Ascension of the last Celestial

Valerian and Arthur approached the dead land. Withered plants and trees covered the area; not a single animal or monster was inside the perimeter.

"What the hell happened here?" Arthur asked under his breath. He had never seen such a thing. The entire life around the crater was devoid of anything alive.

Valerian didn’t turn back to him, knowing fully who did this.

"This... this was my home..."

Arthur looked at the back of Valerian’s head with shock. "What do you mean home? What happened here?"

Valerian slowed down, causing Arthur to lose his speed as well. "From here, it’s best if I go alone."

Arthur looked at the back of Valerian with a complicated face. This whole thing, the forest, the mana in the air, and especially the crater, caused a bad feeling to swell inside him.

Even though he couldn’t see Valerian’s face, he heard from his voice that he was serious, and him saying that it was best he goes alone wasn’t a suggestion.

So Arthur respectfully took a step back and didn’t follow behind Valerian as he took off again. As Valerian’s figure went deeper into the dead parts of the forest, Arthur looked around.

’What does he mean this was his home? Man, I want to go.’

Valerian flew further in the direction of the large crater, and the closer he got, the more memories of his time in the orphanage forced their way into his mind.

It started with his earliest memories of being a little boy. Back then, he felt happy whenever he played with the others or was around Aurelia.

But over time, he felt more of a connection to the mana in the air than to the other kids. When he was with the others, it didn’t feel like playing with friends, but instead like he was surrounded by... lesser beings.

He couldn’t explain it. It was just a feeling that whenever one of the children did something a young child would do, like throwing a fit or playing with food, he just felt so... disgusted. Disgusted that he was being put on the same level as them.

And the feeling only grew as he got older and his abilities with mana truly showed themselves. He stopped identifying himself with the children his age; even the older ones felt beneath him.

But he never felt alone. Even if he isolated himself from the others, he never once felt like he was alone or lonely.

Because there was always his trusty companion that was with him every second of the way, that helped him whenever he needed help and kept him company throughout the times he wanted to see no one.

Mana.

What was just the energy to fuel spells to others was the lifelong companion of Valerian, the only one that shared his burden and he truly felt a connection to.

But there was one exception, one person in the orphanage he truly cared about: Aurelia, the gentle old caretaker of the children.

Valerian got closer and closer to the crater in the middle of the dead forest, and now memories of Aurelia filled his mind.

The gentle smile that watched the children play, the scolding she gave them when they misbehaved, and the kind reassurance that she was always there.

To all those that grew up in the Wayford Orphanage, she was a beacon. A beacon of love and affection for those who had no one.

And Valerian was the reason she wasn’t here anymore. After the fall of the orphanage, Valerian had countless nightmares of Aurelia where she would make it clear that it was Valerian’s fault for what happened.

And it wasn’t hard for the young Valerian to agree. If only he hadn’t awakened, if only his awakening didn’t attract the monsters, then she would still be here and the children wouldn’t have been brutally murdered by the beasts.

Valerian landed on the ground, and in front of him lay the large crater that he created. The soil had lost its life, there was no plant life nearby, and even the sky seemed like it had lost its color.

The mana in the air was thick and suffocating, desperately wanting to squeeze the life out of Valerian himself.

He knew why this was happening, why the land was dead, like the concept of life was removed from the area, like it was burned away by the overwhelming wrath of cosmic fire.

One of the two affinities he had since the beginning: [Cosmic Fire]. Fire that could burn so hot that it can destroy entire concepts. And that is what the young Valerian did here. His fire, in the anger and sadness of losing everything, burned the concept of life and healing from the forest around him.

Valerian stepped into the crater and slid down the side.

When he reached the bottom, the mana there was even denser. Valerian walked forward; every step was accompanied by a flash of a memory.

The happy times in the orphanage, the quiet and comforting moments with Aurelia, the times he still had fun with the other children.

But they were all burned away by the merciless embrace of anger and wrath.

When Valerian reached the center of the crater, he stood still for a second. And then he broke down, falling to his knees.

Teardrops fell from his eyes, wetting the dead soil underneath him. Once the tears started, he couldn’t stop them and soon broke into an ugly sobbing.

If anyone were to see him right now, they wouldn’t believe it was the same confident and slightly narcissistic Valerian that they had seen before.

Instead, it was the child that lost everything, that blamed himself for over a decade for the deaths of the only people that could be considered family.

He thought of death a lot during the first years after the orphanage. Maybe death is the only thing someone like him deserves. Why should he be allowed to live if the others died by the monsters he called or by the fire he conjured?

Why should this wretched excuse for a person be allowed to experience the joys and beauty of life if he was the reason so many others lost their futures? These thoughts never left; they just got quieted as Valerian learned to suppress them, to squeeze them deep down so that no one heard them.

Instead, he played the confident genius prince that always had a remark ready. It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t the truth either.

He was confident, he was slightly narcissistic, and he thought of himself as a genius. But he exaggerated to show that he was fine, that there was nothing to worry about, that he had already dealt with the trauma of the past.

But here in the crater he created, the place where he lost everything, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. All these emotions, the fear, the sadness, the anger, everything streamed out of him.

And so he cried alone. Well, that was what he thought at first. He felt a gentle touch from behind, like something that wasn’t really there was hugging him, but he felt the warmth of the body, the gentle embrace.

-It’s okay, you are not alone.-

Valerie’s voice reached his head, the kind words of a unique skill that had been with him since his birth, that had turned into something more than just a tool.

He couldn’t stop his crying, and Valerie didn’t say anything more, choosing to just be there and offer the comfort of a hug.

Valerian didn’t know how long he sat there and bawled his eyes out, but by the time he was able to think clearly again, the sun was already setting.

With red and puffy eyes, he looked at the dulled sunset as its colors became shades of grey.

-Feeling better?-

Valerie’s voice echoed in his head. Valerian turned around, and the form that was hugging him wasn’t there anymore.

-I’m sorry, I can’t hold a form for much longer than that.-

Valerian shook his head.

’It’s okay... thank you, truly.’

While she didn’t offer a reply, Valerian knew that she was smiling and happy.

He turned his gaze back to the lands around him.

’I think I’m ready to let go.’

The feeling in his chest that had been gnawing at him for all these years finally felt lighter, like his ugly display of emotions had satisfied the ghosts of the dead and they allowed him to live again.

Valerian looked into the grey sky with a smile.

"Let me rid you of the curse."

He raised his hand, and his trusty companion flowed through his fingers as the same fire that caused this misery appeared in his palm.

The flame danced gently, casting a soft violet light around him.

Valerian also activated [Law Breaker], and the fire, augmented by his unique skill, left his hand, spreading across the dead forest.

Wherever the flames touched, the death and decay that lingered in the air disappeared, dragged along with the fire.

It was a slow process, but when it was finally done and night had taken over the sky, the mana that lingered in the air was completely cleansed from the area, and even the sky didn’t look as grey anymore.

Valerian channeled his mana again, and a soft silver-gold light appeared in his hands. His newest affinity, [Genesis Spark], left his palms, and the vitality of the mana spread across the lands, giving back the life Valerian had once taken.

With a final look back, a wave of ice left his boots, and he walked away, leaving behind dozens of gravestones made from clear blue ice that shone and twinkled under the moonlight.

On each gravestone, a name was engraved, symbolizing each kid that died here. And at the center of the graveyard stood a larger gravestone than the others, with a single name etched into it in clear writing:

Aurelia.

And next to Aurelia’s gravestone, a single green leaf sprouted from the ground.

And Valerian left the orphanage for his new life, finally ridding himself of the curse of the past.

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