Also updated with a rewritten chapter: Songs of Legacies: Black Garm

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Cavaron, having been forced by Azrael, felt the power within him surge like an overflowing flood. His sight turned black, and traces of his mana disappeared. Black flames shot out from every orifice of his body, and engulfed him in a malignant aura. Once his body was fully swallowed by the black flames, his transformation had already finished. The flames receded, and cloaked his body. His armor and cape turned pitch black, his hair became white, and his eyes turned red. By his waist, his swords disappeared, and were replaced by a pitch black two-hander mounted on his back.

His summons, and the others who were outside Azrael's sphere of influence, witnessed Cavaron's change. Especially his summons who once witnessed the carnage brought on by this mysterious black flame. The angels in the sky immediately paused mid flight, and slowly retreated from the sight. Even Shamira paused as she felt that once familiar power she felt a long time ago. The demons, especially the aged ones, stopped in their tracks, and left the younger generations stupefied by their actions. One heavily scarred lizardman saw Cavaron's change, and without hesitation, turned to flee where they came from.

The humans, however, given their short lifespans, stared in awe at Cavaron's suddenly leaping power. The aura around the man they looked upon immediately filled them with a sense of dread and feared the flames that flickered like tongues of hungry beasts before a meal. Gulfried stayed midair with his wyvern mount and watched the events unfold from afar.

"Yes! YES!" exclaimed Azrael, "This is what I'm talking about, A DUEL BETWEEN FLAMES!! HAAA!!!"

Azrael charged forward like a madman with his scythe fully drawn back for an attack. However, for Cavaron, there was a change from his previous incarnation. Contrary to his previously berserk state, his red eyes were empty, and his movements were not as profoundly felt than before. Without noticing this change, Azrael was already before Cavaron, and brought down his scythe.

Yet, Cavaron didn't react. Only when Azrael's scythe was about a hair's breadth away did his hand flicker to parry the attack. This movement surprised Azrael and the others, and only after did Cavaron draw his two-hander.

The lack of his manic laughter brought on a foreboding feeling to Azrael as it could be seen on his face. The pitch black two-hander flickered from Cavaron's back, and reappeared in his right hand. Like before, he deftly wielded a weapon that was meant for two hands in a single hand. Tongues of black flame flickered slightly from the movements of his sword.

Strangely, the Azuals surrounding the two black-flamed people stopped moving. Cavaron turned to look at them, and looked at his free left hand. Without a word, he aimed his open palm towards the Azuals. The Azuals felt something, and suddenly went towards Cavaron's hand. When they were only five meters away, the Azuals suddenly burst into black flames, and these flames flew into Cavaron's open left hand.

Like a swift flood, the Azuals around him quickly disappeared and turned into black flames that Cavaron seemingly absorbed into himself. Seemingly so because a sudden fluctuation of power was felt by all of those around him. He absorbed as much as there were around him, and finally left an empty space of nearly a hundred meters in diameter with only him and Azrael present. Seeing Cavaron do so, Azrael smirked, and did the same action. Azrael only absorbed half the amount of Azuals that Cavaron absorbed. Awe inspiring acts were witnessed by those outside.

"How does it feel, Cavaron?" asked Azrael, "Empowering, isn't it?"

Black flames began to flicker around Azrael's body like Cavaron, even his scythe was black. Without responding to Azrael's inquiry, Cavaron silently and expressionlessly drew back his two-hander. Seeing him do so, Azrael did the same as well, and drew back his scythe. Without notice, and in an eye blink, the their bodies flickered and a sound of clashing metals were heard right in between them. Their.bodies that flickered, slowly disappeared, and the two reappeared in the middle with slightly flickering bodies.

Their speed astonished the people watching. Aimi, who paused her hunt for Azuals and watched, tightly gripped her bow. She also asked Adelward what was happening.

"Honestly, I have no idea." replied Adelward, "This is completely different from what happened a century ago."

"Indeed." added Masamune, "Cavaron isn't lost in a confused nor berserk state, nor is he engaging in a mad massacre that we once partook in."

They watched the lightning fast exchanges until even those with sharp eye sight became lost at the exchange of two flames.

"By the gods, their speed is ungodly." commented Aquila, "I can't keep up. Who knows what in the world is happening in there."

"At least you made the effort to catch up to their speed." interjected Muramasa, "All I see are freaking blurs!"

"I wonder how long this exchange would last?" wondered Aimi.

Just as she said so, Cavaron and Azrael broke away from each other. The two of them didn't look fatigued nor tired in the slightest, but Azrael was evidently frustrated. Cavaron, on the contrary, appeared calm, vastly contrasting the events a hundred years ago.

"Hey, the hell is this?" asked Azrael, "This is boring. Fuck this shit."

The flames that flickered around Azrael's body suddenly stiffened and grew sharp. Even those on his scythe changed. Cavaron calmly watched all of these without a sound, but drew back is two-hander once more.

"Round two, fight!" cried Azrael as his body flickered again.

However, Cavaron's body did not flicker in the slightest. On the contrary, his flames grew and danced violently. His left hand gripped his two-hander, and brought the blade above his head. Immediately, he brought down his blade, and Azrael's figure reappeared in front of him. Their seemingly equal exchange happened once again.

---

While Cavaron fought with Azrael, deep within Cavaron's consciousness was Cavaron himself. He was stark naked, and had his original appearance. Everything around him was filled with darkness. He would be alone if not for the other person with him.

Cavaron emotionlessly stared at the person before him, and this person looked at another object that appeared with them. The other object was a glowing and pulsating white and blue orb wrapped in a web of pulsating darkness. The darkness that wrapped around the glowing orb beat together with the pulsations of the orb itself rhythmically like the beatings of a heart.

The person with Cavaron stared intently, not at the orb, but at the darkness wrapped around it. Cavaron walked towards the other person with him, and stood next to the person.

"Long time, no see." said the person. It was a woman's voice, and it was filled with tender love.

Cavaron looked at the person's face, and found a familiar sight.

"Strange how I should be embracing you right now, yet I'm not." replied Cavaron, "How long have you been here?"

The woman still watched the darkness, "For a long, long, time. Longer than you think."

Cavaron looked at what the woman was looking at, and asked a question, "Hey, I'm pretty sure that this place is within me, and that's my soul, so is that the Dark Fate flames wrapped around it?"

The woman placed a finger on her cheek, "Hmm, yes... and no." and replied, "Thing is, the name 'Dark Fate' only applies to this world. To Edeortha."

Cavaron looked at the woman again, "Then, what is it, exactly?"

"The things I will say are only from what 'He' told me, so don't take my word for it." she replied.

"'He'?" he wondered, "Who's 'He'?"

"The one who gave you this... gift." she replied, "So, ready to listen?"

Seeing no other way of knowing who "He" was, Cavaron nodded towards the woman.

"Let's see, where shall I start?" said the woman, "The black substance wrapped around you is a fragment of chaos. That said, it is neither malignant nor benign. Its form is that of a flame, and a flame is neither good nor evil. It is merely a flame."

The woman, for the first time in a while, walked around the orb, "Like so, a flame can be used either for good or for evil. To be used for survival or destruction. That is what this fragment is, merely a tool to be used for either good or evil, and its function changes accordingly to the wielder."

The woman stopped on the opposite side across Cavaron, still looking at the orb, "A common belief of people is that chaos means evil. Not necessarily, as 'He' told me. Chaos can be a conduit to do either good or evil. Like how a rogue that defends the poor from a tyrannical king is a chaotic but good individual, and how a psychopath kills and maims innocents versus a law enforcer that protects victims from further harm. The flame, this fragment of chaos, is such a tool."

She walked again around the orb, "Ever noticed that you haven't really been randomly summoned as much lately? It's the cause of this fragment. It causes the wielder to break away from the bonds of fate, enabling one to be free from the chains that binds one. Of course, it isn't perfect, as 'He' made it so to avoid the eyes of Fate."

The woman finally arrived next to Cavaron again, "And 'He' is one such person that aims to break away from Fate. 'He' chose you, as well as many others, to continue 'His' legacy even after 'He' has passed."

A moment of silence permeated the surroundings which prompted Cavaron to ask, "Then, what happened to Azrael? How come he's alive?"

"That was a miscalculation on 'His' part." she replied, "'He' told me that your fragment misunderstood your thoughts from your wanting 'to save' and wanting 'to kill'. The contradiction confused the fragment, and even fragmented itself into Azrael. However, 'He' noticed something strange. Azrael's soul was undoubtedly destroyed leading 'Him' to the conclusion that the fragment took on Azrael's thoughts, and became him instead."

Cavaron brought his hand to his chin, "You mean to say that the Azrael now is my fragment that took on his form and memories?"

"That is what 'He' also believes. 'He' once told me that these fragments of chaos are literally chaotic and unpredictable. Even its effects on each wielder is different, and how it affects the surroundings is also different from one another. Surprisingly, 'He' said, that your fragment was the easiest to control apart from the others. The child you met two hundred years ago, that one child is a wielder of another fragment. If I heard 'Him' correctly, 'He' gave fragments to at least three thousand individuals, including you. Good or evil, it did not.matter to 'Him' as long as 'His' legacy is continued."

"And this 'legacy' is?" inquired Cavaron.

"Sadly, 'He' did not tell me." she replied, "I also asked 'Him' before, but all 'He' did was pat my head and smile." She also held a spot on her head as she said so. "Although, it did feel good getting head pats from 'Him'. As for you, however, I expect 'Him' to tell you once the time comes."

"I guess that means I could absorb the flame back from Azrael?" asked Cavaron with confidence.

"Ha, not only the flame, but Azrael himself as he is a piece of your fragment. It also happens to be the reason why your mana is so weak."

Cavaron smiled, "I guess this is farewell, then."

"It is so, but..." she replied, "Before you go, I have a request."

"Go on." replied Cavaron.

The woman finally turned to face him, "Say my name as you say goodbye."

"All right." said Cavaron, "Goodbye, Aisha."

...

..

.

---

Back to reality, Cavaron found himself within his body, still covered in black flames. Before him was a frantic Azrael, delivering one attack after another, with him parrying every attack and delivering his own. The exchange from before was still happening.

Suddenly, Cavaron threw away his pitch black two-hander, and spread his arms wide open.

"What the hell.is he doing!?" cried Culverin out in alarm, "Did he just give up!?"

"Calm yourself!" shouted Nox, "Cavaron wouldn't easily give up, especially with his current power."

"But what the hell do you think that form is!?" cried back Culverin, "He's practically inviting Azrael's scythe without resistance!"

"It's not rape if there's no resistance." commented Muramasa, by which he received a blow from Masamune. "Silence, you fool!"

They watched as Azrael's body flickered and appeared before Cavaron, "Die!!!"

Yet, contrary to everybody's expectations, Cavaron embraced Azrael, and came out unharmed. Azrael was shocked at this, and even struggled to get free. "Let go of me, you pervert!"

Cavaron looked at Azrael in the eyes, and whispered in his ear, "Hush now, time to rest."

As Azrael heard this, he suddenly lost all strength, and burst into flames. The surrounding Azuals all around them, every one of them, also burst into black flames, and converged on Cavaron's location. Azrael's flames and the Azuals' flames merged with Cavaron's own flames, and everything was absorbed into his body. The sight of nearly a hundred million Azuals bursting into flames, all of which resulted in Cavaron absorbing everything, left every one standing stock still in awe and disbelief. Over the vast wasteland, the only ones to remain were Cavaron, his companions, and the three armies. There were no longer any traces of Azrael nor the Azuals.

Cavaron, who was at the middle of it all, freely willed his flames to recede back into his body without any other side effect making the events from a century ago become merely memories of the past.

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This chapter is not rushed. I repeat, this chapter is not rushed.

This is the ending I aimed for in preparation for the next and final arc.