Vac sat in between Bellerophon and Morta on top of Pegasus, silently observing the chatty man before him. He had to admit, Bellerophon sparked a certain jealousy in him. The man reminded him of heroes of ages past, with his powerful mythical beast, handsome looks, well built body, and affable personality.
The closest thing to a flaw Vac had noticed was the way the guy rambled on about what he'd been up to endlessly, but even that involved him helping out people.
Bellerophon then paused in the middle of his ramblings and asked, “So why exactly are you seeking out the Balancer? I've met her and she's… certainly an interesting individual, although she makes me uneasy in some ways. That isn't to say she isn't nice of course. But she's not exactly someone people tend to seek out.”
Vac shrugged, a meaningless gesture given that Bellerophon couldn't see him, and answered, “I got a message from Ceres about it.”
He didn't bother with the details of it, simply because he was tired of conversing with the man.
Bellerophon nodded and stroked his non-existent goatee thoughtfully as he said, “I see. It must be a Cereous matter then.”
Vac groaned at the terrible pun, that was simply one among the many he'd heard already. Even his grandma, who somehow found it endearing, simply laughed awkwardly.
‘Alright, I guess he has two main flaws.’
Bellerophon turned his attention back down and said, “Oh, it looks like we're here.”
The man had very powerful eyesight, as Vac couldn't see anything with clarity from how high up they were, but as they began to descend it became clearer. It was the same place he'd seen with Medea, except much clearer since they were almost immediately above rather than at some distance away.
As they did so, Vac saw archers along the walls, who were beginning to notice them. Just then, Bellerophon took out a large flag of some sort and began to wave it towards those below. They then did the same, waving a flag that had a symbol of a flame torch with vines wrapped around the handle and surrounded by stone.
With that the archers allowed them to descend safely. They landed on the roof of one of the stacks of houses, since according to Bellerophon the roads here were far too narrow to be used by the Pegasus, simply because they were less roads and more like paths that a few people could walk along. This was a result of all the buildings being jam-packed close to each other, leaving only some space to walk. The specific landing spot they'd arrived at had the same symbol Vac had seen on the flag.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
And so they slowly climbed down. All the stacks of buildings had ladder-like structures along their sides, so it wasn't too difficult. As they descended, it got darker and murkier, until they finally reached the ground, which was damp, even though the air itself felt dry and thin in the narrow space. They began to walk along the narrow path until they reached the entrance of the building they'd landed on.
The guard there recognized Bellerophon on sight and let them pass. The building itself seemed strangely pleasant. It wasn't particularly well decorated, especially by the standards of what he'd seen at the palace, but it simply oozed coziness. It was lit up by torches along the walls, whose flames seemed to be just at the right level of heat.
It brought him back to the best days of his time on Aeolia, with him and grandma, back before he and Nero had drifted apart. Yet strangely enough it also brought about some memories of the time he'd spent with Medea, even as they seemed worlds apart. He shook his head and followed behind Bellerophon. He observed that his grandma was also lost in thought.
As they began to close in on the door they were walking towards, they could hear a sweet and melodic voice singing a song.
“Hark my words, wee little lads,
And listen to my tale chants.
'Twas a joyous spring,
when a boundless young thing,
was taken far abroad and away.
Even to those near her that day,
the pure tree spirits grown,
her location was unknown.
The Earth mother shook and wailed,
yelling that the poor dryads failed.
The Earth shook as she swore an oath,
She'd be returned or face her loathe.”
Vac shook his head as he realized they'd simply been standing there motionless. The song hadn't rhymed particularly well, and while the singer was skilled, it didn't seem like reason enough to get sucked into it. There was something about the voice itself that had pulled him in. He nudged Bellerophon in the back who stirred and began to walk again. Just as the man put a hand on the door handle, the singer inside said, “Kids, it seems like I have some guests. Would you mind leaving for a moment?”
He could hear a disjointed chorus of voices as the door suddenly burst open and a herd of kids burst out, nearly knocking into them. They quickly gave way, and then entered the room.
Right as Vac entered, he saw the woman, the singer he'd heard earlier. She was gorgeous in an ethereal way. She had red eyes that seemed to shine and twinkle like the stars, wore a simple black dress with designs woven on it in a flame-red color. There was this air about her that unnerved him.
Just then, she looked Vac in the eyes, and his world burned away, as he unconsciously closed his eyes. When he opened them he found himself in a world of flames, fires burning all around him. Before him there was the same woman he'd seen, standing calmly within the flames. No, she was its very source. The flames weren't particularly hot, just like the torches he'd seen earlier, but as the woman tilted her head it began to get hotter and hotter, making him sweat profusely.
Before he could say a word, she smiled and said, “How curious.”
With that, she simply snapped her fingers and the world fell apart once more. Vac stumbled back, falling down, sweat still pouring from his skin. The woman sitting casually on a simple wooden chair smiled and said, “Well met, Vacuus Venti. As you may have surmised, I am Vesta, goddess of the flame, and the one you seek.”