Chapter 147.20: Fortnight 13: The Downsides to Determination

Arson spent days struggling internally with what was expected of him. Never before in his life had he been forced to set his goals aside, he knew that instinctually, and couldn’t help but wonder if he had been a spoiled child. Without his memories in place, he didn't know whether or not it was true, or just a suspicious and intrusive thought.

Stream and Arson had stopped going to the dueling grounds on Acu’s orders, and were instead entering distortions to cull the growing number of monsters the distortions spit free of the spacial rips that functioned as portals.

Arson couldn’t help but admit that he was truly enjoying himself. The love of battle was fully alive within his soul, and though his soul realm had undergone many changes since the last time Arson had entered his internal realm, Arson had no way to know just how grand those changes were, nor how they affected his power and progression.

Arson was working to develop his arsenal of arrow types, but the task was a large one. After a discussion with Acu, Arson began to believe that he should continue to train using the types of arrows he already had, as their versatility was already rather incredible from what Acu thought and had seen while watching him and Stream fight beside the council.

So Arson listened. With every excursion Stream and he made into the distortions that surrounded the City of Palaces, Arson tinkered with his various arrows.

Arson had to begrudgingly respect Acu’s tactics as Arson soon found himself attacking in ways that were engrained into the depths of his muscles. It wasn’t long into Arson's and Stream's culling of the Primes' offspring that Arson learned a movement skill that allowed his every step to be featherlight. A single step able to carry him dozens of yards, a mere arm's length off the ground.

Anastasia told Arson it must have been possible due to his ability to fly, but the young Cultivator forgot the potential reasoning almost instantly. Arson felt bad at the saddened face she often wore at his lost memories. A feeling of disappointment clear from what Arson could tell through their interactions.

What Anastasia didn’t know was how deeply this affected him. Every inside joke that fell flat, every moment of reminiscing that ended with him lost and confused, all only added to the fuel that stoked the flames within Arson’s soul.

While Stream was just glad to spend time with his first true friend, Arson wasn’t satisfied. Every time they entered the jungle, he hunted for more Ambrosia Apples in secret. Furthermore, his hunt for the City of Palaces Library had not ended; Arson searched every corner of the city while his friend and his father slept.

Arson unaware of how his body worked believed that the sleepless nights would catch up to him, only to be recharged by the light of day found in the various distortions they entered.

Days passed like this and Arson couldn’t help but grow more agitated at finding neither the apples, nor the library, until he got lucky.

He’d just left through a window of Acu’s home and hadn’t been out for very long before he realized he was being tracked. As he made his way through back alleys and empty streets normally filled by vendors throughout the day, he couldn’t help but notice the fluttering of wings. Shadows streaked across his vision like flickering candlelight, causing him to turn his head slightly to see what could be closing in on his position, already having a feeling he knew what it was. Or who.

…

Light had plotted every day since his lost to Stream and Arson. His family had treated him differently since that occasion too, and Light didn’t know how to feel.

He’d spent the majority of his life being seen as the celebrated young master of his family line. For that to change in a single spar... As he followed Arson through the streets, flying above the currently unpopulated corners of the city he’d grown up in, he felt the mark on his honor could be wiped away.

He glanced over his shoulder and received nods from his fellow elves. A group of six in formation behind him as they trailed Arson.

Light smiled, feeling a growing excitement at his thoughts of revenge finally coming true as he pulled his claymore free of the sheath on his back. His heart began to beat wildly at the flood of mana he pushed into his veins, and the group dove as one solid unit.

In that moment Light felt as if Arson glanced back, looking Light right in his eyes, but dismissed the absurdity, feeling as though no mere Cultivator could see him and his kin at their elevation.

Arson turned a corner, entering an alleyway. Light immediately pointed toward the opposing end of the buildings that enclosed the side street, causing half of the group behind him to veer off in an attempt to close the Cultivator in.

With another gesture, the other half of the group that flanked him dove toward the entrance of the alley, quickly landing at ground level to complete the pincer attack being formed.

Light himself landed on the roof to one side of the alley, and walked to the roof’s edge, expecting the cornered Arson to be on the verge of begging for his life. Light looked down into the alley to instead see all six of his kin looking around confused. One even managed to look up and find the even more bewildered Light staring down at them, before she yelled up to him.

“Where is he, isn’t this the way he came?”

Light nodded. A frown grew on his face and before he knew what was happening, the sound of flapping fabric touched his ears.

Light spun around to see the smiling Arson already amidst a spartan kick that landed directly in the center of his chest.

Light screamed as he hurdled backward. The kick forced him through the air so powerfully that Light’s wings were no help in his effort to right himself aerially.

His back smashed up against the wall of the building on the opposing side of the alleyway. Light bounced and was about to try and take flight, but a cage of bone unfolded in the space in front of him and before he knew what was happening, Light was pinned to the wall, dangling through the holes of the cage around him.

“Hey, Nightlight,” said Arson drawing back his bowstring, tilting the twin arrows that formed between his fingertips upward.

“As soon as I am free of this, I’m going to rip your teeth from your mouth and make jewelry out of them you bottom feeder!”

Arson blinked, nodding slowly. Light flailed against his cage as his kin tried to take flight, only for Arson to loose his arrows.

“No!”

Everything slowed for Light. The two large arrows flying to either side of him, before they both exploded. Twin halos of golden white light bloomed from the detonation points above the alleyway, causing his kin to be blown about before arrows rained down all around them.

“I’ll kill you, I swear by my ancestry, I will end you and everything you cherish!”

At the edge of the roof he was on, Arson crouched on his heels looking down on the carnage he'd caused below. Light continued to scream and curse until Arson looked up and stared him in the eyes.

“Hey, do you know where the library is?”

Light felt the blood drain from his face, wondering why he was being asked such a ridiculous question.

“Of course I do, you idiot, what kind o—“

“Where is it,” asked Arson cutting him off. Light squinted at Arson, wondering why the Cultivator would want to know such a thing, asking him as much, truly curious about Arson’s intentions for such a horrible and horrific place.

“What could you possibly want with such a cursed environment, are you so eager to die? Just let me free of this cage and I will grant your wish if that is the destination you have chosen!”

Arson took a deep breath that transitioned into an a heavy sigh. The arrow that came slicing into Light’s upper thigh, further pinning him to the building at his back was so fast he hadn’t even seen Arson use his bow in the slightest.

“Bloody demon spawn, I will—“

His other thigh was pinned in the next instant, and before Light could even think to let the curse he wanted to yell at Arson free, the arm holding his sword was pierced. He dropped his sword at the pain and felt himself almost lose consciousness at the growing pain in his pinned down limbs.

Arson pulled back his bowstring, a multitude of arrows forming between his fingers. He looked away momentarily, before his eyes once more fell upon Light. The young elf feeling as if death was but a single wrong word away from his grasp.

“Okay… let’s try this one more time…”

The arrowheads began to shine with golden white light. Tendrils of power formed and swirled about, dazzling Light’s eyes as Arson tried again, once more giving Light the feeling that his life was being balanced on a razor point edge.

“Hey Nightlight, do you know where the library is?”

…

Stream paced on Camilla’s balcony waiting for the young DragonKin woman to emerge. They’d been planning a date night for quite a while after Arson forced his hand, but if Stream was being honest with himself, he was grateful that his friend pushed him to confront Camilla.

Their date was all he could think about, until he’d seen Arson sneaking out of his home just before he left to meet Camilla. He wanted to give his full attention to—

“Bloody embers what is wrong now?”

Stream’s mind went blank as he took in Camilla. She’d emerged wearing the finest dress he’d ever seen in his life. The slim fitted gown either made more alluring by his fascination with Camilla, or Stream would have to acknowledge that his potential mate was a fantastic dresser.

“You look amazing,” mumbled Stream underneath his breath, absolutely stunned by the sight.

“I know I do,” said Camilla spinning in the deep blue dress, stopping only to bend and kiss Stream on the forehead.

“Now what’s wrong?”

Stream took a moment to try and remember what he’d been bothered by just a moment prior, completely forgetting anything that had agitated him.

“What?”

Camilla kissed him on the cheek.

“Tell me what is wrong, Stream. When I came out here you looked like you did the last time Acu made you fire arrows until your bowstring broke for training.”

Stream blinked wide eyed, only capable of thinking about how many times he’d been kissed in the last moment of his life.

“What?”

Camilla rolled her eyes and kissed his opposing cheek, slapping him across the face before the young mixed blood could repeat himself again.

“Sorry that last kiss was for me, but the slap was for you. Now tell me what’s bothering you, fool.”

Stream nodded, pressing a hand to his face, wondering if he tried his luck and repeated himself anyway if she’d continue to find new places to kiss him.

“Don’t you dare! I don’t trust myself and I want to make it off my balcony before I have my first kiss and change my mind about leaving. You're being adorable and I’m already weak for you, my little giant. Now… I asked you a question and I demand an answer.”

“Hmmm, how am I supposed to think straight after that?”

“Quit stalling,” said Camilla leaning in to kiss him on the lips, but before she could, two explosions could be heard nearby.

Both turned to see what was happening, having completely different reactions to the halos of light that bloomed in the sky off in the distance.

“Wow, that’s pretty, is there some sort of festival we are missing,” asked Camilla.

“Splash me by the Maiden’s oceans, what are you doing now, Arson?”

The young couple looked at each other, and as Camilla smiled, Stream frowned.

“So, darling, what’’s the plan?” said Camilla, turning back to grab something from just inside the door of her balcony. Stream groaned, knowing that his date night was going to be anything but normal, closing his eyes as he thought about he felt he truly should do next.

“Would you hate me if our date was a night of hunting down my only friend and making sure he isn’t about to do something dangerous?”

Stream felt Camilla’s lips press into his own and opened his eyes, smiling at the young DragonKin woman as she hefted both of her hand crossbows.

“Of course not, darling. Sounds like the best first date ever.”

…

Carter Omni walked through his sister’s lands. The Ancient pulled his power so tightly within the folds of his body that his presence was like that of a soft breeze, only noticed by those looking for it, which allowed him to walk through the grounds of the orphanage unnoticed.

He eventually strolled into an area that was more wilderness than small town construction, and slipped into a dimensional pocket that led into Almarine’s private office.

The space couldn’t normally be accessed this way, but his infiltration was something that his sister was used to.

“Hello sister, hello Nulla,” said Carter from underneath his cowled hood. Only his smile and his eyes visible underneath his cloak.

“What do you want, brother,” answered Almarine. The woman still staring at an image of her connections grid. Lines of power stretched across the realm, showing just how much control the Orphan mother had truly gathered.

“I seemed to have misplaced one of my toys and wondered if you may have done something with it”

Almarine glared over at him, pointing toward a blackhole in her power base.

“You too. Hmm... makes me believe that maybe the individual I’m looking for is more important than I at first believed them to be,” said Almarine.

“Could it be one of our descendants?”

Carter closed the distance to stand beside his sister as she mocked him annoyed.

“Be nice, Carter boy, she’s not in a good mood, and neither one of us want her to throw a tantrum, she’s been on the verge of exploding for days now,” said Nulla.

“How dare you take this wretched man’s side considering how he has treated me since our childhood!”

“Oh come now sister, I haven’t treated you that badly, have I?”

“Are you sparking serious Carter, you have taken pranks to a level of inconsideration unrivaled by even the gods that have sworn to see my end. Do you not remember that for nearly 10 eons that you let the Court of Godlings believe that you were my father, or that my son was your servant, or that—“

Carter raised a palm out toward his sister.

“Okay, okay, maybe I haven’t been the best, but it was all purely in jest Mari, you know that.”

“The pair went silent and watched the realm rotate before them. Both having much to say, but choosing not to. They'd always been this way, there to help without question, but never ready to heal each others scars without promise of payment or future favor.

“What is it Carter? I know that a simple toy can’t be all you were here for.”

Carter sighed and looked around the room. Ancient inventions that could cure famine, drought, and ailment of all kinds could be seen. Large structures floated through the air, and even strange beasts thought to be long extinct flew uncaged in the distance. His sister was capable of nearly anything, potentially even more than he himself was capable of accomplishing, yet he was afraid to ask for help, when it was normally he who was asked. A shift in perspective Carter was unaccustomed to.

Although the urgency of his current circumstance was that of such a realm shattering situation that he had no choice but to set his own feelings aside and ask.

“For the first time in our lives, my sister, I need your help in stopping a war before it starts…”

Almarine and Nulla looked at one another. Both knew that the man had almost become a god of war and warfare dozens of times throughout his long life, so were absolutely confused by the statement.

“What?” asked Nulla confused as Almarine asked a different question in her own bewilderment at what she had just heard.

“Why?”

Carter sighed and waved a hand to show a room full of people they were both connected to in various different ways. Light was conjured and twisted to show the interior of a lavishly decorated dining hall that Almarine felt was familiar. A table full of food was lined with powerful cultivators, demigods, and headed by a demon without rival beneath the heavens.

“Because if we don’t, we may lose everything we’ve built…”