634 Pillar of Flame
Sunny woke up just before dawn. He lay still for a while, reluctant to leave the warm embrace of the blankets. Then, with a sigh, he sat up in shivered in the morning cold. It was time to face a new day, and there was a lot to do. He had no excuses to laze about…
A dull pain suddenly radiated through his chest. He looked down with a confused expression, studying the old scars covering his tan, bronze skin.
'...I guess it's going to rain?'
Then, an ivory arm suddenly appeared from beneath the blankets, caressing his firm muscles.
"Is it morning already?"
Sunny smiled, grasped the hand of his wife, and nodded.
"Yes, my sunshine."
She sighed.
"Alright… go, get ready. I'll wake up the little devil."
He remained motionless, leisurely enjoying the sight of the beauty he had somehow managed to coax into marrying a ruffian like him dressing herself, careful not to disturb the round belly where their second child slept peacefully, with not a care in the world. His smile grew a little wider.
"I said go! Today is not the day for your mischief, hoodlum… have you forgotten?"
Sunny made a dejected face, then rose and dressed, as well.
When he left their quarters, the servants were already hard at work, preparing for the day. When they saw him, each bowed respectfully and greeted him with warm voices. Being subjected to all this adoration and decorum, Sunny had to put on a face worthy of a lord, as well.
'How bothersome...'
The servants were going to prepare everything for the upcoming journey, but one thing he had to do himself. That was something that Sunny would not allow anyone else to perform, not for the lack of trust, but simply because it was his duty.
Entering the stables, he greeted his steed and went about feeding and watering the noble beast before putting the saddle on his wide back. Sunny might have become a lord of some renown and left his turbulent past behind, but the bond between a warrior and his horse was sacred.
Just because the two of them didn't have to risk their lives on a battlefield anymore didn't mean that he would forget it.
When all was done, he led the horse to the courtyard and attached the weathered wooden scabbard to the saddle, the cold steel of a beautiful sword hidden safely within.
Then, he stared at the scabbard for some time, massaging his aching chest with a distant expression. A subtle, dark expression appeared on his face.
After a while, the sound of quick steps headed his way.
"Dad!"
Sunny turned around and grinned as he caught his son in an iron embrace.
"Trying to sneak up on your poor old father, huh? Not so fast… I was sneaking up on monsters long before you were born, brat!"
The boy giggled, and then took a step back.
He was turning seven today, and on that occasion, his mother had dressed him in the best clothes they had. The little devil almost looked like a proper child, and not a Corrupted abomination sent to the mortal realm to torture his helpless parents.
"Why did you have to sneak up? Too weak to kill them outright, huh?"
Sunny sighed in exasperation and stared at the heavens.
'Lady, help me…'
Why did their son have to inherit his poisonous tongue, as well?
The boy, meanwhile, turned around and looked into the distance, where the beautiful silhouette of the Ivory Tower could already be seen in the morning haze. His eyes widened.
"Dad… is it true? Am I going to see her today? The Lady?"
Sunny lingered for a few moments, then nodded.
"Of course. You are turning seven, are you not? Today is a divine day. So, you will meet our goddess... to introduce yourself, and pledge yourself to her service."
His son frowned.
"But she isn't really a… a goddess, is she? Won't other gods be angry with me?"
Sunny laughed.
"Gods! Gods are too great and mighty to know what jealousy means, kid. Why would they mind? Lady Hope gives us shelter and safety, protects us from the Corruption, from war, famine, plague... and even ourselves. If that is not something worthy of worship, then I don't know what is."
With that, he jumped into the saddle, and then lifted the boy to sit in front of him.
"Let's go!"
They left the manor and followed the road of white stones through a peaceful forest and up the hill. The horse walked forward at a steady pace, easily bearing the weight of two riders. Sunshine fell through the canopy of leaves in wide beams, making their surroundings look like a fairy tale.
Sunny was enjoying the beauty of the forest and its tranquility. A long time ago… before coming to the Kingdom of Hope… he had known neither. His life had been nothing but bloodshed and pain, battle after battle, war after war… only after coming to this realm and deciding to remain here did he learn the truth of how joyous life could be.
Especially when shared with those you love.
…His son, however, didn't know anything about strife and darkness. This peace was all he had ever known. For that reason, he was extremely bored.
The boy fidgeted for a few minutes, then stared at the hilt of Sunny's sword.
"One day, I'm going to have a sword of my own! It will be way bigger and sharper than yours, old man. Mark my words!"
Sunny laughed.
"What do you need a sword for?"
His son glanced at him with confusion.
"What do you mean, what for? To become an Awakened! A warrior, like you!"
Sunny looked away and didn't respond for a while. His eyes grew distant.
…His heart ached. Why did it ache so much today?
"I was a warrior once, true. But I never chose to be a warrior. I just became one to survive. In the Kingdom of Hope, you don't need to fight, suffer, and kill others to live a long and happy life. Why would you still want to be a warrior?
The boy fell silent, a comically thoughtful frown appearing on his face. He turned away and didn't say anything else for a while.
Sunny doubted that his son really understood what he meant. And he hoped that the boy never would.
Closing his eyes, he said a silent prayer:
"Hail to you, Desire, Demon of Hope. Please, hear my yearning. Protect my son from all the horrors of the world and save him, as you have saved me…"
Silently, the three of them — the man, the boy, and the horse — left the forest and climbed the tall hill. From its top, a breathtaking sight opened before them.
In front of them, a vast plain was bathed in sunlight, emerald grass shining with the morning due. Here and there, farmsteads and fields stood, golden wheat swaying in the wind. Sparkling ribbons of rivers cut the plain, and in the distance, a beautiful city built of white stone rose from the ground, with a magnificent pagoda towering above it.
Sunny couldn't help but smile.
No matter how many times he saw it, he could help but feel a little bit sentimental.
"...Hey, do you want to wave to your mother? I'm sure she's looking in this direction right now!"
His son glanced at him with a pitying expression.
"Are you crazy? She won't see us. We're too far away!"
Sunny laughed.
"Says who?"
He turned around and looked back, at a similar landscape that lay behind them. Gazing past the forest, he saw the small town and a humble stone manor standing near it. From this distance, the building looked like a toy…
He raised his hand and waved.
"Hey, dad…"
Sunny scoffed.
"What? Are you going to mock me some more?"
The boy shook his head.
"No. It's just... what is wrong with the sky? It looks funny."
'...Huh?'
Sunny raised his head, then frowned in confusion.
The sky, indeed, looked funny.
The sun was still climbing up, but there seemed to be a second one right above them, swelling with incandescent light. The sky itself was growing brighter and brighter, as if permeated with intense heat. The clouds were all gone…
A gust of hot wind suddenly blew past them.
His eyes suddenly narrowed.
"W—wait!"
In the next second, a colossal pillar of incandescent flame suddenly fell from the sky, piercing the plain and shattering the land like glass. A blinding flash drowned the world in white, and through it, a terrible sound rolled across the forest. Deafened, Sunny felt his son screaming, but could not hear his voice.
At the point where the pillar of flame fell, the ground itself was split open and thrown into the air, colossal pieces of melted earth raining down fire, ash, and death.
The hill on which they stood shook, and then shifted, throwing Sunny off the horse.
'No, no, no…'
Still dazed, he tried to find his son, but failed.
Instead, his gaze fell on the small town and the stone manor that stood in the distance.
As Sunny watched in horror, the ground opened up, with fountains of fire shooting into the sky. The houses were instantly devoured by the flames and incinerated, turning into clouds of ash.
'No, no, no!'
In the next moment, the whole hill crumbled.
The last thing Sunny saw before being smothered by the avalanche of scorching earth was the fragile figure of his son being swallowed by flames.
'No!'
And then, he died.
***
Pain, pain, pain…
Why did his heart hurt so much?
Sunny opened his eyes in the darkness and sat down, throwing the furs aside. He stared at his feeble chest, then touched it with a shaking hand, surprised. Since when did his chest start to ache during the night?
'Ah, being old is not fun…'
Chasing the remnants of a terrible nightmare away, he struggled to sit up and massaged his joints for a while, waiting until some flexibility returned to them. Then, he slowly stood up and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the Sacred Grove that enveloped him.
Well, at least he woke up alive. At his age, that was already an accomplishment!
If only his heart didn't ache so much…
But that was just what being old meant. Every dawn brought a new ache... actually, Sunny would have been more scared if he woke up and suddenly felt perfectly fine.
In any case…
It was time to face a new day.
