CHAPTER 65.

In a blink, Amber found herself lying on grass, and then she vomited more blood before the venom⁠— stopped. In a single moment, she began to slowly heal, Recovery of Curses wasn’t in effect due to the fact that she didn’t have the Cursewelder on her, so she summoned the broken Sword of all Mortals and the Staff of Demons, only to realize that neither of the objects had curses on them anymore.

Amber grimaced, but it was short-lived as she heard a laugh from her side. Amber turned only to see the purple Primordial Spirit holding the Cursewelder and spinning it around.

“Quite the weapon she’s made, Val’leri is quite impressive if I say so myself,” he said, smiling. “I admire her quite a lot, you know?”

Amber groaned and slowly stood up, and as she did, she realized that she was healing. There was no more venom in her system.

She looked at the spirit. “Did you cure me or was that the 3rd Rank of Toxin Resistance…?”

“Oh, that was me,” the spirit affirmed. “You had about three minutes for Toxin Resistance to work, and by then⁠— you would have died.”

She blinked. “Right… thank you.”

And then, she remembered something⁠—

“Do you think you can save the necromancer, Ian⁠— he saved me.”

“No, I cannot,” he replied simply before continuing. “Aside from any personal reasons I could have for saying no: the impersonal and factual one, is that he is dead. Hence, I cannot save him. But otherwise, I would have agreed to your request since I met you thanks to him.”

Amber blinked at that. “He is dead…?”

The Primordial Spirit nodded. “For what it’s worth, he fought valiantly, and he has been reunited with his wife.”

She took in his words, and in all honesty it stung.

The spirit smiled and continued playing with the sword, uncaring for the news he had just delivered. Amber was shaken for a moment, life was fickle. But after taking a deep breath, she regained her bearings and took in her surroundings. She was sitting on grass, there were palm trees on her surroundings and there was a wide lake, and at the center there was a throne. Then, looking around some more, she spotted some hammocks and umbrellas⁠.

She was in an oasis, but it was like a tropical paradise.

“Well, that was most certainly a surprise,” the Primordial Spirit said. “Didn’t think you’d have such a weapon, but you are far from reaching it’s full potential. You can have it back, Amber, not like it can hurt me.”

With those words he threw it into the air, and Amber had to scoot out of the way as it landed next to her and dug into the ground. She quickly got a hold of it and stowed away the other two cursed items. And finally, she remembered the thing she had had in mind this entire time.

“You… knew my name… how?”

“You went to visit Val’leri, of course she told me your name!” He smiled.

A lie.

Amber frowned. “I’m not stupid⁠— you knew of me before I even met her.”

The spirit chuckled at that, then he took a step forward and⁠— appeared in front of her. Causing Amber to instinctively shiver.

“Then I suppose you’ll find out soon enough,” he said, caressing Amber’s cheek which caused her to shiver.

She backed off from the spirit as a laugh left him, then he turned and gestured at the oasis.

“Welcome to my second home, the Oasis of Death, and also⁠…” He glanced back, his voice turning grave. “Your prison.”

Amber paused at that. She could tell the Primordial Spirit didn’t exactly see her as an ally, meaning he meant those words.

She looked at the edge of the grass and towards the sands of the desert, and for a moment she thought about making a run for it, but it was a stupid idea⁠ considering she was essentially trying to run away from a god.

“Thinking about it?” the spirit asked, amused. “Don’t bother, there is a barrier in place, but if you want to try it, be my guest.”

Amber shook her head. “I’m good, thanks.”

With those words, she stood up. She didn’t quite understand her situation, but at the same time she didn’t feel any hostility from the Primordial Spirit, in fact it was as if he couldn’t care less about her presence. So, she took a look around and walked, all while the Primordial Spirit tapped at the air.

“So, why am I imprisoned?”

“Let’s just say your friends have something I really want, and I want to use your life in exchange for it,” he said. “Which is why I sought you out.”

Amber raised her brow at that. She didn’t quite know what Val’leri and Ax’thra could possibly have from him, but he seemed quite serious in his statement.

“And after you get it will you let me go?”

He snorted. “Of course, what kind of god doesn’t honor deals with other gods? While I’m playing villain, I’m not stupid.”

Amber nodded. She was a hostage and⁠— she didn’t quite know what to do, but for now she sat on one of the hammocks and decided to find out more about everything⁠—

And she paused, remembering what the Primordial Spirit had done.

“You are an asshole,” Amber called, which made him raise his brow. “Impersonating my friend, and deceiving another one? Aren’t you above that?”

“You have quite the gall to speak to a god like that,” the Primordial Spirit said, annoyed.

Amber shook her head. “If I die you don’t get what you want and you make two gods angry.”

The god sighed. “And so we have the world’s most valiant hostage. Congratulations, you are an empowered human, or whatever.”

Amber rolled her eyes at that.

It seemed he didn’t really care about what he had done, but at the same time, Amber wasn’t going to let it go, especially not when she had the chance to do so.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, deceiving a poor human girl.”

“She’ll get over it.” He waved off. “And besides, it was all part of my plan to get you to me, so it worked⁠—”

“Except, Val’leri sent me to you,” Amber pointed out. “She said you could teach me Essence.”

The Primordial Spirit snorted at that. “She did say that a second ago, but she doesn’t seem to understand that I’ll kill you if I don’t get what you want.”

Amber didn’t know what to make of that, but watching the frown on the Primordial Spirit’s face she couldn’t help but ask.

“And what is the thing you want?”

“A divine artifact that belongs to me, it’s in her possession,” he explained simply, annoyance evident in his voice.

She raised her brow at that. The only kind of artifact that had been in Val’leri’s possession⁠ that didn’t belong to her— that she was aware of⁠— was the Cube of Stars, but it had been taken by the Arcane Council and now Amber had it on her person. Though maybe, he wasn’t looking for the cube at all, but Amber felt that that wasn’t the case.

“I can see why she sent you to me, given you have a surprising amount of Essence on you, but…” he shook his head. “You may be a Demonkiller, however, you are still friends with those two thieves.”

“What do you mean thieves?”

“Not a story you get to know, Amber,” he denied her instantly. “You should be a quiet hostage, and mind your business.”

“Ha.”

She barely felt like one, but Amber did understand that her situation would quickly turn bad should things go awry⁠— or well, would turn bad if she didn’t play her cards right. Fortunately, the spirit didn’t seem to know of the cube, so she could use that to her advantage.

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“What do you mean you don’t have it?!” he said to the air, angrily. “You know where it is, yet won’t tell me?!”

He stomped on the ground, sending a shockwave all across the oasis as water splattered. Amber winced at that, and then he spoke.

“Then, I will imprison her and torture her until you tell me…” he said coldly.

And with that, he craned his head towards her, but just before he could fully blast her with murderous intent, she spoke.

“You’re looking for the Cube of Stars, right?”

The spirit visibly relaxed at that. “So you know of it.”

“That is right,” Amber said, then she took a deep breath.

So he is indeed looking for the cube, Amber thought, it seemed the Primordial Spirit had sensed the Essence of the cube earlier, but didn’t know it was from it. Meaning, she had the advantage for now.

After a moment of silence as she met the god’s gaze and made her request known.

“But I won’t tell you where it is unless you teach me how to wield Essence.”

The Primordial Spirit looked confused. “And what makes you think I can’t just get that information from the System itself? It records everything you do after all.”

Amber paused at that and the Primordial Spirit did two taps at the air and⁠— frowned.

“If that thieving bitch gets in the way, then I suppose I cannot get it.”

Seeing that, a sigh of relief left her. It seemed that Val’leri was aiding her somewhat, though not in a super helpful way. But now, Amber knew that it was time to act. She could no longer pretend to be a clueless hostage.

“Isn’t that unfortunate, but don’t worry I’ll tell you where it is,” Amber reassured. “All you have to do is listen to my request⁠—”

“Or I can torture you until you tell me that information,” he interrupted, stepping forward. “It won’t take too long either, certainly faster than teaching you Essence.”

Amber swallowed at that. “If you do that, then you’ll piss Ax’thra and Val’leri off.”

“Ax’thra isn’t here, and Val’leri⁠— she is weaker than me, and so long as you are alive⁠ she may not act immediately.”

With those words he appeared in front of her, and her eyes widened as she saw a sword appear. It was quickly pointed at her throat and its tip burned like acid.

“You are a Cursebearer, but even if you are immune to curses, toxins can most certainly be your undoing,” he spoke simply. “So, speak before I stab you, and maybe I won’t imprison you after.”

She looked up at the Primordial Spirit, he had an empty expression. And for a moment, Amber wondered if seeking him out had been a mistake. After all, all he wanted was to get the Cube of Stars, all he had done so far, from lying to Liz to seeking her out⁠— it was all to use her as a hostage.

Amber had two options, to give it right now and save her life or be stupid and try to get on the spirit’s good side. However, looking at his gaze, she could tell that neither was a choice.

She closed her eyes. He’s going to imprison me no matter what. He was just that kind of person. She swallowed at that. Amber momentarily hoped Val’leri would show up and do something, but it was obviously not the case. However, she did remember one piece of information⁠— one thing that the Primordial Spirit seemed to see as favorable.

And she was going to make use of it.

“Before I tell you everything, how about we talk and then⁠— you can decide if to imprison me or not after you get it?” Amber suggested. “I am a Demonkiller, so, please?”

The Primordial Spirit looked at her for a moment before lowering his sword. “You are indeed a Demonkiller, and you seem to have killed a fair-amount of them already.”

Then he placed his hand on his chin thoughtfully as Amber’s heart rushed, and finally after a couple of seconds of thinking, he nodded.

“Very well, Amber⁠— let us talk.”

She almost breathed in relief before the spirit continued.

“But first, you must swear on your life that you will give me the necessary information to obtain the Cube of Stars, by the time our conversation ends.”

Amber blinked seeing his extended hand looming in front of her, but after a moment of hesitation she took a hold of it and shook it. With that action, she felt a strange magic rush into her heart.

The spirit nodded in response and flicked his fingers as his throne and a chair appeared.

“Alright, we can talk, Amber the Demonkiller.”

Amber looked at him sit and swallowed as an hourglass was set by him. She had a hard talk ahead of her.

* * *

Amber told him quite a lot of herself, and for the most part he seemed unimpressed. Hearing about Earth all he said was “interesting” and nothing more. So evidently, she was struggling to earn his favor, but at least she got to ask him something that Amber deemed important.

The first thing she learned was that⁠— Ax’thra had actually asked him to teach her Essence, in fact he had asked quite heavily, and that was the reason he was aware of her. This was Ax’thra’s fail-safe to ensure she would eventually get to know of Ill’hine, but it seemed that he didn’t contemplate the level of hatred the Primordial Spirit had for him and Val’leri.

So instead, he used that information to try to find her, and get what he wanted.

“So you can teach me Essence without the cube?” Amber asked.

“A more annoying process, but yes,” he said simply. “However, no matter how many times you ask, I’ll say no.”

“Because you hate Val’leri and Ax’thra,” Amber sighed, massaging her temples.

“Exactly, you are beginning to understand me, Amber.” He flicked his fingers. “I hold grudges for a very long time; why do you think I hate demons?”

“They… pissed you off?” she guessed.

“You really are sharp,” he praised.

Amber shook her head at that. She didn’t expect the Primordial Spirit of the desert to be like this, from what she could tell he actually liked her to some extent, and Amber⁠— also kind of wanted to befriend him as well. But he adamantly refused due to her connection to Ax’thra and Val’leri, and now the reason had been explained in simple terms.

So my worth has to surpass the hatred he has for Val’leri and Ax’thra, Amber thought with a frown.

“What’s the matter, you look like you want to kill someone,” he joked. “Use that energy to kill some demons.”

“Except, if you imprison me, or whatever, I won’t get to kill more demons,” Amber said simply.

The Primordial Spirit waved his hand dismissively. “You don’t need to worry about that, I’ve decided that I’ll let you go after this. You are just barely interesting enough for me to forego my hatred towards those two.”

Amber blinked. “Thanks.”

“And here I expected you’d celebrate,” the spirit commented.

Her thoughts continued for a few more moments before she had her realization. He hates the demons much more than Ax’thra and Val’leri. Now she just had to reason with the god about that, somehow.

“I am a Demonkiller, right?” she asked.

“That is your title, yes.”

“Which means if you teach me Essence⁠—”

“You’ll kill a lot more demons,” he finished for her. “The answer is still: no.”

Amber blinked at that and sighed. She had no idea how to convince the Primordial Spirit, but she knew that the time of their talk was going to run out soon. Or rather, she had less than a minute from what she could see on the hourglass. Though the spirit seemed to be paying no attention to it, instead just smiling at her.

Perhaps he enjoyed her despair as she struggled to think of a reason⁠— no that was most definitely it. He was enjoying it. She could just tell from his facial expression.

“Alright.” Amber nodded. “You are an asshole.”

“Ouch,” he feigned hurt.

“So you can have it.”

With those words, she threw the Cube of Stars at the Primordial Spirit who caught it with nothing but evident shock in his face. And Amber continued.

“Because I know that no matter what I say, you won’t teach me Essence. Even if it’s well within your power, even if you are all powerful⁠— you are a dick,” Amber said, annoyed as she stood up. “I’m being hunted down for having it anyway, so I don’t need it. I’ll just ask Val’leri or something instead.”

The Primordial Spirit frowned at that. “If she helps you without the cube, you will die.”

“So?” Amber looked back. “It’s not like you’ll teach me.”

Amber took a step forward, and the Primordial Spirit appeared in front of her, standing and looking down at her.

“But what makes you think you are ready to learn Essence?” he asked.

There was a pause and before Amber could answer, he flicked his finger.

The surroundings turned to ones she had seen before⁠— to the surroundings of Ill’hine. She blinked, and the Primordial Spirit continued.

“You are just inviting more danger into your life, for no reason other than to grow stronger,” he said simply. “Why not accept peace, after all⁠—”

And an explosion went off in the distance. It was bright red and Amber saw a mushroom cloud of red and purple, reminiscent of a nuclear explosion. Then she saw a shockwave tear through the surroundings, shattering mountains and destroying forests in a single moment.

Then, it passed by them, destroying the surroundings too and leaving them unaffected.

“This will be your new normal. I understand you want to push your limits, but is this really the answer?” he asked. “Being connected to the System will make you enemies in Ill’hine, and in Vir you will be lonely and hunted by the Arcane Council.”

Amber frowned. She wasn’t aware of the the former fact, but the latter was to be expected. Or well⁠— once they found out about Essence anyway. But Amber in spite of his words nodded.

“I wish to learn Essence.”

There were numerous reasons for this; the primary one was the shallow one of being stronger. Another one was wanting to be an equal to Ax’thra and other Primordial Spirits she befriended, and another was the fact that it would allow her to see and feel things she would not get to experience otherwise.

She wanted to see what Ill’hine had to offer, she wanted to see more of Vir⁠— in the end, she wanted to explore it all.

At her response, the Primoridal Spirit lightly frowned as the surroundings returned to the beautiful oasis they were previously in, and he turned away walking as he looked at the oasis.

“You know, the reason I’ve kept you alive for so long instead of being forceful is because I like you Amber.”

Amber raised her brow as the spirit continued.

“And this is beyond you being a Demonkiller or your insanity, or other things that I find impressive about you.” He shook his head. “You have absolutely no idea how much I admire your ability to stand up to me in spite of being… at my mercy.”

And finally, he turned to face Amber, looking at her with utmost seriousness.

“Which is why you can know my name: Sid’fril. And it is also why I’ll show you the path to become a god.”

He touched the cube as it began to glow with a faint aura and he met her gaze.

“I will teach you Essence.”