The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

The red skies of the Burning Valley were surprisingly clear on this day. The black smog-filled clouds could not be seen for thousands of miles, and the light of the red orb shone on every crevice, every ridge, and every shadow. Oscar leaned on a stone column, his eyes staring at Quinn. The young boy knelt before a gravestone, his shoulders dropping to a pitiful depth.

Avril sighed from his side, looking away from the scene. "Old Yule must be happy to see Quinn back to normal and alive. But did you have to tell Quinn the truth?"

Oscar knocked his head once on the stone column, deep in thought. "He remembers everything from when Old Yule took him to the catacombs to our battle. No point in hiding it from him. In any case, he deserves to know."

The two watched over Quinn as he exchanged inaudible words with Old Yule's grave. Oscar prevented himself from listening carefully out of respect for Quinn's loss. After an hour, Quinn got up and walked slowly to them, his face blank and his eyes watering.

"Have you said your goodbyes?" Avril handed a handkerchief to Quinn, who accepted and wiped his tears.

"Yes. Grandma always said I needed to be ready to live without her…." Quinn's voice trembled. "I kept saying I couldn't wait for that time, but…not like this." He wiped more of his incoming tears.

While Avril consoled Quinn by listening to his rants and sorrowful retellings, Oscar moved to the edge of the cliff next to Old Yule's grave. Below laid several more gravestones, thousands neatly placed side by side, top to bottom, left to right. Struck by a choking feeling of lament, Oscar bowed deeply to the many who lost their lives in this war. His hands bled from his nails digging into them, the frustration of the loss overtaking the pain.

"In the end, I did say we all agreed to this, but I used you all for my selfish goals. You all followed me as your leader, yet I will leave this place once I have enough to exit. I'm sorry for being a selfish leader." His lips bled, the intense heat and dryness enveloping him. Oscar returned to Avril and Quinn.

"So, what will you do now, Quinn?" Oscar patted the youngster's head.

Unlike other times, Quinn didn't knock away his hand, his pensive eyes focusing on Oscar's face. Quinn bowed to Oscar. "I want revenge for Grandma. As long as the New Dawn exists, I will fight them. Can you train me?"

"Quinn?" Avril sounded shocked. "Your grandma didn't sacrifice her life to give you this chance to squander it away on a reckless quest."

Oscar gazed into Quinn's unwavering eyes, burning with a bright fury and resolve. No amount of words or questions would deter someone with that deep of a hatred. Oscar knew from experience with Fred; only drastic circumstances could pull Quinn from it. Patting Quinn on the shoulder, Oscar walked past him, not turning back.

"If you want to learn, go to Sevon or Adam. They'll gladly take in someone like you." Oscar kept walking away, joined by Erden. Avril hurried over to his side while Quinn followed from behind. They entered the gates of Ashflame City. Most of it was intact since the battle didn't last long.

His feet clacked cleanly on the paved roads, flanked by beautiful obsidian buildings reflecting the sky's red expanse, with great designs of flames and embers on the roofs and walls. As he passed through, everyone stopped to bow and proclaim their loyalty to the Azure Sea Company. A great and ancient stairway welcomed him to the palace atop the hill.

Entering the palace, Oscar ignored the clamor and bustle of everyone. They ran around, carrying scrolls and documents, while Fenu directed many of them to their proper places. He smiled at Fenu, hard at work, and continued to the back of the palace where Sevon and Adam waited for them, resting in the garden.

"Where's Tort?" Oscar asked.

"Sleeping deep in the earth. He found a good spot while digging under the catacombs. The New Dawn laid so many traps under the earth outside the catacombs that Tort grew tired." Sevon grunted in his laughter, readjusting his pipe. "So it's done. I calculated the wealth you accumulated from the four cities. Subtracting the ones needed to keep the Burning Valley stable along with the grade-four armament you have, it'll take two years to get the price needed to pay your way to Vallen."

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"Two years…." The time diminished thanks to the addition of the grade-four armament, but two additional years was still a stretch. Added to his nearly eighteen years away, it would make twenty. "Can you not provide anything for us to get out of here quickly?"

"I only carry the essentials. Having been in Shattirma for so long, I ran out of extras. Even a grade-four Supreme Healing elixir is hard to come by and is so pricey." Sevon said, breathing out a long wisp of white smoke.

They were all hilariously and embarrassingly poor. It seemed he had no choice but to stay for two more years. Quickly bowing in farewell, Oscar left along with Avril and Erden. He heard the faint voices of Quinn begging Sevon to teach him and Sevon's rough, stern rejections.

"Um, Oscar. If you need to go, I don't need to follow along. That will lessen the costs" Avril tapped him from the side. "It's something very important to you. I can wait for the next time we have enough money."

Stunned by her words, Oscar paused and glanced at Avril, clearly saddened but with a weak, resigned smile. He scoffed and pulled her braided hair slightly.

"What?!" Avril shouted, her expression flipping to aggrievement and shock. "She was making a great offer to Oscar, and he decided to pull her hair! What is that?!"

"Didn't you say you wanted to find your sister and mother? They should be Vallen." Oscar faced Avril, eye to eye, her head barely reaching his chin.

"I do. But you have to get home as fast as possible, right? Aren't they in the midst of a war?" Avril tidied up her messed up hair, speaking under the strands of her indigo hair.

"Aren't you in more of a hurry to find out where they are or what happened to them?" He tapped her forehead, smiling. Oddly, this was fun. Her reactions never ceased to make him smile. "When we first met, you said we were partners and had to travel together, right? Then we leave together. We might have to separate when we get to Vallen, but for the time being, stay with me."

Avril's face stilled, and her eyes slowly enlarged as her pupils reflected his face. Feeling a fierce tug on his ear, Oscar leaned to his side, realizing her hand was pulling him. Avril smiled and continued tugging and pinching, "Fine. Since we'll be here for two years, teach me more alchemy."

"Hey! Let go of my ear! Erden, what are you doing laughing in my mind?" Oscar uncomfortably lowered his head while walking with Avril, who still tugged his ear. Erden's incessant laughter never ceased the entire way to the alchemy room.

…….

Two years later.

Many changes happened during these years. With the death of the Four Lords and the rising hegemony of his Azure Sea Company as the sole power, the Burning Valley entered a new period, one the locals called the Age of Demon. To solidify his new power, Oscar followed Fenu's advice to build a grand city on top of the Summit of Flames, named Flamespark City.

With Avril's growing alchemic skills and Oscar's blueprints of golems, they constructed great golems to pave roads connecting the many Burning Valley towns and regions. Following the many books on politics and country development and listening to the many advice from his people, Oscar created four academies for the four regions to unify each in thought and education, all leading to the central academy in his city, providing many incentives and rewards.

By producing a rivalry between the four but linking them all through the central academy, Oscar hoped their conflicts would only amount to squabble and petty battles over spots rather than full-blown rebellion. His new system also provided rest and pay for the people working.

Within the training ground of his new palace, Oscar was in the middle of training, his body limping and relaxed as if barely holding up by strings. He utilized the Reis to move each fiber and joint, curling his hand into a fist and punching into the air.

"Looks like it was a success, little brother. Nicely done." Adam clapped, resting shirtless on a chair, scars covering his body. "You're sure you're not of the Volten bloodline? Your ingenuity for Reis is remarkable."

"I'm from a long line of farmers. Don't tease me like that. It's only viable right now in some areas. I still can't use it in combat." Oscar stretched and cracked his back several times. He felt giddy inside from his new technique, one of his own creations that he figured out after experimenting with the invisible movements of Reis.

"What will you name this technique? As the creator, you get to name it." Adam pointed out.

"How about Reis Puppet?" Oscar blurted out the first name that popped into his mind.

"That's terrible. How does Reistand? A mix of Reis and stand, and it sounds like resistance." Adam smiled cheekily.

"That…." Oscar felt irked. He didn't want to admit it, but it sounded better than his original name. "Fine. Let's use that."

"Gahahaha!" Adam's laughter annoyingly echoed through the training grounds.

Then, Avril stepped into the room, Erden following by her side. Her flushed cheeks uplifted as she cheered. "The Pathriser is here! Are you ready to leave?"

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