The Gilded Reunion

[Zolgarious Gilden]

“..Zol is dead..”

Erigor said as he grabbed the imposter by his throat with a left hand that was large enough to pulverize his skull. At 6’3, Zol was about five inches shorter than his father, yet Erigor suspended him from the ground as if he were still the tiny, weightless child he remembered. Only now, the strength in his grip threatened to break his windpipe.

To say within a flash wasn’t even the correct term. There was no noise, no step. In what he could only assume was a second, Erigor was already upon him. He didn’t know he had been grabbed until Erigor’s hand was already wrapping around his throat. A single hand covered his entire neck area. The pressure of his grip was staggering. There was no delusion about his strength.

”Crap! When did he?”

Zol's eyes met the searing glare of his father, whose eyes had a look that struck a cord in his heart . The sadness, hidden behind rage. Zol’s smaller hands grabbed at his forearms. Presenting a futile struggle against his solid grip before gripping his thumb and fingers. Zol could feel a glint of the bond between them when his hands touched that of Erigor’s with their eyes locked. Zol's eye glinted amber, the aura of emotion. Through their connection, Zol could feel Erigor’s guilt buried deep within him as if purposely so. Though repressed, Zol was not forgotten, and from the ever-increasing force of his hand, those emotions were unraveling more by the second. He could feel it, the bastion around Erigor's heart. The font of his grief.

Yeah, Zol realized he fucked up.

And also that he was the only one who could fix it.

”T-tell me fa-Erigor. Do- Do you intend- to break your promise now?”

The mentioning of the vow Erigor made to him the day he took him as his son might induce a spur of emotion within the fangs leader. Erigor’s squeeze had become so tight he was starting to lose consciousness. His grip became weaker by the second. Meru beside him started to growl at Erigor but kept an eye on Aisha, hoping she would not jump in.

“Tell me who you are.. and what you want. The next lie out of your mouth will be your last.”

”St-stuborn… old man”

With that, his hands dropped lifelessly to the side. His body went limp.

Meru’s eyes would glow for a moment before releasing a loud howl. Zol’s ears twitched, and his Naten ignited a flash of vermilion that would shift from red to green to blue before becoming a resplendent gold. Zol was a master of Aura manipulation, which was the spiritual energy of his soul. Each color aura he possesses has a different set of uncanny abilities. However, his Gilded Aura was the epitome of his power. The vine-like runic markings along the veins that made his cardiovascular system line his body as an exoskeleton erupted with light as his grip over Erigor’s hand returned furious and more powerful than ever. Aisha might recognize its flare, for this same aura protected her against the Novik.

”I already told you…”

The power behind the grip returned from Zol was one that even Erigor would have to acknowledge.

”I am your son !!!”

His guttural wail was accompanied by the earth beneath Erigor shifting into quicksand, sinking his heavy body, and throwing him off just enough for Zol to loosen his grip. Just enough for him to slip away. The moment he escaped, he hopped over Erigor’s shoulder, landing on the ground where he once sat. The golden Aura began to digress back into a vermilion.

"I didn't come here to fight you Erigor. Think back five years ago, the day we met, the day you saved my life, the vow!"

The vow. The words gaze Zol a peak to reach.The thing that fueled his ambition to become a slayer among slayers. The reason he went to hunt the Novik in the first place. He could scarcely imagine it. The weight of Erigor's guilt after Zol begged him to go on that mission. He reminded Zol of their vow once, and now Zol was here to do the same. Suppose he could live long enough to convince him. His aura hugged him like a skin-tight cloak solidifying on his person, going from a wild ember to a highlighting hue. His vermilion aura is tied to the Cardinal Pilar of Self, The vessel. It governed the physical self and could be used to harden and shift his form and increase his physical attributes far beyond anything he could muster in his previous form. He was no longer shaken, he knew that if he couldn’t get through with words. He would have to convey his feelings through first.

[Fate I]

..Zol's Gilded Aura was the epitome of his power. The vine-like runic markings along the veins that made his cardiovascular system lined his body as an exoskeleton, and erupted with light as his grip over Erigor’s hand grew more furious and more powerful than ever.

Could it be?

A'sha's razor lined jaw slacked in silent awe as she witnessed the brilliant display of energy. She recognized it almost immediately. That iridescent gleam. It brought her back to that horrid night, trapped again within the Maalukian Woods as her comrades were slaughtered right before her very eyes. She remembered their frightened faces, and would be haunted forever by their final screams, but there was something she saw that night that she would never forget. And here it was again, ripping the flesh from Erigor's arm.

“How is this possible?”

”I am your son !!!”

His guttural wail was accompanied by the earth beneath Erigor shifting into quicksand, sinking his heavy body, and throwing him off just enough for Zol to loosen his grip. Just enough for him to slip away. The moment he escaped, he hopped over Erigor’s shoulder, landing on the ground where he once sat. The golden Aura began to digress back into a vermilion.

“Stop this Erigor! This is madness! Imposter or not, he bears our crest!--"

Aisha nearly fell to the ground beneath the weight of Zol's incorporeal bawl. Erigor was caught off guard as he began to sink into the ground, allowing Zol to slip from his grasp. Erigor looked more bothered than impressed.

"I didn't come here to fight you, Erigor. Think back five years ago, the day we met, the day you saved my life, the vow!"

“..you dare!? Tread my memories.”

His anger filled the room with a deafening boom. His eyes ignited a spectral, azure glow before he disappeared from sight entirely. Escaping the viscous sand trap entirely and reappearing right behind Zol with his fist lunged back, ready to really lay into the imposter for reading his mind.

[Zolgarious Gilden]

Erigor’s fury filled the room as his roar shook the very air. He would have never known Erigor capable of such rage.

Such sadness

As much as he wanted, Zol could not afford to look upon his father with any pity. To do so would not only insult Erigor's name but could cost him his very life, and after barely making it back last time, he was in no rush to see the pearly gates again. Erigor's speed was ridiculous if it was that; quite frankly, he could never tell it from his anthem. Though Zol was “holding his own” in truth if Erigor truly wished this bout to be over. It would have happened instantly.

He had walked this world for over 200 years, carrying on his shoulders a duty he inherited from his precursors before him. To make this world a place where all life could live respectfully. A beacon of light in a world often faced with haunting shadows and skulking beasts. He spoke with compassion and well-earned authority. A natural-born hunter yet had a soft spot for animals. Zol held pride in sharing the bond he had with him.

” That day I found Meru, drakes had slaughtered his entire pack…he was so small and helpless crying standing in front of his mother.”

He said as Erigor appeared behind him with a fist holding enough power to break every bone in a man’s body. His only indication that Erigor had done so was the hairs on his neck standing from feeling the commander's overwhelming menace. Zol would have no time to evade, merely to brace himself for the impact. Aura coursed through his frame; he made his skin tough as a diamond, concentrating this enhancement in both his feet and arms as he, in a fluid motion, about-faced the ball of his foot before planting them firmly on the ground and throwing his arms up defensively.

Taking the blow head-on would normally send someone of Zol’s stature tunneling through walls with substantial bodily harm. No doubt ending the fight there. Though when endowed with the stoutness of Vermilion, Zol was far more resilient. He gritted his teeth as his feet tore the stone floor, bearing the brunt of his awesome blow. A collision, the likes of which sent a wave of force that would have Meru and Aisha soaring. Meru, however, would jump in front of Aisha as his eyes ignited with a bold cardinal blaze, creating a barrier aura around them. Providing a sanctuary from the aftermath of the collision.

The Guild Masters's wrath sent shockwaves through Zol's body; even with his enhancements, Erigor's pure might could shatter his very skeleton. Barely managing to keep his internal structure intact, his eyes locked again with Erigor.

” I had been wandering for weeks, weak from exhaustion. Still, I managed to fend them off, but their mother, an actual dragon, appeared. Instead of being eaten alive...instead of death. There was you. Ardently piercing through like a ray of light in the darkness.”

Zol would discharge a buoyant pulse of naten through his hands that would repel him off of Erigor. As Zol slid backward, his Naten would trace the trail of his trajectory. Sending a trio of earthen pillars barreling into him.

”I asked how… how were you so strong. Weren’t you scared? You said...”

Zol's voice cracked under the weight of his emotions. His aura thickened as his emotions ran deeper, encasing him in amber as his eyes glinted earlier. Amber aura was the "Pylon of Emotion," a connection to the" Unseen." Through it, he could see Erigor's aberrant emotions scarring the dreamscape like a warring whirlwind of anguish. Zol's heart swelled with pride and anxiousness, recalling that harrowing day. He would not shy away from Erigor despite everything. This moment was not just about reminding the guild master of his past but also the future he entrusted to the other members. Those who were enkindled by his light. Not just for the power he held but for the warmth and compassion in his heart. A warmth that he had been bottling up since Zol's passing. For the young berserker, this moment was also to show that while still leagues away from being Erigor’s equal. He, too, could be again entrusted to help his father carry the burden of peace. He still had much to learn and room to grow, but he would never allow himself to fall as he had done before. He needed to prove to Erigor that he held the might to walk alongside him through this age of darkness.

The words he gifted him that day were the cornerstone of these emotions, this ambition that burned in his heart. Blinded by his rage, Zol questioned whether his words were truly being heard or if the Fang leader was being purely reactive. Erigor allowed his grief to monopolize his attention away from the guild, holding it in, allowing it to stifle him. He never would’ve gotten to this place had Zol been stronger. He vowed to gain the strength needed to prevent another catastrophe like the one that claimed his guild mates. His fist tightened as it became increasingly endowed with the amber energy his form exuded. The earth beneath them rumbled as if heeding the aura's hum.

[Fate I]

The strength of Erigor's punch, though blocked, tore through his sanctum with a torrent of the concussive force. Zol was sent sliding on his heels across the stone, the table at the center of the room was eviscerated, and nearly every trophy hanging from the wall was torn from their nailing. Aisha was ill prepared for the sudden explosion of power; she might have been swept up in the roaring gust if not for Meru's swift reflexes.

Meru however, would jump in front of Aisha as his eyes ignited with a bold cardinal blaze, creating a barrier aura around them. Providing a sanctuary from the aftermath of the collision.

It was a translucent bubble that surrounded the two of them thanks to Meru that protected them from the dust and debris. Aisha strained her eyes trying to peer through the storm of stone and sediment kicked up from the physical exchange. But the look in her eyes was far more trusting as she pressed her hand atop of Meru's head and lovingly stroked her fur. Aisha didn't need anymore convincing following that selfless act; she knew from there on that Meru was no imposter. It was just.. it felt impossible for her to acknowledge the truth.

Zol..? Is that really you?

She couldn't deny her intuition anymore. Aisha knew it was him.. she felt it somehow from the moment he walked through that door. The boy who died.. fighting a battle that she begging to flee from. How? How did he survive? What happened to him? And how would she face him?

” I had been wandering for weeks, weak from exhaustion. Still, I managed to fend them off, but their mother, an actual dragon, appeared. Instead of being eaten alive...instead of death. There was you. Ardently piercing through like a ray of light in the darkness.”

Zol would discharge a buoyant pulse of naten through his hands that would repel him off of Erigor. As Zol slid backward, his Naten would trace the trail of his trajectory. Sending a trio of earthen pillars barreling into him.

”I asked how… how were you so strong. Weren’t you scared? You said...”

Zol's words froze Erigor in contemplation. Reflective thought. In a matter of moments his mind was dragged out of the present and brought back to that night in question. He remembered being incredibly cold, despite fighting off a biological God of fire and death. Her talons had ripped his entrails from out of his belly, and scorched half of his face to the bone. He owed his life to the medics that day, but what he returned with brought a sense of pride to his wounds. It was why he never bothered to heal that scar on his eyes that ran down to the center of his chest.

He wanted to reminded of the day he met Zol, everyday for the rest of his life.

"..Zol?"

Erigor was so detached, so distracted in that moment that he didn't even bother to defend himself from the piston like stalagmites jutting from the ground. In fact, he barely seemed to notice them before they collided with his chest and launched him into a nearby wall. A'siha responded with a panicked, primal roar as she leapt from Meru's protective bubble to inspect Erigor's injuries. As powerful as he was, Erigor's deteriorating health had become an issue ever sense Zol's apparent passing. Many figured it must have something to do with his deteriorating mental health, but Erigor refused to see any medic to consult his condition. Not even Clara was allowed to check.. and now.

"Commander!!?"

Aisha quickly tore through the rubble and pulled Erigor from beneath a collapsed wall. He was short winded and covered in bruises, but he seemed to be smiling beneath with a grill of crimson teeth.

”I asked how… how were you so strong. Weren’t you scared? You said...”

"I said.. Courage, is not the absence of fear, but the assessment that something else.. someone else.. is far more important."

Erigor said as he leaned on Aisha's 7' frame. He sounded surprised that he still remembered what he said that day, but infinitely more touched that Zol immortalized in his mind. He reached his hand out, shaky and afraid. Afraid that if, with this realization, that Zol could possibly disappear if he touched him. Erigor feared that this could have been an elaborate illusion, that once he truly believed that his son had risen from the ashes, that he would disappear in a plume of smoke just as mysteriously as he appeared. He wanted to touch him; wipe him clean of the wounds he may have suffered. That he might have given him.. Erigor was a strong man, more than ten thousand people knew that to be true. But in this moment, for a second or two, he looked as if he wanted nothing more than to embrace his son before the tears ran down his wounds.

"But how can this-- Aisha?! Can he-- Can you truly be my son?!"

[Zolgarious Gilden]

The storm of sand and stone was awe-inspiring to see. All that from just a punch? He had almost totally decimated his sanctum, unleashing it, and Zol shuttered to think what could have happened to him had he not defended himself. Erigor would have indeed killed him. As Aisha petted Meru, he looked up at her with his tail wagging, elated that she recognized him finally. The dust storm gave the pillars the slight bit of coverage they needed as they landed into Erigor, sending him flying into the wall behind him. Zol was surprised the attack had such an impact. It could have been that Erigor was off his square, which is understandable; it's not every day that a ghost from your past abruptly claims it yet lives. Aisha practically flew to his side, pulling him from the rubble. Meru, in turn, jumped to Zol's side, whose face was full of held-back tears.

" I said... Courage is not the absence of fear, but the assessment that something else.. someone else.. is far more important."

Zol's aura of emotion began to hug him gently as he heard Erigor finally respond to him instead of attacking. He leaned on Aisha for support. He was worn, could it be? The wounds from that day still troubled him. Zol cautiously stepped a single step closer, his fist still tight. Not in anger towards Erigor, he was trying to contain all he felt. Being so exposed to his amber aura, he practically wore his heart on his sleeve, unable to hide the grief of being away from his family for so long. Nor the joy of being back here, even under such dire circumstances.

"Because when a dragon appears..."

Zol said as Erigor's hand reached out toward him. He kept walking, stopping just short of them both. Zol's eyes were clouded by the tears threatening to cascade down his face. His hand reached out to meet Erigor's, sharing his fears, feelings, and the waves of his guilt. He regretted sending his son on that mission; he regretted not being the one to spearhead the group that day. None of them knew what the Novik was truly capable of.

He thought of Q, he prayed she had made it out safely. Continuing on, Zolgarious's hand emitted a powerful green hue. The Verdant Mana's life flowed into the nub where Aisha lost her arm. The light wrapped around her nub, becoming solid, almost like a gel that would ease her pain, stop the bleeding, and begin to cause her limb to regenerate rapidly. Within moments, it was almost fully healed.

But when a dragon appears...so does the need for a dragon slayer.

He said as he rose. He turned his back to his comrade; how it pained him to do so, how he wished he could've gotten here sooner. He might've been able to save Dawli and Opa as well. Now was not the time for regrets. The best thing he could do for them, for anyone at this point. Was to that this bastard down!

"So does the need for a dragon slayer."

He said as he touched Erigor's hand, grinning at him with tears streaming down his face. The image of Zol's soul became visible to him, sharing the same goofy grin he always had. A reflection of his former appearance sat next to him like an operation. It was his aura manifesting the visage of him that Erigor and, by extension, Aisha knew him as. From this close, Zol could see how heavy the last couple of years had weighed on Erigor. He was a shell of his former self. His light had dwindled so much. Zol didn't care whatever he needed to do to help. He meant what he said as he entered. He planned to walk through this age of darkness together. Meru would stand beside Zol, wagging his tail and looking up at Erigor as if confirming his words and identity claim.

"You can let it go now, Dad, the hurt, the anger. The guild needs your light more so now than ever. You're the only one who can do this. I'm here now and don't plan to leave anytime soon. Count on it!"

[Fate I]

Erigor said nothing more before embracing his son. He was at a loss of words, but filled with such joy he couldn't feel the sting of his injuries. None of it mattered at this moment.

"By the gods. Please, forgive me Zol. I would have never lifted a hand to you had I known the truth. You must know this.."

He pleaded with his head buried into his son's shoulder, leaking tears of joy muddled with grief. Aisha took a step to the side to give the father and child a moment to themselves, but she too felt beyond elated to see Zol alive and kicking. Even if she didn't exactly understand what happened, she didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"How is this possible Zol? We mourned your death.."

Aisha didn't want to sound like she was interrogating him, but the reasoning behind his return was imperative to her curious nature.

[Zolgarious Gilden]

Erigor said nothing more before embracing his son. He was at a loss for words but filled with such joy he couldn't feel the sting of his injuries. None of it mattered at this moment.

"By the gods. Please forgive me, Zol. I would have never lifted your hand had I known the truth. You must know this.."

He pleaded with his head buried into his son's shoulder, leaking tears of joy muddled with grief. Aisha took a step to the side to give the father and child a moment to themselves, but she, too, felt beyond elated to see Zol alive and kicking. Even if she didn't exactly understand what happened, she didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"How is this possible Zol? We mourned your death.."

Aisha didn't want to sound like she was interrogating him, but the reasoning behind his return was imperative to her curious nature.

Zol returned his embrace with streams of joy running down his face. He wasn't sure he'd ever see Erigor again; the trauma of facing the Novik for a while left him broken. Though he saved Aisha, the others had already been slain, and for all his power, he could not revive them. He wondered what he would say to Erigor after such a bold failure. The only words he could think of were

"Good to know you can still throw a punch. I was worried you might've keeled over, old man"

Zol said with a cheeky wink and smiled as Meru ran over to Eriogoy, licking his hand. Zol left Erigor's embrace when Aisha mentioned the mourning of his death. It must've been hard on everyone here to have lost the others but him, as well as what that must've done to Aisha as the sole survivor. How could he explain it to them? Not only was he no longer Michio, but he also was a 10,000-year-old spirit guardian of the king from another realm. Clara is the only person who knows his truth, and even that amount of information at one time nearly cracked her.

"Uuhh. It's a funny story. Well... you see... shoot."

He chuckled nervously, not even knowing where to begin. Then it hit him. His amber aura began to manifest around him. It gathered within the palm of his hands, bathing them all in its warm, inviting light. Zol would smile; he'd never done this before, but he was eager to let his truth be known finally. When Erigor last laid eyes on Zol, he was a small but mighty tike whose potential was unsure. In his former life, Zol only became a fighter to defend the people he loved, his guild. In his Astral life...well, that was a different story entirely.

"It'll be easier just to show you. Brace yourself...it can be a bit much the first few times around."

Zol compressed the light in his hands before opening them, revealing a flare of painlessly bright light.

"Inherent Expression"

At that moment, Zol drew the collective consciousness of Eriogr, Aisha, and Meru into his "Inherent Expression," otherwise known as the soul. When the flare died out, they would find themselves in Erigor's study no longer but instead in Zol's inner world.

"Welcome, this is my soul. My most tresured space."

Here, thoughts and emotions rippled like a stone dropping into a pond. They might find themselves bewildered, but they were safe here.

Here, Zol was master of all,

"Thousands of years ago, I was once walking amongst a race of powerful warriors. Michio. Though I was never much of a warrior, I was always spiritually inclined. My mother could never quite stand that about me. It made it harder for folks to lie to me. Then, one day, countless Michio were slaughtered by traitor amongst their kind. My mother and father were gone in a flash of crimson."

The world around them shifted, revealing mirror-like apparitions of light showing Zol's memories on display.

"Only a handful survived, thrust into cryostasis and sent into a deep slumber. Though my body was frozen, the grief in my heart was molten. That's when I received it... the vision of the Sardynox comet.

In the reaches of the mirror, a reflection of Vescrtuia Orbit came into view. Zol was sharing the vision he was bestowed.

" The origins of it still elude me, but its power is great and worst off. Virulent. I witnessed it crashing into the planet and its influence, forcing the residents of Vescrutia to evolve into terrifying monstrosities. As a Michio, I became very connected to the planet. Spending most of my time in nature, I made friends: animals, plants, fae, and spirits. The burden of knowing they were in mortal danger, yet I could do nothing to save them, hurled me into despair. Lamenting my powerlessness, my soul cries echoed into the reaches of the Unseen.' Cursing the silence. Fearing I would remain unheard."

He smiled, looking toward Meru. When Zol reflected on how much he owed his pal. In some ways, Meru still couldn't understand.

"But I was heard by a being known as Lilika, a literally Faerie princess hailing from an Astral realm known as Carna. I know it sounds bonkers, but it's the truth!

The world of Carna would manifest around them in real-time. It was a gorgeous realm where magic and nature existed as one. Creatures and things are not native to Vescrtuia.

'It was here that I met Wei; The Faerie King. A being of invaluable power and mystical knowledge. His People were a kind of Faerie known as Okun Fae who carnate from souls that met a peaceful end. I know you both know the Unseen as spiritually inclined magic users. Suppose the Unseen could be viewed as a tree. Then Carna is, but one of its many branches, a realm where breathing and magic are harmonic. Wei's duties were to serve as the guardian of The Nether. A pocket dimension that serves as a prison to some of the most evil cosmic terrors in existence. Using the power of aura, energy birthed from one's soul, he and his children managed to maintain its seal and

The scene would warp out, reflecting now his time serving the king. The times they spent training, talking, and fighting side by side and defending the realms from all kinds of celestial terrors.

" For over ages upon ages did I live amongst the residents of Carna. Time moved much differently in Carna. Though I slept for a few hundred years, I watched over that world for eons that stretched into several millennia and helped them defeat one eldritch monster after the other. Becoming the right-hand man of the king. The High Fae life force and magic hold the seal over the Nether in place. Upon reaching the end of its life, the high fae's magic dwindles, and the seal weakens. It took everything to bring him down. Even then, we only managed to split him apart and seal his pieces.

A harrowing battle between the Faerire Realm and the Demonic horrors of the Nether appeared, showing Zol brimming with cosmic energy.

"It was a grueling fight and a victory somberly savored as Wei gave the last of his life to defeat Grixas. His son would eventually inherit the throne and maintain the seal once more. I would not live to see it, however, as right after the battle, I was brought back to life by the Michio, my soul snatched from the other world back to the realm I was born in."

The Michio moon base, the Khralaessara, replaced the wonderous world of Carna.

"All my memories, those of my time in Carna, were lost to me. The people I returned to were shells of their former selves bent on revenge and callous vengeance. I did not share their ire and forcibly underwent a ritual that stripped me of my Michio heritage. I was discarded and sent packing on an escape pod, landing a few miles out from where I found Meru...and where we met Erigor"

As the Khralaessara faded from view, the day Erigor tore through a dragon to save their lives came to pass. Zol's heart swelled with pride and admiration. Then came the visions of the Novik. Zol's smile faded.

"Fast forward to the hunt for the Novik. Our patron was a strange woman who, now that I think about it gave off the impression she was much more powerful than she let on. She accompanied us, but a group of Maaluki moths ambushed us at some point. After we beat the crap out of the lot of them, we heard a terrible scream, and then the body of our patron wrecked with horrible wounds. She urged me not to go, but your words pushed me ahead. Fangs don't abandon fangs"

He could still hear the droning of the wing beats that foreshadowed the Moths coming.

"I heard their voices call out to me, but it was the Novik. It had already killed Opa and Dawli and lured me in with their voices. The wretched creature nearly killed me as well. Just as I was about to die, Meru began to light up. Inside him was the soul of one of the Faerie king's children. Lilika the Pylon fo Emotion. The person who brought me to the world of Carna all those years ago. Through her power, I remembered everything from my time there, including how to wield aura again. It managed to heal Aisha's arm and fight back the Novik, though I only got it to run away. The sudden releases of my soul powers required the sacrifice of my physical form and having been over-exerted, my soul was on the verge of flickering away into oblivion.

The blistering blaze of Evernus, the plane of righteous flames he tried to banish the Novik to, appeared before transitioning to the face of a pink-haired child.

"But thanks to Gavin, a shaman that belongs to a people known as the Yuex saved my soul, and through an ancient ritual, they were able to create a new vessel for my soul—a body created from naten itself. I am still human...but more? It's strange, and I'm still adjusting ."

His fist tightened as the horizon in his soul dawned a brilliant sunrise.

"But I am here alive and well, Zolgarious Gilden, a proud member of the Gilded Fangs, ready to stop this blasted comet no matter the cost!"

With that, the sun would illuminate with the same glow as the amber light that brought them all here; once it faded, they would return to Erigor's sanctum.

"Let me rejoin the guild Erigor. Let me fight for this realm once more. Let me prove to you and everyone here that I have what it takes to become a top hunter."

His eyes were brimming with determination. Nothing could convince him otherwise about his path. Nor his promises.

[Fate I]

"Inherent Expression"

At that moment, Zol drew the collective consciousness of Eriogr, Aisha, and Meru into his "Inherent Expression," otherwise known as the soul. When the flare died out, they would find themselves in Erigor's study no longer but instead in Zol's inner world.

"Welcome, this is my soul. My most treasured space."

Here, thoughts and emotions rippled like a stone dropping into a pond. They might find themselves bewildered, but they were safe here.
He smiled, looking toward Meru. When Zol reflected on how much he owed his pal. In some ways, Meru still couldn't understand…

"But I was heard by a being known as Lilika, a literal Faerie princess hailing from an Astral realm known as Carna. I know it sounds bonkers, but it's the truth!”

The world of Carnawould manifest around them in real-time. It was a gorgeous realm where magic and nature existed as one. Creatures and things are not native to Vescrtuia…

"Fast forward to the hunt for the Novik. Our patron was a strange woman who, now that I think about it gave off the impression she was much more powerful than she let on. She accompanied us, but a group of Maaluki moths ambushed us at some point.. I heard voices call out to me, but it was the Novik. It had already killed Opa and Dawli and lured me in with their voices. The wretched creature nearly killed me as well..

Erigor and Aisha watched in awe as Zol immersed them within his passed experiences. And they couldnt discern whether they were impressed or saddened by the extent of peril he not only endured, but triumphed over alone. Erigor emotions were ripping him apart; fighting back his tears as he relived the death of his son for the second time. But he watched every minute, every fleeting second. He refused to look away. Aisha was no different. She was blown away by Zol's profound abilities- she had no idea he was so proficient in the mystical arts. The explanation of the Astral realm known as Carna helped in clarification.

Erigor remained speechless for the entirety of the vicarious experience. Aisha couldn't close her gaping maw. From Zol living a host of past lives with empirical recollection of each of them, to him being the paradigm of several different celestial forces. It was a lot to take in..

"But I am here alive and well, Zolgarious Gilden, a proud member of the Gilded Fangs, ready to stop this blasted comet no matter the cost!"

With that, the sun would illuminate with the same glow as the amber light that brought them all here; once it faded, they would return to Erigor's sanctum.

"Let me rejoin the guild Erigor. Let me fight for this realm once more. Let me prove to you and everyone here that I have what it takes to become a top hunter!"

"..Zol."

Erigor's face was hard as stone, despite the reflective well in his eyes. He remained as strong as he'd legend entailed. Beyond reproach in everyway. Aisha waited intently for his response to what Zol shared with them. Such an intimate connection would be jarring for anyone. But his silence was telling.

"..No fiber of my being will condone you doing anything that will result in your death of pain.. ever again."

He said sternly.

"But when has that stopped you before? When has anything?"

He continued with a smile melting through his calloused demeanor.

"Not even death can stop my son.. why should I try luck?!"

Aisha nodded her head in agreement.

"I couldn't--- I wasnt sure if I would ever see you again, Zol.. You saved my life that day... You're already better than anyone I've ever had the pleasure of fighting with. If it means anything, I think you'll become quite the legendary hunter. In fact, I'm sure of it."