Fifteen - March towards the fire

Cepherus might have been a world of five different nations (now four), but the Hollowing Woods on the west served as its center. No one could remember the last time all the kings and queens of each race had gathered there. But that day might have been the first in centuries, because hundreds of soldiers marched towards the western woods, escorting each of their royal platoons.

The Aeri folks dominated the skies, their broad and magnificent wings flapped against the current of the wind. Those who wielded bow and arrows were at the back, surrounded by soldiers who carried tall shields and lances. In front of them were the paladins, those that wore heavy armors and chainmail, carrying long swords that were sheathed on their backs.

The Sabres of different sizes and shades were all in their cat form, forming an inverted U shape as they ran towards their location. Meanwhile, Garnlok mages rode their elements as they traveled. Some were carried by the wind, while some rode earth as if they were surfing the waves. Hervens, on the other hand, had the least number of all and traveled with their beasts.

At the entrance of the western forest, was the Sun Child and its right hand man, the prince of Sabres. They all bowed to him, even the kings and queens of each race.

“Thank you everyone, you, heeding my call and arriving here on time is enough.”

“Your Grace,” the queen of Aeris said, “We share your worries and responsibilities. We only want what’s best for Cepherus. If what was written in the letter was correct, then we will do what needs to be done in order to save the people of this world.”

The Hervern King bowed his head, “Your Grace, I may not have the number to offer, but us Herverns are loyal to this world. Our people suffered the most, and if there’s any chance we could say them all, I will lay down my life for this world.”

Luhan shook his head, “No, no one is dying on my watch. The only thing that we have agreed to do is to convince the Daevric King to release my brother, our lost Moon Child, to restore the balance of Cepherus. The reason why I have asked you to bring your own soldiers is for our protection. We know how powerful the Phoenix Prince is, and I do not want any casualties in this…mission”

“Yes, Your Grace,” they all said in unison, all heads bowed down in respect. Luhan bobbed his own lightly, pleased with their understanding.

“Now, we will march to Lupus Volkan and with the guidance of Archmage Chen, we will enter the dimension that the Phoenix Prince created. This is the lair of Daevrics. We will proceed with caution. No one will engage until it is needed, no matter how deep the wounds you carry from all the oppression they did for years. Do you all understand?”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

“Very well, let the march begin.”

While this happens in Cepherus, Arnkai remains in the Cosmos, waiting for Baek Ahn to open his eyes. Auresia told him that Baek Ahn still wouldn’t remember the past, not unless the power of the White Dragon awakened inside him. Throughout the time he waited, he thought of telling the people of Cepherus, especially Luhan, who Baek Ahn really was. He had also asked if there are ways for Baek Ahn to awaken his true power, but Auresia herself didn’t know.

“I haven’t stripped myself of my own powers, so I wouldn’t know how it works. Perhaps, Caecil is the only one who could know. That is why it is better if you leave Master Briar in his care.”

“The people of Cepherus are dying because of the imbalance. We only wanted to return the power of the Moon to Cepherus, how can we do that if Chanyeol—if Caecil remains in his dimension with Baek Ahn?”

Auresia raised her brows, “Then the answer is simple. Face Caecil and his wrath, and convince him to forgive your world, and return his lover.”

Arnkai seethes, “Why must we suffer because of Dea’s mistakes?”

“Ask him that. Because I don’t know what’s going on inside his head.”

It has been hours after that, and he was in the middle of meditating when he was startled by Baek Ahn’s cry of No!.

Baek Ahn was bathing in his own sweat, his eyes blown as if he had just witnessed thousands of people being massacred in front of him.

“Ahn!”

There was a brief moment when their eyes met, before the Moon Child bolted up and attempted to find an exit. Arnkai was fast to catch him when he lost balance. “Ahn, what’s wrong?!”

“Chanyeol… Chanyeol is in danger. I have to go back!”

“What? Why would he be in danger? Wasn’t he in the dimension you grew up in?”

Baek Ahn untangled himself from Arnkai’s grip, spinning on his hills as he tried to find a way out of the cosmos. “I had a vision, I must go back before it’s too late. You will tell me what happened while I was out, but right now, I really need to go back to Cepherus.”

Arnkai was about to argue but Baek Ahn stubbornly disconnected from his celestial connection and was probably back to his body. Before he could do the same, Auresia appeared before him and with a warning—

“Remember, little star, it is up to your world, the choices you Cephereans make, if the Phoenix and the White Dragon would burn your land into ashes or if they would be your greatest protectors. No other worlds were blessed with magic and wonder such as yours. Millions wanted to have the lives you all had, but they weren’t fortunate enough to be born in a place like Cepherus. Do not let it go to waste. You are the brightest star in the Cosmos next to me. I chose you as my child, as my ‘son’. Let that light guide the lost back to the path of truth, just as how we do when there is no sun or moon up in the skies.”

Arnkai knelt before Auresia, and the latter placed her hand on his head. There was warmth in that touch, like a mother’s cradle to a newborn. He wanted to stay there in her presence, but the next thing he knew, he was back in the Moon Temple—and Baek Ahn was no longer there.

***

Hyun had never flown so fast in his life—had never been this anxious and scared. He couldn’t remember what happened as soon as they started meditating. The last thing he could recall was a blurred image of a woman looking at him. It shouldn’t have been so. He knew he had seen that face, and for whatever reason, the world had started spinning and faded to darkness before he could even recall who that woman was.

Just like how he envisioned the people of Cepherus suffering from an incurable disease, this time, he saw hundreds of soldiers of different races marching towards Lupus Volkan. They have entered his home and Chanyeol and the rest of his people are still under his sleeping spell. With their hatred towards their blood, he couldn’t take a risk and let Cephereans take advantage of their vulnerability.

With his broad, dark wings flapping against the current of the wind, Hyun arrived at the gate in no time. But he wasn’t fast enough to prevent them from crossing. He didn’t know how accurate the time of his visions was, and if the place where he and Arnkai had been could distort time. The fact alone sends chills on his spine. It felt like something had gone wrong during the time he was out.

Hundreds of people could die, regardless of their race.

But this time, Hyun dreads something bad will happen to Chanyeol. Because if that happens, he doesn’t know if he would be able to forgive himself for letting it happen.

At a glance, it would certainly look like a gigantic falcon was spiraling towards the gate and went past through the portal. That was just Hyun taking all the advantages of his flight for him to make it over to the other side as soon as he could. And the moment the red skies and the bright red moon greeted him, he also saw almost a thousand soldiers, Aeris, Garnloks, Herven and Sabres together, all marching towards the Daevric Castle.

Chanyeol once told him that with his wings, no one could ever outrun him in the clouds. Those were the times where everything was all fun and peace, the times when he didn’t know a thing. That even with his nightmares, he could still open his eyes and think about nothing but how to spread mischief towards the people in the castle, and how he could just follow Chanyeol around.

Now, as he used these wings once again, one that he had inherited from his late Daevric father, there was a silent promise he uttered through his gritted teeth.

He will protect Chanyeol and the Daevric Kingdo