The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

The bright smile on her beautiful face and the overflowing tears from her upturned emerald eyes were a sight to behold, her fine features further emphasized by the glow of the multiple braziers around the room. Oscar's mind abruptly went rigid from facing her directly; his heart, which had long since forgotten the youthful love he once bore for Celestina, stirred at the sobbing princess. He quickly quelled the lingering emotions, repeating Avril's name like a mantra. Nervous sweat broke out from his brow, and he couldn't muster the words or actions for her to calm down.

"Oscar!" Rescue came from Charles, who swooped in from the side and latched his arm around Oscar's shoulders. He shook him around with the physical power of a Marshal Exalt, shouting, "Are you really Oscar? How did you survive? More importantly, how did you get out of Ashen Grove?"

"Let go of him, Your Majesty. We have time questions later, but for now, we should accommodate our guests." A familiar, rough voice sounded from the other side, one that Oscar recognized immediately.

Oscar turned and awkwardly bowed because Charles was still latching around his shoulder. "It's been a long time, Lord Raeven. Have you been well?" Robert Raeven hadn't changed since the last time he saw him, always dressed in a tunic and brown pants, covered by a fur cloak, and keeping the large claymore on his back. He fondly remembered his short time with him in Sword Peak Mountain, training to awaken an early Prinstyct.

Robert grinned, his beard shuffling from the curling of his mouth, and patted Oscar's shoulder. "After so long, you've almost caught up with me." His eyes shone, and he gazed deeply around Oscar's body. "If you kept your face and voice hidden, I would never have known it was you. Almost everything about you, from your height, body structure, and even the core, is vastly different."

"You can see that?" Oscar removed Charles's grip around him and rubbed the back of his sore neck.

"It's a simple trick. Nothing more." Robert grunted, ending his sentence short like he always did.

"Everyone!" Celestina seemed to have recovered from her near outburst of emotion, shouting in her authoritative tone, the usual regal demeanor emanating from her gaze and straight posture as a cheerful smile grew. She looked behind him, fixating on each person, and inquired, "Who's in the rest of your group?"

"They are under my command. The Pavilion Master has granted me the title of captain of the new order. I haven't come up with a name for the order yet." Oscar answered, then addressed the ten people behind him, "Everyone except Fred and Emily can leave and have the attendants accommodate your needs. We will reconvene tomorrow early morning."

"Yes, Captain!" Their cohesive salutes and shouts, followed by their measured and matching strides, reminded Oscar of his Azure Sea Company in the Burning Valley. A couple of faces floated to the surface of his thoughts: Sevon, Adam, Quinn, and others, and he suddenly missed them, wondering how they were handling themselves.

"When did you learn to speak so well as a commander?" Celestina raised an eyebrow.

"I once had to lead entire armies across burning plains and erupting volcanoes." Oscar removed his fur cloak, and Erden jumped out from underneath, currently in his small form.

"Who is this beast? He's quite adorable." Celestina crouched and rubbed her palm along Erden's head, a soft, pillowy bundle of fur once transformed. Oscar sensed a mischievous thought coming from Erden and was too late to stop it. His beast companion enlarged in a split second, returning to his stout form of the Prielapos, and Celestina nearly stumbled to the floor, but she maintained her balance by floating in the air. She exclaimed, "A Prielapos?" and turned to Oscar. "What have you been through?"

"Much more than you can imagine." Erden spread his wings and trotted over to Oscar's side.

"It talks!" Celestina, Charles, and Robert all exclaimed.

Feeling her gaze stabbing into him, Oscar scratched his cheek and lightly chuckled before heading to the table. "It's a long story. Can we have some dinner while we talk?"

After he, Emily, and Fred took their seats, Celestina ordered the attendants to bring a feast. They returned carrying large plates of reheated meats, soups, and hard bread. The most prominent item in the meal was the cheese, an abundant amount of various types well suited for long-term storage. Clearly, the conditions in Frostveil City were not good.

"Thank you for the food." Oscar removed his gloves and sipped his soup from the bowl, breathing out steam from his mouth, a welcome replacement for the white frosty breath he exhaled for hours beforehand.

"Oscar, are you married?" Charles, sitting across, pointed his fork out and raised his voice. "Where did that ring come from?"

"Married?" Celestina instantly reacted, snapping her head toward Oscar, her gaze clearly reflecting his ring. She leaned forward and held her chin, fixated on his gold-diamond ring. "When did you get married? To whom?"

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"Yes. Yes, I did." Oscar smiled at the ring. "I should start from the very beginning after my supposed death in Ashen Grove." He ate and narrated, the attendants coming in occasionally to keep the waning braziers alive and burning, his voice clear throughout the raging snowstorm outside. Parched, Oscar sipped from his cup and said, "And that's it. We came here since you were the closest."

Everyone was silent, not an odd response to the nonsensical yet true story of his return. Oscar waited for them to say something, anything, but the awkwardness continued as they all gave him blank stares except for Fred and Emily, who stayed idle to themselves. In the end, he could only sigh and continue waiting for someone to speak up.

In the end, Celestina answered his request and said, "You've been through a lot." She rose from her seat and wore a pure white fur cloak, a perfect match for her silver hair. "Oscar, can we talk outside?" Without waiting for him, she opened the exit to the ramparts outside and entered the snowy winds, but not before she turned and glanced at him with a deep emerald gaze, her way of urging him to follow.

Under the nosy stares of the others, Oscar put his fur cloak on and told Erden to stay put. He opened the door and was immediately hit by a wave of cold, the ends of his fur coat instantly turning a frosty white as his face paled slightly. The nail-biting chill seeped into his pores and sent shivers along his skin. He had noticed it earlier, but feeling the brunt of it now, he knew something was wrong with this storm, an unnatural element guiding each flake.

"You get used to it." Celestina stood by the edge of the ramparts, resting her hands on the stone. Facing him, she left her hair to sway freely along with the winds, faint lunar beams shuffling between the strands and enveloping her body in a soft glow. Despite the fierce winds, the moon shone on a cloudless night, bathing them in soft moonlight. She smiled brighter than the light surrounding her. "Congratulations on your marriage."

Oscar walked toward the edge, standing side by side with her, and stared into the entirety of Frostveil City, flames and lanterns revealing the streets and homes. He could feel the warmth from here and felt better from the winds. He turned to her and bowed, "Thank you."

"It's good you found someone. I feared you'd be a lonely man for the rest of your life. Avril sounds wonderful." Celestina teased, holding in her laughter. She leaned her head back, her brows relaxed, and her eyes closed in what seemed to be close to blissful sleep. "After you died, I did everything possible to spread your name far and wide so you would live on somewhat in the pages of history."

"Those pages will have to be edited. It won't be funny to read about my own death." Oscar joked.

Celestina responded with a soft laughter. She exhaled and fixated her soft gaze on him. "I missed you. I missed the times when we would read together in the Neptune Archives. I missed when you came to training and worked hard despite being a weaker Exolsia. I missed the comfort you always gave to me. In these long years, I haven't read anything other than reports and detailed accounts."

"That's a shame. I brought the perfect gift for you." Oscar reached into his space pocket and pulled out a book. "It's a copy of a rare tome written thousands of years ago. It details the journey of an old King Exalt who bore the element of light. Do you not want it?"

"Who says I don't?" Celestina took the book and stroked the cover, smiling endearingly at the words written on it, an enchanting sight that Oscar wanted to see on her, though not for the original purpose anymore.

Going by the flow and atmosphere, if he had gone on a different path somewhere in the past, he would have confessed to her, but now, there was no need. He had a different confession to say. "In the past, I did love you. I imagine you knew from the start."

Celestina gripped the book tighter, seemingly more downcast. "I did know since we were young. Then Emily told me about your plans to confess after Ashen Grove."

"If I had confessed to you before Ashen Grove, or if I had never married Avril and confessed to you now, what would your answer have been?" Oscar simply wished to know, not for his self-satisfaction or the prospect of rekindling an old love. He merely wanted to know what her answer would be, how the threads between them could have headed towards.

Celestina fell silent, and then, after a long pause, she answered, "Truth be told, I would have said no."

"May I ask why?" Oscar asked.

"If there were someone I would have wanted to marry, it would have been you." Celestina contradicted herself, and Oscar grew even more confused. She patted his shoulder, her hand warm to the touch even through the thick fur cloak draped along his back. "I am the princess of the Brilliant Drake Empire. Your achievements in the past and present put you at the top of prospective husbands, and I would be glad to be married to you since you're my closest friend."

But she shook her head and continued. "However, no matter what, I will always put my home and Empire above anyone, even you. It wouldn't be fair to you. You'd give me everything while I can't compromise for you. I will forever be bound to the empire while you play second fiddle until the end. You might be able to accept that, but I can't, not for you. You deserve better, and you've gotten her."

"But, if I weren't a princess and didn't have to bear all the burdens, I would have agreed in a heartbeat." Celestina let go of Oscar and bowed her head. "I was too scared to tell you this before because I feared you might drift away. But it wasn't right to hold your hopes up the entire time. I'm sorry."

Oscar couldn't stop himself from lifting her head; then, with a nod, he bowed to his knees and said, "That's right. You are a princess, first and foremost. Your words do not sadden me; there is no need to apologize. I failed to understand how you felt."

"You are my dearest friend. You don't need to bow like this." Celestina stretched her hand out to help him up. But he refused to take her hand, and she said sadly. "Are you going to return tomorrow?"

"No. While I am your friend, I am also the captain of the new order. Right here and now, I pledge my services to you. May you name our order?" Oscar asked in earnest.

Celestina smiled and brandished her rapier, tapping it once on Oscar's right shoulder. "I name you, Oscar Terr, the captain of the Black Aegis. May you protect the Brilliant Drake Empire and its people until your duty is finished."

"I accept your appointment and will fight until my last breath," Oscar vowed.

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