Chapter 12 - Omen of One (1)

Time ticked forward. With every burst of power from the incarnations of Grace, the more volatile the Space and Time of the Council Hall became. They were already drawing closer to the Emergence, the ripples of his actions becoming more and more prominent. Now, it was no longer just the initial three beings who felt it. A few more were made aware of the intrusion, but something gripped their minds when they thought of the situation. It had been ages since the last intrusion into their System of Existence. Unlike other systems, theirs was an extremely ancient and powerful one. It should no longer have been possible for anything to even pierce through its boundaries. So they knew that whatever this intruder may be, it was a threat that must be extinguished immediately.

There was now less than ten hours until the Emergence. The incarnations of Grace continued pouring out their powers. Their incantations were now no longer just the Incantation of the Wings as they focused on their individual powers. One among them named Valion Grace burst into a cloud black blight before condensing into a liquid humanoid form that surged with the powers of Life and Death. From the shadow of the Arbiter of Chaos rose an endless legion of blighted husks of his enemies, denied the peace of everlasting slumber.

Kain, the creator of the race of astels, seemed to grow into a titan trailed by a field of carrion that sought his demise. All over his body were shackles that weighed as much as the entire destroyed System of Existence. These were all the souls he bore, the responsibility he was left with. He was the Undertaker, cursed to walk the worlds and take the lost souls of the fallen under his care so they may return into the Eternal Cycle. But with Existence destroyed, where could they go? And so they remain in the shackles of the Accursed One, continuing his eternal torment.

"I come with the white that chills the winter.

In the summer, I be the sand upon which you stand.

I am the soil of spring that sprouts new life.

And in autumn, I fall like the ash I am."

An inconspicuous man suddenly spoke as an air of desolation spread from him. Even for the House of Grace, they failed to notice him for a long time when he was surrounded by many other incarnations with such grand flares of power. But as his voice echoed out with his own incantation, his Ashen Throne released a mighty gale that carried a thick cloud of ash. And stuck to the man's body as he melded with them, turning into a giant humanoid being of ashen white. There were no features on his face. No eyes, no mouth, not even a nose to breathe through. This was Ashe Grace, the Ashen Lord of Desolation.

And as though he was the trigger, the incarnations embodying destruction and ruination all emerged. At their helm was the Ruined Emperor whose body had transformed into grotesque obsidian stone that cracked and leaked golden blood. His body was crucified upside-down, hanging from a pillar made from the remains of the countless shattered and ruined worlds of the destroyed System of Existence. His eyes have been gouged out, left to fester among the mountains of corpses beneath him. His guts splayed open to be preyed upon by abominations that rose among the undying, a depraved dirge playing a ceremony for his failures.

As more and more incarnations revealed their true forms, the time to end it all drew nearer and nearer. There was only just a single hour left until the Emergence. The Council Hall was now filled with all the members of the House of Grace, witnessing this grand spectacle of their god in all his many forms of glory. All incarnations of Grace had now unleashed their powers, except for one. Sylvain remained seated on his Paradox Throne, gazing at each of his other selves. A small bitter smile appeared on his face, slightly annoyed that he could not change like them. Compared to them, he was powerless. He was only just starting his journey after all. He chuckled lightly as he spoke to them.

"It is time, isn't it? I must be the first one to have to go through this the earliest. Well then, let's reenact history…. What should I do?"

A giant man made of golden light and wearing majestic armour with the crest of a dragon chuckled at his words. This was Endir the Dragon. In his life, he was cursed to never be acknowledged with his true name. Thus he was known as Arthur Pendragon, the King of Knights. He recalled the moment at the end of his cycle when Caelum found him waiting for Kain to release him from his cycle and for the golden crown to honour his work. To the House of Grace, he was among the most beloved incarnations of their god.

"The path you choose is your own. But remember well. We all are given a choice…"

"Yet why is it that we all have chosen the same path?"

Endir's words were finished by someone else. He looked to the side and found Valion with a slight smile, finding it amusing to be reenacting this moment. In the space above them, the Heaven-Devouring Dragon God shook his head at their moment of playfulness. But he too found it intriguing how different this current situation is compared to his own back then. When he had asked Sylvain's question to Endir, he was at a complete loss with no solid memories to support him. Sylvain smiled even more bitterly as he recalled all the circumstances of his incarnations to have gone through this same conversation. His was very different, but also not entirely so. After all, had he not already lost his family to dormancy and his home to ruination?

"Because it is the only path we know."

Sylvain's voice quivered as he felt the beating of his heart. It seemed to want to give up and succumb to the pain and grief, but he could not allow it. His family was not entirely lost just yet. That was why he was even doing this to begin with. He looked at each one of his incarnations until his gaze stopped on Kain. The man's scarlet eyes remained focused all throughout his existence, even when his cycle had ended so long ago. He had a duty to fulfil. He could not fail. Sylvain nodded to him in both respect and acknowledgement.

"Your cycle has ended. Your duty has ended. It is my turn to bear our burdens. So come, all of you."

Sylvain spread his arms wide as he called to everyone. All the powers within the Council Hall churned at his words. This may seem like a simple conversation to others, but only Grace knew that this ritual meant a lot to him. In the space above the Council of Grace, hanging above even the flying dragons was the Scarlet Moon that shone its light upon them all. The members of the House of Grace all prostrated themselves, knowing what was to come. In unison, all incarnations of Grace spoke the next words.

""It is time we become One.""