Tales of Revenants

Chapter 54 – Heart of Gold

The infinite white landscape once again greeted Luciella the moment her mind encroached Xenon's memory fragment.

She thinks fixing the corruption in the Revenant's mind and heart will be the only way out to save the material form from eternal darkness just like what she did with Eirisse during her Metamorphosis.

Luciella still can't comprehend what is the true purpose of the shards. All she knows is that whenever she prays for the voice the shard offered, the perpetual power it bears encompasses her existence becoming a single entity.

The white landscape gradually painted a gloomy chamber, shifting the fragment of Xenon's memory when he has not received his Omega Core.

Luciella wanders into a room that seems to be filled with unique magic affinities. She can't see anything until people with a white lab coat opened the lights.

The different technomagic devices and advanced form of the object she had not seen before nor can be explain astonished her.

There is a countless capsule pod filled with water that she doesn't know what is the purpose.

Each pod has a person who is supposed to be a mechanoid defender based on their mechanical bodily structure.

They have a different figure. They could be male or female depending on the creator's desire once they are deployed.

Upon the numbers of the mechanoid defenders who are inside the chamber, the people who entered only went to the encase pod at the end of the room.

“Is this the other one you are talking about doctor?” A female asked who had different apparatus on her garment.

“Yes, together with Zoroaster, they shall become the strongest mechanoid defenders.” Responded a man.

The fragments of memory shifted. The landscape turned into a room that should be a training facility.

Luciella recognized Xenon wielding his weapon that is named Stargazer.

He skillfully changes his weapon into a rifle, shooting the training dummy with perfect precision. Xenon can also turn his weapon into a shield that can block an entire beam of light.

What amazes Luciella was his shield comes with a sword, swinging it into the training floating mechanical objects as he takes flight in the air eluding their assaults.

After strenuously training himself, he went out as Luciella follows him when he flew to an open field.

The calm wind breezes through the meadows, he suddenly sprawled on the grass field.

“Wind level is warm; the grasses are swaying. I have achieved perfect training for today... I still can't understand happiness.” Xenon said to himself in a monotonic voice.

It seems Luciella knew he can't feel nor have any emotion at the time. She thinks how lonely it must be for him to be created that way.

The memory fragment shifted once again changing the landscape where they were in a gloomy room again.

But it was different because Xenon was the only one on his capsule pod amongst the other empty encasement.

After a glimpse of seconds, Luciella saw a woman in a veil shattered Xenon's cage. The water flowed on the floor together with the alarm of dazzling red lights.

She can't clearly see the face of the woman, she held Xenon on her arms waking him up from his slumber.

“You're no longer a nightingale in a silver cage, you must escape once and for all.” Uttered the woman.

Her arm is a mechanical clockwork with no skin to spare. She insinuated her fingers on the emotionless face Xenon had.

“Why do... what are we?” Xenon interjected.

The woman couldn't answer nor even respond. Luciella notices the approaching people behind the door when the alarmed activated pertaining someone has branches a heavily secured facility.

Luciella thought the woman would run together with him, but she held her once more and parted her message, “From now on, your name is Xenon Genesis.”

“Genesis...?” Xenon asked curious about the meaning behind it.

“Genesis, you are nobody, we are nothing... we were born without a noble purpose. But at least we are born with a heart of gold, that's what makes us alive, Xenon.” The woman had a hidden smile.

Luciella has seen her kindness as her tears dropped on Xenon's shoulder.

Right after the fragment of memory shattered. The placed changed into a boat with where they are complete together with Laken, Xenon, Eirisse, and even Alisa who hasn't been corrupted yet.

Luciella thinks how joyous it must be during their adventures, but all changes because of the cursed they underwent.

Xenon was sitting beside Eirisse when Alisa controlled her undead servant to hit him on the head.

“Hey! Don't make fun of him, will you?” Eirisse huffed.

She stared on the undead minion by utilizing her vampiric ability, it crumbled to pieces.

“What's the harm? I'm teaching him the basics of life, you bipolar vampire!” Alisa bickers.

The other did not seem to care even a little bit. Eirisse sips from transparent glass with a red-colored liquid substance.

Luciella hopes it's not an elf or human blood, “I prefer not to talk to a person full of antics whenever I enjoy my blue bird's blood I bought in the black market.”

“Forget her Xenon, now you learned earlier how to feel angry.” Alisa patted his back.

“Angry? The amount of force the undead skeleton took a toll on my head was forty-five kilograms the same with a normal sword's medium swing force. Does that make me angry?” Xenon asked pondering.

Alisa took a deep sighed, she stoops discouraged because she thinks Xenon still has a lot to learn, “We still have a long, long way to go,” she drawled over.

Luciella thinks it was the time when they are still teaching him what it means to experience and some knowledge on how does an emotion feels like.

The fragment of his recollections shifted once more. This time Luciella recognizes the twelve silhouettes holding a chalice from Eirisse's memories were the same with Xenon's.

She was sure that all of them uttered words, but the only one he heard was the silhouette that surely resembles Xenon's shadow.

Maybe because it was his recollection. If that was the case, Luciella was thinking who are the rest of them.

“I wish to understand the meaning of life, a voice of freedom that shall reach wherever she was,” Xenon parted his wish and before drinking the liquid substance from the chalice, it seems Luciella knows already what comes after.

She covered her pointy ears as the scream of anguish everyone in the isolated room permeated her entire being.

However, Luciella now understands why Xenon encapsulated himself in the cocoon of emotions that can't be contained.

Amid the kaleidoscope where he imprisoned himself, he wanted to learn the true meaning of life, the meaning of the feelings throbbing in his chest.

That's why the moment Xenon discovered Eirisse lost her heart, he willingly shared his Omega Core because he understands more than anyone how painful it is to feel the void of missing emotions.

Luciella also realizes his call. With the very umbral light of the Shard of Shadow essence; she shattered the endless mirrors of personality Xenon has created as an illusion to his true self.

She reaches for him and held his trembling hand, “You don't need to be puzzled anymore... you are who you are! You are Xenon Genesis!” Luciella exclaimed and the shadow looming within his mind shattered completely.

There was no need for Xenon to hide his personality from the mistake he did nor be tied in the cursed he experienced because that is all part of the way of living.

It's the only thing that makes someone feels alive and all the more reason to survive for your comrades.

Luciella awakens to reality and finds herself driving Xenon's head towards the ground.

“We need to give back Eirisse's heart! We must or else he will be succumbed by his alter-ego once again!” Luciella reaches for Laken who was waiting for her return, and he's thankful she won against Xenon's fear.

“I will find her now–” Laken was going to find Sheria who ate the three pieces of the Omega Core when she readily arrived where Eirisse was lying down.

“Here, the Omega Core.” Sheria broke the Omega Core into three again.

The one with the medal-like emblem which is the Magic Transporter Xenon lied about, his original piece of core, and the other piece that has taken the form of a beating heart of flesh.

Sheria carefully placed it on Eirisse's chest, letting the vampire's regenerative ability to take over the healing until it fully covered her heart.

She doesn't have the right to bring back Xenon's heart so she handed it over to Luciella instead.

The mark of the eye in her arm is no longer there and it completely disappeared.

Luciella is aware Xenon doesn't have any energy left after he calmed down.

The moment she put the piece of the Omega Core in his chest, she let the flow of mana freely envelop his magic circuits. Xenon's energy limiter became full. His auto-repair function takes care of the rest.

Luciella's prayer was granted. The Magic Incarnation takes a toll on her body that made her feel faint. Laken quickly seizes her before she falls totally.

He embraced her so tight he doesn't want to let go, “I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help...”

Luciella for the first time she felt how worried he is. She embraced her in return wishing for the moment to last more than ever.

Laken is afraid to lose her because he understands that a single sound of the Voiceless Revenant means death. But the feat she conquered exceeded beyond everyone's expectation.

The miracle that brought by the shard when Luciella did the Magus Incarnation again made Alice wonder what is the true purpose of the Shards of Creation.

In order for them to not attract the Astral Kingdom's higher-ups, Alice herself fixes the situation with her unfathomable magic and recreating the things that were destroyed during the battle.

The burning azure flames gradually faded away along with the hope that everything is not too late.

Laken puts up the silver choker on his neck. He takes up his resolve once more because his quest isn't finished yet.