Aftermath

The Scion spun his Halberd counter clockwise once. The halberd stopped glowing red and instead began to glow a dark blue. The mirrors around me made a high-pitched creak as they shifted into a shape that I could only describe as a deck of cards. The deck of mirrors arranged itself so that I was directly in between them. The mirrors then became inverse and the many Scions turned into a single Scion above me.

I looked up as the, now single, Scion dove down at me. However, before he could reach me he would first reach another mirror, every time he reached another mirror his descent would quicken. After hitting several of these mirrors the Scion had started to shift colors, blurring into blue and red streaks. Finally, as my eyes could no longer keep up with the Scion, a massive pressure struck my shoulder, and with it the Scion’s blue glowing halberd smashed through my body. As the halberd ripped through my body I watched it from my eye, time seemed to slow down and I noticed just how potent my newly activated regeneration was. For every inch of flesh that the halberd ripped through, like a zipper, an inch of flesh repaired itself. In essence the attack did absolutely no lasting damage to me.

The halberd ripped out of my body near my hip and slammed into the group, kicking up a plume of sparks as it made contact with the indomitable floor of the temple. I stepped backwards and the Scion did the same, jumping back into a mirror which had lifted up behind him. The Scion then jumped back out at me with his prior tactic, striking me multiple times from different angles, still doing no lasting damage. I looked around at my surroundings, the Scion had become somewhat sloppy, as parts of the temple were now fully visible past his white veil.

“The temple.”

I had an idea. This was the temple of space and time, Tiaria said that it had the ability to prevent the use of magic which manipulated space and time. This Scion of dimensions used that exact type of ability. One thing I had noticed in the temple was how organic it appeared, like the crystal temple was grown here, not manufactured. When I had spoken with the Archon it had said I had the power to manipulate life. Until now I had only been using that power on myself, what if I used it on the temple?

I closed my eyes, concentrating on the crystalline temple that surrounded me. The floors, the intricate hallways and passages. I reached out to them and tried to feel for magic, the same way that I had done with Tiaria so often. To my surprise I received a response, I was right, the temple was coursing with a powerful, but different, magic throughout it. I bent down, quickly slamming my hand onto the ground. I imagined the feeling of my own regeneration and pulsed that feeling throughout the entirety of the temple. The white ethereal curtains which held the Scion’s mirrors in the air ripped and shattered. The Scion was flung from his broken mirror and landed on the ground, looking around at his crumbling facade.

The temple was shaking and new parts of crystal bloomed from the walls, creating sharp hazards all along the temple interior. The Scion stood straight from his crouched position and looked at me, tilting his head slightly.

“Archon, I will admit you far outclass me in power, however, I still don’t understand, why are you fighting against me? Completing my ritual will only empower you further.”

I returned the Scion’s gaze, scratching my cheek.

“Re-forming is certainly something on my mind, but on the timescales of the celestial, does it hurt to take a lifetime to one’s self?”

I was still wrestling with the collision of my past life’s memories and the feelings of the piece of the Archon that were inside of me. I wanted nothing more than to hold Tiaria’s hand again, but there was also this newly awakened part of me that longed to rejoin the lost pieces of itself. Those two parts of myself had already come to a compromise, though. I will live a human lifetime with Tiaria, before journeying the cosmos to re-form. I looked back towards where Tiaria had been. She was now standing, sword in hand. She seemed confused, like she was trying to decide if I was an enemy now. Perhaps my wish would no longer be possible. I looked back to the temple wall, seeing my red glowing eyes in the reflection.

A cackling laugh slowly started from the Scion. I looked back in his direction. His face was in his hand, he continued laughing for a moment before going silent and then looking up at me.

“Fine.” He said before disappearing.

“I will just have to take the human’s reason from you, Lord Archon, for you to take over, right?” The voice was now coming from where Tiaria was standing, I looked back in Tiaria’s direction. The Scion had just raised his arm, readying his Halberd to strike down on Tiaria. He had teleported directly behind her, giving her not a second to defend herself. I raised my hand.

“Be gone.” I said. I focused my life magic on the Scion, but this time reversing the normal flow.

The Scion started to dry and wrinkle up, aging hundreds of years in mere seconds, before he breathed his last breath, and then scattered into dust. Tiaria moved to the side, looking down at the small puddle of ashes that remained where the Scion once was. Tiaria looked back towards me.

“I’m not your enemy.” I said, looking at Tiaria with a worried face.

Tiaria gave me a quick smile before her face became slightly twisted. She sheathed her sword.

“I know, but I need some time to think about this.” Tiaria sounded like she was holding back her voice.

“Me too.” I replied.

Obviously we both had a lot to think about. From Tiaria’s point of view I was now her arch-nemesis. A piece of the evil which had broken her world, killed her gods, and forced her into the position of giving her eternity to watching over the planet and the people that inhabited it. On top of all of this the person she had special feelings for, at least I think she did, turned out to be that enemy.

From my point of view this was all so confusing too. Not only was I killed and now onto my second life, but my very soul was cleaved and taken over by the Archon in order to re-form E’tu. As the adrenaline of the moment started to fade I felt a new emotion building up inside me, fear. This was honestly scary. I wanted nothing more than to comfort and be comforted by Tiaria, but now things had become complicated.

“Let’s meet up at the Tabernacle tomorrow. Come to the steps and wait for me there.” Tiaria said, she was holding a cold stare, but her voice was shaking. She was probably sharing the exact same feelings that I was.

“Okay, Tiaria.” I said, trying to keep my own poker face on.

Tiaria turned and started to walk away.

“I’ll never be your enemy, no matter the circumstance.” I tried to say these words with strength, but my voice was becoming weak.

Tiaria turned and gave me one last slight smile before continuing to walk away.