Trials, p.17
Trials, page 17
“Sylvi will not be returning to us. She sent this with a note back to us.”
Xeal took the talisman that Bula held out and looked at the note that had been sent with it.
“This will likely be the last words of mine that are ever shared. I am sorry, but my life will either end, or I will pass my tribulation. I am at peace with my life and I am happy to have been given a reason to face my fate. If I do perish, do not mourn for me. Celebrate me being able to fall facing what so many run from and finally getting to reunite with my love.”
Xeal just frowned as he looked at the rest of the room, which included Lucy, who looked like she was waiting to be yelled at. Instead, he just took a deep breath as he addressed the room.
“It is too soon to know that she has perished with certainty, but I expected this to happen. Lucy, I hope you’re ready to live in this party for the foreseeable future as until peace comes to Nium, you’re stuck. So, as Sylvi asked, we should be happy that she will finally be able to reunite with her husband after being separated for so long. Lily, if you would head off to get orders from Taya, you are going to be rather busy for the next few weeks as you are going to be filling in for her as she attempts to reach tier-7 since Lucy will be unavailable.”
“Oh, come on, can’t Kate handle that?” complained Lily.
“So, you want to do Kate’s job and negotiate with five-plus countries to create an alliance that will see FAE open access to as many continents as possible.”
“Taya’s job sounds great!”
Xeal just smiled at how quickly Lily shifted tones before hurrying away, as Xeal turned his attention to his party as they shared a long silence before Bula spoke once more.
“Xeal, she is almost certainly gone from what I have been shown. Though I believe that the best thing we can do is just move on. We honored her life and made peace with what lay before us already, and I know that she did the same with her family before joining our party. My vision also shows me that she was happy when she died, as her last hours were spent failing to let go of her husband in her tribulation.”
“She literally couldn’t bring herself to move on,” commented Eira. “Though I can’t blame her as he isn’t waiting for her here like you were for me, and yes, my tribulation forced me to deal with losing you. Only, I know that is impossible, so it was kind of ineffective.”
“Eira, let’s not go around sharing what we suffered through,” stated Alea. “Else we may make those who wish to not share feel pressured into doing so.”
“Alea is right,” agreed Xeal. “Each of us likely faced what makes us the most vulnerable and even if we knew it wasn’t real, it is still something that should only be shared with those you truly feel that you should. Eira, after we are done with this mission, you and the other women I love will learn about mine, but I doubt I will ever share it again after that.”
“Right, I was just trying to let off a bit of the pressure. It’s just the first time since I have been with you that someone I got used to seeing isn’t going to be around anymore. I mean, she always did seem to separate herself from us slightly, but she was still nice enough to have around.”
“Yes, she was,” agreed Lucy. “Honestly, I feel like I should have known that she was planning to do this as I was around her the most. Perhaps if I-”
“Lucy, it was her choice tur make,” interrupted Dafasli. “We all have tur dur what we see as right for us…”
Xeal just stayed quiet as the room continued to awkwardly work its way through the situation, as it seemed that his arrival caused the discussion that they had all been avoiding to happen. Finally, after over an hour of this, things seemed to come to a close as they took the second bottles that they had taken the night before their tribulations and headed outside. There they made their way to a corner in Queen Aila Lorafir’s garden that she guided them to, as they each took a single drink of their bottles before emptying them on the ground. After one last moment of silence, they made their way back into the palace to continue waiting.
When Kate and Takeshi finally arrived, it completed the group that would be headed to the Huáng empire on this trip. Xeal knew that for most of those present that this would be the first time that they met one of the phoenixes, as he had left all NPCs behind when leaving the continent. So, Kate gave a quick briefing, which included crouching when they use the teleportation gate as they made their way back to the room which Xeal had arrived in. Five minutes later and Xeal was looking at Bīng as she spoke to him.
“Xeal, has the time finally come for the rule of the Huáng family to end?”
“That is yet to be determined. If you are focused on only the name then most likely. However, if you are speaking of the bloodline, then possibly not.”
“I see. Tell the fool that sits upon the throne to accompany you here then.”
“Bīng, what are you planning?”
“I have an offer for him and only him, one that I expect you to facilitate, or I will stop giving you my feathers and blood so freely.”
“Is there a reason you and Belladonna have both been so demanding today?”
“Ah, so I am not the first that you have seen since it started. Xeal, it can be said that the ten of us are the mothers of this reality and even imprisoned as we are, we can feel the coming death that will cover the land. I am not talking the death of your kind as you are a foreign entity to us. The inhabitants of this world are fearing for their lives and I am not just talking about humanoids. Even the monsters that seem to repopulate faster than any amount of culling could keep up with feel this fear and so we do as well.”
“You’re not going to force him to give you a child, are you?”
“Would you rather I ask you, as I am willing if you are?”
“Absolutely not!” interjected Eira. “Xeal isn’t a stud horse.”
“Eira, you need to calm down,” stated Kate as she joined the conversation. “Bīng knows that and she also knows that she would be committing to Xeal for as long as he exists if he were to accept her. That said, she also knows that he isn’t even slightly interested in including any of the phoenixes in his list of wives, no matter how hard Levina tries.”
“Levina is the one you should have mercy on and embrace,” replied Bīng in a somber tone. “I have realized through seeing things through Aalin that accepting any other, to include our old mate, would all but destroy her at this point. Xeal, you have completely dominated her and you wouldn’t even need to exercise the power you have over her to get her to do as you wished any longer.”
“I didn’t ask for that to be the case,” replied Xeal. “Besides, even if I did embrace her, or any of you for that matter, I would fear ever giving her, you, or any of your sisters a child.”
“Oh, and why is that?” asked Bīng with curiosity.
“I fear that it would be on the same level as a deity in potential.”
“Ah, you think that so long as you keep your children on the mortal tier, that mine and my sisters’ great-grandchildren will tolerate their existence. Yet, you are aware that that will not be possible.”
“It is so long as the gods are divided on the matter. Creating something that could threaten them would unify them rather quickly.”
“Against something that they can’t kill,” retorted Bīng.
“How well did that turn out for you, your children and grandchildren?” countered Xeal.
“The day will come where the bill is due,” stated Bīng coldly.
“And that day will also spell the end of the human civilization as they run in fear of you. I get it, you have been wronged and you wish to walk freely and do so with your children while punishing the ones who did this to you, but what would that mean for everyone else?”
Xeal could tell that Bīng wasn’t appreciating him pointing out the obvious, as she looked at him with a disappointed look as she spoke.
“Is it your responsibility to worry about how the ant makes its home?”
“It is when I am the ant. Bīng, the moment you and your sisters break free, the only side that I will be on is the one that sees humanoids like myself, my wives and friends prosper. I am well aware that even now the war between you and the gods is raging and that I am a key piece on the board for both sides. Heck, I could free Levina at will right now, had I not tied my hands until more of my kind reaches tier-8.”
“You would force Levina to fight against us and submit to imprisonment once again!”
“If that was what it took to ensure this world’s survival, why wouldn’t I?”
“Is that why my mate hasn’t made a move in all this time?”
Xeal frowned as he used his dragon guidance skill to ask Watcher just that, and had a staring contest with Bīng while awaiting a response, which finally came a minute later.
“Xeal, this is why I didn’t wish for all of them to be found. I had hoped that the coldness of Bīng, as you call her, would be enough to not send you to find the rest.”
“Watcher, that isn’t an answer!”
“I know. Just tell her that I grew tired of causing destruction simply by existing and doing what all living things instinctually do, namely procreating.”
Xeal paused for a long moment as he let that answer sink in, before he spoke to Bīng once more.
“Watcher says that you are more or less right. Your very existences are destructive to everything around you and he chose to end the destruction that just doing what comes naturally for him causes.”
Xeal could see tears almost form in Bīng’s eyes as she frowned and worked to hold in her emotions, that he knew she rarely felt in any meaningful way as she responded.
“Is it so terrible to want to feel his embrace once more? I have waited so long and would even wait longer to have it, but to know that he doesn’t feel the same way-”
“That isn’t what he said,” corrected Xeal. “He has no physical form because he knows if he did, he would be unable to resist the pull you and your sisters have on him. Now I will see about having Lingxin’s brother come to visit you, as you decide what your feelings on this matter are.”
With that, Xeal turned and led his group away while thinking over the situation that surrounded himself and all the phoenixes. His gut feeling was that they would each have the desire to create life as so much of it was being destroyed and he wondered just how that would play into events should they gain their freedom. Still, Xeal didn’t discount the severity of the situation if that was really the case, as if anything was in tune with the world it was the ten of them. To investigate this further, Xeal sent a message to each of those marked by the phoenixes to check on them when they next got a chance.
With that taken care of, Xeal began leading his group through the mazelike area beneath the imperial palace, until they came out into an open area where they were instantly spotted by a pair of guards. Xeal felt pity for the guards as they froze mid-motion of pointing their spears at them when they saw the composition of the group. The poor tier-7 guards were face to face with two tier-8s and 11 tier-7s and had no hope to even slow them down if things turned violent. Xeal was just about to speak when one of the guards recognized him and seemed to realize that he wasn’t about to die as he spoke cautiously.
“Master Bluefire? What is the meaning of your arrival with such company, if I may ask?”
“You may not, as we are not officially here. That said, we are going to meet with my brother-in-law and I would have Shen and Lina Chun summoned as well, if you two could head off to make the relevant parties aware.”
Neither of the guards wasted a second as they hurried off and Xeal was sure that the whole palace would know they were there by the time his group arrived at the throne room. Especially as they were not hurrying, but instead walking at a purposeful pace that spoke of them belonging there as they passed one group of guards and ministers after another. Xeal could see a mix of many emotions on the faces of those whom they passed, which ranged from fear to hope, anger to joy and much more. Through all of this one thing was clear to Xeal. Things were not in a good spot at the current time and his arrival complicated everything.
When they arrived at the entrance to the throne room, Xeal just smiled at the crowd that had gathered to greet them. Standing there were over 50 guards and at least 100 government officials that would typically handle basic administrative work. At the sight of the guards keeping this group from approaching Xeal’s group, it begged the question of what purpose the guards were there for as they stood aside and opened the doors to admit Xeal’s group into the throne room. Unlike the last time that Xeal was in this room, he stood on no ceremony as he led his group in and stopped in the center of the long room that was packed. It seemed like every official that mattered who had been near enough to make it had hurried over, and if Xeal had wanted to he could have tried to have Queen Aila and Zylah clean house right then. However, Xeal still had a use for all the fools that had ruined the Huáng empire’s chances of surviving the chaos that was upon them. So it was that after scanning the room and taking in the general attitude of those in attendance, Xeal started to speak.
“The Huáng empire is dead! At least the version of it that you all have known until this point, as I cannot save it as it was. However, I didn’t believe that I could save it at all before recent events, so know that you have more hope than you did two weeks ago at the very least. Now the key to this is the acceptance of what is necessary and repudiation of many of the ways that you all came into the power that you have now. Emperor Huáng Jin, I ask you now, will you accept the changes that must be made to save your empire, even if it costs you your life, or will you hide here and wait for death to come for you?”
Xeal fixed Emperor Huáng Jin with a look that was meant to convey that if he refused, Xeal would simply walk away and leave him to his fate. After a long moment where Xeal was unsure of how the emperor would respond as this was a very different scenario than had been discussed prior to this meeting, the emperor stood up with a sword in hand and cut down the veil that hid him. There in front of the whole room, with nothing covering his face, was Emperor Huáng Jin, looking at all those present with pure determination as he spoke.
“Today I cast aside the veil that has hidden my face from all but my family and state that I will not hide from this fight. Nor will any minister who wishes to keep his head, as now is not a time to worry about power, position, or even tradition! It is a time to fight to survive and Xeal is right, our enemies made a mistake in this fight by attacking now, but if you all take your wealth and flee like I know most of you plan to, that hope will end and with it your lives will likely end as well!”
Xeal gave the room a long moment to settle after Emperor Huáng Jin finished delivering his answer. It was clear from the whispers that Xeal could hear that the room was divided over the developments of the last few moments. While some seemed ready to step up and follow the emperor’s lead, most seemed to think that he had simply lost his mind and needed to be examined. It was the latter group that Xeal addressed as he next spoke.
“To all of you who believe that Emperor Huáng Jin’s actions just now were foolish, or improper, know that they were not. He knows that whether in victory, or defeat, his days as emperor will likely end with this war, as will many of yours as ministers. He is also correct in assuming that your hope lies in the short window that you have before my kind reaches tier-7 en masse. After that, you will have lost any hope of making the changes that will be needed to gain the support that will be needed from my kind to turn the tide of events! Furthermore, I can promise you that any of you who run, plan to betray the Huáng empire, or refuse to accept the necessity of the changes to come will not live long!”
“Outrageous! Who are you to declare anything?! You-”
Before the minister who had about lost it could finish speaking, Xeal activated his lightning form and unleashed his aura on the whole room as he flash stepped in front of the minister and spoke once more.
“I am the key to the Huáng empire surviving and I will not save what it is currently. Had it not been for who the enemy is this time, I wouldn’t even be willing to do more than save this city. Now, choose your path! Emperor Huáng Jin, I will await your answer in the garden where I first sat with Lingxin. Have Shen and Lina Chun join us there as well.”
With that Xeal flash stepped out of the room and quickly found a deserted area near the gardens where he reequipped his gear and started to walk to the garden. Once he arrived at the table that he and Lingxin had first sat at, he just smiled as he took a seat and just thought about the path he had taken since that day. It had been over four years in ED since that day had come and gone, and he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic as he remembered the caged bird that she had been then. As such, she had come alive from the simplest of his stories that he had shared with her as they chatted. As Xeal was thinking of this, he saw two guards leading Shen and Lina Chun over to him and a moment later they were seated across from him as they waited for him to speak. Finally, when Xeal decided that the others were going to be a while longer and they could handle a few things before they arrived, he spoke.
“I take it that Jingong is planning to fight till their last breath, at least at the top.”
“Let’s not pretend that there is anything resembling idealists above me in my guild,” retorted Shen. “No, at this point we are all just arguing what the best way forward is, with Abysses End seemingly determined to turn this continent into a stronghold for themselves.”
