The Last Dainv

In the field where the snow didn't fall, Erin walked ahead of Gale. The grass swayed gently in a breeze that carried warmth despite the frozen peaks surrounding them. She moved toward the boulder where he had sat with Kair on his lap, telling stories.

Gale followed, not asking questions.

When Erin reached the boulder, she placed her palm against its surface. Her eyes stared at its surface as if reading its history.

"This marks the place where a Dainv had died," she said.

Moss grew on parts of the huge boulder. All around the boulder were broken patches of grass except for the part where they had sat. At that time, he didn't know why a giant boulder was there in the middle of the empty flatlands.

An orb of water materialized just above Erin's palm. The size of the water shrank, but Presence Between could tell the volume and mass stayed the same. A thin spinning line from the orb of water touched the rock, carving through it with a high pitch sound.

Stone parted cleanly as the high pressure water cut through the whole stone in half. As the two parts fell away from each other, something inside glowed with a soft red and golden light that seemed to flicker. It had the consistency of plasma yet was also solid. It was much bigger than the Origin Fragments that he saw before and certainly of a different level of quality. This one had essence pathways that traced through its solid yet not solid surface, which the fragments did not have.

Analyze.

[Origin Fragment]

[Description: A fragment of Origin.]

The fragment lifted from its resting place and floated toward Erin, just hovering above her palm. "The life of a Dainv is one of infinite potential. Yet due to our curse, we are not many. So we carry the stories of our brethren who've fallen in times of conflict."

She turned to face Gale.

"Look above at the stars."

Looking up above, Gale could see the clear night sky that he was now getting used to. The river of stars was magnificent the first time he came here. It still was, yet it had lost its novelty for him after staying here for weeks already.

Erin continued, "In the current era, finding a single Dainv among all those lights is effectively null. We are scattered across the expanse, few in number, each one carrying the weight of those who came before."

"But I found you in the tomb," Gale said. "There should be more of us out there, right?"

Erin stared at the stars blankly. "Have you found any other Dainv other than me?"

Well, she was the first one, that's for sure. But there might be more. There was the Dark Knight in the tower, but he was already dead, and Erin was also imprisoned in the world they found her. Clearly, she came out heavily damaged from that, so then maybe... "Why do we keep protecting if everything is so hostile against us?"

"Child, did you need to protect the world spirit when we encountered it?"

"No..."

"What compelled you to do so?"

"She was just a child, I guess?" Gale said, though he wasn't sure he could believe himself. He wanted to get rid of the corruption because he had the power to do so, not because he wanted to help the world spirit. That was a bonus. "Fine. It's because I wanted to."

"When the want can cost the lives of the innocent, what does it turn to?"

"What?"

"It is called a need, child. For we are Dainv, with the heritage the Ancients granted to us, we are needed by the innocent," Erin said. "Even those that have strayed desire to protect. Have you not felt compelled by that desire in the Eclipsed?"

Gale nodded. "Then what about free will?"

"I saw many chances for you to escape and run away on your own during those times of peril, yet you chose to protect," Erin said. "The Ancients did not cast a spell upon us to force us to protect. It is the very own magnitude of our abilities that enable us to do so. Had you the choice again, would you have run away or go through the pain all over again?"

"Of course, I'd go through that whole hell all over again. I wouldn't have let any of them die," Gale said. If he had run away, he wouldn't be so happy back on Earth. He wouldn't be able to eat the McDs burgers, drink sweet tea, go shopping with Rachel, have adventures with the twins, see Ollie's vulnerability, and even see Lily become so admirably competent that she knew every imaginable fantastical place in Toronto.

His life would have been one in the woods where no one was invited. Wouldn't that have been boring? He'd be able to read books all day, but it'd be more fun to read them with friends around.

"The universe is vast, yet the Dainv are few," Erin said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "To our fallen, we shall forever remember their stories."

"Do other races and species also worship the four Ancients? Like Youmir and his family do?" Gale asked.

"That is a given," Erin said. "Wherever the Dainv go, the life in those worlds will eventually learn of the Ancients. Aurumn, Asain, Vianne, Cev. Their names spread through every corner, through the mouths of their bloodlines."

That made sense. If each bloodline was so distinct, no wonder they'd spread out. Over time, that knowledge would become part of their culture just like here in Kair.

Erin slowly floated the fragment up to her eye. "This is the Origin Fragment of Lady Reyna, Master Lucid's bonded."

"Like a partner?"

"A primitive description, but you may call it as such," Erin said. "Lady Reyna was of Aurumn's blood. Her lineage provided her unmatched tenacity within the Dainvs. Where others would fall, she would stand. Where others would break, she would endure."

"What happened to her?"

"She died here, on this peak, during the final battle against the Mohrusy forces in Kair; she held back the line by herself to protect Youmir and the rest of the gryphons," she said. "The blood of Aurumn allows unmatched tenacity within the Dainv society. Most of her core remained intact. Master Lucid found her after the battle ended. In this exact location, he cried for centuries before he was able to let go."

"Her death is why it doesn't snow here?" Gale asked.

"Correct." Erin turned to face him fully. "Child, sing with me. The Aria of Aurumn's Tears."

She began without waiting for his response.

In Aurumn's fire may she guide the lost Origin of our brothers and sisters,

Whose flame was stolen by winds unseen.

Gale didn't know the language. The words were foreign, almost too ancient for what he could mimic from other Earth languages. But somehow, the words he created through his lips and tongue slowly formed to pronounce the words she sang.

Upon this stone, I trace names once missed,

And pray you seek them to your embrace.

Let the fire cast away their life regrets.

Forgotten they are not, this vow I keep,

Til we sing again, my dear old friends.

The final note faded into the warm air. A single pair of warm eyes washed over him as his tendrils tried to seek where they came from. Yet Presence Between couldn't find where.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Silence settled over the calm, gentle wind as blades of grass waved at them from afar.

"Do you want me to keep that fragment in my space storage too? With the others from Crystal Falls?" Gale asked, moving forward closer to look at the fragment.

"No." Erin looked back at the fragment. "I will use this fragment to heal my core."

Erin floated upward, rising above the grass until she hovered several metres in the air. The fragment rose with her, positioning itself directly in front of her chest.

Snapping her fingers once, a magic circle bloomed above them.

Not her usual small fractals with dense patterns. This one was a different kind of pattern density that hurt even Gale's eyes a bit. Trillions of patterns shifted and rotated like gears within gears. 8 other circles formed one on top of another like an upside down funnel.

One day, maybe he'd be able to understand this magnitude of a spell.

The Origin Fragment floated toward the centre of the circle. It hung there for a moment, its flamey golden light faded, mixing in with blue droplets of water.

Then it shattered.

The fragment broke apart into billions of grains, each one a tiny speck of white light. They swirled within the circle like a galaxy being born, spiralling inward in patterns that matched the rotation of the symbols around them.

Gale recognized the process. It was the same Origin Extraction that happened whenever he killed anything higher than mundane. Except the grains weren't flowing toward him.

They swirled downward, toward Erin. Toward her heart and spine where her core resided. The white specks of dust and grain entered her body through her chest, absorbed into her essence pathways with a soft glow that illuminated her from within.

And then Gale felt it.

Erin's signature, which she had always kept carefully suppressed, began to expand. What had felt like a calm pond suddenly became a lake. Then an ocean. Then something so vast that Gale couldn't perceive its edges.

He felt like a drop of water standing next to the sea or a grain of sand on a long wide beach.

Erin did say she was an Origin Resonant. And finally, he could feel what she meant that the Dainv ran on a different hierarchy than those that weren't.

The circle above them pulsed one final time, then began to fade. The extraction finished along with her body's absorption, disappearing into Erin's core completely.

Her signature stabilized. Once again, Erin suppressed her signature back into what it was. In fact, it was even more subtle than before. The only proof of that vastness was the experience of watching her extract origin from the fragment.

Erin descended back to the ground. Her feet touched the grass, and immediately she said, "The damage is mended. My core is whole once more."

Analyze.

[Erin Weber]

[Race: Dainv]

[Core Class: Origin Resonant]

[Essence: 4,152/10,984,629]

[Description: Hailing from Vianne's bloodline, she has led the research and development of most warfare armaments of the Dainvs. She owns the Weber conglomerate.]

"Woah... how do you feel?"

"Recovering," Erin turned to face west.

"So does that mean you'll be able to beat bad guys now instead of me?"

"The teacher does not interfere in the training of their students."

"What if I need help?"

"Then you must use your brain."

"But I'm dumb."

"I am of Vianne's blood. You shall learn how to use that brain."

Gale grumbled. But at least she was healthy now. Still probably wouldn't be able to rely on her because 'civilizations exist because contracts' or something like that.

"Enough of this idle chatter. We leave for Drovairt now," Erin said.

Suddenly, a blue outline formed on both of them in an instant. And before Gale could even say anything, they moved at a much faster speed than before that scared even him.

*

Touching down in the town of Drovairt, right in front of the castle, Gale felt his stomach lurch as he almost wanted to barf at the rate of speed Erin used. Now that she had the full span of her essence back, she really didn't waste time. In fact, if he didn't tell her to slow down, she would have continued climbing in speed.

Presence Between's tendrils told him of the presences beyond him. Youmir stood beside another gryphon, smaller than him, but still bigger than an elephant. Her feathers were dark red, each one tipped with gold, similar to Youmir's.

Beside them stood Lruikov in full armour, Tyain with his silver circlet. And from behind the red feathered gryphon, Gale could sense Lira's weak signature.

Young master Hathie, Grand Researcher Grand General Erin Weber, Youmir said. What a coincidence to meet you here.

"Yeah, we're just visiting before we leave." Gale wiped his mouth and then stepped forward slightly. "Why are you here, Youmir?"

One of my daughters wished to check on a child she has grown fond of. Youmir's massive head turned toward the red gryphon. She has been visiting this valley since the child was born.

The red gryphon lifted her head to face Gale. Greetings, Dark Hunter. I am Raina, named after our goddess Reyna.

Gale nodded to her. Lady Reyna's sacrifice had protected Youmir and his family after all. Of course Youmir would name one of his children after her.

Raina's wing extended gently and nudged Lira out from beside her. Lira, come say goodbye to the Dark Hunter. He must leave soon.

Lira turned to look up at Raina, then her head moved down to Gale. Already, her deep blue eyes were welling up in tears.

She ran at him.

Her small arms wrapped around his waist as she buried her face in his stomach. She hugged him so tightly that Gale actually found it hard to move. Surprising strength from such a little body.

Putting his hands on her shoulders, he gently pushed her back. She resisted but eventually gave way. As he crouched down to her height, he materialized the last bueno bar from his space storage and extended it to her.

"This is the last one I have. Do you want it?" he asked.

Lira nodded. Her eyes were glued to the bar. When Gale moved it left and right, her head traced it.

"If you want it, you can stop crying," he said.

Lira immediately wiped her tears and put on a face that looked like she was trying to hold it in.

Finally, Gale reached down to her hand and put it in her palm. "Make sure to savour it."

"Will I see you again?" Lira asked.

"Of course we will. We're friends, right?"

"We are..." she paused. "Do you promise?"

Gale held up his hand with his pinky finger extended. "In our world, this is the most sacred form of promise. If you break it, you have to swallow a thousand needles."

Lira's eyes widened at the punishment. She quickly held up her own pinky finger, but she didn't know what to do. When Gale hooked his own pinky onto hers, he said, "Pinky promise, whoever breaks the oath shall be made to swallow a thousand needles."

They shook once.

"There," Gale said. "Now it's official. We'll definitely meet again."

Lira nodded vigorously, still sniffling. She clutched the Bueno bar to her chest, but soft enough to not break the crunchiness.

Gale pulled her into one last soft hug. Her body was so small. Though hollow cheeks and still skin and bones, she was in a much better state than Kulbran's prince. Now that the corruption was gone, she'd be much healthier the next time he would meet her.

However, he doubted that promise itself. He might have to eat a thousand needles. Lira was still just an ordinary girl. He'd far outlive her, and who knows how long it would be before he could come back to Kair. Even then, he'd hope to meet her again someday too.

Connections...

The hard part about it was not the fact that they were being made. It was the goodbyes and who knows when that next meeting would be. That was the only thing he didn't like about connecting with people.

He stood up and ruffled her hair one last time. Tyain stepped forward and placed a hand on Lira's shoulder, gently pulling her back.

"Dark Hunter," Tyain said, bowing his head. "Drovairt will forever remember what you have done for our people. Should you ever return, you will always have a place in our halls."

"Take care of her," Gale said, looking at Lira. "And a new king may be crowned in Kulbran."

"I've heard stories from the winds," Tyain said, glancing slightly at Youmir.

Lruikov removed his helmet and bowed deeply. A scar, unnoticed before, caught the light as he straightened his posture. "May Kair's winds guide your journey, Dark Hunter."

Gale nodded to both of them, then turned to Erin. "Wanna go?"

"Your question does not need an answer," Erin said.

If I may, it would be our honour, Youmir said, lowering his body to allow them to climb onto his back.

Before Erin could refuse, Gale had already climbed up first, settling between Youmir's wings and finding the softest and most comfortable spot. Definitely not finding the soft spots to see where the meat is most tender. Erin, on the other hand, floated up and sat behind him. From the ice cold face she usually wore to a slight frown she was showing now.

A win for the Dark Hunter to make floating bluey show an expression. He'll mark this story in the future as one of his rare wins against the infallible coldness of his teacher.

With a single powerful beat of his wings, Youmir launched into the sky. Raina remained behind with Lira and her family. Their forms shrank so fast that they seemed like ants in just a couple of seconds.

Presence Between looked back at her one last time. Lira was already crying, but also opening the Kinder Bueno bar in her hand. As Gale would say, food is always the best for comfort. Now, he also wants something sweet and filling to drown out the sombreness.

They passed through the peaks and valleys that led to Drovairt. Most of the scenery came at a blur as Erin's beautiful blue hair whipped behind her. From up above, a resort in the distance could be seen.

That must've been the Aurian resort that was set up. A trail of people were already walking back towards the rift exit, following the poles marked in orange cloth.

Youmir descended toward the rift exit. The Aurians below looked up at the approaching gryphon. Hushed conversations and whispers started growing audibly as each one saw Gale and Erin on top of the gryphon. A couple pointed at them, and some snapped pictures or recorded videos with their phones.

"Is that a guardian gryphon?"

"Who's that on its back?"

"Wait, isn't that the kid who made a commotion at Sterling?"

"Why is the divine beast carrying him?"

Gale slid off Youmir's back and landed on the snow. Erin floated down beside him, her feet never touching the ground.

Young master Hathie, Grand Researcher Grand General Erin Weber, Youmir said. May Aurumn's warmth bless your journey home.

May Cev's blade carve your path, Erin telepathically said to him.

"May Cev's blade carve your path, Youmir," Gale said proudly. "Thank you for everything, Youmir."

It is we who should thank you. Youmir said. Until we meet again.

"May Vianne's wisdom guide you, Youmir," Erin said.

Youmir launched back into the sky with a single beat of his wings, the force of his takeoff sending snow swirling around the gathered Aurians. Within seconds, he was a dark speck against the pale sky, returning to his mountain peak.

Gale turned to face the exit rift. The triangular rift with its fragmented edges stood before them. Beyond it was a snowy forest that held rectangular pods of the Aurian facilities.

As they both stepped through the exit, the feeling of crossing over from the feeling of sombreness washed over Gale even more. Time was now moving faster behind the rift.

If the winds allow, let's meet again, Lira, Kair.