UNDERSTANDING

Abaddon stood no chance against Silus.

“You there, you call yourself powerful. Let me show you real power.”

My, no, Silus' eyes glowed yellow, but they were my eyes. How does this work exactly?

Whatever the case, Silus was hauling butt. Abaddon, once proud, was now, quite literally, running for his life.

This was funny.

“Look, this is fun but, I must be serious now. Lives are being lost at the second, and for my wife's sake, I shall protect those elves.”

With a flash of lightning, Silus decapitated the demon.

The body stood there for a moment, then with a loud THUD it fell.

Abaddon was no more.

“There's one last thing I need to do before I hand over your body, kiddo.” 

Silus then stretched my arm into the demon's chest and pulled out the core, now transparent.

“It's empty… no… this can't be.” Silus was almost at tears, “My wife, no, no, no, no!”

Silus then held the core with both hands, and with a flash of light he had restored it to it's once vibrant green.

“I feel her, she's alive once more. Oh, thank Erton.”

Silus then wiped his tears.

“You can have your body back, kiddo.” He continued, “I'll be summoning the three of you once you're all ready.”

He then left my body, I was in control once again.

I hurriedly placed the core back where it belonged, and prayed it worked.

I then rushed over to Tulote and dragged him near the core.

He was a heavy fella.

I then picked up Cassandra, and placed her near the core.

Seconds felt like minutes.

Minutes felt like days.

But finally, slowly but surely, Cassandra's skin colour slowly returned.

“Hero?” she said as she opened her eyes. 

“It's alright Cassandra, we're back” I said with a smile.

She stretched out her hand and touched my cheek.

“Thank you hero, no, Arda, you've saved us all… again” she said with a faint smile.

“You have Silus to thank too, you know? He saved us all.” 

“Well, I'm just happy to be back amongst my friends, and my people.”

“If I wasn't as broken to pieces as I would, I would say something like, you love birds or whatever. I'm going to say it anyway, you-”

“Shut yer trap” Cassandra scolded. 

“Was she British?” I wondered.

We laughed for a moment.

For the first time in a while, things didn't look so gloomy.

I liked that.

“Oh by the way, Tulote, Cassandra, Silus wants to see us.”

“My father?!”

“The emperor? What an honour!”

“Honour, my ass. The guy's a train wreck” I muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

“So, uh, how exactly are we supposed to meet Silus?” Cassandra asked.

“I've not the slightest clue.”

No sooner had I said that, were we teleported away to Arda's 'pocket-dimension' of sorts.

“My children! I'm so happy to see you.”

“MOTHER?!”

“My son, oh my son, my darling son. I thought I lost you.”

They hugged.

It was beautiful.

For a split second I saw Kath within Usasha. 

—

She had just given birth to little Iriam, and held her tight. Our two sons were there as well, and we all hugged on the hospital bed.

Those were simpler times.

—

The air was filled with the sounds of faint Dark Academia.

Usasha spoke again.

“Arda, you've done a wonderful job. Even though Silus stepped in at the end, you still deterred that vile demon long enough for Silus to gather enough power to manifest.”

“Your welcome Usasha! But what do you mean by giving Silus enough time to manifest?”

“Remember Arda, We are both dead in the real world, and only exist otherwise because our powers are of creation itself, thus death has no dominion. Having said that, it takes time and immense power to break the barriers of the spiritual and the over-world, which is why Arda needed enough time to gather power.”

“Oh, that makes sense now.”

“Yeah, which is why he's now going to be dormant for a while, as he recovers his powers.”

“How long will it take?”

“I've no clue, but what I do know is you three must get stronger If you are going to beat Dietha.”

“You know this all too well, Tulote. I do not blame you for holding back, however, I would rather see you alive than on the brink of death every time you were to go all out.”

“Yes mother, I just… I need to get stronger, if it is but for a bit longer. At least until all this is done.”

“Which is why I'll be personally training you as I did my children. Time will be stopped in the overworld, my powers are in abundance to do that.”

“Isn't that taxing? Just like the manifestation thingy?” Cassandra asked.

“Indeed it is my child, but my husband has been so kind as to reconstruct my realm AND restore my core, that I have enough power left over to pause time for what would be three overworld days.”

“How long would that be in here, mother?”

“Around three to four months, give or take.”

“Now, let's cut the chit-chat and begin! It won't be long until Dietha senses that I have paused time and infiltrates this realm because of it!” Usasha continued! “Chop chop everyone, to the library!”

With a snap of her fingers, we were teleported to a vast library. There were books everywhere, and it seemed to stretch for miles beyond the naked eye!

“Give me a second there, my lovelies! Let me just gather the books as you see fit.”

Usasha then handed us our books. 

“These will be your training material, as you read these, the knowledge will be imparted upon you, and you will be able to act within and beyond the accordance of these books. You are beyond the common confines of mortality anyway!”

To Tulote she gave, 'The art of Endurance and Terra Flow'

To Cassandra, she gave, 'Stealth Reincarnate, Mastering swift blows and shadow tactics'

And finally, to me, she gave nothing. 

“Arda, you already have powers beyond what me and Silus could've ever grasped at our prime. There is nothing I can teach you, but I can help you unlock just a tiny bit of your powers.”

“Wha- What do you mean?”

Before I could continue, she placed her hand on my forehead.

Memories of this world, of creation, of destruction, and of rebirth surged into my mind.

The sheer volume of information that flooded my mind was staggering.

I saw the genesis of stars, the birth of planets.

Creation and Decay

The beginning of the World Tree, to what it became now.

I felt joy, and despair, and I felt Dietha.

It was an emptiness.

It was a slow, agonizing corruption

I saw Cassandra's face.

I saw everyone I've ever loved die. But I saw them living as well.
It was indescribable.

I saw Tulote pushing past his limits.

“You'll find what you're looking for there my child, just give it time.”

—

“Alright my darlings! Let's get to it!”

Tulote, already reading 'The Art of Endurance and Terra Flow,' looked up.

Cassandra, her brow furrowed, was already flipping through 'Stealth Reincarnate, Mastering Swift Blows and Shadow Tactics' 

They shimmered with a subtle energy as the two touched their respective books, the knowledge flowing directly into their minds, bypassing any need for conscious reading.

“Arda! You'll be with me,” Usasha said.

She gestured, and a section of the library, previously filled with towering shelves, transformed.

The books receded, and they were replaced by a swirling, almost vortex like, of raw, unformed Terra.

It reminded me of the World Tree's core, but this was far more pristine and untamed.

“This, is pure creation energy. It's what you are. For the next few months, your training won't be about learning new techniques, but about remembering old ones. You will learn to shape Terra, to bend it to your will, and to truly grasp the nature of your own being.”

She then turned to Tulote and Cassandra.

“You two, immerse yourselves, my darlings! Feel the knowledge! Become the lessons. When you're ready, come to me, and we'll put your new understanding to the test. Remember, every second spent here longer than needs to be, puts us at threat of Dietha, so time is of the essence!”

With a nod, Usasha led me towards the swirling energy.

I felt a pull towards the vortex, as though I was a part of it all along.
It was like I gazed into my own soul.

My true training was about to begin, and with it, my ability to save this world.

—

“Do you think he can do it, Usasha?”

“I know he can Silus, he's our only hope, he's all we have left…”

“For both our sakes, I hope you're right.”