A World With/Out Home

Chapter 34: Ramifications. (Part 1)

Chapter 34: Ramifications.

"So this is where you disappeared to," Arvel spoke quietly and sat beside Kyle. In front of them was Lillia's unmoving body lying unconscious inside the purple liquid containing her. "Callus' descendent, Maila, told me you'd be here."

"It's my fault she's like this...," Kyle moped. "If I was at my true strength then none of this would have happened."

"I thought we stopped playing the blame game," Arvel gently placed his hand on his shoulder.

Kyle moved away from his touch and stood up, "I can feel her condition worsening. By tomorrow even if her body recovered, her soul never would. I keep trying to think what I can do but I get nothing. It's killing me!" His hands tensed in frustration, "I loved our children. I love all of you but the way I feel about Lillia is different to that, it's something I don't think I've ever felt and I'm afraid of losing that."

Arvel watched him and smiled, "I never expected you to fall in love."

"I'm not-," he stopped himself realising he most definitely was. The words he almost spoke had come from his past selves but like he had just said, they didn't have any experience. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you were Estile. Almost all of us felt that romantic love at some point and in the end we all had to face it disappearing. Some of us felt that love multiple times. But you Estile..., you were always so bright like you couldn't be touched by mortal emotions like romantic love."

"I'm starting to feel concerned about how you all thought of me...."

"No, I didn't mean it in a bad way," he quickly tried to justify himself but realised it wouldn't help the situation. Instead he looked at Kyle seriously, "Estile, what if I told you there was something I might be able to do?"

"I'd ask you to do it with all my heart," he faced Arvel with a budding hope.

"Know that if I do, it could have repercussions."

"Then no matter what I'll face them and make it better," Kyle turned to him seriously.

"Your will is as strong as always Estile," he smiled as if reminiscing a beautiful memory. "Follow me."

Despite Arvel having only returned a few hours ago, he led Kyle with a confident ease that truly showed his renown as the Ever-Garden's chief navigator. Back through the Guard's compound, into the temple proper and finally to an area that Kyle had never entered. Church knights guarded the door but upon seeing Arvel the four armoured guards saluted and stepped aside. Past the door the rooms and corridor seemed normal enough but after entering a suspiciously dark staircase the atmosphere changed and Kyle knew where he was. They were in the Sanctuary.

The occupants, the families of the Church Council, returned. They who worked in the background of their world. Men and women both human and not entirely. Between them the occasional wide eyed child who looked at the pair in awe. No one interrupted as they walked past as many bowed to them respectfully. There were more than Kyle expected. In his brief time in the Sanctuary, although he had felt its size, he hadn't realised the actual population. The emotions he felt however were mixed. On one hand the traditions of the other races still lived and the descendants of the children he had raised were flourishing, but on the other hand, they were trapped within the sanctuary, only to leave when veiled or disguised.

Arvel led Kyle to a path he was quite familiar with and rising up the mountain they reached the dome that he had confronted Philius' illusion.