Meeting the gaze of the centaur-like figure standing in front of me, I felt THEIR will; the will that birthed the Hunt. The hatred of Abundance, the unyielding dedication, the spirit of sacrifice. At this moment, I saw the person behind the Aeon, the simple soldier picking up a bow to shoot the god down.
I saw THEIR past: brothers and sisters in arms, standing in orderly ranks, with no worries for the future. I saw pride in the people around, pride in being blessed by the immortality their forefathers so desperately pursued. I saw the peace and bounty of the 'golden era' they lived in.
Year after year, this perfect utopia continued, abundant and unending. But dreams must end, and eras must pass; this one was no different. There was no warning, no omen, only a sudden tragedy enveloping everything.
For those who partake in bounties of Abundance, there is nothing more dangerous than greed. Plagues Author don't write tragedies; THEY only give people too much ink so that every story can't end as it should, only for it to continue until all its meaning is lost. And there is no greater greed than that of a mortal tasting the forbidden fruit of immortality.
Brothers turned against sisters; pride ended with fear and hatred; peace and bounty burned into ashes. There was no sense in this slaughter, no purpose in the tragedy; especially for the soldier forced to aim his spear at the very people he swore to protect.
There, at the precipice of Destruction, a lone figure stood with his bow, aiming it high into the sky. He didn't fall into Nihility; instead, he turned everything into dedication. This was the true meaning of Hunt: to give everything to achieve your goal; to never lose spirit, even in the face of overwhelming calamities; to aim your arrow at the god and never look back.
When all those images and feelings emerged in my mind, only one emotion appeared in my heart: envy. This endless dedication and indestructible spirit were something I looked up to; those two values were the aspects that differentiated a knight from a mere killer. To uphold one's oaths and principles even at the cost of one's own life.
But Hunt also depicted values few would find in a knight, yet they are close to my heart as a mage. The ruthlessness and disregard for everything but your purpose. Many knights put honor before duty, but that's a fallacy; honor stems from upholding one's duty. That's why I believe that ruthlessness is something knights must possess; after all, there is no honor in defeat.
Feeling my alignment with THEIR Path, the Reignbow Arbiter lowered and drew his bow, aiming the Fate-destroying arrow squarely at me. Faced with this power far beyond my understanding and power, I didn't flinch. There was no fear in my eyes, no thoughts of escape.
Instead, I manifested countless crystal swords, arranging them into a great formation around me. In this timeless space, there was no need for energy or strength; only will and intent mattered here, so in the blink of an eye, a formation far beyond everything I had ever set up appeared. This was the pinnacle of my understanding of the world, of my mastery over mystery as a mage; my whole ability and will manifested through Yìxué.
Yet the instant THEY released the arrow, it amounted to nothing. My body was annihilated, my spirit shattered; the price of the hubris that confronting Aeon was. But the formation didn't dim, nor had its power diminished; on the contrary, it only grew as the arrow entered its range. When the star-like glow left in the arrow's wake disappeared, a single sword remained behind in my place.
Despite there being no one to wield it, it flew at the Aeon, traversing the distance in a moment. In a loud, almost metallic clang, the sword struck one of his armor-like plates, shattering shortly after the impact back into the starry dust it was created from. But when the dust cleared, a small, almost imperceptible nick remained at the point of impact.
At the same time, a single spark appeared, quickly erupting into a flame. Aeon Lan watched the flame; THEIR gaze was different from what it had been previously. It was as if THEY finally saw me, not just looked in my direction. Then it moved THEIR focus, turning it toward a void behind me. Moments later, an already familiar prism figure emerged there. When two gazes met, there were no sparks, only a silent confrontation and debate.
It was a clash of two Paths. It's accepted conjecture, to the point of almost being a postulate, that one being can only be an Emanator of one Aeon. But this statement was never proven or debunked, as there was no such situation before; even Aha never tried to poach an Emanator, as this would end in a mess that would interrupt THEIR fun.
And to even propose a cooperation between two Aeons would be presumptuous; Paths rarely aligned closely enough for their philosophies to match each other, and if they did, the one Path would subsume the other. Thus, the logical deduction of Emanators being exclusive. But the issue with that reasoning is that there is no need for Paths to align, only that they do not clash; and as it stands, Hunt and Remembrance do not contradict each other in their core.
While the Hunt's aggressive pursuit and interventionism appear contradictory to Remembrance's apparent indifference, in truth, the two paths had long since cooperated with each other. Hunt indeed puts purging the 'evil' above everything else, but it doesn't advocate absolute Destruction. By destroying the threat, they protect the world from the plague; a belief stemming from their own experience, recorded in Remembrance as karma and memories they themself gather on the Xianzhou Ships.
Similarly, Remembrance is not a lack of action; it's valuing memories above everything else. Memokeepers are not neutral observers, but active participants in history, using every means possible to obtain memories, often with more ruthlessness than those who follow Hunt. The act of gathering the memories is why Remembrance is not part of Nihility, passively waiting for the end to come.
Hunt without care for Remembrance is nothing but Destruction, and Remembrance without actions of Hunt is all but Nihility. To use Remembrance to drive the Hunt; to use Hunt to give meaning to the Remembrance. This was my Path.
As if feeling my will, two figures returned their gaze to me, two Paths no longer clashing, but entering a seamless fusion. Neither of THEM opposed this union; Fuli recorded this historic moment, while Lan welcomed a powerful General who could help Alliance achieve its goal.
Other Aeons also watched this scene with interest or amusement, causing changes to appear around the world. First was the hammer, which announced the arrival of the new era; then there was the laugh, enjoying the impossible coming true; finally, a clear symphony, celebrating the emergence of a new duet.
But what happened there had nothing to do with me, who continued to undergo nirvana. As the power of Hunt was imbued in me, Kālacakra Skyplume fused with me, but rather than becoming a pure Spiritus, it mutated. The same way the power of Hunt from the Kālacakra Skyplume was absorbed into me, the power of Remembrance was fed back to it, causing it to become something between the two.
Like a Spiritus, it was a divine construct, lacking its own will while being bound to my soul and status as Emanator of Hunt; yet, like a Memosprite, it was an independent entity, effectively my avatar; it became an entity born from both Kālacakra Skyplume and me. Due to that, it took the appearance of my Phoenix form, allowing me to use both my Sankta form and it simultaneously.
As the power continued to flow into me, I felt a change happen, causing my fire to erupt into an intense blaze; it was my Authority of Rebirth undergoing a true awakening. Soon, my figure emerged from within the fire, returning back to life. Luckily, my appearance didn't change, but after my true Herrscher Awakening, I finally received my Raiment. It was still armor, but rather than the typical Western knight style, it was closer to armor seen on Xianzhou.
The Raiment consisted of white-and-silver plate armor combined with an azure underlayer beneath. The chest plate was a dual-symmetrical plastron that met seamlessly down the sternum, with plating sculpted into deep, nested ridges akin to a human ribcage and layered cloud motifs. Below the ribcage, the plating splits into tightly packed, overlapping horizontal lames that curve downward toward the navel.
Below the waist, the armor splits into hip-guards made of stacked white plates, tracing the contours of the outer thighs, mimicking the layered appearance of bird wings with sweeping feathers; a traditional symbol of a general from Xianzhou culture known as Piàn Tún. Securing it is a knotted azure rope belt with long tassels hanging down, called Shoushen, tied together with a sash around my waist.
My shoulders were protected by pauldrons formed by three distinct, overlapping crescent plates, while my right arm was additionally covered by vambraces and gauntlets; both possessing the same cloud motifs as the rest of the armor. My left arm is left fully exposed, my Originium Glintstone adding mysterious charm to the outfit.
Under all that armor, an azure tunic and a split combat skirt created a contrast with the white-and-silver plates while providing additional protection at joints. The armor lacks a traditional Western enclosed gorget. Instead, it features a wide, open collar formed by the sweeping, curved top plates of the cuirass. Under the combat skirt, plated boots and greaves covered my legs, finishing the functional part of my Raiment.
Aside from it, I could also manifest a hooded mantle that would cover my left arm like my usual armor would, allowing me to hide it when needed. It had the same property of hiding true identity as my previous armor, but didn't provide any other benefit.
When the awakening was fully completed, I opened my eyes to find myself back in the underground hall on Yuque. Noticing the missing Kālacakra Skyplume, I tried to summon it, only for my Phoenix to appear behind me. Feeling the changes in it, I turned my attention back to the Marshal and Xuling General.
-"I see that you received the recognition of the Reignbow Arbiter."-Marshal commented, her voice sounding pleased.
-"Indeed. I found my Path and became the dual Emanator of Remembrance and Hunt."
-"May I know it?"-Xuling General spoke for the first time.-"Your Path."
-"Of course. To use Remembrance to drive the Hunt; to use Hunt to give meaning to the Remembrance."
My words caused two of them to fall into thought, before the Marshal spoke again.
-"Then the only remaining thing is your title. After consulting with other Generals and sages, we agreed to bestow upon you the title of Qīxīng-Jiāngjūn, the General Who Dwells in the Stars."
I quickly understood the meaning of my title. Due to my Phoenix form, it was expected that my title would touch upon it, and as my feathers appear similar to the starry sky, I've become the divine bird that dwells among them; thus, the title.
-"I thank Marshal for bestowing the title upon me."
-"Great. With that, you are officially the General of Yuque; so now, let us discuss other matters. I've received your reports on the progress; as such, I have some understanding of the situation on Yuque. I also believe that you'd like to return to your home world in the near future, so I decided to allow Yuque to stand down from the patrol duties until the Yuque Cloud Knights are properly replenished."
-"Thank you for your understanding."
-"While you need to remain on the ship for the most part, I know that you possess the ability to teleport, so I won't worry about you leaving your post for a long time."
-"On the subject. I hope to receive permission to bind my inner world to Yuque."
-"Azure Dream, if I remember correctly, right?"
-"Yes."
-"Sure, this is your specialty, so as long as it won't harm Yuque, you are free to arrange it as you see fit. Any other requests?"
-"No, I'll do my duty and find time to deal with personal matters without affecting my job."
-"Perfect. Then I believe that the festival above is already waiting for you, so we won't keep you here."
With that, Marshal ended the conversation, with Xuling General following closely behind. Not wanting to stay in that dark room, I also quickly left, running into the previous General on my way back.
-"Congratulations."-He smiled when he saw my appearance.
-"Thank you."
-"But I must admit that I'm quite surprised that you ascended to my position so smoothly. No, allow me to word it differently; I'm surprised by the degree of trust Marshal has given you."
-"Marshal? I found her rather easy to speak with."-I was surprised by his words.
-"Easy? Marshal is strict in professional matters and heavily emphasizes the military hierarchy; how come you found her easy to talk to?"
-"Is that so? I felt she was easy to get along with; while I remained mostly formal, she spoke with an almost casual tone."
-"Then you truly are a special soul."-He shook his head.-"Let's go. Jingtian asked me to look for you."
-"Did something happen?"
-"No, it's just that people asked for you. Calling you Yuque's hero won't be an understatement; so many young girls wished to dance with you."
-"I'm married."
-"Minor problem."
-"Don't the Alliance mandates monogamy?"
-"Only for Xianzhou Natives. Each race can keep their own customs as long as they don't conflict with the Ten Unpardonable Sins."
-"I see."-To be honest, I was somewhat worried about that.
-"So, go out and play. You worked hard for it, and you'll work even harder in the future."
-"Sure."-I shrugged and soon arrived on the surface, joining in on the festivities.
Jingtian must have predicted that I would ascend to Generalship today, as the festival quickly turned into a celebration of it, as if it was prepared that way. But it was indeed a good way to relax. In such an informal atmosphere, I soon found myself in the center of a stage, tasked with playing the music. Knowing that Baiheng must have been responsible for this in some way, I resigned myself to my new role.
The festivities continued for the entire night, resulting in many people being exhausted and hungover the next day; as for me, staying up the whole night wasn't an issue, and I was denied alcohol by Yao Guang, as she stated that I was a minor, so I couldn't drink. I couldn't remember offending her deeply enough for her to seek revenge this way, but seeing Jingtian's laughing expression, I decided not to ask; I just noted this as a debt for the future.