Aureus would be busy for a while–weeks if our plan succeeded and months if we had miscalculated and fewer theories than anticipated were relevant for the Earthheart. One way or another, Aureus was changing, positively, if the bond’s responses could be trusted.
With one worry less to tend to, I shifted to another issue: Daniel.
He was still curious, bombarding me with questions–but what exactly was I supposed to tell him?
Hey buddy, I ended up binding the Elemental Phoenix, the Emperor beast, the Ruler, and just about every powerhouse that wants access to my World. You were asking what we were doing? Well, Aureus and I inspected the wicks that formed throughout my body and figured out that they’re a sacred beast’s equivalent of Ether Gates. That being said, Aureus and I theorized a few things about sacred beasts–which, just so you know, Aureus is said to be as well. At least, the Caldera said so.
I wanted nothing more than to share what happened with the Elemental Phoenix, just to get rid of the weight of such a terrifying secret. Unfortunately, telling anyone would endanger them as well as me. If someone like Wesley were to charm and interrogate Daniel, everything would be over. Someone could eavesdrop on our conversations and tell the higher-ups about the Elemental Phoenix, sentencing both of us to death.
Dying was not an option, and neither was endangering my friends. That meant I’d have to keep the Elemental Phoenix a secret for as long as possible.
That being said, Daniel was too nosy for his own good, so I gave him a shortened–and much more secure–version of the truth.
“Something is wrong with Aureus. It doesn’t harm him, but it hinders his potential. His Earthen Aspect is in the wrong location. Researching Beaster Bert’s records of Soilbacks, Craiglings, and the like, I confirmed that Aureus’ Earthen Aspect is in the same location as a Craigling’s elemental aspect. However, it has to be in the heart,” I rattled off, earning a raised eyebrow from Daniel, as well as from Fabienne and Sophie as they joined us.
“You might ask yourself, why the heart? And no, it is not because of the name. Although, thinking about it, Aureus showed me the image of an earthen heart when we thought of a name for his evolution.” I waved dismissively. “Returning to the point at hand, Aureus feels like the Earthen Aspect should be in the heart. That means he needs to move it through his body and plant it there, which has failed several times. The last time he nearly died, so we decided to try something else.”
Daniel's lips parted and snapped shut, over and over again, his expression shifting from confusion to disbelief to anger, until it finally settled on a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
“So you decided to add a variable–a trait that hasn’t fully formed yet. Aureus forced himself to awaken it,” he exclaimed, looking unsure whether he should be impressed by our bravery or dumbfounded by our stupidity.
“A malleable trait, yes. We selected a trait that fits well with the Earthen Aspect, so Aureus will be busy merging the trait and Earthen Aspect without losing the malleability needed to imprint the combined traits into the heart. The Terraflux Essence will help complete the process, transforming Aureus’ ether to jumpstart an upgrade.”
That was when Fabienne looked up, eyes wide. “Do you plan to upgrade Aureus’ Earthen Aspect to a Major Aspect?”
“That’s smart. Major Aspects can only be wielded by beasts of the Unblemished rank or higher. Upgrading the trait will strengthen his potential greatly,” Sophie marveled, flashing a vibrant smile that made me blush.
There was more to it, but that was the gist of it. It was everything Aureus and I came up with while the researchers were busy experimenting with my body, treating me like a guinea pig. With little to do in the research facility, we came up with a failsafe plan–as failsafe as implanting an elemental trait into an organ could be.
The first few steps worked out as intended, and the rest…well, all I could do was wait and hope for the best.
“You are insane.” Daniel shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “Just like I expected from my best friend!”
“A pinch of insanity isn’t too bad.” I smiled at my friends, more than happy to be back with them.
A lot had changed, especially when it came to myself and how I felt about just about everything, but my friends were still the same. They were there for me, helping me out of holes they didn’t even know I’d fallen into.
But now I needed to be patient…and to listen to Daniel calling me insane. Considering the look Sophie and Fabienne threw at me, they likely felt the same. They didn’t approve of my actions, thinking it was too dangerous–selfish–to put that much pressure on Aureus. I agreed with that sentiment, but only to a certain degree.
I was selfish, and so was Aureus. If there was a safe path to make Aureus a true Earthheart, I’d take it in a heartbeat. Alas, my Soulkin was impatient. He wanted the power to keep up with me, and I was not going to stop him–especially when I wanted the same.
In the end, my friends didn’t know every little thing Aureus and I discussed. We were confident, and that was all that mattered.
Another subject that required my utmost patience was Daniel’s hesitation. I gave him until the end of the Grand Camp to make a decision regarding the World Aspect, or until someone else gathered enough coins to purchase the Species Expansion Aspect. Either way, the decision no longer rested in my hands, and that felt great. After all, my mission–the very reason the Zerogs helped me enter the Camp–was complete.
I had offered Daniel the means to finish the mission, and that filled me with a sense of accomplishment. It was exhilarating.
And now that two items on my priority list had been checked off, I could dedicate my time to other things–one of them being my World.
I never stopped refining my World. Training in the research facility was far from easy, but I managed to convince the researchers that testing my physical parameters daily was useful to determine a sacred flame’s effect on the human body. Although I wasn’t the first Blessed with a sacred flame, few were willing to submit themselves for research purposes. Since I did not have much of a choice, going down a path that helped me a little as well was the only logical thing I could come up with.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
That being said, I worked hard on my body. I pushed it to the brink of exhaustion to refine my World under the best possible circumstances. That, alongside the phoenix fire’s baptism, was enough to grow my World to the point where it could accompany a Late Unblemished beast–possibly even a Peak Unblemished beast if I tried harder.
At least, that was the theory. Practically, that was impossible. With three Soulkins and the flame hiding the Elemental Phoenix occupying enough soul energy to supply a Mid Unblemished beast, I technically didn’t have much soul energy to spare. I had enough to bind a young Evolved beast, but that was about it.
“I know that look in your eyes. Are you leaving already?” Sophie asked, fidgeting with her blond hair cascading down her shoulders. Her bright emerald eyes lingered on me, begging me to stay. “It has been so long since we saw each other. Don’t you think you’ve been avoiding us for too long?” She sighed, her cheeks flushing red, hands pressed on her slim hips. “I cannot imagine what you’ve gone through in the last few weeks, watching your master die in the Caldera’s home. That’s terrifying, but I hope you know you can talk to us about everything.”
But I couldn’t. That was the point. I could not talk to my friends about everything.
“Or you don’t say anything. Just enjoy our company and relax for a moment,” Fabienne chipped in, her pale, almost paper-white complexion peeking out from beneath her hood. “How about we eat something in the cafeteria? And if you feel like talking about it, you can. If not, Sophie has more than enough gossip to share. Months’ worth of love triangles and drama–some involving the Instructors.”
As shy as Fabienne usually was, I was grateful she stepped in.
“I think a meal sounds nice.”
***
Sophie and Daniel ended up doing most of the talking. Daniel shared stories of life in the Elemental Spires, summoning mixed feelings, but it was Sophie’s tales of lost love, the forbidden fruit, and the plethora of things that had happened in the Grand Camp during our absence that eased the tension I’d carried with me for weeks.
I still liked Sophie. Her eyes shone as bright as ever. They still highlighted her cute appearance, but some of that cuteness had been carved away and replaced by a ferocity I hadn’t seen before. Her features were sharper than before, and her presence felt taller than she already was. Sophie–still only half a head taller than I was, and just as slim and beautiful as before–had changed a lot in the last few months.
The spark I felt between us still lingered. It was hard to grasp and even harder to read, even more so now that it was dimmer than before. Yet, no matter the tension between us, I didn’t think anything would happen. The window of opportunity had passed, and impenetrable walls had formed between us.
Sophie must have noticed, too. She was too smart not to sense something. However, her personality was as beautiful as her appearance. Other than the occasional quizzical look thrown my way, she did nothing, and I was grateful for that. Because… what was I supposed to do? Not only did I feel like a fraud for hiding the Elemental Phoenix from my friends, but it also felt like something within me would crack if I were to approach Sophie knowing I would never be able to tell her the truth.
The last thing I wanted was to start a relationship while carrying a secret as heavy as mine. But I could not tell her either.
So I did the only thing I could think of–I pushed the spark aside and focused on my friendship instead.
Lunch turned into chit-chat about all kinds of things until evening. We talked about our progress, our schedules for the rest of the Grand Camp, and our future plans after graduation.
“Grandmaster Heros invited me to train under him,” Daniel rubbed the back of his head, cheeks flushed.
“That’s great!” I exclaimed, and everyone congratulated him, but Daniel only chuckled.
“I declined him.”
“Huh?” I stopped dead in my tracks. “Why would you do that?”
“His shop is in the first Bastion. As great as it would be to move there, the first Bastion is the farthest from home. And since we’re now at war, I don’t want to be too far away from everyone.” Daniel shrugged like it didn’t mean anything, a small smile creeping up on his face.
“Grandmaster Heros rejected my rejection. That madman dismissed my concerns and told me he’d bought a subsidiary shop in our Bastion. He said something about expanding his branding, but I don’t quite believe it. He rarely leaves the first Bastion. For him to be in the Grand Camp was already an ordeal for the Council, and it cost them dearly as far as I can tell.”
Everyone stared at chatterbox Daniel in disbelief. Unable to help myself, I dragged him into a tight hug.
“That’s crazy, Daniel! Rejecting a Grandmaster Beaster is insane, but for him to move his base… Just how talented are you, Mr. Prodigious Beaster?” I laughed, trying not to think too much about the other things he’d mentioned. Fabienne and Sophie joined me and congratulated our friend for a good minute or two.
The atmosphere was great, and I was all the more happy to be with my friends, until Sophie shared her future plans.
“I’ll join the war,” she announced, staring intently at the table, fingernails scratching across its surface.
“What?!” I leaped to my feet. “Why would you do that? Do you even know–”
“I won’t have to fight the Caldera,” Sophie interjected sharply. “Instructor Bailey from Superior Strategy informed us that the ninth and second Bastion are under constant pressure from two Outsider races. Apparently, they have been for a few years now. They kept it under wraps, but with the death of the Space Ruler, his right hand, and the disappearance of the Behemoth Ruler and Giant Ruler, the situation escalated. The Bastions are no longer under the Rulers’ protection, our forces stretched thin, and I am not going to abandon innocent citizens just because the Rulers messed up.”
Daniel and Scott had already told them how nice the Caldera had been and that it was us, humans, who’d betrayed them. Sophie was aware of everything she needed to know.
“The public knows about the Outsiders then, I presume?” Daniel didn’t seem all too concerned with Sophie’s revelation. “I wonder how they responded when they found out.”
“Probably not as positively as you guys.” Sophie eyed me and Daniel for a moment. “Their first encounter with the Outsiders was a large-scale attack on the Bastions. It was a mess if my intelligence can be trusted.”
She exhaled deeply. “And it is also my intelligence that confirmed the aggression of the two Outsider races. Apparently, they were involved in the Collapse 39 years ago. The Ruler of Unity wished to ally with the Outsiders when she first discovered them, but they attacked her without any regard for their own lives. I’ve seen enough records about them to know that I don’t want any of them to come too close to unBlessed citizens. They’ll be torn apart.”
So, Sophie wanted to kill the Outsiders to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. It was disgusting. Not Sophie, but the essence of war. No matter where one looked, people would die regardless of their race and origin.
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on joining the frontlines. I want to protect the innocent.” Sophie looked up and met my eyes determinedly.
“I understand.” I nodded, and I truly did.
No matter how much I wanted to seek justice for the Caldera, the Bastions’ citizens were not at fault. Nor did my first encounter with the Caldera mean that all Caldera were pleasant to be around. Or that all sentient races were as kind as Zegrath and the Spiritcaller. Maybe we had been lucky.
Regardless, protecting the Bastions should be our first priority.
Protecting my parents. I swallowed, grim thoughts flashing through my mind… thoughts that confirmed I would defend my parents with everything I’ve got if an Outsider were to attack. Even if it were Caldera.
I hate this.
