'Nephew, here they come!'
My body released a blinding light, causing the mob of hopping and rotting corpses to screech like the grating of metallic doors. I have been searching for the source of the cries for a eons yet each time I grew closer as if I was merely standing in front of the unknown child, I would be facing another hallway and the origin of the weeping would grow faint again.
"These were the devotees of the fire deity, the very first form of the Phoenix, Imjun. Every century Imjun has to reincarnate because his body cannot handle his destructive flames for more than a century. Think of his body as firewood. He burns out," Levi explained even though I wasn't at all asking. He and Lucius were fond of nourishing my empty brain for I was a helpless living creature with no means of protecting myself.
The devotees were half a human being and I say that because they each had half a head and only one arm and one leg. Walking with only one leg was strenuous. These corpses chose an alternative method of chasing after me, hopping so with such mastery and eerie agility. Their growls bounced off the walls as they squeezed through the narrow hallways, grabbing one another's faces and shoving the hapless ones back to reach me first. Their rotten scent welled up the tiny space, stinging my eyes and making them water.
Since Levi graciously shared his knowledge about these creatures, I felt obliged to ask. "Why did they become like this?"
"It takes another century for Imjun to reincarnate after his death. His devotees felt incomplete because of his absence. To appease their longing, they ate the ashes of Imjun therefore angering the deity."
Levi showed me the actual events of that day. Having my sense of vision taken away while I fought with the half humans was a handicap. What was this baka doing?
The urn where Imjun's ashes were stored crashed on the floor, shattering into big pieces. A high-pitched whistle flared up with the burst of fire around Imjun's panicking believers. Their mouths were stuffed with his ashes. The blaze formed into the silhouette of a bird with eyes edged with fury.
'Thou insulted my remains by taking my sacred ashes to thy sullied mouths that lie, mock, and spread rumors.
If thou felt abandoned, betrayed, and fragmented despite thy Lord's promise of return, thou shall be blessed with the opportunity to know what it truly means to be incomplete without thy God's mercy.'
Half of their bodies erupted with fire. Their screams hauled me out of the memory and before I knew it I had parried the sword that almost split me like a wonderful ripe watermelon.
I sprinted forward, dodging the swords and aiming to cut their lone leg to disable them. I bent backwards when a spear came spiraling towards my way. One of the corpses leaped with a sword pointed downwards in an attempt to pierce through my stomach. I released lacerating zephyrs that ceased their movements. Regaining my stance, I took the sword that was about to impale me, prompting the corpse nearest to fall into huge chunks. The rest of them followed.
"Don't stay for too long. Move before they respawn. While the phoenix is alive, their ability to piece back together is endless," Levi reminded. I used the winds to swirl me to the ceiling so that I wouldn't be walking on the bloodied meat puddle I made.
'Nephew, ask Leviathan if he knows the layout of the ruins,' Uncle Caspian whispered.
"If you know so much about these ruins, why are you letting me go in circles?" I deadpanned.
"I can't spoon feed you like Lucius did, brat. Figure this out."
"Hmph."
"Stop pouting," Levi muttered.
"I'm not pouting."
"You are."
"I am not. I do not pout nor do I sulk."
"Liar."
"How can you even tell? You are sitting on top of my head, stupid brother."
"Watch how you talk to me, I am a hundred years older than you."
"I shall do that once I get a mirror."
Levi muttered something under his breath before ending it with a: "Royal pain in the ass."
Grunts and growls emanated from behind me, signifying that the devotees were back on their feet. I needed to hurry but it was as if the ruins knew when I was getting close. Aramastus' voice suddenly popped inside my head.
'I'll be quiet if I were you, master. The walls have ears.'
Perhaps this was the situation I was facing. How do I become invisible? I hit my fist on my palm when an idea struck me. I stomped on my left foot, the hallway grew narrower from the new layers of ceiling, walls, and floor I built. I hunched over from the changes, following the voice. At the end of the narrow hallway, there was a wide and dimly lit room. A small boy sat in the middle but just as I was about to get out, the room vanished and was replaced by another long hallway.
Should I add another layer?
The hallway got even more constricted from the second layer I built. Growls from the devotees became louder as they got closer. They were these ruins' trackers. If I dealt with them, I'd be discovered.
"Lucian! Lucian, where are you?! We should hurry and find a way out, the walls are closing in on us!" Raphael called out with worry from where the growls were before a massive explosion occurred.
I took this opportunity to crawl faster until finally, I slipped out of the chute that I made. The angle of the wide room became different. My rear landed on the ground and I stared up, finding that the walls that I built were the only things visible. The rest of the maze were undetectable barriers. I withdrew the layers I made, watching Raphael being able to stand straight while he appeared to be walking in thin air above me.
"Raphael, I'm here."
The angel ran downwards to where I stood. The point of his gravity was sideways.
"Lucian, where are you?!"
"I'm here."
'Yohooo, we're here pretty boy!" the Ancients in my head hollered.
He reached his hand down and I raised mine to try to interact with his, but the invisible maze pushed the segment of where he was further back. For a moment, the yellowish bricked walls became tangible.
Perhaps I could destroy the maze from here.
My hand radiated with a bright orange light. "Raphael, brace yourself!"
"What? What did you say? Where are–"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Instead of aiming the light to the maze, I pointed my palm at the huge statue of a bird on top of a tall altar with wings spread diagonally and beak pointed to the ceiling. Two giant statues of armored knights were split in half, questionably, their split parts swam in a puddle of blood.
The child I pursued sniffled; his sobs had died down. He appeared to be 3 or 4 blue moons old. He was naked. His semi-translucent skin made him appear like a ghost. Visible cracks branched over his fragile skin. His eyes were nearly pure white, if not for the black outline that separated the iris and the retina. I thought he was wearing a black collar, but it turned out to be a tattoo. He had more tattoos on his wrists and ankles that were hash marks. Another tattoo similar to his neck was inked to his forehead with hash marks running across the horizontal thick line. There was a small mole under his right eye.
"Are you alright?"
The boy looked at me fearfully. He didn't seem to understand what I said.
"Leave this place. This is my domain."
A purple blaze burnt the hardened exterior of the bird statue, revealing a purple phoenix underneath.
"My companion and I are looking for a key to a sunken city. Do you have it?"
The purple phoenix looked down at me.
"Unless you are sent by Bunzi's troublesome son, I shall not give it to anyone."
I pointed blankly at my head. "You are talking about Levi aren't you? Look."
Levi grunted. "Who are you calling troublesome, Nether? Just give the kid the key and we'll get out of here."
The phoenix released an exhausted sigh, shutting his eyes.
"I am the shadow that remains even without luminosity.
I am the shadow that bears its own light that could overrule daylight.
I am an eternal fire, an eternal darkness, and an eternal negativity.
Hear your master, curtains of obscurity, reveal what is hidden even what is forbidden…"
Strips of damson light swirled into a sphere that slowly turned into a white ball of heavenly light. There was a golden conch shell inside. The ball of light dispersed as soon as the shell landed on my palm. It was heavy.
"Let's go," Levi urged.
I extended my hand to the child who had stopped crying. "Come, you don't belong–"
"Leave the child. He must be hidden away. He belongs here."
I raised my gaze to the phoenix. "No child deserves to be raised in the shadows."
"Lucian, leave the child. I believe he is the culprit for taking down the guardians of these ruins," Levi scolded.
'Uncle…' I murmured.
Uncle Caspian could only chuckle. 'Do what you believe is right, nephew. I trust your volition…well sometimes.'
"The child will come with me. If you feel lonely, feel free to join," I deadpanned.
Amaranth fire erupted squarely, aligning to the four walls of the wide room. Heavy metallic footsteps made a unified step. I glanced behind me, finding armored corpses wearing bamboo hats. Sheathed katanas hung by their waists. Their eyes fulgurated red.
"Why don't you stay with the child? You seem like you belong to the darkness anyway."
Levi and Uncle Caspian grunted.
'Let's teach him a lesson, nephew.'
"You better win after getting yourself into this mess, brat."
Small human skulls materialized around Nether which burned with his fire. He sent the skulls with clicking and hyperactive jaws to the child who in turn ducked in fright.
I leaped, using the winds to boost me further up. I spiraled in midair, slashing the skulls and landing behind the curled child. The armored corpses charged ahead. I flicked my arm upwards, raising a steeled wall which they clashed and made dents to.
The fire around us grew taller and wilder, spreading our way. The corpses burst through the steeled wall. I turned my arms into blades, colliding my weapon against their agile ones. I worked around the child who shivered and sobbed. Mixing my physical attacks with my elemental ones and dealing with Nether's endless supplies of burning skulls, my blades became dull and brittle as it became less effective in piercing through their armors; the edges chipped easily. There were still more of them. The ones I took down got up with the damage I inflicted on them healed.
Clashing with two more weapons, my bladed arms were broken in half. Two huge spears pierced through my back; my eyes widened. I didn't see any of them go past me. Then what…
'Nephew!'
"Nether!!!" my brother snarled.
My head turned shakily to the side as the metallic taste of blood spread through my mouth. The guardians were revived. Their eye sockets were completely consumed by a blank white light. Steam pushed out from their nostrils.
I fell on my knees. The child stopped trembling; he stared up with wide eyes that welled up with more tears. I raised my hand, gently placing it on top of the child's head.
"You're scared…aren't you?" I murmured. "It's okay…" Blood spurted as I comforted him. "I'll protect you. I promise."
Was this what Raphael felt about me? The need to protect someone weaker…The need to shield someone from the pain that they did not deserve…
I understand him a little more now.