The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Ignyres's hand, which had long fingers and flames crackling along its shape, stayed still between Oscar and the Ancient of Fire, the open palm beckoning Oscar to grasp it in a formal welcome. Magma seeped from the volcanoes on Igynres's shoulders. His flames swelled as his strange orbs, the Ancient's eyes, shone brighter like three suns. The idea of rejecting the Ancient of Fire's proposal frightened Oscar, but he slowly clenched his hands and met Ignyres's gaze.

Strangely calm, he asked, "You seem quite different from the other Ancients. Xures and Okeanes appeared more like walking calamities, and Metures had no emotion at all."

"I suppose." Ignyres chortled and spoke in an erratic voice, sometimes low and sometimes high. "I am flame. I am fire. My very nature is chaos and destruction but also warmth and change. Passion and emotion are me. And after countless years in my perpetual purgatory, I elected to sound more human, much more fun that way."

Even the Ancients seemed to have their limits. Ignyres certainly went mad after being stuck underground in a near-death state for a long time. Oscar wondered how best to handle such a wild and chaotic personality. One wrong move, and he could die or suffer greatly. They stood still for a time, seconds passing as the flames continued to burn on the outstretched hand. Oscar caught sight of Ignyres tilting his flaming head slightly and knew the patience was waning.

"If you say we will be partners," Oscar said, pointing at Ignyres. "Then you can tell me everything about the past, the plan, and what these candidates are. That's a fair way to start a partnership."

Retrieving his hand, Ignyres crossed his arms, the flames sizzling as magma flowed ceaselessly along the surface. "Quite greedy, aren't you? Not that I don't like it. Yes…the fire that burns in you, the heat that drives you." His hands clenched, erupting into violent flames. "I saw it all in your memories. How sad that I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Oscar asked.

"Metures only called you a candidate, whatever that means…and said others are in consideration. That means you are not yet chosen. Go to the Fallen Heaven and meet him. If you are chosen, he and I will tell you everything you need to know." Ignyres's hand stretched out again. "The Volten will certainly be enraged to know my mind is not within the heart. They can use it but will never be able to wield its full might without my say-so. See? I helped you in a way already."

Still hesitant, Oscar paced around the dark, empty space, sticking to his side and glancing at the quiet Igynres. The Ancient of Fire's eyes followed him back and forth, left and right, light pulsing in the orb on each second. Pondering what to say, Oscar stopped for a quick second, a pause in his stride, and mumbled to himself before asking, "What happens if I don't accept?"

"Then you'll have to deal with an unwelcome guest in your mind. I won't be going anywhere. I gambled on you. Let's get you through this war and into the Fallen Heaven." Igynres started to pace around, matching Oscar's strides and direction, their gazes permanently locked. "If you accept, I can show you the depths of fire. And my knowledge is yours."

"Except for the plan you and the other Ancients have in store. What about the past? In the murals at the Lighthouse, I saw people with blue hair and blue eyes warring against the Ancients. What are they?" Oscar posed another question.

For the first time in their conversation, Ignyres dropped his erratic accent and spoke in a clear voice like roaring flames in the deep night, "They are the Caerulumen. Their very existence is a plague on Talos. You have already encountered one. My hand yearns to burn their hearts to ash and toss their charred corpses down the tallest mountain down to the dirt."

"And Gilbert is one of them, isn't he?" Oscar asked, stepping forward. He didn't know how long Igynres might let his lips remain loose, but the anger spilled out some much-needed information. He needed to press on and gain as much insight as possible.

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Ignyres snarled, his flames erupting into a great blaze. "If I could exert my power, I would burn the whelp before he could rise. No doubt, the Caerulumen have their insidious plot. You must kill him, child."

"I will not do anything," Oscar stated, his heart halting from the great flames that turned the dark space into a world of fire.

"You dare?!" Many voices came out, endless echoes of rage striking Oscar's ears.

"I will not act until I know everything, and I will not fight unless I know everyone behind me can be safe if I die." Oscar declared to the surrounding flames, an ocean of red that had swallowed him up. Fear of the Ancient of Fire might have intruded into his thoughts, but a greater fear of losing everyone from the wrath of the Caerulumen or the Primaere behind Gilbert was rooted deeply in his heart. The flames waned slightly, lowering their roars to mere flickers.

Laughter resounded, deep and carrying the weight of ages, regal and booming, power raised in each verbal laugh. It soon devolved into the maniacal laughter from before, losing all of the majesty, leaving merely the leftovers of a maddened Ancient, and Ignyres gathered himself together from the flames. His molten feet hissed as he stepped closer to Oscar. "I can see a great partnership between us. It's a pity I cannot see the Threads right now to know how great it will certainly be. Fine. You can act as you please, and I will help."

"Just like that?" Oscar became confused, concerned by the sudden shift. While he relished the change, a deal suddenly becoming more favorable to him was unnerving. Oscar studied the Ancient of Fire, eyes narrowed, and found he could not gleam any emotions on that fiery face, which barely qualified as a face. Of course, he was no expert in reading the thoughts of primordial beings.

Ignyres nodded, "Just like that. I respect your choice and resolve. So, will you allow me to help you?" His hand moved forward slightly.

Oscar smiled and grasped the Ancient of Fire's hand, feeling no pain from the flames. Instead, a vast warmth traveled from his palm and into his chest, spreading to every inch of his being. Oscar shook once and let go. "Now what?"

"Now we talk about the past, as you have wished. First, let's allow the onlookers to listen in." Ignyres sent out a small ember that burst out into a ring of fire that washed over the entire space. In the wake of the fire, a bright blue core hummed and shone, and Demon sat crosslegged beside Erden, the two waiting for him all along.

Oscar joined the two, nodding at Demon, and wrapped his arm around Erden's neck in a brotherly tug. Demon merely gave him a cursory glance as he snapped his dead stare at Ignyres, clearly not trusting the Ancient of Fire by giving him an unwelcome expression, though that might have just been his usual cold demeanor. Oscar sat down together by Erden, waiting for Ignyres to share the past.

The three gathered by Ignyres as if he were a hearth, and the Ancient of Fire sat down. Ignyres exhaled embers and said, "My memory is still clear. I will only speak of the past and nothing else related to the plan and the future." His voice droned on. "I remember the first ember that sparked on the young ground. Talos was young, still a newborn. Grass didn't grow yet, and the rains hadn't started to fall."

"From the ember, I was born. From the first breeze came Xures. The others came along, and we all heard Talos's voice calling to us, the Ancients. Directed by its will, we carved out continents, filled the deep chasms with oceans, spread the seeds of life everywhere, and brought the changing seasons. Esteres was the most powerful and the one to whom Talos gave the mission to create the firstborns." Ignyres turned to Erden. "I remember your ancestor, the Prielapos, and all other firstborns. They spread and filled every part of Talos."

"Truly, everything lived in harmony. We, the Ancients, would dance around Talos, reveling in all that had been. However, Esteres received another instruction from Talos, one that damned all we had built. I do not place the fault on Talos. As a world, it carried deep instinct of what it had to do and acted because it needed to be done, but it was Esteres who misjudged the instructions." Ignyres said, deep regret in his tone, his fire diminishing as if bowing his head in shame.

"Esteres, the Ancient of Nature….what was she supposed to do?" Oscar asked solemnly. An inkling of the answer came to him, but he could not believe it unless Ignyres confirmed it. He felt himself grow pale, shaken by the unsaid answer.

Ignyres stayed silent. The Ancient of Fire's eyes flared, and he said, "Humans. Talos ordered Esteres to create the human race, giving detailed instructions on the Exolsia cores and other features. From where it knew to create them and the firstborns, I do not know, but it emphasized the birth of humanity. And Esteres…she developed a mind of her own and tweaked the first humans to her liking."

"That was the birth of the Caerulumen."

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