A few moments after the barrier faded away, Serenade rose to her feet and began chanting. “What are you doing?” asked Elaine.
“I’m going back to him! Someone has to make sure he’s alright!” replied Serenade. She began chanting again, but Elaine stopped her and firmly gripped her shoulders as she gazed into Serenade’s teary eyes.
“You know what he just did… We both do. Going back for him now would mean his sacrifice would be for nothing. He gave his life so that we could live, so that his son, Cypher, could live. Are you really just going to throw that away like it means nothing at all?” Elaine struggled to get the words out, her emotions heavy in her voice as she did her best to maintain her composure.
Serenade blinked erratically a few times as she tried to process her own thoughts and emotions. “I…I know but-” she began.
“But nothing Serenade… You saw the same thing I did. His Duality Shield is gone, and so is he.” finished Elaine, her voice cracking as more tears obstructed her vision. “Going back now would only put you at risk. He wouldn’t want that and you know it.”
Serenade fell to the ground, a blank gaze upon her face, but no more tears fell. Right now, Serenade was a husk of her previous self. Elaine had never seen her this way before. She was always cheery, confident, and powerful. She held herself high and almost seemed to float whenever she was around Fenix. But Elaine could understand her feelings at this moment.
She too was already feeling the impact of a world without Fenix in it. Her master had taught her everything she knew about being a powerful Conductor. Sure she had brought some skills with her when she began to train under him, but it was Fenix’s teachings that pushed her over the edge and made her a true force to be reckoned with.
Before this night she was a Rank-Three Conductor in the final stages of advancing. But in this moment of grief, she folded over and her pain pushed her Orrium to such a degree that it broke into the next rank. Power welled up around her, but she ignored it. She couldn’t revel in the glory of reaching the Heroic Ranks, not when the price of her advancement had been this steep.
Her life would never be the same after this night.
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.
It was several hours later before the two of them went inside the Ceraunus mansion beneath the Hawthorn grove. Serenade had taken up a spot next to Cypher’s crib and was stroking his cheek softly. Her eyes though, were blank as she stared through the years ahead. Her own grief had allowed her to channel her Oracle powers to a higher degree than she ever had before.
Elaine imagined that she might be searching, hoping for a future in which Fenix had somehow survived. But when several more hours had passed, and Serenade’s tears began to flow again, Elaine knew that it was not to be.
The fire died as Serenade looked down at Cypher fast asleep in his crib. Her tears stopped and were quickly replaced by a warm loving gaze as she wiped her face and stood up. “Elaine, there is much we must do to ensure that Fenix’s sacrifice was not in vain. Beyond that, a darkness is coming that will test all of us more than we ever have been.”
Elaine was taken aback by the suddenness of her words, but she listened intently all the same. “There was more to tonight than any of us first thought. The Order is planning something terrible and even with my power, I’m unable to see exactly what that entails. All that I could see only showed what we must do to prepare.”
Elaine stared dumbstruck and cocked her head to the side, “What do you mean, prepare? Can you at least tell me what kind of threat we’re facing?”
Serenade shook her head, “As I said, it is a mystery to me but the few glimpses I could see all pointed towards the advent of another Ark war if we should do nothing. However, I have a plan and it will require tremendous sacrifice for us, the Radiant Corps, and many others, even my son will not be spared from what is to be asked of all of us.”
She quickly explained the basics of her plan and when she was finished, the two prepared the mansion for the eventual return of its inheritor.
After that, Serenade vanished into the living room for a while. When she returned, it was with a small chest. She placed it within Cypher’s little arms as she picked him up. Elaine followed Serenade back to the surface.
“Do you need any help?” asked Elaine. But Serenade shook her head.
“Where I am going, you cannot follow. But if you agree to follow my plan, then I ask you to tell everyone that I and Fenix died together. If my plan is to succeed, no one can know the truth, not even Cypher.” said Serenade.
“Are you sure this is the right thing to do? What if things don’t go how you predicted? Should I do something?” asked Elaine.
Serenade smiled softly and shook her head again. “No Elaine, your time will come and when it does, go easy on this little guy, will you? For my sake.” Elaine nodded her agreement and shuddered as a cool wind swept over the two of them. It felt somehow familiar, but they paid it no mind.
After that, exchange, Serenade turned away and left. Elaine was left standing alone with her thoughts. Serenade had spoken of finding someone. Someone who could turn the tide and change the course of the future. She warned that the world would soon change. That within a few years, darkness would begin to creep across the land once again.
Elaine trusted Serenade, but at that time, she couldn’t know what that meant.
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“That was the last time I saw your mother, Cypher,” finished Elaine. Her eyes were red and tears streaked down her face. It was clear that even now the memory of that night still pained her to remember. Cypher found that he too was crying softly.
At the end of it all, his father had died a hero. He might not have saved a country or slain a terrible monster, but he had saved his loved ones. In that, Cypher could only find immense pride. He felt like he knew his father a lot better, and was proud that his own ideals mirrored those of that great man.
It was no longer about trying to catch up to Fenix in Cypher’s mind. To him, that was an impossible task. Fenix had shown absolute bravery in a situation that had no hope of a positive outcome. If that wasn’t heroism, Cypher didn’t know what was.
The two shared a few silent moments and took their time reigning in their emotions. Cypher felt like he also understood Elaine a lot better, and his bond with her in his mind strengthened even further. She wasn’t only some rude Conductor who taught at the Academy anymore. He considered her family.
Elaine caught him looking fondly at her, and she scoffed. “Oh no, don’t start getting all mushy with me now, you should be more focused on tomorrow,” she said. Cypher chuckled, he could tell she wasn’t even the slightest bit serious when she had said that.
“Don’t let what I just told you cloud up your mind. You can’t afford to be complacent. Instead, use it as a reason to survive. Fenix paid a heavy price for your future. Don’t throw it away okay?” continued Elaine.
Cypher nodded and Elaine rose and headed for the stairs to her bedroom. “You can crash here tonight, it’s probably better that way. Besides, you aren’t getting out of this barrier I placed anyways. Sleep, dream, and plan for tomorrow. There won’t be any room for error.”
With that, she headed to bed and Cypher fell back on the couch. She was right, now was a time for reflection and planning. He had his friends to save and he refused to let them down. He clenched the Ark Cradle tightly in his hands and pulled it into his ring.
His goals hadn’t changed all that much, but once his friends were safe, he had a new goal in mind. He would scour the world and he would find his mother. Knowing she was out there planning something drove him to further heights, and he wanted to help assist in her master plan. He felt like, if they were together, nothing could stop them.
But saving his friends came first.
