Chapter Text
Will you be able to forgive me for my mistakes after everything I have done to you?
“It’s good to see you all here in one piece,” the pyro archon’s authoritative voice boomed throughout the now vacant room. The room was once filled with mementos belonging to the pyro archon. Now, it inhabited the heroes who would save Natlan.
Gathered in the Speaker’s chamber of the Pyro Archon, Mavuika, Chasca, Iansan, Xilonen, Kachina, Citlali, and the Traveler planned their next movements. They had narrowly escaped the Night Kingdom, and it was only thanks to the Pyro Archon using her remaining strength to shatter the very walls of the night realm. The Pyro Archon’s heroes had come out unscathed; however, the effects of the abyss continued to linger on their dust-covered silhouettes.
Within the chamber, the mini pedestals of fire glowed with which their souls burned, becoming the fuel for the upcoming battle they were about to face. The golden sunlight streaming through the circular room thinned to white, silvery strands of moonlight as Chuychu checked the warriors who had just survived their trip into the Night Kingdom.
“We’ve saved Kachina. And it is only thanks to your wit and swiftness, Chasca.” Mavuika turned to the elf woman who nodded cooly in response.
Chuychu rolled her eyes as she tended to her sister.
“Yea yea, act all cool like you want, sis. I can still sense the effects of the Abyss on you,” Chuychu glared.
All the others were checked. As experienced warriors— they only showed some degrees of abyssal contamination. Chuychu turned to the dazed rabbit girl and tapped her on the shoulder, causing the geo-user to make a noise of alarm.
Chuychu noticed the girl was severely out of her comfort zone amongst all these people. Her experience in the Night Kingdom must’ve been extremely traumatic.
Chuychu smiled. “Kachina, are you okay? You are all safe now.”
“Y-yes, Miss Chuychu.” Kachina mumbled as she hugged herself with her arms.
“I think I will be needing a nap after that one,” the tall geo-user beside Kachina yawned, her tail moving languidly against the air.
“Xilonen, you can sleep after all this is over. Our situation right now is more dire with only three heroes who have awakened their name and only two present— one of which is you.” Mavuika gave the leopard lady a pointed look, crossing her arms.
“I know, dear friend… you called me here and I answered.” Xilonen touched her friend’s shoulder in comfort.
“The matter has gone out of hand…” Mavuika’s voice rose and the rest of the group turned toward their leader.
“You’ve seen it by now… the devastation of the Night Kingdom. Natlan is on the verge of destruction and it is very possible that our nation has less than a year before total devastation.”
“That can’t be!” Kachina cried. The rest of the heroes' faces turned grim.
“Less than a year…” The Travaler whispered.
“The pyro archon 500 years ago devised a plan with the last heroes of each tribe that would save Natlan. Only a few of you who have awakened those memories and those of you who have– know that you play an important role in it.”
“I saw those memories and the pyro archon way back was… you.” Iansan said.
“How is that possible,” Paimon exclaimed, “if you are human, how is it possible for you to live that long??”
“With the divine power of the pyro throne, I was able to accomplish my goal— to get a second chance. The goal was to reunite the people and restore the strength of each tribe’s Wayob. Now that the tribe’s have regained their full strength, the Wayob would select a ‘hero.’ The chosen of the Wayob would stand by my side in defense of our nation, just like the great heroes of old, 500 years ago.”
Mavuika’s expression morphed into a look of sorrow. “We didn’t have enough time 500 years ago. The hardest thing for humans to overcome has always been time… with time, humans can change.”
She turned toward the raised banners representing the six tribes, her gaze solely locking onto the green banner of the Scions of the Canopy and the blue banner of the People of the Springs. The now present heroes did not fail to notice this.
“We already have three of the six heroes present, which are Chasca, Iansan, and Xilonen. However, only three have awakened their names. Iansan from the Collective of Plenty, bearing the ancient name “Uwezo”meaning power, and Xilonen from the Children of Echos, bearing the ancient name “Baraka” meaning "Blessing.”
“Wait! You said three have already awakened their ancient name yet you only mentioned Iansan and Xilonen here. What about Chasca?” Paimon said.
“Chasca will awaken her ancient name in due time because although the ancient names have been passed, the intel that came with them had not.”
“Wait,” Xilonen stood up from her relaxed position, her voice reaching levels of seriousness the leopard lady hadn’t displayed before. “Mavuika, you aren’t answering the question.” Xilonen looked toward her friend with emerald eyes, their sharp edges probing the fire with many secrets. They held each other’s gaze for what seemed like forever, gemstone withstanding the piercing gaze of the simmering sun.
A voice finally broke the silence. “Pyro Archon… is perhaps one of your awakened heroes from the Scions of the Canopy?”
With how secretive the Pyro Archon, Chuychu was surprised Iansan would make such a guess, and with confidence, no less.
Mavuika betrayed no surprise however. “You are well informed, Iansan. How did you know?”
“As a member of the Collective of Plenty, I live pretty far from the other tribes. News goes around… and not too long ago I found out from a Huitztlan courier that the Mother Flamegrante Tree had regained its original orange color and that the problem with the Mountain King had been solved by an outsider— which was weird, y’know? The outsider would have to know about the history of Huitztlan and the ritual they use to cleanse the Mountain King of its abyssal corruption. The flame bearer, traditionally the current bearer of the ancient name, Malipo, would have to be present too.”
Iansan continued: “According to the courier, however, the ‘outsider’ did the entire ceremony completely by himself! There is another reason why the tribe can’t do it themselves: recently, there have been more encounters with saurians sent from the Night Kingdom guarding the Mountain Kingdom’s entrance. The ‘outsider’ was easily able to slay these saurians and the Mountain King’s corruption was permanently stabilized.
“But— uhm… these are the courier’s words and not mine, but… the outsider turned out to be a ‘cold-blooded, money-grabbing, filthy exile.’ The courier said that, after cleansing the mountain king, he had demanded payment. 10 million mora right into his pockets. I asked another courier right after because he was obviously biased, and I found out that he was the once ‘legendary saurian hunter’ of the Scions of the Canopy.”
“10 million mora?! I mean— the tribes must have a lot of money, but that is asking a lot if they are an outsider!” Paimon shrieked.
“And an exile, no less…” Chasca held her chin in thought.
“Once legendary saurian hunter…” The Traveler mumbled in surprise.
“Wait, slow down. So this exile happened to know the ceremony requiring an ancient name bearer and participate in it without any needed help. Is this exile perhaps… Malipo himself?” Xilonen surmised.
Chuychu did not fail to notice the way Kachina’s eyes lit up ever so slightly. She did not want to probe, but did she perhaps know this person?
There was so much they did not know, except for one person. The pyro archon was guilty. Mavuika’s face shifted ever so slightly. There was a weight of emotion behind her features that spoke of remorse and a strange feeling of reminiscence. After a moment of silence, Mavuika finally surrendered, the last traces of tension easing from her brows. Her gaze lost its fierce focus and her lips parted in a small sign.
“Yes. As pyro archon, I already know who is going to be picked from each tribe. The bearer from the Scion’s of the Canopy who awakened their memories and knows of the 500 years plan and the exile you speak of… are the same person.”
“If they know of your plan, how come they haven’t come out by now?! Don’t they know that Natlan is at risk of total destruction by the hands of the Abyss??!” Paimon squeaked.
“Calm down, Paimon.” Chasca and the Traveler said collectively.
“We were on the correct path four years ago… However, for some time now… the plan has gone astray. I don’t have any talisman to tell you guys the complete story, but do any of you know of Tenoch?”
They all nodded. Kachina and the outlanders shook their heads.
The pyro archon’s expression was steeped in nostalgia, a testament to the weight of history. “Tenoch didn't belong to any of the six major tribes, as he was exiled before the cataclysm. I know about Tenoch, just as I know of the exile from the Scions of the Canopy that you mentioned. In any case, Tenoch was the one who originally united the six warriors to fight against the abyss. However, this may not apply to the current bearer of Malipo. He never saw a reason to return to his tribe after they exiled him…” Mavuika trailed off.
“Uhm… if he never saw a reason to go back… why did he cleanse the mountain king? This Malipo guy really doesn’t fit the title of hero if he just came back for money. Can’t you change the Wayob’s decision to someone more willing?”
“Paimon, be quiet!” The Traveler hissed.
“I am sorry. I feel I am responsible for the mistakes made by the tribe’s that led to this situation…” Mavuika whispered as she held her chest. “I cannot change the decision of the Wayobs like you say, Paimon. But I believe there is still hope. We know from Iansan that Malipo is still active at the moment. And as for why he would cleanse the Mountain King… I think it’s because he knows of our plan. The reason why he won’t come out to join us is because there is something holding him back…”
“I don’t get it. What is more important than saving your nation from its destruction?” Paimon said.
“Paimon, this was the same guy who asked for 10 million mora. We don’t have that on our hands, at all…” The Traveler deadpanned.
“As a peacemaker, some people might just need a little bit of convincing,” Chasca said as she pulled her hat forward.
“So, what should we do…? Find this Malipo guy? We don’t have that much time to go on a wild goose chase to find these last few name bearers. Not only that, but we haven’t heard any news about the ancient name bearer from the People of the Springs for years,” The short woman, Iansan, said in deep thought.
”Y’know, I visited the tribe once to implement surfing into my high-intensity workouts and you know me— finding their best surfer was my top priority. I knew one had to exist because the Peoples of the Spring were best known for their surfing! However, when I did get a trainer, I surpassed him in like five minutes…” Iansan pouted.
“Uh anyways, I asked for a better trainer and all I got were weird looks. I also noticed the lack of tourists. The People of the Springs are known for their guides and it seems they are lacking in that aspect too. Anyways, if you ever go there, never bring up their best surfer or guide— I got scolded for that too. It’s almost like a taboo there…”
“Okay! How are we supposed to find this exiled Malipo? And this best guide slash surfer— and this ancient name bearer from the Masters of the Night-Wind who could possibly be working for the Fatui!!?” The floating fairy fisted the air angrily.
Suddenly, the summer air was overcome with permafrost—the wave of ice bit into their skin like icy needles dipped into fire. Glistening layers of ice traveled up the red brick walls in spider web patterns as the humid air became dry to their throats, making it almost hard to breathe.
At the same time, a voice broke out, a screechy demandingness that instantly shattered the ice that settled around them.
“Excuse me?!! Do you dare speak like that about my grandson?! Ororon is a good kid! We haven’t even investigated his case yet! So how dare you start pointing fingers because you think that ohhh like these last name bearers have anything to say for themselves!” The voice belonged to the very last member of their group, a Cryo user from the enigmatic Masters of the Night Wind who had lent them the Spiritspeaker Stone to enter the Night Kingdom.
She had been a quiet observer ever since they had entered the Speaker’s chamber, her demeanor thoughtful and intense, as if she were safeguarding a precious piece of information waiting to be unleashed.
“Citlali… so you do speak. Really caught me off guard there… ice and all,” Xilonen grumbled as she pinched bits of frost from her tail.
A new wave set itself throughout the room and this time, it was not ice. A surge of anxiety swept through its occupants.
We won’t have enough time to find these ancient name bearers…
Hey, stop fighting!
It’s so cold in here… I just wish they were here.
The worries, deeply rooted in a loss of faith… stirred memories of all those years ago within Mavuika… when the people of Natlan had lost their hope for victory and hope for the future. At the present moment, Natlan’s fate sat precariously in their hands. If they didn’t bring the nation back together— starting with the tribes— then there was no chance of beating the Abyss. Fury burned in her heart and she channeled that rage throughout her body. Her red hair ignited a brilliant shade of yellow, causing the ice in the room to melt away.
She channeled the rage through her fist which she would simply clench, causing the chamber to erupt in a mesmerizing circle of fire that would send the most unguarded of them all falling to the floor. Their worries and fears would perish just like the icy spell imprisoning them in a choke hold.
Her voice echoed throughout the chamber, its intensity and passion stirred the air around them, touching the hearts of those who admired their archon. On their intricate pedestals, the blazing flames rose in response, a reflection of the souls that inhabited the room. The fervor with which all souls burn shall become fuel for the everlasting Sacred Flame. Her hair glowed like a torch in its mesmerizing dance, calling their attention forward.
“Enough! We are all human in this room… There is no reason we should fight if the threat of the abyss still lingers. As your archon, I will guide us to victory. As your leader, I will take action for our tribe’s failures,” she unclenched her fist and everything went back to normal. She was simply Mavuika. “As a human-being just like you, I will cry for our lost ones. I will mourn and honor their sacrifices, and I will shed blood for our cause. I will fight for our past and for our future until all that’s left is a single spark. We will win our battle against the Abyss.”
They all nodded in response.
“The only way to continue this fight, however, is to find our last remaining ancient name bearers.” Mavuika spoke.
“Do you know how we will find these ancient name bearers?” The Traveler said.
“Umoja of the People of the Springs still hasn’t been recognized by her ancient name yet… but I am sure that if we find Malipo, we will find Umoja (unity). Two birds with one stone. The only problem is convincing them to join our cause.” Mavuika crossed her arms in thought.
“W-wait, you don’t mean-!” Kachina’s eyes widened ever so slightly, displaying both joy and disbelief.
Xilonen shushed the little girl with her finger before murmuring, “yes, we are.”
“Will it really be that easy? Finding them both in the same place?” The outlander’s golden eyes glimmered curiously.
Mavuika smiled bittersweetly before turning to the Cryo user. The other woman, however, seemed to be deliberately avoiding her gaze as she held her crossed arms tightly across her chest, feigning indifference.
Even as the pyro archon, it would be difficult to melt away the Cryo user's icy cold exterior she put up for the sake of others. Mavuika truly admired her friend for it because she also felt that they deserved peace after everything they had both gone through.
“Citali… will you be able to tell them the story and show us where they are?”
Her eyes widened in reluctance and a glimmer of hesitance shone in her deep blue irises, reflecting her inner turmoil. She tapped her forearm with her finger rhythmically and took a deep breath before finally allowing her doubts to fade away.
The fortune teller moaned as she held her face, tugging at her pink braids in exasperation. “Oh no… those poor children! Wayob forgive me for what I am about to do!”
The Traveler’s eyebrows raised ever so slightly while Mavuika laughed. Citali narrowed her eyes at their antics.
“Alright alright! Let’s get moving on already! It has been a while since I have seen them though… Granny Itztli will make sure to pick up a few gifts along the way!” The ringing of her voice brought back the joyful atmosphere of the victory feast in celebration of Chasca, Iansan, and Kachina’s victory in the Night Warden Wars.
Tomorrow, they will find Malipo and Umoja and bring them back.
As the remaining ancient name bearers filed out the chamber, with Chasca and Chuychu reconnecting arms, Kachina skipping out of the room with a spring in her step, and Xilonen blowing a kiss, causing Mavuika to roll her eyes. The only inhabitants left inside the chamber were the ones who knew the most. Citlali switched to her human name.
“Are you really sure about this, Mavuika? It’s been four years since they’ve last been seen. If we start going after them now… who knows how they would react,” Citlali whispered, her pastel eyebrows scrunching in doubt.
“We’ll take our chances, Citali.” Mavuika said straightforwardly. She sat at her desk, holding her sky blue eyes with her sun shaped irises.
Citali sighed heavily, holding her head like how she would when she drank too much.
“I am not going to get myself inebriated tonight. But ugh!” She groaned, “I can still remember that fortune clearly in my head when Mualani had approached me, asking me for a fortune, already looking so different. She always came to me for my services and I couldn’t say no to the girl. I gave her the fortune and when she asked me for a solution… gosh,” She willed herself to freeze her own tear ducts. “I can’t believe I made such a mistake. Twice.”
“If you could use your fortune-telling right now, how hard do you think it would be to convince them both?” Mavuika challenged.
“Oh boy. You have no idea. Especially with Kinich. He looked close to killing someone… Dear Mualani was always a sunshine on those days. I don’t know how she had so much energy during those times. Anyways, I am not even drunk, and here I am, rambling at your ear.”
“It’s alright, Citali. Only through the past can we recognize our true mistakes and learn how to address them. Originally, they were supposed to be here— in this very chamber— with Kachina, Chasca, Iansan, Xilonen, and the traveler. But there was an unexpected factor in my plan... I never knew two Ancient name-bearers would grow so close. I could’ve never foreseen this happening, which is why I called you here, Citlali.”
“No- Mavuika. Allow me to shoulder this burden also. This is my mistake too.”
There was a moment of silence afterwards. In this very chamber, two powerful figures stood, each weighed down by the heavy burdens they carried. They exchanged glances, and through sun and ice, they shared their burdens.
“…Thank you, Citlali.” Mavuika said finally before closing her eyes.
“Well, I am glad my services are of use to the pyro archon-“ The fortune teller cut herself short, seeing the pyro archon had fallen to sleep. “Okay, goodnight.”
The door slammed closed, leaving Mavuika as the sole gaze of the moon.
Mavuika could not believe how so much could change with time. At one point, she was surfing with Mualani amongst the cool waves of the Toyac Springs. At one point, she had used the Ode of Resurrection to bring Kinich back from the Night Kingdom. Now what remained of her memories of them was so little. Four years at most had passed.
As she rested at her desk, she called on the memories of the past. Her mindscape slowly transformed to that of a foggy space with a glowing yellow star in the sky. She walked along the silvery pathways, her heels clipping with each step, and crossed the islands that served as her hidden mementos.
The voices of the past slowly merged into the story of two individuals, a story she had long buried in the recesses of her mind. She searched in those flames that could take on memories and burn them away.
One could learn that love can take on many forms.