The first thing he noticed was how dark it was here in the real world. Inside of his soul, he could perceive everything within it, even if it wasn’t visible. He could intuit what everything around him was because it was all a part of him. The outside was different. This place was not his domain. But judging from how everything around him was black, he could tell that it was still night, just like it was when he entered his soul cluster.
He felt a small mass on his chest and muffled sobs coming from it. A smile crept onto his face. Even though the only thing he could see was her softly glowing silverish hair, he could tell that it was Sya.
Arden wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what. They had been separated for a long time. Only two months had passed since they last saw each other, but with what they each went through, it felt like 20 years instead. Arden became an Archon, and Sya was kidnapped. How do you just greet each other after something like that?
‘Like a brother.’ he thought.
“Hey, Sya,” he said softly.
She looked up at him with wide eyes. Just like her hair, they seemed to be glowing a faint silver now as well. He gave her a crooked grin, then she hugged him with a strength unbecoming that was for a Blight Walker.
Arden was about to talk, but he heard profusely apologize into his shoulder
“I’m sorry, Arden. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” Arden asked, gently prodding her along.
He already knew the answer. Domah said that Sya would have her memories intact.
“For everything that happened there! In your soul! I wasn’t in control, but it was still my body! I could only watch as you were cruelly slaughtered! You were only put in that situation because I was weak! You put up your own soul as collateral for my failings, and the only thing you asked of that thing was my freedom!”
Golden sparks slowly began lifting up off of Sya’s body, but she paid them no mind and continued.
“When I saw you fall here, I thought you were dead. When you brought us inside of you and tricked her, I thought you were amazing. When you dispelled her word magic, I thought you were invincible. And then…”
She didn’t say anything for several minutes. She only cried instead. Arden hugged her tight. When Sya finally did speak again, it was with as much rage as it was sorrow.
“And then I saw you die. Over and over again. Everytime she killed you, it felt like my heart was ripped out. Do you know what it's like seeing one of the only people you care about die right in front of you?”
A memory that Arden desperately wanted out of his head resurfaced once more. A memory that marked when his trial had gone from bad to a waking nightmare. When he thought about it, he felt rage bubble up inside of him. It didn't help that he had a constant reminder of that event inside his soul cluster.
“I know the feeling, Sya,” Arden softly said. “More than you know. But despite everything, I managed to come back. Not everyone gets the opportunity.”
Sya looked into her brother’s eyes and saw the hurt. Even then, he smiled. Just like he always did in a bad situation. She saw his smile more than most.
“Are you okay, Arden?”
He sighed and immediately relaxed as tension left his body. He looked at his sister with a mixture of relief, exhaustion, and apprehension.
“I’m getting there. It’s been tough. It's been tough on all of us. Vera’s no exception.”
“She’s here?” She asked with hope.
“She is. Down on the first few floors, helping with the rescuing. She probably found our old rooms. If there is anything left of them.”
A despondent look of dread appeared on Sya’s face. She paled considerably, which was saying something considering she was already a malnourished Blight Walker in the slums. Arden heeded her every word.
“They are intact,” she said. “When I was brought here by Yaan, it was already repaired, like it hadn't even been damaged. He said that his patron told him that echo of Eternity made this place the perfect breeding ground for Blight Walkers, as they wouldn't be able to die.”
“The echo of eternity?”
He knew that eternity was the nature of Arden’s original legacy ability, meaning that Beyond was the Archon of Eternity. Arden already knew this. Going off of this information, he could surmise that the echo of eternity was likely the doppelganger who once hounded them for the ability to make him whole again.
The golden sparks that lifted off of Sya formed the outline of a Golden Stargate. In a few moments, the sparks would fill the center, and it would be complete.
“Can you open your Status?” Arden asked.
“I'm a Blight Walker.”
“You're also a Paradox now. Your Golden Stargate Is forming. In a few minutes, you'll be in your trial.”
Sya turned to look at the Golden Stargate. It was her third time seeing one, after seeing Vera’s and Arden’s a few months ago. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd ever see her own.
It broke the rules of reality for a Blight Walker to have access to such an opportunity. She traced the outer ring of the Stargate with her finger.
She looked back to her brother who looked proud, and bit her lip.
This was all possible because of him.
He made the impossible happen regularly.
“I just need to think about the Status, right?”
“That's right.”
A colorless Status window appeared in front of Sya. With a trembling hand, she reached out to touch it, not realizing that it wasn't physical, so her hand passed through it. Arden stifled a laugh, but Sya ignored it.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
She had a Status.
As she read it, her mind was inundated with white noise like static.
N●◇e: S?a
‘[¤?bor% °`er: Aspi°~`}
St○?◇?`n Ra?◇: ☆?°irant
‘*
Only a few letters of each word were readable, and those that weren't quickly cycled through different symbols that when read didn't make any sense.
Her face must have reflexively scrunched up as she read through it, because Arden asked her what was wrong.
“Whats wrong?”
“My Status is broken.”
She rotated the window for Arden to read through, and he too thought he heard the sound of static.
“More like corrupted, I'd say. As long as you have it, that's all that really matters for the purpose of the trial. I couldn't use mine in my trial.”
“What happened to it?” she asked, with the golden sparks behind her filling in the portal.
“It's probably what happened as a result of Domah leaving your body. She was able to use powers in your body. Therefore, your body is now able to use powers, despite not having a body that was able to.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“It wasn't supposed to. I'm just making it up as I go along.”
“That makes even more sense. Was yours like this?”
“No, but I was never a Blight Walker. You've got Blight essence running through your veins, which is the antithesis to the stellar essence of Starborn.”
“Are you making stuff up again?”
“On this part? Not really. I've learned a lot over the past few months. A lot,” Arden emphasized. “We can talk about it when you return.”
Sya turned back to her now completed Golden Stargate. From the depths of her soul, she could feel something reaching out to it. It was like the feeling of yearning, but much stronger.
Her soul wanted the power that was being offered to her. This wasn't like when Domah forcefully intruded into her own body. This would be Sya’s own power.
Shortly after she became a Blight Walker, she wondered if living on would be worth it. Her parents were gone. Her life was gone. Arden was the only thing she had left. But she knew something, even if Arden never thought about it.
She was holding him back.
If she was dead, then her brother would be able to let go, and spread his wings. He had potential. He didn't give up when their parents died. He bore it all and kept moving.
Arden was unyielding.
He had proven that again tonight.
But what about her?
Sya lived in her brother’s shadow for years. She gave into despair when their parents died, unlike Arden, and she became a Blight Walker. She gave up control to Domah, unlike Arden, and was possessed by her.
She was weak, unlike Arden.
He was everything that she wasn't.
But she never resented him. Just like how he never resented her. They were all each other had left, and they did what they could to improve each other's life.
When she told Arden that she believed the best thing she could do for Arden was to just die one night, that was the only time he became angry at her.
He wasn't angry that she was suicidal. He had enough tact to know that would only make matters worse. He was enraged that she thought that killing herself would be helpful to him.
He yelled at her. He told her that her killing herself for him would only make things worse.
“Why do you think that your death would make me happier!?”
“You’d be free! I only hold you back! We both know this! I'm only an obligation!”
“You have never been an obligation! Did you think I only ever helped you because I had to!? I did it because I love you!”
“But that's what I'm saying! If I was gone, you wouldn't have to!
“How is that a good thing!? Why do you think feeling grief is better than being happy!? How would you feel if I died and you knew that you were the reason why!?”
Arden said that at the time, and it made Sya realize how dumb she was. How pitiful she was.
How weak she was.
It was her weakest moment in life. She felt even worse in that moment than she did after waking up as a Blight Walker orphan. She didn't have a choice when their parents died. But she had a choice to either end her life or continue living, and she genuinely thought that ending it was the right choice.
It was only when Arden corrected her did she realize how weak she was. She'd known from the beginning that they relied on each other, but she'd forgotten it along the way.
The day after that was the only day that Arden didn't leave the house to collect food, even though they were out. He could starve one day to make sure his sister was alright.
Ever since that night, Sya lived. She chose life, and it was the single greatest thing Arden had ever done for her.
She wanted to get stronger so that she'd never be weak in front of Arden again. She trained with Arden and Vera. Explored the Mausoleum of the Maverick with them. Fought against Frozhe and the doppelganger with them.
But she was still weak.
She was only in the fight against the Maverick for a short time.
She could only fight against the doppelgangers' summons.
She couldn't do anything against Yaan.
And she couldn't do anything against Domah.
She resented her weak self.
But somehow, another opportunity presented itself. Another choice.
She could choose to either stay weak, or risk her life for strength.
The golden Stargate fully opened. She turned her head towards her brother.
“I still think about our conversation a few years ago. I might die if I go in there. Are you alright with that?”
“Sya, what I want doesn't matter. Yes, I'd be inconsolable if you go in there and died, especially after just reuniting, but I'd at least be content that you died doing something that you chose to do because you wanted to it, not because you think it would make me happier. What do you want to do?”
Sya stared into the depths of the swirling golden mass. She saw infinite possibilities staring back at her.
“I want to get stronger. I want to explore the Starborn world with you and Vera. I don't want to be left behind.”
Arden smiled. He knew that she would answer like that. Vera expressed doubt, but Arden had faith. He nodded towards the golden Stargate with a confident smirk. It was the same kind of face he'd make when told to break something.
“Then get stronger.”
Sya pulled Arden to his feet and gave him another hug. A hint of teasing light entered her silver eyes.
“See you on the other side, Arden.”
Arden recognized the words. They were the exact same words he told Sya before he entered his trial.
“Please don't take a couple months like me or Vera. I don't know how much longer we can stick around without pulling some good people into bad situations.”
“You worry too much. I'll be way faster than you. I'll be in and out in a day.”
Arden watched with hope as his sister entered her golden Stargate and said a silent prayer for her safety to whichever God was listening when the Stargate closed behind her.
“Would praying to myself work?” He said aloud.
Arden turned towards the way he came from so many lifetimes ago. He still had a job to finish.
The poor unfortunate women taken prisoner by Yaan needed help more than Sya. She could handle herself. He firmly believed that she was much stronger than he was.
He took one step, and as to prove a point, Sya fell to the ground behind him, in a way that seemed to perfectly mimic the way he fell through Savish’s restaurant.
With a groan, Sya stood up with a hand on her full head of silver hair under Arden’s amazed stare.
She smiled at his bewildered reaction and laughed.
“Told you I'd be done quick.”