"How did you ward off all your enemies?"
That had been Athelei's first question, and Lotus Weizhe had fallen into deep thought when he heard it. He knew exactly what the young boy was pertaining to, but whenever anyone else had asked him that question in the past, he always dodged it.
"Luck," Had been his answer every time, but now, faced with the raw curiosity in the boy's voice, he did not feel like answering in the same way.
It was only after three long breaths did he find his words. He glanced hesitantly at Athelei for a moment before a glimmer of resolution shone in his grey eyes.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure, young lad." Weizhe started.
"In fact, ever since a winged Nightwalker appeared before me, everything was a blur. I'll admit, the pressure on my shoulders had been too heavy to carry. That was why the idea of having a city like Atlantis sounded like a gift from heaven to me, even with the way those Exiled described it."
Weizhe paused.
"But let's take a step back first... Let me ask you; If you wanted to protect someone, how far would you go? How much are you willing to give?"
"Everything in my power," Athelei easily answered.
"Indeed." Weizhe nodded with a sigh, "So, that's exactly what I did... I allowed the Seed of Atlantis to control me because it was my only chance to fulfil my wishes."
"In the literal or figurative sense?" Athelei sought clarification with a tilt of his head.
"Both," Weizhe answered. "When I saw those Nightwalkers, those famous criminals, and even the Banishers themselves... I was at a loss for what to do."
Memories bubbled up into his mind. Every single one of his enemies either had either hatred or indifference in their eyes.
Cold, calculating, unfeeling.
Whenever he recalled those ferocious gazes, Weizhe felt chills and shivers.
None of those humans looked at him like he was another human.
It was terrifying to Weizhe. He was a Rank 2 Evolver, but only due to the resources he was amply supplied. His expertise laid elsewhere, making those auras of raw murderous intent so intimidating.
He had felt like chains had been weighing him down as all parties charged at him from the foot of the mountain. It was a pressure that kept pushing on him to kneel and surrender. His already fragile fighting will had cracked under its exertions.
It was only the thought of his son and daughter that had kept him sane.
'Sane enough to allow insanity,' Weizhe wiped those memories away as he formulated his next set of words.
"There was something peculiar with the Seed of Atlantis that created all this." Weizhe began speaking again after his few seconds of silence,
"There was a choir that seemed to sing to me from within that pillar of light... I cannot remember what language it spoke in, but the emotions invoked by their voices still appear in my dreams every night.
It was a song filled with the beauty of life. The beauty of the underwater world. Its tune resounded magnificently with the idea of rebirth as if the choir themselves awaited in absolute faith that they would rise again one day."
"It sounds like a beautiful song," Athelei commented at the side.
"It was," A flash of confliction appeared in Weizhe's expression, "But at the same time it created a scene of hell."
The white glow around Athelei's body grew, soothing the emotions in Weizhe's heart. Microscopic drawings of Sway appeared within his aura as he pushed forward, "What was that hell like?"
Weizhe's eyes became distant as he hesitated for a moment.
"I... I still remember it having an uncountable number of faces. They were clawing themselves up into the surface of the earth with snake-like hair and worm-like teeth. They were gnawing on everyone around me.
I watched as the faces of everyone who wished me dead suddenly pale. The faces were all biting their way into their bodies like ants devouring an elephant's carcass.
They were all groaning, screaming, crying.
But the choir kept singing of life and love.
I... I soon found out that I was being eaten too. A hundred faces the size of mountains somehow fit inside my skin, burrowing into my flesh. I could feel the pain with every bite, and yet I knew I was not injured.
A hand then came flying out of the earth, heading straight for my heart. Blasts of light kept flashing around me, probably from everyone else fighting for their lives. I was too weak to move, and I could not move in the first place.
The pillar of light did not allow me to move even a single step back.
Soon the faces grew bodies. They grew horns.
Demons crawled out of the earth, with eyes filled with unbridled rage and wretched hate.
It was terrifying..."
Weizhe's voice broke.
"I see," Athelei had to stop the man from recalling any more bad memories, "It must have been terrifying indeed, Master Weizhe. You did wonderfully fighting all of that alone. Your children must be proud to have a father like you."
Weizhe's foggy eyes cleared when he heard Athelei's words. With a bitter chuckle, he said, "They are not at the age to be able to comprehend such things just yet. And perhaps that's a good thing. They might not know what I had gone through, but at least they will grow up peacefully here in Atlantis."
"That's all that matters." Weizhe smiled gently.
He was about to say that his son and daughter would not experience the same things Athelei experienced... but he inevitably held his tongue. The young boy was a wonderful listener. He did not want to see the smile on his face die because of insensitive words.
Not once had the light in Athelei's eyes dulled in distrust or doubt. All he did was listen, absorb, and learn. The light around him looked heavenly to Weizhe, and somehow, whenever it shone in his eyes, he felt calm.
A cheerful laugh sounded from Athelei,
"I agree wholeheartedly, Master Weizhe.
As long as it is the ending we want... As long as we reach the conclusions we desire... then everything else can be cast aside."
.
.
.
It was evening again, and Athelei was meditating with a smug smile on his face.
'I couldn't have asked for a better ability.'
Without Irene's overbearing influence on his Tangible Will, Athelei was fully able to make his desires corporeal. His holy and pure white Tangible Will was capable of drawing Mystic Patterns without him having to move his hands. The milky white lights of the patterns blended seamlessly with it.
With the recent research he had put in, all he had to was want a pattern and he would have it.
It was a slight exaggeration, of course, but with practice, such a claim wouldn't be so far from the truth. He was still incapable of that magical inventing ability that Hyeon had though. Athelei lacked the required [Heroic Luck] attribute, as well as the innate gift.
Thus, he was looking for his own way to do things. It was what he preferred as well. Treading the unknown was absolutely addicting.
"Angel!" The awaited call rang in Athelei's head once again.
When he allowed his body to slumber and his Nightwalker body to form, he was already drifting around Irene in the underground depths.
.
.
.
"This..." Athelei's nonexistent mouth gaped.
"It's the [First Kingdom]." Irene finished his sentence with awe in her tone. She was looking down at the sprawling subterranean kingdom from a massive sinkhole. It had taken her two months and many lonely hours, weird dangers, and tiresome traps.
She inwardly thanked Athelei for helping soothe her loneliness as she summoned a familiar, blissful feeling into existence. Three pairs of wings appeared on Irene's back. Four wings of grey, and two of gold brought about a powerful gale that swirled throughout the rift in the earth.
"Hm?" Irene felt an extra set of wings that she was not expecting, "You... you have four wings now? Since when?"
"Around the time Avina was destroyed," Athelei answered with a smug smile, "Wonderful feeling isn't it?"
"It is..." Irene was in a daze, and her eloquence took a hit, "There's some kind of power in your second pair of wings, right? I'm not imagining things, right?"
"There is... but it's more or less dormant for now. I'm surprised you can feel it in the first place. Tell me more, Irene." Athelei prodded the dazed Irene and pulled her from the depths of her daydreams.
The duo was suddenly distracted from the amazing discovery lying just below their feet. Wings were the more important topic for now, and Irene tried to explain what she was feeling.
She mentioned a Mystic Artifact she had once encountered in the past. It was an arrow, that when shot from a bow, would disappear at random. It would then reappear wherever the archer initially aimed at, bypassing all obstacles in the process.
"That arrow had the powers of space, from what I was told..." Irene said.
"Spatial in nature..?" Athelei was enlightened, "I see... so that's how it feels like... I will take note of that."
With sincerity, Athelei bowed. Irene had just answered one of his hungrier questions, bringing him a dose of dopamine and satisfaction.
"Thank you, Irene."
And after that, the Irene descended with a wisp of Athelei's fog. She flew down with grace just as the angel's nonexistent eyes flashed with a playful light.
'This looks like a wonderful stage. I am excited to see the day when the humans descend.'