The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"Still alive?" Erden asked, groaning as his one good wing held the broken wing and the nearly-severed leg. The bits of sapphire armor flaked off, revealing his white fur.

"You're still alive, aren't you? Why ask such a meaningless question?" Demon replied. His vision blurred as the deep darkness of the spatial domain melded with the streaks of light burning from the stars and realms that passed by. From outside came the sound of their crossing, high-pitched tunes that resonated into a chorus and rippled across his body as if he were liquid. He took a deep breath and tried to rouse his core. It refused his call, staying dull and unmoving. He could only hang on and ride the light to his destination.

"I didn't speak up earlier because you decided to return to Avril, and I feared my questions may change your mind. But why did you do it?" Erden asked.

"Do what?" Demon pretended not to know.

"Telling the truth to them. That was a nice farewell you put on, but I know you, you bastard. I don't believe for a moment you did it out of the goodness of your heart, if that even exists. You hide your intentions well." Erden said. "So why?"

"You ask now? While we're both staring death in the face?" Demon said. "Perhaps I should get some tea ready since you're eager to sit and talk."

"Answer. The. Question." Erden growled, clacking his teeth.

"They weren't reliable enough. Their loyalty is immense. Their powers are growing. But they're not complete." Demon said. "What binds everyone to me is that I am their savior. I pulled them out of hell and gave them purpose in revenge. However, take me away, and what do they have? Will revenge still drive them? Without me to direct them? Or perhaps they will crumble apart. How does the farm fare without the farmer?"

Hearing nothing from the beast, Demon coughed from the blood welling up his throat before continuing, "I exposed us by fighting the Togros. When the New Dawn comes knocking on their doors, how will they fight? With all the resources gifted by the Primaere at their whims and wishes, what will they do with it? They can try to live quietly, but their faces are now known, never to leave the island without looking over their shoulders. They can try to get revenge, but how will they fight? And who will stay loyal and fight solely for me? They will be tested in my absence, and Oscar will return to a firmer loyalty from those who remain, not to me for revenge, but to him because that is what they have chosen."

"So damned are the ones who leave? You just said they won't be able to live peacefully because they are exposed. You say they have a choice, but from where I stand, I see you have given them an ultimatum: die or serve you." Erden said, spitting in his direction.

"Serve him." Demon corrected. "The wild ones will set out and take as many New Dawn with them before dying. The peaceful ones can still serve from inside the island as its protectors. The rest will follow him without question, with no ties to burden him." The beast shook his head as if unwilling to accept his reasoning. He found it to be perfectly sound and scoffed.

"Throwing them into the fire to see who will burn the brightest and who will scatter into embers. You're taking a gamble here." Ignyres chimed in. "What if all burns to ashes? What if that fire threatens to burn you?"

"Then it was a failure. Their lives don't mean anything. So, it's not a loss." Demon faced a bright light that enveloped him, forcing his eyes to shut. He felt his body squeezing, wrung like wet laundry, and felt the cold air of the natural world on his skin. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the familiar night sky, the stars and moon in a pattern he recognized from decades ago. A torrent of fire surged around him and sent him spiraling down.

Below, lamp posts lined the well-paved streets, and lights glimmered from the gilded roofs of the buildings. The center of the city was different. He had seen a palace stand there, then a crater from a large explosion. Now, a tower rose from the center, reaching great heights, many people pointing at the sky from its countless balconies. Convecia City had changed since his last visit. A haze covered his sight, more persistent than before. Demon tried to keep his eyes open as the last warm breath escaped his lungs, his body cold despite the flame.

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Sleep was foreign to him. For several decades, he withdrew into the inner space when the body needed to rest, the sensation never reaching him. He saw Oscar fall asleep for him to take over and many others who slept forever. As his eyes closed, he wondered if Oscar would wake up.

…….

Avril grimaced, fishing a grade-four healing elixir from her greater space pocket. Tilting Oscar's head, she slowly poured the contents into his mouth, her eyes scanning the grievous wounds, widening in horror. Flakes of burnt skin and blood chipped off, deep gashes still bled profusely, and the body was frighteningly cold as if he had been encased in ice. What happened to him? She wrapped vines around the horrid wound on the shoulder and turned to Erden, who limped toward her, the nearly-severed leg jarring on her sight. What happened to both of them?

"Erden!" She cried out as her vines bound Erden's leg to his body, keeping the small sinew from tearing off. Erden fell over, gasping and shivering like a fish out of water. He was going into shock. Avril bloomed several flowers on the floor that released a dim yellow pollen. After a few seconds, Erden calmed down, his breathing under control. She poured another grade-four healing elixir into Erden's mouth, two sizable fortunes now used, but she couldn't care less. She had dreamed of their return all this time, but not like this.

"Oscar!" Avril elevated his head, cradling his face in a loving embrace. She palmed his cheek, shaken by the lifelessness in those dark pupils. He always had the brightest gleam in his obsidian gaze, tugging at her heartstrings, full of determination and vibrancy, what she loved most about him. However, none of that showed in the mindnumbing dullness facing her now. At first, she suspected that Demon was in control. Soon, she tossed that thought away since Demon's gaze was sharp and cold, the opposite of these. Oscar's eyes were that of a dead man's. She placed her hand over her chest, reconfirming his heartbeat. He was alive, yet somehow dead.

"Avril." Remulus, the old Pavilion Master, appeared from thin air, wearing a hood and a mask. He knelt beside Oscar, muddying his blue robes without care, and enveloped them in a bubble of Ein. "I can't believe it. He's back."

"Can you help him?" Avril pleaded.

"I have stopped time momentarily to keep his wounds from worsening. We must leave. The guards will be here soon." Remulus lifted them all up in his bubble and soared into the sky, passing by a few Exalts who couldn't notice them inside the King Exalt's protection. They arrived at her estate in no time, passing the gates and barging into the front door, banging them on the walls.

Avril laid Oscar and Erden on the kitchen table, where she prepped ingredients. Blood flooded the cold metal table, her green vines already drenched in scarlet. Slowly unraveling her vines, she winced at the deep cut on Oscar's shoulder and Erden's leg, both almost severing the limb from the body. Her hands moved briskly, holding a sewing needle and thread. Carefully, she stitched the lesser wounds, cleaning the burns and old blood with a wet towel, already a pile forming in the sink.

"Set the bone and the muscles. The skin will take care of itself." Remulus advised.

Nodding, Avril held Oscar's arm and tightened her grip on the shoulder. In one motion, she pushed and pulled, a loud crack sounding from the bone as it settled back into place. Her hand raised to wipe her sweat. She stopped and shuddered, looking at her bloodied hands, a green color forming on her cheeks as nausea drummed her mind. Avril held her gag in and focused on Erden. After setting the bones and reconnecting them, she bound the wound in thick bandages to hold them together.

Remulus dropped a few droplets of diluted grade-five elixir, the wounds visibly recovering. The rest of the charred flesh flaked away, revealing a layer of new skin underneath. Avril heaved a sigh of relief at their stabilized conditions and washed her hands, using another wet towel, hot and fresh, to clean the foul gunk off them. The lifeless look he had still unnerved her. She had heard about how broken he had become but couldn't believe his current state. She had seen similar expressions on other slaves, the ones who truly gave up and only waited for death, which her mistress easily granted, bored of their lack of reaction.

"Oscar…I'm sorry." Avril held his hand, cupping it in her palms and sending her warmth. Her husband rested lifelessly, not reacting to her words or actions. He would never do that before. She raised him to sit on the table and hugged him, rubbing his back. Gritting her teeth as tears flowed down her cheeks, she buried her face into his good shoulder. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. No matter how many years it takes, even if you never come to, I'll be here by your side forever."

Avril sniffed, "I'll feed you. I'll bathe you. I'll take care of you. So, please, rest now—my dear husband. Rest for as long as you need."

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