The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Ignyres went silent. The eerie sound of his flames crackling in an unsettling tone dulled his ears. The longer this silence continued, the more uncomfortable Oscar felt. The dimming three orbs in the flaming head compounded that discomfort. He couldn't know for sure, but it was as if Ignyres was reliving the past, a blank stare he recognized in many who recollected their past, looking at memories unseen to others. Curious…that an Ancient could express such a human emotion. But Ignyres had proved himself somewhat quirky from his counterparts.

A few minutes later, Ingyres finally stirred. His three orby eyes regained their brightness, similar to how others have clarity return to their gazes. He exhaled in an unknown way since the Ancients had no lungs and tapped his fiery fingers on the dark floor. Grimly, he spoke, exhaustion and regret laced in his voice, "We were all born with our purpose, and we only needed to follow it. But Esteres. Esteres thought she could try something different. Since the beginning, she had always followed Talos's designs, but no longer."

"She rebelled?" Oscar murmured, unblinking at the Ancient of Fire.

Ignyres shook his head. "Rebellion may not be the correct word. Esteres only believed she could improve on Talos's design for humanity. So, she created the Caerulumen. Humanity should have been what you are now. Adaptable. Emotional. Varying. To put it in your terms, she adjusted the Caerulumen so they would always look as if carved by master artisans. Their hair and eyes reflected the vast expanse of the clear blue sky on the day they were first created. And their Exolsias will never be below Grade Eight."

"Never?" The truth surprised Oscar. Even the famed Dragnar Royal Family had a few offspring who displayed lower grades. Gol-4 even mentioned a Primaere bloodline, like his, could never guarantee a high grade. A minuscule chance of a lower grade existed no matter how pure the bloodline was, and an equally minuscule chance of a higher grade existed in lower bloodlines like Isabella and Gol-4 in the past.

"Always handsome and beautiful to human standards. Always at Grade Eight or even higher. She didn't understand why Talos wanted humanity to have flaws and sought to improve them." Ignyres slumped, resting his hands on his knees. Once more, he seemed to be out of it, going away from the conversation and delving into deep pondering. Twitching his brow, Oscar wanted to know more and almost brought his hands together to clap and grab the Ancient's attention. He halted and lowered his arms, afraid of incurring Ingyres's wrath.

A long sigh escaped Ignyres's nonexistent mouth, parts of his flames flickering and waning to a soft fire so weak as candlelight. "Talos was enraged. We felt its roar reverb from the deep caverns of the earth to the highest points of the sky. The volcanoes erupted, oceans flooded, earthquakes devastated the continents, and the storms laid waste to all. But it had already been done. So, the Caerulumen were allowed to exist. Since Esteres used much of the primordial Ein to create them, Talos needed time to regather so that true humans could be created."

This tale was far too big for Oscar to stomach. He couldn't begin to imagine creation and the beginning. The very thought of trying to comprehend them led him to struggle to get a hold of himself. He took a few deep breaths. Calm slowly recovered with each big draw of air. He expected to feel better, but he only felt sicker once he tried to refocus on Ignyres.

"It's a lot to take in. For one as tiny as you, it's frightening." Ignyres consoled Oscar and continued, ignoring his pained grunts. "At first, there was peace. The Caerulumen mostly kept to themselves, becoming masters of Ein, the first Exalts of Talos. Oddly, their reproductive capabilities were somewhat weak, something Talos managed to put on them. The primordial Ein recovered many years later, and Esteres created humanity, following the designs perfectly."

"Yes. Those faulty creations hid it well from us. In the murals, you saw them accompanying humanity and receiving worship for their guidance, acting as benign overlords. We, the Ancients, believed they were no threat to the new humanity, agreeing with how they showed their care. The Threads showed nothing insidious." Ignyres smashed his fists on the floor. Magma pooled around his hands. Oscar stood up with the others and backed away. He had no idea what might happen if he touched the enraged flame of an Ancient. "They somehow obscured their threads, tricking us from glancing into their true nature. I can understand Primaeres because they become invisible to the Threads, but changing and masking them? That is not what should have been."

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Oscar mulled on Ignyres's words. He wondered about the other mural, the castle in the sky that rested above the suns and moon. Ignyres seemed akin to an explosion waiting to happen, the long silences of brooding anger in between conversations never easing his worries. He sat down by the edge of the large magma pool surrounding Ignyres, having nothing to do but wait. Red bubbles popped and hissed out steams of smoke, a strange sight in his inner world. Glancing around, he judged he was still unconscious outside, his attempts to exit failing.

"One of them ascended, breaking through the limits of the Primaere." That news thundered storms in Oscar's mind. For years with Gol-4, they spoke about the rumors of a realm beyond the Primare, and Gol-4 mentioned other Primaeres desperately seeking a path outside. Now he had confirmation. Ignyres gave further details. "Talos cannot support a power beyond Primaere. So they are lifted high beyond the suns and moon, a place unknown to even us."

"Such a place exists?" Oscar gazed up and remembered he wasn't outside. He mumbled, "That's where Evelyn went…."

"Chasing after them is impossible. They built their palace in the place beyond and sealed the way out. They wielded far too much power. Though the ones surpassing Primaeres can not reenter Talos, they can influence through other means. Slowly, they siphoned the Ein to the degree no one else could ascend. It was too late when we realized what had happened."

"If they have that much power, why bother returning to Talos? What was the point of the war?"

"They blocked off others but not themselves. They sent their Primaeres and other lower Exalts to destroy us. They wanted the power of the Ancients for themselves and the World Core of Talos."

"Talos has a core?"

"A very powerful core. One that if the Caerulumen obtained, all life on Talos would have been lost. We fought, but they brought strange powers from the place beyond, and with many humans on their side, we slowly lost battle after battle." Ignyres slowly clenched his hands. "Then, Talos arrived at a solution, a counter to the Caerulumen, a vessel for its and our power, the ancestor of the ones you know as Voltens."

Oscar wasn't too shocked. Sirsi's prophecy and the strange relationship Ignyres described placed all the pieces together. "So how is Reis involved?"

"You draw strength from the world, from Talos itself. Wherever you are, you can call upon it. That is the true nature of Reis. The Volten progenitor possessed the perfect body and blood that came from Talos. He became our weapon, the vessel for our powers, all in one. The war changed in our favor."

"I see now…." Oscar understood everything now. "It ended in a draw. Most sides became heavily injured."

"Right, you are. The Caerulumen forcibly tried to take the World Core. In those final moments, Esteres, the most enraged and betrayed of us all, sacrificed her life to grant the Volten progenitor all of her power, and he fought fiercely. In the end, their battle resulted in the broken half, Shattirma." Ignyres rose. He wandered around the blue core. "We lost. There is no victory in half the world being shattered. There is no victory in losing Esteres."

Oscar empathized with Ignyres. He also wondered if a victory in this war could be called one after the heavy losses his home suffered. He found himself standing up and following after the Ancient of Fire. The solemn back seemed very distant."Are you planning on having another Volten become your vessel?"

"The plan is slightly different this time. My body was shattered, and my heart and mind escaped to this remote region, hidden for eons. We knew they would be back and agreed to Metures's idea. But I was not privy to the changes through the ages. I have to meet with Metures in the Fallen Heaven. I am too weak to contact him. So, can you take me there?" Ignyres turned around, facing Oscar.

"I'm already too involved in this affair, aren't I?" Oscar chuckled.

"Far too involved. Not many can say they live a life like yours." Ignyres cackled. He returned to the human-like, excited facade. "I am the Ancient of Fire, my partner. You will not lose out on helping me. Now, I believe it's time to allow you to wake up."

"You've been keeping me asleep?" Oscar asked.

"Don't hate me for it. Enjoy the outside." Ignyres slowly faded away. The others also dissipated. His core ceased to be, and a bright light overwhelmed him.

Oscar opened his eyes and said the first words that came to his mind, "Some Ancient of Fire."

'I'm right here!' Ignyres shouted from inside.

Groaning, Oscar palmed his face. He was so tired that his arm trembled in place, unable to muster the strength to shout out against having another mind in his head. The thought of sharing his inner space with Demon and Ignyres…Oscar didn't even have the words for it. If anyone could share his space and wander in his mind, he wanted Avril to be in it. At least then, he could have some comfort in meeting her daily, no wait, hourly.

Caerulumen, the Voltens, Shattirma, a war that far eclipsed the one he was fighting, all weighed on him. He felt tired again and closed his eyes, letting his mind stray away, lost in his own thoughts and dreams.

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