It was unusual to hear this coming from the princess. However, she had always wore a strange expression regarding to topics of heaven and fate. It was as though she despised the idea of fate itself. When Maisey had shared this thought with the queen and king, they had forbid him from bringing this up around others as though it was a touchy subject.
Ah, their dear princess...
They really wish they knew how to best comfort her worries.
"Maisey, focus." Peony called out to him softly, "If you leave my side, your magic and vitality will be taken. Fairy or not, it will leave you weak or perhaps worse."
"But, what about you, Princess Peony?" Maisey looked up to her.
"I'll be all right." She responded, "The Underworld can't affect me this easily."
The flame flickered again as Peony smiled, "Cultivators are not gods. They live for thousands of years, even trillion if they are so powerful. However, all life must come to an end eventually. The cycle of life and death are unavoidable as long as you exists. However, what is eternal is your soul. Protect the soul keep it from damage and it can last for an eternity if it is so powerful."
A wave of curiosity and acute loss touched her as she responded with a wide sad smile, "It is possible to exist for many years. However, can you really make it an eternity? Can people continue to effortlessly sustain a soul forever? More importantly, would you wish to live for an eternity as those around you leaves for the next life?"
Hearing this, a sense of doubt appeared as Peony took in a deep breath quietly as she continued, "Eternal life can be a blessing or a curse for different circumstances. For those who are frail, it is a dream or a wish. For those who are strong, it is quiet life of solitude... or hell itself. Only those who have experienced living for so long can feel as though it is a living hell. To be a live is to socialize. Only by socializing do we find a niche or place we feel that we belong. Living a life of solitude as everyone around us leaves our side. Without any goals in life but to live the same repetitive life style year by year will wear the heart and make one feel tired of living. Lonely as those around you keeps a distance as you are different from them. To them, we become an anomaly and, in time, we also feel the same. In the spiral of that depression, we will also decide to either sleep eternally or seek to rejoin your loved ones. It is difficult to live for a long time. This is why cultivators usually do not interact with those who can not cultivate."
"Does the world of cultivators all think that way too?" Maisey questioned feeling rather sad and heart wrenched, "It's so depressing..."
"It is, isn't it?" Peony smiled softly, "However, that is the fate of those who continue to grow strong. The stronger they develop, the longer their life expectancy is. Due to this difference, cultivators decided to only associate with other cultivators so that they would still have a social life. Over time, the negligence towards those who are not cultivators grew into one of discrimination calling those who can not utilize mana, trash or waste. This is the history of human cultivators in my world. A parallel association also exist amongst the beasts that could take on human form. Artifacts and the flora kind. All began from the desperation to not be alone. Yet, it is this feeling that would sprout more isolation. Those who can't also can not fight back as a cultivator is too powerful and can take down tens of people when just the first stage of power. It is too dangerous for them to take on a cultivator on their own and, thus, this cycle continues without correction for many, many years. Ten billions years later, the cycle still has not ended and the terms still exists to this day."
"Are there still so many who cannot cultivate?" Maisey tilted his head in confusion.
"There are." Peony responded, "However, the rural lifestyle of our world is still not as accessible as the present. Those who cannot cultivate or has no access to knowledge lives life as a poor farmer or as a bandit. The same goes for those whose cultivation is weak or lack the mana. From when I last remember, this was starting to change as more and more people started to have the constitution to cultivate. The only problem during then was the access to the knowledge required to cultivate."
"A ruthless world..." Maisey shuddered.
"The world of cultivators is a world of survival of the fittest. That is the only rule the world follows. From this, the heavens are created and while the world births the five races. The weak can only thrive under the rule of the strong. Only the strong can create communities and only those like-minded or weak are willing to follow these sets of rules. That or you have the heavens on your side." Peony nodded in agreement, "Even knowing the world is ruthless does nothing to change it or protect you from it. If you want to live, you must be strong. Make yourself untouchable from your enemies. By doing this, not even your comrades and loved ones can be harmed so easily. That means nothing matters more than becoming stronger and accomplishing your goals. We're here."
Maisey looked up and nearly screamed at the sight before him. It was large with the glass jar head of a phantom. It looked to have been patched together with stitches and donned a tunic. Around the wrists is a pair of gold tainted gauntlets. To those like Ortho's society, it seems like something donned on by a hero, a champion. However, in Peony's eyes, they looked like old shackles and she hates them."
It was then that a wave of dark miasma and blot flowed around them as it inches closer to them. They noticed it immediately as Maisey cried out, "P-Peony?!"
"It's all right..." Peony sighed and brought out what looks to be a fireball.
She raised the fireball in her palm. The beautiful crimson and gold fire in her palm rained down around them setting the blot ablaze. There was a large scream of aching pain as Peony huffed, "Do you surrender?"
In response to her words, the blot quickly began to inch closer and closer. Peony huffed in disdain and the fire in her hand grew fiercer and larger as the rain of fire began grow stronger. However, the blot did not yield. Peony waited as the screams grower more and more desperate. Yet, they did not fall back. Maisey trembled in horror, but he did not run and, instead, turned to grasping her red hair in terror. He then cried, "Th-They aren't surrendering! Princess!"
Despite the situation, Peony simply sighed and shook her head in disappointment, "How embarrassing. They failed to see the situation properly too..."
The blue flame flickered in her hands as though scared but determined to remain. Peony brought back her fire in her palm and said without quaking in fear, "I'm sorry for waking you, my little bird... However, even these subjects refuse to respect your presence... Come..."
With that, the crimson gold fire in her flame grew larger and fiercer as it began to envelop her entire body. Maisey and the blue fire was barely able to hold on under the sheer exertion of this large amount of mana. Maisey was both in awe and horror as this gold and crimson fire set the blot in the vicinity ablaze. Peony turned the fire back into her poor of spiritual energy. The blot around them took this chance to reach out and tried to capture them. To take control of them.
But their desperation and struggle means nothing to her. Peony released a deep breath before opening her eyes and a massive burst of the crimson-gold fire burst for her entire body. The fire grew and grew until it came together and rose into the air. A sudden and loud screech could be heard as it echoes throughout the underworld.
Peony sighed as one thought came to her, "Must you be so flamboyant?"
The flames around her merged together forming a gigantic gold blazing long-necked bird. Just by being under its presence forced the blot around them to run wild trying to flee. Too strong! Just too powerful! They'll really perish should this continue! However, it was all futile, just utterly futile.
A ring of fire trapped the blot around them as none of the blot dares to approach the fire. they turned back in fear hoping that someone could free them, but this was the underworld. Who can free those in the underworld?
They turned to the princess. Half expecting her to push them out from fear or mercy, but she paid them no heed as she simply turned to the small blue fire, "Under my familiar's protection, wait for my call, then race to your other half before its vessel activates. Take your time and do not worry. No one dares to harm you when I'm around."
Feeling his comfort, Peony turned to the blot. Suddenly, it felt as though that small little girl was no longer as fragile as she had seemed and may seen even more dangerous just by her sharp gaze upon them was like a snake staring down upon them. She huffed in disdain and uttered the words softly, "Perish."
Almost at once, the bright crimson and gold bird crashed into the ground causing the earth to shake and the underworld to split in half. More blot emerged from the cracks, but they all perished under the might of this gigantic and majestic bird of fire with the crimson eyes. Everything around them, the green flames was burnt away turned into that of a golden and crimson hue. With a single nod, Ortho shot himself across the field and into the chest of his overblotted vessel. Suddenly, chains appeared from the ground trying to reach for him!