Seeing the shocked look on Avril, Oscar heartily laughed while patting his chest, his anima prancing around with the undulations of grade-six powers. Her shock was understandable, according to the common knowledge that all Exolsias were set and fixed from their awakening. Not even the Divine Essence held the miracle of upgrading his grade-four Exolsia core.
However, no one ever tried to use the Pools of Ascension. Oscar nodded to Erden; he owed this chance to their Blood Transmutation. Few humans ever entered Blood Transmutation, and none ever entered the pools, only allowed for beasts. To be the first in history to upgrade their core in such a manner and to be the first human to enter the pools made Oscar feel a little lost. He never imagined his life would turn out this way. Through all the twists and turns, his life somehow ended up in such a wild place, surpassing the common sense of Talos.
"She feels happy for Oscar, but she looks at herself, wondering if there's any use for her anymore." Avril laughed nervously, tilting her head down with worried eyes.
Oscar sighed and flicked her forehead, a slight caring smile lifting from his lips. "Why do you always put yourself down? Have I ever said you were useless? No. We're equal partners, aren't we? That's how it's always been. Besides. If you do feel left behind, train harder."
"...." Avril rubbed her red forehead. She didn't say anything, but her expression said enough. No doubt she would ask him for a spar later to train.
Glad to her mood uplifted, Oscar turned to Hons and Almos and bowed.
"I thank the King Exalts for allowing a human like me to enter the Pools of Ascension," Oscar said in a humble, respectful voice, losing his earlier teasing and intimate tone with Avril.
"A whole week you were in the waters. I even tried to pull you out, only to get hurt again." Hons massaged his large palm, his deep black eyes piercing into Oscar. "There is no more doubt in my mind. The Ancients ferried you to the Lands of Zeret for a purpose."
"Right. It can't be just to make a human and beast stronger. Many times the Ancients may do things in strange ways. Right. Often an expectation is set, so what are they expecting from you?" Almos breathed out twinkling motes of light like stars. He fell silent, clearly waiting for Oscar's response.
Gazing at the waters, which Metures said were the tears of Esteres, Oscar opened his mouth, ready to speak, when a strange feeling descended on him. The others, Avril, Erden, and the two King Exalts, all suddenly staggered and slumped, sweat beading down their faces.
Oscar strained his thoughts and tried to make heads or tails out of this presence. Although it permeated all over him, he could not grasp it, like trying to grab mist with bare hands. He couldn't even say it was like staring into the jaws of death. This presence was too alien, too inconceivable that any attempts to understand it dissipated in his mind, and any attempts to put a word on it failed to escape his mouth. Nothing but a deep discomfort embedded itself in every fiber of his being, like something was out of place, an earworm that never left, a pit in his heart. Dizzy and feeling uncomfortable to the marrow of his bone, Oscar nearly lost control of his flight, dropping several feet.
"Great Primaere! We are honored and humbled by your coming. May your reign be prosperous, and we all share in the fruits of your labor." Hons knelt deeply in the air, lowering his head fully. Almos also did the same.
'Hurry and bow like we are. Forget the feeling for the moment. Thinking about the Great Primaere in this state will only destroy your mind.' Hon's voice transmitted to Oscar, and he dropped to his knees and bowed along with Avril and Erden. Off to the side, he caught a glimpse of Ness's large winged figure in a bow.
"Young Ness has informed me of what transpired here in this vital place. A human entering the Pools of Ascension meant for beasts is a betrayal to our kind." A man? A woman? A child? An elderly person? Oscar couldn't make out the true voice of the Primaere, his mind only burning from attempting to weave through the chorus of voices. A cold chill sank his heart from the Primaere's words. From the Ancient to this one, he saw no way out, like an ant about to be stepped on, his fate riding on someone else's decision.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"But…it is a different matter if it's the will of the Ancients. There was no lie in Ness's words when she told me of your wild story, humans. However, I prefer to hear from your own tongues. I shall be the judge of your lives here and now." The voices trailed on into a low whisper. Oscar felt his body being constricted, held in place by an intangible power. His vision blurred as the world sped, flashing across his pupils. The only thing he knew for sure was that Avril and Erden were also being dragged along with him. A nonfactor to a powerful entity to a Primaere, but comforting to know he wouldn't be facing this overwhelming figure alone.
Oscar conducted a breathing exercise to stay calm, discarding all thoughts of the Primaere from his mind. Every second it hung in his head was pure agony of discomfort, like trying to remember a distant memory to no avail. Freed from it, his head felt lighter. Oscar knew that the Primaere wouldn't find any lies in his words, Hons, Almos, and even Ness having confirmed the truth themselves. His fears came from how the Primaere might react if he told them everything. 'Would I be forced to live here? I can't let that happen. I need to get home.'
Not even an hour later, they arrived at the great tree, the winds rushing through Oscar's ears and eyes as the invisible power flung him straight down to the platform growing from the tip of the tree. He wanted to fly up to avoid the crash, but the speed of the drop was too great, not even allowing him to spread his arms wide.
He widened his eyes, clenched his teeth, and willed all his Ein to his head to protect himself. Right before the tip of his nose touched the platform of branches and blue leaves, his body halted as if the meteoric drop was a lie. His body became free, and he fell with a loud thud, a mercy compared to how harsh the original fall would have been.
"Is everyone alright?" Oscar cracked his neck, leaped to his feet, and glanced at Avril and Erden, who had dropped at the same time as him.
"Why is it always the forehead?" Avril complained, rubbing her red forehead again.
"Thankfully, my antlers stopped everything." Erden stretched, his antlers creaking and groaning on his head, back, and legs.
"A man, a woman, and a beast find themselves in the Lands of Zeret where only beasts roam freely. Quite an amusing trio. Something this unexpected and interesting hasn't happened in…how long has it been? Two thousand years?" The voices returned, echoing from all directions. Oscar glanced around, unable to see anyone, the ends of his hair standing. Two thousand years? The Primaere mentioned it so casually, like it wasn't a big deal, but that was four times the lifespan of a King Exalt. Oscar felt his head hurt from the gravity of those words.
"Compared to me, your lives are so small. Merely forty, thirty-five, and thirty years old. Little children of humanity and our beastkin. To ease this conversation and for being interesting, I shall bestow upon you an opportunity to see my form." The voices halted after the last word. A place in the air distorted and ruptured into chaotic streams of spatial distortion. Oscar narrowed his eyes to keep them open from the fierce gusts, peering into the cracks.
A large divide formed, and a figure flew out, its wings blazing through the air and burning with flames of all colors. Its wings spanned from mountain to mountain, its entire body was set aflame with the rainbow of colors, burning fiercely and longer from the beak down to its spine and tail, and two large talons, with skin like strange magma flowing on its surface, seemed capable of gripping the entire trunk of this great tree.
No one would ever believe him back home. He had seen many beasts, some mythical and some not, through his life. But rarely did a person ever see this one, the beast that Isabella's anima was based on.
The grand and regal phoenix soared above.
"Maybe a human form would wipe the looks of awe on your faces and allow you to speak without your jaws wide open." The phoenix's melodious voice, her true voice, came from her beak. She flew high into the air and swooped straight down, her flames burning a trail behind her.
She landed into a wave of flames. Oscar flinched as the flames reached him, but he felt no pain. Instead, his body never felt better, the flames refreshing and rejuvenating through his veins.
Out of the flames, a woman stepped out, her face the picture of grace and motherhood, a caring smile with nicely rounded eyes containing a natural lull of gentleness. Both her pupils and long braided hair shone with rainbow colors. Her dress fluttered around, the colors swirling around the fabric like sunlight in shallow waters.
"Oscar Terr. Avril. Erden. I am the Phoenix Primaere of the Wildernia, Solara. Tell me about the Ancients and what happened in the Pools of Ascension." Solara smiled faintly.
Oscar exhaled and decided to do something he thought was idiotic and foolish. He questioned her instead. "May I know what will happen to us afterward?"