Chapter 101: A Light in the Dark
Darius glanced briefly at the blade embedded next to his face before sitting up calmly, meeting his heart-demon's gaze. "Why did you miss?"
Frustration and confusion twisted it's features as it yanked the blade from the ground and tossed it aside. Grabbing Darius by the hair, it lifted him painfully into the air. "You deserve to die slowly."
Slamming him down, the impact forced a gasp from Darius, blood splattering across the heart-demon's armor. Dragging him by his leg toward the center, the heart-demon sneered, "After I take over this body, the first thing I'll do is kill that little pet of yours. Maybe I'll make a belt out of his hide. Those horns would make—"
"Coward." Darius coughed up blood, a bitter laugh escaping him. "You're too afraid to face it."
"Do I look scared, Xue Feng?!" The heart-demon roared, lifting Darius overhead by his leg and slamming him into the floor. "You are the one who failed, not me!"
Darius's eyes widened, staring into the void as his mind steadied and his lungs finally drew air. 'Almost passed out.' Rolling onto his side, he managed a weak reply, "Why did you want to save Glabe? He was a worthless slave..."
"Glabe?" The heart-demon hesitated, stunned. "That had nothing to do with me."
Laughing, Darius fell back, too weak to stand. "Now who's the liar?"
"Shut up! You don't know—"
"You were here the whole time!" Darius's chest heaved as he shouted, turning his head to spit some blood. "You watched that chopped-up, sub-human elf, and you wanted a pet for yourself!"
"No, that was you! You—"
"You saw those dwarves and couldn't help it, could you?! Even Haku! You couldn't stand to watch him get stronger!"
The heart-demon's aura surged, flames leaping like screaming bonfires. "Why should he?! Why should he live when they died?! If it wasn't for him..." It leaped onto Darius, pinning him down, fists raining down on his face. "He shouldn't have messed with Ramman! Why?! How can you treat him like he isn't the reason they died?!"
The assault stopped as the heart-demon breathed heavily, its black eyes glowing with rage. Beneath it, Darius lay still, his face battered and bloodied. Slowly, his lips moved. "I'm sorry... you watched... Mother's last... and I didn't..."
Darius lifted his arm with effort, placing his hand on the heart-demon's chest. "It's not your fault."
"SHUT UP!" The heart-demon recoiled, leaping back and stumbling as it landed, shaking its head. "You have no right!"
Staring into the void, Darius felt his consciousness slipping, 'This is how it should be. To close this cycle of karma, suffering is needed.' He closed his eyes, regulating his breath. "You loved them. Wanting to save Haku didn't cause their deaths—"
"I thought we could do it! I didn't know Ramman would be there, but Haku shouldn't—"
Coughing violently, Darius groaned as he forced himself to sit up. "No, he shouldn't have. But I've forgiven him for his part, just as he's forgiven us for killing his mother."
The heart-demon tried to argue, but no words came. Flustered, it slumped its shoulders. "I just wanted to protect Rose."
Barely able to stand, his pre-teen body bloody and beaten, Darius limped toward the demon. "Just like the dwarves, and Glabe, and why we saved those children." Stopping just before the armored heart-demon, Darius held his broken arm and leaned his forehead against its chestplate. "Your love for those close to you shouldn't bind you to pain. You need to forgive, especially yourself, Darius. Trust this old man."
Closing his eyes, he rested as he awaited the outcome. 'This is all I can do.' Slowly, he began to feel a warmth, his pain easing as he opened his eyes and leaned back. "Why are you crying?"
Tears flowed uncontrollably from the heart-demon, its fierceness gone, the flames around it vanished as the heart-demon fell to its knees. "I'm sorry, I just miss them so much, and it hurts..."
Looking down at himself, Darius sighed, placing a hand on the demon's shoulder. "Me too... every single day."
A soft, blinding light suddenly began to grow between them, gently overtaking them both. The light expanded, filling the entire void with a peaceful glow.
Slowly, tiny sparks of five different colors began to dance within the brilliant center.
"Thank you... old man."
----
Standing alone atop a large stone platform, Xue Feng looked to the heavens, his withered body draped in majestic azure robes.
With a wave of his sleeve, nine hundred and ninety-nine radiant treasures soared into the sky. Each treasure ascended into the clouds, trailing beams of multicolored light that screamed through the air, until they reached the outstretched hands of a colossal figure.
His azure eyes glowing, Xue Feng gazed around, taking in the sight of hundreds of giant arms that formed the Thousand-Hand Buddha statue, its massive form sculpting the mountain itself.
'These must be your memories.'
'This is embarrassing. I wasted too much that day.'
As he noted each of the mountain's hands now holding a treasure, Xue Feng flipped his robes and sat down upon the hand held to the bhudda's chest. Closing his eyes, an immense formation began to manifest throughout the thousand hands, each one forming a glowing symbol.
'What did you see?'
'Nothing...just my death.'
Light burst from the central hand, engulfing Xue Feng in a golden glow, his white hair and beard flowing amidst the immense qi. At the same moment, all nine hundred and ninety-nine treasures exploded into a rainbow of immortal light, feeding into the mountain.
'I thought I might have missed something, some thread of karma that held me back. The Thousand Hands Mountain was a relic from a forgotten epoch—it could completely sever your karma, but at a great cost.'
'You look so calm.'
'This was the moment you were born, so don't be fooled. I was just a scared old man who didn't want to die. Those treasures—all from my sect—were wasted selfishly.'
'I can barely remember this. All my memories from Penglai are like faded dreams.'
The image of the elderly Xue Feng began to blur, gradually dissolving into darkness. The silence was soon pierced by the sharp cries of a newborn, echoing through the void.
'Something changed, I have some guesses, but heart-demons aren't supposed to be like you—they're merely extensions of the cultivator, an inseparable part that must be overcome. But with you, it's different. It seems that when I was reborn, so were you.'
Blinding, blinking light enveloped everything, the cries of a newborn gradually calming as a tired voice cut through the haze. "He's beautiful, Jarek. Come closer, silly, you won't hurt him."
'Mother...'
Darius watched sadly as Jarek leaned down, gently kissing Amara's forehead. She seemed to be looking down at them both with love in her eyes, her gaze soft and warm, as if the world outside that moment didn't exist. 'It must have been hard for you, just watching and never being able to do anything. Why didn't you say something, make yourself known?'
Scenes from Darius's life continued to unfold, from breakfast with Tilly to studying for the Mage Tower of Rancito Cordoba—every memory laid bare for both to witness.
'I tried at first. But the most I could manage was to influence your emotions. Even when I acted to save Rose, it nearly killed me.'
Sitting in the void as their shared memories flashed by, Darius sat beside his younger self, both silently watching the display. 'Then you managed to create your technique and began cultivating. When that happened, I grew stronger too.' The heart-demon paused, lowering his head. "When they died, instead of blaming myself, I blamed you and started to hate you. After that, I was just waiting for my chance."
Watching the memory of Percy's death and the anguish on Marcus's face, Darius turned away, his heart heavy. 'Over the years, I always thought it was this new body, or because I formed ties I had no experience with. I knew something was different... I just never would've thought it was you.'
'I'm really sorry, Darius. Everything fell apart because of me. You wanted to go back, but I was so excited when you broke through... I thought nothing could stop you.'
Darius stared at an image of the heart-demon, sitting alone, silently watching as Darius lived out his life. A heavy feeling began to creep into his chest. 'In many ways, you were just a child, left alone to grow and learn. You were only twelve when it happened—you couldn't have been prepared for the cruelty of the world.'
The image before them began to crumble, slowly condensing into a single point of light within the surrounding darkness. As it floated toward them, Darius extended his hand and gently held it.
'The weight you've carried, it was never meant for you to bear by yourself.'
He moved the light toward the heart-demon, offering it with a warm smile. 'You were never alone.'
The heart-demon hesitated, staring at the light for a moment before reaching out and grasping it.
Instantly, the void shattered, revealing an immense space. Five-colored, giant meridians stretched out infinitely, and a radiant crystal skeleton glowed brilliantly, filling the vastness with its ethereal light.
----
Seated beside a large bed, Crelos looked utterly drained, his once neatly combed brown hair now a wild, spiky mess. At the foot of the bed, Haku lay vigilant, his eyes fixed intently on the unconscious Darius. Beside Darius's head, Neko curled up, occasionally buzzing with faint sparks as he slept.
"He looks like he's in pain."
Crelos nodded, frowning. "He's running a fever too, but I've checked him multiple times—there's no sign of wounds or poison. It sounds ridiculous, but maybe he's just having a nightmare?"
Suddenly, Darius's leg jolted violently, startling them both. With his breath quickening and his skin paling, their concern only deepened when they noticed a small bead of blood trickling from his ear. Panic set in as Haku jumped to his feet. "We need to do something! Help him!"
"I don't know how!"
Lady Clarke burst into the room, her simple trousers and white tunic giving her a no-nonsense appearance. She immediately noticed the blood on Darius's pillow. "What's happening?"
"You tell me! I've tried everything, but nothing makes sense! He seems fine, yet he's somehow getting injured in his sleep! Did that Vampyre curse him?!"
Haku scoffed, his mouth twisting into a sneer as he shouted, "you're useless! Vampyres can't lay curses—only Faerie Kin can do that! Helping you brought no benefits at all, huh?! He risked his life for some idiot human who can only make stupid guesses—"
"Enough!" Clarke's aura flared as she strode to Darius's side, gripping his wrist and closing her eyes in concentration. Instantly, she winced and pulled back, pain flashing across her face. "Something's blocking me... we need to tell Marcus—"
"Wait." Crelos leaned in, his eyes narrowing as he observed Darius. "He's calming down."
As he spoke, Darius's breathing gradually steadied, his complexion returning to a healthier color. Through it all, Neko remained curled up beside his head, oblivious to the turmoil surrounding him.
Crelos reached out, gently tilting Darius's head to the side. He carefully opened Darius's mouth, pouring a silvery liquid inside. He coughed lightly as he swallowed, his head settling back onto the pillow.
"I don't think we need to trouble Marcus with this right now," Crelos said quietly, his eyes fixed on Darius. "Haku and I can stay with him for now. You should get some rest, Lady Clarke. Your aura needs it."
"There will be time to rest."
Before Crelos could respond, both his and Clarke's auras ignited—Clarke's yellow manaforged armor solidified around her, while Crelos's flames flickered dangerously. Haku barked, his eyes scanning for the intruder. "Protect Darius!"
"Please, restrain yourselves. I mean no harm."
In an instant, roots shot up from the floor, wrapping around them all like serpents, binding them tightly. The roots merged seamlessly with the wooden boards, moving silently. As they tried to struggle, they found their strength draining away, even breathing became a laborious task under the crushing pressure that descended upon them.
From the wall itself, wood twisted and cracked, forming the shape of a bear as it stepped forward. "I am a friend to the Valdene. You should know my name, little one," the bear said, his voice calm yet commanding as he looked to Haku. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I'm sure he's told you about me—hopefully, all of it was flattering."
Haku's head hung limp as the roots gently set him on the ground, his strength slowly returning as the restraints receded. "You're that elemental king Darius told me about... Barrond. Can you help my brother? I'll do anything, just please help him."
Both Crelos and Clarke were gently released, collapsing slightly as they regained their breath, their auras flickering as they stabilized. Clarke's eyes widened in shock as she watched the bear settle beside Darius. "Warden of the Lithic Bastion, The World-Bear..."
Barrond's amber eyes glowed with intensity as he stared at Darius, his brow furrowing in concentration. "He doesn't need help, just time."
With a deliberate movement, Barrond extended his rooted paw, gently touching Darius's forehead. In an instant, his form dissolved into a ball of white light, which Barrond absorbed into his body.
Haku growled fiercely, flames erupting around him as he transformed into his beast-form, his massive body filling the room, horns blazing with fiery light. "What are you doing?! Bring him back!"
Barrond remained unfazed, his voice calm and firm. "He isn't safe here. Your little display won't change that. If you want him to survive what's coming, he needs to come with me."
Crelos stepped forward cautiously, his movements slow and respectful. "What do you mean, survive what?"
Barrond sighed, his gaze sweeping over the group. "An entire city of mages and knights just witnessed your friend over there wield all five elements. Do you really think they'll keep that to themselves?"
Haku immediately shrank back, his concern palpable as he grabbed Darius's pouch. "I have to go with him, and so does Neko."
Barrond paused for a moment, considering Haku's plea before snorting. "Fine." With that gust of breath, Barrond's snort hit Haku, and in an instant, he was transformed into a ball of light, which the bear absorbed. Barrond then turned to Neko, repeating the process.
"And you... you realize you've made the towers your enemy by helping him?"
Crelos froze, his face growing pale as he let out a quiet sigh. "I know, and staying here won't change what's coming. Eventually, I'll have to—"
"That's enough." Barrond's frown deepened as the roots making up his body tightened for a brief moment. "We'll decide what to do with you once he wakes."
With a heavy snort, Barrond waved a paw, and Crelos's eyes widened as his body flickered into a ball of light, vanishing into the bear's massive form.
And finally, facing Clarke, Barrond thought for a moment before speaking. "Inform Marcus of what has happened. Let him know that once Darius completes his training, he will return. Until then..." the bear's body began to merge into the floor, his voice growing quieter as he continued, "Rainslif is Darius's prey."
As Barrond faded completely, his final words lingered in the air. Clarke stood still, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Without a word, she turned and left the room, her thoughts racing as she headed to find Marcus. "Everything is going to change. I need to get stronger." For a brief moment, a small smile crossed her face, her aura pulsing. She quickly regained her composure, her eyes hardening as she dissapeared into the shadowed hallway.