Tales of Revenants

Chapter 41 – First Emotion

The chirping birds being fed by their mother on their nest. The wind gushes a calm yet strong breeze. Luciella observes the things that are fragments of Eirisse's memory.

It was a silent and tranquil forest though it's unfamiliar for her. She kept walking much deeper in the woods. Seeing various animals and the blessing of the mother nature itself until she stumbled upon a river.

It reminds Luciella when she was with Laken in the river of the Mist Forest. She noticed a beautiful lady who had long silky crimson hair, fair skin, and curvaceous figure.

She was taking a bath by the rivers when a veiled man with a sword on his back appeared out of nowhere.

They were staring at each other stiffly for at least a minute. The lady wasn't even embarrassed, but rather she beckoned the man to approach her instead.

The man shook her head and sighed. He just went off and walk past her as he only wanted to traverse the rivers.

She was so furious to the fact that the man just ignored such a gorgeous bare beauty.

What she did instead revealed her fangs and jumped right through behind him, biting his neck right on the spot.

The man was doing nothing and letting her do as she pleases. The lady continuously sucks him dry as she savors the blood of her victim. She kind of stopped when she noticed the man was just standing there without any expression.

“Are you happy now? Let go of me.” The man coldly brushed her off from his sight.

“What? You're fully aware I can make you my lunch today isn't it?” The lady asserted.

The man skillfully pinpointed the tip of his sword to her neck and said, “And I can detach your head to your sinful body in a blink of an eye.”

She surely felt the menace of the man and was truly nervous. She let the hook of her prey not knowing the extent of his strength.

After the fateful encounter, she got out of the river and wears her garments to follow the man he just met.

Luciella just witnessed the first meeting of Laken and Eirisse in an unfamiliar forest. The fragments of her memories shifted again and this time, Luciella found herself in a room, probably she was at an inn.

She was surprised to see when Eirisse gently crawled on a bed where Laken was resting. Eirisse got on top of him while Laken was just staring at her sternly.

“Won't you give me some attention?” Eirisse whispered in a seductive tone.

The frustrated countenance of Laken was distinct. He was not disappointed because of what she just tried and did, but something Eirisse was not aware of herself.

Laken insinuated his index finger on her wrist up to her lips, “I honestly hate a woman who acts tough. At least make sure you're not shivering,” he told to her as a response.

One can definitely see her trembling arm. She just slipped on the side near the wall and curled herself up in a blanket.

“Be honest about yourself. You can try to be who you are rather than undertaking such out of character trope,” Laken simply remarked.

The door opened and Luciella saw Xenon and Alisa enter the room. The fragment of memory changed once more.

She suspects it was the time when they were still adventuring together. A period of time in which they are still comrades with Alisa.

Luciella's first impression of Eirisse was a really modest woman who always tries to act tough.

Her Revenant Metamorphosis allows her to become the strong woman she wanted to be in exchange for something she considered important.

The course of the shifting recollections of Eirisse turned again. The white landscape altered into a room of darkness. Luciella was seeing a silhouette of twelve people from afar.

She saw all of them holding a chalice filled with dark-red substance. The silhouette suggested movements.

Luciella noticed their mouths gaped, no voice can be caught, but there was someone amongst the twelve that she clearly heard.

She believes that was Eirisse based on her figure. She certainly listened to her mournful prayer.

“I wish for a strong heart that will never falter, a heart which will be accepted by one I love,” Eirisse uttered her wish in the darkness of the night. A candle alone to burn brighter only to melt in nothingness.

The twelve silhouettes all drank from the chalice they are holding. The moment they did, they all started to shriek and shouted from suffering.

Luciella may not have seen what is the thing that actually happened, but she felt the horror and pain from the voice they are giving off.

The last moment she observed was Eirisse standing in fright. She kept searching for her heart that was missing on her chest. Weeping until the state of darkness completely shaped her from within.

From the sight of Luciella, she beholds the true nature of a Revenant. She finally understood the meaning behind Alisa's reminder.

Luciella knew she was the only one who can wield the Shards of Creation. She heard the wish of the lost, for she also fathoms the wish of a Revenant from within.

In order to understand her comrades, she must learn to accept them wholeheartedly. Luciella held her head high and she realized what she must accomplish.

The lone lady who lost her heart was wandering in the endless nightmare. Luciella dashed to her and tightly embraces the Eirisse who has curled herself inside her own fragment of memory.

Luciella awakens on reality. She finds herself holding the collar of Eirisse's garment as she drives her to the ground.

“Someone! Anyone! Eirisse needed the warmth of emotion... I can prevent her from losing control, but she'll continually be corrupted by her darkness if the scar on her delusional heart isn't mended!” Luciella pleaded for aid.

They hastily came to the scene. Laken willingly tried to gash open his chest when Xenon prevented him to do so, “No... let me do what I must.”

The exact idea of Laken is what Xenon did. He opened his chest up to the layer of the secondary and primary plate. Steam came out of his frames. They all observed the extraordinary Arcanum Core that's giving life to his personality.

“Power overload. Restrain energy levels. Absolute function overdrive...” Xenon configured a lot of settings and switch on his body posthaste before it's too late.

“This is the least I can give...” Xenon spoke with his true personality.

Everyone couldn't believe what he just did, using both his arms, Xenon pulled the Arcanum Core out of his body.

With the force of his will, he completely sunk his fingers on the mass of energy and greatly tore it into two.

Now with both of the half of his Arcanum Core on his hands, he chose one of them and implanted it in the cage of Eirisse's heart that was empty.

His handiwork and knowledge of technomagic are astounding. He masterfully made amends by lumping the parts on his body to fill the void on her chest.

Xenon touched the core and it began to shimmer in a warm color of blue. It manifested and took over the placement. Gradually becoming part of her material form.

The core itself adjusted and it filled the gap. Changing its appearance of that a flesh and with the wonder it granted, the hole in her chest is unquestionably gone.

He abruptly knelt and forces half of the core back to his case and finally closing his entire structure.

Luciella also reverted on her normal form as she was holding the Shard of Void on her hand.

Laken planned to give his heart instead. Xenon discerns it was a bad idea, so he volunteered himself and gave a part of his being for the sake of Eirisse.

Everyone who is present in the chamber witnessed the wonders in which they cannot comprehend.

Luciella herself was amazed when half of the Arcanum Core transformed into a heart of gold and it made her calm the moment she felt the warmth of it.

Eirisse wakes up from her eternal nightmare. Everyone was there just staring at her condition.

She covered up her pitiful form so that no one can see the hole on her chest, but to her surprise, it was filled with warmth and as if the curse has never existed.

“It's fine now... Eirisse,” Luciella showed a bright smile.

Eirisse embraced her tightly, this time she reciprocated Luciella's courage of accepting her inside the fragment of her recollection.

Based on the magic signature of the pulsing beat on her chest, Eirisse is fully aware it was the part of Arcanum Core Xenon had. The first emotion she felt with her new heart was the sentiment of gratitude.

Lena and Luna couldn't help but cry to the event they just witnessed. Eirisse also couldn't stop the tears rolling from her cheeks.

Alisa was hiding behind the shadows after she witnessed everything. She left the chamber under the mist of her own magic.

They never knew what the day would bring or if their objectives will stay in track together. That was the day Eirisse understood she's no longer alone.

Even if the journey they have undertaken has no return, let alone a home to remain; she knew if they were together, if it takes a step at a time to collect the shards, they will always find a way towards the distant future and a brighter tomorrow.