"Why is the ark only responding to Ember?" I muttered, still puzzled by the enigmatic vessel. Suddenly, something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Pushing aside a tangle of verdant vines, I revealed an intricate, feather-patterned inscription etched into the ancient, weathered walls.
The words glowed with a faint, mystical luminescence:
"Emberlyn, the Striped Owled Archangel."
The revelation was both surprising and enlightening. Emberlyn's deep-rooted connection to the ark suggested a profound ancestral link, one that now seemed to extend to the small, feathered companion at my side.
"Ember," I breathed, awestruck, "it appears this ark once belonged to the Divine Owl's archangel, Emberlyn. Given your unique bond with it, you must be descended from her lineage. This ship...it's rightfully yours."
Ember's eyes widened in wonder and disbelief as she gazed up at me. "What does this mean?" She looked down at her own feathers, jolting slightly as Alden reached out and gently lifted her onto the ark's platform.
"It means," Alden said, his voice tinged with a newfound reverence, "that you are the captain of this vessel." As he set Ember down, the ark began to hum with energy, rising slowly off the ground as if responding to her presence.
Ember surveyed Alden with a resolute gaze. "Well, then, you're off the team."
Alden's eyes flew open in shock, and I stepped forward, baffled. "Ember, what are you saying?"
Ember turned to me, an uncharacteristic gravity in her expression. I could see the weight of her words, the necessity of loyalty, bearing down on her. I gave her a silent nod of understanding.
Turning back to Alden, Ember's eyes now glowed with the vibrant hues of the ark's crystalline lattices. "We don't have time for this," Alden scoffed, striding toward her.
Suddenly, the ship conjured up spiked pillars that resembled the ark’s crystals, guarding Ember.
Alden tensed, still confused about why Ember was bringing that up. "I was stressed out, Ember. Besides, Gaian kicked me back, so it's all well." He glanced at me, but I stood with my back turned, arms crossed. He realized that all was not well.
"Gaian saved you from a world of darkness," Ember continued, her voice firm. "He was the only one willing to stand by your side, even after you gave him that scar on his chest. We all saw those paintings of the Shadow Flock and Celestial Birds. This isn't just your legacy. Do you think we weren't scared too? Your leader tried to calm you down, and you punched him."
Alden's face fell as the weight of Ember's words sank in. The gravity of his actions, the betrayal of his trust, and the realization that his stress didn't excuse his behavior—everything hit him at once. Ember's eyes glowed brighter, the ship's energy resonating with her resolve, emphasizing her point.
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Alden opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat. He glanced around the ark's interior, taking in the glowing crystals, the intricate carvings, and the power that now seemed to radiate from Ember. His bravado had evaporated, leaving behind a man humbled by the magnitude of what they had discovered.
"I... I didn't realize," he stammered, the fight draining from his posture. "Ember, I'm sor-"
She raised a wing, silencing him. "Sorry doesn't undo what's been done. Gaian deserves your respect, and this ark deserves a leader who will protect it and its legacy." Ember's gaze hardened. "That leader is him, not you."
Alden's shoulders slumped as he finally accepted the gravity of the situation. The spikes retracted, and he stepped back, his eyes downcast. "I understand," he said quietly, the weight of his mistakes evident in his voice. Ember lowered her wing, “Apologize to him, not me.”
Alden turned to me, his expression sincere. “Gaian, I’m truly sorry. I lost control and let my fear dictate my actions. I hope you can forgive me.”
I walked up to him with a stern look on my face, he gulped and kept his head lowered. I pulled him into my arms and embraced him. “I said I’d be the light right?” I muttered and he cried into my shoulder without hugging back but I could feel he was genuinely sorry.
Holding him there for a moment, I could sense the weight of his mistakes bearing down on him. This was no longer the brash, cocky Alden I had known. In this vulnerable moment, I saw a young man humbled by the gravity of his actions, finally understanding the true cost of his outburst.
He turned to Ember, who smiled at him with a measured gaze. "And Ember, I'm sorry for doubting you. You are the rightful captain of this vessel. I will follow your lead. Now will you get us out of here captain? If I spend another moment in this chamber I might go back to darkness.” Alden chuckled and wiped his tears. Ember chuckled and breathed in and out, the vessel began floating to the water above us.
I sighed and shook my head with a chuckle at his remark.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over us. We looked up, our hearts sinking as a black figure hovered ominously above the ark. It raised its hand, and before we could react, the vessel exploded in a deafening burst of light and sound.
We were thrown to the ground, our ears ringing from the explosion, the world around us reduced to chaos and debris.
I coughed a few times, struggling to clear the dust from my lungs. Through the haze, I saw Alden crumpled against a nearby wall, and Ember lying motionless on the now nearly destroyed ark. Forcing myself to my feet, I winced as pain shot through my body. Suddenly, the shadowy figure appeared before me, and with a swift movement, it stomped on my foot. I let out a piercing scream as the searing pain coursed through me, but my wound quickly healed.
“You’re the Divine Owl’s vessel,” the figure sneered, its eyes gleaming with malevolence. Dark fire, more intense than anything I had ever seen, flared around its leg. The flames were far more sinister than the ones from Nokturnia. Without warning, it stomped on my leg again, and I screamed, clutching my arm as the dark fire spread through my body, igniting a burning agony that seemed to consume me from the inside out.
The shadow knelt down, gripping my chin with cold, unyielding fingers. “Stop crying,” he mocked. “I didn’t hit you that hard.” The fire extinguished, but the agony lingered, my eyes bloodshot from the pain as I struggled to catch my breath.
“Who are you?!” I shouted, my voice a mixture of anger and fear. In response, he seized my wrist and snapped it with a brutal twist. I screamed, desperately trying to heal it, but he ignited it with dark fire once more, and I cried out even louder, the pain unbearable.
“I am the vessel of Umbra, the Shadow Owl,” he said with a malevolent grin, his eyes glinting with sadistic pleasure. “The very same who killed the Divine Owl. You can call me Vex, and this,” he leaned closer, his voice dripping with menace, “is your execution.”
{Gaian, be aware! You might die!}