The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Aiden wasted no time. His strides measured and exact down the polished white floor, the tiles so clean they reflected his handsome figure. Well-polished crystal lamps illuminated the path, and he followed its course, a groan escaping his usually tight lips. As Aiden approached the entrance to another room, he slowed his steps, hesitant to enter. He suspected a smug smile welcoming him inside, and the thought of it halted his feet.

Clutching his swords by his sides, Aiden decided it would be best to get it over with. Inside the doorless chamber with only open entrances was a blond-haired figure resting her head on the head of a sofa, her back in his direction. When his steps grew louder, she tilted her head further back. Her blond hair draped over the soft cushion, sprawling down like the threads of a loom. The pair of violet eyes glimmered strongly as her lips curled upside-down.

"Well?" She said smugly. Whenever she was right or had an edge, her tendency to play around or demean others often showed itself. Aiden hated that part of her. Sirsi chuckled mockingly and waved her hand while still leaning her head back. "Did he meet your expectations? No, I'm sure he surpassed them. Geez, you should know by now that my eye for people is better than yours."

"And there we have it. Not even a second, and you're already starting. Fine. I admit it. But no one could have expected him to learn the final concept without guidance or manuals. It's still hard to believe he achieved it while watching me." A smile widened across his face. His mind tossed out Sirsi's mockery and focused on the battle against Oscar, the most thrilling duel he had fought in many years. His fighting spirit ignited, and he voiced his wish, "In the future, I have to fight him again. Borinn and I are itching to battle."

"Speaking of. Where is Borinn?" Sirsi stretched her arms high and yawned.

"Resting. That Blood Transmutation gave the Prielapos an edge over him. Next time, we'll fight together." Aiden coughed and clutched his heart. His sword stabbed into the ground, stopping him from falling in a disgraceful manner to his knees. The pain subsided, but a cold sweat drenched his back. He saw his paling face on the reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall.

Sirsi's feet stepped into his view. He looked up. She towered over his hunched and limping figure, laughter spluttering from her closed lips, a mocking glance sweeping over him. "Fight Oscar? How? The pain of overdrawing the Reis still persists in you. His beast is superior to yours. And he can match your imperfect Reis with his perfect one. Geez, it annoys me when people don't know their place."

Aiden retaliated, "That rotten personality of yours is exactly why he will never succumb to you. What a shame. Well, even if you fix your wayward mindset, you still lose to his wife."

Under her feet, cracks spread across the floor and traveled partly up the walls. The sofas and tables were tossed into the air and crashed down in a rain of clutter. Sirsi's violet eyes sharpened, her hands moving slowly but containing immense Eirin. Aiden chilled his heart and emotions, clenching his red swords. He imagined a hundred ways she could attack and adjusted his grip to counter. The air flowed into a great storm, their Eirin colliding between them in a thunderous staredown.

"You little brats haven't grown at all. Cease your pitiful quarrel." Faust burst into the room, his superior Ein pressuring Aiden and Sirsi to back down. After the two quelled their hostility, Faust stomped over and kicked a collapsed table into the wall. The calm and scholarly researcher of the Voltens acted like a child throwing a tantrum. Something must have gone wrong on the other side.

"That damned prison rat! He dared to tear off my Sweeper's limbs." Breathing heavily, Faust calmed down and turned to them. "Two versus one, and that bastard still overwhelmed us. And he didn't even use a Meld or Integration."

"Geez, it's good you didn't kill him. My chances with Oscar would have been gone if he died." Scratching her radiant hair, Sirsi made her selfish remark. She yawned and stepped away, seemingly bored, as she made her way to the half-collapsed exit. "I'm satisfied to see the two of you frustrated. Now, if you excuse me, I have to contact Grenda. I wonder how her search is going."

As her figure retreated away and out of sight, Aiden lowered his arms, letting himself relax. Curious, he wondered about Oscar's master. He'd been too preoccupied by Oscar and the aftermath to give a moment's thought. The Sweeper was Faust's ongoing masterpiece, boosted by Oscar's blood and flesh. It grew strong at an alarming rate, becoming equal to Greater Marshal Exalts in a few years. To defeat such a creature along with Faust only meant Oscar's master was that much stronger.

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"Both master and disciple are outlandishly powerful. Is the Sweeper ok?" Aiden asked out of courtesy. Frankly, he didn't care about the abomination, finding himself agreeing with Sirsi about its unworthiness, a fact that he hated to admit.

"I recovered its limbs, but most of its body is a wreck. It'll take years to recover and enhance its power." Faust growled and smashed another chair under his foot. His glasses slipped down his nose before he readjusted it back. "I need to report this to the Clan Head, but he's uncontactable."

"Why? What could have caught our Clan Head's attention?" Aiden was surprised. A Clan Head moving out in the open was a serious matter. He glanced at Faust, awaiting an answer.

Faust cleaned his spectacles. "He caught the trail of the ones who have been causing havoc in our bases on Shattirma. He mentioned it was a personal matter. Don't worry. His son and several direct subordinates are accompanying him."

"A personal matter? I wonder who they are." Aiden supposed it might be a while. He left Faust alone in the wrecked room, distancing himself from the loud clattering of objects being destroyed. Borinn might enjoy a visit. Aiden turned a corner and roamed toward the medical ward.

…….

Waking up, Oscar felt incredibly good. The aching in muscles and drained feeling from using quite a lot of Ein were gone. He strode directly to the water basin and washed his face, letting the refreshing, cool water wipe away the drowsiness. Erden hopped out of his tossed blanket, currently in his small form, and rested on Oscar's shoulder, yawning a cute cry from his adorable mouth. It seemed Erden also enjoyed a good night's rest. He eyed Erden for a moment and rubbed its small head.

"Os! Are you up?!" Fred barged into the room while he brushed his teeth. It reminded him of the good memories when they lived in the dorms together, bringing a smile to his face. Fred glanced around before fixating on Oscar and stepped closer. "You were asleep for a long while. We're close to Dragonheart City. Get your belongings together. We'll be landing in an hour."

"Always so noisy in the morning….an hour?" Oscar looked at the ticking clock and then out the window. In disbelief, he asked, "How long did I sleep?"

"A full day and a half?" Fred shrugged. "We stayed longer in Cartege City to help the survivors and tend to the wounded."

"What happened?" Oscar asked.

Fred explained everything that had occurred since his loss of unconsciousness. Apparently, after Aiden took Ignyres's heart and disappeared through the shadow portal, all the flame elementals died, leaving nothing but clumps of magma and smoke as corpses. No new elemental spawned out of the calderas either. Everything seemed to have returned to normal except for the change in environment.

"Several of us were sent down to gather rare treasures and resources from the main magma chamber. The haul is tremendous. At least that's one good that came from this whole mess." Fred sat on a chair while Oscar changed into his uniform.

"Did we suffer any casualties on our side?" Oscar asked.

"None. That's the strange part." Fred said, gripping his kneecaps. "They fought very defensively. I didn't get the impression they wanted to kill us."

"Buying time for that flame to appear. And since one crazy woman is very insistent on earning my favor, they must have wanted to avoid killing any of my soldiers." Oscar adjusted the medallion of his order on his black cloak.

"Ah, that crazy woman. Seems she doesn't know you well enough. What a waste of a pretty face. Her nature is quite twisted." Fred rose and tossed Oscar a prepared sandwich.

"I'm going to tell Emily. It'll be fun to see her reaction." Oscar smiled, a bit of mustard on the edge of his lip. He devoured the sandwich under Fred's pleading and relented. Having a few peaceful moments like these wasn't too bad. Through all the battles and wars, he rarely found time to relax. Oddly, it came to him after most of their defenses collapsed, leaving him and the others on their last legs.

Arguing and bantering with Fred on the way to the deck, Oscar was greeted by the remnants of his Black Aegis Order. He received their bows, relieved to find them alright. He hugged Emily, rustled the small Susan's hair, patted Uren on the shoulder, and flicked Esther's creased forehead. Clasping Alec's hand in a brotherly grip, Oscar asked, "How is everything?"

"Our situation is fine. But for the rest of the empire…" Alec led Oscar to the side and explained to him. "Only half of our armies made it back to Wyrmir."

"Half? Only half?" Oscar nearly broke his whisper.

"The rest are either killed or routed away. Wyrmir can hold them back, but we can't be certain it'll be long enough." Alec muttered. "Can I suggest we secure an escape plan for the worst-case scenario? You, out of any other, will be subject to the worst fate if you are caught."

"Granted. But I decide if we have to escape." Oscar ordered. "What next?"

"You should put this on." Alec passed him his helmet. "It'll be good for morale and to intimidate the protestors."

"Protests?" Oscar asked.

"No one is too pleased with having to relocate. Refugees spawn dissent among the people. The nobles who lost more land are now gaining influence. You are called to the imperial court with Lord Gavir and the princess." Alec whispered closely. "Don't take it lightly. For all intents and purposes, we are at the brink of civil war."

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