“Dungeon time! Dungeon time! Dungeon time!” Feather, Leo, and Iden chanted in unison, Cirrus watching as the three of them all threw their hands in the air, cheering that line over and over again. It was kind of funny, but also kind of awkward, because ever since they’d landed on this planet, Cirrus was certain it was not the kind of place you could play around in. But those three remained ecstatic despite that, and Feather led them forward while pumping his fists in the air with such a bright smile as they approached a very large, and very sinister looking dungeon.
“Haha! This is the most dangerous dungeon on Ikvira! Surely you’ve heard about it, right? It’s called the Dungeon of Dragons,” Feather smiled at him, Cirrus taking that in for what it was worth as Jayce grimaced next to him.
“Seriously? Isn’t this dungeon known for being so overpowered it kills anyone who enters it in just the first stage?” Jayce growled, staring at the front of the dungeon that was covered in sparkling gold, the cave’s entrance gilded in fine marble with golden pillars supporting it. It looked so regal on the outside, but there was no denying what horrors remained within. This was the type of dungeon Nadia had told them horror stories about when they were children so that they worked harder, and if even Nadia spoke of it like this… you could imagine how dangerous it must be. Whatever the case, Jayce wasn’t amused, stopping where he stood with crossed arms, foot tapping irritably on the dirt. “You can count me out. I’m not going in there, even if it is supposedly to train. I don’t feel like getting killed.”
“Oh, silly Jayce! You’re not going to be training in there!” Feather laughed, the sound so deceptively pleasant. But the tone quickly shifted, Feather’s face twisting into one of insanity, eyes squinting and smile wide and trembling as he staggered to be right in Jayce’s face. “You’re going to be watching me solo it. I’m going to show you how powerful I am, and the rest of you are going to sit back and watch me kill everything I get my hands on. Got that, Jayce?”
“Uhh… you seriously think you can solo that dungeon?” Jayce winced, his canine senses telling him to run away from the look Feather was giving him, that damn smile too unnerving to look at. But, somehow, he’d developed enough trust in Feather to be able to somewhat stand his ground, doing his best to look the man in the eye as he scoffed. “Even all the inner kings and queens of our alliance together wouldn’t be able to do it. I remember when Nadia was trying to recruit this planet into the Central Domain Alliance, they said they would agree to join under the condition that she defeat this dungeon with only three people. She chose Cadence and Ophiuchus to go with her, the three strongest of our leaders, and even they all failed. But you think you can solo it? Are you crazy?”
“Hahh, yes to both,” Feather responded airily, not taking any of Jayce’s words to heart as he straightened himself back up. “Well, I’m heading in now. By the way, I set up a barrier around myself that stops all seven of you from being too far away from me. So if you don’t follow me now, you’ll just be teleported to my side later. Hahah, sorry,” he waved casually, before turning around and entering the dungeon like he hadn’t just declared he was forcing them all into a place that would surely kill them.
“Aye, you motherfucker—!!”
But Jayce didn’t get to finish that sentence before he was suddenly teleported into the jaws of the dungeon, fear engulfing him to the max as he froze in his place. Oh god, he would’ve never dreamed of even looking at these kinds of monsters before. The first thing he managed to comprehend after walking into this mess was a tall, tall golem that must be the size of Lilino’s main castle, thirty times larger than what the small cave had appeared on the surface. He’d heard of this, the guardian against dragons. After all, this place wasn’t called the Dungeon of Dragons because dragons were inside it, but because only the strongest of dragons could conquer it by banding together. That’s why the powerful species had made this planet their home, inhabiting the dungeons and marking this territory as their own. And the queen of these dragons, Amalthea, who was known as the strongest dragon alive and who was far stronger than anyone in their alliance combined, had been the only one able to solo it in history. It’d taken five long years for her to do so, and Feather was acting like it was going to be easy?! And he was dragging them along with him, too?! Fuck it, Jayce would much prefer a peaceful death surrounded by nature and animals, not whatever torture he was going to receive here! He didn’t care what other people tried to claim, dying in battle wasn’t what he wanted at all, especially in a battle that had been doomed from the start!
He didn’t even know what to do, and no one else seemed to know either. Eve instinctively took a step to hide behind Cirrus, the man doing his best to shield her while she clung to his arm, but even all he could do was stare at the large golem as it moved itself to face them. It was perhaps the largest creature he’d ever laid eyes on, and while it moved slowly, he didn’t think any of his attacks would have an effect on it if he tried. The ground shook when it stepped down, its clay body moving itself toward them as it began to suck in a deep breath of air, preparing to blow them all away with a gust of wind while the space around them filled with sharp whistling. But… but Feather…
Feather was laughing.
“Hahahah, yes, Nancy!! It’s nice to see you, it’s been so long!! Ready to get demolished to dust all over again?!” he laughed maniacally, moving his arms as light shimmered into the shape of a bow, a large stream of light being pulled back along a thin glowing string as Feather’s grin widened. “TAKE THIS, YOU BIG DUMB ROCK!! HAHAHAH!!!”
His light shot off with so much force Cirrus had to take a step back, Eve clinging to his waist while Achitha moved to catch Jayce before he fell over from the force, fur spiking along his back as his fluffy ears flattened all the way against his head. And when the arrow made contact, it shot straight through the golem, the clay and rock exploding into hundreds of pieces, Feather’s cackling being heard clearly amongst all the noise and destruction. And Cirrus could do nothing but watch in awe as the man turned to his group, insane grin looking rather pleased.
“See? This dungeon ain’t that big a deal! Just stick close to me and you’ll be safe, okay? And take notes, because I’m expecting all of you to be able to take down this dungeon as a team in the future. Understood?”
“Yes sir! We’ll watch really closely! I love you!” Iden cheered, perhaps the only one who was willing to put all of her faith in Feather’s words as he smiled at her.
“Aww, Iden, thanks, that’s nice of you to say. I love you too, like my little sister. Thanks for being my favorite student, you’re amazing!”
“Heheh, thank you! You’re amazing too, Feather!!”
“Haha, I know… but anyways,” his eyes gleamed, expression turning almost sadistic as he threw out his fist, coming into contact with a large killer ghoul while glowing with adrenaline. “Hahahah, yes, come at me!! I’ll take you all down just like I did last time!!” he cackled, moving his foot as a wave of light was erupted from the slide of his movements, the ghouls getting pushed back before Feather flashed towards them, flying in midair as his kicks landed on their gaunt cheeks, cracking their skulls to pieces before the flesh of their necks ripped, their heads flying off in the chaos. “Yess, I’m totally gonna beat my record, just watch me! Last time it only took me a week, but I’m aiming for five days this time!! Hahahah!!”
“...he’s crazy,” Jayce exhaled, still firmly stuck against Achitha’s chest as her grip tightened on his shoulders.
“He’s amazing,” the woman corrected, green eyes wide and filled with awe as she watched Feather move. In fact, it was hard to keep her eyes on him, no matter how much she focused. He seemed to move faster than the eye could see, though she wasn’t sure how that was possible. Iden had a speed concept as well, but… she hadn’t progressed to such a level yet. Achitha had no idea how many centuries it would even take for a normal person to achieve that kind of power.
But she still heard it when Jayce gave a panicked scoff, green eyes blown wide with all the hair still riled up on his back, claws flexing in and out as he hissed. “Now don’t you go tryna suck his dick too, Achitha. Those two back there are already bad enough— ow!” he yelped, not having expected the woman to come down with a heavy hit on his head before he barred his fangs at her. “What was that for?!”
“Stop it with the vulgar humor. It doesn’t look good on you.”
“Uh… okay,” his ears flicked, tail beginning to calm down slightly as the fur on the scruff of his neck finally began to flatten. “Sorry, my bad. But, uh, wait, does Feather even have a dick? Since, you know, he used to be—”
Yet, at that very moment, he was suddenly teleported right into the zone Feather was going crazy in, the action having him clinging to Achitha all over again while he watched the man slice vertically through a twenty foot tall ogre with many more coming after it.
“Maybe you should stop talking about Feather’s dick. I don’t think he likes it,” Eve suggested behind Cirrus, still watching everything unfold safely under the cover of the prince’s arm.
But surely that had just been a coincidence. That crazy nutjob had already explained they’d teleport to him whenever they moved out of range. Jayce wasn’t scared of that guy. “I know, but I’m just wondering. Since he used to be a girl, did he change his genitals, too? Like— ah fuck!” he cried, a flash of light hitting his face as a sting of pain washed over his sinuses, flooding over his head and down into his nose as a small trickle of blood started to leak from his nostril. “Uh…”
“I told you to stop talking about it,” Eve sighed, as if he’d really deserved to be given a bloody nose for something like that.
“Ah, jeez, sorry! Whatever, I was just curious!”
“Why were you curious, Jayce? Did you wanna suck his dick, too, perhaps?” Cirrus smiled, his thin smile far too innocent for the obscene words that had just come out of his mouth while Jayce gawked at him. Honestly, he couldn’t even respond. He was too busy gaping at his best friend and trying to comprehend what the fuck he’d just been asked.
“See, this is why you should’ve stopped earlier. Now Cirrus is making vulgar jokes too. You’re being a bad influence on him,” Achitha sighed, Jayce’s ears flattening against the back of his head as he growled.
“Yeah, whatever. Cirrus isn’t as innocent as he pretends to be.”
“Aren’t I just polite?” his friend offered, Eve laughing brightly under the prince’s arm as she peeked around to grin at Jayce.
“Yeah! You should try being polite sometime, Jayce! Maybe more people would like you!”
“Shut it, Eve! People already like me!”
“No they don’t, hahah!”
Though, as light-hearted as the group of them managed to be, they did have to look back and watch Feather, just like Iden, Leo, and Kya were busy doing. They all looked so hooked on him, with how impressive he was. It was like he was some sort of god. Explosions the size of the golem came so easily from his fingertips, his power overflowing and so powerful it shook the cave, and the monsters only got more dangerous the deeper they went. But never once were any of them in danger. He was always watching, always protecting them. For the short time they were in there, he didn’t even sleep, and he gave them all different buffs to make it to where they didn’t need to sleep either. His feet never seemed to touch the ground, his punches didn't even need to make contact to be lethal, and in all of this overwhelming chaos, Cirrus somehow managed to notice that the concept he seemed to use the most was the concept of energy. It looked similar to light, but it wasn’t. It was a bunch of energy particles that could be stored and condensed, which is what gave the concept its explosive properties when it came into contact with other objects. It was the energy of the world, the very component of life. Using a concept like that was only reserved for those who understood the universe to its very core, and it was even rarer to find someone who knew how to use it offensively… Feather was amazing.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
But, one thing that bothered Cirrus was, well… Feather had said his intention was for them to watch him and take notes so, when he was done training them, they’d be able to take down this dungeon as a team. Would they really be able to do that? Feather was soloing it, sure, and he made it look easy. But Cirrus wasn’t blind. He wasn’t blind to the fact that he was entirely outclassed. He only had three concepts, and Feather had been right when he’d said one of them was half-baked. He wielded ice and telekinesis, and his all-seeing eye was his to use in all its imperfection. His prophecy even said that he would one day wield six concepts, like all the most powerful people out there. He was supposed to become an extraordinary person. He wasn’t so sure he believed that, though. Cirrus had never felt particularly great or talented. He was a bit stronger than most his age, and he was better than average, but he never felt extraordinary. Did Feather really see that kind of potential in him, too? He’d seemed so adamant about leaving Lilino, but the moment Cirrus convinced him to stay and help, Feather decided the first thing he wanted to do was to train them into stronger people. That on its own should be proof of how far he had to go before he was strong enough to be what the world needed. Except it was the world that needed him now, before the apocalypse continued to spread to more planets and reality cracked even further…
On their fifth day, Feather was fighting bosses he couldn’t even imagine. Swarms of demons who wielded other such powers in packs of thousands… and yet he exploded them all with a flick of his wrist like it was nothing. Cirrus didn’t know how he was supposed to compare to that. What was stopping Feather from saving the world on his own? Feather, as Arcadia, had been prophesied to aid him in stopping the apocalypse, not the other way around, but… was that a mistake? Cirrus, as he was now, didn’t see how he possibly could…
“What’s wrong?” came a sudden voice, the prince flinching from his thoughts as he turned to see Kya standing beside him along the cliff’s edge. He was the only one still making sure to watch Feather’s every movement, so he’d tried to stay as close to the fantastical man as possible without getting in his way. But because of that, he was a bit farther away from everyone else, who wanted to stay back and relax when it looked like they could.
Though, when the two of them met gazes, Cirrus realized something. He hadn’t really talked with Leocadies or Kya all that much. The two of them didn’t really start conversations with anyone else but Feather, always holding their post around him and serving him in whatever way he needed. Come to think of it, both of them were very quiet, unless Feather prompted them to talk first… was that what it was like being a guard? It baffled him slightly. Jayce would be to him what Leo and Kya were to Feather, and yet he’d never bothered to restrict Jayce’s language. Though, perhaps the difference was that Jayce had first been raised as his friend… whereas Leo and Kya were just following the way they’d been trained and the oaths they’d sworn.
Well, regardless, Cirrus should probably make an effort to talk to them more, if he wanted Feather to like him. And Kya had always seemed the wisest out of Feather’s allies, so while he processed her simple question, he slowly looked back towards Feather and his explosive grandeur before looking down. Considering it, Kya was nearly two hundred years older than him, and she had much more life experience… it wouldn't hurt to be honest.
“I just think… maybe the prophecy was wrong,” he spoke slowly, Kya not visibly reacting when he glanced at her, which caused him to look down again and continue his thoughts. “I just mean that Feather is far stronger than me. Far, far stronger. I’m powerful for my age, sure, but Feather’s eleven years younger than me, and he’s already… like this. He doesn’t even seem to have any drawbacks to harnessing that much power. I don’t know how he did it, or how he found a way to do what he does with such little cost… but I’d never be able to. He’s on a whole other level of existence compared to me. So, I was thinking… maybe the prophecy got us confused… maybe he’s the one who’s going to save the world, and I’m the one who’s just going to aid and support him a little bit. That… sounds more plausible to me,” he admitted, feeling a bit awkward with the heavy silence that followed. Kya just stared at him, observing his features for a long moment, and he didn’t know what to do under that heavy, analyzing red gaze. But eventually, she responded. And Cirrus was surprised by what he heard.
“It’s impossible for Feather to be the one to save the world,” she stated first, the prince’s eyes turning to her, wide with confusion.
It was something simple, but it made his thoughts race. What did she mean by that? Feather was so powerful, it seemed like there was nothing he couldn’t do. Someone like that seemed more likely to save the world than he did, in any case. If it was impossible for even Feather to save the world, what did that make him?
And Kya must’ve sensed what kind of thoughts were running rampant through his mind, because she shook her head in clear disapproval, as if the small action were reprimanding him. “You misunderstand. Feather is powerful, yes, but he doesn’t have the right mindset to save the world.”
“Huh? What do you mean? From what I can see, he wants to help people even more desperately than I do,” Cirrus objected, feeling more shame bubbling up in his core as he scowled at the ground. It was just the truth. The only reason Cirrus had ever wanted to help others was because it’s what had always been expected of him. If he couldn’t do it, he would be shunned. He’d be considered a failure, even if it hadn’t been his choice to have this burden placed on him to begin with. But, if he’d had the choice… the choice to live a normal life without so many burdens and expectations, if he could somehow shake it all off and bear no consequences… he would take it without question. None of it said anything good about him. Feather was the more genuine one here.
Though Kya merely shook her head again, blood colored eyes looking at him more sincerely as she lowered her chin. “You’re not understanding me properly. Feather does want to help people, and he is very strong. But I’ve done tarot readings on his future, because I was just as curious about this as you, and his path is very different from yours. It’s filled with death,” she explained, Cirrus turning back to stare at her as he listened. “But, recently, I did a tarot reading on you, as well. A card that always seems to come up when I do readings on you is The World. Do you know what that card means?”
“...ah, I’m sorry, but I… I don’t.”
“It means the end of all cycles,” Kya explained shortly, simplifying the meaning for impact as Cirrus stared at her, taken aback. “If you want my opinion, Feather embodies the Death card. Not because he’s suicidal or beacuse he’s going to die, as that’s not what the card truly means, but because he is constantly transforming. Whether it be from a woman to a man, or from one of the highest ranking royals to a person running on the streets… or from a helpless, selfish individual who would be willing to do anything to ensure their own survival to someone who doesn’t value their own survival at all and will sacrifice whatever it takes to help those who surround him… Feather never stays the same person for more than a century. He’s always growing, always expanding, always changing. He’s always going through a never-ending cycle of death,” Kya spoke, and at the moment, Cirrus didn’t quite understand how on the mark her explanation truly was, as he took it figuratively. But either way, the result was the same, and Kya continued with her eyes locked on his. “Nothing in that card implies that Feather will grow to stop the apocalypse. In fact, I think it rather confirms Ruba’s prophecy, about him aiding you. Because the Death card is in the major arcana, it means it’s of heavy importance to his life and the world around him. I think because of his influence, you will grow into a person worthy of embodying The World.”
“Ah… and getting The World in a reading means, ah… that I’m more likely to save it?” Cirrus asked tentatively, Kya staring at him for a moment before she shook her head.
“Not necessarily. Embodying The World in the major arcana doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to do something great or good. It just means you will achieve fulfillment and wholeness. It implies you will reach a higher state of being, and that you will be at peace with yourself and the world around you. It’s the last of the major arcana, so it often means that at the end of your journey, you will feel complete and whole. You will have everything you need, and you will not seek for much more. You will have accomplished your purpose. And you, from the very moment you were born, Cirrus, have always had one purpose. It was given to you so young that it became an ingrained part of you that you can’t see past. And that would be stopping the apocalypse and saving the world. And, another thing I think is worth noting, is that when I did a reading centered on the two of you, The World popped up there, as well. Which leads me to believe you will be the one to stop Feather’s cycle of death,” Kya revealed with a rather emotionless tone, Cirrus’ expression twisting.
“Uh… wait, what’s that mean?” he blinked, Kya’s blank face finally shifting into a smile as she looked away from him to watch the man she served in the distance.
“It means exactly what it sounds like. Because while he hasn’t shown you, Feather does have severe drawbacks to amassing as much power as he has. These drawbacks are part of why he’s lost so much of his sanity,” Kya pointed out, Cirrus’ brows furrowing as he absorbed that information like a sponge. “Honestly, to summarize my point into a single thought, the reason I think Feather can’t save the world is because he is not capable of saving himself. But you, Cirrus, don’t need anyone to save you. You need help and guidance, sure, but you have a stable sense of self. Feather does not have that. Which is why he needs your help, too, even if he doesn’t realize it.”
“Um, I… well, wait, are you sure you should be telling me this?” the prince flinched, turning to stare at where Feather was crushing a hoard of giant tentacles within the gorge, Cirrus watching him from where he stood on the cliff. “He has the concept of enhanced hearing, doesn’t he? He got mad at Jayce earlier for making inappropriate comments about him… I don’t want him to get upset because of what we’re talking about…” Cirrus wavered, Kya a bit surprised to hear that as she stared at him again.
Cirrus really was the opposite of Feather, she decided. They both had their good qualities and their flaws, and they were both the exact opposite of each other. Though, that was a good thing, and it made her smile as she lifted up the card she’d been hiding in her sash… The Hermit. “Don’t worry. I put a sound-muffling barrier around us using this card. It gives a safe, private space to talk as long as we only speak about philosophy and truth. However, the moment one of us were to tell a lie, the spell would break. Luckily, we’re both honest people,” she spoke rather sarcastically, putting the card back into her sash as she smiled at the prince once again. “But just think about it. I know Feather seems like the most amazing man on the planet to you right now, and I know your feelings for him are intense, but idolizing someone like that and putting them on such a high pedestal won’t benefit either of you. If you want to meet him in a relationship on equal footing someday, then you need to see his flaws, and be open to them. That’s the biggest warning I’ll give you. I think that once you come into contact with Feather’s biggest flaw, you’ll understand why you’re better suited to saving the world, and what that means. But that’s all I have to say, so I’ll be off now,” she nodded her head, Cirrus staring after her for a long moment as she walked back over to Leocadies.
…Feather’s flaws? Well, maybe Kya was right, he hadn’t actually been thinking about the man’s flaws too much. It was like he’d been too entranced. He really had been putting him on a pedestal, and he hadn’t even realized. Ah, but when it came to Feather’s flaws… well, he definitely had many. He was rude, impulsive, and while he cared about saving lives, he didn’t really care about helping people if they weren’t in lethal danger. He had to be convinced to do kind things for others, and while he was observant, empathy still came difficult to him. Cirrus could remember several times where he’d had to explain to Feather why he should do something for another person, whether it was teaching Eve or joining the alliance… since thinking about those things didn’t come naturally to him. He was very self absorbed and didn’t seem to have any self preservation instincts at all. He acted inappropriately happy in gruesome scenes and wasn’t bothered by harming himself in order to get what he wanted.
And then there’s what Kya had said… about Feather being stuck in a death cycle. She’d framed it in the meaning behind the card, about transformation and change, but… was that really all she’d meant? Had there been some secret meaning she was trying to hide in that card that he was missing, or simply didn’t have the knowledge to understand? What major flaw of Feather’s was he not seeing? Cirrus had a feeling it must have to do with that death cycle Kya had kept mentioning. She must’ve phrased it that way for a reason… and it was clear she hadn’t explained everything she’d meant by it, either. Sure, Feather could be said to be stuck in a cycle of transformation and change, Cirrus could understand that, but then why would that be such a bad thing? Why would he have to stop it? If that was the case, and there was some double meaning behind it… then what else could a cycle of death be? What did it mean? How could he help?
Ah, it was overwhelming to think about. He’d been too blind before, by Feather’s power and the trance he’d seemed to be stuck in ever since the blond accomplished a feat that shouldn’t be possible and healed his eye. But no, she was right. To truly know someone, and to become their equal, you needed to face their flaws, too. Feather was an impressive person, but he wasn’t perfect. Cirrus wasn’t perfect either, but somehow, Kya and other people saw features in him that they thought could save the world… even though he personally didn’t know what features they were talking about. Though, hm… he wondered if Feather saw them. But in terms of looking at someone’s flaws versus their strengths… sometimes he felt Feather only saw his flaws. Perhaps that’s why he’d been a bit confused when the man said he was going to train him. From how he’d been treated so far, Cirrus hadn’t expected that Feather had seen any strengths in him at all.
But he must see something, as he had a feeling the blond wouldn’t waste time on someone he thought was hopeless. That just wasn’t how he worked. So, at the very least, Cirrus could find comfort in the fact that Feather didn’t think he was hopeless! That did make him feel a bit better. Because no matter how awe-struck he was watching Feather maneuver around monsters and wreck everything around him, and no matter how strong it was, Cirrus’ main goal here was to improve his own strengths so that he could become the person the world needed him to be. He needed to become stronger, just as strong as the prophecy foretold. So even if the highest praise from Feather he would ever get was that he wasn’t hopeless, that was better than nothing, and he would accept it. As long as he wasn’t hopeless, Cirrus had a path in front of him!
Which path do you think is most likely for Cirrus?
