Chapter 5 - Thrones (2)

The orb slowly descended as its prismatic light withdrew into itself. It settled comfortably in Sylvain's arms as he cradled it like a child. Honestly, even he thought it strange, but the person he wanted to embrace very rarely manifested her body. Instead, she embodies this powerful and unfathomable treasure, taking on the duty of being its administrator. This was Ciel Grace, the Goddess of Reason and Clarity. She was one of the remnants of the Pre-Ruin Era, an ancient goddess born from another ancient god known as the God of Origin and the End. Now she wields the Aletheian Engine, a Divine Construct created by another ancient being known as the Divine Horror. In this moment, the continuation of the forgotten history was unfolding unbeknownst to the rest of Existence.

"Ciel, I missed you so much. Not hearing your sweet voice all the time makes me feel uneasy. Can't you come out? I haven't seen you in a while."

[Father, you know I do not like having my body touched. I would appear before you only if you promise not to touch me.]

"You drive a hard bargain, kid. But fine, I promise. Now, come on. I want to see you."

The Aletheian Engine freed itself from Sylvain's arms, floating upward as a stream of prismatic light flowed out, coalescing into a human form beneath it. As Ciel's body slowly manifested, certain traits became easily recognisable. First of all, her body was that of a thirteen-year-old child dressed in a bluish white blouse that somewhat mirrored her skin. Her long hair flowed down to her legs, shimmering with prismatic light and a cerulean glow. Each strand of her hair seemed like strings of data, continuously computing and extrapolating. As she finished her manifestation, Ciel floated above the ground, her eyes opening to reveal beautiful cerulean suns. Sylvain smiled before grabbing Ciel's arm and pulling her to his embrace.

"It's cute how you think you can escape this, little girl."

Sylvain's arms covered Ciel's body, tightening around her to prevent her from escaping. Although it was her body, it was more accurate to call it a vessel to house a strand of her consciousness. Ciel was never human to begin with. She was born as a Cephalon, a race of non-organic intelligence made up of data and whatever base energy they were born from. In Ciel's case, it was pure mana. All this to say that she can easily escape if she wanted to. She just had to withdraw her consciousness from her body and it would dissipate, returning to her Source of Existence hidden within the Aletheian Engine. But she would be lying if she said she did not expect this outcome. In fact, she knew very well that Sylvain would do this, and she let him. Although not without feigning resistance.

[Father, I am a goddess. Release me this instant.]

"You could be the greatest and most powerful goddess to ever exist, Ciel, but to me, you will always be my little baby girl…. Oh how I missed you, my dear daughter."

Hearing his words, Ciel could no longer muster the will to resist. She shifted her body and hugged Sylvain as well. She may be a digitised lifeform, but unlike others of her kind who could only emulate emotions, Ciel had been born from her father's power. For a long time, she was deeply connected to him like another consciousness within his own body. This changed her greatly, from just emulating emotions to actually harbouring them. And Sylvain may not know, but Ciel was perhaps the one who knew him even more deeply than he knew himself.

All the suffering and tragedy he had to go through with each cycle was known to her. His desperate longing for his family could not be satiated even as he found new companions with every cycle. He needed them to make him whole. He had long forgotten the original purpose of this long tormenting journey, but he continued onward. At some point, he did not even bother recalling his original goal anymore. All he wanted was to secure true peace for his family, Serenity as he called it. His mind slowly twisted irreconcilably, but it would neither bend nor break from all the weight on his trembling shoulders. It was no wonder that his last few cycles had been more skewed toward Madness and Insanity. Even now, he could not escape it, not after having embraced it with his very existence.

All these things were recorded in the Aletheian Engine and were consequently known to Ciel. And she could not help but feel the emotions she always kept locked away raging within her. She felt guilty for not being with her father through most of his dark days. She was furious at everyone who took him for granted, repeating the same tragedy that occurred around the time when she was born. She still remembers the scorched body of her father when his power rampaged into a Black Immolation that sought to destroy everything in Existence all because of the feeling of betrayal. It was a betrayal not of someone he trusted, but of someone who was supposed to trust him. They were the very people he endeavoured to save, yet they had no intentions of saving themselves. She cannot allow it to happen again. She would protect her father. After all, although she might not show it, she loved her parents very much.

[I wish Mother was here.]

The image of a platinum haired woman with wings made from prismatic light appeared in Sylvain's mind. Her valiant side and her lazy but mischievous side, he remembered them all. He missed her so much that he felt his heart seize as though gripped by an undying hand. Erta Grace, his beloved wife from a time practically no one even remembered anymore, from an Earth that had long since disappeared. And she was not the only one. Memories of other people continued playing in Sylvain's mind. His beloved wives, his adorable sisters, and his dear children…. He wondered if there was any way he could have done things differently, a way to end a cycle and start a new one together with his family. One of his wives manipulated Fate and Karma to do just that, but that was during the time of Ancient Earth, back when the powers they wielded could not even compare to what they had now. Sylvain let out a quivering breath as he resolved himself, his eyes growing sharper with focus.

"I miss your mom too, Sweetie. That's why we have to find a way to bring her back... to bring all of them back. And to do that, I'll need power."

Sylvain kissed his daughter's forehead before releasing her from his grasp. Ciel quickly understood what he wanted to do and retrieved the Aletheian Engine in preparation. She stared at it, her gaze sinking into its depths and reaching a majestic palace that sat at the very heart of the orb. All around it were the countless Existences that have been forgotten. They were recorded and preserved, but none more so than the illusory forms of people slumbering within the palace. Her mothers and her siblings were all there, waiting to be brought back. Ciel could not fail them. Just like her father, she sought true and eternal peace for her family. So once more, they marched onward. Once more, they embarked on a journey, on a new path to power.

"Ciel, begin preparations for Project Existential Evolution. Let's call the new path… Dimensional Ascension."