Despair and Hope (7/10)
Freyya replies to Haalfrin's question calmly, "You know that I'm good friends with Yiirkavar. Just a few hours ago, the man showed up with these two Felkin Gods in his arms. He told me to take them over to you in a hurry. He said it was urgent."
"Did he say WHY?" Haalfrin asks.
"He only said that you needed some motivation," Freyya says while bobbing her arm up and down, shaking the two birds off her arm.
Stubbornly, the Black Phoenix wiggles its legs and scooches further up Freyya's arm, where she won't be able to shake it off so easily.
The White Phoenix, on the other hand, gets the message and obeys.
Obediently, Felkawyn stretches its wings out, flaps them 2 or 3 times, and it lifts into the air. In a graceful, gliding motion, the Elder God lands on Haalfrin's shoulders and speaks into his ear, "Don't worry. You still have plenty to fight for. You and your people can't give up yet."
"Why?" General Haalfrin asks. "I know that that Grey-feathered Phoenix was going to calm the Goddess down with her children once we spent Drakavar's wrath, but there's nothing left to save. We've lost."
Suddenly feeling angry, Haalfrin glares at the White bird and growls, "Where were you Elder Gods!? Weren't you all supposed to be all-powerful!? Were you going to wait for all my friends to perish before you step in and rule over a barren, ashy waste?"
Unperturbed by the Death god's temper, Felkawyn calmly replies, "No. In fact, you forget who I Am. I'm the God of Felwyn."
The Phoenix stands up and stretches all 7 of its wings as it proclaims, "Felwyn is Transformation. Evolution, Death, Birth, Rebirth, Resurrection, Restoration… these are all the most powerful forms of my Divine Aspect."
Felkawyn then nods its head over to the dead World Tree. "Once Drakavar either gives up on destroying everything or is defeated, I can restore the World Tree and Death Realm to how they once were. It will be as if the Demon of Destruction had never visited this place. Drakavar's destruction will be but a strange dream to the minds of the mortals."
General Haalfrin curls his fists. "If all you Elder Gods are so powerful, couldn't YOU have defeated Drakavar on your own?"
Felkawyn shakes its head, "Elder Gods like us are only Created with one strength – one purpose."
The Phoenix puts a wing over its heart and says, "I was Created to give Change and Evolution to the World – a force against Stagnation. As for actual combat abilities… I'm afraid even you could defeat me quite easily."
Felkawyn sighs and looks down. "Drakavar was Created to be unbeatable. She was supposed to protect all of us weaker, Elder Gods from being bullied. Mora even instilled a powerful instinct to protect her younger brothers and sisters. She was supposed to protect the Universe with her unbeatable strength."
Hearing the deep sadness in Felkawyn's voice, Haalfrin's anger cools, and he sighs tiredly. He slowly stands up and looks over at Freyya.
"Very well. Since Drakavar is no longer interested in chasing us, we'll have to take the fight to her."
Realizing that there's a good reason to continue the fight, Haalfrin looks over at the endless expanse of soldiers behind him. All of them are looking away from the rampaging Drakavar with unwillingness and dread in their eyes.
The General of the Dead then turns over to Felkwyn, who is still perched on his shoulder. He reaches his hand up and strokes the birds feathers, "You ready to tell them all what you've just told me?"
Felkawyn cocks its head to the side in confusion, "What?" It looks over the trillions of eyes trained on it, and it shudders in fear, "I-I'm not much of a p-people person."
General Haalfrin's fingers curl around the Phoenix's neck, and he holds it tightly in place. "Come on… They look pretty dispirited. They need a bit of motivating too."
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After Haalfrin walks off with the White Phoenix on his shoulder, Freyya steps back and sits down on a rock. She turns her head and looks at Felkavar, who's head is cocked to the side and staring at her with one eye.
Slowly, Freyya reaches a hand up and starts petting the Felkin's black feathers. The feathers themselves feel metallic and hard, yet they bend and rustle when she presses her fingers on them – a peculiar feeling.
"Felkavar…?" Freyya asks in a low voice, "If we win, and if Haalfrin dies… will the White Phoenix be able to bring him back as well? He CAN be resurrected, right?"
Without hesitation, Felkavar gives a short, but direct reply. "No."
When the Black Felkin spoke, Freyya had the illusion of a fire burning her mind up; it's almost the same feeling as when a Star Elemental speaks to you.
Freyya looks down and clenches her hands around her spear shaft. "But why?"
Felkavar pivots its head to the side and fixes its glowing bronze gaze at Haalfrin, who is busy giving a speech to his soldiers.
"It's because that man's Divinity was created for this battle," Felkavar replies. "Once his Fate has completed its purpose, his Divinity will cease to exist. He'll no longer be a Death god."
Freyya shakes her head and jostles Felkavar on her shoulder, "But that's not what I'm asking for! I don't care if he's a god! I just want to know if he'll still exist, and if he'll still be my husband."
"…" Felkavar pauses for a moment. "He, and the rest of the Wills tied to his soul, can only be reborn as new mortals at most. They'll have new lives and be new people."
Felkavar bows its head. "I'm sorry."
Felkavar suddenly spreads its array of seven wings and takes off into the sky. As it ascends towards the heavens above, it grows larger and larger, and its body suddenly erupts in flames.
The Phoenix only disappears from view when it flies into the sun illuminating the Realm of Everywhere.
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-The Present-
Because Haalfrin and the Star Elemental were communicating thought to thought, the entire conversation happened in a mere moment.
So, by the time they stop talking to each other, Freyya is still busy trying to make the Spirit in the Sun submit to her.
Seeing that the Goddess of Power's avatar is still preoccupied, the Star Elemental says to Haalfrin,
Without waiting for his consent, Haalfrin feels the Elemental's magic take hold of him again, and he sees a green Spell circle draw itself around him. Normally, Spell circles are drawn with ink or carved with stone, yet this Spell is drawn purely out of green light.
Once the spell's structure is set, the Elemental breathes mana into it, and Haalfrin is suddenly teleported to a strange location...
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Before Haalfrin even opens his eyes, he feels a chilling breeze on his skin. It seems that he's not in space anymore, but on a planet.
Feeling curious, the man opens his eyes, and he sees a vast, brown desert all around him. There appears to be no life in this place, and the lack of Spiritual residue here suggests that life has never BEEN in this place either.
It's not that this world is dead; it's that life was never born here.
Even stranger is that when he tries breathing in the air a few times, he starts to feel lightheaded.
the Star Elemental whispers in Haalfrin's mind.
"Thanks for the warning," Haalfrin comments under his breath. Absentmindedly, he raises up his arms with a puzzled look on his face. "Why are my arms so light?"
"You're being awfully chatty…?" Haalfrin remarks with a light smile.
<… Well, that crazy Crow is coming for you right now, so I thought I'd get in a word with you before you die.>
"Wait, she's here!?" Haalfrin exclaims. He hastily summons another necrocrystal sword, and he starts readjusting his armor in preparation for another battle.
"Busy with what?"
There is no answer.
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The Star Elemental didn't lie when she said she'd be busy.
Right after disconnecting her consciousness from Haalfrin, she immediately starts waking up all her children – the dozen or so planets that orbit her. Planets tend to be a lot more sleepy than stars, so waking them up actually takes a lot of work.
However, once the Terrestrial Elementals are awoken, their mother apprises them of the situation, and she warns them to NOT obey the commands of the crazy Crow woman. she tells them.
After finally making sure that the rest of her children are safe from the possessed Crow, the Star Elemental turns her attention back to the puny human she had dumped on one of her children planets.
'He's destined to die today anyway, so there's no more reason to care about watching him.'