"Thank you."
With a brief nod, Elian turned around and pulled Bianca by her hand.
The only ones who followed him were Sunny and Flare, Fla Phoenixes hiding in human skin. Maybe it was because of their sa status as Tyrants; Elian felt a particular sense of kinship with her.
"Do you believe I made a mistake?" he asked bluntly.
Though there were two others with them, neither answered. Instinctively, both Flare and Bianca knew not to interrupt the discussions of Tyrants.
Sunny opened up her fan and covered her face before replying. "Does it matter what I or anyone thinks?"
"No. I guess it doesn’t."
The Tyrant of Averignis studied him with sharp eyes before adding, "You seem to have sothing you wish to ask. Feel free; I am but a servant now."
Elian nodded, "Why did you throw away your right to rule?"
"Hmm? Whatever do you an, my Tyrant?"
"Aunt-in-law. With your power, if you wanted, you could scorch the Earth into submission, but you didn’t; instead, you allowed yourself and your race to be taken captive. Why?"
"Oh my! You seem to suggest that I intentionally placed myself in such a predicant. Can’t you just be happy that you gained dominion over Averignis?"
"..."
Elian didn’t reply and simply gazed at the beauty in front of him. She squird, fidgeted, and finally turned to her Anchor. Flare made a soft smile and nodded.
Sunny then sighed in defeat and closed the fan in her hand. She then walked ahead of Elian and smacked him in the chest with her fan.
"Walk with , little Tyrant."
Elian turned to Bianca and softly kissed her cheek. "Wait here."
"Ok."
The Tyrants and the Anchors separated. Sunny’s beauty lit up the surroundings of the guild hall. Sohow, there were no people in this section, as if they stayed away unconsciously. Before Elian could figure out why, Sunny broke the silence.
"What do you know of Fla Swallows, little Tyrant?" she asked in a sad tone.
"You burn and long to et the fire."
"Indeed. Those two could be said to be the only things we live for."
Elian waited. Sunny’s face showed frustration and a rare vulnerability that he couldn’t understand.
"A Fla Swallow becos sothing more when it ets the fire. After that, we are often asked to live and be happy."
"Huh?"
"I can understand your confusion. Our culture can be thought of as straightforward. But eventually, the fire tells my kind to live and be happy. Little Tyrant, what does it an to live and be happy?"
Elian furrowed his eyebrows; it was a simple question but had long plagued humanity. Everyone wanted to be happy. It was quite possibly the reason why people did anything. Once n no longer starved, they began to search for happiness.
But what did it an to be happy?
Ultimately, apart from his own simple definition, Elian didn’t have an answer. "I don’t know."
Sunny nodded. "Indeed. I am the sa. Through the wars we won, more and more of my kind struggled with this question. They grew obsessed with trying to find aning in their lives. Humanity has similar concerns, yes?"
Elian agreed.
"Flare suggested studying others. That is why Averignis stopped fighting. I am a Tyrant. I am ant to guide my world. But without an answer, I would just lead my world into ruin. Thus, I invaded other worlds and studied their ways."
"What did you find? Why settle for us?"
"Because I believe we will find the answer here. With humans."
"Why? Our culture is quite barbaric; I doubt humans are so paragon of virtue; we are just selfish bastards," Elian argued.
"Indeed. Many of you are worth less than the ground you walk on. However, there are those who are quite interesting. You being among them."
"Huh? ?"
Sunny nodded, "Yes. You, Elian Reed."
When he made a complicated expression, Sunny chuckled and elaborated further.
"In every world we studied, the answers were also the sa. For material wealth, a desire to sire children, a desire to be rembered, a thirst for knowledge, immortality, and so on. Each reason had rit, and I understood all of them. Except yours."
"Mine?"
"Yes, frankly, most races have their desires clash with reality. The mont they see the power of Crucible races, they abandon their so-called desires and play it safe. Yet you do the opposite."
Sunny was not wrong. Elian, who fought more and more races, began to understand the sheer scale and power of the worlds that joined the crucible. If re Iron ranks could already fight on this level, what more could those above?
"You know the might you will face, yet desire nothing more than to be with your wife. Humans barely live decades, yet rather than spend your years in peace, you long for war. It makes no sense, yet you run toward such a foolish goal with a smile on your face."
Elian couldn’t help but look at his own hands as he contemplated his reply. He then looked at Bianca, who was happily chatting with Flare.
Sunny followed his gaze and asked quietly, "Are you happy, Elian?"
Surprisingly, Elian felt the corners of his lips raise; although the world was in turmoil, he felt light. Despite there being shadows looming over his horizon, he didn’t worry. All because he wasn’t alone.
"Yeah, I am."
"Do you think we can be happy too?" she asked in a soft voice.
"Maybe, if you wish to use humanity to study, we will welco you. I hope you find the answer you’re looking for."
Sunny lowered her head and replied in a respectful voice, "You have my thanks, Tyrant. Until we find our answer, we will fight alongside you."
Elian didn’t bother to answer but instead asked a different question.
"Is the sa reason why you are pushing your children to be city mayors related to your curiosity?"
The woman raised her head and smiled, "Yes. The cities harnessed their flas. And are destroying themselves because my children left. Be it purpose, validation, or responsibility, I wish to see if they find so comfort or joy from it."
"And if none of that works?"
"We will keep looking. As the Tyrant of Averignis, I have to find an answer for them."
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why must you find an answer for them? You are not their god, nor are you them. I think you are taking far more responsibility than you ought to..."
Elian brushed the back of his hair as he added. "Its sothing I learned from Fralha. Each being lives its own life. Don’t your swallows burn individually? The fire rewards them by their own rit; why shouldn’t their search for happiness be any different?"
"That’s..."
Before Sunny could reply, Elian continued, "Forgive for saying so, Aunt-in-law. But I think the reason you are so empty and miserable is that you are making it your responsibility to make your entire race happy. You are being stupid."
"I am?"
"Yes. The fire told you to be happy, right? Why would the fire bother talking to you if it can talk to every Fla Swallow? You are just being too arrogant. You cannot control everything."
Sunny’s face warped in anger as she argued, "But I am their Tyrant! I am responsible for them!"
"It didn’t work, did it?"
"Huh?"
"The answers you found on what makes one happy. It worked for so, not all. Those who didn’t get happy ended up being miserable instead."
"..."
Elian couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
"People are different, Aunt-in-law. And it seems the sa truth applies to swallows as well. You should just let them choose on their own."
"Even if they choose destruction and unhappiness?"
"That’s your problem, aunt-in-law. I am happy because of Bianca. Even if you give everything, I can never be as happy as I am now without her. I imagine everyone else has the sa situation. It is up to us to find our own happiness. It cannot be given."
"Is this your answer to being a Tyrant? Not soone who lords over others but lets them do their own devices? Are you not concerned where that would lead them to ruin? To a life devoid of purpose?" Sunny asked in worry.
"I am just one person, Aunt-in-law. There will be those who would reach the sa conclusion with or without my ddling. I have no interest nor desire to control them. I will do so to protect what is mine; everything else is up to them."
"..."
"..."
Sunny tilted her head and looked at the scenery of a bustling city. She opened her fan and covered her face as she contemplated.
"I see there is much to learn. I cannot make sense of what you are or what you wish to beco. Your simple-mindedness is dangerous, yet I feel a sense of security from it."
Elian chuckled, "I am glad you seem to think so. Please protect the city while I am gone. The people I left behind can manage without . Bianca and I will focus on getting two more marks."
He gestured to Bianca, who raced to rejoin him. He couldn’t stop his lips from curling into a smile as she threw herself into his embrace.
"Why do you do all this if you’re already happy?"
"To ensure that even until the end Bianca and I remain happy."
"That makes absolutely no sense," Sunny complained with a frown.
"I guess to you it doesn’t. And I don’t really care if it does. What matters is that Bianca, and I are on the sa page, right darling?"
Bianca pressed her cheeks into his chest as she replied, "Yes. It makes sense to ."
"Good. Farewell, Aunt-in-law. We will be going now."
Then without another word, the pair left the city to subjugate others all for a reasoning only the two of them could make sense of.
Reviews
All reviews (0)