Tales of Berseria The X: Beyond Calamity

Chapter XXVII: A Spell for Empty Hearts Part I

 Following a day of intense adventure, Van Eltia returned to the hideout. Its hulking anchors fell into the waters, and the pirate ship docked in the first pier. The crew disembarked one by one. Avernus, Tia, Eleanor, and Phi were both occupied talking about the dragons, walking in front of the rest.

"... So how do the dragons fly? Aren't their bodies too heavy to take off from the ground and keep themselves in the air?" Phi asked.

"Yep, their bodies are heavy but not that heavy. Their bones are hollow, like bats and birds. Most of them jump higher before clapping their wings to start their flight, and nearly all of them use magic to help them fly." Avernus described.

"Magic?" Phi wondered.

"Yes, Phi. Dragons are furnaces of magic. They use it frequently for nearly everything they do, casting offensive and defensive artes, geolocation, sensing their prey, and the wingless ones primarily use magic to levitate above the ground."

Eleanor's thoughts were also solely focused on the topic, "You sure know a lot about dragons." She remarked.

Tia giggled, decided to shed more light, "Hyland has a long history of worshiping the dragons. They tried to control and command nearly all of the mystic creatures at some point; malakhims, daemons, and even dragons. But their success was mostly about finding more about their anatomy rather than making any progress with their primary goals." She said.

"But aren't the dragons evil? I mean, they're the byproduct of malevolence after all. How your empire even considered worshiping them?!" Eleanor wondered, raising her voice.

Avernus stared blankly for a brief moment; the usual brightness he always had in his expression was gone, "Our..." He sighed, "The Hyland's history is riddled with dark times and malicious acts. But they tried to change in the last century... or did their best as far as I know. But we did worship Tia." He explained with a straight face.

Eleanor and Phi both glanced at the sophisticated lady malak. "So people of Hyland worshiped you? Like an Empyrean?" Eleanor inquired.

"Not like an Empyrean. People's belief in my existence had been inconsistent throughout the ages. The power I would get from their reverence was mostly not enough to help them with the peace that the minority desired." Tia explained.

Phi began to stroke his chin, "People's worship can give you power?"

Tia looked at Phi, smiling at his wondering nature, "Yes, greater malakhims can thrive on people's faith. The more recognition, the more strength they draw from the land. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time reaching your full potential. In some cases, you will drain yourself of your vigour, and you'll fall into slumber, like these Empyreans."

Out of nowhere, Phi felt spiritual apathy. He focused on Eleanor, but she was deeply in thought and didn't seem to bother by anything. He slowly looked back at Avernus; his face was gentle, but his eyes were looking disturbed.

Phi was looking at the rough textures of the dock. He could sense Avernus's grief, much like a malak would understand from their vessel. He guessed that it was a side effect of Eleanor's pact with Avernus. Suddenly, his teacher's sadness was gone. Phi looked up and saw Avernus smiling again at someone,

"Hey, Velvet! Join us for some lessons about mythical dragons! You may even learn a thing or two about me... I mean us!" Avernus shouted.

Velvet was speaking with Eizen as he was carefully moving their newly acquired pot. She turned to him, shaking her head,

"No. Eizen's lecture about his rod, this pot, and your instructions for fishing was enough for one day." She coldly answered.

Avernus frowned, looking irritated, "Suit yourself..." He whispered. His gloomy mood was back. Phi was confident of their new bond.