<Chapter 117>
[Are you saying… That I already knew you?]
Ignis asked, his voice tinged with quiet suspicion.
How was I supposed to answer that?
Even I didn’t know why the future version of him had treated me that way.
“The first time I met you… was the day I fell into Arkane’s trap and was sent decades into the past from my own time.”
But since I had already drawn my sword, I had to follow through with this choice.
I traced back the memories of my younger self and continued my story.
“One of the spirits who blessed me was the Spirit King of Earth, Oried. While trying to save me from Arkane’s trap, he unintentionally awakened Yuhirian, the mad persona. As the situation spiraled into danger, Arkane interfered and sent both Oried and me into the past… This event will likely take place in about ten or so years from now.”
[Yuhirian… Not many mortals know of his existence.]
Ignis murmured quietly, listening in silence.
“Fortunately, I managed to suppress Yuhirian and awaken Oried once more. But Oried had no means of breaking Arkane’s power and returning us to our proper time.”
I leaned in slightly, emphasizing the next part.
“And that’s when you suddenly appeared before us.”
Ignis’ eyes widened at my words.
“You said you came because you sensed Arkane’s power. But I knew the moment I saw you—”
I hesitated.
This felt like trying to swindle an innocent elder.
But there was no turning back now.
I wove my real experiences into something greater.
“—Your gaze upon me was strangely wistful… longing, even.”
I pushed forward.
“You even said… that it had been a long time since we last met.”
[I… said that? To you?]
Ignis asked, dazed.
I nodded fervently.
“After speaking with Oried, you told us you would send us back to our time. And then, you added,‘There is no debt to repay. This has given me a new certainty.’”
[Certainty…]
“At the time, I couldn’t understand the meaning behind your words. But now, I do.”
I was definitely stretching the truth here.
But I ignored my flickering conscience, gripping Ignis’ hand firmly.
“It means that this moment, our meeting today, left a lasting impact on you.”
[…!]
A ripple spread through Ignis’ luminous eyes.
“Think about it. Why did you use the word certainty? It was as if… for the first time, you, who had always remained neutral in the name of balance, began to believe in miracles. Even if it wasn’t belief… at the very least, you started to hope.”
I didn’t fully trust the Spirit King of Wisdom.
But one thing was certain, he was the only one who had never given up in his battle against Arkane.
That was why we needed him.
Ignis, the ruler of light, the greatest enemy of darkness, should no longer turn a blind eye to tragedy and wish for nothing but empty peace.
“So make your decision.”
“I’m not asking you to immediately align yourself with the Spirit King of Wisdom. Even a small gesture of help is enough. Lend your strength to me, the one who has come from the past bearing the wisdom of a future yet to unfold.”
[…]
I wished for only one thing…
That a resolve would form in his heart to forge the future he desired.
[…And what reason do I have to trust you?]
After a long silence, Ignis finally spoke.
For the first time, his voice, usually serene and divine, held something different.
A quiet, unsettling twist.
[Since the beginning of time, I have never once opposed the will of balance. Not standing against Arkane—this is the belief I have upheld, no matter how much I was condemned for it. And now, you ask me to abandon the resolve I have protected for countless ages. On what grounds?]
He demanded proof.
A reason to betray the very faith he had struggled to maintain.
A reason to abandon his neutrality… for me.
Then, the only answer I could give him was…
“I will wait for you in the future.”
Still gripping his hand, I tightened my hold and made my vow.
“In a time decades from now, in a place thick with the power of darkness…There, the younger me will be waiting for you.”
The only truth I could offer was the past I had already lived.
[…I asked for proof. And you offer only an uncertain promise.]
Silence settled once more.
Ignis let out a small, hollow laugh. His gaze, familiar yet distant, rested on me as if he were staring at his own reflection in a mirror.
[If a mere sliver of aid is enough, then I shall grant it. But nothing beyond that.]
The Spirit King of Light had finally made his decision.
A smile formed on my lips before I realized it, the rush of relief and joy overwhelming me.
“Thank you. Then… since you have given your word to aid me,”
At last, I was no longer alone in my mission. There was a companion to share my burden. A source of comfort.
“I will now share with you the duty bestowed upon me by the Spirit King of Wisdom.”
Silence settled between us as I took a moment to gather my emotions. Then, with renewed determination, I spoke.
“I cannot reveal all the details, but in the future I come from, Arkane has wrought calamity. In order to seal him once more, we must gather the relics of the Spirit Kings.”
[Arkane… But the relics are no longer whole.]
At the mention of calamity, Ignis’ expression darkened considerably.
“That is why… To protect what little remained, the relics of the Forest and Water, I sought a way to house them within human vessels.”
I thought of Marie and Rezeck, but quickly steadied myself.
“Thus, my remaining duty is to retrieve whatever fragments of the relics that still exist, even if they have been shattered by Arkane’s hand, and safeguard them.”
[And what can mere fragments achieve?]
Ignis sounded doubtful.
“…I cannot tell you that. But this much is certain… if we can recover even the relics’ remnants, there exists a way to restore them.”
[…So something in the future alters their fate.]
As expected, Ignis did not seem to know about the Grand Spirit Envoy.
He stood in silent contemplation, pacing the vast temple.
[…Very well. I shall grant you the aid I promised.]
A long pause followed before Ignis finally turned his gaze back to me.
[You have been searching for the remnants of the Relic of Light as well, haven’t you? There is no need to continue your search. It is with me.]
“…What?”
The unexpected revelation left me momentarily speechless.
Ignis cupped his hands together, summoning a brilliant radiance.
As the light dispersed, what remained was nothing but shattered glass fragments.
“That’s…”
[Long ago, mortals called it The Radiance That Reflects the Abyss.]
His voice, tinged with an indescribable emptiness, echoed in the hollow temple.
[This is the vessel that once housed a fragment of my essence, the remnants of the Relic of Light.]
The very relic that my ancestor, the last emperor of the Lumen Empire, had willingly offered to Arkane.
The last remaining piece of the Relic of Light.
“…Why was it in your possession?”
[Though I was glad the descendants of Hailien survived, I could not erase the sorrow I felt for the relic, which had been so ruthlessly broken.]
Ignis smiled faintly, though the expression carried a quiet bitterness.
[So I kept it close all this time.]
‘Ah… So that’s why Count Juppes could never find its whereabouts. The relic was with the Spirit King of Light himself all along…’
I clenched my fists. Even now, there was no way to deliver this long-awaited answer to him.
[The relic was originally a mirror, imbued with the power to banish darkness and illuminate righteousness…But that is all in the past now.]
As he reminisced, his voice softened. Then, stepping forward, he extended the relic’s remains toward me.
[Take it. At the very least, your burden has been slightly lessened.]
“Ah… Thank you. Truly.”
Snapping out of my thoughts, I quickly but carefully accepted the delicate fragments.
Each piece shimmered like a gemstone, their edges sharp enough to cut. As I examined them closely, Ignis spoke again.
[It would be disgraceful to claim I have aided you by merely handing over a broken relic. I shall offer you one more favor.]
I looked up at him in surprise.
[Lore is not one to properly assist anyone, so it would be better if you were recognized as my envoy instead.]
There was an unreadable quality to his expression. It was neither a smile nor a frown, but something eerily in between.
[A fitting title would be The White Lion. What do you think? Do you find it to your liking?]
