Darius could feel that he was being sucked in through the air but his eyes are shut tight to open and see with his bare eyes. But even with Psyon eyes, he could see that he’s traveling through a tunnel of electrical light of bright colors swirling around them until the end. He could feel his feet hit the ground and his eyes could open properly, the brightness faded away and from the warmth of the hill now comes a sheer coldness that is felt in his bones and worst still that the skies are dark with deep gray, snow that covers the mountains around them like a titanic bowl and winds that blow painfully on his skin with a howl deeper than wolves. From what he previously studied, this looks like an isolated territory in Iceria.
“Why are we in Iceria?” Darius shouted out but the wind was so fierce that his voice was drowned almost completely.
“This is where the guild is. Come on, it’s this way.” Raizo shouted back and walked forward. Darius followed suit with Aunt Joe in his arms but it was hard to do so because of the thick passing blizzard. They walked just several steps and yet such a walk felt like it lasted for hours but there was an end as they reached a tall pillar with huge stone doors. The doors have light runes written on the arches and across the hedge but with the energy swirling about the runes, Darius knows that the writings are invisible, if not the entire pillar would be.
Raizo placed one hand on the center, it didn’t have a knob or a keyhole or even a pull but with his one-touch, the doors split open revealing a dark empty space. Raizo disappeared into the darkness and Darius followed right after and the stone doors closed right behind him.
As Darius shook the snow off of him, he looked around and saw that he stood in an empty room save for a glyph circle on the floor. The glyph is written in Light Runes but Darius doesn’t understand a word of it; so this is what they meant by ancient Psyon.
“This part is simple, simply clear your mind and we’ll get there,” Raizo said.
“And how do I do that? I have a lot going on in my head right now; I don’t think I can simply clear my mind that quick.” Darius said.
“Believe me; it’s easier than it looks. For me, the easiest way is to think of one thing only until that thought disappears before a new one pops in. We’re Psyons, a piece of work like that should be easy.” Raizo returned and closed his eyes. A second later, he was shrouded in light and vanished from sight. Perplexed at first, Darius closed his eyes as well and tried to clear his mind but it’s not as easy as how Raizo said it would because too many things shrouded him. His last glimpse of the hill, his manor destroyed by rifle blasts and magic, his neighbors all dead and buried behind his former home, and Aunt Joe’s sudden death. But the thought of Aunt Joe’s face smiling as she stood before him right then and there gave him a certain type of peace.
As he looked into her crystal blue eyes once again, he thought of nothing else and as Raizo said, he could feel his body enlighten and constricted shortly and then everything disappeared. Darius opened his eyes and saw Raizo, Zeeq, Duke, and another boy with spiky silver hair and eyes with a long navy blue overcoat all standing around the entrance circle. The place he is standing in now is no longer the room in the pillar but a much vaster chamber with the stars visible through the roof, colors of energy boundlessly everywhere, and a serene atmosphere if he ever felt one.
“Welcome, Darius, to the Pantheon, a palace for the Psyon Guild. You are now officially our newest and hopefully not the last member. My name is Igniz, a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last.” said the boy with silver hair. His tone and speech seemed calm and has a positive vibe to them and by the looks of everyone else; he seems to be the more mature one in comparison.
“Thanks... Um, where are we?” Darius asked. He wanted to slap himself stupid for asking such a dumb question out of all the things he wanted to ask.
“We are on the Skyway and it’s quite the mesmerizing sight. Come; let me give you the official tour. You can place her body over there by that pedestal,” Igniz said and pointed at a white stone table to the left wall of the chamber, “and we will commence the Fenix later on. But you must see the palace with your own eyes, the sight is truly one to behold.”
“Thanks but Aunt Joe comes first. I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m not moving anywhere until she is given the proper ritual.” Darius said firmly, he will not take another step further until her body joins the souls of the past.
Nobody said anything at first and everyone except Duke (who kept staring at Aunt Joe since Darius arrived) exchanged looks with each other but after a few moments of silence, Raizo nodded his head and the rest seemed agreeable.
“Very well, we’ll give her the funeral. Please, follow me.” Igniz said and turned around and walked forward while the rest followed suit.
“Good of you to join us. Though you’re not gonna make it, some of us even made a bet.” Duke said as he slowed his pace and walked beside Darius.
“Thanks although that betting part wasn’t so pleasing,” Darius replied. The group, led by the silver-haired boy, walked through a long corridor but the walls weren’t walls at all but the universe in motion. Stars, comets, asteroids, galaxies, nebulae and so much more are moving all across the corridor. The floor itself isn’t present as the group walked on visually nothing and yet Darius could see that the corridor is still a corridor however he assumes that only Psyons could see something like this. Darius wished he had more eyes in his head to see all of this but somehow, the scenery looks extremely familiar.
“It’s called the Omnipath, although the blueprint for this corridor is the only entrance in, it represents the Psyon’s Conversion initiation stage. Like that dream, you had when your Catalyst first chose you.” Duke said out of random but the curious look on Darius’s face is self-explanatory. Now that he mentioned it, this cosmic pathway looks exactly like the dream he had with the fiery angel except this time he can walk through it.
“So that means you guys got visited by fiery angels too?” Darius asked as they kept their walking pace.
“Not really, it would depend on how the Catalyst manifests itself in a spiritual form. Mines were a Shadowhawk.” Duke replied.
“And mines were a fairy for the bedtime stories!” Zeeq said as he jumped with his arms up as if cheering again, “Sorry, your chat sounded fun.”
“So, Raizo, Igniz, what were you visited by?” Darius asked but their answer came a little cold.
“Sorry, I don’t kiss and tell,” Raizo said, “and it’s just Rai, alright? Only my family calls me Raizo.”
“I was visited by an Arc Dragon. At least, I think it was Arc. It’s hard to tell with their scales all shining and everything.” Igniz said with a smile.
“So it’s all random mythical creatures, huh? Sounds cool.” Darius said.
“Not as cool as you’d think. We say we saw these things but in our minds, it looks completely...” Duke said but he just stopped while staring blankly forward.
“Unreal...” Darius finished. The rest seemed to agree on their own quiet fashion. The group stopped right in the middle of a dark space and Igniz pushed both arms forward, a blinding golden light filled the corridor and they walked right through. As the light diminished, Darius looked around and the air became clean and rejuvenated his sight and vision crystal clear, his body with strength returned and his eyes are looking at the most beautiful sight he has ever seen.
All around them were levels of clouds of all forms, the clouds were white with golden lights reflecting off them and Darius guessed that wherever they are it must be nearing sunset, he stood in an open hall where white pillars held an invisible roof over their heads with several white marble chairs placed in a large circle like a council hall and the floors were black marble with the cosmic space again as a view like the Omnipath.
“You can place her here; we can perform the Fenix here as well,” Igniz said as he gestured toward a white marble table was set. Darius nodded and walked forward and place her gently on the table, her face calm and blank and her body now slowly feeling cold.
“Darius, check it out! You have got to see this!” Zeeq called out as he jumped up and down near the edge of the chamber. Darius approached slowly and looked to where Zeeq was pointing to and it made him jump a few steps back: this palace is literally a flying fortress and they are far above the lower cloud lines, Darius could see a city below and by the looks of it, it appears to be Almeria, capital of Andalusia, east of Altaria.
“No way, is that real? We’re actually over Almeria? Andalusia’s very own capital?” Darius asked frantically but the others were amused with his reaction as if expecting this.
“Yep, the very same. Pantheon, as I’ve mentioned earlier, is located in the Skyway and it’s constantly mobile,” Igniz said as he and the others joined Darius near the edge of the chamber, “You see Almeria now but in a few hours we could be over the seas and by tomorrow, we could be over Gan’Xa and who knows where else. Our movements are random so we never know where we’ll end up. But there is only one way into this place and that’s through the single pillar you came through earlier.”
“And like how you saw earlier, Iceria’s terrain is the only way into this place although we can easily get out of it by simply jumping,” Raizo said, “but once you get out, there’s no coming back in unless it’s through the Arc Gate.”
“And only Psyons can see that gate, operate it, walk through it and stand exactly where you are.” said a voice from the far back. A man in a long black leather overcoat with silver shoulder pads as armor, black leather boots laced very neatly, and has very long silver hair with pale skin and cyan eyes came walking in with a few books in one hand. He is much taller than everyone else as he easily stood half a foot taller than Igniz. As he reached the group, he extended his free hand to greet and shake which Darius took.
“You must be Darius, we have been expecting you. I am Gunther, caretaker of the Pantheon and partial citizen of Altaria simply by birth. And she must be...” Gunther said as he shook Darius’s hand and looked over the white marble table.
“My condolences…” Gunther said calmly.
“Thank you,” Darius replied.
“Darius says he wants to do a Fenix thing here with that lady. Can we do it, Gunther? You know how to do it, right?” Zeeq said as he tugged Gunther’s coat.
“Why, of course. But Zeeq, why a Fenix? That’s usually reserved for members of the royal family in Altaria’s customs.” Gunther asked although his tone made it sound like he is simply testing Darius for an answer.
“She died trying to protect me. She was the only guardian that I had and is much closer to me than even a mother would. I won’t bury her in the ground because she deserves much better than that.” Darius said firmly. Naturally, he would burn this whole flying fortress down before letting Aunt Joe be laid to rest in a typical fashion; she doesn’t deserve it.
“I understand. Very well then, come, we shall start immediately,” Gunther said and headed to where she lay (“Ah crap, you could’ve at least let me change into something more decent,” Raizo said with a sigh).
“Alright, all of you stand in a half-circle, facing the skies and we shall begin. Darius, would you do the honors?” Gunther said as he gestured to the marble table. As Darius lit his palm with fire, the others tidied themselves up as properly as possible. Igniz buttoned up his coat completely and Raizo zipped up all of the holes for pockets and Duke hid away a necklace with a picture of an almond brown-haired girl as he fixed his cloak to cover his whole upper body. Darius had to admit that the other boys looked quite impressive if they had worn more professional attires but only Igniz looked the formal one this evening and Zeeq is…
“Zeeq, why are you behind that pillar?” Darius asked as he saw Zeeq standing quite behind and hiding with one eye visible behind a stone pillar.
“Oh, yeah, that, you can ignore him. He’s kind of a wuss.” Raizo said but he was scoffed at by Igniz.
“Don’t call him that. He has a little problem with funerals and death; he was quite scared during the clash in the Neutral State which left quite the number dead. So, forgive him for being discreet during events such as this.” Darius nodded and looked at Zeeq again and he could make out Zeeq shaking a little bit and could only imagine the fear he has in him now.
“Darius, a Fenix cannot start without a fire,” Gunther said. Darius nodded and with a deep breath, threw the golden flames and it immediately engulfed Aunt Joe whole. Gunther closed his eyes and muttered something silently; the flames, at first golden and red, slowly turned white and the fires rose higher and higher but no smoke could be seen nor smelt.
“May your soul join the path that of our Fathers and their Fathers before… Fly by fire, Joanna Pearls.” Gunther said and as soon as he spoke the last words, the flames slowly slithered and eventually took shape of wings, a slim neck, and a large tail; the white phoenix took form and lifted off with all eyes on the majestic firebird. It took one flight encircling the group until it stopped in front of Darius and remained afloat. Darius looked into the eyes of the phoenix and in them, he could see Aunt Joe wearing a beautiful white gown with her hair braided perfectly on the side and she smiled at him. The white flames dispersed and the wildfire flew around Darius like the wind until it was blown upwards towards the stars it took the wind along and tears dropped from both eyes of the last son of Reign.
“Bye, Aunt Joe... Bye, mom...” Darius said finally as he saw the flames then dispersed as if they became the stars themselves. No one spoke for a minute or two and Darius never took his eyes on the stars where the flames were lit.
“I didn’t know Fenix ceremonies end up like that...” Darius said to break the cold silence.
“They don’t but this time is quite different. Your aunt is an Elfiem, do what know what they are, Darius?” Gunther asked gently. Darius simply shook his head and wiped his cheeks.
“They are elven born with human blood. Half-human, half-elf. Which is why her body never turned cold even after she died and why the flames reacted the way they did.” Gunther answered.
“You okay, bro?” Duke asked.
“Yeah... I’d like some time alone please.” Darius said and turned around to walk away from the group, tears dropping more.
“But we have dinner soon and we have so much of--” Zeeq said as he appeared from behind the pillar but Raizo cut him off.
“It's alright, Zeeq. Let him go... He needs time to grieve or else he’ll never let it go.” Raizo said and Darius kept walking until he disappeared down a stairwell.