Numbers x Casket-Chapter 41: Brilliance

The grandeur of the Magic Tower felt like a distant memory. It turned into an ancient tapestry located in the desolate land. Its majestic glory—now became a cinder of history.

The appraiser checked the area, the carvings on the structure’s walls to be exact, verifying if this was the same tower he knew. However, the symbols engraved on it were already faded, making it beyond impossible to be identified.

In light of this fact, Efraim chose to put the thought aside and instead focused on the task at hand. After all, he knew that it was only an illusion, a mirage created for the sake of the event.

However, he believed that something was amiss. The spell was supposed to show him his fear, but it was quite different from his expectation.

He thought that his father, the ruler of Bladehaven, would be the one to greet him and not this ruined place. After all, that man’s existence was the only thing he recognized as a true horror.

Efraim looked around, his mind wondering about the real purpose of the scene before his eyes.

’How am I supposed to overcome this?’ he contemplated, clueless and curious at the same time.

He leaped to the top of the destroyed structure and checked his surroundings one more time, but aside from the destruction, he found nothing noteworthy of his attention.

Then, while his gaze was fixated on the horizon, a small butterfly flew in front of him, obstructing his vision. He squinted his eyes and stared at the little creature; its wings, like a thin fabric of cloth, bore the color of the sun.

"Amber... like her eyes," Efraim uttered as an image of a woman flashed inside his mind.

Afterward, due to sudden curiosity and having no other things to do, he chose to follow the butterfly, and it led him to an old, worn-down house.

Before entering, he examined the state of the building first. All of its windows were shattered, its walls broken, and its roof standing through a few damaged pillars that would collapse any time soon.

Curious about what was waiting for him inside, he walked through the damaged partition and upon entering, the first thing that he noticed was a chair with one of its legs lying on the dusted floor.

He looked around and searched for the butterfly. Then, he saw it entering a hallway with scattered debris. He went through it and reached a large room with a wooden chair placed in the center.

However, this time, the object had all of its legs intact, and a silhouette of a woman could be seen sitting on it.

Her back was facing the appraiser, and it left a deep impression on him. The straight black hair made Efraim squint his eyes.

"Lindsay?" he uttered, his voice laced with curiosity.

But he received no response as the woman kept her silence and remained motionless. Efraim tried activating his Flair, but he saw no numbers.

Thus, without averting his gaze from her, he sauntered in front to take a proper look to see if his hunch was right.

And as soon as the woman’s state came into his view, he questioned his thoughts.

"Is seeing her dead the one I feared the most?" he asked while still staring at her figure.

His guess was correct; it was none other than the Nightfall’s daughter, Lindsay, and a blade was stuck, piercing her neck.

Her gold-colored eyes were still open, but their radiance was already gone. Her clothes were soaked with her very own blood while a few crimson substances were still dripping under the seat.

Efraim clenched his fist; he didn’t speak and just continued staring at the woman’s corpse. He knew that it was only an illusion, but seeing her in that state made his heart suffer from agony. He wanted to end and escape from this nightmare, but he still had no idea how.

Afterward, he went a little closer and closed the woman’s eyes with his hand. Then, his gaze fell on the hilt of the sword stuck on her neck.

The three diamonds embedded on its white grip and the crown symbol engraved on its rainguard made him recognize the weapon right away.

He inhaled a deep breath, and while lost in his thoughts, he closed his eyes and held its hilt before pulling it away.

Blood spurted out from the punctured hole due to the sudden removal of the blade.

Efraim opened his eyes and looked at the weapon.

"Seventeenth Shard," he murmured.

Its blade was heavily damaged to the point that half of it was gone and cracks covered the remainder.

Efraim stared at it for a moment; he tried to think of the meaning behind all of this, but nothing came to his mind aside from the casket.

He was now convinced that the place he was in was Celestia’s heart, the Arcane City, and its destruction along with Lindsay’s death were bound to him.

Then, while deep in his thoughts, the butterfly flew next to his eyes once again. Efraim gave it a glance and watched where it was going this time. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

With its vibrant orange wings, it circled around the room and went through the gap in the roof. Efraim leaped above, then punched a hole big enough for him to fit, and followed the butterfly.

Darkness already loomed over the place, and the thick layer of clouds partially hid the moon’s presence.

"Where did it go?" Efraim whispered as he searched for the insect’s whereabouts.

However, when he looked to his right, he saw a kaleidoscope of butterflies with different colors, though most of them had wings with an orange hue.

The appraiser gulped, astounded by this scene. He had his doubts earlier when he saw the first butterfly, but he chose to put them aside. However, this time, he was certain about this: it was all an illusion inside of another illusion, and there was only one person he could think of, an individual who was capable of producing such realistic scenery.

"Xenen," he uttered while staring at the butterflies, their silhouette glowing, reflecting the brilliance coming from the moon.

. . . . .

A decade ago in Oriental Plains, in a place called Winggaze City, a conference was being held. All of the supreme leaders of every faction attended this event, and as a form of protection, they were allowed to bring some of their elite people.

During that time, the Grand Lord of Celestia was accompanied by the First, Second, and Third Pillars, and the other faction leaders had brought the same number of guards except for the Bladehaven’s Patriarch. He stepped into the city with a lone child following behind.

When the conference started, only leaders were allowed inside the room, which made their people just stand outside and wait in patience.

Meanwhile, the child that the Bladehaven’s Patriarch brought left the area out of boredom. Standing still with those middle-aged people, observing each and every person’s movement, tired him out.

Thus, he went out and took a stroll across the city. While sightseeing, he couldn’t help but compare the scenery to the place he came from; the city he was in now had a lot of green; wherever he looked, there were trees and plants present. Aside from this, beasts were roaming freely in the streets.

"It looks more like a jungle, not a city," the child blurted out his comment.

Afterward, his feet brought him to an area filled with beautiful flowers, and he gasped in amazement. Though it was not the flowers that made him stunned, it was the girl being surrounded by countless butterflies.

The strands of her viridescent hair fluttered in the wind while her round amber eyes glanced at the boy around her age.

"You’re new here! Are you lost?" she asked with a sweet smile.

It took several seconds for the child to reply, as he was still astounded by the girl’s presence.

"Y-Yes—N-No! I mean, I’m not lost, but yes, it’s my first time being here. How did you know?" he answered.

Upon seeing his confused expression, the little girl chuckled and tilted her head for a little before making a reply.

"My butterflies have told me. It’s their first time encountering your scent," she said.

Then, she stepped a little closer and extended her hand.

"My name is Ashrielle Xenen; how about you?" she introduced herself.

The smile plastered on her face was warm and inviting; it had a certain amount of brilliance, enough to illuminate the entirety of her being.

. . . . .

The group of butterflies emitted radiance, and a silhouette of a fine young woman appeared out of nowhere. Her amber-colored eyes looked into the appraiser while her lips curled into a pleasant smile.

Then the butterflies around her multiplied in number and stuck together, forming a throne for the woman to sit on.

Without averting her eyes from the man, she sat down and put her right leg on top of the other. Afterward, she placed her left elbow on the throne’s arm and let her head rest on the back of her hand.

"It’s been a while, Kier," she said, smiling with the same brilliance as exactly as the appraiser remembered.

. . . . .