Unasked questions were swirling around us.
Why are these guys so keen to kidnap me? Why are they no longer chasing us? How am I going to explain my situation to Arxia?
Wait!
"Hey glowstick, you are bound to me, which reduces your level. How did you beat Aurelian?" I asked, surprised.
She looked troubled.
"He was probably already tired," she avoided my eyes.
"Tired? He can wipe out an army of 100 elementalists if he wanted to." I deadpanned.
"True, he wiped out an island to kidnap us," Arxia added, looking equally suspicious.
The air around us got cold, and Arxia rose to fly above the clouds.
"Why did you just appear out of nowhere? If you were bound to me, you should've appeared ages ago, or right after my aura induction," I asked, as my suspicion rose.
We flew in silence as the city came into view.
Arxia drew his wings back, signaling a landing.
"Where are we?" I asked, confused.
"We have things to settle before we head home, don't we?" Arxia landed on the outskirts of the city. I took a look around—it was the harbor. The city line got covered in gold as the sun set.
I have to think of a way to get out of this mess. Should I confess everything to him?
We sat in a circle, awkward silence looming around us, and it felt heavy.
"So? Who wants to go first?" I asked, sighing, unable to take more.
"You should, you're the youngest," Nyx said with a hair flip.
"Uhh, I know nothing, so keep it quiet from the rest. I need to know something, even to make sense. I'm stuck here as a six-year-old. Who did this? I wish I knew—at least I could direct all this hate somewhere," I said, throwing my hands up in the air.
"I never knew a day would come when I'd see a six-year-old have a mid-life crisis," Arxia said, nodding like he'd received some divine enlightenment.
Nyx nodded vigorously and gave him a high-five.
"Okay fine, whatever. What's the deal with you? Be honest now," I looked at the phoenix pointedly.
She looked away, looking troubled.
"We're not moving without concluding," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Look, I don't know the full story either. I told you my memory is incomplete. I don't think I'm completely bonded with you—there's something else," she replied, deep in thought. For some reason, I believed her.
"What else?" I questioned, raising my eyebrow.
"I woke up, it felt like I was missing something. I don't have any memories of all the years I've lived—it felt like I rose from the ashes again. I saw a child, a child with light brown hair and golden eyes, and then I saw you as a baby," she sighed, dropping her dramatic persona.
She saw Lucas? She saw me? So there's a version of me alive in this timeline.
"What happened? How did we time-skip to you meeting us in the prison?" I asked, prodding her more.
"I'm a sentient being. I'm a messenger of the gods—what business do I have in the mortal realm is what I want to know too!" she replied angrily.
"Don't deflect the question now," I bit back quietly.
"Let's wrap this nonsense up. She helped us escape, and maybe nothing good comes out of knowing everything. Relax, kid, let's just keep it between us for now," Arxia said, mediating like a referee.
Fine! No secret dies a secret.
I sighed and finally relented. She did help us escape. I have to give her the benefit of the doubt.
"Okay, how are we going to explain her?" I asked Arxia, pointing to Nyx.
"We can make up something. The Voltaries family is known for worshipping the phoenix. The matriarch, your grandma Lux, turned into a priestess at the Ember Temple," he said, scratching his chin.
"I can talk freely, saying it's divine revelation," I agreed as my eyes lit up.
"Wait... What?" Nyx looked between us, horrified.
"Yeah, you keep acting like a diva, we'll take care of everything," I smirked excitedly.
"Why do I feel like everything is going to crash and burn?" Nyx looked annoyed.
Arxia turned into a dragon again, and we set flight toward home.
I was feeling relieved. I looked at our reflection in the skyscraper windows; at least I had people next to me now. I wonder how Tessron and Valeria are coping.
We passed through the skyscraper forest and finally, the Voltaries' mansion was in sight.
We landed near the phoenix fountain at the entrance. Nyx looked unsettled.
I finally understand all the phoenix symbolism.
The sky was cloudy. The climate had looked pleasant all the way here. Weird.
"Tessron is mad," Arxia said, looking at my confused face.
That makes sense. He does have good external aura control.
I nodded as we started to walk to the entrance.
"What do you mean I cannot do that? Father, I want Aurelian arrested!" I heard Tessron's voice, a few feet away from the door.
"He has support. The Liberation Army will riot. All the commoners will join in—it will be country-wide chaos, Tessron. We can think of a way to rescue both of them," Dumont tried to calm Tessron down.
A low thunder rumbled, as lightning laced the clouds in the sky.
"Let's go before the map gets altered again," I said, looking impressed.
"He is a rogue bastard. Why does he have so much support for doing illegal stuff? And people celebrate him like a savior," Tessron seethed, throwing his hands up in frustration.
"We can give him hell, but now is not the right time," Dumont said calmly.
"He walks around like he is the reincarnation of god, spouting nonsense in the name of philosophy. I will wipe that smug smirk off his face one day," Tessron relented, looking murderous.
"Hi," Arxia and I said in unison, opening the door.