Tales of Berseria The X: Beyond Calamity

Chapter VII: New World Order

It was dark inside. Avernus gasped for air, but his dry throat burned. Trapped in a stony cage, he pushed against the obstacle in front of him to no avail. It wouldn't budge. With what little power he had left, he shoved his whole body harder against it. After one final thrust, the stone barrier fell along with him. The sound of impact resonated through his surroundings, filling the air with dust. A long, metallic object dropped beside him. His sight went hazy. Avernus could barely make out the area around him. His eyes darted around quickly to scrutinize the dark area he found himself in. He only noticed some blue veins on the walls as they had illuminated the darkness to some extent.

Was that all a dream? A sick premonition of what is yet to come? The pain came back. It was all too real. He remembered his voyage, the Kraken, the pirates, the girl, the boy... and the betrayal.

The emotional pain disregarded his physical agony.

"Must... go..."

Most of his muscles were atrophied. He tried to stand on his feet, but his legs were too weak. His hands were already snaking around blindly for something in the dark that he could use as a crutch. Finally, he found the long metal rod that fell beside him. He used it as a cane to stand up. The rod felt familiar. It granted him a bit of lost power.

He gripped the middle of the rod and whispered, "Illumination..."

Ancient writing lit up the tip of the staff, and the spell shed some light around the dark room. Avernus turned towards the stony casket from which he awoke from. He noticed it was an upright stone coffin and several white daisy flowers placed at the bottom. This room was a tomb.

He moved the staff closer, and a series of writing appeared.

Here lies a warrior who was crude and blunt, but selfless. Another soul lost to human cruelty.

His lips couldn't follow the command.

"This must have been Edna's work. Human arrogance quote, white daisy flowers. Just don't want her to be the one who is going to decorate my real tomb.", he barely smiled, "So, they did survive."

He guessed that after that night, Edna, Phoenix, Grimoirh, and Morgirm had found his body and buried him along with Dreamshadow.

But how long has it been since that wretched night? He tried to walk a little faster, but he lost his balance again and fell to the ground. Angry and furious, Avernus picked himself up, held on to his staff and leaned against the walls. The temple was empty, but the hallway torches were burning. After a long endeavor through the temple, he finally reached the surface. The door was already lit up and immediately burned his eyes.

He scanned the area for whoever was responsible for reopening his tomb. He noticed a small figure in the distance; a concise elderly man wearing white and blue attire.

The old man turned to him for a moment and smirked.

"Hey, old man! Wait!", Avernus called out to him.

However, a thunderbolt hit the ground in front of him, and he disappeared in a flash. He paced as fast as his body could function towards the impact, but before he could reach it, he lost control of his body and fell into a stream of shallow water running alongside the path.

He saw his reflection in the water. He had grown a long beard and his hair was a lot longer now. The truth sparkled in his mind. It must have been a long time since his apparent death.

He resumed his walk and finally reached the spot. The older man was nowhere to be found. Instead, he discovered his chest containing his belongings. There was something else on the topside. He picked it up and examined it from up close. It was a pair of feather earrings. Those were ancient symbols of the malakhim, showing that they were a part of the 'Sky Tribe'.