Chapter 48 - Wings of Ash
The temple trembled.
A deep, mournful cry echoed from beneath the volcanic altar.
It was unlike any roar Kai had ever heard.
It carried loneliness...
Regret...
And ten thousand years of suffering.
The Book of Infinite Beasts appeared before him.
Its golden pages fluttered wildly.
---
Divine Beast Detected
Name: Noctis
Title: The Ashen Phoenix
Rank: Divine Guardian
Status: Corrupted and Partially Awakened
Corruption Level: 92%
Probability of Peaceful Purification: 18%
---
The floor cracked apart.
Molten lava burst from the widening fissures.
A colossal pair of wings slowly emerged.
They were beautiful beyond words.
The right wing blazed with brilliant golden flames.
The left burned with black fire that seemed to absorb all light.
Then...
Noctis rose.
Its body dwarfed the temple itself.
Its golden eye looked upon Kai with sorrow.
Its black eye radiated endless rage.
The two halves of its soul were fighting each other.
---
Princess Elena struggled against her chains.
"Noctis!"
"You remember me!"
The great phoenix let out a soft cry.
It recognised the princess.
But before it could move...
Black crystal spread across its body once again.
The corrupted half seized control.
The temperature inside the temple soared.
Stone pillars melted.
Lava overflowed across the chamber.
---
Kai stepped forward.
"I'm going to reach it."
Selene caught his arm.
"Kai!"
"It's too dangerous."
He smiled gently.
"If I don't try..."
"No one will."
The Crimson Flame Fox climbed onto his shoulder.
"Then we're with you."
Ignis nodded.
"Always."
---
Kael watched quietly from the altar.
"I can hold the corruption back for only a few minutes."
He raised both hands.
Ancient obsidian chains shot from the ground, wrapping around Noctis's wings.
The phoenix screamed in agony.
"I'm sorry," Kael whispered.
"But if I let go now..."
"...the empire will burn."
Kai looked at him.
"You've been doing this alone?"
"For centuries."
Kael laughed bitterly.
"Long enough that I've forgotten what ordinary life feels like."
---
The Book glowed brightly.
Sovereign Trial
Trial of Compassion
A Beast Sovereign must save those whom others have abandoned.
Objective:
Reach Noctis's true soul.
Reward:
Unknown.
Failure:
The Phoenix Empire will fall.
---
Kai closed his eyes.
"Voice of the Sovereign."
The world around him faded.
He found himself standing in an endless sky filled with drifting feathers.
Far away, a single phoenix sat upon a dead tree.
Its once-radiant feathers had turned dull grey.
Black chains pierced its wings.
Noctis looked up.
"So..."
"Another visitor."
Kai slowly approached.
"I'm not here to fight."
Noctis gave a tired smile.
"They all say that."
"The Temple."
"The Kings."
"The Heroes."
"They all promised to save me."
"And when they failed..."
"They simply tightened the chains."
Kai knelt before the ancient guardian.
"I won't promise something I can't do."
Noctis tilted its head.
"Then why are you here?"
Kai answered honestly.
"Because no one deserves to suffer alone."
For a long time...
Neither spoke.
Then a single golden feather drifted from Noctis's wing.
It landed in Kai's hand.
"You sound..."
"...just like him."
"The First Beast Sovereign?"
Noctis nodded.
"He refused to kill me."
"He believed someone would eventually succeed where he could not."
Its golden eye brightened slightly.
"Perhaps..."
"...that someone is you."
Outside the spiritual realm...
The corruption covering Noctis's body began to recede.
92%... 89%... 86%...
The Book shimmered.
---
Purification Progress
Current Corruption: 86%
Warning:
A second corruption source detected.
Location:
Unknown.
---
Ignis's expression hardened.
"Something's wrong."
"The corruption isn't coming from Noctis anymore."
Kael's eyes widened.
"Impossible..."
"If it isn't Noctis..."
"...then who is feeding it?"
At that very moment...
Deep beneath the Temple of Eternal Ash...
In a forgotten chamber no one knew existed...
A heartbeat echoed.
THUMP.
THUMP.
A gigantic crystal suspended in darkness pulsed with black light.
Inside the crystal floated a shadowy humanoid figure.
Its eyes slowly opened.
A voice, cold and ancient, whispered through the darkness.
"Another Guardian begins to awaken..."
"Soon..."
"The Seven Locks will break."
"And when they do..."
"The Devourer shall return."
The crystal cracked.
For the first time in ten thousand years...
Something inside smiled.