Echoes of the Heart materialized in Diven’s garden as a faint pulsating rhythm coming from inside the central tree’s trunk. With the Rot Heart heavy on his mind, Diven found the similarities worrying.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
Diven focused his attention on the beat intending to understand what the skill did.
Was it a heartbeat? It would make sense, as it was in the skill's name. He couldn’t see through the bark of the rotting tree, he could only guess what was inside.
With no other clues to follow, he focused on the heart imagery. If there was a heart beating inside the tree, what were those echoes supposed to be?
Skill names were often cryptic but always hinted at their purpose.
Echoes of the Heart.
Which heart? The one in the tree? The one in Diven’s chest? The Rot Heart? Was there a difference?
He really hoped it wasn't related to the Rot Heart. He had been so careful to avoid anything rot related…
But, in a way, his exile was deeply related to rot. Specifically to his Rot Heart bloodline. Could Facet of the Exile have taken this into account?
He wasn’t sure.
At least, he could tell that Echoes of the Heart wasn't a rot-attuned skill. He was sure of it.
His examination led him to believe he should focus on the beating rhythm. That he should let it fill his mind.
Thump… thump… thump…
Diven listened.
Thump… thump… thump…
The rhythm was steady, unchanging. Soothing, in some manner.
Thump… thump… thump…
He stopped visualizing his inner garden and focused only on the rhythm coming from the heart.
Thump… thump… thump…
He felt the cooling northern wind caress his skin as the sound of rustling leaves filled his ears. His muscles relaxed and he leaned back on the marble bench he was sitting on. A faint ray of sun was warming his legs, exposed by the short tunic he was wearing.
Distant seagulls' laughter resonated across the city, marking the start of the day as fishing boats docked in the harbor and unloaded their catches.
There had to be pine trees in the vicinity, he noted as their musk entered his nostrils. He opened his eyes, filling his sight with the broad canopy of a plane tree filtering the golden light before it reached him, the familiar mottled bark, a mosaic that reminded him of home.
Thump… thump… thump…
Diven was startled awake, his surroundings fading back into the snowy wasteland of the rift. His back was leaning against the black stone, his head drenched in sweat.
What kind of skill was that?
An illusion? Did he really convince himself he was back at home?
It was worrying. He didn’t know what purpose it could serve. Overall, he felt drained. Clearly, using Echoes of the Heart took a toll on him.
He was exhausted. But he felt… Good?
Very good, in fact. The nagging pain from his injuries had somewhat faded. His mind was at ease.
He had no time to reflect more on his new skill before sleep claimed him.
Diven slept a dreamless night, only to be woken up by his grumbling stomach. He realized he hadn't eaten anything for almost two days. The frostcrawler spearfish had ambushed him while he slept, and with his new skills and injuries, he had forgotten to eat.
Thankfully, he still had a few fish from the guardians. So the first thing he did this morning was to eat one of them.
Then, he considered his options. The events of the past day were still fresh on his mind. He was a little scared of venturing into the rift. He was still far from his peak condition, and the previous day's fight weighed heavily on him.
He didn’t want to barter more with the guardians for another heal. Furthermore, Echoes of the Heart seemed to do good things on his wounds.
He wasn’t forgetting he needed to accomplish enough to unlock a new facet choice before completing Facet of the Exile. The threat of Bird forcing him onto Facet of the Rot Mage was still fresh on his mind.
There was also one thing he had been theorizing for a while that he needed to test. He entered his inner world and looked for the branch of Facet of the Exile. Sure enough, it had grown.Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
It was either growing naturally from his constant life as an exile, or because he had used his new skill. Regardless, it meant he was racing against time to widen his future options.
Still, he was unwilling to rush into danger.
He would wait until his body felt ready.
His decision made, he let himself fall into the rhythm of Echoes of the Heart.
Thump… thump… thump…
He was standing inside his family’s home, his parents sitting at the table, facing him. Everything was just as he remembered, from the white lime walls to the woven straw chair. Even the goat cheese his father liked so much was placed on the table with a knife and a loaf of bread.
“Diven,” His father said. “You’re back.”
“We missed you. Where did you go?” His mother added.
“You don’t know?” Diven said, a lump in his throat making his voice sound strained.
“Nobody would tell us where you ran off to. Basil even went to look for you, he still hasn’t come back,” She said.
“But…” Diven didn’t know what to say.
“Tell us, where were you?” His father insisted. “You can’t run off like that. I know you are unhappy about your bloodline but this is not a reason to run away from home.”
“I…”
“Diven,” His mother cut. “I’m sorry. I know I put a lot of pressure on you because of my own bloodline deficiency. I didn’t mean to make you feel like that. It doesn’t matter if your bloodline isn’t good. We love you all the same.”
“I didn’t…”
“Come here,” His father said, pulling him into a hug.
Diven’s return to reality was brutal. One moment he was nested in the warm embrace of his parents, the next he was sitting alone in the snow.
This felt a little too real.
He stood up and started pacing around his side of the stone. His hands repeatedly grasped his cheek, as if to force himself to wake up.
Was this real? No, it couldn’t be. Echoes of the Heart wasn’t powerful enough to send his soul across time and space to meet his parents.
Of course it wasn’t, it was just a Basic Rank skill.
And, if he wanted to, he could poke a dozen holes in their story. There was no chance they were unaware of his exile. Even if the elders wanted to keep it a secret, even if Uncle Basil was in on it, Sebastian had known. He wasn’t part of the Leios clan, which meant knowledge of his exile was public.
Still, it felt nice: his mind soothed and his wounds slowly healed. It was slow, almost imperceptible, but it was happening.
There was nothing wrong with indulging a little.
Diven took a moment to recover from the strain Echoes of the Heart put on his energy and returned to his channeling.
He was back in the temple of the sun, standing in line with the rest of the to-be-awakened children of the Leios clan. He recognized all their faces but he had forgotten most of their names.
Elder Thepes was approaching the first in line.
Alexios, was it? Diven remembered having a conflict with him.
“Alexios Leios. Are you ready?” The elder asked.
“I am, elder.”
Everything unfolded just as he remembered. Alexios awakened a nice bloodline. What was the meaning of this? Was he reliving a memory? The last two experiences of the skills hadn’t been like that.
In a blur, the rest of the children were awakened. Then it was Diven’s turn.
“Diven Leios. Are you ready?”
Much like in his memories, the elder placed a hand on his shoulder and started transferring mana into him. He felt it more acutely. The flood of mana only accelerated the process of awakening; it would have happened without it. Only, the Leios clan wanted to make a show of it, synchronizing their youths’ awakening.
Unlike last time, Diven didn’t bother focusing on his inner garden. There was no point, it wasn’t real.
But, once the process was complete, he felt intense warmth radiating from his body. It didn’t hurt, in fact it felt very good. Puzzled, Diven wanted to see what was happening but was interrupted by the elder shouting.
“Son of the Sun bloodline! Our Leios clan is blessed! Congratulations, Diven.”
What?
The crowd exploded into cheers and applause. His parents jumped from their seats, ready to rush onto the stage with only Uncle Basil’s presence restraining them. A smile was plastered on the man’s face, his eyes diving deep into Diven’s.
Too fast for him to process, he heard the audience gasp as several elders popped into the temple. Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, the ascended level powers of the Leios had gathered around him.
“Our dear grandson has finally bloomed into a great man,” He heard Helos said.
“Indeed, dear,” His grandmother, Gila, chimed in. “How unfortunate, we were so busy with clan affairs we didn’t get to see him grow up. I’m sorry, Diven.”
“Ah, it’s true,” Helios continued. “Time goes so fast when you live as long as us. I’m sure all the elders go through this tragedy.”
Elated, Diven caught a look from his mother urging him to respond positively.
“Don’t worry, grandfather, grandmother. I understand your obligations to the clan take precedence over everything,” He said.
“Yes, you’re very smart, Diven. With this brain and this bloodline, you might surpass us all,” Helos laughed.
Despite knowing it was fake, Diven couldn’t help but let a feeling of pride and happiness rise up from his heart. It was all he ever wanted. Why not enjoy it while he could?
Time was a blur and soon enough, Diven had taken the classes meant for newly awakened members of the clan. Alexios and Ela had grown subdued and didn’t bother him anymore. He was the jewel of the younger generation of the city. Only Zoe could match him and even she had difficulties keeping up with him.
At sixteen, he evolved his Sun Magic skill into High Sun Magic. From then on, he had to team up with people ten to twenty years his senior and join missions to the wild where they hunted rare beasts and returned covered in riches.
Seven years later, he reached the ranks of elders as his sun magic ascended. Then he saved the city from an invasion of barbarians, their armies stretched to the horizon but they were no match for the son of the sun.
His name was known and feared in the Wildlands, even reaching as far as Ameia proper where the local rulers tried currying favors with him.
Soon, he took complete control of the Leios clan and of the city as the Opheo and Thesios clans submitted.
Before he was fifty, with the power of the sun coursing in his veins, he transcended. With his ambitions satisfied and none left to challenge him in the known world, he left to explore and…
Skill leveled up: Echoes of the Heart lv1 -> lv2
He woke up. Confused.
Where was he? Why did he feel so weak?
Snow, black stone, guardians, rift. Oh…
His mind was sluggish from the fatigue from the skill. His memories of the life he lived under its influence were vague, blurry, he remembered the feeling but there were no details.
He wasn’t the son of the sun. He wasn’t adored by the masses of Kheiron. He was rotten, lost in a rift, his tattered clothes barely covering his body.
He wanted to go back.