Chapter 112 - The Darkness of Red Eyes

Nathan Evenhart:

I was falling into an endless darkness, as my mind was gradually overtaken by a deep sleep in that abyss. Unknown scenes began flashing through my mind, until everything darkened, and the scenery changed.

In the darkness, two red eyes appeared.

My body was now in a different place. I was seated on a chair, and in front of me was a long table, and at the far end, there was a darkness with red eyes.

"You!" a voice exclaimed, as the eyes drew closer to me. "Where is it!? Where are those eyes!? For years, I’ve sent you to find them, and still, nothing!"

"We don’t know, my lord. We are being cautious not to alert others," a voice replied.

I turned, realizing that the red eyes weren’t talking to me but to something sitting in the seat near me. The figures were shrouded in darkness, their presences blurred and indistinct, like barely perceptible shadows. Several black figures were seated at that table as if waiting for a feast.

I felt an intense, almost palpable evil. For the first time, I was facing something that made my body sweat with apprehension, as if an invisible force was constantly suffocating me. It was an involuntary sensation, an overwhelming weight pressing on every fiber of my being. The very essence of evil seemed to permeate the atmosphere of that hall, making the air dense and suffocating.

"I’ve waited long enough! That woman, before she died, handed them to someone! She gave them to that damn redhead!" the voice snarled, breathing heavily.

The room fell into a long, tense silence.

"We’re being watched..." said a female voice. Her eyes, a penetrating pink, stared at me in the darkness.

The pair of red eyes looked around in all directions.

"Impossible!" it exclaimed, furious. "This place is impenetrable!"

"There is only one pair of eyes capable of seeing here..." murmured the voice with pink eyes.

Everything began to tremble, and reality started to shatter. A furious rage filled the air, and the red eyes glowed more intensely.

"I WILL FIND YOU, NEW BEARER!" roared the voice of the red eyes. Suddenly, two more pairs of red eyes appeared beside them. Other pairs of eyes emerged, one after the other, until I saw them and understood.

The five heads... are there five pairs of red eyes?

"The Hydra will find you," whispered the voice of the red eyes, as the reality around me distorted.

"Nothing escapes the Hydra’s gaze! Nothing escapes the Hydra’s gaze!" a chorus of voices echoed around, repeating like a dark chant as the evil grew, as if it were corrupting the very air around me.

The darkness enveloped me, and I was thrown away.

The scene changed.

In one of these scenes, I saw a raging storm. In the middle of a dark forest, a person was running in desperation. She ran until she reached a beach littered with debris. She looked around, searching for someone. In her haste, she stepped over a piece of the ship, trampling on the body of a soldier with a charred face.

It can’t be... the night I’m thinking of!

Following the darkness of that place, the person spotted a collapsed red bird next to a child with a bloodied head.

That’s me! It’s the night I nearly died in this world!

"You found me! Right here, you two found each other!" said the red-haired woman, looking at the two unconscious figures.

She approached the child and the small red bird.

"She used up all her mana to save you..." the person murmured, as she lifted the bloodied child into her arms.

"I'm here, and I will always be here to protect you," she said, touching the wound on the child’s head. "I dreamed of you when I was alone, long ago, during a storm in my cabin when I was your age. Since then, I’ve been searching for you, my beloved. But I beg your forgiveness, because at one point, I thought I’d never find you."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

The red-haired woman’s hand glowed over the boy’s wound, closing it. She held him in her arms, gently caressing his cheeks.

"I’ll stay with you tonight, don’t worry about the cold. Tonight, on this stormy night... we won’t be alone anymore."

Cylla!

I tried to call out to her, but everything went dark again. I fell back into that endless abyss, until two white lights approached me, and I awoke with a start.

"Cylla!" I shouted, standing up.

I stood up in a panic, stretching my arms in an attempt to reach her, but what I saw had already vanished. Looking around, I realized I was in a forest. Behind me, a tree glowed orange, particles dissipating into the air. I ran towards them, trying to grasp them, but the particles disappeared. My lonely friend was no longer with me; she had died.

"Sisika is dead... no, she was my Cylla. I need to see her! I need to see all of them."

Cylla... I don’t want to leave you.

I started running through the forest, crashing into trees and almost tripping over branches. I ran with overwhelming desperation, wanting to see everyone I loved. After everything, after seeing Sisika die, I ran as tears streamed down my face. I cried for being an idiot, I cried for being insensitive. I cried as I realized that she was in her final moments, and all she wanted was someone to talk to, so she wouldn’t feel alone.

Every question she asked me now made sense; she was afraid of ceasing to exist. I felt like the worst person in the world for ignoring her that day when she revealed she knew my secret. She just wanted someone to talk to, someone to make her feel less lonely as she faced death. Her questions, directed at me, reflected her doubts and regrets. She asked me about the little changes in a person, spoke about the burden of living with the past, and feared disappearing, ceasing to exist. When she said that people are memories, I finally understood her fear. Sisika was facing a deep dilemma, fearing that her memories would be erased, and with them, her existence.

In those last days, I never saw her complain or show her worries. She took care of me with affection, always concerned for my well-being.

She didn’t die! Cylla is still alive, she’s still back home!

The more I thought about it, the more I felt a lump in my throat and my heart race. The fear of losing someone I loved tightened in my chest.

"I need to go back to everyone..." I murmured as I ran.

I tried to use my magic, but I still couldn’t. I could feel a flow of mana circulating through my body, but somehow, the mana felt different.

I kept walking, recalling all the moments I spent with Sisika, and I saw that the signs that she was Cylla had always been there, but I hadn’t noticed. All of Cylla’s quirks were in Sisika. She had the same teasing shrug, the crushing embrace, the gentle, comforting warmth.

She had the same mannerisms as the phoenix who had been with me for the past six years, who always bothered me with her crushing hugs and took care of me whenever I got hurt.

"Don’t worry, Sisika. I’ll never abandon Cylla, and you will never be alone again."

I kept walking, trying to recall everything I had seen and the information that had been passed on to me.

"What were those figures in the darkness?" I asked myself, trying to remember the silhouettes I saw.

As I walked, I began piecing together the information Sifu had given me and Sisika’s words.

"Sifu said that the existence of a Phoenix Master is something very ancient... but what exactly is a Phoenix Master?"

I mentally replayed Sisika’s words.

"Beloved...? Is that what a Phoenix Master is? Sifu mentioned that they’ve earned the true friendship of a phoenix... could that be it?"

I needed answers, and more than ever, I needed to get stronger.

I’ll have to master these eyes and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands... and that includes humans.

I can’t allow anyone to discover the existence of these eyes until I’m ready. If someone from the kingdom finds out, I won’t have enough power to protect myself. If the royal family or anyone else powerful learns the truth about these eyes, I’ll be in danger. I have to grow stronger to protect myself and those I love. If they already desire the Special Eyes so much... imagine what they’d do if they knew about the Celestial Eyes. They won’t rest until they take them from me.

The human kingdom, the elven kingdom, the demi-human kingdom... all three will become my enemies because of these eyes. The royal family of this kingdom is obsessed with control, and they will see me as an enemy if they learn what these eyes are capable of. Even if they can’t transfer the eyes, they won’t allow me to keep them.

"If they discover the Celestial Eyes, I’ll become the enemy of this entire continent and never know peace again..." I murmured.

"It’s not just the eyes, but Cylla as well. If they learn the truth about her, we’ll both be in danger."

I clenched my fists, feeling the tension build.

"If they touch her or my family... I won’t wait to lose someone again before becoming a destroyer of empires... for their sake, they’d better not want to witness the wrath of an ancient god."

I sighed, letting my old rage dissipate.

"It’s okay... the past of that hatred is gone... I can’t let fury guide me again. I haven’t lost anyone yet; they’re all still here with me, within reach."

I tried to calm myself, but just thinking about losing those I loved made my heart tighten.

I kept running, trying to leave the fury behind. I didn’t want to be the avenger anymore, because that would mean I had already failed, that I had already lost someone.

As I walked through the forest, a strange yet familiar sensation brought me back.

"What is that?"

I raised my hands, but I didn’t feel any magic circulating within me. There was only a drop of mana, so little that it barely produced a spark.

My body felt a heavy pressure, as if I were being watched. I looked around, searching for the source of that suffocating feeling, but there was no one.

I quickened my pace, feeling defenseless, fearing that this sensation was coming from the worst possible creature for someone in my state. The feeling intensified, as if a thousand eyes were watching me everywhere I went, until I finally found what was causing the discomfort in the air.

"Hello... kitties..." I whispered, realizing the imminent danger. Surrounding me in silent shadows were the most violent animals to ever exist: an army of Moon Panthers.