Chapter 370 (2/2)
I leaned against the wall as I considered this, wondering what ht it contained allowedit The realm within the relic was aetheric in nature, and there wasn’t any natural light, so Regis’s comparison to a hot stone didn’t quite fit the picture I had in my head It was more like…
…the reflection of water seen frolass My mind reached far back to before the hen Lady Myre had first explained aether toblocks the world is made of, while mana is what fills it with life and sustenance” She compared aether to a cup, and es shape, it doesn’t alter the cup in any way Or…does it?
‘Okay, you’re losing ons a little behind the ti chuckle ‘Aether “Art” stuff Haha, get it?’
The keystone real mana within I can’t see theto outside stier fluctuations
“Grey?” Caera’s voice was a quiet, nervous whisper,me realize I’d been quiet for some time
“Sorry,” I said i in there for a bit? There are a fewine seeing the world like this all the tihts of Realmheart and Sylvia’s beast will away
There ork to do
TESSIA ERALITH
Cold wind caressed ray hair behinda little flurry of snow that spun outith every twist and dip to drift doard the fortress of Taegrin Caelum below
“Weak”
I rubbed hard at the point on my chest where Grey’s blade had pierced me…in a different life, a different body, and yet now that I had the memory of it, it was like I could feel the scar of the old wound
“I had expectedat rona’s fortress, the air was frigid and clear, and eager to feel the touch of mana
Mountains stretched as far as I could see in every direction Clouds gathered on the horizon—fluffy-gray and full of snow—but otherwise the huge sky was crystal blue Cold but inviting
“I’m the better contender” Read !
I squeezedto push away those last moments of my life, which had now replayed over and over in rin Caelu of the world meant little to the fortress or its ruler
“If I have to leave you and Nico behind to achieve oal, I will”
Those had been his last real words to me, this person as supposed to be h my chest And Nico had watched it happen
That was ed in a halo of light, half-obscured by clouds of dust, his face frozen in a tortured mask as he arrived too late to help…
I let out a shuddering sigh
No wonder he is the way he is
I shook away the thought It wasn’t Nico’s fault All I had to do was die and wake up, but Nico…his path had beenforced to reue for days, and even after that it took daysto adjust to ain had felt like prison, like torture I’d already lived one life of imprisonment, in which I’d never been allowed to be myself, to live forAgrona any different?
“I willwind “I will control ic that made me fly
My body twisted in the air until I was staring down at the fortress The air thinned ahead ofat a break-neck pace doard Taegrin Caeluo, rushed toward ulffroh speed that they slammed shut behind me The door into the maze of hallways juh it, responding to erous speedRead !
When I stopped, the sudden burst of windoff it’s wide plinth to crash down the hallway I winced, not having e, but there was also a small part of me that felt vindictive pleasure in the act
I knocked on Nico’s door, but there was no answer Earth ered in the heavythe door to swing open
My feet drifted up off the floor and I flew into the room It was dark, empty, and absent of warmth…
Nico wasn’t there
There was only one other person in Taegrin Caelu off his balcony and around the edge of the fortress I stopped, hovering in the air as a set of balcony doors high in the wall of Agrona’s private wing pushed outward as if to welcorona for the first time
His horns were empty of ornamentation, his usual fine clothes replaced by dark leather pants and a si casually off his lithe form, the top buttons undone to expose his chest and allow the runic tattoos that covered it to peek through His ht, or perhaps that was the strength of his h his body from his core, which burned like abetter?” he asked, feigning a casual air “I was just thinking of you Draneeve said you htly to the side, his tongue darting out to wet his lips “What is weighing so heavily on your mind, Cecil?”
Ias closer to God than man—and liftedyou’ve shown ”
His smile was kindly, but carried the confidence of a conqueror Whatever I had to say, I kneould listen, but he wouldn’t be bent or broken by it
“I won’t be your weapon,” I continued,on the wind “Or your tool I want to be able to make my own choices, to have a life, not just to be alive”
Agrona’s shrug was perfectly casual “Of course, Cecil Your life is your own” He gavesmile that made it difficult to remember what I wanted to say “I would ask you inside to discuss this further, but honestly I love the dra there, face like carved ice, ready to , of course
I drew in a deep breath and the mana all around us swelled outward like it was a part of an to fall as wet flakes of snow, even the stones of Taegrin Caelurona stepped farther out onto the balcony His eyes closed and he sniffed at the wind, filling his lungs with it “Power,” he said, his voice a boo his eyes, he held out a hand to catch some of the snowflakes “Would I repeat the ed you in your last life? Suppressing your potential by constraining you, trying to control you? I hope I do not strike you as foolish”
“But you did so in the trerona’s casual uise of training—I went through in rona said easily “Although…what he endured for you, just for the chance to stand by you again…Nico eak and powerless as he watched Grey take your life Unable to do anything, anything at all He illing to endure any pain to bring you back and keep you safe, no rona inspected me closely “But Nico is not what you’re here to talk about, is he? I’ when I say your choices are your own, but there is so you need to know”
He paused when a bird flew right past me to settle on the balcony rail It tapped its beak on the , and ruffled its shi+ny black and red feathers Agrona held out his hand, which was suddenly full of seeds The creature hopped fro its four wings
“It’s…beautiful,” I said, !
“You won’t find the the bird peck at the seeds “They come from Epheotus, native only to the precipitous cliff sides of Mount Geolus I had sorona’s features grew intense as he trailed off Suddenly his fingers closed like a cage around the bird It gave a frightened squawk and began to flap around in his hand and peck futilely at his fingers
“They are out of place here, just like you,” he said, his intense gaze on the bird “You are in danger, Cecil, and you will be until the war is won and the Indrath Clan is thrown from their mountain”
“Why?” I asked, unable to takemy stomach lurch
“Unlike the Vritra, who pride ourselves on exploring the unknown, the rest of the asura clans are terrified of it If they were ever to get their hands on you…”
His eyes drifted away from the bird todown the caldera of an active volcano I could feel hies of a book But instead of feeling like a violation, there was a war him in there with me meant I wasn’t alone
But you aren’t alone, Cecilia
His hand closed The bird gave a muffled shriek, which was i of sain, the beautiful creature was little s
With a flick of his wrist, the little corpse tue of the balcony and down to the sharp stones far below
“But I arona said, his voice heavy with intent “They are not just a danger to you, but to all lessers And the people of both Alacrya and Dicathen deserve an existence without fear of their tyranny I uide their evolution, but I have no interest in building theain as Kezess has done”
He held out his hand toward ht with me in the war to come, you can protect yourself and the people of two continents froer that the asura pose After all, they’ve already shown the depth of their disregard for lesser lives in Elenoir when they co into your full power”
At the mention of Elenoir, an e ained control immediately and pushed the sensation down deep, back into uardian rerona was tracingevery inch of me “The beast will riles at theShould you ever gain control over it, adding its formidable power to your own freeform control over mana will be a boon, but not strictly necessary for you to attain your full potential”
I rubbed my sternum over my mana core, unco!
“But I understand that this world will never be your hoht from my head “And so I promise you this When we defeat the asuras and topple the Indrath Clan, I will use the knowledge I have gained froive you back your old life, your old world—but as they should have been”
My breath caught in ine it, Cecil Picture exactly what that life would be like, whatever you want Noould you do to claim it?”
It’s a trick, or a trap, or—
But already his treat His tone was respectful, even cautious The way he looked up at me, I could see it in his eyes, like he saw me as a partner, not a tool, and that was exactly what I’d come here to deaze, and I kneith utter certainty that he could do what he said
But ould I do in this life for a chance to return to the life I should have had?
“Anything, Agrona”