~ [Music Recommendation: "Suteki Da Ne" by Nobuo Uematsu (Instrumental only) - available in Youtube or Spotify] ~ Please listen to it in loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this scene ~ T_T

Eres couldn't help but stare at his master's smiling face who was looking warmly at Elliot. He was the sole person who knew why his master said those words - that Elliot, the current Anointed King, was very kind and wise.

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"Ahm, what did I do to be called wise and kind?" Elliot asked with a puzzled expression. "I haven't been to Gaia since … who knows when?"

Eres chuckled. "Yes, you didn't … but … you sent help in the most perfect timing".

"Help?" Elliot pondered for a moment, trying to recall the recent things he did.

But Eres didn't prolong everyone's agony.

"Just the other day, when my master was about to give up on fixing the barrier alone, help arrived … and they were previous anointed kings who failed the trials".

Everyone was shocked. Their eyes wandered from Eres, to Elliot, to Ignis, and back to Elliot. Then, a sudden joy sprung in their hearts ...

Such great joy and thankfulness! Of all the questions that Elliot could have asked Aqua back then, and of all the things he could have said and decided on, it just had to be about the previous anointed kings! Turns out, it was all for such a time as this! Truly, their Chosen King was being guided by the Supreme. How magnificent and awesome it was!

Everyone's hearts - all the guardians, Rania, Elliot, Luna, and Eres, beated loudly in their chest. The panic and worry that they felt a few moments ago … all gone.

Everyone thought the same thing ...

The situation may not be favorable right now. With Ignis' life slowly wilting away, the corruption spreading, and Gaia's time running out, along with the billions of life in it … everyone had been on the edge that they forgot the simplest of things.

"The Supreme is still in control".

Remembering this truth, their lips curved into a beautiful and peaceful smile. They shouldn't worry too much of what's to come but instead, trust in the Supreme's timing and His will. Everything would fall into place. There was hope. And they should never give in to worry.

"Right … the previous anointed kings had been freed and sent back to Gaia," Elliot snickered. "I'm guessing they helped Ignis in fixing the barrier?"

"Yes, they did!" Eres answered enthusiastically. "Turns out, when they came back to Gaia, they also learned of the demonized monster and about my master, trying to investigate it. Since my master already did the initial investigations, they just had to follow his path and it led them to the land of Vetiti. When they arrived, they saw my master fixing the cracked barrier".

"In that case, does that mean that the previous anointed kings are also …," Elliot frowned and looked at Ignis' direction, "suffering the same fate?"

"No … it was only my master who got severely infected since he had to get close to the Crystal of Life. The biggest crack was there so he started fixing in that area. He poured out all his spiritual energy for days just to hold it up". Eres' voice turned gloomy again. "But every crack he fixed, another would come forth again. It was endless! That was when he was about to give up and the previous anointed kings came".

"I see …".

"Oh! And also," Eres was reminded of something, "One of the previous anointed kings had holy power! He tried casting a barrier made with holy power and it protected them from the corruption! Though he had to cast it over and over since it breaks after a certain amount of time. The concentration of the dark aura in that land was too much to bear to the point that even some of them were touched by it. Good thing it wasn't that worse, so the man with holy power easily healed it. He tried healing my master as well but … it didn't work on him anymore. I guess, he already absorbed too much of it for the holy power to work on him".

"Elliot," Rania whispered to him, "Do you think maybe, we can try to heal him?"

Elliot agreed. "Yes, let's try it," then, turning to Eres, he said, "I and Rania both have holy powers. Maybe he just needed more. Let us try to heal him".

Eres' eyes lit up. The other guardians gasped and felt hopeful.

Rania and Elliot stood up and went to Ignis's side. They gathered their holy powers in their hands, and slipped it through the barrier to touch Ignis's darkened body. Elliot cast magic in his eyes to observe the spiritual flow in Ignis' body. His eyes widened upon seeing the state of his spiritual core - the spherical core made of red flames … were now filled with dark spots all around it, slowly seeping in and eating away the remaining uncorrupted part.

"So this is how it attacks the spiritual core," Elliot murmured to himself. He then focused his holy energy in that area where his core was and tried to battle the darkness within.

Rania followed what Elliot was doing. She also poured out her holy energy in the same area. Releasing the holy energy was easy but … the dark aura was making it harder to penetrate Ignis' core.

The others waited in anticipation. Their hearts pounded in their chests and they kept praying to the Supreme to heal their friend - to take the corruption away and heal his spiritual core and damaged body.

A moment of silence passed by as Rania and Elliot continued to heal Ignis.

"Urgh, this is weird," Elliot thought. "Why is it that … no matter how much holy energy we pour in … the dark aura is not dissolving? Should we add Nature magic to enhance it?" He did as he thought, placing his other hand near Ignis' chest and combining his holy power with nature magic.

However, it was no use ... nothing happened to the dark spots found in his core.

Ignis felt what was happening in his body and he understood that it was really too late for him.

Tears began to form on Rania's eyes. She, too, felt that their holy powers … even combined together, was no match for the corruption that already rooted itself so deep within Ignis' spiritual core.

"Please … Please let this work!" Rania begged the Supreme in her mind. So as everyone in the room. With all their hearts they pleaded for a miracle.

But sometimes … no matter how hard we pray …

Things that were bound to happen … would happen.

Everything … had its own time.

"You may both stop now," Ignis said, as he smiled warmly towards Elliot and Rania.

At these words, Rania burst into tears and apologized. Eres, Luna, and the other guardians wept along with her. The tears that they had been holding back, flowed like a violent stream on their cheeks, not wanting to stop.

Elliot clenched his fist so hard that they bled, and gritted his teeth in his helplessness. With a wretched face, he also apologized for not being able to do anything and for even giving them false hopes. He thought that they just need more concentrated holy energy. And he was so wrong to think of it like that. Of all the times he could have been wrong, it just had to be on something that involved someone's life.

"Please, do not blame yourselves," Ignis comforted them. "Just as there is time for a life to be born, there is also time for it to meet its end".

"Hu hu hu hu," Eres wailed so much that his knees fell on the floor, near his master's bed. "Nooooo … sniff … sniff … master! Hu hu hu! Don't leave me!" The child that was trying to be strong was now weeping like there's no tomorrow.

"Eres …," Ignis called him dearly. He tried to lift his hands wanting to pat his head, but he couldn't move anymore. "My dear child, listen to me carefully".

"Yes, master".

"From the very beginning, you have always been my chosen successor".

Eres' eyes widened in disbelief. "But … No! I'm not worthy! I'm just a child. You're the only one worthy to be a guardian! Y-you're … sniff … sniff".

Ignis shook his head. "Do not say that you are merely a child. I can see your heart and I can say for sure that you are very much worthy," and turning to Elliot he said, "same as our current Anointed King".

Elliot let out a bitter smile.

"Eres, from today on forward, you shall carry the name 'Ignis'," Ignis declared. Suddenly, something glowing went out of his body - a small crystalized red flame. "This is 'Primo Igne' the seed of the Ignis guardians passed on from one to another. Now, I pass this unto you".

"NOOOOOOO!!! I will not accept it! No! Please, no! Hu hu hu!" Eres sobbed louder. "You have to live! You have to survive! Please!"

But Ignis proceeded with the ritual and sent the "Primo Igne" to Eres until it sank inside his body.

Then, Eres felt a surge of overwhelming power within him.