Chapter 34: Caden

　　The answer was simple.

　　When faced with the sin of greed, the embodiment of all human desire, one must let go of what they treasure most. One must set aside their greed and hope to sacrifice everything to defeat sin. For the longest time, Caden was unsure of his desires and only thought of himself.

　　I was selfish, he thought, I know that much.

　　He blinked his eyes open. He was back within the dimension of the Crown. The same scorched earth and sea of swords. . . yet, this time, his mood was not one of panic. The Shard of Sin sat on his burning throne, and his red eyes fell upon Caden as he walked forward.

　　"Back so soon, son of ash?" he asked. "Did you want me to kill the Tigress that bad? I thought you planned to save her."

　　Caden took a deep breath. "I do." He strode forward, stopping in front of the massive burning throne. The smoke filled his lungs, and the flames reached out and kissed his skin. He did not flinch once.

　　"Do you plan to try and fight me again?"

　　"No," he said. "I plan to make a deal. A decision. I finally understand you now."

　　The Crown laughed. "Is that so?"

　　"All my life, I`ve been lying to myself. I thought that my revenge for Isabel was something she would have wanted me to do. So, I ran toward it, thinking only of myself. Even my skewed sense of morality, save the good guys, kill the bad guys. . . it was such a brilliant lie for a child to learn. I was so selfish that no matter what evil choices I made, I still thought I was good. I scammed seamstress Heather for a cloak I didn`t even need when I was only ten years old simply because I thought she was evil. The lie was right in front of my face this whole time, and I never even realized it.

　　"The fact is that no human is good or evil. We are all greedy. Everyone wants something they don`t have. Yet, the choice made here today is not about greed. It`s about generosity. I know now that I`ve done good things and bad things, and whether my choices from today forward will make things better doesn`t matter.

　　"Luna defeated you in combat because that was what she was born to do. You say I was born to be your vessel, and I say flame that."

　　"Enough already," said the Crown. "Just state your point."

　　"My point is that nobody is evil, and nobody is good. Even you, even a Shard of Sin, can be good if you explain your perspective. You said you placed the curse upon the land to protect us, and I know that somewhere in that screwed-up head of yours, you believe that to be true. You`re a dealmaker, Crown, and I will make a deal with you. You don`t care about the curse, you don`t care about Elutia, you just care about what I`m willing to sacrifice to satisfy my greed."

　　The skull-head of the Crown smiled. Its face cracked open and curved upward. "Perhaps you are smarter than you look."

　　"Pyromancy, too," Caden said. "That was another wish granted by someone else you claimed as a vessel. If there were past lives of the Tigress, there must have been other vessels of the Crown. . . others like me."

　　The Crown`s wicked smile broadened.

　　"So now I will undo the work of my own predecessors and lock your artifact away for eternity. All I need to do is offer something true to me that equals the value of eradicating Pyromancy and the curse, and I win."

　　"That`s it!" The Crown shouted, suddenly ecstatic. "You found the answer! You`re such a peculiar human, such a fascinating creature. So, tell me, son of ash, what shall you give up? Who will you become? A hero? One who sacrifices his loved ones, who kills the Tigress and slaughters his companions for the sake of the world? Because I would gladly take that deal if you let me kill those close to you.

　　"Or perhaps," The Crown continued, "You`ll become a villain. You`ll break the curse but sacrifice the lives of those past the torrents at the edge of the world. You`ll kill them, sacrifice the world. . . to save your people. Tell me, which deal will you take?"

　　Caden smirked. He recalled all the lessons Isabel had taught him and knew that she would make the same choice he was about to make.

　　"Neither," he said. "You think those are the only two choices, but you`re wrong. A hero isn`t someone who would sacrifice their lover for the world. And a villain isn`t someone who would sacrifice the entire world for their companions. Those types of people. . . are what I call cowards."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

　　The Crown`s smile tore through his skull once more, filling it with a red glow.

　　"Tell me then! What is the answer! What shall you offer?"

　　Caden pulled his father`s journal from his breast pocket, surprised that it had even materialized in the realm of swords. He held it up to the Crown. "Everything."

　　The Crown twitched, then threw his head back and laughed. He leaped from the throne and landed, towering over Caden with an impressive height. "Really? This? Are you sure? You can`t go back on your word. Once this is over, there is no turning back. This is what makes you human. You`ll lose everything."

　　"No," Caden said. "You`re wrong. Why should any of this matter?" He shook the book in his hand. "My friends are what make me human. The people I`ve grown close with are the ones who matter. This sacrifice?" He scoffed. "It`s nothing compared to all of them."

　　Compared to her. . . Caden thought.

　　The Crown put a hand over his face and threw his head back in laughter. It wasn`t cruel, wicked, or evil. Yet, it was one of pure joy. It was as if he was suddenly a child laughing at his father`s excuse for a joke.

　　"You did it! You beat me! I was wrong about you, Caden Arkell. Well played, you truly are something else! To think you`d sacrifice this much just to fulfill Isabel`s dream."

　　"Not just her dream, but mine as well. The world deserves its freedom and the Sun. You will not keep it from them any longer."

　　The Crown`s laugh echoed throughout the land. "Fine! I accept your demands. The curse and Pyromancy will be eradicated because of your sacrifice. And to think you truly feel this way, what a change, Caden, how different you are now compared to when we first met. You`ve changed a lot since you Kindled."

　　The dimension of swords surrounding him began to fade away as darkness crept out from the horizon.

　　"Just know a war is coming," he said. "And you are bound to the side of sin. You cannot escape destiny; you will learn that just as the Tigress did."

　　Caden responded by giving him the middle finger. Darkness swallowed them, and the last thing he heard was the laughter of the Crown. He closed his eyes.

　　Nobody in the entire world deserves to get hurt. Isabel`s words echoed in his mind.

　　Caden understood what she meant by that now. Pain was inevitable in life, and his choice would hurt many people, but none of them deserved it. In fact, they all deserved happiness - even people like Vance or Elena. . . they deserved the Sun, and he was going to give that to them.

　　* * *

　　From the depths of hell, through shadows and flames, Caden was born. He was unveiled amidst a desolate, shattered blacktop. Everything was silent. An enormous palace loomed in the distance, its grand height contrasting the destroyed surroundings. A curious crowd of people gathered nearby, some of them pouring from a few buildings that were attached to the stone wall surrounding the area. Everyone looked worried or sad, as if they had congregated at a funeral.

　　Caden was confused. Did someone die?

　　He took a tentative step forward, clutching the artifact of the Crown in his hands. A few people stood out from the crowd and approached Caden with worried faces.

　　"I didn`t have to fight him," an enchanting girl said. She was beautiful, with long white hair, dark skin, and a glowing blue aura that radiated with power. "He just appeared but was completely motionless. What did you do? Did it work?"

　　"I. . ." Caden struggled for words.

　　She took a step further and handed him a book. "Here. You said to give you this when you got back."

　　Caden was so enthralled by this girl`s beauty that he listened to her. He took the book in his other hand.

　　"Are you good?" A new voice spoke. A man with shaggy dark hair approached him. He held an enormous golden sword that was glowing with energy. "What happened in there?"

　　Caden shook his head and fought himself for words.

　　A few other people approached from the crowd, and Caden took a step back. A woman with lustrous robes, a grizzled man with white hair and a beard, two younger knights, one a lanky man, and the other a broad-shouldered woman. Some more people stood out, including three knights who were glowing red, green, and purple.

　　Everyone froze when the clouds above were cleaved into two pieces. Light from the heavens bathed them in a brilliant glow, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. A few moments passed, and gasps and whispers filled the crowd. Caden`s vision cleared, revealing a sight that left him bewildered. The crimson clouds that dominated the sky had all but evaporated, unveiling a fiery orb lingering behind luminous white clouds. This was - the Sun.

　　"You did it!" the beautiful girl shouted and leaped up, throwing her arms around him. He immediately took a step back and held his ground. He couldn`t decide whether to abandon the book and the Crown to hug her back. He knew one thing for sure: he knew this girl was safe.

　　He glanced over at the man with the golden sword. He opened his hand and conjured a flame within it. It flickered for a moment, then slowly dwindled into nothingness. "My flame," he whispered, "It`s. . . gone."

　　Caden took a step back from the embrace of the gorgeous girl, and she let him go. He began to distance himself from the gathering. He was a little confused as to why everyone was celebrating him. There was something in his expression that prompted each person to give him an odd look.

　　"I`m sorry," he stammered, finally arriving at words that worked for him. "I think there`s been some kind of mistake."

　　"No mistake," the enchanting girl said. "You saved us. See? You . . ." Her voice caught as if a realization had dawned upon her.

　　Caden took the book and placed it in his pocket.

　　"Are you alright?" the girl asked.

　　Caden hesitated. "No," he froze, unsure about what words to use. "I`m sorry," he said. "You all must have mistaken me for someone else. I have not met any of you before." He glanced over the crowd again as if hoping to recognize someone, anyone.

　　He reached out toward the white-haired girl and grasped her hand in his own trembling one.

　　"Please," he said, "remind me of your name."