Chapter 34

Gret stood in front of Lex with his eyes wide open and his mouth agape. “I had tried to keep an eye on you guys, but I had no idea you created something like this!” Gret waved his hands in front of him with child-like wonder. “So you just have to look into my neural pathways and you can get all of this information?” Lex lifted his head proudly at the statement. “I can do that, and so much more. Your status is more limited than anyone else’s, but that’s only due to you being more powerful than any person I’ve had the chance to see.” Gret made to reply but his attention was grabbed by Kalex stirring.

Kalex’s head swam as he came to, with the vestiges of Tora’s memories in the forefront of his mind. There was so much information to go through and just the act of attempting to make sense of it all made Kalex want to sleep for a very long time. Luckily Lex and Gret were there to break him out of his solemn mood.

“Well look whose up! We were afraid you’d never wake!” Gret said while stepping closer to the beacon in which Kalex half laid and half hung out of. Passing his myst through his body and controlling it outward needed almost zero thought as his body started moving through the air. Landing in front of Gret and Lex, Kalex immediately bowed. “I have to thank you for everything that you’ve done. I experienced Elder Tora’s memories of her time after I had last seen her and when you and Wren spoke to her. I had no idea so much had happened. While I was the heir to the Wounder Empire, I never found anything speaking about what the Sages had done. No scrolls, tablets, books or anything.” Kalex straightened from his bow and looked over at Lex fondly before turning back to Gret.

“I don’t know where I’d be without Lex. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with him and allowing him to accompany me.” Gret held a small smirk as Kalex finished. “Funny thing, that.” Gret said as he swept his eyes over everyone present. “I wasn’t able to keep in contact with the Lexicons after I left Diat, but Wren always gave me updates on how they were doing. Every single one had no issue connecting to a Seer whenever they were revealed. Every last one, except Lex. Wren grew worried that the little soul was somehow defective, but we continued to allow it to do what it wanted.” Feeling a story coming on, Kalexplanted himself on the ground and leaned his back on the pedestal while Lex and Timik flanked him a moment later.

“I’m not sure if you know about this Kalex, but there was one Lexicon that always jumped at the opportunity to bond with a Wounder Seer, and when they would die, or on one occasion, ascended, It would patiently wait for the next Seer of the Wounder family to be revealed. After what happened to your mother, the Lexicon whom she named Ekk, was transferred over to Toraxia to continue helping the Wounders.” Kalex piped up but was quieted by a hand held sternly by Gret.

“I know you have questions, but they will have to wait until another time because the world stirred when you began to come to power. During that time, I felt sorry for Ekk. It was caught in indecision and since it was already bonded to the Elder Seer, it couldn’t be replaced without a good reason. Wren had told me that she had never felt that kind of emotion from a Lexicon before and was more worried than I was. The worry only escalated as you closed in on your reveal. Many available Lexicons lined up in preparation for your realization of status. You may remember that you did not receive your Lexicon immediately after being revealed, and that was due to hundreds of Lexicons attempting to bond with you. Ekk caused the majority of the Lexicons to waver due to it having a claim on the Wounder Seers, but there was one who failed to heed the warning, pushed through, and attached itself to you. And now it… He is standing with us today. I can’t fully express how proud I am to see my last-ditch effort of providing new Seers with a leg up blossom into who Lex is today. Ekk, for example, has developed basic emotions and a name it refers itself to, but that was the extent of development for the Lexicons. I have to thank you for nurturing this soul to where he is today.” Gret bowed deeply and in his lapse of attention, stopped holding his domain together, causing Kalex’s myst to run rampant.

Two blades of highly energetic myst shot out from Kalex, one in front of him and one behind him. The blade in front of him went over Gret's head and the rest made its way over to Lex and Timik. Lex moved his avatar into the path of the myst blade and fortified it using Kalex’s myst reserves, successfully blocking the majority of the blade. Lex’s form shattered upon impact and Kalex could feel him move back to his original vessel. A loud yelp sounded a moment after as Timik grasped a bleeding hand while three fingers plopped onto the cave floor.

Dropping into a shallow ponder, Kalex brought Timik into his domain to help with the repair of his fingers, wrapped Gret with his myst, and solidified it as much as he could. A sharp crack behind him made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The pedestal was shorn through and slowly breaking apart. The beacon of myst wavered and became erratic, shooting off whips of myst that marred the surrounding walls.

Gret moved into action the moment Kalex’s myst touched the walls of the cave. A pressure fell on everyone and everything on Enternia in the span of a heartbeat as the presence of the world's host expanded to cover everything in his domain. The pressure focused down into a pillar surrounding the beacon, giving it a sheen of otherworldly blue.

“I can’t hold on to this for too much longer.” Gret strained. “You have to leave now before my domain is ripped to shreds.” Gret fell to a knee and looked over to Kalex. Indecision festered in Kalex’s mind. Although he only experienced Enternia for a short time, there were people here who he’d come to rely on, people he could trust. With his new Realm only in its infancy, he didn’t know what would happen to it if he left. Lex caught on to his internal struggles as a cold breeze washed over Kalex’s body. “Do what you must, Mr. Wounder. I will assist in holding your beacon in place and keeping your myst under control.” Lex said into Kalex’s mind as his rock moved through the air, finding its resting place in Kalex’s pocket. Kalex mentally thanked him and teleported to his nearest acquaintance.

The Elder of Gangardd had initially filled Kalex with maliciousness and trepidation, but he had shown himself to be a person of the people and ultimately trustworthy. Kalex teleported a dozen paces behind him, and even though time was of the essence, he stood quietly and listened to the banter between Urok and the workers being managed. Work on the first city in the new Realm was tiresome and the hours long, but Kalex didn’t hear a single complaint and not a single worker wore a frown. Kalex could only take a step forward before hearing one of the workers shout in excitement.

“800 boards nailed into place!” The worker stopped and took on a faraway look. “I went up a level and got a special item!” The other workers stopped what they were doing and huddled around the man. A small space in front of him began to glow as myst coalesced into the outline of a hammer. In a flash, a hammer appeared and started to fall. The worker dove to catch it before it hit the ground and was successful, however, it came with a cost. The head of the hammer had hit the man’s pointer finger on the way down, dislocating it at an odd angle. Kalex knew what was happening and sent a wisp of his myst to soothe the pain and correct the damage.

The worker’s finger snapped into place and the bystanders, including Urok, gasped at the sight. “Don’t worry, I have a lot of practice fixing that particular injury.” Kalex said as he walked up to the group. Kalex took a peek into the new hammer and couldn't help but grin. It was a hammer Timik had forged and was put up as a reward. “Be careful with the Digit Destroyer, it’s Platinum rank and even though hammering anything with it will not tire you out, getting your fingers too close when hitting something has a chance to damage them!” Kalex said with a laugh that the other echoed.

Urok walked up to the white-haired boy and bowed deeply. “What brings the Honored Axiom to our humble build site?” Urok said. Kalex smiled and quickly pulled up Urok’s status before answering.

Name: Urok Tolgin

Level: 49

Race: Human (Enternia)

Rank: Sage

Maturity: 943/1000

Path: Metallic Fist (Master)

-Reinforced Knuckles (Passive) (Novice)

-Fists of Lunar Steel (Passive) (Adept)

-Myst Glove (Active) (Master)

Vitality: 2,520/2,520

Myst: 15,250/15,250

Strength: 240 (Wounder’s Embrace)

Wisdom: 235 (Wounder’s Embrace)

Agility: 430 (Wounder’s Embrace)

Charisma: 276 (Wounder’s Embrace)

Luck: 5,209 (Wounder’s Embrace)

Skills:

-Bolstering Myst: Power one's self with myst other than their own at the cost of Vitality. Power increase dependant on environment, vitality stat and familiarity with surrounding myst.

-Barrier Break: Use a powered fist to break through barriers made of myst when strength is higher than the barrier’s durability.

Kalex smiled at the approaching man. “I came down to see what was being built and I also would like to speak with you about something.” Urok perked up at Kalex’s words. “Of course Honored Axiom, what is it?” Urok said, giving him his full attention. Kalex looked downward and spoke with a soft voice.

“Urok, I’m leaving.” Kalex let out a held breath. “I have a job for you within my Realm If you’re willing to take it.” At the curt nod of Urok, Kalex continued. “You were the Elder of Grangardd and you helped it prosper, even though you were met with opposition from the old Overlord and Potentate. Lex will be here to handle most things, but I need an Elder for this new city, and ultimately, the Realm. After your assistance with the Lumen attack, I found that you are the only one I can trust with this position.”

Tears immediately flowed down Uroks cheek as Kalex finished. With a low bow and a sniffle, he gave his answer. “It would be my honor to act as the Elder in your stead and I will bring this burgeoning Realm into its own and will ensure that it flourishes!” The workers behind Urok mirrored his bow and grunted a salute. As Kalex opened his mouth to speak, a waft of pure cold entered his body. The intention Lex sent him was clear– there was not a lot of time before Kalex’s existence would start to unravel Gret’s domain.

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After Kalex stopped shivering, his stance went serious. “My time is running out Elder. Please assemble everyone of importance in front of the cave and thank you Urok.” A turbulent gust swept through everyone present as Kalex disappeared in a spiral of dust tinged with blue energy.

Teleporting for the second time with little break between the first one was difficult, especially now that Kalex’s core was too powerful for this domain to contain. He knew where he wanted to go next, but fell short of his target, swaying slightly and falling over upon landing. “Who would’ve thought, even in his own Realm, he'd be collapsing in front of my doorstep again.” Kalex heard the self-dialogue from the person he had tried teleporting over to. “How on Enternia did you get so heavy? Sorene! Come help me drag this boy to a chair and bring a helping of that stew!”

Precious minutes passed as Kalex was lifted into a chair and left to gather his bearings. The intoxicating smell from the bowl of food placed in front of him helped that process, along with a sense of sadness and nostalgia as this would be the last time he would be able to enjoy the Mix’s stew. An odd feeling wrapped itself around Kalex as he dropped into a shallow ponder. For all of his time on Diat, he had never felt like he had been missing out on anything. Since his reveal, every moment was spent knowing that whatever he built– buildings, businesses, or friendships, could be taken from him at any time. On Enternia, he finally found a place where he felt he belonged and people who greeted him with open arms. That thought deepened his solemnness until a bubbly voice interrupted his musings.

“Kalex! Feeling better? How many fingers am I holding up?” Sorene said as she jumped in front of the table Kalex was sitting at, holding up a finger that on Diat was seen as rude, but Kalex guessed it was a totally innocent gesture here on Enternia. Kalex cracked a smile at her antics and couldn’t help but laugh when Arla walked in and swatted at Sorene’s hand. An internal cold snap hit Kalex and wiped the jovial smile from his face, becoming serious in turn.

“Sorene, Ms. Mix, my time here on Enternia is quickly coming to an end.” Kalex put up barriers around the Mix family quicker than thought as a wave of destructive myst rippled from his core. “But I had to say goodbye in person and thank you for all that you’ve done for me. Both of you have cared for me when I ended up on the ground in front of your house and gave me food and shelter when you didn’t have to.” Kalex stood and bent at the waist and bowed deeply to both of them. Arla stepped up to Kalex and with a hand on his shoulder, lifted him from his bow.

“It’s always sad to see you go, but if we know anything, we know you’re important and have a gaggle of things you need to get to. Just come by and visit every once in a while; I’ve just finished setting up my general store and I’d like you to see its progress as time goes on!”

Kalex’s face dropped at each word of Arla’s, Looking over at Sorene, her expression was an exact copy. “Apologies Ms. Mix, but I’m not going to be able to come back. I’m already on borrowed time here with only Lex and this domain’s owner keeping me from tearing the world apart. I fear this is goodbye.” Arla said with a smile.

Seconds passed slowly as Arla tried to make words but only ended up trying to hiccup tears away. Unlike her mother, Sorene looked full of resolve. “I’m coming with you.” Sorene said with a determined tone. She turned away from Kalex’s wide eye and faced her mother, who smiled lightly through the stream of tears. “I know you disagree with my decision, but I’ve learned so much from Kalex in the short time that we’ve known him. You’ve seen all the experiments I’ve been doing, trying to advance my skills. Imagine if I could ask him a question whenever one came up?” Sorene turned to Kalex. “Only if you’d like me to join you, that is.”

—

“Thank you all for gathering here today, and thank you for joining this new Realm and giving it a good start!” Kalex enforced his voice so the few hundred people in attendance could hear him. He had asked Urok to gather the people of note within his Realm, but looking over everyone in attendance, Kalex smiled as he realized that every last one of the new denizens was important.

“As many of you know, I am going to be leaving Enternia and ascending to the higher worlds. I have overstayed my welcome on this planet and must leave to ensure the safety of everyone.” Kalex looked to the front row, which included Urok and his workers, Sorene and Arla Mix, Siul Oak Light, Lin Fynfa, and others whom he’d come to call friends. Kalex looked over as Lex moved closer to the makeshift stage on which he was speaking. “A part of Lex will continue to live here and manage the Realm as well as take his place as an Overseer in Celegail. Please refer to him with any question you may have.” Kalex gave a small bow to his oldest comrade and turned to continue his farewell.

“Siul Oak Light and his family will be in charge of the security of the Realm. Although the sect of his name and I have had our qualms, please be assured that they will protect this Realm with every bit of power they possess. He will be assisted by the illustrious Lin Fynfa, who will be not only supporting the guardians of the Realm, but all of you as well. Please treat them with the respect they deserve.” Kalex smiled as the crowd began to clap. At the point where Kalex thought the clapping had started to go on for a bit too long, his myst became unstable and Lex’s avatar buckled over as his real body strained to contain the errant myst.

Kalex let out a breath as he spoke to the people of his realm for the last time. “This is farewell. Know that Lex will give me updates on everything that is going on here. Always do your best and remember to show what it means to be Broken!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd as Kalex bowed and slipped off of the stage, making his way to the front row. Heartfelt handshakes and bittersweet hugs were given as Kalex went down the line, but he could feel his myst roiling on the outside of his body, only barely contained by Gret and Lex. As he took a few steps away from the congregation, he turned back and smiled at Sorene.

“You coming?” With a hug that only her mother's Silver rank strength let her survive without being broken in half, she hugged her mother goodbye and began bounding over to Kalex. With a nod to Arla, Kalex put out his hand to Sorene, who took it immediately. In a mote of light, she disappeared and officially became the second resident of Kalex’s domain.

Kalex looked over at a grimacing Gret and a slowly blinking Lex as he entered the cave. The beacon hummed with barely contained power, but he could tell that it was anything but beneficial for the planet. “I apologize that I took so long, I just couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.” Kalex gave Gret a small bow to show that he was sorry.

“Not a problem Kal, I could hold this…” Gret stopped and strained until the veins in his neck pushed up through the skin on his neck. “Indefinitely. But if you’re ready to go, there’s no use staying for any longer. Since you are in my domain, I can give you access to leave whenever you want to an~nd now you have it. Allow me to leave before you so I can meet with you in the higher worlds.” Kalex bowed once again, and when he came back up, Gret had disappeared, leaving Lex to take the entire brunt of making sure Kalex didn’t destroy the planet. “Mr. Wounder," Lex strained. "if you would be so kind?”

—

Blades of myst flew faster than the eye could perceive, only to be destroyed mere feet before they hit their target. As the battle raged on, the two combatants slowly moved in close to try their close-range attacks on each other. A shimmering blade was ducked as a feral kick landed on the weapon’s haft. A dust cloud torrented around the fighters as weapons and appendages blurred in an attempt to gain an advantage.

Similar fights had happened hundreds of times with only one outcome, but this fight was different. Every advantage was turned into a detriment, every feint was made into a hit. With equal strategy, only the one with more myst would prevail.

The fight lasted for two hours before both began to waver, the speed of the fight may have turned sluggish enough that each fist barely made the surrounding air break, but the power of each blow only intensified. With an experimental triple feint, a deciding blow connected, showing the victor standing with back straight as the other nursed her wounds.

“I did it! I finally got you! Even with all your fancy Axiom training, I still came out victorious!” Lyla said as she did a small victory jig. Scyris tsked as she tried to get to her feet. “I let you have this win…” Scyris tripped on her last word as well as on her feet. “It was sad seeing you lose match after match.” Lyla laughed and walked over to her hobbled planet-mate. As Lyla began to administer some soul healing, Ekk piped up in a voice full of excitement and urgency.

“Lyla! They’re coming! I repeat, they’re headed this way!” Lyla’s forehead began to feel frozen from the excitable Lexidex. She stopped what she was doing and stared out past the ocean slowly lapping on the beach and out towards the pitch-black sky. “Kalex and Lex?” Lyla said out loud, garnering the ex-Lumen’s attention. Ekk mentally confirmed and the exhaustion from the fight disappeared. Scyris looked up at Lyla. “The white-haired boy and his rock?” Lyla nodded furiously in response. “Oh dear.”

Scyris couldn’t get any other words in before Lyla yelled at the top of her lungs. “Rigel! If you’re not busy, come down here! I have some news for you!” Myst began to form before Lyla could take a breath and within the beat of a heart, Rigel appeared before the duo.

“Outstanding fight! I could feel the effort you both put into it, and congratulations Lyla, it seems you’ve finally bested the Lumen.” Rigel said with a smirk pointed at Scyris. Affronted, Scyris replied. “I’m not in the Cabal anymore and I would never return even if Shurai begged me. I’m much happier here and I’ve gained almost everything back that I lost after having the Lumen signature taken.” Scyris folded her arms as she spoke.

“Why have you called me down here? Granted, I wasn’t doing anything too important, but still.” Rigel said with his lips slightly upturned. Lyla was nearly hopping up and down as she waited to tell him about what was going on. “Rigel! We’re going to have guests!” Rigel took a double take at Lyla then looked over to Scyris who only gave a shrug in response.

“You do know that you’re in my domain right? Not just anyone could just come by to visit, and depending on their power, I might not even be able to host them.” Lyla tilted her head slightly at Rigel’s words. “Not able to host them? You’re really powerful. I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to.” As she finished, Lyla took on a faraway look as Ekk gave her information that Lex had gathered regarding the question at hand. Both Scyris and Rigel stared at her in confusion until she perked back up, as excited as she was before. “Kalex is only a rank above Harbinger now, so you should be able to handle his visit!” Both Rigel and Scyris looked at each other, only to turn and continue staring at Lyla. “So are we supposed to know what that is, or is this just a ‘Lyla calls things by weird names’ situation?” Scyris said as she sat back down on the beach.

Lyla took a deep breath and looked to the ground. “Oh no, I’m turning out just like him.” Lyla cringed at herself before continuing. “Hey Ekk, can you show them the system please so they can understand what I’m talking about?”

A flood of energy enveloped Lyla as Ekk spoke to her. “I have no way of showing Rigel’s rank since I’m using the information that Lex has given me. Thus far, he is the strongest being either you or Kalex have met, so his status will be approximated.” Lyla nodded and replied mentally. “That’s fine, I won’t be able to see it anyway and I think giving them time to see it for themselves will be helpful.”

Both Scyris and Rigel’s eyes widened as a translucent screen filled their vision. Peeking around the window that only he could see, Rigel gave Lyla a wide-eyed look. “What is this? How did you make this and how can I share it with others? This spell will help in so many ways and finally answer questions that most in the higher worlds have wondered.” Lyla puffed out her chest and smiled at Rigel. “I didn’t create this, but the one who did is headed this way. Just wait until he arrives, and you can ask him yourself!”

Rigel felt worry and wonder at Lyla’s words. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited, but trepidation still gripped him. If someone who created something so amazing was going to visit, how powerful were they? Who could their backer be? And if they were anything like Lyla, how bad would the headache he would have to endure when speaking to the person be? He had to be honest with himself, however. He had never had semi-permanent residents in his domain before and the bounty they provided was worth a hundred Lumen-in-trainings. Besides that, he had come to care for the misfit duo that called his domain home.

If the visitor was anything like them, he would accept them with open arms. His arms would be swinging with balled fists, but they would be open nonetheless. Now that he had voided the contract with the Lumen Cabal, he would now vet every being that wanted shelter in his domain.

His body was currently motionless in his favorite chair that resided in the study of his house, and even though he was not able to fully sense the world outside of his domain while he was in it, Rigel was powerful enough to glean a basic understanding of what was around his body. It had been quiet up until the point that Lyla gave him the news, but now he could sense a resounding resonance that notified him that he was being contacted.

“Thank you for showing me this window into our souls, it will be more beneficial than you know.” Rigel told Lyla with a bow so small that it could be seen as just an extended nod. “I’m receiving a communication and it seems urgent, so I must leave, but continue to do what you have been, and know that I’m very proud of the growth of both of you.” Rigel smiled at Scyris and Lyla as he began to disappear. A few barely audible words could be heard as he left. “Who in the world could this Wren be?”