The Celestial Way

Chapter 23 - The Way Abides

CHAPTER 23 – THE WAY ABIDES

"Now is the time to see beyond the final garden, to unmake the veil of illusion, and to enlighten the self. Ascension is always here, eternally present; neither infinite darkness nor the blackest void can banish the sacred warmth of the Fire Eternal. Embrace the heavens, sing with the stars, love the universe, and become One with All."

– Hom Ultima Oortis, "The Last Paradise"

999 RE, Terra Para, on the other side of the teleport

The world turned back to normal.

Airo gasped, gulping gratefully the freezing air as he lay on smooth, polished stone. His whole body felt wracked and devoid of life. He managed to haul himself up on one elbow and saw Magus Dei kneeling beside him.

"Where are we?" Airo asked with raw voice.

"Ilsorin," Magus replied, his voice equally torn. The old Knight seemed to be holding, but his face was ashen and his eyes looked lifeless.

"The others... what happened?" Airo asked, confused. His mind was still distorted, struggling to comprehend its surroundings.

Magus shook his head sadly. "They are all gone."

The old Knight's words snapped Airo into focus. He willed himself to rise and looked around. They were on a wide terraced courtyard at Ilsorin. The rest of the Radiant Knights were sprawled around, trying to recover from the terrible conclusion of the battle at Kryoon City. Airo commanded Yeoman Cloud to take stock of their number. Not everyone had returned.

"They are all gone," Magus repeated and then gasped, clutching his chest.

Only now Airo fully realized what had happened. The horror hit him in the gut. He turned slowly, staring at the large courtyard and the ragged Radiant Knights. Scarcely moments ago the united people of Terra Para had been fighting a battle for their survival, while Airo had faced against Ferrtau. Then the Lightbringer had unleashed the true potential of his power, and what had followed was something Airo would never forget until the end of his life.

Great Cosmos...

Another groan made Airo return his attention to Magus.

"Are you all right, old man?" he asked, kneeling to help the old Knight get on his feet.

"I will manage," Magus spoke through clenched teeth. "I channeled too much energy in too short time... my broken body cannot keep up anymore..."

"How did you get us here, back at Ilsorin? I thought this place..."

"Quantum multi-instanced point-to-endpoint correspondence transmission. 'Mass teleport' in plain-speak... I contacted Mentoria and asked her to grant me access... the fractal sub-region had..."

"Airo?"

He lifted his gaze at the sound of his name. There, at the end of the courtyard, Veralla stood at the top of a low stone stairway, Kiana and Nightsong at her side. Kiana was wearing a shields belt to stave off the cold. Airo felt his heart racing. "Veralla!"

He made sure Magus was steady and sprinted toward her. He climbed the stairway in three swift leaps and threw his arms around Veralla. He hugged her tight, burying his face into her smooth, scaled hide. He held fast, seeking her comforting presence to banish the dreadful images that lingered in his mind. So many people had died... it reminded him of the war he fought so long ago, of the friends he had lost, and the merciless destruction that had been reality every day for years. Yet those bloody memories paled before the annihilation he had witnessed now, dwarfed into insignificant tragedy by the sheer magnitude and the vividness of it. The knowledge that millions had died in the span of mere moments, their very souls torn and disintegrated into nothingness, kept him on the edge of sanity. Airo clutched Veralla, glad that she was alive and well.