BCloud
patreon
IBHJ Chapter 232
🕑 Added 2023-04-27 23:18:38 +0000 UTCThis is a story of perpetual self-discovery, set in a time long, long ago.
The Evil Eye King, Balor, met his demise at the hands of the Sun God Lugh, the god of the sun. Balor's lifeless body fell onto the island of Britain, creating the magnificent mountain of Barton.
Balor possessed two eyes, one of which was his most potent weapon. If opened, this eye could kill anyone who met its gaze, regardless of whether they were mortal or godly. However, it was also Balor's sole weakness.
Using rainbows as a sling, Lugh hurled beams of light that pierced through the demon's eye. He then struck Balor down with the divine weapon Brionac the Five Roaring Stars, ending the demon king's reign of terror.
However, Lugh could not have predicted that the blood flowing from the Balor's pierced eye would transform the island of Britain into a fertile womb, birthing a fairy.
This fairy was Balor's offspring, born from his evil eye, inheriting his father's hatred.
While this fairy lacked Balor's power to slay with a single glance, it possessed the unique ability to foresee the death of all living things.
Given its lineage and inheritance of Balor's hatred, it was unsurprising that the fairy would prove to be a calamitous force.
However, reality proved to be far different from what was expected.
The fairy, gifted with the ability to witness the inevitability of death, instead saw the cyclical nature of life and death from the perspective of a god. In a cruel twist of fate, this fairy, born of Balor's hatred, became a harbinger of life.
Ironically, no one knew of this transformative revelation. To the other fairies, he was an anomaly, while those who were aware of its existence saw him as a calamity.
The fairy spent his entire life burdened with the identity of "Balor's son."
He had no name, no past, and no future. The shadow of "Balor" obscured all that he was.
But the fairy rejected this reality. He believed that a person's fate should not be determined solely by their birth.
Balor was Balor, and the he was himself.
However, if he was not Balor, then who was he?
This question had been haunting him, and he had been searching tirelessly for the answer. But no matter how much he asked around, nobody seemed to pay attention to him. People avoided him like the plague, despite his reassurances that he meant no harm. But they refused to believe him, simply because of his association with the infamous name, Balor.
Despite being seen as an anomaly and a joke by everyone around him, he refused to give up. Deep down, he knew that Balor was not his true self, and that he was yet to discover his true self.
From a god's perspective, he gazed upon death, but from a human standpoint, he sang praises to life. The fairy possessed an array of virtuous personalities, and he used his abilities to help others, all while yearning for their recognition.
Unfortunately, all his efforts were met with fear. No matter how hard he tried, he could not shake off the stigma of being Balor's son. To everyone, he was an outsider, and they never accepted him as one of their own.
Despite his disappointment, the fairy refused to give up. He was determined to prove that he was more than just "Balor." Unfortunately, no one seemed to care enough to understand him. The label of "Balor" overshadowed everything about him, making it impossible for people to see him as anything else.
That is, until he met that one person.
A boy who loved the land more than anyone else, who felt the pain of others as if it were his own, and who reveled in their joys.
The boy was only six years old, with a runny nose that year. As he was being chased by a boar, he stumbled and fell. The fairy appeared before him, and the boy looked at him with a mixture of fear and awe.
Despite being able to see the boy's death, the fairy chose to help him and quickly sent the boy away to safety.
After the incident with the boar, the boy frequently sought out the fairy to confide in him and share his troubles.
"I'm the son of Balor, the evil fairy. Aren't you afraid of me?" the fairy asked the boy.
"You're a good person," the boy replied without hesitation.
The fairy found it difficult to describe the emotions he felt at that moment, but he knew that he had found a place where he belonged. He settled in the forest, with the boy as his only friend.
The boy continued to seek out the fairy whenever he faced troubles, whether it was a poor harvest or his parents' constant nagging. The fairy listened attentively to every detail of the boy's life.
Over time, the fairy watched the boy grow up before his eyes. The once-fragile six-year-old with a runny nose had become a strong and capable twelve-year-old boy.
The boy who was once chased by a boar could now hold a knife and hunt them.
As the kingdom descended into turmoil, the boy was conscripted into the army. Before leaving, he came to bid farewell to the fairy.
"I'm Balor's son, the evil fairy. Are you really not afraid of me?" the fairy asked him.
The boy smiled and replied, "You're my friend. A good friend who laughs and cries with me, and who listens to my troubles. Why should I be afraid of you?"
The fairy was overcome with emotion and ran away, tears streaming down his face. For the first time in his life, he had a friend who accepted him for who he was.
From that day on, the fairy shed his identity as the "evil fairy" and transformed into a young magus who stood by the boy's side.
The magus watched as the boy joined the army and formed strong bonds with other young men from different parts of the kingdom. Together, they became brothers in arms and rose through the ranks.
The group of friends, who were as close as brothers, spent their days chatting and joking around, enjoying each other's company.
The magus had always yearned for this kind of camaraderie, and he was grateful to have found it.
However, as time passed, the empire began to crumble, and the Age of the Gods faded away. The young man saw an opportunity to seize power and raise an army. He fought his way to the top and became a king.
However, the young king had a falling out with his brothers, especially with his most important and intimate brother, Uther.
With the disappearance of the Age of the Gods, it was believed that everyone on the British Isles would perish.
Eventually, the power of the island was passed on to Uther. The young king believed that the island's will was for his brother to make one final stand. However, his brother thought that unless the Age of the Gods came to an end, humans would never truly stand on their own two feet and it was up to him to deliver the final blow and bring an end to the Age of the Gods.
The young king was extremely angry and shouted, "Why must we pay the price with the lives of our own countrymen, our own flesh and blood? Tell me! Ah! Tell me! Why must our fellow countrymen, our blood relatives be sacrificed? Why--!"
Uther nodded with suppressed grief, and the others who knew about the situation fell silent and stood by his brother's side.
It was clear that a conflict had arisen between the greater good and personal interests. On one side stood Uther and his friends, who were fighting for the greater good. On the other side stood only the young king, fighting for his own interests.
The young king loved this land and his fellow countrymen, and it was this burning love that led him to make this choice.
The concept of the greater good held no significance to him. All he cared about was the survival of his fellow countrymen, even if it meant severing ties with everyone and plunging into the abyss.
Despite being betrayed by everyone, there was one person who stood by him - the magus.
"Why do you continue to follow me?" the king asked.
"Because you are my friend," the magus replied without hesitation.
"I must warn you that the path ahead of me is a dark abyss that is despised by everyone."
"Even if it's an abyss, I will accompany you to the bitter end."
Touched by the magus's loyalty, the king was moved to tears, much like the fairy had been before.
The magus remained silent, knowing that the king had no one else to rely on and that only he could truly understand him.
It was in that moment that the magus finally understood that he was Balor, and it was this boy - this young man who had become king - who had given him his humanity.
And this king was none other than Vortigern, and this evil fairy, this magus was none other than Meksis.
...
In that crucial moment, Meksis was ready to offer his final strength for the sake of his king.
As Vortigern wielded the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad to ward off Scathach, he couldn't help but feel a chill when he noticed Meksis at the center of the ritual.
Despite being transformed into nature and stripped of his humanity, Vortigern found himself overcome with emotion and tears welled up in his eyes.
"Why are you crying?" Meksis asked his friend.
Through his tears, Vortigern responded, "I'm crying because I know that in the future, I will face the abyss alone. There will be no one left to accompany me."
Meksis simply smiled in response.
Standing at the center of the ritual, he harnessed the power of the "Island's Owner" and transferred the final aspect of the "God" from Barton Mountain to himself.
As he completed the transfer, his human form vanished, and he returned to his original fairy form.
"Once, you gave me humanity, and now, I will return divinity to you. My friend, may your ideals continue to bloom."
When everything came together in the god-summoning blood ritual, all that made him who he was faded away, and his body began to disintegrate. Then darkness descended, signifying the completion of the ritual.
Suddenly, a massive Evil Eye materialized in the blood-red sky.
"What... what the hell is that?" Shirou whispered as he stood atop the wall, staring at the ominous evil eye. He pressed his hands against the wall with such force that blood began to seep from his palms.
The sight left everyone in a state of shock, even the beasts around them couldn't help but tremble in fear.
"Behold, child of man. This is the law of the heavens, the wrath of the gods!" a voice boomed out.
The Evil Eye expanded, taking over the sky, and a terrifying energy started brewing inside. The very space around it distorted and warped, intensifying the sense of impending doom.
In the next moment--
The storm raged, with thunder booming so loudly it felt as if it could tear the world apart. A dark beam, death made manifest, shot toward the barrier guarding the northern defensive line.
Shirou's pupils contracted to the size of needles as he shouted, "Defend--!"
All of the available defensive measures were used in a desperate attempt to block the death. Large-scale defensive rituals, barriers, evil muds, light cannons, and countless legendary shields were all woven together to create a formidable defense.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble--!!!"
The devastating strike shattered the defensive measures and reduced the wall to rubble. Mountains in its path were flattened, and huge rocks fell from the sky like shooting stars.
As the dust settled, it became clear that the wall that had stood against the horde of beasts had been utterly crushed by the power of the gods.
Merlin gazed at the vanishing evil eye with a complex expression on his face. He couldn't help but recall the words spoken by the fairy so long ago.
"I have found my own self, what about you?" the words echoed in his mind, and he let out a heavy sigh.
The evil eye, which had unleashed the power of the gods, gradually dissipated, for it was never meant to exist in this era.
However, a fairy had managed to re-create the essence of the god's power through the power of the island and a blood sacrifice.
"I have paved the way for you. Farewell, my king, my friend," the whispers said, carrying with it the collective hatred and resentment of everyone before vanishing on the other side of the abyss.
He was an evil existence, worthy of being cursed. He had sacrificed countless lives for his own selfish desires.
There was no doubt about it - he was Balor!
However, Vortigern couldn't hold back his tears. The being before him was a remnant of an evil god, a wicked fairy, and a foolish creature who had always craved recognition. Yet, he was also Vortigern's best friend.
"Ah, ah, ah, ah--"
Vortigern fought to suppress his emotions, but tears continued to stream down his face nonetheless.
As he wept, white scales began to appear on Vortigern's body, and he started to transform and grow until he assumed the form of a dragon.
With the departure of the wicked fairy, Vortigern had lost the last remaining aspect of his humanity.
And so, a white dragon emerged in his place!
