Alone

Aldric could not tell where Bael or the dark sea's champion began or ended. 

They blended into an amalgamation of red fire and dark water.

Aldric tried to make sense of what it was that he was watching. Was it the death of his apostle or his rebirth?

The formation began to compress into an orb the size of a football. Red and black blended together within the sphere. Dancing in a bout of entropy and chaos.

This carried on for a while. Leaving the area in a dome of silence.

The battlefield was entirely decimated. Looking as if a stampede of giants marched through. Leaving large troughs dented into the ground. 

The familiar whisper of the spell that he had tuned out during the course of the siege rang through him. 

[You have slain a Fallen Terror: Dark Sea's Firstborn.]

[Your soul grows darker.]

[You have gained a Memory.]

Taking a look at the orb, it seemed as though the dance was over. Red and. black mixed in a harmonious fashion. Looking as if a galaxy was contained within the orb. Creating a shimmering gem that would be considered as a crown jewel. 

When all of a sudden, the orb floated directly to Aldric and entered him through his chest. Resting in his soul sea. 

Confusion ate away at Aldric as he could not understand what happened. 

'Did Bael evolve? Is that even Bael anymore?'

He thought.

One thing was sure however. The being inside his soul sea was resting. It was reminiscent of the feeling one would get from having a battered memory be restored in their soul sea. Siphoning essence from their soul core. It was something akin to that.

Aldric was unsatisfied, however. What would it take for the spell to acknowledge his apostle? Nothing from his inception to now. It was annoying for Aldric as he had no clue how his apostle could get stronger if it could at all.

Ignoring the glaring thoughts, he was glad that this battle ended the way that it did. The challenge that he could not overcome was the creature's physicality. 

The way that it was invulnerable to all his attacks and reformed right afterwards. The fact that he could not find its core as well as get within range to attack. The goddess of luck shined upon him in this bout. Without the soul beam disorienting and weakening his opponent, he was not sure if Bael would have won that struggle.

Aldric breathed deeply, exhaling a breath of exhaustion and fatigue. He took a small breather to calm his nerves from the stress it had undergone. 

Looking at the sealed cursed sea one last time, he knew that he would return here one day. It was non-negotiable. That would be when he is much stronger. Strong enough to kill the dark sea. 

Since there was nothing left for him to do, it was time to return to the group if they were still here. 

There was no method that he could think of to tell what events had transpired in the duration of his battle. In the world of awakened, most things tended to end quickly. Victories, losses, and death. 

He looked around him and felt the spire shake chaotically. With this he felt a sort of metaphysical effect on his soul. As if his soul was being smothered.

Feeling a sense of dread, he looked towards his runes. Focusing on his attribute list.

Attributes: [Insight][Tranquil Core][Destined][Tenebrous Rule][Soul Conduit]

The last attribute was completely foreign. With no other description, he looked away.

"Damn it! I took way too long."

Aldric seethed. 

When accepting the responsibility to guard the rear of the army by defeating the fallen, Aldric noticed it as an opportunity and took it. Should he have allowed them to join the fight or even run away from the sea monster as it formed, it may have affected how this story would conclude. He had a vested interest in certain things playing out as they once did. And others changing.

Well, to be honest, Aldric could have just left with the dreamer army. Leaving with Cassie, Kai and Effie. Not involving himself in the final close of this story. And perhaps that was what he should have done; however, the biggest aspect that pushed his decision was the foreign appearance of the fallen creature. In the original rendition of the Crimson Spire, the dark sea did not call forth a herald in its rage at being sealed once more.

This stumbled Aldric, as while his appearance may have allowed him to change and influence the actions of other humans, it was another thing to be able to influence the birth of a nightmare creature. It was impossible to track exactly what caused this change. Was it related to how many people survived the siege or even his presence alone?

'Am I really changing fate?'

Aldric thought. 

While it may seem silly after all the changes he had in the tapestry of fate just by existing. This was the first time that he had seen something that was unknown to him. Something born in this timeline, so to speak.

From what he understood, the system of fate in this world was absolute.

'Maybe it was fate that changed itself, all to get me out of the way for this conclusion.'

This insidious thought made more sense to Aldric. Striking a seed of fear in his heart.

Besides, fighting the creature would be a boon for him. Whether it was a memory or an echo, it would have been very compatible with his own aspect. Remembering how it was that he gained an entirely new attribute outside of a lineage from the crushed skull of what had to be the dark sea's originator. 

However, it was not the time to check the memory he received. 

Already, beams of light from the cracks in the walls began to reach down to the base where Aldric stood.

"I need to leave immediately."

Aldric decided. 

Pushing his drained body to its limits, he made his way up the spire. 

----------

The entire obelisk was in disarray. A monument that stood for millennia had been destroyed in the blink of an eye.

Between long jumps and using his sword as a holder to climb the fissured coral platforms, he finally made it to the gate room.

Rubble, rubble, and more rubble. 

There was a mountain of debris spread across the room. Luckily, however, there was no sign of the gateway being damaged. 

Beneath the sound of the collapsing spire, he could hear clashes of steel and the sound of battle above him. 

'So their battle has begun. The battle of shadow and light.'

Aldric thought. 

Aldric was always of the mind that the battle was a big farce. It was all a result of Nephis' warped mind. However, Aldric could respect it. The idea of having such strong core principles. Principles that would not waver in front of her burning ambition. 

Slowly traversing the room with measured steps, he saw a figure lying on its back to his left. 

The emaciated form of an old man lay still. A red puncture surrounding his torso, drenching his torso in his own blood. It seemed that his body was broken from a long fall, more blood leaking from a smashed skull. It was probable that he fell from where he died. 

Noticing the open eyes of the corpse, showing a visage of vitriol and hatred. Aldric approached the man and closed his eyelids with his two fingers.

"May you find peace in your next life."

He muttered. 

While it was an end befitting such a conniving person, Aldric could not help but feel sorry for the child. In death, that's all that he was, a child. 

A child groomed from his birth to follow the will of his clan. Shackled by the chains of honour and duty. It was shocking in hindsight that Caster was given such a mission. Rather than worrying and fearing for his own safety, his parents fashioned him into an assassin. An assassin to kill another child. Out of what, service of Anvil? 

How strong was their power over him? To genuinely have such a mission at the front of his mind after everything they have been through? All the near deaths and the reliance on each other. All the times Nephis healed his grievous injuries during the expedition. None of that was enough to shake his will. Even now, with the chance of finally returning home, Caster turned back to complete his mission. 

Thinking himself into a spiral, Aldric stopped his thought process and carried on forward. While it would have been better to bury his body, this was neither the time nor place for such considerations. 

Summoning his [Unwavering Spark], a burning torch appeared from a glimmer of light. 

'This is the least that I could do.'

Placing the body in a resting position on the ground, Aldric allowed his torch to caress Caster's underclothes. His armour long since disappearing. 

CRACKLE

SIZZLE

Once he had ignited the entire body, he turned his back to the corpse and walked to the gate. 

STEP

STEP

STEP

Now facing the balcony that was built into the wall. A large dais was situated with a wide iron ring wrapped around it. Familiar runes circled the structure, indicating its importance and use. 

His home. His life was waiting for him on the other side. It was time to go back.

Just as his hand was about to touch the cold surface of the gateway, a thought rushed into Aldric's mind. 

His head turned around. 

*********

Thank you for reading. 

How are you finding this conclusion? What is it that Aldric turned back for or turned back to do?

Indra_: Their name begins with the letter C and they have yellow eyes. That might have given it away.

Till the next one people. Look forward to it.