Erta watched as the black souls parted, making way for her to reach Caelum with her silver light. For a moment, she was in awe. It was as though they were aware of what they must do.
Caelum did not seem injured either. The souls seemed to have been protecting him from the effects of the battle against the Army of the Unliving.
He looked at peace with his eyes closed. And although Erta could not feel any power from him at the moment, she was certain that something was changing deep within him.
Naturally, she was worried. In so short a time, Caelum had changed so many times and so drastically each time. She did not know what to do if this next change were to drag him deeper into the dark pit that she saw in his eyes.
She could only hope that her Light could heal him before it was too late.
"Your timing is impeccable, Erta."
The sound of Caelum's voice shocked Erta. She was not at all expecting it. She had been so focused on healing his soul that she did not even notice when he had woken up. But when she looked at his face, she panicked.
Caelum's eyes were still closed, but there was blood dripping from them.
From his right eye flowed a tantalising red blood that seemed to glow slightly with an unfathomable and inviolable power. While from his left eye, black blood even darker than oil streaked down. Sensing her worry, Caelum smiled and caressed her cheek to calm her down.
"I'm alright now. Thank you for staying with me. Take care of Ceres for a while. I'll clean up here."
His words possessed a convincing charm to it that it did not have before. It assuaged Erta's worries and, although she did not want to let him go just yet, she left to Ceres' side.
Together they watched as the swirling black souls all around Caelum calmed down and settled next to him. Among them, there were two who remained by his side as though not willing to part with him just yet. Caelum smiled sadly at them as he spoke.
"We who have chosen the eternal march offer you deliverance. Come and rest in my shadow until your return to the Eternal Cycle."
His words echoed throughout the whole world and beyond, crossing the immeasurable expanse of Reality. It captivated all who heard it, but only those who wandered the land of the living despite their deaths could heed it.
They flocked to him like moths to a flame. And he, like the man he was in eons past, became like a shepherd.
He bore the weight of all the souls of the world, even those that have come from other worlds. In the end, they were all lost and dreaming only of deliverance. And as the last of the souls gathered to him, Caelum opened his eyes.
His left eye was an empty black socket that seemed to devour all things. It terrified all those who saw it, even Erta and Ceres. And yet, even with its deep darkness, it could not mask the scarlet brilliance of his right eye.
As it opened, so did the Scarlet Moon in the sky above fully wake.
"O Serenity, long have I waited, yet Chaos comes so swiftly still. Though in that madness, Reason, for still I march toward Immolation."
As the last of his words echoed for all the world to hear, four wings sprouted from his back.
The first was a colourless wing of pure energy. The second was a black haze that shifted from tangible to intangible. The third was a collection of sapphire shards that connected through energy. And the fourth was a brilliant scarlet flame whose edges were lined with black and a hint of gold.
The Wing of Immolation has finally been fully awakened. And with its appearance, all the gathered souls raced toward it, claiming a spot within it for themselves.
And yet, they could not know that regardless of how many souls there were and ever will be in the Myriad Worlds, they will never be able to fill it to the brim.
After all, he is the Undertaker cursed to walk all Existence for all eternity. His duty was to bring deliverance to all.
When the last of the souls have entered his wing, Caelum finally relaxed.
The strain that the Scarlet Tribulation brought upon him finally caught up. He fell forward, fainting in the arms of Erta who somehow managed to catch him in time.
It was the third time he had fainted in front of her. But unlike the previous times, he had a small peaceful smile on his face. Seeing this, Erta finally sighed in relief.
In a realm completely isolated from all things, several figures were watching Caelum's actions in silence. They were seated in grand and majestic thrones that formed a circle. They were like a council meeting for a discussion on a delicate matter.
They did not comment on Caelum's choice because they all knew that no matter how much any one of them strayed, they would all choose the same path in the end.
To them, this was a foregone conclusion. Instead, a golden-eyed man by the name of Alpheus spoke with a hint of surprise.
"It seems she has finally stirred. Do you think she'd be born in this cycle?"
"No. It is far too early for her to be born. Her power is only at the level of our current incarnation. With her nature, it is impossible for that to be her limit."
The one who replied was the Undertaker who seemed more at ease now. Or at least, he did not find the need to end the current cycle anymore. To his words, the others nodded silently in agreement. Their topic of discussion was, of course, the budding ego nestled within Eden.
Elise noticed it, but not even she who was blessed by the Scarlet Moon could perceive the Truth of that ego. Not even the unknowable being from the other side of the territory noticed her existence. Only they, the incarnations of the One, can truly recognise her.
"You forget that we have reached a precipice. When the Heaven burns red, the three become One and the One becomes two.
The anomaly began with the Imaginary Tree finding us before we even managed to find it. What other anomaly is waiting for us out there. We cannot discount the possibility of her finally waking."
Valion refuted in a brooding tone. The Undertaker may be among oldest and most respected among them, but that did not mean he was of higher status than the others. They were all One. They were all equal. And Arlein wondered loudly a question that had been on everyone's minds.
"Would she take the name of his sister? Will she become the new Duviri?"
"She bears her soul and her image after all. But if that were to truly happen, are we then to take his name? I find it confusing sometimes. Are we or are we not… Akivili?"
The question posed by Valion made them all fall silent once again. The names Akivili and Duviri were unknown to the Myriad Worlds. In fact, they were unknown to almost all Existence.
The only ones who truly knew were those who had gathered in this council at this very moment.
There may be those out there who knew the existence of the two, but they not know their names. After all, they were more commonly known by their titles.
The Paradigm and The Paradox, the twins who travelled the expanse of all that is. Two complete opposites, yet inseparable down to their very existence.
"Let's put that aside for now. That is a matter that cannot be resolved until the time comes. More importantly, I felt a familiar presence in him. It was weak, but it was there. Perhaps his Dragon Heart had led to its resurgence after so long?"
This time, it was Endir who spoke. Despite his cycle having ended ages ago, the realm of the incarnations was something that transcended the bounds of time and space.
To him, despite him having been long dead, he also feels as though he had only just met with Caelum mere moments ago. All of them felt the same way.
But that was why Time did not truly matter to them as much as the cycles themselves do. And in response to Endir's words, a different person spoke.
"Not necessarily. In my cycle, I managed to awaken albeit not fully. Shizuna did become a True Phoenix, but I could only spark our long lost source. However, it might be possible in this cycle to fully recover it. What do you think, Caelum?"
The words of the man, whose eyes were split between scarlet and gold, Li Xing Yue, rang loud. And all eyes turned to the one person among them to whom this matter was most important. An incarnation whose cycle was among the earliest, but also one of the most tragic.
He was known as the Primordial Dragon God, yet his name now strikes fear into the hearts of those who remember it. After all, the dull golden eyes he bears are the mark of the Golden Tribulation that has been betrayed by the world.
And though the world suffered the wrath of Disdain as a consequence, their curse only grew stronger from it. His name… Caelum Grace.