He opened his eye to a dark room. A small bit of sunlight snuck through the gaps of the curtain. He sat up, wondering where he was only to find a woman seated by the bed, fast asleep.
Her long white hair dangled loosely to the side of her face obscuring its perfect features, but he could recognise her anywhere. She was his beloved wife, Erta.
[Good morning, Father. Mother has been nursing you since you fainted more than a week ago. Please allow her to rest now that you are awake.]
Hearing Ciel's voice, Caelum sighed in relief. He honestly did not know what happened to Ciel after he lost control in the estate of the House of Grace. And when he found himself in Endir's final moment's, he felt as though he had lost connection with his powers.
Since Ciel existed within his Wing of Reason, she could have been harmed or negatively affected by his Scarlet Tribulation. However, it did not seem like she had been hurt. If anything, he could feel her presence had grown larger and stronger.
[I was guided by the Imaginary Tree into your Life Covenant where I remained safe from the effects of your tribulation. However, I seem to have also benefited from your change.]
Her words were surprising, but Caelum could not focus on them. Instead, all he could think of was how much he had missed the voice of his daughter. She had become silent since his Scarlet Tribulation began and now was the only time he got to talk to her again.
But before speaking with her, he remained quiet as he moved to the bedside. He picked Erta up and laid her comfortably on the bed.
Even with just a slight glance, he could see the fatigue on her face. He could only imagine the amount of work he put her through after all the mess he had created.
He kissed her cheek once before leaving the room. And as he strolled through the unfamiliar hallway, he finally spoke to Ciel.
"Ciel…, I'm sorry for what I did to you."
[...]
"You can hate me for it. It's alright. And although I don't know how, I'll try to be a better father to you."
[Father, just because I was only recently born does not mean you must treat me like you would a human child. Cephalons are constructs. All I ask is that… you do not treat me like a tool. Although I am not born with flesh nor a heart, I am still your child.]
"I know. I suppose finding out a proper dynamic will be a long process. So just bear with me, okay?"
[Yes. More importantly, I have analysed you and Mother over the past few days. You both have met with great changes. Would you like to see?]
"Sure. Though I think I already know what the changes are."
{[Name: Caelum Grace]
[Race: Human]
[Stigmata: Imaginary Tree | Scarlet Moon]
[Potential: True Avatar Successor (Trial in progress)]
[Titles: Pillar of Grace | Angel of Slaughter | The Once and Future King | Lord of Eden]
[Aspects: #### | Light of Truth | Ancestor of Blood | Ancestor of Souls | Karmic Flame | Dragon Heart | Gluttony | Lust | Life Covenant | Two Core Revolution]
[Status: Stigmata sealed (4 out of 10 seals broken)
>Wing of Serenity
>Wing of Chaos
>Wing of Reason
>Wing of Immolation]}
The first major change that Caelum saw was his stigmata. The Imaginary Tree gave him a set of ten wings that are much stronger than they were in his previous cycle.
In fact, if he were to face his Ten-winged God incarnation as he is now, he might be able to win 3 out of 10 times. That was simply because of the limitless power of the Authority of the Imaginary.
And although he could not yet wield the Authority of the Imaginary himself, he could slowly reclaim it through his ten wings. However, the same could not be said for the Scarlet Moon.
Despite it being just as powerful as the Imaginary Tree, its power could not be broken down into parts to be easily claimed. That was why the Scarlet Tribulation was necessary besides the symbolic significance it had to the incarnations themselves.
And as proof of overcoming the Scarlet Tribulation, the stigmata on his back had changed into a prismatic tree with four wings for branches carrying a scarlet eye on its canopy.
The next change he noticed was the addition of the Ancestor of Souls. It was the mark of his chosen path. But somewhere deep inside him, he can tell that this was not the only answer that would lead him to this path.
The burden of souls was the Undertaker's path. He would not take it beyond their duty. He resolved himself to find another, perhaps more. Because in the end, he knew that his sacrifice would not amount to anything should the world refuse to change.
And just as Valion had said, he had been forever changed by the curse.
Even now, he saw no hope of changing this hopeless world. He would save it only for the sake of his family. But perhaps the other one would hold some answers.
His eye flashed with a scarlet glint as he looked at the new aspect that replaced his Eternal Flame and Perpetual Night…, Karmic Flame.
He did not know yet how different this flame was, but he can already feel the tremendous amount of Divinity within. It dwarfed whatever Divinity that Eternal Flame and Perpetual Night had combined.
And although this change was catalysed by the Scarlet Tribulation, Caelum could tell that it was by no means connected to the Scarlet Moon, but rather to the Wing of Immolation. This divine flame's nature was that of Karma rather than Truth. There must be something within him that must have triggered this change.
And finally, Two Core Revolution was an aspect that even he was unsure of. Although he could feel that it was connected to both the Imaginary Tree and the Scarlet Moon, its true nature remains unclear.
Perhaps only with its use would he really understand what it was. But if there was anything he could think of that would help him understand it, it was only a secret art taught to him by his Master in a previous cycle.
"Eternal Flame and Perpetual Night have fused with Immolation. I expected as much. It will be a while before I can fully use this Karmic Flame as it is too powerful, more so than I expected of a combination of the two. Perhaps it isn't just a mere fusion after all. Ciel, show me Erta's as well."
{[Name: Erta Ki'ana]
[Race: High Alf (Seraphim)
[Stigmata: Nine Lights]
[Potential: True Avatar Successor (Trial in progress)]
[Titles: Cherished Light of the Divine Obelisk | Angel of Light | Nine Lights Heavenly Empress]
[Aspects: Light of Virtue | Light of True Soul | Phoenix Down | Phoenix Lotus Immortal Body | True Phoenix Down]}
"What…?!"
Upon seeing the changes to Erta's profile, Caelum fell into a moment of confusion. He did not even notice most of the changes because all his attention was focused on only one thing.
True Avatar Successor, it was only a change of one word, but it had a whole world of difference.
The possibilities ran through his mind, but before he lost himself in his thoughts, he snapped back into focus. No one would have even noticed that he was dazed for a split second, but Ciel certainly did. And she also knew the reason why.
"Ciel, does your mom know about this?"
[No. I have opted not to tell her fearing that she might panic. She was already exhausted from taking care of you. I did not want to risk her getting sick or worse.]
"Good. Let her rest sufficiently. We'll tell her once she recovers. Do you know when this change occurred?"
[Yes, Father. I keep track of your aspects in real time in order to document every change. Mother's change in status occurred three days ago.]
Caelum's head was starting to throb with a dull pain. It had not even been long since Earth was invaded twice in quick succession.
He himself had only just recovered from the strain that his Scarlet Tribulation put him through. The world still suffered from the effects of his rampage. And Erta still needed her rest.
Yet now, Sanctuary was in danger.
His vow to his wife was like a siren blaring in his mind nonstop, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. After all, he was only a True Avatar Successor. And only a True Avatar can open a gate toward other worlds.
His gaze sharpened as he looked toward the sky for the first time since his tribulation. What met his gaze was a faint dazzle from the crystalline branches of the Imaginary Tree looming above.
Now that he knew that it was not something he needed to resent nor be grateful to, but something he needed to reclaim as a part of himself, his will projected toward it.
"I don't care what you do, just hurry it up."
Hearing his words and receiving his command, the Imaginary Tree began working enthusiastically. And it had just the right solution for Caelum's current dilemma. Though it may take a bit of time for it to come, Caelum was assured that it will.
For now, he will wait for Erta to recover. And he will have to fix this hopeless world before he has to leave it.