Chapter 54: Antithesis

Sequels were usually always a harder book to write.

More so, if the first book had turned out to not just be great, but be equally very successful.

Added to that was the sky-high expectations that sort of book’s readerbase often tended to have.

Afterall, the author had to not just raise the stakes for the next book, but also do well not to repeat the plot of the first book.

And for Niall whose debut work as a debut author had been a freaking homerun, one would expect the pressure to be even higher... especially with a two-year gap per book as per stipulated in his contract.

Yet, with his legs crossed and placed atop his desk, Bob read the last Chapters of [The Spire of Fate] with an intrigued smile on his features.

-

Tristan arrives in a realm of withered trees, murky waters and brown plains stretching as far the eye could see.

On the horizon is a massive, similarly withered tree, its gnarling roots spreading expansively across the desolate land.

Aware that they may have been too late, Tristan and Cassarae rush towards the tree, only to find Aurelia’s body at the very foot of the tree... multiple green floras poking and sticking out her body.

She was preserved... and yet she was dead.

Prying her half-curled hands fully open, Tristan sees a peculiar looking, golden seed.

Unsure of what to do, Cassarae advises him to pick it up as Aurelia, much like Chrovak, must’ve left it for whomever she and the other Elder Gods had deemed worthy.

Upon picking up said seed, the last spirepoint collapsing as he did, Tristan experiences a vision.

A vision of a long, forgotten past. In it, he witnesses a golden tree that blooms forth from nothing but a single crack in space. The Tree of Fate.

Soon enough, said tree began branching out, creating realities of its own. And in each reality, it leaves a golden seed with immense powers as its anchor to the worlds it creates.

The seed itself could never be destroyed, but its power could be harnessed.

That is how the first inhabitants of Aelderon were made into the First Elder Gods, each one bestowed a portion of the seed’s miracles when they tried to harness it.

Yet, as these Gods were made, some opted to use the seed for themselves, while others warned against doing so.

These led to warring sides. Elder Gods who wanted protect the seed, and the latter who believed it was meant to be harnessed.

That war of theirs, was what ultimately trickled down their offspring to this very moment. One that had become something else entirely over possible millenniums.

Upon returning to reality, the skies across Aelderon slowly fracturing open, Tristan and Cassarae look up to see to multiple silhouettes that numbered in tens appearing through the cracks.

And behind them, seemingly awaiting their return, were the Elder Gods Tristan had freed alongside the army he had tasked them with recruiting, all of whom he acknowledges.

Then, looking up to skies once more, Tristan gives a rousing speech and leads the charge, bringing Cassarae’s prophecy to fulfilment.

Yet, just before everyone engages in a bloody war, Tristan activates the ring Chrovak gave him, freezing time all across Aelderon.

Then, looking up to the continuously tearing crack, he channels all of his divinities and launches himself, right into one of them.

One major thing had bugged Tristan from the vision he had seen of Aelderon’s past and the Tree of Fate.

Why had no one deemed it necessary to perhaps, return the seed back to its origin for safekeeping? That way, it would stop being everyone’s problem forever.

Or maybe two people had.

Two people whom were involved in the creation of the Token of Fate and the Spirepoints... all to divert attention from the actual root of the matter lest everyone turns to it again.

And because they had done that, for whatsoever reason only they knew, they’d known Tristan would make the right call... Chrovak especially.

The only problem though...

’Now... how do I find the Tree of Fate?’ Tristan asked himself as he disappeared into the crack.

-

Despite having read Niall’s plot outline for [The Spire of Fate] months ago, Bob genuinely couldn’t help the excitement that was coursing through his veins.

Afterall, it was one thing to see a rough sketch of sorts for a book, yet another to have the completed manuscript in your hands.

More than that, Bob couldn’t help but be utterly impressed.

If the first book had been an epic journey of its own, the second book in the series was even more of an epic that blew the first out of the water, expanding on its already interesting world and premise... only to end on a nail-biting cliffhanger once again.

’What an absolutely fantastic follow up.’ the man let out a contented sigh as he placed the manuscript on the table.

’Honestly. How the heck does he do it all?’ the editor-in-chief pondered to himself, his intrigue for the inner workings of Niall’s mind and equally, his work ethic growing by the minute.

Pushing the thought to the back of his mind though, he promptly picked up his phone and called Michael to inform him that he’d read the book and it was just as fantastic as the first.

Even better, given how extremely polished and edited said manuscript was, they could push to the next steps to have it published come the ending of next year.

In any case, as Bob got around to doing that, Niall himself was already boarding the plane to Nashville.

Shuffling in with his stuff, he soon settled into his assigned seat.

Considering he’d rounded up everything he wanted sorted out, he was really looking forward to spending the next couple months loafing at his parent’s quiet ranch.

More than that, he was really glad he’d be able to spend the entire festive period with them.

Summoning his icons into his palm though, Niall smiled a rather proud smile as he watched the fountain pen icon’s glimmering gold frame, its edges shimmering with platinum.

As for the manuscript for [The Spire of Fate], he had assessed it with his Gift of Discernment, and the results had come back as a striking platinum hue with flickering streaks of diamond.

Upon hearing the pilot’s announcement over the intercom that they were about to take off, Niall casually dismissed the icons and simply peered through the window.

Then he stuffed one of his ears with an earbud, listening to the various uncompleted tracks he had made.

Afterall, Niall never knew when one of them would fit the bill for any song ideas he might have.

And as someone who couldn’t read jack shit when music sheet was involved, he figured this was a more fitting way for him to stumble onto any tune he might actually like.

’Well, if push comes to shove, I might give it a whirl...’ he mused to himself as the plane began moving down the runway.

*

By the time the plane had touched ground in Nashville, it was already late afternoon.

Boarding a taxi to the car rental service he’d contacted beforehand, Niall soon secured his own ride.

Gliding down the roads though, the early evening sun slowly descending below the horizon, Niall couldn’t help but recall the day he’d ran away from home.

The evening sun had also been much the same back then.

In his heart, he had been so determined... yet his eyes had constantly reddened with tears.

Afterall, the bus he’d boarded back then had passed by all the familiar sights he had gotten used to over the years, not just the city itself, but Tennessee as a whole.

Then there were the late-night rides, the passing headlights, the moment he’d eventually arrived in LA through the Riverside, struggling on Hollywood Boulevard till Callow found him...

Tapping a finger on the steering wheel whilst reminiscing on those moments, on those memories he could now recall with such vivid detail thanks to his Gift of Recollection, strong waves of nostalgia began to hit Niall.

All that, coupled with a strong sense of pride of where he was from and who he’d learned to become following the events in his life so far, Niall couldn’t help but try to put it into words on the fly;

And when I’m back in Tenesse, I feel it,

Another version of me, he would be proud,

I pay my respects to where it all began,

Goodbye, goodbye...

For a while, Niall remained quiet upon singing it. Then he remarked to himself with a pretty impressed nod.

"Huh... that’s pretty good,"

"Should make it into a full-fledged track." he decided.

Though Niall hadn’t had any plans on doing anything major during his time at his parent’s ranch, it seemed he himself would be his very own antithesis.

Still, he didn’t plan to go absolutely bonkers with it.

Given he wasn’t in a hurry to release his next song--perks of being an independent artist and all--he was more than willing to take his time with it.

But, before he headed home to his lovely parents, he wanted to drop by a certain art gallery.

Advance Chapters are available on Patreon!

/Caer07