SYSTEM ASCENSION

This place has always been untouched by the outside world. It was a place seen as sacred.

The tomb.

A gigantic cave, so tall the top has to be seen with squinted brows. Inside it was filled with lit candles. Hundreds and thousands of it, stabbed into the rocks. Old melted wax covered the surface for most part, while more are lit right on it.

Elias sat right at the very middle. He was surrounded by candles flickering blue flames and reflecting his dark eyes.

He hasn’t moved an inch. Not for the past seven hours that he had been sitting.

Quil had stopped by the edge of the cave. Instead of advancing with Elias, he sat by the edge and just watched.

Its silence stretched comfortably.

This gave Quil time to ponder on the questions he had about everything happening here. Many things seem unexplainable, yet fascinating.

”Ask your question.” Elias spoke.

Their distance was great, but the voice echoed repeatedly till Quil heard it.

”Is it okay for me to disturb you?” Quil’s voice echoed back.

”Nothing changes.” He replied. ”This...all this, is just a way to ease the mind. It has no use for the dead.”

”Who are you sitting here for?”

Elias inclined his head towards the candle he lit. ”I’m not sure. Eiisa...Rita...Atony...Gatta.... The ones whose names I don’t know? My mother? Roche? Yvonne? Zeal...”

”...”

”Their deaths are all connected to me.”

He turned his head.

”I killed them. They are dead. Sitting here is a waste of time.”

”So why are you doing it?”

”...like I said. Ease the mind.” He raised his hand and caught the flame before him. It shimmered slightly, revealing different colours before returning to a little flame.

”It’s alright. You can come in.”

Quil stood up and walked inside. He made sure to walk silently, till he got to Elias’s side, and sat down.

”This flame burned for an awfully long time.” Elias pointed.

”So I can guess that they weren’t lit by normal means?”

”They are lit, with the vitality of the dead person.”

”What?!”

”Their sealing stone.” Elias tapped his own. ”They are lit with the memories and experiences of the person.”

Quil looked up. Thousands of candles were still burning.

”Some of those were lit before I was born.”

He gulped down. ”This...”

His eyes returned to the candles Elias lit.

”Wait, your mother is not a Black-eyed, and neither was your teacher. How did you light it?”

”I didn’t light a candle for my mother.”

”Huh?”

”She’ll return.”

”... return?”

”As for Zeal,” he stretched his hand and brushed the fire. The little flame showed different colours, expanded, and bursted.

Quil’s eyes widened. They could see floating memories of someone carrying a child he instantly recognised to be Elias. Memories of someone training with Richard. Memories of a shared dinner. Memories of brainstorming a plan.

”Zeal had a sealing stone.” Elias spoke.

The flame materialized back into itself and continued to burn steadily.

”This one.” Elias tapped his own. ”It originally belonged to Zeal. Since it was made with Zeal’s energy, it cracked when it mixed with mine.”

Quil glanced at the crack on the dark stone.

”I thought sealing stones were found?”

”No. They’re made.”

Quil stared at it again. Never in his life has he imagined it to be made with vital energy. It has been portrayed as a rare artifact found in the ground or in some world.

”And the sealing stone, after they are used to lit the candle,” Elias continued. He raised his hand and pointed up.

Quil looked up. It was dense and foggy.

”It disperse and form the energy up there. That’s why it’s foggy.”

Quil stared up for a moment before he finally understood what Elias was talking about.

”The portal we came through is up there?! But how?”

”How? I’m not sure.” Elias shrugged. ”That is the edge of the portal that leads from salvador empire, but it won’t drop you in this cave, but in the sky.”

”Then how do we get back?”

”Another portal is under the palace. That’s the only exit to anywhere outside. Oh, except you want to climb the cave to the top. Be my guest.”

Quil chuckled.

”This keeps getting weirder and weirder.”

***

They had a few more conversations until they both fell asleep. By that time, it was midnight.

Two people walked into the cave.

”They really feel asleep here like you said.” Sienna muttered. ”The energy here is dense. I’m amazed that they were even able to spend more than an hour here.”

Richard narrowed his eyes. He approached both of them and stopped before them. Then, he stretched his hand.

”Wait, my Lord! It’s not advisable to—”

The air beneath them rippled and tore open. They dropped into the hole and it closed.

”...put children in your pocket dimension...” she chuckled softly. ”They might convulse.”

He didn’t reply. He just turned back the same way and began to exit the cave. She followed behind.

”My Lord.”

”Hmm?”

”When are you giving up the mark?”

He blinked slowly. ”Soon?”

”Oh. I see.”

”Prepare the ingredients. I need it in about a day or two.”

”That’s a fast trip to the north. Do you really need them that badly?” She tilted her head.

”Not you. Send someone else. Stay here and supervise our guests.”

”Yes, my Lord.”

He took the direction of his private wing while she followed.

The moon was out, shining big when they arrived. He walked into the room, approached the bed and stretched his hand. The air tore open again, releasing Elias and Quil on the bed.

They didn’t even flinch. Both were out cold.

”Absurd...” Richard turned around.

He exited the room and sat down on the ground before the table in the living room. The cigar was on the table.

He grabbed it and lit it.

Sienna sighed softly.

”My Lord. Aren’t you using this to dull your senses a little too much?” She leaned forward and snatched the cigar out of his hand. ”We don’t know when problems might arise, and we can’t have our king trying to differentiate left from right during a conflict.”

He leaned back against the wall. ”Does’nt matter. I’m getting immune to it.”

She flinched. ”What?”

”It’s not working. Not anymore.”

”But...” she looked at the cigar. ”It’s concentrated nyanl. If it doesn’t work, what will?”

”...”

When he didn’t reply, she glanced at him. He was looking out the window. She immediately stood up, walked to it and pulled the curtains shut.

”Stop staring.”

His attention returned.

She traced a candle and lit it. Then, she lit up several others until the room was bright enough to see.

She glanced at him, and gasped right after.

His eyes were bleeding.

”My Lord! How long did you stare in just a short time?”

She pulled out a carefully folded piece of cloth she had always kept inside her robe.

”If the nyanl can’t dull your senses, then take a trip out of black empire. It should help ”

She bent down beside him and wrapped it around his eyes.

”There.”

She smiled.

”If you transfer the mark, your heightened senses should reduce.”