The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

As usual in his dreams, Oscar wandered down the fields of grains, the golden heads swaying about from the breeze and glittering like a treasure trove under the two suns. But a dark wind breezed over, and all the shimmering heads of grain bowed before it, their very bodies visibly withering into dried husks. The path underneath him aged, unpaved with unevenly growing weeds, persistent and cracking into the few cobblestones.

Over the hill, the decay spread to the small house, his old home, his childhood. The wood rotted, worms and termites gnawing around the blackened fibers of once strong beams and pillars. Creaking and groaning, the roof could no longer hold on and collapsed, caving in the center, and a cloud of dust spread, a foul scent of rot wafting around. Spotting the same decaying stump, the remainder of a great oak, that he always saw in this dream, Oscar sat down and glanced around.

The withered, brown husks of decaying grain littered the fields, an innumerable amount of corpses, the ground devoid of water and breaking apart like stone. Flies buzzed around the dead land and gnawed on whatever was left behind in a ravenous hunger until nothing remained except for him. Everything was gone. His home had been torn down and eaten down to the bricks. And as if following a routine, the dream ended, and he found himself back in the real world.

Rising from his makeshift bed of fur, Oscar held in his groan and rubbed his tense brow, breathing unevenly. Perhaps some time outside would do well for him, so he gathered his belongings and slowly crept around the others, their snores masking the sound of his steps. Undoing a part of the tarp, he sneaked out of the gap he had created and watched his breath visibly turn white, an instant reaction to the frosty air swelling around him.

His Ein wrapped and enveloped him, and Oscar scrunched his feet over the deep snow and tugged his fur cloak tighter around his body. Unlike yesterday, the wind wasn't as fierce, a mere whistling passing by and kissing instead of biting on his skin. A bit of doubt flickered as he observed the mountains, not a single cloud obscuring their peaks like yesterday, truly strange. Amid his pondering, he heard snow being crushed underfoot and could sense the person behind him.

"Good morning, Fred." Oscar didn't turn back; his gaze locked onto the clear mountains in the distance.

"Morning, Os." Fred returned his greeting, a bit muffled under the mask. "I wouldn't say it's a good morning."

"I say it in the hope that it'll be a good morning. Helps to have some form of optimism at the start of the day." Oscar said. He pointed to the mountains and cheered, "Look how clear they are. Is it not a good sign? Our luck may already be turning."

Fred stared out before sighing and shaking his head. "How long?"

"How long have you been having nightmares?" Fred asked, catching Oscar off-guard.

"You knew?" Oscar said in a raspy voice.

"Who do you think was your roommate for years? Yes, I know. That's why you're out here, wanting to be alone like you always do until someone comes by." Fred passed a piece of jerky to him. "If I had to guess, it's after you found out your parents died."

Oscar chuckled weakly. His friend had an uncanny way of understanding everything except for himself. "It's always the same. I see my old home falling apart and decaying. I fought to the bitter end not just to see you, Emily, and everyone else but mostly for them. But they're gone now, and my home's no longer a place for me. It's a harsh wake-up every morning."

His friend did not say a word, only offering a comforting pat on the back, and Oscar felt somewhat soothed by the nice gesture. As Oscar turned to return inside, a faint, high-pitched whistle perked up his ears, and he listened while moving his head to find the cause. Narrowing his eyes, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. "Fred, did you hear that?"

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"Indeed. It sounded just like…cannons?" Fred emphasized the last word, and they both stared at each other, exchanging grave looks, before running inside the tarp.

"Everyone up!" Oscar shook the others and shouted, not too loud to alarm any enemies lurking outside. The members of the Black Aegis Order slowly started to wake up, rubbing their eyes and yawning like an ordinary morning, but they all soon snapped wide awake as the cavern trembled, the ground rumbling, and the sound of a fearsome explosion thundered through the tarp. Thankfully, Fred acted quickly and propped up a barrier of wind to block out the chunks of rock and waves of snow threatening to cave them in.

"Fred! What's going on outside?" Between the loud explosions, shouts resounded, and Oscar heard the same cries too many times to know what they meant: a warcry.

"I see two fleets, one ours and one the enemy's. They're firing at each other while armies clash on the ground and in the sky." Fred answered with his eyes closed to see through the eyes of his hawk anima.

"Captain, what shall we do? Our main objective is to scout and locate the source of the snow, not to interfere in the battles." Alec cautioned him, putting the decision on Oscar.

While it was true their mission did not entail participating in the battles, Oscar could not ignore the fighting outside. He could feel and hear the war intensifying, the raging Ein outside rising, and the cries increasing in vigor, rage, and sorrow. Bringing everyone in close, Oscar faced each of them and nodded, their fates resting in his hands as their captain. Still, as dangerous as it might be, he decided for them as a captain should. "We will fight. Everyone stays close to one another; do not stray far. Alec and Susan will stay in the center while we protect them. At my signal, we fly out and join our troops."

Alec sighed but didn't voice any complaints while the rest hardened their expressions, fully prepared to join the fight with him. Not to let their resolve go to waste, Oscar led from the front, Erden standing by his side, and signaled for Fred to begin. In a single push, Fred controlled the wind to burst out, opening the way for them to charge.

"Now!" Oscar rode on Erden and flew out, followed by his Black Aegis Order. Immediately, the war came into view. Vast amounts of soldiers clashed on the base and slopes of the mountains, the snow unable to fall fast enough to cover up the corpses and rivers of blood. Explosions dotted the sky, black clouds of their excess rising above as the Knight Exalts tore into each other, flying the banners of blue and black.

Wasting no time, Oscar spearheaded his order's assault, diving straight into the mess. Flames surged and blasted away, incinerating any defenseless Exalts. Bolting through the opening made by his and Erden's flames, Oscar plunged his golden drill into an unknowing Exalt from the back. The rest of his order swiftly followed, their sudden ambush working to great effect as the enemy was forced back, allowing his allies to have a brief respite and capitalize on the opening.

Several spells flew out in retaliation. A noteworthy effort but futile. Weaving past the spells and blocking rest with Erden's flames and his shield, Oscar reached another group of enemies and scattered them apart with Shattering Wave, breaking their unity and leaving them open for the others to kill. Everything seemed to be going well, and Oscar's team advanced deeper into the thick of battle, but then the air changed, and a sense of dread carried over to him.

"He's back! The monster is back! Run!" A strange sight unfolded. A stampede of fellow soldiers trampled away, flying as if a monster was on their heels, the pale looks of fright and beads of cold sweat spreading like a disease to the others. Oscar couldn't see past the masses, unable to see what they were running from. Several Exalts were flung higher like lifeless dolls while others fell abruptly, all their bodies torn nearly to shreds, barely recognizable, and held together by few sinews of skin and muscle.

"What is that?" Oscar murmured. Raising a golden drill, burning in red flames, and empowered by his Pseudoguise, he zipped past the escaping allies, his arm already in motion to pierce through whoever it was. To his shock, a large red hammer with a black handle bashed straight onto his drill, and he quickly unleashed his Shattering Wave against the reverberation flowing from the hammer.

"This power…." Oscar gritted his teeth and exerted more power, the air rippling from the ensuing shockwave. He retreated several steps and finally had a good look at the monster who chased away the others. The man towered over even his new height, a shaggy bed of brown hair covered his head, and a pair of brown eyes glinted dangerously on his broad face. Oscar recalled this man, his once bitter foe and temporary ally long ago. "Orden Aesn?"

"Oscar Terr?" Orden widened his eyes, clearly in shock. But true to his nature, as Oscar remembered, the behemoth soon smiled widely, his grip on the hammer intensifying, and said in the same deep, powerful voice. "I heard a few rumors from delegations of the Undying Flame Sect. But I never believed they were true." Orden bellowed out in laughter, rustling his brown hair around. "Will we finally be able to settle this?"

Oscar scoffed and raised his shield, Erden roaring under him. He smiled back and bashed his drill against the shield, sparks flying like fireworks. "You're right, Orden. It's time to finish this. But it's a pity. You're not up to the task."

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