Act 4: Fallen Heaven - Chapter 727: Maia's Fire, Back To The Pit

Act 4: Fallen Heaven - Chapter 727: Maia's Fire, Back To The Pit

Shortly after the outburst, the strange being of ash named Quinn leaped forward, swelling in size as ashes flowed like the sands of a desert. On the other hand, Isha and the Elves didn't seem worried, as if waiting for something. Maia doubted that foul creations could express emotions, but Isha's calmness caught her attention. Red flames jetted under her prided wings and quickened her pace, arriving by Quinn in a flash of heat. Clasping her hands together, Maia parted them, intensifying the link of fire burning between her palms. The link erupted and emerged as a blazing wall that separated Maia and Quinn from Isha's group.Th.ê most uptod/ate novels a/re published on n(0)velbj)n(.)c/o/m

"Calm down!" Maia slapped her wing on Quinn, scattering the chaotic ashes. The rippling heatwaves of her wing's forceful blow shaved off the excess ashes, the remaining clumps merging and forming the distinct shape of a person. He was exactly as Avril described, though much more mature than the immature brat in Avril's tales. Long, mellow green hair draped down his shoulders, and a maddened red glare gleamed dangerously, hints of rage and guilt, a look she knew well. Grabbing Quinn's thin face, Maia sighed and warned, "Don't cause trouble for your allies. Didn't you learn under the same master as Avril?"

"Eh? Big Sister?" Quinn widened his eyes in shock. Maia released him as the madness and rage quelled and diminished, his eyes calm and round. He backed several steps in the air, bringing his fists up in a similar stance Avril had shown a few times while recounting her journey, truly a pair of fellow disciples. Quinn was apprehensive, no doubt, but understandable. "How do you know her?"

"What a pain...First, I had to help take care of her children; now, it's her wayward fellow disciple. Well, I suppose any is better than dealing with her husband, that bastard." Maia frowned and surged more Ein in the flame walls, wondering why Isha didn't attack. She wasn't complaining. The ample time to convince Quinn was welcome. Turning back to Quinn, she introduced herself by placing a hand over her chest and speaking firmly, keeping the Claude manners, "I am Maia Claude. Your Big Sister Avril is my good friend and savior. If you don't believe me, that's fine. But I am that woman, Isha's enemy. For now, fighting together is a sound strategy."

"Maia...Claude...." Quinn scratched his hair and groaned, "Where did I hear that name? I think Big Brother mentioned it once or twice...."

'Don't tell me that man told him about me....' Acting fast, Maia undid her flame wall and soared ahead, gunning straight for Isha. She couldn't risk Quinn remembering the 'her' that was Oscar's enemy in Ashen Grove, or else she'd have to deal with two hostile elements. The best play was to restart the fight and direct Quinn during the confusion of battle. While Quinn snapped out of his pondering and stared at her, she shouted in a phoenix's cry, "Hold back your anger and fend off those foul things. I'll drag this woman out for your revenge."

"Ah?" Quinn stammered and regarded the Elves with a dark gaze, a tide of ashes swallowing them whole. Roots emerged and entrenched in the gray soil, and trees sprouted, piercing the thick blanket of ash. Wooden hands dug out of the bark and split the trees in half from within. The Elves reemerged like insects gnawing out of their sacs. Clicking his tongue, Quinn shouted, "Alright, Big Sister's friend! I'll finish them and help you later!"

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"Don't insult a grieving old woman. I pray for the soul of my friend, who left behind only her legacy. She should have lived!" Isha sounded angered, but the faint undulations of laughter laden underneath gave it away.

"I'm a bad person, but I have to admit you're far worse. At least admit to your reasons rather than hide behind a false empathy. That helps no one." Maia exhaled a breath of fire that writhed and coiled around her neck like a scarf. One end of the flames evened to a fine point and whipped around, covered in white scales. The other end gaped its maw open and hissed out its forked tongue, glaring around with red eyes as molten drool dripped, and the ground hissed and smoked where they fell. It raised its head and nudged against her cheek. "Well, it no longer matters. What use is the reasoning of a dead person?"

.......

Oscar halted and felt his blood run cold. Below his feet was the edge of a deep pit, the same he had seen long ago when he dove into the Pools of Ascension. Its walls were smooth and led straight down, ending in a shroud of deep darkness, the bottom unseen and unknown. He had descended it before, but even his memory failed to measure how deep it went. A low groan of metallic rumble shook the pit, the ground he stood on, and the ceiling. Cracks formed on the walls of the pit, spreading not wildly in a frenzy but in fine lines and patterns. Sections of the walls were shifted by the cracks and extended out step by step, stairs by stairs.

Before long, a long spiraling stairway showed itself, providing a pathway of descent. It was all too familiar, just like last time.

'Ah, my friend. Your presence permeates the air. You hateful bucket!' Ignyres shouted.

"AT LAST...YOU ARE HERE...COME. COME AND...KNOW THE TRUTH." Metures's cold voice that cut like a blade in the air resounded, weaker than the last time he heard it ten years ago at the start of Fallen Heaven. Evidently, the Ancient of Metal was certainly suffering a slow death...good. Oscar felt no empathy for Metures's pain.

"The first time, you kept so many secrets from me, not even those related to Talos, but my own life. Now, I want to know everything." Oscar stepped down the stairs, one foot at a time, leaning on Erden beside him, delving deeper into the pit, toward the throne of the Ancient of Metal.