The Refuge of Fate

Chapter 38 - Reason

The ground where his body previously lay was now empty.

"Haah..." the young king took a deep breath as he closed his eyes.

It was too quick. Even for him, it happened so fast that a moment of disbelief passed through his mind.

"You've done it, haven't you, guardian?" An entity made out of pure flames stood beside him in a humanoid figure but he remained silent as he clearly remembered what the Sovereign of Darkness looked like before passing away.

"He was born even before me. When the world did not exist, his presence was already there," Melfar continued speaking and he also listened.

"How..." the trailing of the statement made him close his eyes for a second as he released a tense sigh.

"The voices."

Despite not having a face and only a human-like body made out of flames, it was evident that Melfar was giving him a questioning look.

"The voices of magic told me about the Sovereign of Darkness." Now, it was pure shock that could be felt being radiated from the phoenix.

"When my mother had shared with me the remnants of the past, she said that the Frost of Winter often talked with her about many things – like an entity that lives in her head." There was a weird feeling inside his body after all the things that have happened in just the span of a few hours.

"I thought I would hear actual voices speaking with me similar to how you do it but it was completely different." When he opened his eyes, he looked back at the spot where Achlysse had been.

Indeed, the sovereign's body is gone.

"It was silent. The magic's voice spoke to me in silence."

"That does not make any sense, guardian-"

"It did not have an actual voice but it spoke by giving me the knowledge I need." Turning his back from the empty ground, he looked up and saw that the five orbs of magic were still circulating in the skies of the underworld.

They looked like brilliant stars in close up. Similar to the giant burning heavenly bodies in the universe, the magic orbs emitted so much power that it was creating a force that pushed back anything that tried to near it.

"I suddenly know things I previously did not. It surprised me greatly, but I trusted the voice and acted upon my decisions." The cracks that formed on the ground continued to widen.

The underworld was breaking apart every second and it wouldn't be long until it will shatter completely leaving behind an empty space of what used to be the realm of darkness.

"Magic resonated with my desires that it gave me knowledge of how to achieve a significant part of what I needed to do."

Crack!

He looked up when small pieces of debris from who knows where in the underworld fell. The debris then bounced off when it came in contact with the shield appearing to protect him.

"Did... Did it also tell you what the Sovereign of Darkness really wished for?" Melfar asked after relieving itself from the revelations Pier had told him.

But instead of getting the expected answer, Pier shook his head.

"Then..."

"It told me the sword of darkness Achlysse held after all of his wings have been unleashed was what I need in order to form the spell I want to cast."

Being in pure disbelief, Melfar only looked at him. There were no words spoken but Pier could understand the sentiments the ancient phoenix was thinking.