past life or how this novel ends.
I know if other people were in my shoes they wouldn't care, losing all those events from memory and just living this life like a normal person. Going through these events without prior knowledge and just getting out of it just by living through it.
And I won't lie, I was one of those people at the beginning.
But as time passed, as I continued to kill more and more Alacryans the more I thought about changing the ending of the Xyrus arc.
To be more precise, the invasion.
I wanted to interrupt the invasion before Draneeve could even take Elijah from Dicathen and take him to Agrona. I wanted to save those who would die, nameless and named characters alike. I thought it was possible that maybe today Virion was able to give me the title of Lance now that I was a white core mage. Maybe I had the power to save Alea from Uto and stop her or any Lance from dying early, all for the purpose of being able to make them stronger and win this War without being forced to fight a losing war.
Yet I was wrong…
Today I was proved that no matter how hard I work, or how much power I am able to obtain, nothing will stop Fate from playing its part.
And Fate showed me by having Aya die instead of Alea.
The world that I wanted to live so much now no longer had a meaning of me being concerned about the price to use this Beasts Will.
"Elder Mordain. Today has been a day where many things have come crumbling down into my perfect pocketed world formed by my naive imagination. Everything that I tried to push forward now came backward without a warning and flooded it all." My hands—which were clasped together with an intense feeling of anger and frustration towards my own naive self—finally left each other and were now free of any pressure I had put on them. My eyes that stared blankly at the rough ground that lived colorless and yet still filled with elemental affinity and aether had changed its vision towards the entity strong like the Indrath and Vritra. "What you told me today, about my power, will not change the decision I am about to make when the Vritra decides to invade Xyrus Academy. But that is something you already knew, huh?"
The orange and red eyes that stared back at me didn't change, no, his emotions didn't betray him like I had thought it would. Instead he remained calm and collected before my revelation.
"I'm sure Elder Rinia had told you of this and wanted you to confirm it since many things have changed ever since I came to this world and she knew this."
Again, he stayed collected like he already knew this and just wanted a confirmation.
Being caught up in my own moment, I once again noticed the single strand of white hair that waved in front of my vision. Elder Mordain had seen this too, asking me, "Is this a new style you decided to go with?"
"Smart way to change the subject and the heavy atmosphere with that question. But sure let me humor you, since my power revolves around the Indraths and how they can have their irises change color and hair, the only thing I was only to inherit was the hair color change. And now," I said waving the single strand of hair around like blades of the helicopter, "this one won't change back no matter how many times I go into the form."
Mordain stayed quiet, he was assessing the damage or how far I had gone with this form and to be entirely honest; I'm sure I have gone past the line I can no longer come back from.
At this moment, I am not really sure if I can guarantee that my powers come from the Indraths but that is all that I am getting leads from.
"I am sure that even if you know this at this point, that power you hold like a golden grail now holds your life as hostage." He stood up, also letting me know to follow him with his gestures and we walked outside the room to where a handful of Asuras were looking around at each other before looking at me. Their mood changed, from worried to happy, the very same people that hated me at one point now were happy to see me. "You see, your current situation is that of a candle. You need the power and form for the sake of fighting for those who you hold dear to, just like how you need light to see in the darkest of rooms. The moment you decide to ignite that candle is the moment you acquire that Indrath form."
Although we walked for some reason–hopefully to liven up the mood–I began to fully open my enclosed eyes on what I thought didn't matter. For example the lives of the Phoenixes that resided here in Hearth, the not so important characters in the novel.
"The flame will consume the candle if it is not stopped. If the candle is consumed entirely then… you understand that right?"
There were families here, normal families that strive to live a peaceful life and I was here passing by thinking that they were not important. That they were just background characters, just other lives that I could care less about.
"I am only guessing that you have a little to no time since you are here in Hearth, but I will relay the message that Rinia had given to me and now it needs to be passed on to you."
As I followed Mordain, the families, men, women, children, all alike sent their hello and goodbyes at me like I was one of them. That alone made me feel like I was complete human garbage, that I was immature for not seeing that bigger picture.
"Now I will say this, whatever you hear come out of my mouth will be up to you to interpret as you wish." He said, "Are you ready?"
I nodded.
'After the collapse of a pillar of power, its creators will try to find the being who did it. They will cross any line they need to but in doing so they will get the slap of reality.'
"Those were the words that Rinia had left me intent upon you, Luke. What you do after this will entirely depend upon the next course of action."
Mordain's words floated in the air and one by one I began to recite them over and over again. I thought that just by listening to it once it was good enough but now it is entirely different. I knew Elder Rinia liked to use poems and riddles to describe what could happen, but this one was a different story, a unique story.
Its creators?
Cross any line?
Get slapped by reality?
All these things and yet not a single understanding about the future. It is all vague, foggy, and misleading. Hell I can run right now into the floating city and still not be able to understand everything about the invasion.
But what I could understand is that Draneeve will not invade Xyrus alone after our battle. At least two retainers or one scythe will be there to conclude the overwhelming battle—which was already one sided.
"Dammit Elder Rinia. You are tying my hands here." I cursed, feeling my fingers dig into my own palm.
As I continued to think and de-code what Elder Rinia's words meant, the ground and everything around me shook. An earthquake? No we don't have those here…
The tremor began to get worse and worse before I stared at Mordain who already looked like he had an idea of what it was.
"We have unrequired visitors." He spoke in his usual manner as a calm man before pointing at me and saying, "And they seem to be looking for you."
"What…?"
I walked… no. I ran like no other man did in that cave.
I had thought of everyone who might have known I was here, but there were not many, more like there were only two people.
Only Elder Rinia knew and also Mordain who is here everyday of his life.
Multiple people crossed my mind, people like Virion, Cynthia, Tessia, Arthur, Alea.
Who could they have known I would be here? There is no way… unless.
On a single thought of my will, I activated the form, Realmheart.
The colors drained instantly and only motes of green, red, blue, brown, and purple floated around. Mostly only purple danced around me like I was a flame to the moths. The others only seemed to follow behind me or make way for me.
I have seen this or at least read it before…
The light of the moon came through the entrance of the cave before my answer did.
Lightning struck the surrounding area of the cave as my eyes adjusted from the light and darkness that came from the tree's shadows.
The motes of red floated around and drifted away from me towards something—or someone.
Another gathering of red motes made a small circle of yellow motes that made a deviant spell. That is when my eyes widen and my thoughts become clearer of the perpetuator.
I opened my mouth but nothing was able to come out as I felt the warmth of the air erase itself as a chill crept through my skin. I darted my eyes again but this time with someone else in mind. Landing in a certain spot where ice was building up from the ground around a couple of trees, I came to another conclusion that he wasn't alone and that they were not here to talk.
Luckily for me, none of the people from inside the cave had been outside, more surprisingly Chul wasn't here. Must have been his Lady Dawn who restricted his actions alone and I am grateful for it.
"What is it that you want? I doubt that you are doing this just to get a talk with me." I blatantly stated, ready to intercept any spell they had under their sleeves.
Thankfully, I had an ice barrier spell ready, seeing as a lighting strike was headed my way without any intentions of being stopped.
"Agh!" I let out a loud groan as the ice spell reached the lighting in time before it reached my chest. Holding up my two arms to hold the spell together, I could feel the numbness climbing up to my hands from the residue of the attack spell.
Crackling and shaking, I heard the noise of ice coming from my left trying to catch my unaware feet but I reacted faster. Needless to say, I also saw how the blue motes appeared from where the ice was coming from.
Another spell? This fast?
From the back of my mind I conjured an earthen wall to compromise the other spell—
However, I had forgotten about the other attacker.
"Thunderlord's Wrath!" An angered man said at the top of his lungs behind me.
The spell managed to make it to me, causing me to crash down to the icy surface of the other spell.
My right arm had gone completely numb from the lightning strike from earlier but now it was completely out of correspondence.
These bastards. They didn't want anything to do with talking and they were seeking to kill me.
With my body injured from the fall, I managed to get myself to my feet with only one arm. I still starved for a single breath as I saw more motes continue to pour into another spell from the shadows.
"Fuck." I cursed to myself in an annoyance of their existence and that of their own will to kill me. Whether it be under direct orders or perhaps thought I was Aya's killer were not meant for my own mishaps in actions. There was no room for mistakes if I wanted to get out of this alive without being in the lines of sight for killing a Lance.
Maybe if I do this…
The surroundings stood still, everything from sounds and smells to movements and lighting halted upon my eyes.
Finally I was able to catch my breath, and when I did I made my way to Varay who had another ice spell seconds away from being conjured. Around her were a handful of blue motes that were going to convert to icicles darting my way.
With the aether inside them, I managed to move some blue motes and so the leakage of aether began in her spell.
She no longer had a main attacking spell much less a backup one.
Now is Bairon's turn.
When I got to Bairon's location. I was able to make out the facial expressions he had as the lighting around him flickered. On his arms there were built up of lighting deviant which meant I was able to take out the aether from his arms. No more aether in those spells meant no more attacking for the time being before both Lances rechannel more power.
I turned back to Varay whose expression was calm and unreadable like she was on the novel, then I began to contemplate whether they were here on personal preference or it was an order of the council.
I sighed.
Then my ability came off.
[DownForce]
Both Lances hit the ground before they knew their spells were dead.
"W-What t-the…!"
Bairon was the first to react to my spell and then it was Varay.
Both human Lances had pinned down to the ground before they knew it was coming.
"It is useless, you can't escape the gravity that is upon you. Now let's get talking."