"Faith must be truly novel, beautiful and timeless, so gives life to thee."
Act 0
Chapter 3 - Time of despair.
Xavier leaned forward, his expression one of both horror and fascination. "What... what did it do to you?" he questioned with dread in his voice.
Phanuhel's expression turned haunted as he spoke. "It experimented on me," he growled. "It changed me. Altered me into a being unlike any other. It gave me powers, just like it gave you. But mine.... mine came with a price."
Xavier's heart pounded in his chest. He was terrified yet drawn in, needing to know more. "What price?" he quired.
"Have you learned history, son? Do you have any idea why there are still some very old ruins all around the continent of Vlutia and far behind seas, at continents Cebron and Atall?"
"No, Father," he gasped. "In school, we were taught about the old empire, but never about the ruins. Do you know anything?"
Phanuhel was silent for a long moment, his expression pained. "I know more than I want to," he finally conversed. "The old empires, as you call it, wasn't always 'old'. It was once a prosperous land, ruled by empires so massive, so majestic, today's empires are nothing compared to it. And it was ruled by Emperors and their people. But then... then The Creature came. And the world which i remember as a child had ceased to exist."
Xavier's heart sank. He could hear the pain and regret in Phanuhel's voice. "What... what happened?" he interrogated, almost afraid to hear Phanuhel's reply.
"Now that you ask me, I remember everything more clearly... Ughm.. An apocalyptic Eclispe came.... after a beautiful creature, who called himself Fugo, ordered his army of all kinds of evil to destroy all land. He was almost successful, if not the great creature, whose name I can't remember. The great creature understood too late that humans deserved such fate, and announced the end of an era, once called the Age of Sinful Abundance. He was humane enough to grant 100,000 humans life as the chosen ones, who will live in "The World After Eclipse" and called as the 0-generation, but as you already know... he wasn't so nice after all. Well, I was only 4 years old when all of this happened, my name and parents stuck in my mind and that's all I remember to this day. However, don't ask me of more, I tried to remember more, but couldn't."
Xavier was speechless, his emotions in turmoil. He had heard stories about the Eclipse, but never the whole truth, and never so vividly detailed. But there was still one point he didn't understand. "You said 100,000 humans were granted life," he stunned with his voice a mere whisper. "But... but I thought there were billions of people back then?"
Phanuhel nodded sadly, his expression grave. "That's correct," he declared. "There were billions of humans back then, but only a select few were chosen. And the rest..." his voice trailed off, leaving the gruesome fate of the billions unsaid, but the implication was clear.
Xavier's heart sank even further. He had always known that history was full of horrors and calamities, but hearing about something so catastrophic, something that wiped out billions of people, was something he had never imagined. "Why... Why didn't The Creature save everyone?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Phanuhel sighed, looking more weary than ever. "Are you serious?... Well... perhaps it lacked the power, or perhaps it just didn't care enough," he asserted. "Either way, that decision doomed the rest of humanity to be destroyed." He paused, his expression haunted. "And as for me... I became one of the so-called 0-generation, the first humans to survive the Eclipse. But I was not the same."
Xavier was hanging onto every word, his mind struggling to comprehend the magnitude of what Phanuhel was telling him. "Wha-what do you mean, you weren't the same?" he managed to inquire with his voice slightly shaking.
Phanuhel's hands clenched into tightened fists. "The Creature... it changed me," he snarled, his voice a mixture of disgust and anger. "It gave me powers, immortality. I was no longer human. I was... something else. An abomination. Now that I remember...I didn't care about it back then. I was furious... because of the Great Creature and what he has done to me."
"What did he do to you?" Xavier repeated, surprised by this revelation. He tried to imagine a young Phanuhel, wanting to avenge the great creature, but he struggled to picture it. "But what... what happened to your parents?"
Phanuhel's face hardened, his expression turning from anger to grief. "They... they died during the Eclipse, and I-I... don't even remember how" he whined with his voice hoarse with emotions. "I couldn't remember what happened, but I have a theory. They were among the billions who perished. Vanished because of The Beautiful Creature, Fugo. He was the one that caused the Apocalyptic Eclispe. And I was... I was a child. I didn't understand what it meant to sacrifice. I thought I could bring them back. That's why I agreed to The Creature's offer."
Xavier's heart ached at the anguish in Phanuhel's voice. He felt a surge of pity towards the 900-year-old man in front of him. "What... what did you do?" he questioned quietly, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
"I don't want to talk about it. You still owe me answers." Phanuel sighed, and then his face hardened.
Xavier, sensing Phanuhel's reluctance to go further into the topic of his past, decided not to press further. Instead, he quized, "What do you want to know, Father?"
"How did you find out about this church? Did you get here yourself all the way from Qefron? Or maybe Vliron? To get here from the central of Acria.... It must have been a long way."
Xavier nodded. "Yes, Father, it was a long journey," he said. "I didn't know where to go, or what I was looking for. But then, I overheard some people talking about a secret church in an area known as Old City of Cyrchos. I followed rumors and hearsay across Vlutia, finally leading me here."
After Xavier finished his explanation, there was a brief silence, broken only by the sound of the wind outside. Phanuhel studied Xavier for a long moment, his gaze unwavering. Finally, he murmured with his voice steady and firm.
"You've come a long way, son," he exclaimed. "And you've endured things no human should have to. I can see the potential in you, the strength. But I must warn you, the road ahead will be perilous. Are you willing to stay here, with your children?"
Xavier looked up at Phanuhel, his expression set with determination. "Yes, Father," he rejoiced. "I would like to stay. I just need a home for my children. I will do anything."
Phanuhel smiled faintly. "I thought you'd say that, son," he conveyed, not unkindly. "Let me show you around the church. And you can help me with something, too. You see... I'm getting old, and I won't be able to control the church by myself for much longer."