The Inner Odyssey

Chapter 16 Curious

"Son, forgive me for being frank, but how did you survive?"

Alistair's gruff voice echoed. Contrary to the gravelly sound, his face held a gentle expression.

The older man sat with his wife and daughter at the dining table.

He faced the white-haired young man.

Elara sat beside him, while Celeste took a seat beside her dearest love.

Alistair inwardly laughed at the tenderness his daughter and Alden showed when they spoke to each other.

It reminded him greatly of his youth when he and his wife had been in the honeymoon phase of their marriage. The Guildmaster shared an amused glance with Elara, sensing that she was also delighted with Alden and Celeste's closeness and greatly approved of their match.

Alistair was glad his son had found a way back home against all odds.

His daughter had been beyond devastated not knowing whether her childhood friend and support was still alive.

A sight... which broke his heart.

He had also missed Alden's presence keenly, the young man's banter lighting up their home with affectionate warmth.

That was why, Alistair's interest was piqued.

He wanted to hear how Alden had survived in the abomination-infested wilderness as a mundane human.

Alistair's eyes roved to the small phoenix perched on his son's shoulder.

He could feel its heat waves from afar, small currents of heat warming his skin.

His curiosity deepened.

Alistair also marvelled that the creature's flame did not affect his adopted son.

At first, it had come as quite a shock to find such a rare creature casually relaxing in his home.

However, the surprise swiftly subsided, replaced by a sense of wonder and scrutiny as he felt the bird's intelligent stare meet his own.

"Ah, well..."

He suddenly had the urge to propose a new theory regarding the awakening process. He envisioned himself seated in his study, listening to the calm tunes of the Territory of Earth as he focused all his attention on his work.

Alistair's gaze wandered to the small phoenix once more.

Now that he knew it could rid a core of Defilement, the creature's worth increased in his eyes.

...Not that he had thought the little bird was useless.

Alistair would be foolish to dismiss one of the last living remains of the Age of Prosperity so easily.

Still, aware that it was just a baby, the Guildmaster had relatively low expectations of the fiery creature. He was pleasantly surprised to find that it had exceeded those.

The gears in Alistair's mind spun rapidly as he scrutinised Ignia more closely.

This was his first time coming across the existence of a pitch-black phoenix.

As far as he knew, most phoenixes ranged from fiery orange to fiery red. Witnessing such an anomaly first-hand caused Alistair's boundless curiosity to grow even further.

'Does its colour have a deeper meaning?'

The Expert mage wondered to himself.

Staring at its glossy black feathers that seemed to suck specks of light in, Alistair couldn't help but feel that it gave off the impression of a bleak void, almost resembling the Abyss in some form.

'Curious.'

Alistair listened to the rest of Alden's account intently.

Overall, he surmised that his son had been very fortunate to come across the Outpost, which helped guide him home.

Not that being lucky was an awful thing.

Sometimes, one needed a bout of good fortune to aid them on their way. It was nothing to be ashamed of.

"... After encountering a particularly dreadful horror, me and the three scouts arrived near the barrier of the Sanctuary. It was at that point that I ran into a bit of trouble. Although I dealt with it, it was still pretty troublesome in the end."

Before the Guildmaster could ask his son to clarify what he meant by a "bit of trouble", he heard a sudden knock echo from the door to their home.

He saw a brief shadow fall across Alden's face.