"Fuck."
"Excuse me?" Nythera's voice was like a blade's edge.
Feryn swallowed hard, the shock in his eyes shifting to a guarded look, "Apologies, Great Mother. My reaction was unseemly."
"It was more than unseemly. What exactly is going through that head of yours, youngling?" Nythera's gaze sharpened, "And don't try to dance around it."
Atlas just stared wide eyed, he couldn't understand what was suddenly going through the mind of this Elder Feryn guy. The entire time he'd been speaking with Nythera he gave off the 'overburdened, hardworking young talent' vibe, but now, that impression was shattered.
"I'd been trying my best to keep myself level headed in the presence of both of you at the same time, but it seems I have only embarrassed myself... As for the reason. I believe you will understand after learning a few things that happened in Velathra before [The Hidden Cataclysm]. While you could also say it's related to the fall of Velathra, it is primarily because of something that happened roughly a thousand years before the fall," Feryn quickly explained, seeing the increasingly icy expression on Nythera's face.
"What do you mean in the presence of both of us? I am your Pillar, I understand your reservation, but this is merely my son. You should not feel any pressure in his presence..." Nythera paused, feigning ignorance, "What exactly happened a thousand years before the fall that would change something like that?" Nythera merely asked, her face becoming placid. She knew how the Arkaen worked, and much more about the [Ascended], their ancestral powerhouses, than most normal Arkaen, it was thanks to this knowledge that Nythera felt she had a pretty good idea what Elder Feryn was about to say.
This didn't bring a smile to her face though, as in the event that she was correct, it would be like a domino setting off others. Many other factors and matters far deeper would have to be considered as well, and in regards to those topics:
'I really hope I'm wrong...'
Feryn's gaze flickered nervously between Nythera and Atlas, "You misunderstand, Great Mother. I am aware of who he is—to you. But there is something else… something I believe we should discuss in private."
"Private?" Nythera's eyes flashed with dangerous curiosity, "And why would we need privacy, Elder Feryn? Are you implying my son's presence is a hindrance?"
"No—no, of course not!" Feryn swallowed hard, trying to keep his composure. "It's just… I want to make sure I'm not overstepping my bounds before speaking too much," Feryn said, pausing.
After collecting his thoughts, he proceeded to explain but this time opted to send his thoughts directly into Nythera's mind, so that she could decide what needed to be said aloud and what didn't:
[There are many among the surviving descendants of Velathra that… have borne the hope left to us by our forefathers. One that came to us long before the fall of Velathra. A prophecy that spoke of a being—no, an existence—one that would carry the weight of the [Great Path] on its shoulders. And now, seeing those eyes…] He trailed off, his voice faltering.
Nythera's gaze darkened, her lips pressing into a thin line. "And you think that being is him, do you? Based on what, Feryn?"
Feryn's eyes flickered to Atlas's face, then back to Nythera, and he let out a breath he seemed to have been holding, [Great Mother… with respect, if what I suspect is true—if that prophecy really was sent to Velathra a thousand years ago, which is much easier to confirm than the matter of its fall—then your son might not be merely your son… He may very well be the Primordian who's descent the prophecy foretold. A figure said to bear not only the weight and key of our [Great Path], but according to rumors, there was much more.]
Nythera's expression remained impassive, but something shifted in her gaze, "Is that why you reacted the way you did?"
"Yes," Feryn whispered, his voice almost breaking, [Because if it is true, Great Mother… then it means the other aspects of what we currently know of the prophecy are equally likely to be true. Aside from describing the prophesied leader destined to join us—it was a warning. A warning that the arrival of the Primordian signals not just the rebirth of our chance to walk the [Great Path], but also the beginning of an era that will reshape all of Sellene. It would mean the [Age of Reckoning and Renewal] draws near. Danger, strife, and opportunity will follow in its wake, and none will escape the tides of fate it brings. According to the council at the time the prophecy was received, this coming age was shown in the vision in a way that completely dwarfed the events of [The Shattering] like hatchling's play. If your son is truly the one, then he will need to be more than just a leader—he will need to be a beacon for those who will rally behind him, whether he accepts it or not."
Nythera felt a chill run through her, but she pushed it aside with a wave of her hand, "Enough."
"Wait no, what did he say? You were just talking to yourself. Wait, did he whisper it mentally? C'mon, we were just getting to the good part!" Atlas quipped.
"Atlas, hush."
"Huh?"
After taking a moment to absorb the young elder's words, Nythera finally responded through [Mindweave], believing that with the possibility of this being somehow true, it'd be better to think it over before suddenly revealing it to Atlas, [Feryn, I will ask you one time, and one time only. Tell me exactly what that prophecy said and don't miss a damn word. You're no longer just talking to a Pillar, you are telling that very Pillar, a mother, that her son is destined to carry the burdens no Arkaen has ever succeeded in carrying before. Choose your words carefully, but do not lie, you should know what I might do if you do. I'm pretty sure most Arkaen do,] Nythera said, her mental voice a biting cold.
If the tone hadn't made her stance clear, the end of her message definitely did. Feryn knew, he knew probably better than anyone else. This was the only Arkaen that had ever willingly killed another of their kind. She'd broken a sacred taboo, proclaimed it wrong, and lived unjudged. He didn't want to tempt fate.
[Great Mother, it isn't that I don't wish to, I would if I could. But the contents of the prophecy were only passed through word of mouth to the current generation while the full passage is said to have been sealed away in the [Chamber of Aeons].] Elder Feryn responded, rushing to explain his seeming inability to comply, [If you don't already know, the chamber was a recent addition to Velathra, recent in the way that it only reached full construction a few decades before [The Hidden Cataclysm]. It is said that any and all knowledge of our history, as trivial as even the daily schedule of the [Broodguards], were saved there for safe keeping. This includes any and all knowledge sealed by the council. This 'recent' construction is said to be even sturdier than the Cradle as in the event of the loss of all life here, it was meant to preserve the truest spark of our people, and prove our existence. According to the three Elders that survived, Sprade, Viko and Karma, the council had at some point begun trying to snuff out the full version of the prophecy detailed by the Arch-Seer that transcribed it. None of them knew the exact reason why, but had theories that it had something to do with the full content needing to be erased from public memory. According to Viko, there was another record of the full prophecy as well, but none of the seniors were told where it was by the three Elders. As far as why the council tried to erase it and convert it to hearsay, we don't know what about the prophecy required such a thing, it was clearly sacrilege to the guidance of the [Ascended] that bestowed the prophecy on us, but there are theories, and each is… more difficult to stomach than the next. Thus, the version we have now is only a rough understanding. If this version will suffice I am more than willing to share it, but I presume that what you are after is whatever they attempted to hide from the public… and the only way to get to it, unless we find the record Viko described, is in the [Chamber of Aeons]...] Feryn finished, his expression one of hesitation and hoping that with this explanation she'd understand his inability to answer in full.
"..." for a moment, Nythera just paused, taking it all in as she fell into thought.
"Great Mother, if it pleases you, how about I introduce the hatchlings to the other children? While we've done our best to support the soul-awakening and growth of as many as possible, among the 248 residents here in Velathra, 200 of them are of similar ages to these three. I'm sure they would love to meet the three hatchlings that suddenly disappeared," Elder Theo interrupted, seeing the conversation had taken a much more particular branch in topic. He too felt the need for careful handling of this matter, but he didn't think it was right to leave the children out to dry while it was broached.
"Mm. Atlas, you two, follow Elder Theo and behave. He will show you around and introduce you to… what remains of our people. They are your family just as much as I. Shine, Blanc, as you two have reached the limit of your tier and are ready to evolve, ask Elder Theo for the foundation supporting materials you need, you should know them already. Atlas, wait for me to come get you, your case is a little different, but I'll be there shortly." Nythera commanded softly. There didn't seem to be room for denial in her words, but the trio were curious about everything anyways, so no one made a fuss.
[[Ok.]], Shine and Blanc nodded.
"Alright," Atlas said.
"Great. Hatchlings, follow me, I will introduce you first to your elder siblings and then to the other members of your clutch. They may not have leveled as fast as you three, but they are all getting along well. They are well past the "Celestial Sovereign" phase…" Theo said, chuckling towards the end when he recalled the scene of 20 hatchlings proclaiming themselves gods as soon as they burst out of their eggs.
With that, Elder Theo turned back towards the hulking gates behind them, and made his way into the structure that bore them.
…
As they made their way into the hulking structure of the Cradle, the doors like silent guardians at the sides, the trio just stared in awe at the immense structure before them. It was a beautiful sight. The walls of this cave haven were carved artfully with delicate murals of various scenes of a Spiris's life, battle, growth and history. The cavern was like a massive descending spiral that narrowed the further down it descended. All along this spiraling pathway were hundreds of tunnel entrances to various different rooms and according to Blanc, research stations.
At the deepest part of the Cradle, they finally came across another room with two massive doors guarding it, just slightly smaller than the ones they'd just entered through. These too opened from just a wave of Theo's Spiris leg.
"Beyond this gate is our future. All hatchlings tend to remain here until we can properly teach them the mindset and prudence of survival. As neither Feryn or I are the greatest of teachers, our methods are much slower than our vaunted academies of the past, especially with there only being the two of us to guide them, but the older Spiris younglings help out as well." He explained as the doors slowly creaked open.
"What about leveling up and evolving? How do they get experience if they don't leave this place?" Atlas asked, feeling it'd be too restrictive to growth to just wallow around here, as cool as the place was.
"Well, while leveling them up is of great importance, their survival is only more so. Thus we chose to keep them here until Feryn and I can think of some solutions to various… difficulties, even if it might slow their rate of growth. With the Pillar and Pr- Ahem. With the Pillar here now, hopefully we can make some changes now."
"I see."
Just as Theo finished explaining, the doors were completely opened. Beyond these hulking metallic gates, there was a massive room with what seemed like a playground of Disney-world proportions just beyond. On that playground were various large metallic Spiris. They were colored differently and each beautiful with their own separate patterns. Their sizes ranged from the size of a squirrel to the size of a lion, yet all of them played around with each other in "silence."
Atlas could feel the thrumming waves of mental transmissions in this space, all of these children using [Mindweave] to communicate, it made for quite a load on the brain, but he quickly adapted, suddenly feeling a ridiculous number of eyes land on his body like a mountain pressing down on him.
"Uh… Hi?"
This was how Atlas first met his true family, a moment that would in the future, come to be known as [The Dawn of the Fatebound Web]. Or to others, [The Spark that Ignited the Path]!