The Inner Odyssey

Celeste stared at Alden, disbelief written all over her face.

Her emerald eyes glistened.

He was… back.

Back in the Sanctuary.

Back beside her.

Back where he belonged.

Alden had returned, and in the nick of time, saved her from being devoured by the vast army.

A joyous smile split Celeste's face.

Her features immediately brightened, the presence of the one she loved most enough to dispel a considerable portion of her fatigue. The young lady peered at Alden, hoping to burn his appearance in her memory.

After living for so long without him, she needed a refresh. And when she received what her heart desired, Celeste jolted with shock.

Alden was.. different.

Of course, she knew that was going to be the case.

She would be a complete fool if she didn't factor in what the passage of time did to a person. Especially after not seeing Alden for so long.

No, what surprised Celeste was just how much her childhood friend had changed.

The tiniest hint of stubble lined his cheeks. His features seemed older, any youthfulness that had been there before was now all but gone. Alden held deep bags under his eyes, and his entire look indicated a deep-set fatigue.

A pang materialised in Celeste's heart at the thought of how much he had suffered in the Wilderness.

'I don't deserve him.'

Alden had so readily sacrificed a nice life in the Sanctuary and not once had he complained.

Meanwhile, she…

She had acted selfishly, too blinded by her heartbreak to think about how much he had truly suffered. A tiny seed of self-contempt bloomed in her heart. Celeste bit her lips and took one, large, shuddering breath.

Then, she replied, mustering as much love as she could put in her tone:

"Yes… I've missed you so much."

Alden's face softened, and he sent a reassuring smile her way. Celeste smiled back, watching her love turn around to gaze at their enemies.

Just then, his entire bearing flipped.

An intense coldness surrounded Alden's figure. A second later, she realised it wasn't a physical chill, but more of an emotional one.

She had never seen Alden so angry before.

A shiver crawled down her spine.

Coupled with the dark, roiling tentacles thrashing around them, deflecting attacks from a couple of Devils, and Celeste realised that her love had grown considerably stronger as well. So much so, that she now felt a little cautious of his power.

After all, Alden's decay was the exact opposite of her ability. While hers focused on healing and promoting growth, his focused on complete destruction.

The latter made Celeste a little uncomfortable. However, she soon tucked away that discomfort.

Alden would never intentionally hurt her.

That was a fact.

***

Alden gazed at the Defiled and the Dark Elves, his eyes cold and expression more so.

How dare they even think of hurting Celeste!

They would have to pay the ultimate price for that.

However, before Alden could even think of going berserk and rampaging through the abominations, he realised that he did not have enough mana to be so reckless with his Skills. He could justify summoning [Dark Tentacles], considering time was of the essence when pushing past the panicked mob of humans.

It was also what helped him save Celeste from losing her life against the hungry Snow Tigers.

Any more than that, though, and he would quickly discover that he'd be out of mana mid-battle.

Which…

Was akin to a death sentence when surrounded by so many enemies.

Just as Alden was contemplating what to do, a barrage of fire immediately crashed into the ranks of the opposing army. Some were orange, some were purple, and some were even blue. It was like an inferno had bloomed right in front of his eyes.

Following that stunning visual was the smell of burnt carcasses, numerous tigers doubtless charred to a crisp.

…The members of the Ember Clan had arrived.

'And of course, they just have to stink up the place.'

Alden tried not to gag at the rancid smell. He used the brief window given to him and handed over Ignia to Celeste.

Both humans retreated a few paces.

"I'm going to advance into the horde. You stay back and pepper them with arrows if you can. Focus on recovering as much mana as you can first, though."

He said, noticing how pale she looked. She had definitely exerted herself a great deal.

Celeste seemed like she wanted to protest, but Alden quickly shot her a firm look.

One that brooked no disagreement.

She eventually relented.

'Good.'

Suddenly recognising one of the fiery mana signatures that had just arrived, he turned slightly, throwing a dark glance at Drakon. The Ember heir made a similar expression, standing well out of the reach of the enemy force.

Sparks flew between them.

Shaking his head, Alden ignored the blithering fool. He instructed his precious familiar to never leave Celeste's side.

'I fear Drakon may snatch you mid-battle, little one. You should stay with Cece. She can protect you if something happens to me.'

Ignia cried back worriedly. Alden sensed the little phoenix was unhappy with his reckless decision to dive into the horde alone, but she could do nothing about it. His mind was made up.

Summoning a short sword, the young man ensured he did not grip it with all five fingers and tensed his legs.

Behind him, the Paladins and members of the Ember Clan continued to shower the Defiled and Dark Elves with a scorching blaze. Sometimes the flames possessed different shapes - he recognized a couple of serpentine ones, very similar to the esteemed dragons, although much smaller.

There were also wingless snakes.

Idly, Alden saw flashes of ice manifest here and there in response to the fiery salvo.

Steam kicked up in the air, casting a thin fog over the Territory of Flame.

The Dark Elves were most likely doing their best to neutralise the heat of those flames.

'...Probably better for me.'

It meant he could focus more on the Defiled and not worry too much about a sudden attack from a Dark Elf. The Ember Clan had arrived at the perfect time.

'This is the only time I'll be happy seeing those arrogant fools.'

Alden shook his head and took a deep breath, slipping into a battle-ready state. He tightened his grip on his weapon, coating it with decay.

Then, he shifted his body and dashed forward.

A slightly manic yet bloodthirsty grin on his face.