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LXVII. Barriers

“Yes, I am aware of the existence of the Material Heart,” Cyril half-lied casually.

He recalled one of the titles Loras had used to herald Cyril’s excellence when formally introducing him to the drow delegation: Inheritor of the Material Heart. The term held a certain resonance with his spirit, though looking into it hadn’t felt like much of a priority. Beyond that, he knew absolutely nothing.

Loras could have expounded on the subject if he hadn’t spent the whole time convalescing from his injuries. And though Cyril had often visited the self-repairing suit of armor, a sort of silent distance had lingered between them--an uncomfortable feeling of guilt and uncertainty.

“The knowledge of surface dwellers on this subject is sorely lacking,” said Aleytha. The statement held no judgment; it was a simple statement of fact. One that was more true than she hopefully realized. “To us drows, and to others dwelling within the world, it is the ultimate celestial treasure. The Material Heart is as essential to us as the Sun is to you.”

Cyril immediately realized the hubris of declaring oneself the inheritor of such an item. He hid a small smile as he thought to himself how mortified he would feel if a drow claimed that they were the honored keeper of the Sun itself. Still, if someone could take ownership of one of the key celestial elements of the cosmos, what a treasure that would be.

“Enlighten me,” he said.

“The Material Heart is the core locus of this world, from which all other layers of reality emerge,” Aleytha explained. “Since no one has actually managed to reach the Material Heart and return, it is impossible to say what truly exists down there at the terminus. As you descend, Gravity begins to intensify, Mass becomes ever-changing, physical forms distort and crystallize. At the deepest levels we have been able to reliably reach, it is a vicious environment of the most pure Earth, metal, and magma imaginable.”

“A paradise for any Earth cultivator powerful enough to survive,” added Loras.

Cyril regarded his enigmatic mentor figure. Most likely, Loras’ near-obliteration had ignited a passion for transcendence in him as well. Such a mystical environment would benefit the metallic cultivator greatly. Convincing him to join in the pilgrimage would require minimal effort--perhaps Cyril could even extort a few secrets from the suit of armor in exchange.

Aleytha continued on, ignoring the interruption. “All of the world, and by extension all Earth and its adjacent Dominions, is thought to originate from the Material Heart. The farther one gets away from the center of the world, the more diluted its expression becomes, splintering into all of the mundane elements of reality. This is why us drows have superior spiritual affinity than humans and the like. We live closer to the Heart.”

Soren clapped his hands in agreement. Asher glanced over, his huge face solemn. No doubt Uncle didn’t appreciate being considered an inferior being.

“I see,” said Cyril, attempting to ward off any budding tension between the two clashing personalities. The council’s attention returned back to him. “And this is why every drow has been mockingly referring to me as the Earth God? I assume all of you must be quite annoyed that a lowly human like myself ended up being the prophesied deity of your religion.”

Aleytha laughed lightly, covering her mouth with her hand. It was an alarming sound, coming from her. “You will have to forgive our sense of humor. We do not believe that Behemoth is the Earth God, so it is not a fitting title for you. While Behemoth is a Titan worthy of great respect, there are other Primordials as well. We believe that the Material Heart itself is the singular creator of existence, above all else within the domain of the Material Realm. This ideal, that of the Progenitor, is what we worship.”

Loras looked like he wanted to respond, but decided to hold back.

“I see,” Cyril repeated. He considered allowing her to move on, but couldn’t bite back his words. “So you admit you’ve been mocking me to my face. Continue with the blatant disrespect and I believe it may be in our best interests to end this alliance of ours."

Aleytha’s expression went blank for a moment, then a wicked smile slowly began to spread.

“Excellent!” said Soren. “A worthy man, this one! Now I’m curious how many layers deep you will be able to delve.”

“All of them.” Cyril flicked his alloy fingers, dismissing their ever-shifting attitudes. “I’ll reach the Material Heart. Maybe I’ll even let you know what your Progenitor has to say.”

Aleytha cleared her throat and shared a look with Soren. “We will assist you as much as possible, of course. The deeper you go, the greater the benefits will be. Crystals of transcendent qi, unique alchemical plants, spiritual ore. It is even possible to encounter Ascended elementals, but they are rarely willing to interact with others. There is, however, a problem.”

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“The Abyss,” said Loras.

“You are well informed, metal man.” Aleytha tapped the fingernails of one hand onto the table. “Yes, the Abyss, as you call it. An entity of colossal Darkness that forms a barrier between the Underdark and the deeper subterranean world. Millennia ago, our civilization extended much deeper. After the Abyss emerged, we were forced to abandon our ancestral territories.”

Cyril shifted in his throne. “Ah, that does sound like a small problem. I can handle some strong gravity and heat, but a civilization-destroying entity of a different Dominion is another thing entirely. I assume you have some means of avoiding contact with it?”

“Somewhat,” said Aleytha. “Unless special permission is granted, our people are forbidden from heading any lower than the Second Layer. Other methods exist, but outside of complete avoidance, anyone who attempts to reach the Material Heart will encounter the Abyss.”

“What if I attempted to descend from another starting location?”

Aleytha shook her head. “Even if you began from the other side of the world, the Abyss would eventually sense your presence in the lower Layers and appear to you.”

Cyril leaned back in his throne and sighed. “Then I suppose our meeting is inevitable.”

“Such meetings never go well,” she said. “The last person to try was my older brother, Prince Berith, who discovered the ruins of our ancestral capital, Corasu, in the Fourth Layer. After he sent word of his discovery, he was never heard from again. And he was a prodigy in the Late Nascent Stage, with a protector in Early Spirit Severing. This was fifty years ago, and we’ve discovered nothing since.”

Cyril leaned back and took a moment to digest this information. His early declaration did sound a bit pompous in the light of this new knowledge, but the temptation was difficult to resist. Though his people had no intimate knowledge of the Material Heart, its existence filled in a few gaps in their understanding of the cosmic mythos.

The Moon, Sun, Stars, and World were all considered celestial bodies containing a unique qi signature. He wondered if some similar mystery existed in the core of each one.

The Material Realm was mostly considered to be the same thing as the World--the cosmic environment upon which physical beings existed. Other celestial objects generally fell under purview of the heavens, separated from the World by an unfathomable distance, both spatial and temporal.

As far as Cyril knew, no one who had attempted to journey to the heavens had ever managed to return--likely for much the same reason no one had reached the Material Heart. Calculations and various observations showed that the Moon was much closer than the rest of the heavens, but the existential barrier distorted any attempts at deeper study. Even if the spatial distance was less significant, it was still hundreds of thousands of miles away at a minimum, on top of the other mystical boundaries imposed upon reality.

“Well,” said Cyril. “If you’re bringing it up, you must think that it’s worth it for me, despite the risks.”

Aleytha nodded. “Out of all the known entities, Behemoth is the one best suited to making the attempt. There is also…another factor, one that is best mentioned in private. It is a very sensitive matter among my people.”

Cyril wanted to spit. He hated the taste of politics. “Anything you tell me in private, I will tell the other advisors regardless. You may as well say it here.”

Shadows blurred, and a moment later Soren was standing behind Aleytha, his hands resting on her shoulders. Cyril saved the brief instance of the technique he had witnessed in the back of his mind; some of his meditation sessions had been devoted to Space, and though he knew he wasn’t close to any real breakthrough, he had some ideas. More information always helped.

Soren muttered to the princess in their private language. Aleytha slumped, then immediately straightened back to her earlier impeccable posture.

“Very well,” she said. “The matter is related to the true nature of the Abyss. It is indeed a spiritual entity of great power, one that has been corrupted into a tyrannical force.”

Cyril frowned. “Not a marid then, I imagine. They’re rare beings, but unless your civilization is much less impressive than you claim, a singular Dark Marid wouldn’t be capable of suppressing all of you.”

Aleytha glanced at the other members of the council, as if weighing their worthiness. “No. Once, the spirit used to essentially be a marid. We are not sure how close it has managed to come to the Material Heart, but its continued presence in the lower Layers has altered its nature.”

Besides Soren, all the other members of the council began attempting to speak at once. Cyril silenced them with a wave of his hand and contemplated her words.

“The only known category beyond a marid would be a Titan,” he said. “There is no known Primordial of Darkness, as far as I’m aware, unless it never interacts with the surface world.”

Aleytha smiled sadly. “While I am not entrusted with all the greatest secrets of my people, my understanding is the same. That is why we consider the Abyss to be a False Titan. Actually, if we are to borrow the word from your language, the Abyss is more like the Vessel of a False Titan.”

Complete silence filled the room after her declaration. Cyril looked up at the ceiling, as if the distant heavens had some answer for him. His mind was starting to fit the pieces together, and he didn’t like the implications.

“I see,” he said. “So you’re hoping that with my help, something can be done about this Vessel that has been plaguing you? I suspect there’s more reason behind that than me simply being the embodiment of Behemoth. Is that so?”

Soren shrugged and returned to his seat in a blur, leaving Aleytha to decide how she wanted to answer. Eventually, she offered a terse nod.

“The Vessel has left behind traces of its prior existence throughout the world,” she said. “The reason that Soren and I paid attention to you in the first place is because you triggered the nearby Symbol that was left behind. Anyone marked by this Symbol forms a connection with the Abyss--though in your particular case, your Destiny is greater than some partial inheritance, sparing you from most of its corrupting influence.”

Cyril chuckled to himself. At first, just a bit of amusement, then the laughter grew a bit wilder even to his own ears. He sniffed, took a deep, calming breath, and returned his attention to the drow princess. “So that’s what became of the infamous Hosjin Yaserath, then?”