The group was silent, weighed down by Gerhard's words, and all eyes were fixed on him as he gazed at the ground. A slight tremor ran through him as troubling memories began to surface. A voice, low, captured the attention of everyone around him.
"They..." He swallowed hard, still staring at the ground, and then began to speak. "They call it Divine Ascension." He composed himself, his voice sounding like a confession. "It was talked about throughout the ranks that it would be power granted to those who searched for it, who wanted it more, who were deemed worthy of it." Gerhard continued.
Oreon crossed his arms at the statement, slightly tilting his head. "Sounds like someone trying to become god."
Gerhard slowly nodded his head in agreement. "That's…That's exactly what it is. Or at least...Become as powerful as one." He said, his voice was shaking slightly. "They believe they can transcend mortality, become vessels of divine will…They believed that power has been bestowed upon humans to gain the advantage against the increasing gap in power between us and the rest of the beings living on this planet."
Sylvanie placed a hand on her hip. "Are you saying that they were summoning something? Something from the void?" She inquired, her voice expressing curiosity.
"No…Not summoning." Gerhard spoke. "Merging…." The word fell from his lips like a curse, heavy with revulsion and terror.
Mira could only nod her head slowly as Lena looked over at her mother. "Aye, what you said would confirm our suspicions." She turned her gaze towards the Elven sisters. "The Dark Elf Vexes, and the shapeshifting Elf you call Desirae…Both appeared to be more powerful now than they were when the Order attacked Vel'Andria." She sighed as she closed her eyes. "Even I couldn't recognize those eyes of his when he attacked the Tavern."
"That would explain the promise of power that Desirae kept speaking about." Celestia rested her hand on her chin, pondering. "She said the Order saw her worth, and if she fell for the Order's words. I'm sure other Elves have done the same." She gritted her teeth. "I wonder if father knew?" Celestia slowly bit her bottom lip.
"What do you mean, you wonder if he knew?" Sylvanie growled." Of course, that bastard knew. How could he not? He was already plotting with those bastards from the beginning, only to get what he deserved in the end."
"But if he did know…." A whisper escaped Celestia, and the pain from the earlier revelation resurfaced in her eyes. "Then was he only working with the Order so that he could gain the knowledge to do the same thing?" She lowered her gaze once again.
"Turn us into Void-touched elves?" Sylvanie questioned, slightly tilting her head before glancing away from her, scoffing at the idea. "Probably, he had already made plans on selling you off and killing me anyway, so who knows." She gritted her teeth at the thought. "I don't think turning a kingdom of elves into mindless void numbing husks is above him."
"Indeed..." Celestia's eyes drifted downwards, but then she felt Oreon's hand touch her shoulder unexpectedly.
"Hey, my dad's a piece of shit too, you're not the only one who should of had a better father figure." He smiled, assuring her.
Celestia couldn't do anything but look up at Oreon, a stunned expression on her face for a moment before she nodded her head. "It's still hard to believe," She spoke, regaining her composure. "We believed so many things as we grew up, only for the truth to come out, and that the Order attacking our kingdom was all planned."
"Not to mention being sold out by the ones that sat at your table," Sylvanie growled. "Those we considered family and friends, mentors who would train us. Those we would run to if we couldn't talk to anyone else. Now the question is, how many Elves had their hand in helping the Order snuff us out?" She balled her fist tightly.
Usha moved a little closer, her yellow eyes meeting the dark elf's, showing she understood. "Betrayal cuts deeper than any blade, especially since it can only come from those you cherish." She said quietly. "When those you trust become architects of your downfall…" She stated as if she couldn't finish her sentence due to her own grievances.
"The corruption ran deeper than we imagined," Mira spoke up, her expression becoming a bit more troubled. "When your mothers were alive, we all believed that the Order was dealing in forbidden magic, or something of the sort that would change the very landscape that we call home. "She continued as she closed her eyes for a moment. "We believed that the Order wasn't just using simple magic and had to gain it from an outside source. At first, we thought it was just forbidden magic, granting them power that shouldn't exist. A tainted holy light that symbolizes destruction. However, Oreon…When your father appeared as the purifier, we knew it had to be more."
"Then that would mean that he was probably one of the first ones to give himself to the void." Oreon's eyes focused. "That would explain why he was able to beat Alice and Mom." This time, his teeth clenched.
"Then there was that insane power he showed when he cut down our father," Sylvanie added. "It was looking at a devil in holy armor."
"And if the purifier is amongst the first to merge with the void…Then…The real question is." Celestia looked up at the group. "How long has this been going on?"
"And…." Lena spoke up, her body trembling slightly with fear. "And how many others are out there that have been touched by the void?"
The group turned to Aura and Mira. Aura just held their gaze for a moment and then sighed.
"You're not far off," Aura crossed her arms, her emerald gaze drifting upward to the blue sky above them. "Divine Ascension," Aura repeated, allowing the title to roll off her tongue. "Sounds silly when you think about it. A childish ritual consorting with beings beyond mortal comprehension." Her head lowered, eyes closing briefly. "But I guess, all mortals think that way."
"Dragonborn with their raw power and unbelievable strength. Elves with the ability to possess an innate understanding of magic, as well as extensive knowledge of the world's balance. Beastkin and their immense ability to understand nature, from the leaves on the trees to the dirt on the ground." She slowly uncrossed her arms. "In the end, we are all bound to look to something that stands above us all, gods, celestial beings, whatever the mind is to believe. However, those who don't understand their place in the world tend to try to rise to divinity themselves, even more so when it's under the guise of serving under something deemed holy, yet have little knowledge of what lies behind those decisions."
A sudden gust of wind blew around them. Aura's words hung in the air like a prophecy; each syllable was weighed with the wisdom of someone who had seen civilizations rise and fall.
"So, humans got jealous," Sylvanie spat, her voice dripping with disdain. "They couldn't stand being the weakest link in the chain, so they decided to cheat their way to the top." She grunted as she crossed her arms again and turned away. "Typical spineless meat sacks."
"Hey, I'm still human to, you know." Oreon pointed to himself. "Wait…Does that make me a meat sack?"
Sylvanie's crimson eyes flicked back to Oreon, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "You're a half-breed meat sack." She corrected. "That makes you slightly less pathetic."
"Gee, thanks," Oreon responded. "High praise from your majesty."
"Just reminding you of your place in the world, meat sack." Sylvanie bantered back, as Lena responded with a straight face.
"You know that there are four other humans here, too, right?" She pointed to herself, Mira, Gerhard, and Usha.
Sylvanie's smirk faltered for a moment as she glanced around the group, her crimson eyes settling on each human face. "Shit…" She cursed as she realized that she had just insulted half the people standing in their group.
"I…" Her usual confidence wavered, replaced by an awkward pause. "Well, you're all…different humans." She cleared her throat, her cheeks darkening slightly. "The useful kind."
"Oh," Oreon teased. "So, I'm useful now." He continued. "Just a second ago, I was a slightly pathetic meat sack."
Sylvanie's face flushed deeper, her usual composure giving way under the weight of her own contradictions. She opened her mouth to retort, then closed it, clearly struggling with how to dig herself out of the hole she'd created.
"I—Shut up!" She snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at Oreon. "You know what I meant, you insufferable half-breed!"
Celestia sighed, shaking her head. "Oreon, please focus and stop picking on my sister."
Sylvanie's arms gripped tighter, crossed over her stomach. "Celestia I can handle myself!" She exclaimed as she turned her head back to Oreon. "And I was making a perfectly reasonable distinction between—" She gestured wildly at the group. "—between the Order's fanatical meat sacks and the ones standing her who actually have functioning brains!"
"Uh huh," Oreon responded, knowing that she was playing into his hands. "Sure you were."
Sylvanie's face blushed in redder at Oreon's dismissive response. "Listen here you stupid human!"
"Now I'm stupid?" Oreon replied, rousing up Sylvanie even more. "Really proving your case there Sylvanie."
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT!" She screamed back at him.
Lena leaned in closer to Oreon, whispering loud enough for everyone to hear. "Is she always like this?" She questioned.
Oreon calmly nodded his head. "Since the day I met her." Again, he humorously shook his head.
"I can hear you, you know!" Sylvanie's head comically inflated when she shouted at the pair, prompting Celestia to let out a small giggle while attempting to conceal her mouth.
The rest of the group followed suit, the tension slowly melting away as the chuckles subsided.
"Well, now, at least we understand the hierarchy. We're useful meat sacks, everyone." Mira's usual smirk reappeared, accompanied by a softer tone of voice. "But the matter still stands…"
Aura's laughter died first, her expression hardening as reality reasserted itself. "How many indeed?" She sighed. "As entertaining as it is seeing our little shadow princess here blush from embarrassment, she does speak the truth. Humans were always last. The bottom of the food chain, when it came down to raw power, or an infinity for magic." She began to explain. "Based on what I know, 'Divine Ascension' isn't something new. It's something that Me, Leona, Queen Xalith, and countless others have faced for quite some time." She glanced over at Mira. "Even the Keepers have had their hands full with a few of them."
"Aye." Mira stepped forward, her aged hands clasped together behind her back. "The records we've managed to salvage suggest this corruption has been spreading for at least two decades," she said grimly. "But the true extent…." She shook her head. "We can only guess."
The look on Gerhard's face became grim, matching the tone of Mira's voice. "When I left the Order three years ago, there were talks of entire battalions undergoing 'purification rituals.' Hundreds of knights, maybe thousands." His hands trembled slightly. "If even half of them survived the process…"
Usha's yellow eyes flashed with concern. "A legion of crazed followers, touched by the void and considering themselves gods..." she muttered under her breath."That would explain the dark power that they used to purify my village." She continued to speak as the group turned their glances towards her.
"My home," She began speaking, her yellow eyes narrowing as she recalled the events that happened to her village. "My home was a small one." Usha's voice, heavy with the echo of past suffering, went on. "Tucked away in the northern mountains, far from the main trade routes. We kept to ourselves, lived simple lives." Her left hand rested gently against the hilt of her sword. "When the Order came, they didn't announce themselves with banners or declarations. They just…appeared one night like shadows under the full moon." She sighed. "Originally, I thought this was nothing but shadow magic that they learned, but even still…" She paused for a moment before continuing. "The raid was led by the paladin with the crimson blade, all of their armor black with Holy sigils." She brought her head up to meet the group. "As you can imagine, a small village with nothing but traders, craftsmen, and farmers, and a few trained in the way of the sword…Didn't stand a chance. They cut us down like it was nothing but a training excercise…" She turned her gaze towards Aura. "The few that escaped the Order's assault that night, along with myself, ended up here, thanks to Aura."
"The Crimson Oath," Aura called out, causing Oreon, Celestia, and Sylvanie to flinch a bit at the name as they remembered the night they escaped from the stronghold that Oreon freed them from. "One of the three Holy Paladins, serving under the purifier." She closed her eyes a bit. "The other two, Warhammer and the strongest of the three, Aureate, The golden winged knight."
"Paladins," Sylvanie gritted her teeth before calming down a bit. "Along with the purifier, they tore through Vel'Andria the same way they did your village." She looked over at Usha.
"But on a much grander scale," Celestia added. "Our army didn't stand a chance against them either. While the purifier slayed our father, the paladins decimated our knights and mages as if it were mere child's play," She recalled her own memories. "And it as you say, the soldiers…The black armor, the soleless eyesm holy sigils…No matter how many you killed, they would rise again…There was no end to them."
Sylvanie sucked her teeth, slightly turning her head away. "She's right, no matter how many heads I claimed…They just kept coming." She slightly balled her fist.
Suddenly, Oreon's eyes shot up at the sister's statements as a memory came to the forefront of his mind.
-Flashback-
"This little game of ours has gone on long enough," Alaric stated, looking at the two women in front of him. "The purification of the Elves will begin, and those who encounter them will be purified as well, but you…" He pointed his blade. "Will be purified for a different reason." He finished, a sharp snap of his fingers echoing through the air, and a larger army of soldiers materialized behind them.
'What the…What the hell is this?" Alice spoke, her golden eyes showing fear as she watched the soldiers stand behind Alaric. "How is there this many of them?" She questioned.
Leona quickly stood by her daughter, blade ready, as she watched on as well. "Alaric, what sorcery is this? You couldn't have summoned this army alone."
"Think of it as a gift from the Order," Alaric remarked as he calmly swiped his sword left, aiming towards the hiding spot Oreon was in.
"NO!" Alice screamed. "Oreon!"
A massive wave of corrupt magic clashed with the magic firewall that Alice created to protect Oreon as they battled, shattering it completely.
Alaric looked over at the bushes that Oreon was hiding in before slowly turning his head back towards the two women. "Bring him to me." He said, the rhythmic thud of boots on earth was a steady counterpoint to the soldiers' almost mechanical march toward the bushes.
"No! I won't let you!" Alice charged forward, attacking the large group.
"Alice, wait!" Leona reached out but was quickly forced to defend herself as Alaric appeared in front of her and swung his blade downward, causing Leona to block his attack, the sheer pain from the task causing her arms to shake. "What kind of…Power is this." She gritted her teeth.
While that was happening. Alice charged towards the bushes, the leaves brushing against her as she reached Oreon's hiding spot, where she stood ready to defend him. Flames shot out towards the Holy Order soldiers with a flick of her wrist, but the intensity felt diminished, the crackle and roar noticeably muted. Surrounded by a swirling red aura, matching the one Alaric possessed, they walked through her flames, unharmed.
"What the hell is happening here!" Alice exclaimed as she kept trying to burn her opposition to ground, but with no such luck.
As she tried to fight them off, the soldiers closed in, their heavy boots thudding on the ground, their faces grim. She kicked and punched, a flurry of desperate blows, but the blades still found their mark, slicing through her defenses. Despite her weakening body, her fierce will kept her fighting, the clash of steel ringing in his ears as he hid among the bushes, heartbroken as he saw his sister's strength wane until she kneeled before the opening, the ground stained with blood.
"Alice…." He whimpered as she caught his gaze with her own.
-End of Flashback-
"I've actually seen it happen…" Oreon whispered, gaining the attention of everyone around him. "I've…I've seen him do it." He spoke again.
The group's attention immediately shifted to Oreon, as his words had a profound effect.
"You…You witnessed a summoning?" Gerhard's face, showing signs of age, lost color, and his eyes opened wider.
"Oreon?" Celestia spoke softly, though a hint of worry colored her tone.
"What do you mean you actually saw it happen?" Sylvanie leaned forward, her eyes narrowing.
"The night your family was attacked." Aura's voice cut through as she looked over at Oreon. "You saw your father summon them, didn't you?" She asked him.
Lena could only clench her hands together as she stood beside him, her eyes lifting as well.
"An entire army—they just materialized out of nothing. Hundreds of them, maybe more…" His voice cracked. "Alice's flames…It didn't do a thing to them. Before she was burning through his forces without any trouble at all, but then when he summoned them…They…They just walked through her flames. Ignored all signs of pain, no emotion; just empty hollow shells." His hands shook, and he clenched his jaw. "They had a red aura that surrounded them…Like…It was like it was draining their power."
Mira's expression shifted into one of deep thought. "Hmm, that raises more questions than answers. However, it's all starting to make sense." She added. "The Void-touched shrouded in a red aura that appears to absorb magic from its attackers." She sighed. "What a real mess this is."
"That explains why the magic felt off during the attack on our home," Sylvanie said, a bitter understanding in her eyes. "Every spell we cast, every barrier we raised—it was eating it alive before it could even take hold."
"The light magic I tried to use against them…" The memory reflected in Celestia's blue eyes. "It felt like trying to illuminate an endless void. The harder I pushed, the more it consumed."
"The same thing happened at my village." Usha's growl reignited the anger from losing her home. "That explains why my blade felt so heavy during the raid. Every strike I landed felt like I was cutting through a swamp." The understanding of the situation settled as she finished her statement.
Gerhard began to think as everyone's statements began to swirl in his head. "Void corruption that feeds on magic?" His expression hardened. "No wonder the Order's been so successful in their assaults. An endless amount of soldiers, disrupting magic..."
"This changes everything we thought we knew about fighting them," Mira stated. "Traditional magical defenses would be worse than useless in this situation. Even a magical assault would be detrimental."
The weight of realization settles over the group like a suffocating shroud. Each revelation building upon the last, painting a picture of an enemy far more insidious than mere religious zealotry
"Then…"Aura spoke calmly as she raised her head upward, her emerald eyes looking at the sky again "If magic feeds them, then we're looking at something completely different. What the Order is doing…Is no longer under the guidelines of war…" She returned her eyes to Oreon, particularly that dragon shard that his fist clenched around. "This is now a parasitic plague, and if they get their hands on the shard and complete the draconic orb…We can kiss the world we live in goodbye."