Chapter 33: Letter

With the silent approach of midnight, Ain finished admiring the photo and set it aside gently, treating it as his most valued possession. After his surge of emotions, Nox didn’t continue drooling over the Wailing Revenant’s Tears. It obediently rested in his arms, bobbing back and forth with silly ghostly thoughts breezing past its mind.

“This is the final item,” Ain said, holding the handwritten letter he’d dropped earlier.

It was a letter from Sage.

On the white paper, strokes of violet ink were graceful, brimming with artistic charm. At times, they curved softly like snakes, while at others, they flowed with great vigor, forming an elegant conception.

The writing, like masterful calligraphy, was beautiful, but Ain unexpectedly struggled to read it. The characters were familiar, yet their style was completely foreign to him. Of course, this struggle wasn’t worth mentioning. With Wisdom Root’s cognitive boosts, it only required him a couple of extra seconds to recognize the words.

Dear Ain,

By now, you have likely realized that your encounter with Livia and me was not coincidental. As I had arranged in the past, releasing the Ink Revenant from the Prismatic Void Stone transmitted a signal, which led us to you. We were greatly astonished upon discovering your amnesia. There was much we wished to discuss, yet we believe it beneficial for you to remain unaware. However, do not feel dejected. There will come a time when you will learn everything.

It was wonderful that you had already contracted the Ink Revenant. It was my gift to you during your childhood. However, be warned, Ain. Never reveal its identity. There are only two Ink Revenants in this world, and I have contracted the other one. Ink Revenants are not a natural species. They were originally Dark Specters. Through an extreme mutation of my design, they evolved into Ink Revenants at Noble. Know this – until Transcendent, they are undifferentiable from Dark Specters.

I have also provided you with an evolution elixir for its Ancient evolution. Feed the Prismatic Void Stone alongside it. The evolution elixir for the Transcendent evolution is recorded within the Spirit Cultivator Tome. The Ink Revenant’s true potential will be unlocked upon reaching Transcendent.

Earlier, Livia and I sensed time fluctuations on you. The time aspect is very powerful, but the dangers it entails are many. I have sealed the faint fluctuations on your body. Once you learn to conceal them on your own, the seal will dissipate.

Lastly, as you have likely gathered from my words, it is wise to conceal our connection until you have the strength to bear the entailing burdens. I believe you will reach such a height one day.

Ain, remember, your experiences are your master. Let them mold you into who you wish to be.

Fondly,

Sage (and Livia)

Ain finished reading the letter and set it aside. Then, he silently stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

The Prismatic Void Stone and Nox’s origins were finally confirmed. The unknown signal in the stone’s description was identified as well. Unexpectedly, Nox’s identity seemed to be sensitive, and likely the same for the people in the photo. Possessing an Ink Revenant would directly link him to Sage. Fortunately, from his words, Nox could be passed off as a Dark Specter until Transcendent. Moreover, the Spirit Cultivator Tome was now integral to his progress. He couldn’t evolve Nox to Transcendent without becoming a spirit cultivator. Due to all the secrecy, he didn’t dare to seek assistance in its evolution.

Finally, Ain was a bit disgruntled upon Sage’s mention of the time aspect. Aside from when using Temporal Blitz or the Chronarch Precept, he didn’t sense any special fluctuations. “Probably because I’m not strong enough,” Ain mumbled while patting Nox.

Sage’s letter was the finale. The storage ring was now empty. He glanced at the items one last time before returning them to the storage ring. It only required a simple tap from the silver ring while injecting some aether.

Stretching his limbs, Ain’s accumulated fatigue finally washed over him. He hadn’t slept for a week and was exhausted both physically and mentally. He’d been running on Sage’s healing spell from earlier in the day.

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“Nox, turn off the light and keep a lookout,” he yawned while tucking himself in. He’d usually find it difficult to sleep in an unfamiliar environment, but Nox’s presence served to reassure him.

“Wooo…!” Nox nodded with its eyes, following his command. Soon, with faint and steady breathing, Ain drifted off to dreamland.

…

Ain slept until late morning, missing the sun’s early grace the next day.

After leaving the Clouds Rest Inn, he first checked into a proper hotel closer to the inner city. The inns in the outskirts served only as temporary rests for spirit masters venturing in and out of Heart City. They weren’t feasible accommodations for an extended stay.

The Red Baron.

This was the hotel he’d selected after a quick search on Cyberspace. As Arcane Heart’s subsidiary, the ratio of spirit masters in Heart City was immense, and facilities catering to them were omnipresent. The Red Baron was one such hotel, present with specialized training rooms aside from all the usual amenities.

One night’s stay at The Red Baron cost 3,000 starcoins. Ain was initially appalled upon learning of this price. However, considering his new account balance, he decided to indulge a little. Prudence held waning leverage over anticipation and curiosity. With clear recollections of days in his shabby hut, he wished to experience the finer things in life. Of course, there was a limit to everything. That’s why he chose The Red Baron, and not the numerous other hotels with higher prices. Some luxurious hotels even required payments in aether crystals. Millions of starcoins for a night’s stay… Ain was directly frightened by this.

Besides his interest, the special training rooms were the deciding factor. They were integral for practicing the new spells.

After settling in, he let Nox explore the room while he investigated Arcane Heart’s recruitment on Cyberspace. Ten minutes later, he looked away, thinking, “The recruitment is on the first day of September, and today is the last day of July. There’s exactly one month remaining. It’s enough time to learn the two spells.”

Confirming the recruitment date, Ain beckoned to his wandering spirit pet, “Nox, come here! It’s time to evolve you to Ancient!”

Hearing his voice, Nox scurried over from somewhere while making excited ghostly noises. “Wooo…!”

The evolution elixir hadn’t left its mind since it’d discovered it. It zoomed around him for a while before landing atop the desk in front of him. Seated on a chair, Ain retrieved the Wailing Revenant’s Tears and the Prismatic Void Stone, and observed Nox carefully, questioning rhetorically, “How do I feed this elixir to you?”

Except for its void-like eyes, its gaseous form lacked any other discernable features. It had no mouth to drink the purple liquid. Was it the same as the Prismatic Void Stone, simply absorbing with its body? Unlike his consideration, Nox immediately morphed its cloudy body to form a bowl-shaped pocket, enthusiastically transmitting its thoughts.

“Pour it in there? Are you sure?” Ain asked oddly. He wasn’t really expecting an answer. His spirit pet seemed strangely well-prepared.

Looks like it’s been thinking about it the whole night. He thought.

“Wooo…!” Nox nodded its eyes vigorously. With such insistence, he could only agree. After all, he had no better ideas. He didn’t know how to feed ghosts. Nox was the expert for now. Uncapping the crystal bottle, Ain carefully poured the Wailing Revenant’s Tears into its make-shift bowl. Recalling Sage’s advice, the Prismatic Void Stone soon joined the purple liquid as well.

Under his watchful gaze, the Prismatic Void Stone rapidly melted into an inky-black substance upon submerging in the Wailing Revenant’s Tears. The purple evolution elixir was quickly stained black, becoming viscous and opaque. Next, accompanied by Nox’s trembling, this new amalgamation started decreasing in volume at a sluggish pace. It was being absorbed by its white gaseous body.

“Now I just wait…” Ain thought. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. In reality, he was clueless about the evolution’s procedure. His composure was established on his trust in Sage.

Time slowly passed as the black substance decreased.

Still atop the desk, Nox trembled faintly while remaining unresponsive to his telepathic communication. It was silent and dazed, like in a mindless trance. Alongside the black substance, the growing aether fluctuations were a testament to the evolution progress.

Half an hour elapsed just like that. At this point, the black substance was already depleted. With the intensifying aether fluctuations, Nox’s faint trembling had morphed into an erratic performance, like a rat struggling inside a cloth pouch. Once the evolution approached its finale, its body rapidly expanded by about five times before immediately condensing back to its original size. Nox’s consciousness recovered and it let out a triumphant roar. “Wooo…!”

The evolution was successful!

Seeing this, Ain breathed a sigh of relief as a joyous smile crawled up his face. He’d been concerned about the 80% success rate mentioned in the evolution elixir’s description. Looks like they weren’t severely unlucky.

“Wooo…!” Without inspecting its new prowess, Nox immediately pounced at Ain, phasing in and out of him excitedly, expressing its jubilation. It was only after an entire minute did its excitement simmer down, allowing him to hold its chilly form. Sensing its upgraded aura, he rejoiced, “Not only did you evolve to Ancient, but you’ve also reached Rank-1!”

“Wooo…!”

Ain was immensely gratified. At this moment, Wisdom Root timely responded.

[Quest: The Anticipated Power-Up (Completed)]

[Description: With Arcane Heart University’s imminent recruitment, what can you achieve with a Rank-0 Spirit Pet? Before the recruitment, evolve Nox to Ancient and strengthen it to Rank-1.]

[Reward: Heavenly Whispers x2]

The new quest was completed just like that. His Heavenly Whispers had reached five!