Chapter 33

Days passed in relative quietness after the Lumen attack, with little more than the sounds of construction and the general hubbub of the gradually growing population. Buildings were being erected and new residents of the Realm of the Broken were filing in every day, each one marveling at the glowing pillar of pure energy that acted as the beacon of the new Realm. The task system that Lex implemented made sure that no able-bodied person sat idle. Although everyone had the ability to decline the tasks given to them on the floating window that only they could see, few ever did due to the generous rewards given upon completion. At first, the rewards given to completed tasks were various material items such as Mix Bags, new clothes or equipment, or raw materials used in various crafts. After a few days, however, the claimed tasks seemed to trend downward, as most people felt they had enough clothes and beneficial baubles. This led to Kalex looking slightly crazed as he had a conversation with Lex in his head.

“But I’ve just gotten used to the format of the statuses, and now you want to change them? Most of the residents have only just recently gained access to their status– imagine the confusion!” Kalex thought to Lex. “I understand your concern, but with the drop off of residents willing to complete tasks, I was forced to use a different way to incentivize. The change would be relatively minor, even the youngest of the residents would have the ability to grasp it. On top of that, I want to reward individual achievements as well. For instance, when someone tracks down and successfully dispatches a Yorik, they will be met with the remnants of the creature’s myst in the form of their meat or pelt. Special items can be randomly received this way as well, with just a flourish of my myst and any natural resource that could be close by. Thanks to you, there will be a small amount of myst that is designated as experience that will be translated from the slain’s myst signature to the one who defeated it. The biggest change will be with the way strength is dictated, making the path to power more obvious.”

Kalex’s thoughts spiraled into a maddening state as he thought about all the ways the statuses could change. His thoughts ground to a halt at the wizened chuckle that tickled the back of his mind. “Thank you for all the ideas that could be implemented in the future Although my system will change and adapt with time, the changes I've made now are not that drastic.” An avatar of Lex formed a step in front of Kalex. “Look into your status and let me know what you think!” Lex said, overly gesturing with his arms.

Name: Kalex Wounder

Level: 70 (LIMIT)

Race: Human (Enternia), Beer (Diat)

Rank: Harbinger (Broken)

Maturity: 10,000/10,000 (LIMIT)

Path: Shifting Wanderer (Paragon)

-Safety Sense (Passive) (Novice)

-Perception Shift (Adept)

-Translocation: Tied to level and Core strength (Master)

-Myst Guide (Paragon)

Vitality: 120,000/120,000 (LIMIT)

Myst: 500,000,000/500,000,000 (LIMIT)

Strength: 2,000 (LIMIT)

Wisdom: 5,000 (LIMIT)

Agility: 4,000 (LIMIT)

Charisma: 2,000 (LIMIT)

Luck: 50,000 (LIMIT)

Skills:

-Mystwalk: Move yourself anywhere you can reach with your myst. Cost of myst and other resources vary by distance. Limits change with every new rank acquired.

-Martial Eye: When in combat, use presence sight to act as your eyes, every action around you will be seen within the distance the presence sight is cast. Low initial myst cost but will increase by duration active and distance perceived.

-Mystlord: Your control over myst is absolute whether bodily or external. Create myst analogs of elements and mold them to your will. Convert unaspected myst to your own. Intake aspected myst and transform it into your own. Loss will lessen with every new Rank attained.

Kalex looked up from the pane in front of him with an expression of shock. Lex stood a few steps away, beaming at the white-haired boy. “Impressive, isn’t it Mr. Wounder?” Lex said as he struck an odd pose. “This is the result of having so many others with the status ability, as well as the giant geyser of your myst punching through the membrane of Enternia.” After a moment of being dumbfounded, Kalex finally responded. “This is amazing.” He said in a voice as quiet as a whisper. “Instead of basing everything off of Rank, we can base it off of levels instead. What did you say about my myst going through the membrane of Enternia?”

Lex guided Kalex into the cave to stand beside the channel of myst humming above the pedestal. “Over the past few days, I’ve been looking over your first memories of your time here on Enternia to make sure that you’re strong enough to see the memories of the Elder, and to my surprise, I found a correlation that will set us up to travel to Rime. With some helpful information from Ekk, Lyla’s Lexidex, I came to a shocking conclusion.” Lex said in an urgent tone, although his body language showed otherwise.

“When I first got here? I remember opening my eyes and feeling pain throughout my body. How does that help anything?” Kalex pouted. “Think earlier, Mr. Wounder.” Lex’s voice took on a grandfatherly timbre. “The area of darkness that you noticed when you first arrived. The place where you received your scars.” Kalex sat next to the pedestal and stared intently at Lex. “From what I can gather, no one on Enternia other than yourself has access to their domain. More research will need to be done, but I hypothesize that it’s not something everyone can tap into, even as they grow in power. You seem to have developed yours much earlier than normal.”

“With you shoving me and your myst in your storage cube right before you died, it seems to have set the groundwork for your domain, but only being of Platinum rank, it was not strong enough to hold onto everything that you had stored in the cube, thus ejecting them through the walls of your domain. I have to applaud your quick thinking to patch up your domain using other items you had gathered in your cube. Although it left you scarred, it allowed you to survive.” Lex slowly raised himself in the air as the words flowed out of him. He continued as he began to reach the ceiling of the cave.

“Using this beacon, we will do exactly what Mourtia’s afterberry bread did when you first arrived! After gaining enough power and momentum, we will be able to eject ourselves out of this domain!” Lex was nearly screaming as he finished, while Kalex could only look on in a stupor. To combat this, Kalex dropped into a ponder, seeing a familiar face as he arrived in his domain.

“We need to talk.” A stern figure behind a myst-made anvil said immediately upon Kalex’s arrival. “If you wanted to evict me from your forge, you could’ve just asked me to leave.” Seemingly going from one problem to the next, Kalex stood straight and took it in stride.

“I don’t want to evict you. Where’d you get that idea from? Wait, what did Lex say?” Kalex said while mentally pinging Lex. “He didn’t tell me anything, it’s just the feeling that I got. I know you control this area and that I can leave whenever I want, but this place is amazing! I have everything I need here and I don’t tire out as fast as I do back in the cave, but if you want me out, I have no grounds to refuse.” Timik's shoulders dipped as he finished, only to come back up in surprise as Lex appeared directly beside him. “I assure you that this is not of my doing, it’s actually due to how you’ve grown. Please turn around, Mr. Wounder.”

Kalex squinted his eyes at the two as he turned. With a quick glance, his eyebrows shot up as he beheld something that should’ve been obvious as he entered his domain. His core had swelled to an enormous size, taking up most of the space within his domain. The previously tepid ball of light that was the manifestation of his power had turned into a roiling sphere that oozed pure, Kalex-aspected myst.

“See what I mean? First, you refused to fix my broken finger, and now you try to push me out with that giant ball of light!” Timik whined as he held a dislocated digit. Kalex disregarded the only resident of his domain and looked deeper into his core. Staring into the core felt like looking at a mirror to Kalex, as he could see himself in every beam of light it gave off. The next feeling almost sent him to his knees. The feeling of being trapped and stagnant hit him harder than any Luman had. It made sense to Kalex a moment later. His domain was much too small to harbor a core of this size, and without preamble, he decided to expand it the only way he knew how and the only way he had done it before.

“OPEN!” Kalex whispered into the void surrounding his core. At first, nothing happened. The domain didn’t have an immediate reaction like it had before, but he could feel something happening. The core began to move away from Kalex, slowly at first, then started to gain speed. It felt as if the core was still next to him, but he could see it shooting off into the distance. The entire domain shuttered as his core found its resting place in a distance so far off that the enormous ball of energy looked like a small pinprick of light.

With so many changes happening in such a short amount of time, Kalex took a final look at his distant core and shook his head with a smile. He turned around to see a stunned Timik and Lex holding a passive look. Since the moment that Lex had been able to project himself into the material world, he’d been a constant source of jovial entertainment, along with softening the edges of any news he had for Kalex. The look he now wore reminded Kalex of the stone Lex had once been.

“Mr. Wounder, I'm afraid we have a new problem,” Lex said in a voice so serious, Kalex began to worry that the old Lex was gone. “there seems to be a cap on how powerful you can become in these lower worlds, and by expanding your domain, you have exceeded those limits. The pedestal is absorbing almost all of the abhorrent myst you are giving off, but some is getting through. Please exit your ponder and immerse yourself fully into the beacon for containment.”

Kalex was about to speak to attempt to understand the situation better, but the tone Lex used made him follow the instructions without thinking too much. Exiting his ponder was easier than breathing and he soon found himself in a cave he barely recognized. The wall on the opposite side of the pedestal had been excavated in a wide crescent. There was no dirt or rocks in the way and using his eyes, Kalex could not see the end of the new tunnel. Timik soon followed Kalex out of his domain and stared down the newest part of the cave. Kalex berated himself for letting his mind wander, and he immediately moved himself on top of the pedestal and into the beam of his own myst.

Time slowed the second Kalex let the beam engulf him fully, with Lex now standing still and the falling leaves visible from the mouth of the cave completely halted in their descent. A deep echo broke him from his reverie and he was soon covering his ears to try and drown out the sound. He didn’t know how long the deep booming droned on for, but to Kalex, it felt like forever. Unable to escape into his domain, he tapped his willpower until almost empty to withstand the maddening sound. After an eternity of enduring the sound that felt like it was physically beating on his ears, it stopped, leaving a jarring silence.

“I apologize Mr. Wounder, I didn’t take temporal variances into account.” Kalex heard the soothing voice of Lex brush through his mind with a frigid sensation. “I’m immune to the time-altering effects of the beacon, but you obviously are not. I’m currently modulating my voice to match the wavelengths of understanding. I am not sure if it will change, but currently, you are experiencing a day and we on the outside of the beam are experiencing a second.”

Kalex gasped at Lex’s words and stammered. “What. How. Why. Lex, you change the statuses to make it easier for people to see their development, then I expand my domain and you tell me I’m shooting off violent myst, and to top that off, now I'm stuck in a beam that slows time for me? How did I get here? I only wanted to live a peaceful life to myself and make stuff. Was that too much to ask?” Kalex said with defeat leaking from his tone.

“Although this may have some unwanted after-effects, it’s also a perfect opportunity to stop and think. You won’t be able to do much now that you’re stuck in the beacon, but I’d strongly suggest you think about your time on Diat as I believe that is the last pre-requisite to viewing the Elder’s memories.”

Kalex didn’t reply but sent a mental nod to Lex. Since waking up on Enternia, he had been going from one event to the other and so much had happened in between. Now he had time to rest and reflect on everything that had happened, as well as try to complete the only quest that Lex had ever given him.

The Elder’s Grandchild

* Confront Madison Wickerwood in Grangardd

* Wait for the event in Grangardd (Estimated time: 4 days)

* Optional: Assist farmers with storage crisis

* Witness the Potentate’s proclamation

* Travel to Everblade City

* Find the identity of Zilg’s patron Lumen

* Use Zilg’s connection to contact the Lumen

* Intercept the connection between Zilg and his Lumen

* Find a way to gain myst equivalent to the Lumen’s

* Travel to the origin of your power. Employ the seat where intangible became reality. Distribute your myst into the font of the stone's maw. Imbibe deeply in the learnings of higher and reflect on Diatian ideals. Gather those worthy of trust to seed the teachings of the Broken Axiom. Ascend to your place of belonging.

- Reward: The Memories of The Elder, Ascension to training world Rime.

If he was reading the quest correctly, he had achieved everything except the learning of higher and reflecting on the Diatian ideals part. Being a Diatian himself, he anticipated that the part of the quest involving that would come easily to him. The learnings of the higher were a problem that he had all the time in the world to figure out.

Pondering felt different now that he was stuck in the beacon. He was able to enter his domain now that he wasn’t assaulted by the droning of one of Lex’s words. His domain looked the same on the surface, but as he looked out over the new expanse, he realized that there was a hidden part of his inner world that was too quick to see without having time slowed to a crawl. Small glimmering specks revolved around the core of his power off in the distance, and wanting to get a closer look, he willed himself over to the ever-expanding core.

As if he had blinked, he appeared in front of the towering core that hummed with barely contained power, while small shimmers rotated discordantly around it. Even with his perceived time slowed down, Kalex still had to train his entire focus to keep track of the objects. A week passed with Kalex in complete focus and partially in a meditative state to notice the fluctuations of the objects spinning around his core. A few things stood out to him and he knew exactly how to fix it.

More time went by with Kalex in a blissful mood throughout. He spent his time tinkering with the objects and his core itself. Days went into making everything work harmoniously. At first, a single change to the trajectory of any of the objects would cause the others to change and make the rotations erratic and unorganized. After many attempts at balancing every object, the entire system clicked into place, sending a ripple through his domain.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Mr. Wounder, I’ve left you alone for less than a minute! What did you do this time?” Lex said immediately after Kalex had finished fixing his domain. “There is someone here to see you and he assures me that your myst will not cause any harm to the surroundings while within his presence.” Kalex still hadn’t fully recovered from what he had just experienced but sent a mental confirmation to Lex and began to exit his ponder.

Upon opening his eyes, Kalex was met with a being that towered over everyone present which included Lex’s apparition and a trembling Timik. Through the blue tint of the beacon’s energy, Kalex noticed a few things that felt familiar, mostly with the person’s face. Although seeming aged and weathered, it held a childlike look with large eyes, a meager jaw and a full head of what Kalex presumed was white hair. Kalex’s eyes drifted to the man’s clothes and his eyes opened in surprise. Seeing this the man snapped his fingers and the dilation of time was stopped. Kalex felt time march on as normal as the man finally spoke.

“Ah, Kalex, we finally meet! Wren has told me so much about you! And even though I’ve been keeping an eye on you, I thought you’d be taller, being a Beer and all.” The man said casually as if he’d known Kalex his whole life. Kalex's eyes opened to be as big as the being in front of him and he stammered in an attempt to reply. The man looked confused for a moment before snapping his fingers in realization.

“How foolish of me, I forgot to introduce myself. My formal name is Gretex, but you can call me Gret!” Gretex said while gesturing to himself. “As you can see, I’m Beerian as well. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone from Diat, but I didn’t want to interfere with your start here on Enternia. As soon as you found your balance though, I had to come down and say hello. Also, Wren has let me know that she wants to see you as well, so whenever you’re ready, let me know and we can meet up with her. I can see that you’re trying to escape my domain, but your destination seems fuzzy to me. Anyway, we’ll catch up once we leave. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to return here once you leave. You’re passed the threshold that I can feasibly manage!” Gret finished with a flair of his hand. Looking down into the beacon made his expression droop as he saw the unconscious form of Kalex only half inside the beacon. Gret turned to Lex and shrugged his shoulders. “Guess that was too much for the kid.”

—

Tears welled in eyes that Kalex knew weren’t his own and streamed down the face that was almost the same as his. As the tears soaked the viridian cloth tied around the neck of its owner, Kalex innately knew what the viewed direction held. The Citadel resided just beyond the distant mountain range that crested over the horizon. A feeling of sadness filled his body as the eyes he was viewing through swiveled to take a last look backward. A final look at the last place Kalex had physically been while residing on Diat.

His perspective shifted as the environment in front of him changed. A fire burned low in a natural divot adorning the side of a cold, snowless mountain. The sun began to rise, bathing the peaks of the Citadel’s towers in foggy oranges and reds. Observing from the eyes of another was startling and took time to get used to, but once Kalex did, he was able to focus on other things. The surroundings were beautiful and Kalex couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. A string of thoughts that he wasn’t able to focus on before broke him from the beauty he beheld.

Tora had avoided every instance of Citadel communication and stealthily circumvented every attempt at capture. She took the long way to the Citadel in hopes of infiltrating the complex with as little resistance as possible. The next thoughts sent chills down Kalex’s nonexistent spine. The plans Tora had for the Seven Sages made Kalex’s death seem like a tame encounter with a good friend. The reasoning unfortunately was sound as the travesties that Tora had to live through flashed across his mind’s eye. Years of servitude in the worst conditions possible sent rage and disgust through Kalex, as if the relived memories were his own. Sifting through the context of the memories, he found the reason why Tora had dealt with so much. She was essentially pardoned from the rules held over every other Seer, and although it wasn’t perfect, it was more freedom than any other Seer would ever see while under the rule of the Sages.

Throughout her time as the Elder Seer, Tora gracefully went through any punishment given to her, whether it was due to her fault or not. She never complained about a job assigned to her and all the while, in between snide remarks and objective comments, she reveled in the complements regarding her station. They were few and far between, but each added to the person the Sages were trying to cultivate. All of the time put in to create the ultimate Seer eradicating machine became moot the moment the Sages assigned her last target.

She was punished for her hesitation and ended up in the draining depths as a result, but her time in the dungeon was not spent idly. Although she wanted to find a way out and apologize to the Sages, she ended up attempting to find a way to slow down the draining. When she finally found that masking her presence with that of a Nurdle slowed the pull on her resources, the heavy wooden door to her cell flung open and she was released. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, Tora strode from the draining depths, intent on finding the Seer assigned to her.

The constant chase made the job much easier as the annoyance of trying to locate the newest Wounder Seer dragged on longer than it should have. Tora was the one to train the boy and she knew the majority of his tricks. Anger turned to satisfaction as she noticed a small slip-up in the town of Mourtia, which led to where she was now. She had ionized countless Seers throughout her tenure, but the thoughts of self-importance and the service to the Sages were broken the moment Kalex began to evaporate at the end of her blade. As her head cleared from the delusions fed to her by the Sages, her mind took on a new goal. It was due to the laws put in place by the ancient Sages that deemed Seers criminals and she would reverse that rule, even if it took her final breath.

Spending so much time in the presence of the Sages gave Tora a pretty good idea of how their presences were made up. Donning the signature of the oldest Sage, Tora strode through the doors leading into the complex. Her surprise was evident on her face as she made her way to the Sage’s chambers unhindered. A familiar figure sat at the table that sat seven, seemingly unknowing of what was about to befall him. As she silently moved closer to the Sage with her Ion Blade unsheathed, she heard a voice that stopped her in her tracks.

“Noxsis wept, child. What are you doing in the chambers? You of all people should know that you are to report to the Quartermaster when you complete a request. It was sloppy, loud and done in the fashion of an amateur, but the task is complete. Prepare yourself for the next task.” The wrinkled Sage said as we turned to face Tora.

“Honored Sage, I am remiss to notify you that the mission given to me by you is the final one I will complete.” Tora inched closer and spoke again. “I have generated a task of my own and will see to it that it is accomplished. Goodbye, Sage.” The instant Tora finished her statement, she used every bit of her presence to increase her speed toward the Sage. If she attempted this on anyone but the strongest beings on Diat, she would’ve been successful. The Sage dodged, however, and left Tora to crash into a far wall.

“Do you think yourself the first to attempt what you have just tried? Countless others have stood where you stand, and all of us Sages are still alive and well. In a few moments, you will not be so lucky.” Sharp cracking sounds followed the Sage’s words. Bones reset themselves and flesh grew taut, revealing a monstrous form with twig-like appendages that towered over Tora.

“The contract that binds this world to our will is absolute. The Noxsis will have another soul to devour in the pursuit of Diat’s Treasure!” The monstrous Sage spoke as he raised an arm and swung down, directly on top of Tora. Tora couldn’t help but close her eyes as she felt her death approach. She was surprised when she could open her eyes again a moment later. The sounds of struggling echoed through the chambers and footfalls could be heard heading for the room. In the path of the now glowing limb of the Sage was a small woman of just over a rod tall, with gleaming grey hair and clothing made of fine silks and metals. Her tiny hand was holding the full force of the Sage at bay, but a shake in her arm showed that she was beginning to waver.

Voices filled with gravel could be heard from the corridor leading to the Sage’s chambers, along with the same bone-popping sounds that Tora now knew were the sounds of the Sage’s transformation. The small woman was pushed down slightly and grimaced as she held the Sage back. Without turning her head, the woman spoke to Tora in a voice that sounded like raindrops gently pattering on the petals of a flower. “Toraxia, I cannot hold them much longer. Follow my instructions, and together we may resolve the woes of my past and bring Diat back from the grave.”

Instructions flew through the mind of Tora, which Kalex was able to see as well. The beginning of it involved doing what Kalex had done when he was killed which caught him by surprise. As Tora began to stuff her presence into her newly ingested storage cube, Kalex looked further into the instruction, only to experience pain as he did so. Kalex pushed through the pain but was met with garbled understanding. Tora had finished her preparation and looked up at the floating woman who turned around and gave a bow to Tora. The instant she came up from the bow, the arm of the Sage shot through her, dissipating her into a purple-hued mist. Before Tora was impacted, Kalex got one word through the headache of trying to decipher the woman’s instructions. The word ‘Enternia’ was the last thing in his mind as the blow from the Sage reduced Tora into individual particles.

Both Tora and Kalex opened their eyes at the same moment, confusion gripping them both. Kalex wasn’t looking through the eyes of Tora anymore and had his own projection directly next to an opaque Tora. They sat on the floor of a large room with smooth wooden floorboards and a blue light hanging from the ceiling. As Kalex’s vision began to clear, two simple chairs appeared in front of him and Tora, one large and one small. Tora had the same confused look on her face, and after looking around the space and checking herself over, focused on the chairs. The small one became occupied a heartbeat later with a woman who looked identical to the one who had saved Tora. She looked to Tora and a second later, looked over to the empty space directly beside her. With a smile, she bowed and started to speak.

“Toraxia Wounder, please forgive me. I was not able to save you from the Sages of Diat. It is because of them that you’re here. After viewing all my residents, there were only two individuals that I could trust with what I am to tell you.” Ending her bow, the woman panned her vision briefly to the space beside Tora before focusing on her. “My name is Wren, and Diat is the planet within my domain. The sun that shed its light over you for your entire life were the rays of my spark.”

In a combination of fear, confusion and shock, Toraxia nodded along to Wren’s words, the information clearly being too much to digest. Wren gave a soft smile and continued. “It’s difficult to understand, so I’ll give you the important bits. Long ago, when Diat was only a lifeless stone, I was approached by someone much more powerful than myself. They promised to assist in helping me out of the rut I had found myself in and give me the ability to gain the power I had dearly desired. I wished to ascend out of the base world that I was born into and the whispers of the powers of the world pushed me to covet the idea of leaving and starting my journey as a Celestial. To create my own worlds and have their ideals live on through me. Needless to say, I accepted the assistance without much thought, and years of growing in power suddenly stopped when the Sages were forced upon me by the pact I had accepted.”

A figure materialized in the seat next to Wren. Kalex took in a sharp breath as he recognized the man. It was the man who caused Kalex to check out of reality and lose consciousness with the information he’d provided. With a kind wave, he greeted Tora.

“Hello there, I’m Gret. Wren has kept me in the loop of your accolades during your time as the Elder Seer on Diat because you see, I was in a situation very similar to your own. Driven by duty and willing to do anything that my superiors assigned me. Wren doesn’t like to talk about this, but there were originally ten Sages sent from the Noxsis, and I was one of them. The details are not important, but ultimately, I became stronger than the other Sages and started to meditate on the reasons I was on Diat and if what the Sages did actually helped. The units flew by as I pondered on this conundrum. We were sent to assist with Diat’s growth but were given little information on what we were to do. With the bountiful resources and the pact giving us unfettered access to everything, the other nine Sages soon turned to greed. No longer sated with each other’s company, they requested other inhabitants and Diat was soon seeded with individuals that started its current population.”

Tora sat with wide eyes as she took in the man’s story. Her exhaustion was gone and forgotten and a general calm enshrouded her. Contemplation was drawn across her face as she tried to tie her time on Diat with Gret’s. It was true that she had followed the Sage's word and accepted every job they gave her, but she couldn’t make any other connections. After she introduced herself and stated her concerns, two bows were given as a reply and while Wren held a kind smile, Gret showed a pained one.

“Life on Diat was much different in the past. Most Beers were forced into servitude and every town was steered by an appointed leader who took advantage of the extra hands. The oppression of the Sages and their appointed ruled over Diat, with Wren unable to do much to change that fact. The contract she had signed forced her to find loopholes and grey areas to send communication to her planet’s inhabitants, and I’m glad she decided to speak with me. After becoming the strongest of the Sages, I spent time in isolation and pondered on my impact. I found that I and the other Sages had done nothing to help the world and the only assistance was from the meager amount of energy Wren received from the Noxsis. We were leeches. Devouring resources and driving the planet to ruin, and when I finally realized that, I knew I had to do something to change it. Diat was the only planet I knew and I couldn’t stand to see my home destroyed. In the moment I realized that, I heard the voice that would change my life forever.” Gret turned to Wren and they shared a look of mutual gratitude. Enamored with the story, Tora took a more relaxed position that both Celestials took notice of.

A chair appeared in front of Tora and without a thought, she moved to sit in it. As Gret made to continue his story, another chair formed to the right of Tora. Both Tora and Gret looked over at Wren. “Are we expecting more visitors?" Gret said with surprise sprinkled with alarm.

A giggle left Wren. “It’s just a feeling I have.” Wren turned to Gret and gave a small bow. "You are one of my only residents that has become a Celestial, and Tora is the only Soul I’ve brought from Diat, and I could never mistake my children.” Wren turned to the empty chair. “Even if we can’t see them, I’d like to show hospitality.” Gret began to cycle his power in preparation but was stopped by a soft glare from Wren.

Gret perked up as his head snapped to a position to the left of their seating area. “I think I know what you’re getting at, but I’ll have to continue to grow in power before I can see what you see.” Wren nodded and looked to the place Gret was looking, Tora followed suit.

“I'm surprised you’re unable to notice it as it looks like something of your creation.” Wren gently chided Gret as she formed a small basket lined with soft fabric. “I’ve never seen a form like this but I think that will be to their liking. A soft landing for a hard exterior.” At that moment, Wren’s eyes snapped to something else behind the two chairs where her Diatians sat. With a smile barely causing the edges of her lips to curl, she turned her attention back to Gret. “Sorry for the interruption, please continue. It’s important that Toraxia hears it.” Taking a look around, Gret finally focused on Tora, Only giving a small amount of attention to the chair placed beside her.

“Upon my realization that us Sages were doing nothing to help Diat, Wren spoke to me. She gave me a rundown on everything that had happened up to that point and I cannot explain the disgust I felt after hearing it. Being of the Noxsis, I had some control of the pact, very limited control, but with Wren’s help, we took full advantage of it. The energy that she was receiving was sent directly to me for the rest of my time on Diat, to expedite my rise to power. Our plan was to ultimately make me powerful enough to change the paradigm of the planet. After absorbing the power from the Noxsis meant for Wren, I exited my ponder and started my journey for change. I began by teaching the impoverished ways to protect themselves and knowledge that Wren thought everyone should know. After some time of my actions going unnoticed, the other Sages caught on. There was a spike of people able to take advantage of their presences that was completely out of the realm of normal. Usually, when the Sages caught wind of someone who had unlocked that ability, they would bring them under their wing and train them to be their appointed, or Seers as they called them. When the number of Seers increased to a point that wasn’t natural, the Sages started to investigate and soon found out what I was doing.” Gret let out a shaky breath. Wren extended a hand and placed it on his forearm. Gret’s eyes glistened as he took a moment to gather himself.

“The Sages killed as many as they could get their hands on. Neither the natural nor the taught Seers were safe. When they found out what I had done, They collectively patched the pact and my line to Wren was lost. If I wanted the change I had started to take root, I needed to take care of the problem. As you saw, the Sages are no slouches when it comes to combat, and even though I was the most powerful, nine against one were odd I could not overcome.” Gret hung his head as he recalled the memory.

“In preparation for the battle I knew was inevitable, I pondered on ideas to boost my chances of success. After an uncountable amount of units, I came to one conclusion. I would not be able to defeat the Sages and have my teachings implemented. Knowing full well that my life would end in this endeavor, I stumbled upon a way to help, even if I wasn't there to assist. Wren had given me the knowledge that I was in her domain and the sun that graced the land with its light was the core of her power, I just needed to find my own. Pondering brought me to my own domain after much trial and error but when I found it, I knew exactly what I had to do. My domain was small and I knew I needed it to be bigger. My original plan was to make my own planet and take everyone on Diat as my residents. Little did I know that becoming powerful enough to harbor a full planet would force me to leave Diat.”

“I hid in plain sight as a commoner, using my presence to cloud other’s view of me, and slowly began to grow my power. Every time I passed a Sage or one of their vetted appointed, I siphoned off a small amount of their energy in the same way that Wren sent her’s to me. Slowly, I created a small rock that could soon be inhabited. The moment that happened, everything changed. My presence became too powerful to hide and I was found out immediately, the energy I gave off damaged the fabric of Wren’s domain and I had to make my decision then and there. To mitigate the damage I caused to a place I wouldn’t mind being destroyed, I moved myself over to the Citadel where I was greeted by the remaining nine Sages. They attacked the moment their eyes fell on me, enforced by power given to them by the Noxsis." Gret lifted his head and a small smile formed.

"The battle lasted for only a few units, but in that time I was able to take out two of the Sages. Wren’s voice echoed in my head as the battle continued and she told me she couldn’t hold out much longer, with my destructive energy destroying the domain itself. A massive hole opened up in the dark sky above me and I was swiftly pulled upwards. The hole was at the top of her domain, so I had a few units to gather myself and come up with a plan. One interesting thing about domains is how death works inside of them. The soul of the person does not leave to find another domain immediately, but they stay suspended for about 30 units. As I was ascending, I spread my presence over the souls and brought the ones that harmonized with me into my quickly dissipating domain. Hundreds were gathered and with a push of willpower, I transferred my knowledge and ideals over to them. My wounded domain wasn’t able to keep hold of the souls and in a burst of light and pain that I haven’t experienced since, drew forth and deposited them back onto Diat. Wren tells me that you call them Lexidexes now.” Gret’s already large eyes grew bigger in realization and he stood to look over at the basket Wren had created earlier. Gret bowed deeply towards the basket as Wren gave the man a look of maternal warmth.

If Kalex could pass out again from the amount of new information he’d just received, he would have. Tora seemed stronger than Kalex in that regard and wore an impassive look, seemingly trying to make sense of everything that was said. Kalex attempted to ponder and to his surprise, he was able to do so shallowly. The information that Gret had given flowed into his mind with no resistance and things started to make sense. The fact that natural Seers on Diat were still persecuted but sometimes given a sentence that would still see them living a full life made sense if the Sages wanted to keep someone like Gret rising up again. It was also nice knowing where Lex had come from and although the Lexidex’s origins were filled with sadness, Kalex was glad he had Lex to gently guide him on his journey. It was all thanks to the two people he was seeing in Tora’s memory. A sense of completeness and satisfaction enveloped Kalex at the thought of what those two had achieved, but he was soon brought back to himself as he remembered where his body was and what was offered to him. With that thought, the memory started to become blurry as it faded into mist. The last thing he could see was a small nod from Wren as his vision turned black.