Sorcerer's Shadow

Then Nyxara gave us a smile and sauntered away.

Thaleia began to stir.

Her eyes flickered open, unfocused. She was even more striking alive than she had been in her still state. Drevolan and I watched her for a moment, until he softly said, "Thaleia?"

Her gaze locked onto him. After a moment's pause, her expression turned confused. She tried to utter something, hesitated, cleared her throat and rasped, "Who are you?"

He replied, "I'm your cousin, Drevolan D'Lira. I am the firstborn of your father's youngest sister."

"Drevolan," she echoed. "Yes. That sounds fitting." She nodded as if he had met her expectations. I glanced at Drevolan's face, but he maintained a poker face. Thaleia attempted to sit up, failed, and her gaze shifted to me, suspicious. She turned to Drevolan and pleaded, "Help me."

He assisted her in sitting up. She looked around, questioning, "Where am I?"

"The Halls of Afterlife," Drevolan replied.

Shocked, she asked, "I'm dead?"

"Not anymore."

"But—"

"I'll explain," Drevolan intervened.

"Go on," Thaleia demanded.

"They must be kin," I commented to Opal. He chuckled.

"What's the last thing you recall?"

She gave a shrug, tilting one shoulder and her head in a way remarkably similar to Drevolan's. "It's tricky to recall." Her eyes closed. A moment passed in silence before she continued, "There was this peculiar high-pitched hum, nearly beyond my hearing. The floor started vibrating, and the walls and ceiling began to collapse. Heat was escalating. I planned to teleport out, but I remember feeling that I couldn't do it swiftly enough. Then I saw Alyssra's face." She took a pause, looking at Drevolan, "Alyssra Volade. You know her?"

"Indeed," Drevolan affirmed.

Thaleia nodded. "I saw her face, then I found myself sprinting through a tunnel—I believe that was a dream. It felt as though it lasted a long while. Eventually, I halted and lay down on what appeared to be a white-tiled floor, immobilized, drained of any will to move. I'm unsure how long I remained in that state. Then, I heard someone calling my name—I assumed it was my mother. Following that, I was waking up to an unfamiliar voice repeating my name. I think it was you, Drevolan, as I opened my eyes to see you."

Drevolan nodded, "You've been asleep—or rather, deceased—for several centuries."

Thaleia acknowledged his words with a nod, a tear glistening in her eye. She whispered, "It is the era of a reborn Fenghuang, isn't it?"

Understanding her, Drevolan nodded.

"I warned him that it would happen," she claimed, "A Great Cycle—seventeen Cycles; it could only signify a reborn Fenghuang. But he disregarded my counsel. He believed it was the end of the Cycle, and a new one could emerge. He—"

"He fostered a sea of chaos, Thaleia."

"Pardon?"

I presumed "he" was a reference to Edron. I was quite doubtful he would be present in these realms.

"It may not be as vast as the original, but it exists—where the Imperial City once stood."

"Once stood," she echoed.

"The Empire's capital is now Avandryl."

"Avandryl. A coastal town, correct? Isn't that where Kyran's Tower is?"

"Kyran's Watch. It used to be there. It plunged into the ocean during the Regency Break."

"Rege—Ah. Naturally. How did it conclude?"

"Marya, of the House of the Fenghuang, discovered the Orb which had somehow ended up here, in the Paths of the Dead. She was granted permission to retrieve it. I assisted her," he added.

"I see," she responded. Drevolan took a seat next to her. I seated myself beside Drevolan. Thaleia remarked, "I am unfamiliar with Marya."

"She was unborn then. She's the sole daughter of Larin and his spouse."

"Stellan."

"Correct. They both perished in the Disaster."

She acknowledged with a nod, then paused. "Hold on. If they both died in the explosion, and Marya hadn't been born yet, how could...?"

Drevolan shrugged. "Alyssra had a hand in it. I've requested an explanation, but she merely looks self-satisfied." He blinked. "It seems that whatever she managed to do, she was too engrossed to rescue you completely. I presume you were secondary to ensuring the continuation of the Emperor. Marya is the last Fenghuang."

"The last Fenghuang? There can't be another? Then the Cycle is fractured. If not now, then in the future."

"Perhaps," Drevolan conceded.

"Can another Fenghuang arise?"

"Who am I to say? We have an entire Cycle to ponder over it. Ask me again in a few hundred thousand years when it starts to become relevant."

From Thaleia's expression, it was clear she didn't appreciate this response, but she didn't retaliate. A silence followed before she asked, "What happened to me?"

"I can't claim full comprehension," Drevolan admitted. "Alyssra succeeded in saving your soul in some capacity, though it went astray. Eventually—presumably shortly after Marya obtained the Orb—a Lurivox magician stumbled upon you. He was delving into necromancy. I don't think he realized what he'd found. You were traced, and—"

"Who traced me?"

"Alyssra and myself," he revealed, eyeing her intently. He shot me a swift glance before adding, "Along with a few others who lent a hand, some time back."

Thaleia nodded with her eyes closed. I dislike being left out of the loop. "Did you encounter any difficulties retrieving me?"

Drevolan and I exchanged glances. "Nothing noteworthy," I replied.

Thaleia glanced at me, then did a double-take, narrowing her eyes. She scrutinized me intently, as if attempting to peer inside me. She asked, "Who are you?"

"Viktor Dravos, Baronet, of House Vorgan."

Her stare lingered a bit longer before she shook her head and turned her attention back to Drevolan.

"What is it?" he inquired.

"Nothing important." Abruptly, she attempted to stand, failing, and settled back down. She grimaced. "I want to leave this place."

"I think they might permit Viktor to exit. If so, he will assist you."

She alternated her gaze between me and Drevolan. "What's your issue?"

"As a living person, I am forbidden to depart the Paths of the Dead. My fate is to stay here."

Thaleia stared at him. "Over my dead body."