IN HEAVEN, HALL OF FAITH
Aethon's gaze darted to xiylara, the God of Fate, before returning to Elyon. "Bain, the divine beast of Lyrien Alsan? Was he not the brother of the Demon Gold Fox clan's leader, renowned for his unparalleled power among the realms and died 200 years ago?"
Elyon's affirmation was simple. "Yes."
xiylara's grin illuminated her face as she chimed in, "Aethon, you omitted a crucial detail.
Bain was Immortal Elyon's master during his mortal life, was he not?" Her eyes sparkled with intrigue, fixed on Elyon.
"Great God of Faith, he was my master in the mortal realm," Elyon's voice resonated, filling the hall with an aura of reverence.
"But that doesn't mean I follow his ways. I walk the Heaven Path, and I've done what's necessary to demonstrate my loyalty."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted to Aethon, whose chiseled features seemed chiseled from the finest marble. Aethon's eyes, pools of sapphire, shone with an unwavering intensity.
Elyon's gaze then shifted to Xiylara, enthroned. Her luminous aura illuminated the surrounding air. Her tresses, golden and luscious, cascaded down her back like a river of sunrise hues. Her eyes, bright as stars, sparkled with celestial wisdom.
"May I share a memory of one who may be Bain's reincarnation?" Elyon requested, his voice infused with an air of mystery.
Xiylara's gaze met Aethon's, their eyes locking in a silent understanding. Aethon's nod was almost imperceptible, yet Elyon sensed the permission.
With a graceful gesture, Elyon touched his index and middle fingers to his forehead. As he withdrew them, a shimmering white light erupted, casting an aura of wonder. The light coalesced into a luminous orb, which he opened his palm to reveal.
Then he passed it to Aethon
The memory unfolded, revealing Arnin's image.
Aethon's eyes widened, his sapphire pools deepening as he accepted the memory.His eyes shimmered and the light hovered, then floated through the hall, passing shelves lined with boom of fates of immortals and mortals bound in a material that shimmered like moonbeams.
"What does it signify if his book is absent from this hallowed repository?" Elyon asked, his ocean eyes clouding with foreboding.
Aethon's response was measured, his voice with ancient wisdom. "You grasp the implications. Yet, it doesn't confirm Bain's rebirth. As a guardian of the Hall of Time, shouldn't you wield the power to unveil the truth?"
Elyon's expression turned contemplative, his slender fingers steepled together. "I became an immortal, left Heaven's realm, and wandered the mortal world. Perhaps my knowledge is... incomplete."
Aethon's piercing gaze swept across the hall after his eyes stopped shimmering "His book is not here," he declared, his voice low and resonant. "He's not a mortal."
Xiylara's slender fingers drummed against the armrest, her sapphire eyes sparkling with intrigue. "Intriguing."
Elyon's black and silver hair rustled as he clenched his jaw, his ocean eyes flashing with conviction. "I knew it."
Aethon's gaze narrowed, his hair rippling with the subtle movement. "What do you know, Elyon? I already warned that his absence might not confirm reincarnation.
If he's not here, that means he's not a reincarnation , so,need to waste time in the Hall of Reincarnation."
Elyon's eyes dropped, his dark lashes veiling his thoughts. Aethon's words hung in the air like a challenge.
Aethon's voice took on a measured tone. "Your powers are limited, Elyon. You can only glimpse the past in locations where the person has left an imprint.
To uncover the truth, you must seek out an immortal with higher powers in the Hall of Time and Space."
Aethon's grin held a hint of challenge. "But I doubt you'll be able to go back. Do you have the guts to return?"
Elyon's hesitation betrayed his unease.
Two hundred years ago, before Tarath's war against the heavens, Elyon had become an immortal – not through cultivation, but by a rare gift. Under Master Bain's guidance, he learned to see the past, but his training remained incomplete.
As an immortal, Elyon had renounced his master and made sacrifices to prove his allegiance didn't lie with the demon paths.
The Hall of Time, a pavilion in heaven, manipulated flashbacks – or, for them, traveled to the past. Though named the Hall of Time and Space, its occupants couldn't foresee the future.
When mortals or other beings traveled to the past, the Hall would be alerted.
Elyon's sacrifices had left him disillusioned with heaven. Haunted by his choices, he wondered if they were truly worth it.
Unable to stay, he left the Hall of Time and wandered the mortal realms, adopting various names but never truly attaching himself to any.
That was until he worked in the palace as a scholar, and protected the Prince, Prince Khane.
Elyon's confidence returned, his voice firm. "I'll go. This matter is too important. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
The hall's silence was tensed as Aethon's gaze followed Immortal Elyon. "Then you shall go. We can't see you out."
Elyon bowed graciously, his black and silver hair sweeping forward. "There's no need to see me out. I'm grateful for your answers."
As Elyon turned to leave, Xiylara's melodious voice sliced through the stillness. "Do you want to know if it's Bain, for heaven's sake, or is it because you're scared he'll come for you?" Her smile mocked, lips curling upward.
Elyon's steps faltered, but he didn't turn back. His oceon eyes seemed fixed on a distant horizon.
Xiylara's voice dripped with amusement. "Why not ask about Tarath and Sael's reincarnations, Elyon? Don't you wonder?"
Elyon's hesitation was almost imperceptible. He weighed his response, then spoke without turning. "After the war, I inquired in heaven. It was said no one could open their Books of Faith. I don't need to ask."
Xiylara's laughter echoed through the hall, her eyes sparkling. "It was Immortal Aethon and the others who couldn't open them, not me." She leaned forward, her slender fingers steepled together.
"I kept silent to maintain peace in the mortal world. A single change can have drastic consequences. But for you, Immortal Elyon, I'll gladly share the truth."
Elyon's pace quickened, his long strides devouring the distance. He vanished into the shadows, leaving Xiylara's words hanging in the air.