1191 An Empyrean Pursuit
The damp forest floor, a patchwork of fallen leaves and moss, was all Oriole could see as he huddled beside Caleb. His makeshift runes flickered weakly, a feeble attempt at shielding them from the relentless psychic storm.
Beside him, the Knight of Courage stood sentinel, the blue glow of her armor a beacon in the gloom. Her focus seemed to waver, the unfamiliar landscape of this world tugging at her senses. Oriole could guess at the questions swirling in her mind – how had they reached a place devoid of the familiar hum of Alka's energies?
"How was the other timeline?" asked Oriole, slicing the silence in half. As his words settled, the Knight of Courage seemed to resurface from the fog of her thoughts. She was different – he could tell.
"I lived my entire life in Alka, but the moment I awakened the memories, I felt like I was in the wrong story. It felt hard at first, feeling like an intruder to a story not mine, but then I found your artifacts, promising me of the familiar companionship."
"I never thought that people would find them, feeling like a fisher throwing baits without catching anything."
"You became more than just a fisher because many people remembered the alternate timeline, including me," said the Knight with a smile. "I became the fuel for your spark, Oriole. I set the world ablaze just to see it burn into the familiar life I lived with you guys."
"How could you be so certain that we weren't just an illusion?"
"I was never certain, even as I sit here and talk to you. I have to see him first, the man who earned my deepest respect, the Seika of Living Beings. And I want to beat him up for leaving me behind."
Oriole stared with a blank face; the words stuck in his throat. After thinking for a bit, he muttered a question.
"How did you reach this timeline? I never heard of someone crossing both time and space back to our world," said Oriole with confusion.
"Another supporter helped with that," said the knight with a grin. "Do you remember Saint Ai? She is already in this world, crossing before I did. She managed to find away to make it through the temporal fissures unharmed, and she shared their secrets."
"…what secret?" asked Oriole as he edged closer, eager. The knight was about to tell him…
But their conversation stalled as a sudden tremor shook the earth. Caleb's limp form writhed, eyes no longer the familiar blue, but shining with malevolent violet light. A gasp escaped him, followed by a voice that chilled Oriole to the bone.
"Cease this futile struggle. You tamper with forces beyond your comprehension, insect. The blood of Yalen shall not be tainted by your rebellion."
The air thrummed with oppressive energy, the empyrean's voice a tangible weight settling on them all. Unlike his initial encounter with Caleb's visions, this wasn't prophecy – this was a direct, horrifying threat.
The Knight of Courage tensed. "What is this?" she demanded, her usually steady voice tinged with uncertainty.
It was Oriole, who realized the full scope of their danger. "A powerful enemy and the prince's grandfather, the Empyrean Seer…" he choked out the words. "He's found us. He's…using Caleb."
Even the valiant Knight seemed momentarily staggered by this revelation. For someone to use another as a conduit meant great gaps in power, not to mention that his mere voice could shake the entire cave.
"You dare harm the vessel I have chosen?" the empyrean asked softly, the cold rage in his voice amplifying Caleb's convulsions. "I will shatter what remains of your pathetic rebellion, and then, I'll hunt down your precious Agard."
"You think that's possible?" asked Oriole with a forced smile, stripping away any fear from his voice before challenging him further. "I don't just plan to save the Agard, but to make sure your head rolls!"
The entire cave began to shake as violet light exploded from Caleb, pushing them back. Mana surged from the unconscious prince as a giant rune appeared on his forehead, a testimony of the empyrean's control over the entire Yalen Bloodline.
"We can't stay here," the Knight shouted over the din. "We have to move!"
Oriole's heart hammered in desperation. Moving meant exposure, and with the empyrean's immense power, there was nowhere to hide on this unfamiliar land. But the thought of letting Caleb slip from his grasp was impossible to accept.
He had to act. "The masked woman…she's gone. This empyrean, it's our only threat now," Oriole said. "We need to reach Arthur, but there is no way to contact him in this barren land…"
Hope flickered in the Knight's eyes. Even in this dire situation, she remained a beacon of determination. "I have an idea," she said simply, the confidence in her voice a lifeline in the encroaching darkness.
A chilling cry pierced the night, a sound neither bird nor beast. The Ancestor had pinpointed their location. There was no time left.
Grabbing Caleb with his telekinesis, Oriole raced through the forest, the Knight a relentless shadow at his side. The Ancestor's power crackled in the air, a relentless pursuit they couldn't outrun.
His mind raced. Arthur was more than just a friend, he was hope incarnate, the one capable of challenging this entire world. If there was someone who could make use of this situation that he found himself in, it would be him.
Oriole's dagger flashed, not for combat, but in a desperate, defiant act. Plunging it into Caleb's chest, he felt a sickening surge of power coursing through him. Caleb screamed, a sound cut short as the violet glow in his eyes sputtered and died.
"You killed him?" the Knight of Courage asked, her voice laced with shock. She hadn't expected such a ruthless move from the gentle Oriole.
"I severed his connection to this dimension, nothing more," Oriole replied, his fingers fumbling for Caleb's pulse. "He is not dead, but he will no longer give our location away. We have to find a way to Arthur."
The relief in the Knight's eyes was fleeting, replaced by a determined glint. "Perhaps we shouldn't seek him here," she said. "We could go a roundabout route, evade the Empyrean, find a safe space –"
Oriole cut her off, a chilling certainty in his voice. "There's nowhere to hide in this world. Our enemy is too powerful, his reach absolute. Even if we buried ourselves underground, he would find us."
The Knight paused, her usual decisiveness faltering momentarily. Then a grin bloomed on her face, an unwavering confidence contrasting the bleakness of their situation.
"Then let's use a different world," she declared.
Understanding sparked in Oriole's eyes. Of course! Alka! Fleeing into the world born of his very essence was a gamble, yet their only option against such terrifying odds. But a gnawing worry gnawed at him. "The fissure...the one you came through...we're too far from it. Can we..."
"Any fissure will do," she assured him. "It's the temporal aspect that's vital, the echoes of that first tear. Find one of yours, Oriole, and it will lead us back...though likely not to the exact moment we left."
Oriole nodded grimly. There was a fissure nearby, one he'd used to transport his creations to Alka. Every step towards it was a race against the unseen wrath of the Ancestor, the very ground beneath them trembling with his fury.
The forest crackled with the Empyrean's ominous power as they sprinted forward. Oriole could feel the oppressive weight of his gaze bearing down on them, a constant, terrifying reminder of their desperate flight.
Ahead, the familiar tear in reality shimmered, a swirling vortex of raw energy. He could hear the Empyrean's frustrated roar echo through the trees, the sound of an ancient predator closing in on its prey.
"Hurry!" the Knight urged, her powerful voice slicing through the oppressive fear.
As they neared the fissure, the sky itself exploded in an ominous violet glow. The Empyrean was channeling his power in a desperate attempt to halt their escape, even risking damage to his own territory. The earth rumbled ominously, trees toppling with impossible force.
Oriole's gaze hardened. "We have to keep moving. This is our only chance!"
He surged forward, telekinetically dragging Caleb as the Knight covered their retreat. The fissure loomed closer, its unstable energy a beacon of precarious hope. Sweat stung his eyes, and each breath felt like a battle against the suffocating pressure of the enraged Empyrean.
The Knight of Courage deflected a blast of violet energy with her sword, the impact staggering even her considerable strength. "He's pushing himself to the limit!" she gasped.
With a final burst, Oriole reached the fissure, dragging Caleb through its chaotic heart. The Knight of Courage was an instant behind, her armor gleaming as she turned, defiantly facing the pursuing onslaught of power.
"Go!" she shouted, "Don't look back!"
Oriole turned around with understanding, knowing the knight wanted to hold off the empyrean. However, he would not let her sacrifice herself. As the violet mana rushed toward them, he used his telekinesis to pull the knight before space wrapped around them, transporting them into a different world.
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