Rite of Ascension

I  meditated in silence by the cliff's side, pondering yet again on the essence of my soul. What I was, why I was. How many times had I done this before? I was not sure by that point.

“Who are you?” someone asked me, through a meek, pitched voice.

“I am no one,” I said.

“What is your purpose?”

“I have none.”

“What is it what drives you?”

“The joy of others, not my own.”

“Then under what right, are you your own?”

“Under the right,” I said, “that this is my choice.”

The blue bird flew away, fluttering to the hall of Sage Hanor, and pecking at his window.

Soon after that, Sage Hanor walked to the cliff's side, letting the Divine Scion rest on his shoulder.

“You are ready,” said Sage Hanor. “You have completed the Closing of the Path, and came out with your mind unscathed. Now we just need one final push.”

I stood up.

“I’m ready,” I said.

The old sage tapped the ground with his staff, letting the bell at its tip ring, and the bird on his shoulder fly. The Divine Scion flew around me as I clenched my fists and braced for what was to come. Leona helped Sybille step back, making some distance.

Sage Hanor was gathering mana into his staff, guided by the grace of the Scion.

“Let us see your resolve,” said the sage.

He filled the tip of his staff with energy, and blasted it towards me.

I remained still in place and let the energy split in half right in front of my face. I did not do anything. I remained still, not giving the sage’s magic a single flinch.

“Good,” said the Sage. “Elechmey!”

The bird fluttered its wings, then flew towards me, shining with a bright blue light. It dove right through my body, like a ghost. Right as it passed through me, a bolt of blue lightning struck from the heavens and down at me. The sheer force of the shockwave knocked me a step back, but did not tumble me.

“Bastion!” said Sybille.

“I am… fine…” I said.

Now this time, there was something different. There was a surge of energy somewhere in my body. I could feel it.

“Give it a try, Bastion,” said the sage.

The Divine Scion returned to the sage’s shoulder and stared at me.

I opened my fist and let my runes spark about with energy. When I closed it again, a burst of energy roared out from those same runes. Only, I controlled them. From every strand of electricity to every grain in my stone body.

“How does it feel?” asked the sage.

“It feels… fitting,” I said. “I have never felt this in one with my body. This connected. This aware. It is almost as if I am conscious of every little thing happening in me. Not even when I was human, could I feel anything like this.”

“Then, it worked,” said the sage. “You have unlocked your true power. The mana of this land, and the fate of this world, now they are yours to do as you see fit. Now, I ask you again. What will you do with this?”

“I will stop Siege,” I said. “I will stop the making of new ReConstructs. I will protect my home, and nothing more.”

Sage Hanor smiled with relief.

“That is good,” he said. “Well, I believe my job here is done… hmm?”

He tilted his head towards the horizon. He had seen something. A soul, most likely. When we turned around to see what caught his attention, we all came face-to-face with a familiar sight.

“Is that…” said Sybille.

“Siege!” shouted Leona.

The distinct trail of smoke belonging to Siege was marked on the sky. He was flying directly towards us.

“The lightning of the Scion must have caught his attention,” said Sybille.

“Prepare yourself, Bastion!” said Leona. “Sage Hanor! Get back to the monastery! Dammit, my halberd is in the shack!”

“You need not tell me twice,” said the Sage.

He hurried over towards the building but was cut short by a blast of fire exploding upon the building. Siege was flinging attacks from above, raining down towards us with a bombardment of fiery explosions.

He dove down.

In response, I charged the runes at my feet, and leapt to the sky, using the runes at my hands to bounce against the air. Essentially, I was jumping mid-air, going towards Siege.

“INTERESTING!” said Siege.

Our fists struck one another mid-air. We grappled and traded blows, kicking, hitting, smashing on our way down until we crashed towards the ground. As soon as we crash-landed, both of us hurried to our feet, making a distance away from each other to avoid a grapple.

“YOU HAVE IMPROVED,” said Siege. “BUT NOT ENOUGH!”

He charged both his hands with flames, and I braced myself for the attack.

“Sage Hanor!” said Leona. “Come on, let’s move!”

She helped the fallen sage to his feet, and went guiding him back to the safety of the monastery, going through the gaps of the sea of flames.

“BEGONE!” shouted Siege.

He unfurled his inferno at me, pouring a stream of red flames towards me.

“Bastion!” shouted Sybille.

She raised an energy shield to protect me from the attack. Siege’s stream split in half, and then, I pressed my shoulder against the barrier, pushing it forward towards Siege.

Sybille’s barrier shattered just before I cut the distance to Siege.

That, however, did not stop me.

I charged on, taking on the brunt of Siege’s flames against my stone body. I withstood the pain, as I did the damage, and cut the distance short.

“RESILIENT, ARE YOU?” said Siege.

I struck him across the face.

With my fists loaded with mana, I pummeled him time and time again. It took him some moments to break free from my flurry of attacks, and began defending, but he could not take any advantage over me. I gave him no momentum. No moment to try an overpower me.

“Bastion…” said Sybille. “You’ve got this, Bastion!”

“Holy shit…” went Leona. “He might just make it.”

Siege roared.

“IMPOSSIBLE!” he said. “IMPOSSIBLE!”

He propelled himself to the air with his thrusters.

As Siege was about to escape, I caught him by the ankle, then slammed him down with a wide arc into the ground. There, I stepped on his back, then grabbed both his fiery wings with my hands.

I clenched, and began cracking them apart. I was going to rip them off.

“I WILL NOT… LET YOU… DEFEAT ME!” said Siege.

Then, he cast a blast towards the side, and striking at the mountainside beside Sybille.

“Ah!” went Sybille.

The mountains of snow on the formation beside her fell down towards her with a mighty slew. Sybille retorted with fierce winds to scatter them, but with such overwhelming amounts, she was buried in snow in a matter of seconds.

“Sybille…!” I cried.

In that moment of distraction, Siege blasted at my face, escaped my grasp, and flew towards Leona and the Sage.

“Leona!” I shouted.

Siege knocked Leona aside with a single swipe of his arm and then seized Sage Hanor by the neck. The Divine Scion tried to fly away but was caught by a cage of energy emanating from Siege’s spare hand.

“Let them go!” I shouted.

Siege cackled.

“FOOL,” he said. “I DID NOT COME FOR YOU. I CAME FOR THE SHARD OF THE GODDESS. FINDING YOU WAS INCIDENTAL.”

Sage Hanor was choking for air.

“Let him go,” I said. “You gain nothing by killing an old man!”

“DO I?” said Siege.

Then, he charged his hand with fire energy, and blasted, blowing Sage Hanor’s entire body to a pile of ashes, and smoke.

“No way…” muttered Leona.

I stood with horror upon the sight.

“I DID GAIN SOMETHING,” said Siege. “PLEASURE.”

I glared at that murderer before me.

“You… you truly are irredeemable!” I shouted, then charged towards him.

Siege flew to the skies, taking the Divine Scion with him. Just as I was about to give chase…

“Bastion, wait!” said Leona.

She looked towards Sybille. She was still buried in the snow. For a moment, I considered leaving her there. Letting Siege leave with the Divine Scion… but no. Maybe I could chase him, but I could not leave Sybille stuck there either.

“Sybille!” I called out.

I helped dig at the snow, along with Leona’s help. We eventually found Sybille under the refuge of a crystal dome that she had conjured, one made with just enough size to not leave her crushed.

“Sybille!” I said.

I helped hold the snow to a still while Leona pulled Sybille out.

“Did you get him?” said Sybille.

As she got to safety, that was the first thing she asked.

The sight of our faces, however, was enough to give her the answer. She looked down to the ground with sadness.

“He… he got Sage Hanor, didn’t he?” she said.

“Yeah,” I said.

She bit her lip.

“And the Divine Scion?”

“That too.”

Sybille let out a cold, shuddered breath.

“We will need help,” she said.