Finding what he needed in the clutter that was his mory was challenging but not impossible.
The muted brilliance beca a subtle beacon to draw his attention once he sifted through the disorder.
Of course, he couldn't let the Fla learn of his actions. He didn't know how it'd end up affecting the Fla, and he didn't know what the petulant thing would do in retaliation.
Though it had claid to need him, Kieran was a tough person to convince. He was often the only person who could persuade himself unless irrefutable facts resolved the concern.
Inside his Realm of Self, Kieran remained still without giving away a hint of his efforts. The Fla wasn't a fool, but it had done sothing foolish. The ruin that destroyed a considerable amount of this realm had turned the area near the Equality Gate lightless and dull.
It beca a remarkable hiding spot and served as an obstruction that Kieran exploited by craftily shifting the orbs resembling stars closer to the Gate.
Still, the Fla lingered and slowly revolved around Kieran's statuesque presence. Its devilish voice, tinged with maddened glee, had never stopped firing off remarks or questions.
"Are you relaxing? Enjoying the rest? That's understandable."
The Fla knew what its power did because it had designed it to exact a cost. Using the intoxicating power took a heavy toll on the mind and then the body. It was strange, considering the body had to bear the violent torrent.
However, it was also understandable. Having your mind assailed by the dark emotions of an ancient horror who hated the Gods was not sothing a human was ant to withstand. Under such imnse pressure, the burden was enough to make anyone crumble.
Kieran did not crumble, though.
His defiance — a vestige of his stolen Will — had resisted against the Fla's encroachnt. Granted, the Anchor's weight held together several significant portions of Kieran that he couldn't na.
'Maybe the Anchor is why I'm too tough to break.'
The Fla had been too thrilled by the thought of him shattering the Anchor's chain for it not to be genuine. It was a delight that the Fla couldn't fake. The intensity of that delight was equal to the joy it felt when people killed and fed it their bloodlust.
Eventually, Kieran opened his eyes and stared at the Fla's featureless grin drifting before him.
"Rested? Ready to feed ? Yes? I hunger. I always hunger."
Kieran shook his head and then looked around.
'Haven't you eaten enough? Look at the state of this place? And you have caused it all.'
The Fla humd and then took pride in its actions.
"You are plenty… but you are not enough. I haven't had enough. I desire more of you, but I can't have it. They stop . You stop . Why do you all hate ?"
Kieran tilted his head and stared at the manifestation. It had asked a question that perhaps a lonely and abandoned child would. Was the Fla sad, and all this destruction was its rampage?
No, Kieran didn't want to view the Fla as sothing deserving of remorse and pity. It preyed upon too many things to be fit for that honor. Still, he was curious and couldn't help but ask.
'Who are they?'
"Those that have broken — that have separated from my precious! They deserve to burn, and so I will burn them. This world will burn in retribution for my fate. The Reckoning needs many warriors, and as my Condemned, you should act as its herald. Many have failed , but you… I can feel it. You are bound to Wrath, and so you will not abandon . No, you will be present during my new marriage."
There it was. A reason for the Fla not to deserve sympathy.
Kieran's interest in the matter perished once he heard the Fla begin speaking about destroying the world. He wasn't too interested in seeing that happen. A ruined world didn't seem too advantageous and beneficial on his part.
But there was sothing strange about what the Fla had said. Warriors?
The Fla was no God. It was an unholy thing undeserving of faith. That begged the question of how it ca to acquire faith. How had the Order of War and Fla been started?
And so, to keep the Fla's attention occupied as he continued working with the muted brilliance that only the mystically inclined could sense, he questioned further.
'You said many have failed? How did they fail you so I may not repeat these mistakes.'
The Fla didn't answer imdiately. It lingered and scrutinized Kieran while looking for kindred emotions. It had to know if Kieran was being disingenuous and lying to obtain answers.
Unfortunately, the Fla had erred. It had burned the part of Kieran that could potentially give away that knowledge. It was next to impossible to tell what Kieran was thinking now.
Mainly because many of his thoughts hid behind the Equality Gate in his mind. Though it had fallen dormant, it still offered a zone of nebulous mystic mist that the Fla dared not trespass into.
Unable to distinguish truth from lie, the Fla spoke gingerly.
"Why they failed to consummate my marriage, of course. My reunion with my beloved has yet to have happened. I gave them power, and they failed in the end."
Kieran mulled over those words before nodding.
'Are you sure it wasn't you who failed? It was you who chose wrongly in the end.'
The Fla suddenly stopped moving and gave an affronted scoff.
"Of course, I have failed, you fool. Otherwise, I would not be a Fla. I would be the Great Destroyer again! But it's okay. The Dying Blood seethes and wishes to return to its rightful master. The unseen tide is already growing turbulent. I have ensured so."
Kieran cocked his head in slight interest.
This unseen tide sounded like sothing built up over many years, likely sothing set in motion to correct the Fla's many failures.
That made Kieran wonder, though. Was the Fla's failure linked to the failures of the Myths? That seed simultaneously likely and unlikely because the portal had determined what Chronicle to subject him to once it evaluated him.
Every Cycle brought forth a new Chronicle based on the Anchor's evaluation.
Was there ever another Myth that could compare?
Yes, there was. Likely the first of their kind — those that had walked Xenith unchecked and unrestrained. They could bring the most terrifying might to bear.
Then, more questions rose in Kieran's mind. How ancient of a ti was this?
'You have ensured it? With the Order of War and Fla, right? You are the one who created it. How?'
Pride and recognition swelled in the Fla as it flared its imaginary chest.
'It is a tragedy, you see. Ruin that brought forth opportunity. In the wake of the Failed Reckoning, dying warriors thought to be beyond saving, condemned to death called for help, and the benevolent answered. Little did they know, Death had once been my servant. I beca their lord and savior. I saved them. And then… they spread as thanks.'
The Fla gave an eerie grin.
"I never knew the thing I lacked was faith. My divorce grew less absolute with their faith, and I could communicate… and feel. And so I spread, and I am firr than ever. I am the Reckoning That Crushes and the Fla That Burns."
The Fla's grand proclamation shook Kieran to his core. That wasn't empty talk… the Fla was plotting sothing utterly preposterous!
At that mont, Kieran smirked.
The muted brilliance had co together, and he had sothing extraordinary to study.
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