The Arcane Guardians Chapter 62: Chapter 57: Between Worlds

Read chapter 62 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Felix knew for a fact that the afterlife existed. Hell, he had even broken into Purgatory eighteen years ago. But unless he was having some sort of early onset dementia, an endless void was definitely not where he was supposed to go after dying. He tried wading around on the off chance that he was in some sort of obsidian liquid, only to find that he had no hands— No. He did not even have a body. A twang of self-pity stung Felix. He was already beginning to miss being alive. “Felix Apollo Pagonis.” Felix widened his non-existent eyes as the voice boomed all around him. It came from no particular direction, and sounded more like the void itself was speaking. Not that that surprised him, though. It was the fact that the voice addressed his father’s name as well. A glowing doorway materialised in front of him. Light would have flooded out as well, but it seemed contained by some sort of unknown magic. “You are unafraid. Good. I need a favour from you,” the voice continued. “Tempted as I am to ask what’s in it for me, I’m going to have to clarify some things first,” Felix projected his thoughts to the void. “Who the hell are you and what am I doing here?” “I am Janus. God of beginnings and ends, entrances and exits, gateways and archways. Your world has ended, but you have not, thanks to me. I have halted your death and brought you here for a special purpose. Accept, and I will send you on your way. Refuse, and your destiny will resume its path.” “Not much of a choice for a dying man, is it?” Felix muttered. “What would you have me do?” There was a brief pause as if Janus was taken aback by his response. “As a god of change, I possess the power to reset your universe; to give it a second chance. However, that power is vested in the two books I possess. The Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice. They are lost to me; scattered across the multiverse. I am a god; I cannot intervene in the mortal realm for too long. That is why I have chosen you to aid me in recovering my lost power.” It was Felix’s turn to pause. Throughout his life, he had always been warned about tampering with the natural order, lest he tipped the precarious balance holding reality together. To receive an offer to do just that from not just any god, but one that most Metas worshipped, was conflicting, to say the least. But what more could he lose? His world was doomed. His life was over. How could he possibly screw things up more so than he already had? Why shouldn’t he seize this chance to correct everything wrong with his world? “What’s the catch?” he asked hesitantly. “You must stay alive at all costs,” the god replied. “With my diminished powers, I can only send you to another world once . If you die there, there will be no resurrections this time. Both of us only have one shot. Do you accept, Felix Pagonis?” “Staying alive… Sounds easy enough. Very well, I accept.” A gentle warmth flooded Felix’s soul as an incorporeal outline of his body flashed a few times. He would have lost his nerve there and then, if he still had any. But as it was, he settled for hovering in darkness until Janus was done with whatever he was doing to his soul. “I have marked your life force. You now have the ability to sense whenever you are near one of the solstices. Once you have found both books, you will hold the power to command the rebirth of worlds, and I will summon you back to my side.” The glowing door burned brighter as Felix felt himself being dragged towards it. “I now return to you your power and your body,” Janus commanded authoritatively. “With my blessing and the power vested in me, I now send you through the rift between worlds. Fair travels, Felix Pagonis. May you succeed in your mission.” And then Felix was falling. Or at least, it felt like he was. There was no direction in this place, after all. Threads of latent memories brushed across his body as he soared through the seemingly infinite void. Some were familiar, although others were not. Felix wondered if these